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Ohio State Spring Football: How Will The Buckeyes Replace Star Linebackers? · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes Tomorrow morning for Tuesday, February seventeenth, time
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  Speaker 1: your host Tom or the ball state game in exactly
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  Speaker 1: two hundred days the game against Michigan in two hundred
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  Speaker 1: and eighty four days. Our friends are Grateful Gridle, Columbus's
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  Speaker 1: favorite food truck. They are now on Uber each, scrub Hub,
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  Speaker 1: and door Dash. Just search for Grateful Griddle there or
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  Speaker 1: check out Grateful Griddle oh dot com for more. All right, so,
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  Speaker 1: our look at the Ohio state depth chart continues today,
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  Speaker 1: bringing back our buddy Tony Gerderman at buckeyehuddle dot com.
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  Speaker 1: On our last show, we talked about the Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: defensive line, and there is going to be a little
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  Speaker 1: bit of a spillover from last show to this show
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  Speaker 1: because today we're talking about the linebackers and there's some
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  Speaker 1: guys that might fit into both shows depending on how
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  Speaker 1: they want to categorize people. Tony, let's start, though, in
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  Speaker 1: the middle of everything. We're not going to start you know,
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  Speaker 1: do you start at the beginning of the end? No,
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  Speaker 1: you start in the middle. That's how That's how everyone
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  Speaker 1: does this. This is this is of course how you
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  Speaker 1: run everything. Middle linebacker for Ohio State this year they
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  Speaker 1: call it the mic. What do you think is going
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  Speaker 1: to be the who is going to be the starter
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  Speaker 1: there or the projected starter there, and who's behind him?
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  Speaker 2: This is one of one of the reasons I look
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  Speaker 2: forward to seeing that first day of spring. That way,
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  Speaker 2: you can just get this first baseline for where everybody is. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 2: the defenses are so basic at that point that we
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  Speaker 2: don't get to see necessarily everything that we'd like to see.
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  Speaker 2: And at this time of year ago, you r Vl
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  Speaker 2: Reese was the middle linebacker, right, but then then he
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  Speaker 2: wasn't right then, you know, he still was, but Sunny
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  Speaker 2: Styles was the guy with the green dot calling the plays.
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  Speaker 2: And then when when it was a Penny front, there
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  Speaker 2: was only one linebacker in the middle that was Sunny Styles.
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  Speaker 2: And so that is who I consider the middle linebacker
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  Speaker 2: in this defense. And I'm saying that's going to be
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  Speaker 2: let me see, I think that will be Peyton Pierce
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  Speaker 2: as the guy that is next in line behind him.
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  Speaker 2: You know, we saw Riley Petty John get get that
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  Speaker 2: opportunity last year. You know, tj Alford, We've seen Garrett
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  Speaker 2: Stover there. But I think I wonder if this is
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  Speaker 2: one of those instances where is Riley the Riley Penny
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  Speaker 2: John like the backup everywhere? Is he, you know, one
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  Speaker 2: of your top four linebackers, so he's just the next
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  Speaker 2: guy in whenever, assuming he doesn't win a starting job
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  Speaker 2: at middle linebacker at will wherever. So I do think
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  Speaker 2: it's it's Peyton Pierce, and then behind him again it's
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  Speaker 2: you know, Riley Petty John's in there somewhere, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: is TJ. Alford in there? I want to see where TJ.
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  Speaker 2: Alfred lines up. That's That's what I'm talking about with
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  Speaker 2: this spring, just to see where everybody lines up, what
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  Speaker 2: order has has Garrett Stover made a jump as Eli
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  Speaker 2: Lee getting involved? But to answer the question, Tom, I
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  Speaker 2: do think it's gonna be Peyton Pierce.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think Peyton Pierce is the best bet to
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  Speaker 1: be the starter there at Mike and I definitely agree
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  Speaker 1: with you. Right now, I'm looking at Riley Petty John
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  Speaker 1: as maybe that third linebacker who's sort of rotating in
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  Speaker 1: very similar to what Peyton Pierce did last year where
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  Speaker 1: you had your two, you know, you had your two
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  Speaker 1: starting linebackers, but then you also had Peyton Pierce playing
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  Speaker 1: almost a starter's share of snaps at times. That feels
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  Speaker 1: like that could be Riley Pagageohn. He could end up
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  Speaker 1: with a bigger role than that, but we will see.
