OSU Depth Chart 2015
Looking over OSU's depth chart it is pretty scary to think what they will be next year - this was actually the year they were supposed to be a "year away". Here is a Rivals 2 deep and who will be lost bolded - not many. 10 players out of 44. For QB I just assumed Barrett and Jones stay and Braxton leaves; who knows how it all sorts out, maybe Jones transfers to Miss State or similar; he needs to find a similar offense. Doesn't matter, at this point their 5th WR throws better than most teams QBs.
I don't know how many early entry candidates they have - Washington at DT looks like the obvious one. Only areas that take any real hits are WRs and 1 DE spot.
3 of their top 6 LB are FR or RS FR - 3 of their 4 safeties are underclassmen, etc
Class is for 2014, so add a year for 2015
OFFENSE
QB
- Barrett RS FR, Jones RS SO
RB
- Elliott SO, Samuel FR
WR (3)
- Thomas RS SO, Smith SR, Spencer SR, Smith RS JR, Marshall RS FR, Brown FR
TE
- Heuerman SR, Vannett JR
T (2)
- Decker JR, Jones FR, Baldwin RS SR, Farris RS JR
G (2)
- Price RS FR, Hale SR, Elflein RS SO, Farris RS JR
C
- Boren JR, Elflein RS SO
DEFENSE
DE (2)
- Miller SR, Frazier, RS SR, Bosa SO, Lewis RS FR
DT (2)
- Washington JR, Munger RS FR, Bennett SR, Schutt JR
LB (3)
- Lee RS FR, Worley RS FR, Perry JR, Williams JR, Grant SR, McMillan FR
CB (2)
- Grant SR, Reeves JR, Apple RS FR, Conley RS FR
S (2)
- Bell SO, Burrows SO, Powell RS SO, Tanner RS JR
-------------------------
Senior losses - Devin Smith WR, Evan Spencer WR, Jeff Heuerman TE, Darryl Baldwin OT, Joel Hale OT, Steve Miller DE, Rashad Frazier DE, Michael Bennett DT, Curtis Grant LB, Doran Grant CB
Defensive starters - 1 DT, 1 DE, 1 LB, 1 CB
Offensive starters - TE, 1 WR, 1 OT
January 2nd, 2015 at 6:45 AM ^
that Gary Nova doesn't use his 5th year of eligibility to transfer to OSU. Imagine what Urban could do with Gary Freakin' Nova. I would collapse in on myself like a dying star.
January 2nd, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 6:45 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:04 AM ^
No.
I wrote: "Class is for 2014, so add a year for 2015"
January 2nd, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 3rd, 2015 at 10:25 PM ^
Kinda lazy, friend.
January 2nd, 2015 at 6:45 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:02 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:50 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:01 AM ^
than what any great coach that develops talent would have. For years M recruited great classes and we kept looking at the two deep wondering how we would piece together a team that could win let alone dominate. Given what Meyer is able to recruit year in year out, it AND that talent is actually growing under his program, this is what you get.
Take the Stanford trajectory under Harbs and apply that to the recruiting he will achieve here (not to mention what is already here) and I will bet the farm we will have the same thing going on soon.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:06 AM ^
Not be a dick or beat a dead horse, but this really makes me not feel bad for Brady Hoke getting fired. Michigan recruited at essentially the same level as Ohio State and is getting nowhere near the same result, because the player development was goddamn abysmal. I know Michigan was competitive with the them on the field the last four games, but yeah they do seem poised to take a leap next year, and I don't know how quickly the Harbaugh Effect can fully take hold.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:14 AM ^
After watching how resilient MSU was and how fast and powerful OSU was, I sat there last night and the only thing holding me up was the Harbaugh future. After seeing how paltry Miss State looked in their bowl and looking in retrospect at their key victories (a fraud A&M, a down LSU that lost to ND, and an Auburn that lost to a Big 10 team without a functioning QB), I'd be in deep depression if we were sending 1 yr wonder Dan Mullen out there vs Urban and Dantonio the next half decade. With all due respect to Brian.
It is difficult to argue that our 2 conf rivals dont have 2 of the top 10 coaches in the nation and both are well in their regimes, with their players and systems established, and us coming in with a plan B at this point taking over another coach's players, in the current stage of this program's arc would be troubling.
Really weird - that same OSU squad had trouble with Indiana for 3 quarters, and if not for a refs "inability to find a replay" to review an INT probably loses at PSU. That's sports.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:35 AM ^
I can attest that the players can buy into media bias even though the coach advises them not to. I wonder if the players thought that OSU had no right being there. That OSU lost to a bad VaTech team. That OSU is slow b/c they are in the big ten.
