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Ohio State Spring Football: New Faces On The Buckeyes' Defensive Line · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buck Guys tomorrow morning from Monday, February sixteenth,
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  Speaker 1: I'm your host, tom Or the ball State game in
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  Speaker 1: two hundred and one days, the game against Fishigan in
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  Speaker 1: two hundred and eighty five days. Our friends with great
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  Speaker 1: group Griddle, Plumas's favorite food truck. They are now on
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  Speaker 1: Uber each, grow Hub and door Dash. Just search for
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  Speaker 1: gratefult Brittle there or check out Grateful Griddle oh dot
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  Speaker 1: com for more. All right, on today's show, we're continuing
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  Speaker 1: our series on the Ohio State Free Spring depth chart,
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  Speaker 1: bringing in our buddy Tony Gerdermanefucke Huddle dot com. Tony,
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  Speaker 1: we have conclusively told everyone exactly what is going to
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  Speaker 1: happen on the offensive side of the ball. Now we
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  Speaker 1: move over to defense, and we are going to start
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  Speaker 1: in the trenches. That is where it always starts, except
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  Speaker 1: on offense, where we start over with the quarterbacks. But
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  Speaker 1: on the defense, we're definitely starting where it starts with
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  Speaker 1: just in the trenches on the defensive line, the defensive ends.
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  Speaker 1: It feels like we know one guy for sure, you
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  Speaker 1: can you know when we did the Wide Receiver show,
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  Speaker 1: you talked about putting Jeremiah Smith's name down in ink
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  Speaker 1: and laser and fire and all that kind of stuff.
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  Speaker 1: It feels like ken YadA Jackson is probably in that
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  Speaker 1: same kind of spot. But then behind him, then it
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  Speaker 1: gets a little more interesting.
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  Speaker 2: It does get interesting because we know Kenyada Jackson is returning.
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  Speaker 2: Do we know whether he's going to be on the
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  Speaker 2: strong side or the weak side? Do we know how
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  Speaker 2: much five man front there's going to be, how much
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  Speaker 2: you know, how often will there be a sam over
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  Speaker 2: over top of him? Like, No, we don't know any
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  Speaker 2: of that, So let's just stick to the basics and
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  Speaker 2: what we do know. Ken YadA Jackson is back. Who
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  Speaker 2: is behind him? You know? Again, it depends on all
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  Speaker 2: of those other things that I just said. But in
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  Speaker 2: terms of some names to I guess I'll do it
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  Speaker 2: this way. Let's say Epi Satano a right right shirt freshman,
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  Speaker 2: because I feel like the other side will be more
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  Speaker 2: of a battle for that job perhaps, So in terms
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  Speaker 2: of like then then it's like who is the number
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  Speaker 2: for defensive end? And I think that would be you
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  Speaker 2: know Episotona or you know Quay Rusau is going to
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  Speaker 2: be involved in there is the transfer from from Alabama.
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  Speaker 2: But Ryan Das said he also has the ability to
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  Speaker 2: play linebackers, So will he be serving two masters in
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  Speaker 2: this and not be able to take full advantage? Is
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  Speaker 2: this spring just about showing what he can do so
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  Speaker 2: that Matt Patricia knows what he can do? And then
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  Speaker 2: this is where for Quay Russa, don't worry about depth
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  Speaker 2: chart or anything. We're just going to put you all
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  Speaker 2: over the place. Like when Jim Knowles used to talk
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  Speaker 2: about the spring being time for experimentation with with sunny styles,
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  Speaker 2: is that what this is going to be for Matt
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  Speaker 2: Patrician Quay Rusau. So that's you know, those are factors.
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  Speaker 2: We're not sure where guys are gonna spend their time,
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  Speaker 2: but I think I think you have a good idea
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  Speaker 2: of who, like the top six are overall, but Kenyata
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  Speaker 2: Jackson and then I'll just say, you know, some combination
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  Speaker 2: of episotn La and maybe Kwai Rusaw there and then
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  Speaker 2: we can move to the other side if you want time.
