From all the reports I've read, he was having a fantastic Spring Camp and poised for a strong season.
I think the biggest concern is, with the suspensions for Week 1 - HB Jalin Marshall, WR Corey Smith, HB Dontre Wilson, and DE Joey Bosa - that's 3 guys (Marshall, Smith, Wilson) who catch balls.
Now you're talking about another WR (Brown) missing Week 1 (Virginia Tech, who beat you last year?)...
Yeah it's a pretty decently big loss.
I think this means a couple things:
1) Braxton Miller is going to have to show up and be better RIGHT AWAY than a lot of us were expecting. Miller was slated to play that HB role (Marshall/Wilson) this season, so assuming he can show up and play big time there, Ohio State theoretically would not lose a step there. The problem is... why I'm confident Miller can find success there playing that HB role, I'm one of the few who believes it's going to take some time, and I don't think he'll have a lot of success right away. What I'm trying to say is... when the game is on the line, it's 4th and 7, the Buckeyes are down 7 late in the 4th Quarter, I'm not sure I want to be putting all my faith in Braxton Miller running a route & catch a pass - things he's never really been asked to do before. See what I'm saying?
2) "Next Man Up". Ever since Meyer set foot on campus in Columbus, this has been Meyer's mantra and the motto for the Buckeyes. Young guys like James Clark (5'10" So), Terry McLaurin (6'1" So), Parris Campbell (6'1" Fr), Johnnie Dixon (5'11" Fr), Torrance Gibson (6'4" Fr), K.J. Hill (6'0" Fr)... these guys are REALLY going to have to step it up, and 1 of them will have to emerge and prove that they are worthy of playing along side Senior Corey Smith and Junior Michael Thomas. So, what I'm trying to say is... we still have our 2 starters at wide receiver (Smith and Thomas), but man o' man is the PROVEN-depth pretty slim at the WR position now, and I have to believe at some point this season, we're going to need to call upon one of those aforementioned guys to step in for Smith/Thomas and run a route & catch a pass in a critical spot in the season. There's been A LOT of chatter around the highly heralded recruit, Torrance Gibson. He was originally recruited to Columbus as a Quarterback, and just recently it was announced that he would be making the switch to wide receiver this season - given the log jam at Quarterback (Cardale Jones, J.T. Barrett, and potentially Braxton Miller). The irony is Gibson PICKED Ohio State because Ohio State was one of the few (perhaps even ONLY) schools that was recruiting him for Quarterback. Every place else wanted Gibson to play wide receiver, and Gibson wanted to play Quarterback. Now... we're talking about a TRUE FRESHMAN who has LIMITED experience running routes & catching passes. I'd say the odds are VERY small that Gibson is able to experience a lot of success right out of the gate. I think Gibson can end up being a STUD at the wide receiver position someday for Ohio State, but honestly... I don't quite see it happening this season. So, me personally, I'm hoping Sophomores James Clark or Terry McLaurin can step up and fill that "Next Man Up" role. If I had to bet, I'd bet Terry McLaurin ends up being "the guy".
Last point... 3) For all the talk about how "loaded" this team is... and, for all the talk about how "this is our season"... if there's one bump in the road, Ohio State is sure doing a great job at steering right into that one pothole that exists in what seems like a perfectly paved road. Let's not forget... Ohio State struggled MIGHTILY against Virginia Tech last season. Now, I know much of the hubbub was about "breaking in a rookie QB (Barrett)" and "breaking in a new offensive line (4 of 5 new starters)". Those are all VERY VALID points... but nonetheless, Bud Foster's Bear defense made Ohio State look like a high school football team. And now we face that same team... in THEIR home environment, Blacksburg, VA. And now we have to face them without 4.5 starters? (I say 4.5, because technically Jalin and Dontre play the same position, so 1 of them would be the ".5" while the other would be the "1"). Idk... it just seems like last season's toughest (regular season) game just keeps getting tougher & tougher. BUT... nonetheless, I still have ALL THE FAIR IN THE WORLD in Urban Meyer. If there's one head coach in the country who will make sure his team does NOT lose that game, I have to believe it's Urban Meyer. He'll have these boys ready... and the #Juice will for sure most definitely be brought.
