Just about every single time an Ohio State coach has made a comment about Luke Farrell over the past few years, there is a point at which they hammer home the idea that the NFL-bound tight end has long been overlooked. He’s not even with the program anymore, now training to prepare himself for the next level, but the lasting thoughts of how many people underrated Farrell remain as persistent as ever.
“He was probably one of the more underappreciated guys in his time here,” head coach Ryan Day said last week. “He did a lot of things for us.”
“I don't think people can really (overvalue) how good Luke is,” offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson said. “He's a three-year starter at tight end, and I had several pro scouts say they think he might be as good a blocking tight end as there is coming out in the draft.”
Not much of what Farrell did on the field could be referred to as anything other than the dirty work that gets no publicity. He so rarely had the spotlight on him despite being both incredibly reliable and solid at the job the Buckeyes needed him to do. He consistently blocked well in both the run and pass games and only rarely – five times, to be exact, as a fifth-year senior – leaked out and reeled in balls from Justin Fields. The most telling stat of all: He graded out as a champion more often than he caught passes in 2020.
So, it makes sense that in Farrell’s wake, Wilson is presiding over arguably the least-sexy position battle of spring camp: Backup tight end.
“That second tight end in the game is going to be important for us, and finding out who that is and letting that competition play out will be critical,” Day said.
This is neither the most important nor the most discussed competition, yet it’s one between Cade Stover, Joe Royer, Mitch Rossi and Corey Rau that Day specifically pointed to a week ago.
Both he and Wilson know their starter – Jeremy Ruckert – and feel great about him. The fourth-year from New York had a chance to move on to the NFL but passed on it to play one more season as a Buckeye. The opportunity to spend a last go-round developing in the program as a blocker while improving as a pass-catcher was enough to keep him in Columbus. Naturally, given his track record, high expectations will follow him into 2021. Wilson thinks Ruckert can be the most complete tight end in college football this season.
“There might be a couple guys that may be rawer or real faster tight ends. But the combination of blocking, route-running, catching, I think he's setting up to have a super year,” Wilson said. “He's leaned up. He's about 248. So he's trimmed up a little bit. I think he's strong enough. I think when you're young, sometimes you think you need to gain weight to be a better blocker. I think his strength level has gotten well enough. I know we were visiting last year with one of the best pros in the game and he said he was weighing 240 pounds, but he's very, very fast and very, very physical.
“I think Jeremy's getting enough confidence in himself as a blocker and his strength level with coach Mick (Marotti) is improved that I think he's trying to maybe be a little leaner. It helps him to be a little bit quicker in and out breaks to create some separation. Hopefully we can get him more involved in the pass game. I think he sets up to have a great year.”
The questions begin behind Ruckert.
Nobody, not one person in the tight end room, is a proven commodity outside of the starter. The group consists of a former defensive player who swapped positions a year ago (Stover), a redshirt freshman who didn’t play a snap last year (Royer), a walk-on who’s second among returning tight ends in 2020 snaps (Rossi), a walk-on in his second year in the program (Rau) and a true freshman (Sam Hart).
The favorite to complement Ruckert as the second tight end on the depth chart should be Stover, given this is his third year in the program and second year at tight end. At 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds with athleticism that could have had him playing basketball in college, he would seem to have all the physical tools Ohio State could want in its tight ends. Plus, Wilson said Stover was honored as “one of the top performers in the offseason” by the strength coaches.
“I think Cade coming through, it'll be a big spring for Cade,” Wilson said.
Wilson mentioned he has had “serious conversations” with both Stover and Royer about what the Buckeyes need from them. Royer, from Cincinnati, is built like a traditional tight end, similarly to Stover, at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds.
Rossi and Rau will likely be more role-specific players, Wilson said. The position coach described Rossi – who was in for 32 offensive snaps in 2020 – as “kind of fullback-ish” and expects him to serve in more of a hybrid capacity. Rau, a walk-on who was once a scholarship tight end at SMU before transferring last year, is seen as more of a “short-yardage type of guy.”
With plenty of uncertainty surrounding these guys, Wilson won’t rush to find an answer.
“I don't think we have to figure it out by spring because I think we're going to need the summer to continue that development of physical toughness and strength level. I think it'll probably be the middle of the preseason before we truly know if we truly have a second tight end that we can compete for a Big Ten championship with. Because we're going to need that player to be the complete team we need to be.”
Ideally, Ohio State would like the option of playing with 12 personnel – one running back and two tight ends – as often as it pleases. Last year, the presence of Ruckert, Farrell and Jake Hausmann led Day and Wilson to trot out a bevy of multi-tight end sets.
But the ridiculous talent littering Brian Hartline's wide receiver room, along with Ruckert's abilities, give Ohio State the option of eschewing a second tight end if nobody stands out the way Wilson and Day hope.
“As talented as those receivers are, they'd better be pretty good,” Wilson said of a second tight end. “Because you can throw two-deep, three-deep at receiver. It's going to be outstanding.”
