The local team practices today at the Coffey Road fields. There is no media access because somebody might give away a state secret.
ICYMI:
- Isaiah Prince learned from last year's struggles.
- A four-star defensive end decommitting actually helped Ohio State recruiting.
- Brian Hartline quality controls the offense and loves every minute of it.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Blanch.
ACCORDING TO PLAN. J.K. Dobbins is the latest Buckeye freshman destined for a Hall of Fame bust due to early reports from fall camp. And fans' eagerness to anoint is no slight to Dobbins talent, which is special.
But Demario McCall showed potential on a collegiate level last year. And Dobbins' emergence puts McCall, the greatest footballer to ever lace 'em up for the Scarlet and Gray, in an awkward position between Dobbins and starter Mike Weber.
Thankfully Meyer admitted this week McCall is working with the H-Backs, at least part time.
From ohio.com:
Weber, who became just the third Ohio State freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, hasn’t been able to go full speed yet.
“He practiced [Monday],” Meyer said. “He didn’t open it up yet, but he’ll be ready for game one. We’re just being cautious. Hamstrings are just something you really have to watch.”
Meyer said he’s been impressed by the play of all the running backs, including Antonio Williams and Demario McCall, who has seen some time at the hybrid H-back slot.
This always seemed like a natural move only put off by Meyer raving about Parris Campbell at the position.
Still, it's wise to work McCall at both positions given Weber's injury. I realize Meyer says they're just being cautious but hamstrings have a nasty habit of lingering with running backs.
Dobbins and McCall may lack the bowling ball frame of Weber, but I'd wager they'd be an entertaining combination nonetheless.
YOUNG BUCKS EARN PRAISE. It's always interesting to see which young players the veterans praise during camp. Despite carrying biases like everyone else, they can offer an informative glimpse into the future of the program.
Two names to watch are defensive ends Jonathon Cooper and Chase Young. Both were five-star recruits (Cooper in '16 and Young in '17) who would probably play large rotational minutes (if not start) on 90% of defensive lines in the country.
This, however, is Ohio State.
From theozone.net:
“Oh man, Chase is gonna be good,” said left tackle Jamarco Jones. “He’s still a freshman, so he’s still learning, but he’s going to be really good. Coop, he’s explosive. He’s been getting his step back a little bit. He’s been looking really impressive this camp.”
Like Prince, Jones doesn’t know how much room there will be for either of these two, but if they are good enough to get the job done, he wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen.
“I don’t know how when you’ve got four guys that could go in the first round,” he said. “But yeah, if you can throw a fifth one in there, why not. It will keep everybody even more fresh.”
Meyer swears Young will play this year. It remains to be seen how much. Young is much more physically imposing as a freshman than Cooper was, though.
ROSEN KEEPS IT CANDID; DALE ZINGS HIM ANYWAY. Josh Rosen, the UCLA quarterback who once had an inflatable pool removed from his dorm, spoke with Bleacher Report about an issue close to a lot of players' hearts: The school-football balance required to do both at an elite level.
He also took it further by saying schools set players up for failure academically by lowering admission standards.
From bleacherreport.com:
Look, football and school don't go together. They just don't. Trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs. There are guys who have no business being in school, but they're here because this is the path to the NFL. There's no other way. Then there's the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers.
B/R: Wait, some players shouldn't be in school?
Rosen: It's not that they shouldn't be in school. Human beings don't belong in school with our schedules. No one in their right mind should have a football player's schedule, and go to school. It's not that some players shouldn't be in school; it's just that universities should help them more—instead of just finding ways to keep them eligible.
It's weird to see a player openly talking like this in a credentialed exclusive interview, which speaks to the power structures within the sport.
I also feel like Cardale Jones would agree with this stuff, given some of his past statements about the NCAA and his joining of Chris Spielman's lawsuit against Ohio State.
But that shouldn't get in the way of a good tweet:
Chill bro, play school pic.twitter.com/ZlJOhzTHcL
— Cardale Jones (@Cardale7_) August 8, 2017
A few hours later, he tattooed A.J. McCarron's new Tuscaloosa sushi joint:
A.J. McCarron's Tuscaloosa sushi place AJIAN allows customers to pick ingredients in Chipotle style line, opens tonight ( by @ExcitableBob) pic.twitter.com/9b0GhVTcug
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 8, 2017
Yea, we call that @eatfusian in Ohio.... about 7 years too late.... https://t.co/sNfQgy09jd
— Cardale Jones (@Cardale7_) August 8, 2017
I won't be mad if Cardale Jones leads the Chargers to a comeback victory over the Browns in the 2018 AFC championship game.
VOTE GONZALEZ. Anthony Gonzalez earned an MBA and is back in Ohio and looking to become a United States congressman.
From cleveland.com:
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Anthony Gonzalez, the St. Ignatius and Ohio State University alum and former NFL player, is considering tackling a second career in politics.
Gonzalez, 32, is holding meetings as he eyes Ohio's 16th Congressional District, currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci, according to Republican sources following the race. The unusually shaped 16th District includes Wayne County, and portions of several others, stretching from rural suburbs east of Akron and up to Cuyahoga County's western suburbs. The seat is expected to be free next year because Renacci, a businessman and former Wadsworth mayor, is running for governor rather than seeking re-election.
Gonzalez being only 32 is wild to me. His catch at Iowa in 2006 feels like it happened in 1996 (and looks that way on YouTube, too).
Hell, might as well watch him dagger Michigan in 2005, too:
ANOTHER BAR TO GATEWAY. When it comes to the Ohio State south campus Gateway, there are two bar titans: Ugly Tuna Saloona (surviving despite being objectively bad) and Mad Mex (objectively not bad).
Even Charlie Bear Land of Dance and Eddie George's Overpriced and Mediocre Grille succumbed to the rent demands.
But from the ashes of the private event space of Eddie's Grill rises a new bar from the owner of legendary campus-area dive bar Oldfield's North Fourth Tavern.
From Ghezal Barghouty of The Lantern:
Leo’s on the Alley is set to become the newest addition to the Gateway district when it opens its doors in late August.
The new bar will occupy the former Eddie George’s private event space, a part of the restaurant that wasn’t taken up by TRISM, at 25 Chittenden Ave.
Leo’s will focus on an old-school concept which comes from Ohio State alumnus and Oldfield’s North Fourth Tavern owner Dan Starek, who said the neighborhood bar environment is lacking near campus.
No, I don't know what TRISM is, either. It sounds like an unlocked portal to Hell. Good luck to Leo's despite that.
THOSE WMDs. There's a world championship for Excel spreadsheets... I FOIA’d the NSA’s recycling mascot, and now I have more questions than answers... The hungriest man on Earth... The heartbreaking murder of Sam Kellerman... The sinking of the MS Estonia.
