The 2012 Buckeye Defense - (Part I) The Overview

In the midst of the distorted blur that was last season, the Ohio State defense experienced a year that was far below their average. Yes, Buckeye Nation does have quite lofty expectations of the Silver Bullets. And yes, part of this was due to the lack of offense, but the defense struggled mightily and rarely stepped up in times of need.

Hankins has dropped from 335 to under 320

The Buckeyes struggled with Toledo, got gashed by Miami, gave up huge 2nd half points to Nebraska, allowed Wisconsin to take the lead by giving up multiple easy late scoring drives, gave up big plays to Penn State, and allowed Denard Robinson and M:ch:gan to do that stupid spoon thing on the way to 40 points. The issues weren't something that could be blamed on one player or one unit because the team struggled with fundamentals. Tackling, pursuit, getting in position, and a lack of intensity all plagued this defense.

That being said, the 2012 Buckeye defense could easily be one of the most improved units in the B1G this season. Part of that comes from the fact that last year was that bad, but the experience and talent they bring back could see them be one of the best OSU defenses in the last few years. The team also has new life which has been brought in by the new coaching staff, and I fully expect the defense to be very animated in regards to attitude and celebrations. Swaggernauts, as Coach Pantoni would say.

The Leader

The most recognizable returning player has got to be John Simon. Simon has always been a high-intensity guy but has now brought that intensity to a leadership role. Simon spends a lot of time in the weight room, but now he's not just leading by example. He's become more vocal and stepping up to fill the role that Coach Meyer said is necessary to maximize team potential.

The coaches have this team working hard in the offseason to get ready for next year. Simon is a leader in the weight room, and his 5:30 am workouts now are along with sophomore LB's Ryan Shazier and Curtis Grant; and Simon loves the company. He also said that he's seen far more people in the weight room than he has in years past.

Simon isn't the only DL stud returning to action this year. Johnathan "Big Hank" Hankins is expected to be a top 15 NFL Draft Pick should he decide to leave early. Big Hank has put in a solid offseason in getting in much better shape. He tips the scale at almost 320 lbs. and explodes off the ball which causes major problems in the middle of offensive lines. Hankins is working on getting in even better shape this offseason so he doesn't have to restart from where he was before the new staff came in. He's happy with his progress.

The whole DL has been praised this spring. Guys like Garrett Goebel and Adam Bellamy have been flying under the radar with the attention being absorbed by Simon and Hankins. Even Michael Bennett has received a bit of attention for his play. Bennett was said to be playing at the level of a starter, but the top 4 were too good to squeeze him into a starting spot.

Buckeye Nation is excited to see this guy

This is good news for the Buckeyes who have been known to rotate many defensive linemen throughout games. Having 5 guys playing at a high level is big, but throw in the expected return of Nathan Williams, who was supposed to be the best DL for OSU last year and would give the Buckeyes a huge boost at the Leo position, and this DL is outright nasty. You can also include freshman do-everything DE Noah Spence in the fold. If everything goes as expected, OSU will basically have two full defensive lines to play this season.

The back seven will greatly benefit from better play up front. QB pressure lacked last season which in turn put a lot pressure on the youthful back seven, and this will once again be the major question mark for this defense.  Did they learn the right lessons from last year, and will they take well to the new coaches?

The good news is that these guys got experience.  The only new player expected to start is sophomore MLB Curtis Grant, who was the #2 overall prospect in the 2011 class, so the talent is there.  Last season Grant had an issue learning the defense, and he had packed on some weight before showing up in Columbus.  Grant jumped up to 250 lbs. in hopes that it would help him be better in the middle of a B1G defensive unit.  That slowed him down, and he is in a much better place this season.  He has lost weight and is now excited for a chance to redeem himself to Buckeye Nation.  Grant being the only new starter isn't because there's nobody else at the position because former starter Storm Klein will be his backup.  The change is because Grant is better and would've happened last year had it not been for his own struggles.



