COLUMBUS, Ohio – A talented and well-developed tight end group will provide the Ohio State offense with versatility and stability throughout the season.

The tight end position is expected to do a variety of different things, including contributing to the blocking scheme and being a target in the pass game. The tight end unit that will run out on Saturdays will not only have the ability to do those things at a high level but there is a great deal of depth that will allow the unit to stay fresh.

Kevin Wilson commends the group for being very coachable and committing to improving their game for the betterment of the team.

“It might be the best group I have ever coached as far as just a group of dudes,” Wilson said.

The plan is to consistently use four of the tight ends on a regular basis: Luke Farrell, Rashod Berry, Jeremy Ruckert and Jake Hausmann.

Farrell, who played over 600 snaps last season, appears to be top guy in the group.

“I think he is one of the better football players on our team,” Wilson said about Farrell. “He stayed rock solid, consistent.”

Farrell appeared in eight games last season, and he recorded 19 catches for 196 yards. Although these numbers are far from extraordinary, Wilson has a certain trust in Farrell that makes him a strong option at tight end.

“Luke is hands down our best guy just fundamentals and hands,” Wilson said. “He doesn’t flash sometimes, but there’s a lot of times at practice where I am not watching him because he’s got that guy.”

Looking to Berry, he has continued to make strides on the fundamental side of the position, according to Wilson.

“He’s becoming much more consistent playing without the ball, understanding where he needs to be, blocking, he’s doing awesome,” Wilson said.

The improvement in the blocking game is due to Berry’s ability to play with strength and leverage.

Another player who has added more to his off-ball skillset is Ruckert. The sophomore, who has the potential to be a great receiving tight end, has been working to improve his blocking in order to become a more well-rounded player.

“To be really good it means playing without the ball, and it takes a little bit of time,” Wilson said. “He’s lightyears from where he was a year ago.”

The final tight end that has a chance to have a significant role is Hausmann.

Wilson has an admiration for the redshirt junior’s ability to stick with the program and work every day to get better.

“It’s a credit to his family, it’s a credit to his high school upbringing, credit to him that he’s a guy who will stick in there and work,” Wilson said.

Wilson noted that Hausmann has developed into potentially the second-best blocking tight end on the team.

The development aspect of tight end is something that Wilson said is crucial and a focus of his coaching style.

“It is very much a developmental position,” Wilson said. “I can consider myself pretty much a developmental coach, being a line kind of guy.”

The improvement by each player at the position has allowed Ohio State to accumulate great depth at tight end, and the surplus of good tight ends has only helped each player get better.

“I think just the fact that we are doing so good as a unit it helps bring the best out of each and every one of us to contribute to the team,” Ruckert said.

The unit itself has excelled throughout the offseason, and the chemistry is very strong.

“Our group has been close all offseason,” Ruckert said. “We won best unit in the winter, best unit in the spring.”

At the end of the day, the position will be judged on its ability to block before anything else. Wilson stressed the importance the program puts on playing individuals who will be able to get that aspect of the game done at a high level.

“At Ohio State when we put you in, we expect competitive excellence,” Wilson said. “We expect you to do your job, and the hardest job is learning how to block. That group is becoming a very competent blocking group.”