Buckeyes Open Spring Drills – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/29/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 29, 2000
%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State football team opens spring drills Saturday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. It is the first of 15 practice sessions for the Buckeyes, who wrap things up April 29 with the annual Scarlet and Gray Game, slated this year for 1:30 p.m. in Columbus Crew Stadium.%^$
%^$Veteran coach John Cooper, now in his 13th season with the Buckeyes, has 13 starters – six on offense and seven on defense – returning from last year’s 6-6 team. Additionally, all-purpose kicker Dan Stultz returns for his senior season. In all, there are 40 lettermen on hand, plus a number of talented redshirts. The list of available players also includes junior college transfer Jack Tucker at linebacker.%^$
%^$”Spring is a time for teaching, for stressing fundamentals and for working with each player to maximize his potential,” Cooper said. “We redshirted a number of freshmen last year, so we need to find out what they can do. We also need to get the right players in the right positions and then get them as many reps as possible in preparation for the fall. If we are going to be a better team in 2000, and we are, we need to spend a lot of time this spring working on all aspects of the game.”%^$
%^$Cooper has made some significant changes in his coaching staff for the coming year, adding seasoned veteran George Belu as offensive line coach and Brian Williams as linebackers’ mentor. He also elevated Fred Pagac to assistant head coach and promoted Chuck Stobart and Jon Tenuta to offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively. Tim Salem will continue to coach the quarterbacks, but also will now have responsibility for the wide receivers.%^$
%^$”We are all anxious to get started,” Cooper said. “We had a really good winter conditioning program, now we are looking forward to getting back out on the field.”%^$
%^$Stobart’s priorities will be focused on finding “the eleven best football players, especially the five best offensive linemen.” Once that is done, the Buckeyes will concentrate on being able to run the football.%^$
%^$”We will continue to have a balanced offense, but we have to be able to run the football when we want to,” Stobart said. “To do that, you have to be a tough and physical up front.”%^$
%^$The list of offensive returnees includes quarterback Steve Bellisari, who accounted for 1,972 yards and 14 touchdowns last year in his first year as a starter.%^$
%^$”I think Steve is a very gifted young football player, one who can lead this team very effectively,” Stobart declared. “I have a lot of confidence in him, as do his teammates.”%^$
%^$Other holdovers include left tackle Tyson Walter, a veteran of 37 consecutive starts, right tackle Henry Fleming and LeCharles Bentley, who will move from guard to center. Flanker Ken-Yon Rambo and split end Reggie Germany, both seniors, also return. They combined for 84 receptions last year.%^$
%^$Fullback Jamar Martin is technically not a returning starter, but he did start six games last year when regular Matt Keller was injured.%^$
%^$Leading rusher Michael Wiley is gone, after totaling 952 yards last year, but the cast of holdovers includes seniors Derek Combs and Jerry Westbrooks and junior Jonathan Wells – a very talented trio.%^$
%^$On the other side of the ball, end Rodney Bailey and tackles Ryan Pickett and Mike Collins return up front. All three have all-conference potential. Bailey will be a senior, while Pickett and Collins, who combined for 20 tackles for loss last year, are 6-3, 290-pound juniors.%^$
%^$Additionally, end Brent Johnson and tackles Joe Brown and Clinton Wayne, are all former starters, giving the Buckeyes six battle-tested players in the trenches.%^$
%^$”In this league you have to be able to stop the run,” Tenuta says. “That means having good players on the D-Line.”%^$
%^$Cornerback Nate Clements is another all-star candidate. He was the Buckeyes’ second leading tackler a year ago with 90 total stops, just four behind team leader Na’il Diggs (who opted to pass up his senior year and has declared himself eligible for the NFL draft). Sophomore safety Donnie Nickey also returns, but will move from the strong to the free position this year. The latter move makes room for talented sophomore Mike Doss on the strong side.%^$
%^$Linebackers Jason Ott and Courtland Bullard round out the list of returning starters. Tucker, who enrolled Winter Quarter, and Fred Pagac, Jr., who missed the last seven games of 1999 with a broken leg, also will factor in the linebacker equation.%^$
%^$”I think we have the basis for a very good defense,” Tenuta said. “That is why spring practice is so important. It is a time when teams get better by emphasizing the little things, even to the veterans. Our focus will be to eliminate a player’s weaknesses and improve his strengths. That will make us a better defense in the fall.”%^$
%^$Stultz handled virtually all of the Buckeyes’ kicking responsibilities last year. Cooper is hoping someone steps up this spring and takes over the punting chores. The Buckeyes also need to find a replacement for four-year long snapper Kevin Houser.%^$
%^$”That is an extremely important position,” Cooper noted. “We will miss Kevin’s dependability. But that is what spring ball is all about, finding the best football players and getting them in position.”%^$
%^$Cooper, envisions some, but not a lot of experimentation, during the next month.%^$
%^$”There are always a few position switches, but I really think we are pretty well set at most positions,” he said.