Grant will be accompanied on the strong side by senior Etienne Sabino.  Sabino has had an odd career at Ohio State.  He played a limited role early on in his career and, like Grant, was expected to be a next big thing at LB.  He then redshirted the season before last which made headlines when Coach Tressel almost removed the redshirt to play him in the final few games.  He ended up redshirting and returning to action last year.  Last season saw Sabino struggle at times.  The image that keeps coming back to my head was on M:ch:gan's first scoring drive when Sabino filled the hole that Denard Robinson was trying to run through.  Sabino saw Robinson and stopped moving as if Robinson was going to run right into his arms.  Robinson cut to the outside and ran right around Sabino (Video on right. Play starts @:09).  Sabino has to learn to attack a shifty ball carrier like Robinson, but his play will have to get better this season.

Ryan Shazier is ready to bring it in 2012

Weakside LB will be filled by the exciting sophomore Ryan Shazier.  Shazier started 3 games last season and got a B1G POTW honor when he had 15 tackles against Penn State.  Shazier brought life to the Silver Bullet unit because he plays with speed and passion.  His motor is what got him in trouble a few times by over-pursuing plays, but experience and coaching should see him take care of that issue.  He flies around the field, delivers violent hits, and has an attitude that is contageous.  His addition of weight in this offseason hasn't slowed him down as he was clocked at 4.39 in the 40 yard dash.  That weight is coming from those early morning workouts with John Simon.  Shazier has Buckeyes excited, and rightfully so. 

Last year the secondary was young, and hopefully, there were a lot of lessons learned. Bradley Roby had a solid Freshman campaign while Junior Travis Howard struggled more than expected. These two gained a year of experience, and Howard is listed as a co-starter with Doran Grant. It's good to know the Buckeyes have three CB's that can play, and I expect big things from Roby. 

Bradley Roby is the next great DB for OSU

Roby has top-end speed and good ball play, so I'd expect him to excel in this defense.  To Buckeye Nation's surprise, he won't be wearing the #25 jersey that he he wore last year.  He will instead switch to...you'll have to wait to find out. 

Howard is the CB with the pressure on him.  Many thought he'd have a good enough season last year to take off for the NFL, but that didn't happen.  Now, he's in his final season in Columbus; and to top it off, he's being pressured for playing time by the young Grant.  We'll see how both Howard and Grant deal with this situation as the season approaches.

The Buckeyes also return three safeties with starting experience. CJ Barnett, Christian Bryant, and Orhian Johnson all have started and played major minutes in the secondary.  It appears as though Barnett and Bryant will be the primary defenders, but Johnson will play. 

Johnson, a senior, has struggled with tackling which is why he's now limited mostly to the nickel defense.  The DB's shift to have Johnson come in at FS to mainly help with passing situations.  I'm not sure if this will still be the same situation as the new staff has reevaluated players and may play the third CB or even one of the class of 2012 DB's.

Many of the 2012 DB's didn't enroll at OSU in time to play spring ball, so in order for them to get playing time, they're going to have to take it.  I'm not saying it's impossible, but it appears as though the nickel back (not the band), or whoever the extra DB is, will be the best way for a young DB to get playing time.

Christian Bryant 

Bryant and Barnett are the best the Buckeyes have at safety.  Both of these guys are entering their junior years and have two seasons of eligibility remaining which is good news for Ohio State.  Barnett and Bryant love to hit guys which is always a good presence for the defense to have.  Bryant is the better athlete and harder hitter, but Barnett is no slouch by any means.  These two guys are where much of this defense's improvements lie.  They struggled with coverage last year.  Jared Abbrederis, of Wisconsin, got open easily when covered by these two.  If these guys can fix these issues, which are very coachable, this defense will be that much better.

The new Buckeye staff has brought along a new coverage scheme.  This off-man coverage will be talked about in my 2012 Buckeye Defense - (Part II) The Passing Questions breakdown of the OSU pass defense.  This coverage scheme will be very different from what we've seen in the past, but it will allow the CB's to be better in run support and make more plays on the ball.  The issues with this coverage are getting corners to trust in their reads and technique, but more can be learned about this defense from Tony Gerdeman's Corners Going Off article on The Ozone. 

Overall, I think this defense is set for a stellar year.  They need to focus on getting to the QB, but they have all of the pieces to make it happen.  Williams' recovery and Spence's ability to play right away could both be key, but the new coverage could be very beneficial to the pass rush.  The LB and DB units are expected to be much better, and I do not think they will disappoint.  The Silver Bullets are back.

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