January 2nd, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:42 AM ^
Meyer yes, but MSU was saved by Baylor's kicker imploding. There secondary looked really bad at times and they will not have Waynes next year. When Dennard left it was said that Waynes was the best of the two, but without him they will have some real issues in the secondary.
Cook is also prone to making extremely dumb plays. MSU wasn't really close to beating OSU at all this year and avoided by Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The team that gets hurt the most by Harbaugh and OSU being in the title game will be MSU. Also Langford would be insane not to go to the NFL.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:14 AM ^
If I recall correctly, Langford is a senior anyway.
But I agree. MSU has been saved by a lot of things over the past seven years. Michigan not only being down, but Rodriguez effectively ceding the state of Michigan in recruiting as well. In the two classes that were truly, 100% his, 2009 and 2010, he took only 8 in-state players. Over the same two classes, Dantonio took 23. Yes, Michigan's always going to recruit more broadly than MSU, and no, we're not always recruiting the same players, but that's a huge disparity not in line with recruiting under Carr or Hoke. Even with Hoke returning emphasis to "our own backyard", that recruiting momentum Dantonio had gained couldn't just be wiped out overnight.
Speaking of momentum, when Dantonio was on his initial upward trend from 2009-2011, they avoided Ohio State the first of those two seasons, then got to go into the Horseshoe and beat the Fickell-coached joke squad that even Brady Hoke was able to defeat. Those few games might seem inconsequential, but the narrative on MSU's "rise" changes a bit if 2009 and 2010 include beatdowns at the hands of OSU in line with their 2008 game. They lost to them again in 2012, Dantonio got his one true "signature win" over them last year, and they got waxed on their own field this year. Throw in finally getting to the Rose Bowl and getting to play Shaw Stanford instead of Harbaugh Stanford who would've whipped their asses, and the improbable, penalty-assisted comeback yesterday, and I sincerely do believe some of their success has been a little smoke and mirrors.
tl;dr - Dantonio is a good coach in his own right, but I don't believe he is on Harbaugh's level, or Meyer's for that matter, and I hope they savor 6/7 and the Rose Bowl win, because neither is getting repeated anytime soon.
January 2nd, 2015 at 9:16 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 9:30 AM ^
That was an injury depleted Oregon team that lost to Arizona and in rematch Oregon destroyed them.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:30 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:26 AM ^
I think Urban Meyer could start a potted plant at QB in 2015 and still score 28 points per game. What he does with his QBs is incredible.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:39 AM ^
Meyer made Chris Leak servicable with help from Tebow during Tim's freshman year. Meyer did not make Jeff Brantley a star.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:26 AM ^
Meyer deserves all the credit in the world, but at the same time last year his team lost by a similar score to Clemson where it looked like OSU was a step behind. The one thing OSU's offense does have is a hyper-focus on simple QB reads, which makes it terrifying because it empowers anyone in the backfield to make plays like today. At the same time, he also struggled without Tebow at Florida, so maybe it's more a type of QB or he just happened to have some underrated talent there. Who knows if it is sustaintable, but for now they are incredibly talented.
What has surprised me recently, though, is their defense. Holding Gordon and Wiscy in check, then to hold serve with Alabama, is very impressive. It might be a blip or a sign of things to come, but that has been the most inetesting part of this year, and does scare me a bit for next one.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:52 AM ^
They added an up and comer 40ish DC in Ash last offseason to offset Fickell, and it seems to have worked wonders, esp in the pass D which was very bad last year despite having an NFL corner. For how young their back 7 is, there was serious improvement.
With the caveat they were facing Big 10 QBs. Mariota will be another animal.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:20 AM ^
Oh yeah, it absolutely looked like Ash is helping. Last year's defense would have been eaten alive by this Alabama team. And the defensive line is probably one of the best in the country, so that helps with a younger defensive backfield.
It will be interesting to see how they handle Mariota because he really is one of the best QBs I've seen in years, especially at a major college. I suspect OSU will be ready to an extent, but the big thing will be if Oregon's D can keep OSU (somewhat) contained running the ball. OSU is clearly much better than FSU in that department, but in a track meet OSU clearly likes to run the ball to keep up and if they have to throw against Oregon I'm not sure if it will work for them.
