OSU Buckeyes: J.T. Moore
Throughout the next few months, BuckeyeNation will look further into those juniors offered by Ohio State. We’ll give as much detail as we can and go behind the scenes to see why these Class of 2014 standouts are so attractive to the Buckeyes. Next on the list is defensive tackle Dylan Thompson, who hails from the same high school as former Buckeyes nose tackle Garrett Goebel.
Vitals: Dylan Thompson (Lombard, Ill./Montini Catholic) is 6-foot-5 and 274 pounds.
Status: He committed to Ohio State on March 23 during an unofficial visit.
Vitals: Dylan Thompson (Lombard, Ill./Montini Catholic) is 6-foot-5 and 274 pounds.
Status: He committed to Ohio State on March 23 during an unofficial visit.
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Sometimes the numbers really do say it all.
In leading Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic to its fourth consecutive 5A state championship, defensive end Dylan Thompson finished the season with 92 tackles -- 19 for loss -- 7½ sacks and four forced fumbles.
Thompson -- Ohio State’s fifth commitment in the 2014 class -- is certainly a disruptive force on the line, and his commitment could be a big key to other players.
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With national signing day in the books, the next big date on the Ohio State calendar as it continues working toward an encore in 2013 of an undefeated season 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.
DEFENSIVE ENDS
DEFENSIVE ENDS
- Who's back: The Buckeyes don't exactly have a shortage of talented defenders returning to the fold up front, but it's what they're missing that will dominate the discussion heading into spring and the summer workouts. The storied career of John Simon is over after one more dynamic season on and off the field, and after battling back from injuries to contribute on the other end of the line, Nathan Williams is out of eligibility also. There's never been much doubt about how bright the futures are for Noah Spence and Adolphus Washington, and in limited action as true freshmen last fall, they showed flashes what they can do. But the Buckeyes won't need potential when September rolls around -- they'll need production, and those two and rising junior Steve Miller are at the head of the line and waiting for redshirt freshman Se'Von Pittman to join them.
Notes and quotes: Bucks begin UCF week
September, 3, 2012
9/03/12
5:04
PM ET
By
Austin Ward | ESPN.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There wasn't much for Urban Meyer to enjoy during his first quarter with Ohio State.
In hindsight, the new Buckeyes coach is looking back at it and smiling about the opportunity it gives him moving forward.
Eventually the offense started clicking and cruised to an easy win in Meyer's debut with the program, but as Ohio State goes back to work preparing for a tougher test on Saturday against Central Florida, he's got plenty of teachable moments to help make his point about how much work is still left to be done.
"At the end of the day, I’m pleased with what happened," Meyer said during his Monday press conference. "I’m pleased we got thrown around a little bit. We were actually losing in our home stadium in the first quarter, and I didn’t like it at the time, but now that you look back, I think everybody got hit in the face a little bit and responded well.
"I’m glad after we evaluate it now that it happened. It gives us an opportunity to coach very, very hard and get some things corrected."
Meyer and his staff wouldn't normally ease up on the Buckeyes early in the week anyway, though they do have the option of making the already infamous "Bloody Tuesday" workout even more difficult if it's necessary.
In hindsight, the new Buckeyes coach is looking back at it and smiling about the opportunity it gives him moving forward.
Eventually the offense started clicking and cruised to an easy win in Meyer's debut with the program, but as Ohio State goes back to work preparing for a tougher test on Saturday against Central Florida, he's got plenty of teachable moments to help make his point about how much work is still left to be done.
"At the end of the day, I’m pleased with what happened," Meyer said during his Monday press conference. "I’m pleased we got thrown around a little bit. We were actually losing in our home stadium in the first quarter, and I didn’t like it at the time, but now that you look back, I think everybody got hit in the face a little bit and responded well.
"I’m glad after we evaluate it now that it happened. It gives us an opportunity to coach very, very hard and get some things corrected."
Meyer and his staff wouldn't normally ease up on the Buckeyes early in the week anyway, though they do have the option of making the already infamous "Bloody Tuesday" workout even more difficult if it's necessary.
ABOUT BUCKEYE NATION
Austin Ward
Austin Ward joined ESPN.com in 2012 after five years as a college football writer at the Casper (Wyo.) Star-Tribune and the Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel. The award-winning journalist lives with his wife in Columbus, Ohio. Email him at ajward.espn@gmail.com.
Brad Bournival
Brad Bournival, a lifetime Northeast Ohio resident, joined ESPN in 2012 and is the recruiting writer for BuckeyeNation. He has covered sports at the professional, college and high school level for 16 years. Recently, Bournival was a freelance writer for The Plain Dealer, The Medina Gazette and SportsInk.com. Email him at bradbournival.espn@gmail.com.