2001 Ohio State Football Preview

Since taking over the Ohio State football reins last January, Head Coach Jim Tressel has spent the majority of his time recruiting, putting together his staff and getting to know his players off the field. Tressel's first team has 13 starters and 43 lettermen returning from a squad that posted an 8-4 record in 2000. The additional returnee is offensive tackle Tyson Walter, a three-starter who sat out all of last season with a lower-back infection. Walter's return gives the Buckeyes six holdovers on offense. The Ohio State offense will be under the direction of Jim Bollman, who in addition to serving as coordinator, also coaches the offensive line. There are 21 lettermen returning on offense, including starters Steve Bellisari at quarterback, Jamar Martin at fullback, LeCharles Bentley at center, Adrien Clarke at left tackle and Darnell Sanders at tight end. Bellisari, a 6-2 southpaw and senior-to-be, is a veteran of 22 starts and stands sixth on the school's all-time total offense list with 4,470 yards. Sophomores Craig Krenzel and Scott McMullen, along with Rick MaFadden (red shirted in 2000), give the Buckeyes four good signal callers. Martin, a 6-0, 245-pounder and the prototypical Ohio State fullback, is a bruising blocker and powerful runner. Jesse Kline, a fine all-purpose runner who missed the last half of the 2000 season with a back injury, will back him up. Jonathan Wells is expected to step in for Derek Combs at tailback. The dependable Bentley has developed into one of the best centers in college football and should be in the hunt for All-America honors this year. The 6-3, 325-pound Clarke, who started nine games last year as a red-shirt freshman and was named to The Sporting News Freshman All-America team; and the 6-5, 300-pound Walter, who going into last year had started 37 consecutive games, give the Buckeyes a pair of outstanding tackles. Shane Olivea, who played in five games last year, as a true freshman and Ivan Douglas are solid reserves. The picture at guard is a bit more clouded, although, Alex Stepanovich is expected to take over on the left side. Senior Jim Massey, junior Scott Kunhein and sophomore Bryce Bishop are the contenders on the right side. Experience is at a premium at the wide receiver positions, but flankers Ricky Bryant and John Hollins and split ends Drew Carter and Michael Jenkins are all emerging young talents. Linebacker certainly appears to be an area of strength for the Buckeyes. All three starters - seniors Joe Cooper and Courtland Bullard on the outside and junior Matt Wilhelm in the middle - return, as do backups Robert Reynolds, Cie Grant, Fred Pagac, Marco Cooper and Thomas Matthews, just to name a few. The fiery Cooper, one of 20 returning lettermen on the defense, was the Buckeyes' second leading tackler last year with 80 total stops and was voted by his teammates as the co-Most Inspirational Player. He also was a consensus all-Big Ten pick and a third-team Associated Press All-American. Wilhelm was moved inside at the start of the season and responded by leading the team in tackles for loss with 15. Bullard, who will be in his third year as a starter, is a solid all-around player with stunning speed. The graduation of defensive ends Brent Johnson and Rodney Bailey and the unexpected departure of tackle Ryan Pickett for the NFL, means nose guard Mike Collins is the lone holdover on the d-line. However, the 6-3, 290-pound senior is a good one, good enough to be in the hunt for postseason honors in the fall. Despite being constantly double-teamed, Collins finished the 2000 season with 46 tackles, tops among OSU's defensive linemen. Either Tim Anderson or David Thompson is expected to occupy the slot held down by Pickett the past three years. The 6-3, 295-pound Anderson played behind Collins last season. Thompson is a 6-5, 280-pound junior, who has seen only limited action to date. Junior Kenny Peterson and sophomore Will Smith give the Buckeyes a pair of quality defensive ends. They combined for 12 tackles for loss and six sacks last year in a reserve role. Smith is blessed with outstanding speed and quickness and should be one of the top pass rushers in the Big Ten. Sophomore Darrion Scott and senior Tim Cheatwood also will figure in the rotation. Scott is highly regarded. Cheatwood, who moves back to defense after a year at tight end, has excellent speed and should be right at home at rush end. The Buckeyes secondary is led by All-America strong safety Mike Doss, a hard-hitting 197-pound junior. The 5-11 Doss led the Buckeyes in tackles last year with 90, including 16 in the season finale against Michigan. He also had 13 tackles for loss; three interceptions and three fumble recoveries, returning two of the latter for touchdowns. Doss won first-team all-Big ten honors last year and was named to the Sporting News All-America team. He will be a Thorpe Award candidate this year. Free safety Donnie Nickey returns for his third year as a starter. The 6-3, 205-pound junior was in on 64 tackles last year and has been a solid player throughout his career. Derek Ross and Richard McNutt appear to have the inside track at the two corner spots. Ross was the Buckeyes' nickel back last season and had his best year with 37 tackles and 2 interceptions. John Huston is the heir apparent to four-year starter Dan Stultz, who closed out his career as OSU's second all-time leading scorer and career leader in field goals made. Sophomore B.J. Sander returns to handle the punting chores. He averaged 41.9 yards per kick last season.