Sam Hubbard remembers when he looked up at the likes of Joey Bosa, Steve Miller and even current teammate Tyquan Lewis as he started moding himself into the defensive end he wanted to be at Ohio State. What he didn't expect was how it would be so soon that he'd be the one in their shoes with he future understudies peering up at him as an emulation tool.
"I used to watch the older guys, but now the younger guys are watching me," Hubbard said Thursday after Ohio State's 10th practice of the spring. "I could never take a play off and just finding that motivation to come out every day and lead the way is the hardest thing to do I think."
A year ago Hubbard knew he was in a fight to be a backup to Bosa and Lewis at defensive end, a redshirt freshman Urban Meyer noticed during a dodgeball game at Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller High School. An exceptional athlete, Hubbard first started at tight end when he got to Columbus, then flipped to linebacker. It resulted in a redshirt season in 2014.
“What Sam’s gotta do is continue to work hard. He’s gotta move the bar, can’t stay where he’s at. He can’t be satisfied with last year. We talk about that all the time, constantly moving the yard stick.”– Larry Johnson
Meyer and the Buckeyes didn't know where he'd be best suited within their drive to win football games, but ultimately he found a home at defensive end with Larry Johnson. He settled in and learned from an All-American (Bosa) and the guy who led Ohio State in sacks in 2015 (Lewis). Hubbard's 6.5 sacks even bested Bosa's 5.0 for second-most on the team.
Now a redshirt sophomore, Hubbard walks into the defensive line room and notices the eyes of the younger players glued to his every move. As Lewis rehabs from offseason shoulder surgery, Hubbard is the guy a unit that lacks depth and experience needs to be able to count on as a star this fall.
"He has to be. I really think he will, too," Meyer said Tuesday. "He’s really coming along. What a great kid, great worker."
Hubbard knows full well the expectations and shoes he must fill among the Ohio State defensive line. Bosa is set to be a top-10 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft later this month and Adolphus Washington will likely hear his name heard on the second day. Tommy Schutt and Joel Hale are gone too, a reason Meyer remains concerned about the defensive front.
But Hubbard, the man with the most experience other than Lewis, has to reach the next level.
"I just never want to lose a rep, be disruptive, make plays, do my job and be my 1/11 part of the defense that everybody can rely on," Hubbard said.
He doesn't want to be Bosa — no one is asking him to. That wouldn't be fair.
But Hubbard said he's put on roughly 65 pounds since high school, necessary weight to do what Johnson demands on game day.
"The first thing when we talk about Sam is his strength level has gotten better. He’s got more weight on him now so going into the spring we’ve got a stronger Sam," Johnson said Thursday. "That’s the goal: to get him stronger to play inside, play on tackles. That’s what he’s working on. Technician, he’s a really good technician so now we’re just working on how to finish it."
Hubbard made his presence felt by the end of 2015.
Hubbard is far from a finished product, but keeps his focus on the tasks at hand — being a leader among his unit during drills and getting better each and every practice.
"I want to be as dominant in the run as any defensive end can be like Tyquan and Joey were last year," Hubbard said. "Just continuing to improve my pass rush skills. It's just an ongoing process, putting in spin moves and stuff like that."
Added Johnson: "Sam is young so the expectation is really high for him so Sam has gotta realize that. He’s going to be targeted and teams, they’re going to scheme him now because he’s a good player. What Sam’s gotta do is continue to work hard. He’s gotta move the bar, can’t stay where he’s at. He can’t be satisfied with last year. We talk about that all the time, constantly moving the yard stick."
