By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) —
For Ohio State fans who watch Wisconsin tight end Travis Beckum on Saturday and wonder, “Why don’t the Buckeyes have someone like that?” be aware that Ohio State just might.

I hesitate to spend much time writing about Ohio State throwing to the tight end, but with Beckum, and with what Ohio State could have in freshman Jake Stoneburner, it goes beyond being a tight end.

Beckum, who was recruited by Ohio State, is actually listed as an H-back on Wisconsin’s roster, and at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds can line up with his hand on the ground like a traditional tight end, line up off-set or in motion as an H-back or stand up like a receiver.

The bottom line is that he creates mismatches - too big for a corner, too fast for many linebackers. Ohio State doesn’t deploy a player that way in its current lineup, but with Stoneburner, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound freshman who is currently redshirting, that could be on the horizon.

Before he arrived to Ohio State, Stoneburner was insistent on two points - that he would play receiver, not tight end, and that he could help right away.

He certainly offered a different physical profile than any current OSU receivers. But an injury helped derail his plan this season.

Instead, he, along with senior J.D. Larson, played the role of Beckum on the scout team this week, and OSU fans should hope that he enjoyed himself.

It makes sense that Stoneburner wouldn’t be all that enthused about serving as a traditional tight end, with current tight ends Rory Nicol and Jake Ballard catching six passes in five games so far.

But a Beckum-like H-back who is far more of a receiver than a blocker, but is big enough to lend a hand in the run game as well? That could be exactly what Stoneburner is looking for.

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