Also, I've thought Alabama was overrated for most of the year, though I guess I also underrated OSU a bit. This isn't a vintage Alabama team by any stretch, and it showed.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:08 AM ^
Simple reads and 5 man boxes. I did not save or re watch this game for the simple reason that once was enough, but I recall a couple of third and 3 or so where they schemed all but 5 guys out of the box and Jones simply blasted ahead for the first down. I consider this to be man ball, I hope we are not ruling such approaches out with our MB schemes. One does not have to go "full commie" here to use such approaches.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:25 AM ^
Absolutely part of their gameplan, though for long stretches of that game they were also converting 3rd downs at a crazy rate despite having 7+ yards to go. It's absolutely an offense designed to stretch you out, but it also relies on the offensive line being able to handle their men 1-on-1 in blocking, which has been surprising given how young their unit is.
I think this offense will work as long as Meyer has solid QBs, but I guess I saw it flounder without a Tebow-type of think things can change quickly. They do look light-years better than they did to start the year, though.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:44 AM ^
Also if Cardale Jones loses the starting job I don't see him taking it well at all. One of Jones and Barrett will transfer if not before the season than after.
January 2nd, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^
But I still think OSU is significantly better with Barrett at QB (assuming he recovers fully). That's kind of scary, I know.
January 2nd, 2015 at 10:41 AM ^
You obviously haven't seen OSU's new loaded shotgun. We're just gonna put three QBs back there and not even worry about a running back. Zeke will just move to WR.
January 2nd, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
The philosophy of that offense was, in a nutshell, if you don't have one QB, then why not have three. I mean, OSU has three, not one, but you get the point.
January 2nd, 2015 at 11:05 AM ^
He isn't going to want to wait 2 years to maybe be OSU's QB. He can pick his situation now such as Miss St. after Prescott leaves and basically know he will get to start. If OSU keeps Barrett and Jones it will be a soap opera. The same will be true at ND with Golson and Zaire, except it will be a lot worse at OSU as Jones isn't exactly someone who knows to keep his mouth shut.
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:19 PM ^
If he waited two years, he wouldn't have any eligibility left. He has already used his redshirt. So he'd lose a year of eligibility in a transfer. I highly doubt Urban would name a starter after the spring. It would make sense for him to stay, fight for the job and leave if he doesn't get it after the season.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:52 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:33 AM ^
This is actually a Michigan sports blog. And typically in sports you compete with others, and how good Michigan is is entirely defined by how well it competes with others. Hence analyzing those others on a MIchigan sports blog.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:59 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
Oh man, still can't believe you were like eight-years-old when you joined the blog.
January 2nd, 2015 at 7:55 AM ^
I'd like to see this for Sparty as well. I think they're also fielding a pretty stacked team next year. Thank the Harbaughs for the Harbaugh
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:30 AM ^
Not quite as much, but they'll be decent. They return Cook, Price, Williams, Kings, and 4/5 of the O-line, which is certainly something. Williams should make a decent replacement for Langford, but they'll need playmakers other than Kings at WR. Burbridge and Madaris could be the guys, in which case their offense will be every bit as potent as this year's.
On D, though, I don't know. They lose some real pieces in Rush, Jones, and Drummond. If Waynes and Calhoun go pro, look out. Dantonio has shown an ability to plug guys in, though, so they should still be OK. They'll be no 2013, though. I'm confident Michigan can beat them in Ann Arbor, if a QB has emerged by then, of which I'm also confident.
January 2nd, 2015 at 9:06 AM ^
QB: Cook JR, O'Connor SO
RB: Langford SR, Hill SR
FB: Pendleton JR
TE: Price SO, Gleichert SR, Lyles SO
LT: Conklin SO, Finley FR
LG: Jackson SR, Kruse SR
C: Allen JR, Allen FR
RG: Kruse SR, Clark JR
RT: Clark JR, Kieler SO
X: Lippet SR, Troup JR
Z: Mumpery SR, Burbridge JR
F: Shelton SO, Kings JR
DE: Calhoun JR, Cooper FR
DE: Rush SR, Jones So
DT: Thomas JR, Know JR
NT: Heath JR, McDowell FR
Star: Harris JR, Hicks SR
MIKE: Jones SR, Bullough SO,
SAM: Davis JR, Frey FR
FC: Hicks SO, Colquhoun JR
BC: Waynes JR, Cox SO, Edmondson SO
FC: Drummond SR, Cox SO,
SS: Williamson JR, Nicholson FR
K: Geiger SO
P: Sadler SR
I think Langford will be a pretty decent loss for MSU. He does a lot of little things really well. Williams is a good back, but I think he tops off at sort of a Green level. They are supposedly high London as well, so watch for him to get carries next year.
Lippett is a big loss, there is no getting around that. He was Cook's security blanket and is a very good WR. Mumphery was consistent as well. Burbridge, Madaris, Kings, and Arnett are still a group of good athletes though, they just need to do the detailed things better (Burbridge looked good in their bowl game). Troup is a legit walk-on too, that will play.
