As spring drills continue for the Ohio State football team this week, numerous personnel questions are being addressed on both sides of the ball.
One of the biggest issues facing the defense is who will take over for the cornerbacks in the fall.
While assessing the competition at several key positions following the first spring practice last Wednesday, coach Jim Tressel acknowledged that in this era of attacking defenses, the man-to-man defenders on the edge can make or break a team.
“Corners are a luxury,” Tressel said. “When you have good ones, you can do a lot of different things. When you don’t have good ones, lots of things make you nervous.”
There is no shortage of talented athletes vying for the two starting spots this spring and the number of combatants will grow in the fall with the arrival of some touted freshmen.
However, youth and relative inexperience face the OSU coaching staff as it attempts to replace Cie Grant, who has moved back to his natural position of linebacker for his senior year, and Derek Ross, who opted to forgo his final season of eligibility and apply for the NFL draft.
Ross led the Big Ten with seven interceptions in 2001 and, according to some draft analysts, has an outside chance of being the fifth Buckeye cornerback in the last six years to be drafted in the first round.
Returning at the position are junior Richard McNutt, a true corner, and sophomore Dustin Fox, who was used more often at safety last season. They are penciled in as the starters, and both started at cornerback in the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl and got significant action in that game.
McNutt had a pair of other starts, but neither resulted in extended playing time. Fox drew a start as a fifth defensive back against Northwestern and its spread attack.
Additionally, junior Bobby Britton, who earned an early season start last fall before being hampered by injury, and Harlen Jacobs, a sophomore, are in the mix. Each is listed as second string to begin the spring.
Another possibility at cornerback is Michael Roberts, a Canadian who finished high school early and has enrolled at OSU in time for spring practice. Roberts reportedly has sub-4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash.
And this fall, well-regarded E.J. Underwood from Hamilton, Ohio, will be a top prospect among the group of talented freshmen defensive backs from OSU’s highly-rated recruiting class.
The competition should be fierce, but, according to Tressel, that will be necessary across the board if the Buckeyes are to improve on their 7-5 record of last season.
“We’ve got to get to the point at Ohio State where there’s a war at every position,” Tressel said. “You better not turn your ankle, or someone’s going to take your job for life. We need to have depth to become a great team.
“I think it’s going to be good competition. A few of them are going to be older,” Tressel said. “I think when you throw Dustin Fox out there, he adds a real (dimension). … His 40 time and his 20 time this winter were the fastest on the team. He can go. You throw Michael Roberts in here – who’s an incoming guy – you have more numbers and there’s going to be more competition.”
McNutt, for one, is aware of the talent he has to contend with, but he also fully expects to be right where he was last New Year’s Day when this year’s season opener rolls around –starting at cornerback.
“We have a lot of corners, and we have a lot of corners coming in,” McNutt said. “The Lord has blessed me to be in a position to showcase my talents and glorify him. I’m going to do the best I can to stay in that position.
“I’m number one right now, and I plan on staying number one throughout the spring and into the fall. We’ve got so much talent at corner. Anybody can step up and play, that’s not a question. So when you get an opportunity like this you want to hold onto it,” McNutt said.
Fox has the same designs of hanging on to his starting position, even if it may only be at cornerback for one season. A natural safety, Fox’s opportunities will be limited there this fall, with senior All-American Mike Doss and fellow senior Donnie Nickey firmly entrenched.
With his immediate future at cornerback, Fox realizes that improvement on his man-to-man coverage skills is a must. But he says his speed, jumping ability, explosiveness and overall athletic ability should allow him to compete with anyone.
“I’m just working on becoming the best corner I can be, because down the road if I happen to go back to safety, which they say I probably will, that’s just going to make me a better player,” Fox said. “So, regardless of where I’m at, I’m going to try to excel.
“I feel that I’m one of the top athletes in the defensive backfield, so you’ve got to have some confidence when you’re out there. I feel good right now.”
Whether this crop of OSU cornerbacks can eventually live up to the legacy created by its predecessors remains to be seen. Starting with Shawn Springs, who was the third overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1997 NFL draft, OSU has sent a continuous stream of talent at the cornerback position to the next level.
Antoine Winfield was a first round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1999; Ahmed Plummer went in the first round to the San Francisco Forty-Niners in the 2000 draft; and Nate Clements was a first round pick of Buffalo last year.
McNutt was a teammate of Plummer and Clements, and while he has yet to match their success on the field, he learned a great deal from them about playing the cornerback position and even more about the demeanor the position requires. He is also quick to point out that he has seen some action under the gun, citing on-field time in a pair of Michigan games and a pair of bowl games.
“I’ve got a little experience,” McNutt said. “I’ve played in big games. I’m familiar with situations when I’m on the field, so I don’t have to think about a lot of things. I can just react.
“But as far as I know, I’m planning on being the number one corner. Cornerback is a cocky position, so you’ve got to get a little swagger about you. My confidence is high,” McNutt said.
