ย Time to break down the Ohio State Buckeyes spring college football prospects in 2012. We start with the defense, going position by position.
Defensive Line
Fourteen-year NFL veteran and decorated Buckeye โ two-time All-American and twice named the Big Tenโs Defensive Player of the Year โ Mike Vrabel takes over coaching his collegiate position after mentoring the teamโs linebackers in 2011. His unit returns four starters from 2011, including 2011 third-team Associated Press All-American John Simon, and Johnathan Hankins. As formidable as any duo along the line, they combined for 27 tackles for loss (for minus-83 yards) and 10 sacks last year. Simon, a 26-game starter, is a senior and Hankins, fourth on the team with 67 tackles in 2011, a junior.
Senior Garrett Goebel and junior Adam Bellamy, a couple of first-year starters in 2011, also return after making 13 and 10 starts, respectively, last season. A fifth lineman, sophomore Michael Bennett, joined the starters by logging line play in all 13 games last season while Steve Miller also lettered with significant special teams play. Two freshmen who redshirted last season โ Chase Farris and Kenny Hayes โ will be in the spring mix.
Also returning, but not competing this spring while continue to recover from knee surgery last fall, is Nathan Williams. Expected to be a leader on the line last year, Williams played in only the first game of the season and ended up red-shirting the season.
Linebacker
Luke Fickell, defensive coordinator after serving as co-coordinator for six years before his elevation to head coach for the 2011 season, is back in charge of the teamโs linebacker corps. The 2012 season will be his eighth leading the linebackers.
This yearโs linebacker group has some experience at the top โ seniors Storm Klein and Etienne Sabino and sophomore Ryan Shazier each have multiple starts โ but overall the unit is limited in terms of numbers. Sophomore Curtis Grant is the only other linebacker available this spring who has game experience, and his experience was mostly as a special teamer last year. Class of 2012 recruit Josh Perry has been on campus since Jan. 2.
Sabino has played in 38 games and made five starts last season. He was fifth on the team in tackles with 62. Klein started 10 times last year and had 45 tackles. He, too, has 38 games under his belt. Shazier was most impressive as a true freshman, with 57 tackles including a team-season high 15 in his first career start, vs. Penn State.
Secondary
The two secondary positions, like defensive line, return plenty of starters and plenty of experience, something co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Everett Withers and cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs will certainly appreciate as they enter their first spring drills as Buckeye coaches.
Both starting cornerbacks โ senior Travis Howard and sophomore Bradley Roby โ are back, as is talented sophomore Doran Grant. Howard and Roby had five interceptions between them last year. Howard has 30 games, 11 starts and four interceptions to his credit. Roby started 12 games last year and led all Buckeyes with nine total passes defensed (six pass break-ups in addition to three interceptions), a total that was just two off the Big Ten lead. Grant played in all 13 games, including time in the secondary.
Three veteran safeties with a combined 39 starts among them also return. Junior C.J. Barnett has started in 15 consecutive games and he led the team with 75 tackles last season while also intercepting two passes and breaking up six more. Hard-hitting, nine-game starter Christian Bryant was third in โ11 with 68 tackles and his eight pass break-ups were third-most in the Big Ten. And senior Orhian Johnson tied Roby for the team lead with three interceptions last season and he also had 32 tackles and played in all 13 games. Johnson, like Barnett, has started 15 times as a Buckeye.
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