Fulton Analysis: The playmakers
We're talking Buckeye offensive playmakers along with an explanation of their roles in the Ohio State offense.
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As an assistant wide receivers’ coach at Notre Dame, Urban Meyer witnessed something he never wanted to see again. Sitting in the locker room after a tough loss to Nebraska, Meyer spotted wide receiver David Givens, the team’s most talented offensive player, nearly in tears.
As Meyer tried to tell Givens that it would be ok, that the team would bounce back, Givens responded that Meyer just did not understand. Givens was upset because he had not touched the football the entire game. Givens was not upset because he wanted to pad his statistics. Instead, he was inconsolable because he felt he was left unable to help his team win.
When he became a head coach, Meyer did not want to face another David Givens. So he vowed to identify his top six playmakers and get them the football. This has been reflected in Meyer’s head coaching career, where the top four to six players have consistently garnered significantly more yards from scrimmage than other skill position players.
Although Ohio State enters 2016 replacing much of their offensive production from last season, fall camp has helped clarify the top of Meyer’s playmaker chart. Below is a predicted ordering of Meyer’s list – along with an explanation of their role in the Buckeye offense.
No. 1: JT Barrett
With apologies to Meyer (and the number two player on this list), the top playmaker for Ohio State is not Curtis Samuel – it is JT Barrett. Barrett averaged 6.6 yards per carry last season (more than Ezekiel Elliot) and created the most explosive run plays (runs of 15+ yards) in 2014 before being injured. Although Meyer stated in his press conference this week that he wanted a more balanced offense than Ohio State had in 2015, he made explicit that such a balance includes the quarterback run game. This is because Meyer’s offense functions best when the quarterback run threat is an integral part of the game plan.
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