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  Speaker 1: All right, let's move over to the will linebacker position,
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  Speaker 1: that is, the weak side linebacker. If you haven't picked
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  Speaker 1: up on the naming convention, Mike Middle starts with an M.
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  Speaker 1: Mike starts with an M. Will, the week side linebacker
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  Speaker 1: starts at the W. You'll love her guests which side
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  Speaker 1: the Sam plays on. But we'll get there. No spoil
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  Speaker 1: don't spoil it, Tony. Let's talk about the will first.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think they went into the portal and that's
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  Speaker 2: what they went and got Kristin Allegro. You'd be But again,
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  Speaker 2: he could play everywhere. He could play all three linebacker spots,
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  Speaker 2: which is not I mean, that's a feature, not a
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  Speaker 2: bug for for why they went and got him. He's
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  Speaker 2: big as big as Arvel Reese sixty four two forty five.
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  Speaker 2: Not not the athlete, but again who is. The guys
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  Speaker 2: that they have playing linebacker this year will not be
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  Speaker 2: the same level of athlete that they had starting last year.
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  Speaker 2: Just that's that's no shade on the new guys, that's
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  Speaker 2: just how athletic and freakish Sunny Styles and r vel
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  Speaker 2: Reese were. But I think it's it's Christian Allegro. But again,
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  Speaker 2: I think you know where it is. Riley Petty John
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  Speaker 2: fitt in here. Like I said, he might be the
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  Speaker 2: backup at both spots, just like Peyton Pierce, just like
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  Speaker 2: rvel Reese the year before. But also TJ. Alfred I
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  Speaker 2: think could be involved here as the the the number
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  Speaker 2: two will If you say Riley Petty John is already occupied,
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  Speaker 2: like in the fourth quarter of a twenty eight point game,
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  Speaker 2: who is the who is the next will end? I
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  Speaker 2: think you could see TG Alfred in this role.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it feels like he is certainly in the same
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  Speaker 1: conversation as Riley Petty John, and I think Petty John
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  Speaker 1: was just sort of a little bit of ahead of
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  Speaker 1: him last year, which makes me think Riley Petty John
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  Speaker 1: presumably enters the spring a little bit ahead of him
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  Speaker 1: this year. But then, of course there's plenty of fifteen
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  Speaker 1: spring practices and then a whole bunch of summer in
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  Speaker 1: fall camp to potentially change that order. So yeah, I
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  Speaker 1: would guess top four linebackers there. It's probably those four
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  Speaker 1: guys in some combination, and I would probably agree with
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  Speaker 1: you on the order and this, you know, the potential
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  Speaker 1: line up there the SAM linebacker strong side linebacker. That's
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  Speaker 1: one where it's you know, that's the guy that gets
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  Speaker 1: pulled off the field when they want to you know,
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  Speaker 1: a lot of when you pull the linebacker off the
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  Speaker 1: field to go in the nickel, that's usually the Sam.
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  Speaker 1: But it's also this is kind of one of those guys.
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  Speaker 1: Where are we having hit this conversation with him with
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  Speaker 1: the linebackers? Are we having this conversation with him with
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  Speaker 1: the defensive ends? We mentioned him on the Defensive End Show.