Gleichert was a great blocking TE, but Price is one of the better all-around TEs in the B1G. Lyles is raw but skilled.
They'll likely get back Conklin and Allen on the OL, two All-American types. I expect the younger Allen to slide in at OG, where he played a bit this year, and should be solid. They're relying on former JUCO to fill in at the other spot most likely, so we'll see.
I don't expect Calhoun to go pro, but it's probably about 50/50. Depth at DE is scarce, and losing Rush is a big loss regardless of what people say. They have some bodies behind them, but if they loss Calhoun they will be very young and very raw at DE next year, and will likely get pushed around a bit. Cooper and Sweat have potential, but it's still potential. If they loss both starting DEs, expect them to play with a quasi-DT at DE to be more stout against the run.
They have great depth on the interior and get some FR to start contributing as well. They should improve at DT.
Hicks was basically their Nickel LB at the STAR postion. Powell will move from Safety to fill that role. Jones will be a bit of a loss, I liked Bullough better at SAM, but this won't be a huge drop off. Reschke can't seem to stay healthy, which hurts his development.
CB is a huge concern. Waynes looks like he has one foot out the door. They started Lippett because the other guys weren't performing. Typically they move the better CB to the boundary, but they don't really have a better CB right now. Cox is a better safety than CB, Hicks has some talent but needs to vastly improve his footwork.
Safety has some issues as well. I really like what I saw out of a young guy in Nicholson, so I think he'll be a factor. Wouldn't be surprised if Williamson and Nicholson both start and Cox is the BCB. But depth at all the DB positions is a bit scary for them, which isn't good in that defense. It'll be interesting if their scheme changes at all with losing Narduzzi and the lack of proven bodies on the back end, though I kind of doubt it.
Overall, I really expect them to be just about the same caliber team next year. If they lose Cook and Calhoun, then they should expect a drop off, but right now, I'd predict top 10-15 for MSU in 2015.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:30 AM ^
With both of these charts, though, you also have to take into account transfers/early draft entries. For example, MSU is supposed to get Waynes back next year according to the depth chart, but that probably isn't in the cards given his top-15 draft status. Similarly, guys like Bosa, Washington, and Decker may consider leaving early if they get favorable draft projections. And that isn't getting into the 3-headed QB controversy they'll have. Again, problems most teams wished they had, and they looked very talented next year regardless, but the depth chart in January doesn't always correlate to how the team looks to start the next season.
January 2nd, 2015 at 9:07 AM ^
He's only a true SO. Seems a bit unfair really.
January 2nd, 2015 at 9:36 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 12:30 PM ^
I totally forgot he was a true frosh; for some reason I thought he redshirted. That's crazy.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:09 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:29 AM ^
Seriously?! Worry about it the week of the game next season.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:31 AM ^
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:52 AM ^
Well said. We shall worry about our own house first.
January 2nd, 2015 at 8:44 AM ^
This is a team that's very good this year, and will only improve next year.
I know people like to say "but Michigan recruited just about equally", but that honestly isn't the case. I know, recruiting rankings, but look at the players on OSU that had Michigan offers, and vice versa. From the last two classes, the only player to really play above expectation is D. Lee (who looks like a great LB); everyone else was highly regarded, recruited, and Meyer hit a homerun with. Michigan has recruited very well, especially at several positions, OSU and Meyer were able to hit the ground running with a team that was balanced and strong pretty much across the board and improve on that. So OSU is another level.
I get the feeling that at least one person that shouldn't will leave early from this OSU team, simply because that seems to happen for every team that has success. Maybe that's Washington, but he really shouldn't leave yet.
As you said, WR is a bit of a loss, the young guys at that group are inconsistent still and the two SRs have been good for OSU, but the young guys are also very good athletes. Heuerman will be a bit of a loss, as he's a good all-around TE that probably wasn't utilized enough in the pass game. He'll be drafted in the mid-rounds, but Vannett is still capable and got plenty of PT this year. They should be fine at OL.
OSU fans like Lewis but are really high on Holmes, and getting Bosa back seems unfair. Losing Bennett is probably the biggest loss for this team, Schutt has underperformed, and Hill, Carter, and Munger are more pure NT types that will probably rotate quite a bit early. The loss of Grant and Grant, IMO, aren't much of losses except in nickel packages (for Grant the DB). Reeves and Apple are both solid, McMillan will likely be better than Grant the LB next year.
Yeah, this is a scary team. That 2013 recruiting class was lights out.