OSU Buckeyes

Ohio State coach Thad Matta talks about the strength of the Big Ten, preparing for Victor Oladipo and Indiana, court-storming and more. Listen here .

This is Across The Field, a regular feature on BuckeyeNation where we point you to noteworthy Buckeyes coverage here and elsewhere. Think something should be included? Send it to espnkendrick@gmail.com. First, as always, our week in review:

BuckeyeNation Week in Review

• Austin Ward concluded his series looking at each position on the depth chart heading into the spring.
• Brad Bournival and the WolverineNation crew compared the Buckeyes and Wolverines' 2013 recruiting classes over the last two weeks and picked a winner at each spot.
• Bournival assessed the 2014 OSU prospects at defensive tackle, linebacker and defensive back.
• In Bournival's mailbag, he answers the question of whether Ohio State will offer another quarterback soon.
• North Carolina RB Elijah Hood has three Midwest powers in his top three.
• Running back is also a position of need in 2014.
• An offer could be a game-changer for an Illinois tight end.
• And an ESPN Watch List defensive tackle from Florida got an offer.
• The Buckeyes are getting some competition from the SEC at a pipeline school.
• Tight end prospect Jeb Blazevich, who is considering Ohio State, bulked up to become an elite prospect.
• If the Big Ten is going to bounce back in 2013, spring is a key time, writes Brian Bennett.
• Braxton Miller was the Big Ten's top player in 2012, writes Adam Rittenberg.

Football

• Miller worked one on one with a QB guru. (Dispatch)
• He's on the Sports Illustrated cover this week, too. (Eleven Warriors)
• Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a big part of the regimen of safety signee Jayme Thompson. (Toledo Blade)
• Five questions for the Buckeyes entering spring practice. (Plain Dealer)
• Johnathan Hankins had some second thoughts about leaving school. (Dispatch)
• John Simon had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago. (Dispatch)
• Former OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman will run the offense at Michigan State. (Plain Dealer)
• Jake Stoneburner believes his game is suited for the NFL. (Dispatch)
• Reid Fragel had a solid combine and is moving up the draft boards. (NFL.com)
• Eleven Warriors takes an inside look at the Buckeyes' base running game.
• Urban Meyer talked candidly about the depth chart on the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer last week. (The-Ozone.net)

Basketball

• The Buckeyes pulled away from Northwestern and moved back into the top four in the Big Ten standings.
• Aaron Craft's scoring was the difference against Michigan State, Ward writes.
• Freshman fan favorite Amadeo Della Valle is getting a few minutes here and there. (Plain Dealer)

The Gang's All Here

• Ohio State's baseball team started 0-2, but has heated up down South. (Lantern)
• The wrestling team had a disappointing performance at the national duals. (Lantern)
• The women's hockey team advanced to the WCHA Final Face-Off. (OSU)
• The men's swimming team finished third in the Big Ten. (OSU)

Each week this spring, RecruitingNation will take a closer look at some of the nation’s top Class of 2014 prospects from the ESPN Watch List. This week we kick things off with Charlotte (N.C.) Christian tight end Jeb Blazevich.

Few people -- well, other than astute recruiters -- knew who Jeb Blazevich was last summer.

Then the offers started pouring in.

Blazevich was a self-described average receiver before he started eating -- a lot. The tight end from Charlotte (N.C.) Christian went from peanut butter sandwiches to hamburgers then chicken strips to bulk up to 240 pounds. And the hamburgers were for breakfast, while the chicken strips were an in-class snack.

It clearly worked, as Blazevich is now considered one of the top tight end prospects in the nation and is being recruited by some of the country’s top programs. Blazevich recently listed Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame and Ole Miss as his finalists.

"It's really crazy," Blazevich said of his recruitment. "When you think about it, I'm just a normal kid. I go to church on Sundays. I go to school during the week. I do my work like anybody else. It's just crazy to have these accolades.

"It really humbles you to realize that, wow, God gave me this ability. He could have given this to anybody. It's a really humbling experience. I'm very grateful for it but it is a little bit crazy."

Blazevich is likely a better prospect than he was as a rising junior last year when he was receiving all of these scholarship offers. He's lost some of the fat he picked up when he decided to bulk up. Once too small, a bigger Blazevich is now determined to be big and lean.

"I'm eating a regular diet," he said. "I took about a 20 pounds off. Now, the theory is lighter and faster. I'm just trying to get stronger and keep a healthy diet and maintain more of slow weight gain."

When asked what drives him to such dedication, Blazevich said: "I'm my biggest critic. I keep reminding myself that I need to keep working to get where I need to go."

Blazevich's recruitment shouldn't last much longer. He said he’ll announce his decision by June 1, if not earlier. He said he's determined to get to know his chosen school and its coaches after the recruiting salesmanship has worn off. For now, publicly at least, he's not offering any hints.

"I feel like I can be successful there and that's where God is calling me to go," he said about the schools he is considering.

Until he announces, Blazevich knows he'll have to continue to field calls from recruiters hoping to sway him and reporters looking to get new information from him. Like his weight, he seems to have recruiting under control as well.

"It's been really crazy," he said. "I'm very thankful for it but it's one of those things that you have to manage well. It can consume you. You have to stay humble. It's definitely a great experience, but it's challenging too."