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  Speaker 1: Where does Kuai roossolve fit?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, And that's exactly right. And when when I'm talking
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  Speaker 2: to Sam, we're talking when Arvel Reese also in the
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  Speaker 2: Penny front, that five man front, when he's on the outside,
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  Speaker 2: when he was outside of say Kenyana Jackson playing the
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  Speaker 2: SAM linebacker spot there, that's what That's a lot of
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  Speaker 2: what Quay Rusau did in terms of you know, he
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  Speaker 2: was on the edge a bit at Alabama, has starting experience,
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  Speaker 2: but can also play off the line, so he could
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  Speaker 2: also be involved. In the previous conversation we just had
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  Speaker 2: about the the two inside linebackers. But you know, Quai
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  Speaker 2: Rusau has done this. Christian Leegro has done this as well.
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  Speaker 2: He has been that Sam. He has played that on
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  Speaker 2: on the line of scrimmage for Wisconsin last year because
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  Speaker 2: again he has that size, and frankly, I'm pretty sure
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  Speaker 2: we saw Rightley Penny John doing it at times last
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  Speaker 2: year as the backup when they were trying to get
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  Speaker 2: as many guys on the field as possible. So they've
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  Speaker 2: got some guys that have done it, who can do it,
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  Speaker 2: can be fascinated and see what quick Quwai Rusau can
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  Speaker 2: do staying healthy and being part of this because he's intriguing.
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  Speaker 2: I've talked with NFL scouts see him as intriguing. Brian
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  Speaker 2: Day sees him is intriguing. What happens when he's fully healthy,
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  Speaker 2: fully engaged, has a spot, it's put in good spots
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  Speaker 2: to succeed, and has an opportunity to really be part
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  Speaker 2: of an Ohio State defense in specific situations. How much
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  Speaker 2: are they playing the Penny front, I think is another
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  Speaker 2: question because it has to be a positive for them.
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  Speaker 2: If it's not, then that guy that Sam linebacker, his
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  Speaker 2: playing time will go down and will diminish. So I
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  Speaker 2: think it certainly behooves him for it to work out well.
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  Speaker 2: But even if not, even if they're even just tom
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  Speaker 2: as a rush and in a four man lineup, I
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  Speaker 2: think you're going to see him there as well, just
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  Speaker 2: as they try to figure out exactly what is best
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  Speaker 2: for him. Is he more hicks or is he more
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  Speaker 2: rvel rees? And that's a wide right, that's a wide spectrum.
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  Speaker 2: But you can be more rvel res without being rvel rees.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly, And that feels like that has kind of
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  Speaker 1: been a little bit of one of the themes that
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  Speaker 1: has sort of developed. We've had a couple of themes
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  Speaker 1: over the course of these shows. One is, yeah, but
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  Speaker 1: this guy can do a bunch of different stuff. You
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  Speaker 1: could see him playing in a bunch of different spots,
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  Speaker 1: and we've talked about that with receivers and defensive linemen
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  Speaker 1: and linebackers. That is offensive lineman. This is definitely a feature,
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  Speaker 1: not a bug. Thing allows them to get their best
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  Speaker 1: lineup on the field and do a whole heck of
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  Speaker 1: a lot of different stuff. One of the other things
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  Speaker 1: is boy, especially in the defensive side of the ball,
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  Speaker 1: they're replacing some very talented players. I don't know if
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  Speaker 1: they can exactly replace them, but they're going to come
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  Speaker 1: pretty close. And when last year's defense was maybe the
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  Speaker 1: single best statistically in Ohio state football history, if you
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  Speaker 1: only get about ninety percent of the way there, that
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  Speaker 1: is still probably a pretty good defense. So we will
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  Speaker 1: be seeing whether they can get eighty percent or ninety
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  Speaker 1: percent or better of the way back towards last year's defense.
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  Speaker 1: That coverage will start this spring as the Buckeyes head
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  Speaker 1: into springball. We are less than a month away from
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  Speaker 1: the start of spring ball right now, counting down the
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  Speaker 1: days to that and doing that at Buckeye Huddle dot
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  Speaker 1: com and at YouTube dot com slash Buckeye Huddle. We
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  Speaker 1: hope you can join us in both of those places
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  Speaker 1: as there's a lot to talk about. That'll do it
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  Speaker 1: for today. Thank you guys all for joining us. Have
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  Speaker 1: a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.