2013 Defensive Playmakers

Last season, there were times where many of us wondered what was going on with the defense. They let Purdue and Indiana score basically at will. Couldn't stop a pebble from rolling down a driveway at the beginning of last season. And then, all of a sudden, the defense started to play very well. They finally played to the level most of us felt they were capable of.

After the season, the Buckeyes lost the following players on defense:

John Simon, DE
Jonathon Hankins, DT
Zach Boren, LB
Travis Howard, CB
Orhian Johnson, S
Etienne Sabino, LB
Nate Williams, DB

There are some very talented players on that list that are going to have to be replaced. Simon was a beast; Hankins could stuff the run and put pressure on the QB; Boren was a surprise at LB and played very well, making one of the most memorable plays of the season against TSUN last season.

So who's going to step up this season and help take the Silver Bullets to the next level, to a championship caliber defense?

Bradley Roby, CB - He was the best defensive back on the team last season, and he's back and should be even better this season. Expect him to be playing at a near-shutdown level.

Armani Reeves, CB - Reeves has a lot of hype behind him, and I think he's going to win the starting CB spot across from Roby. If he does, I think it's going to give is a very good tandem at corner. Reeves, I believe, could end up being one of the best corners in Ohio State history when his college career is over.

Noah Spence, DE - He's listed as just DL on the roster, but he should be playing end exclusively. He's got a great speed rush, and after a year and a summer in the weight room, he should have added some more strength. I expect him to lead the team in sacks, and likely the B1G.

Adolphus Washington, DE - Also listed as a DL, I expect him to play mostly DE and maybe DT in the nickel. He's bigger than Spence, and should be very strong against the run. I also expect his sack numbers to be surprising because I think QB's will be running away from Spence and right into his arms.

Tommy Schutt, DT - He's also listed as a DL, he'll be lining up at tackle for the most part. At 6-2 and 303, he should be a run stuffer. I don't think you'll be able to run up the middle on the Buckeyes.

Ryan Shazier, LB - I am expecting Shazier to be an absolute beast this season and not only lead the team in tackles, but also be towards the top of the nation in tackle numbers.

C.J. Barnett, SS - I think this is the season Barnett really shows that he has the talent to be a top back-end defender in college football, too bad it's his senior and likely final season.

I truly feel that this group of players is what's going to make Ohio State's defense one of the top in the nation, a championship caliber defense. They will need to play that way to become National Champions.

Looking at Ohio State's 2013 Recruiting Class

National Signing Day for college football is just a few days away as coaches try to sway the last of the uncommitted recruits, and to keep the ones that other schools are going after. Last year, there was a big deal made when Urban Meyer came in after the worst football season in over a century for the Buckeyes and started calling recruits that changed their commitments after Jim Tressel resigned and the losing season that followed. Many Big Ten coaches were upset over what they felt was a "gentlemen's agreement" that was supposedly in force under Jim Tressel that you wouldn't go after another school's committed recruit.

Most notably, Urban Meyer convinced four star offensive tackle Kyle Dodson to recommit to Ohio State after he had chosen to switch his commitment to Wisconsin after the fallout from the Tatgate fiasco. This really irked former Badgers head coach Brett Beliema who accused Meyer of using "illegal recruiting tactics" during an interview with the media. Meyer also got five star defensive end Noah Spence in this time, when many people felt he was going to attend Penn State.

Ohio State's 2013 recruiting class is currently ranked #4 overall on Scout.com and ESPN. Scout.com has Michigan ranked #1, while ESPN has them currently ranked #5 as I type this blog post. Ohio State currently has 22 commitments in this class.

The class currently has three 5 star recruits, fourteen 4 star recruits, and five 3 star recruits (ranking provided by Scout.com). Also on Scout's website, only two Big Ten schools are ranked in the top 25 (Ohio State and Michigan). ESPN has three Big Ten schools in their top 25 (Penn State #25, Michigan #5, Ohio State #4).

There are only two soft verbals in the class. Trey Johnson, a 4 star OLB from Georgia; and Ezekiel Elliot, a 4 star RB from Missouri. These are the two that I am most worried about come National Signing Day because they are the most likely to be swayed to another school, and both are being rumored to possibly sign elsewhere on February 6th. And that's the thing about National Signing Day, nothing is official until they sign on that dotted line, tying themselves to Ohio State.

This will be the second consecutive Top 5 class for Urban Meyer at Ohio State as he brings in big talent to the Buckeyes. He plans to make this team in the image of an SEC team. Big and fast. This is the only way they will be able to defeat whichever SEC team they would face of they make the BCS National Championship Game. Meyer cut his teeth at Bowling Green and Utah, two schools that aren't exactly recruiting hotbeds. At Utah, he churned out a first overall draft pick in quarterback Alex Smith.

When he went to Florida from Utah, he had multiple top ten and top five recruiting classes. In this time he won two National Championships, two SEC titles (coinciding with the National Championships, three SEC West titles, and a Sugar Bowl. He produced many first round picks on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Tim Tebow.

Now there's no way to predict how this class will pan out in the end. But it's looking like it'll be damn good, making Ohio State a force to be reckoned with for years to come not only in the Big Ten but in the National Championship picture. O-H! I-O!