With national signing day in the books, the next big date on the Ohio State calendar as it continues working toward an encore for an undefeated season in 2013 is spring practice. Before those workouts begin, BuckeyeNation will take a look at each position to see where the roster is at -- and where it's going.

KICKOFF RETURN/PUNT RETURN

• Who's back: The jokes about Philly Brown not being able to make anybody miss at wide receiver had already started subsiding, but he put them to bed for good on special teams. The rising senior put two exclamation points on a breakout individual season with a pair of punt returns for touchdowns, including a pivotal one in the overtime thriller on the road against Wisconsin that helped save the undefeated campaign. The kickoff return gig wasn't quite as stable and the unit overall was never able to really provide the type of spark coach Urban Meyer wants in that phase of the game. But before a freshman class loaded with speed arrives in the fall, he's got a handful of guys with experience to look at this spring -- starting with running backs Rod Smith and Bri'onte Dunn, wide receiver Devin Smith and perhaps cornerback Bradley Roby.
• New faces: The Buckeyes have two new additions already on campus at a skill position, though Eli Apple and Cam Burrows will likely be focusing more on learning the schemes and techniques at cornerback than trying to provide competition at the return slots. But when training camp rolls around, though, Meyer might be looking closely at burners such as Dontre Wilson, Jalin Marshall, James Clark, Corey Smith or touted tailback Ezekiel Elliott to help carry the load.
• Projected spring depth chart: Brown should head into camp with the edge on the punt-return unit, with fellow wideout Devin Smith in the second slot. Kickoff return could easily be staging a wide-open competition, though Rod Smith and Dunn ended last season as the top two options and figure to start camp there as well.
• Numbers game: The Buckeyes finished the season ranked just No. 84 in the country in average kickoff return yardage, managing less than 20 yards per attempt and never posting one longer than Rod Smith's 36-yarder. The junior running back was also the most consistent threat among the handful of returners the Buckeyes tried, leading the team with an average of 23.3 yards on his 13 attempts.
• One to watch: The influx of speed at the skill positions in the fall should give Meyer even more options to play with, but he could be faced with the same decision then that he does now. Is it worth exposing Roby to a few more hits to take advantage of his speed? The junior cornerback has a gear that few other athletes can match and it's not hard to imagine him putting that speed to good use with the ball in his hands on special teams. But he's also integral on defense with his lockdown coverage and disruptive ability in the secondary, which will give the Buckeyes something to ponder as they try to find some explosiveness in the return game.
• He said it: "We maybe didn't have the home-run hitter, explosive, open-space player on offense, but you know what? Some guys really grew up and did a good job for us. Philly Brown did a nice job." -- Meyer on signing day

With national signing day in the books, the next big date on the Ohio State calendar as it continues working toward an encore for an undefeated season in 2013 is spring practice. Before those workouts begin, BuckeyeNation will take a look at each position to see where the roster is at -- and where it's going.

KICKER/PUNTER

• Who's back: With all the firepower the Buckeyes have returning and an aggressive coach who would clearly prefer never to need anybody to boot the football, the loss of punter Ben Buchanan may not be that big of a deal. But no offense is going to be perfect on every possession no matter how much Ohio State might score this fall, which makes filling the void the senior left a high priority this spring -- and could give kicker Drew Basil plenty to do. The Buckeyes recruited and received a commitment from a punter before Johnny Townsend ultimately elected to stay closer to home and sign with Florida, which has created something of a dilemma for Meyer and newly promoted special teams coordinator Kerry Coombs. But Basil does have one more year left to contribute with the program, and he will be the leading candidate at both positions heading into camp next week.
• New face: Frank Epitropoulos isn't new to the program, but he could wind up being a fresh option to fill the hole at punter. The graduate of nearby Upper Arlington was recruited as a wide receiver and was listed at the position last fall during his first year with the Buckeyes, but the big leg he showed off as a three-way player in high school when averaged more than 42 yards per punt will make him a candidate as a specialist and could help take some of the burden off Basil.
• Projected spring depth chart: Basil should enter spring practice as the starter at both positions, with Kyle Clinton backing him up at kicker and Epitropoulos potentially pushing for work at punter.
• Numbers game: Meyer's fearless approach paid off in pressure situations as the Buckeyes led the country in fourth-down conversion percentage last fall, but it doesn't leave much of a sample size to judge Basil's accuracy as a kicker. Heading into the final week of the regular season, the rising senior had attempted just six field goals, making four of them. The Buckeyes needed him to deliver against rival Michigan to close out the undefeated campaign, though, and he doubled his total by making four of his five tries in the victory.
• One to watch: There aren't many candidates, leaving Epitropoulos as the most intriguing option for the Buckeyes among the specialists. His numbers in high school suggest he has the strength and ability to potentially be productive at the next level, and with Ohio State loading up with dangerous weapons at wide receiver and creating stiff competition for playing time at the skill positions, handling the punting duties could provide a clearer path for Epitropoulos to contribute.
• He said it: "Kerry Coombs is an excellent coach who has a great deal of experience and expertise with special teams. He is an outstanding teacher, an excellent motivator and he has a true passion for special teams." -- Meyer earlier this month