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  Speaker 2: I'm not trying to run your show, but there's these
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  Speaker 2: are difficult questions to answer without knowing exactly which specific
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  Speaker 2: position certain guys are going to be, because certain guys
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  Speaker 2: are different body types, you know.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, And I do think Epicsitanola is somewhere
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  Speaker 1: in this conversation. Which side is he on you We'll
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  Speaker 1: figure that out in the spring. But I think he's
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  Speaker 1: one of those names that you didn't see him a
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  Speaker 1: whole heck of a lot last year. He played in
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  Speaker 1: what three or four games? They maintained his red shirt
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  Speaker 1: last year, but just the conversation around him was such
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  Speaker 1: that you could tell there were bigger things ahead for him,
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  Speaker 1: and that all kind of starts this spring. So that
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  Speaker 1: is definitely a name you're going to want to keep
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  Speaker 1: a close eye on this spring. On the other side,
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  Speaker 1: you talked about it being a position battle, but one
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  Speaker 1: of the guys in this conversation is younger and felt
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  Speaker 1: like he passed the other guy. So if it's a
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  Speaker 1: bad I guess that's probably a good thing because it
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  Speaker 1: means the veteran guy has made a little bit of
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  Speaker 1: a charge to get his spot back.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's you know, the sophomore Zion Grady passed
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  Speaker 2: the veteran bo Atkinson last year. Bo Atkinson played maybe
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  Speaker 2: thirty snaps or so against Texas to start the season,
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  Speaker 2: transferring in from North Carolina, A lot of things expected
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  Speaker 2: from him. I think he fell short of those expectations.
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  Speaker 2: I know he fell short of those expectations, but I
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  Speaker 2: also think some of the expectations were maybe a little
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  Speaker 2: overblown based on a couple of very productive games that
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  Speaker 2: they had in North Carolina the year before. So he
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  Speaker 2: and bo Atkinson and Zion Grady, I think competing to
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  Speaker 2: be the other starting defensive end, Zion Grady passing him
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  Speaker 2: late in the season as a true freshman, you would think, well,
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  Speaker 2: won't that trajectory just continue? And I tend to think
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  Speaker 2: it will. But bo Atkinson being a fifth year senior
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  Speaker 2: certainly factors in Somewhere. We've seen these guys over the years.
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  Speaker 2: There's just you know, like old man's strength type of
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  Speaker 2: thing where they just Taiwan Malone, right, you know, the
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  Speaker 2: Hamilton brothers they hit that fifth year and they're just
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  Speaker 2: they're different. And so there's the possibility that is the
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  Speaker 2: case for bo Atkinson as well. So I think those
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  Speaker 2: are the two guys there. Then you know there where
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  Speaker 2: is Carry Wilder in this, a true freshman who is
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  Speaker 2: probably pushing you know, two hundred and seventy pounds can
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  Speaker 2: play inside, some can play outside, I kind of see
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  Speaker 2: him being more of a strong side defensive end doing
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  Speaker 2: what Kenyatta Jackson did last year. Now, I don't know
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  Speaker 2: if that's gonna be what Kenyada Jackson does this year,
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  Speaker 2: but I think he's going to be involved somewhere as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, he's definitely one of those guys where this is
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  Speaker 1: a lot like on the Offensive Line Show, where we
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  Speaker 1: talked about you never expect a true freshman to play
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  Speaker 1: on the offensive line. Defensive line is pretty similar, and
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  Speaker 1: every once in a while, like offensive line, every one's while,
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  Speaker 1: you'll get an exception, but you don't ever expect it,
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  Speaker 1: and then when you get it, it's sort of a
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  Speaker 1: pleasant surprise. And Carry Wilder is a great name to
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  Speaker 1: talk about because he feels a little bit to me
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  Speaker 1: in terms of size and build and potential, a little
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  Speaker 1: bit like Edrick Houston, who is one of the next
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  Speaker 1: guys we need to talk about. Edric Houston came in
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  Speaker 1: was an end or an edge at Ohio State and
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  Speaker 1: then ended up kicking inside to three tech and playing
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  Speaker 1: a little bit as a true freshmen. You could see
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  Speaker 1: that out of Carry Wilder at one or both of
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  Speaker 1: those positions, but the you know in terms of who's
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  Speaker 1: the first stringer or at least going to get a
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  Speaker 1: decent chunk of the snaps at three Tech. That brings
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  Speaker 1: us right back once again to Edric Houston.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I said started the season last year there,
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  Speaker 2: ended up being the backup to Taiwan Malone, but ended
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  Speaker 2: up playing more snaps in Taiwan Malone. Even though you
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  Speaker 2: only started a handful of games, you can consider him
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  Speaker 2: a returning starter if you want, even though, like some
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  Speaker 2: people say, you need to start at least six games,
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  Speaker 2: like that's the Phil Steel qualification. He started six games
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  Speaker 2: the year before, you're a returning starter. I figure if
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  Speaker 2: you played more snaps than any other three tech the
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  Speaker 2: year before, then you're kind of a returning starter as well.
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  Speaker 2: And that's what they have with Edrick Houston behind him,
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  Speaker 2: i'd say next to him alongside him at that position.
