COLUMBUS, Ohio — Cade Stover was different after the Rose Bowl.
Switching to linebacker was what Ohio State needed at the time, just needing more bodies in the middle of its defense, and the former four-star outside linebacker-turned-tight end was the perfect fit.
But to Stover, it awakened something in him. He said he had the chance to play with all of his emotions, tearing his heart out and playing the way he wanted to.
“No, I don’t think I will ever let this feeling go,” Stover said after the game.
It’s where he started spring practice, working with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and his linebackers room, searching for that same feeling through the first two weeks.
But Tuesday, Stover was back at tight end, donning the red jersey with the white number eight, taking part in hand off drills and quick passing drills with the rest of the offense.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said he and Stover have had constant conversations since the Rose Bowl trying to find what position works best for the redshirt sophomore moving forward, always giving the players a choice as to where they best fit.
It was Stover’s decision, something for him to own.
“And I think he saw, moving forward, he’s got a huge ceiling at tight end,” Day said. “I think when you look at the work he’s put into the past year and his skillset, he’s got a chance to be a really good tight end.”
But it’s not the same Stover that donned that red offensive jersey Tuesday morning, returning to the position that he had worked with for the past year. Day saw a player with new life, a player who wanted to play with an edge.
It’s a mentality, the head coach said, he sees Stover bringing to the tight end position with his strength and power, adding in athleticism and ball skills along with his size, pushing 260 pounds.
It’s something that offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is going to plan around, looking at Stover in a new way because of that life he showed in that Rose Bowl game.
“So my thought, if he came back, I wasn’t going to tie his hands,” Wilson said. “I was going to try and get him to play with the energy that he likes playing defense. We have to play under control. We can’t be reckless and we have to have some fundamentals, per se. But I’d like for him to play to his strengths.”
But it also awoke a different level of leadership in Stover too.
“His leadership that he had in the offseason was excellent. Unbelievable leadership,” Day said. “And now that he’s a veteran of the program, he has a voice, and I wanted to put him in the best position to be successful.”
Tight end seems to be the fit for Stover: a room that remains exactly the same except for the departure of Jeremy Ruckert to the NFL and the addition of Bennett Christian in the 2022 class, with Mitch Rossi, Joe Royer, Gee Scott Jr. and Sam Hart all in the running for reps at tight end.
The former outside linebacker has a chance to make an immediate impact, where, on defense, Day said there’s a log jam, an overflow of talent in a room with really only two spots to work with.
It’s all up to Stover, though. And the conversations are not complete.
But a decision needs to be made, the head coach said, to start the development process.
“He needs to focus on something for a while in order to be successful instead of bouncing around,” Day said.
