By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Columbus- At least for one practice Tuesday afternoon, Ohio State freshman offensive tackle Marcus Hall was a starter. Though that need was created by the flu, which kept left tackles Mike Adams and Andrew Miller out of practice and necessitated the move of starting right tackle J.B. Shugarts to the left side for the afternoon, Hall will remain a player, whether he's starting or not. The Buckeyes didn't burn Hall's redshirt against Indiana on Saturday night just to ... Read More

By: Bill Blanton (Examiner.com) -- When Chris Wells announced in January 2009 that he was leaving Columbus for the NFL, most Buckeye fans anointed sophomore Dan Herron as the starter and the heir apparent to the great tradition of running backs at Ohio State. Apparently the directors of the Guaranty Bank SMU Athletic Forum feel the same, as they announced Sunday afternoon their candidates for the 2009 Doak Walker Award. Herron is listed as a candidate for the award which is presented ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Columbus -- The three-year starter at left tackle, Alex Boone, is gone and the starting right tackle might be the third-most-likely guy to win that job this season. So as Ohio State opens preseason practice today, the battles for the starting tackle jobs will be as interesting as anything going over the next three weeks. Senior Jim Cordle, juniors Bryant Browning and Andy Miller, sophomores Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts and maybe even true freshmen like Jack ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Who are the best 20 players on Ohio State's roster right now? This is a venture with no right answers, but I think it's an interesting way to evaluate just how the 2009 Buckeyes are going to come together. A year ago, this was a much easier list to make. Starting with Beanie Wells, Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis and running through veterans like Marcus Freeman, Brian Robiskie, Brian Hartline, Donald Washington, Alex Boone, etc., you had a ... Read More

By: STEVE HEMMELGARN (NewsAndSentinel.com) -- There may be more Ohio State football players in the NFL as rookies this season than just the seven who were drafted. Three have already signed as free agents: punter A.J. Trapasso with the Titans, offensive lineman Alex Boone with the 49ers and defensive lineman Nader Abdallah with the Jaguars. There are others getting free-agent shots at the pros: tight end Rory Nicol (Redskins), fullback Brandon Smith (Bears) and offensive linemen Ben Person (Lions) and Steve Rehring (Bengals) But of all ... Read More

By: Chick Ludwig (DaytonDailyNews.com) -- All quarterback Todd Boeckman wants is a chance to prove he’s worthy of the NFL. He’ll get that opportunity with the Cincinnati Bengals. The former Ohio State quarterback from St. Henry High School, along with OSU offensive tackle Steve Rehring, has accepted the club’s tryout offer at its rookie minicamp Friday through Sunday, May 1-3. They report to Paul Brown Stadium on Thursday. “Anytime you get an opportunity to fulfill your dream, it means a lot,” Boeckman said Monday night. ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Ohio State should have eight or nine players drafted over the next two days. A final look at the draft possibilities of OSU players today and Sunday: * Malcolm Jenkins, CB/S: The most likely Buckeye off the board first, he could go as high as No. 9 to Green Bay and doesn't look like he'll get past New Orleans at No. 14 or Houston at No. 15. Guess: No. 14 to New Orleans * Beanie Wells, ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Some quick thoughts on Ohio State and one on the draft: * Terrelle Pryor has thrown the ball very well the last two practices we saw him. Tuesday he hit some nice deep throws. Thursday, he was zipping passes to the sideline and over the middle. Call it progress. * Teams get 15 practices in the spring and Ohio State is using its 14th today to host a clinic for about 900 high school coaches. The offense ... Read More

By: David Williams (BleacherReport.com) -- The 2009 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes will have to replace much of the star power which produced one of the most successful four-year runs in the program’s illustrious history. Led by All-American-caliber players such as James Laurinaitis, Marcus Freeman, and Malcolm Jenkins on defense, and Chris Wells, Brian Robiskie, Alex Boone, and Todd Boeckman on offense, the culminating class racked up an impressive 42-5 regular season record and made four straight BCS appearances. They ... Read More

By: MIKE PERRY (MorningJournal.com) -- COLUMBUS ­— Ohio State coach Jim Tressel saw a ton of offensive talent either leave via graduation or through early entry for the 2009 NFL Draft. He has holes to fill, but thinks he has the talent to piece together a solid offensive unit. At the receiver position, however, the experience is thin. The “two Brians,” Robiskie and Hartline, have moved on, leaving the Buckeyes without significant experience at receiver. Roy Hall and Dane Sanzenbacher saw time last ... Read More

By: Zack Meisel (TheLantern.com via Yahoo Sports) -- COLUMBUS, Ohio—How does a football team improve an offense that lost seven starters and was held without a touchdown in two of its three losses a year ago? During spring practices, trial-and-error seems to have been the most effective route to composing a new group of Ohio State linemen, backs and receivers, said offensive coordinator Jim Bollman. AP Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, center, times a kick drill during Sunday's practice at Ohio Stadium. Members of ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- I've been covering Ohio State football since the fall of 2005, and the first time since then that Jim Tressel lets reporters watch an entire practice, I'm talking to Michigan State's Delvon Roe. So while here at the Final Four in Detroit, I missed the insights gleaned Sunday at OSU practice, although I did talk to former NFL coach Steve Mariucci at Ford Field, if that counts. After Ohio State's practice, the offensive linemen were available ... Read More

By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -- Columbus- Running back Chris "Beanie" Wells returned from the NFL Combine three weeks ago with a plan, one that centered on getting a kick start from Ohio State strength coach Eric Lichter and working on 40 times until 10 p.m. some nights. A 4.59 40-yard dash in Indianapolis turned into something between a 4.34 and 4.40 at Ohio State's Pro Day on Friday. "If you were worried about his speed," said one NFL scout, "he ran ... Read More

By: Tony Grossi (Cleveland.com) -- Indianapolis- Personal rehabilitation for Alex Boone began shortly after his latest bout with alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday. He's seeing a counselor again. His career rehabilitation begins here. Symbolically, perhaps, Boone was the first player of more than 300 attending the NFL scouting combine to face the media Thursday. It didn't take long for Boone to realize his problems are now an open book. Ques tions about drinking and his falling draft stock came from every corner ... Read More