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  Speaker 2: They went into the portal and they got James Smith
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  Speaker 2: from Alabama, and I think those two playing sixty snaps
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  Speaker 2: a game or fifty five fifty snaps a game between
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  Speaker 2: the two of them should be very very productive. And
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  Speaker 2: then can they what can they get out of Jason Moore?
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  Speaker 2: And is he a three tech or is he just
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  Speaker 2: so big that you know, he's so tall and he's
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  Speaker 2: he just covers enough ground that they're okay at you know,
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  Speaker 2: nose tackle for him. But again, no stackle will talk about.
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  Speaker 2: But I think they like their top two. Larry Johnson
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  Speaker 2: is open and they're working and trying to get Jason
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  Speaker 2: Moore to do something in his fourth year and not
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  Speaker 2: just be the guy who flashes a little bit in
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  Speaker 2: spring but then carries that forward into fall camp and
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  Speaker 2: then just you know, he's a guy that you've got
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  Speaker 2: to find twelve snaps for in a game.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, they don't need that much out of him, but
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  Speaker 1: it feels like they need something out of him because
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  Speaker 1: right now, you've got a couple three techs you feel
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  Speaker 1: pretty good about. We talked about there, and you've got
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  Speaker 1: a couple noses and we'll talk about them that they
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  Speaker 1: feel pretty good about. But if someone goes down, you
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  Speaker 1: need someone else. You can't just have three guys, And
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  Speaker 1: he's said, you gotta have someone else who they feel
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  Speaker 1: good about. And they lost several guys from the interier
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  Speaker 1: of the defensive line to the transfer portal following last season,
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  Speaker 1: so you need someone to step up in addition to
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  Speaker 1: the four guys really gonna be talking about here. Jason
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  Speaker 1: Moore feels like he would be the logical choice, and
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  Speaker 1: you keep waiting for it to happen, and it's like
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  Speaker 1: maybe this is the year, and well, maybe this is
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  Speaker 1: the year. So now on the nose tackle Will Smith
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  Speaker 1: is back. You know a little bit about him, You
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  Speaker 1: figure he's gonna take a little bit of a bigger
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  Speaker 1: role this year. But he has a new friend, John
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  Speaker 1: Walker from UCF.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, John Walker, two year starter at UCF. Started as
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  Speaker 2: a true freshman as a freshman All American, then was
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  Speaker 2: injured as a sophomore, and then had a very good
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  Speaker 2: season last year as a starter for UCF. And then
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  Speaker 2: we'll come in here and you know, as a fourth
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  Speaker 2: year guy with experience and size, you know, six four
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  Speaker 2: three twenty five or so, not unlike the guy that
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  Speaker 2: just left that they're trying to replace and Caden McDonald.
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  Speaker 2: So you've got the size, you've got the experience. You
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  Speaker 2: can't expect anybody to be Caden McDonald. All of these
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  Speaker 2: guys that we're talking about that are being replaced on defense,
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  Speaker 2: we're just saying, well, you can't expect you can't expect
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  Speaker 2: this guy to be this guy, but they can be
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  Speaker 2: their own versions of the Ohio State starting nose tackle
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  Speaker 2: or the Ohio State you know, rotational nose tackle. I
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  Speaker 2: just do expect John Walker to eventually win the job.
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  Speaker 2: Will Smith will be leading the charge in the spring
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  Speaker 2: and at some point in fall camp. I'm guessing you'll
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  Speaker 2: see the switch there. But you know, if together you're
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  Speaker 2: looking for, say, you know, forty five snaps out of
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  Speaker 2: your nose tackle, I could see that being you know,
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  Speaker 2: twenty eight seventeen something like that between the two of them.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and those are two spots where you're going to
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  Speaker 1: see your three tech and your nose. You're going to
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  Speaker 1: see a lot of rotation there. You always do. And
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  Speaker 1: so they and it feels like they have enough guys
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  Speaker 1: that you've got solid answers in both of those places.
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  Speaker 1: And then well it's more of a matter of how
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  Speaker 1: do those snaps actually get split up? As you said,
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  Speaker 1: So there you go, look at the defensive line heading
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  Speaker 1: into this year. It's obviously still a lot that could
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  Speaker 1: change between now and even the end of spring ball.
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  Speaker 1: Let alone, they start a fall camp, let alone, they
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  Speaker 1: start of the ball state game. Let alone, the end
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  Speaker 1: of the season, we're gonna be talking about it all
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  Speaker 1: all year long with you at bucke huddle dot com
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  Speaker 1: and at YouTube dot com slash Buckey Huddle. That'll do
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  Speaker 1: it for today. Thank you guys all for joining us.
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  Speaker 1: Have a great day. We'll talk tomorrow