It has become a common theme during the Urban Meyer era to wonder exactly how the staff will come up with a plan to spread the ball around to so many different weapons.
That storyline was never more highlighted than last season when skill guys like Ezekiel Elliott, Braxton Miller, Mike Thomas, Curtis Samuel, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson clogged the playmaker pipeline.
Interestingly things didn't quite pan out as expected with just one of those names – Elliott – eclipsing the 1,000 yard all-purpose yard barrier, marking the first time since Meyer's arrival that at least two Buckeyes failed to reach the milestone.
This year, Meyer has another cast of characters looking for touches but which ones might churn out over 1,000 all-purpose yards?
Before we get to that, here's a look at the other skill players to rack up at least 1,000 all-purpose yards in Columbus under Meyer.
| YEAR | PLAYER | RUSH | REC | PUNT RET | KO RET | TOTAL AP YDS | AVG/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | E. ELLIOTT | 1,821 | 206 | 13 | 0 | 2,040 | 156.9 |
| 2014 | E. ELLIOTT | 1,878 | 220 | 0 | 16 | 2,114 | 140.9 |
| 2014 | D. WILSON | 100 | 300 | 136 | 528 | 1,064 | 106.4 |
| 2013 | C. HYDE | 1,521 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1,668 | 151.6 |
| 2013 | B. MILLER | 1,068 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,068 | 89.0 |
| 2012 | B. MILLER | 1,271 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,271 | 105.9 |
| 2012 | C. HYDE | 970 | 51 | 0 | 0 | 1,021 | 102.1 |
2012
Meyer's first season in Columbus saw both Braxton Miller (1,271) and Carlos Hyde (1,021) go over 1,000 all-purpose yards with 98% of their combined total coming via rushing the football aided by just 51 receiving yards from Hyde.
Slot receiver Philly Brown complemented the two-headed rushing monster with 669 receiving yards and with another 221 via punt returns, Brown fell just 14 yards shy of joining the 1,000 all-purpose yard club.
With Miller and Hyde dominating the rushing attempts and Brown and Devin Smith (618 yards) doing the heavy lifting through the air (along with Philly's punt return duties) that really only left kickoff returns open to other guys.
Rod Smith led the way with 303 kickoff return yards which were 88 more than his season rushing total signaling a standard strategy employed by Meyer and many other coaches in which they give a backup running back some touches in the return game as a way to throw them a bone while protecting the team's more valuable stars.
Devin Smith was the only other Buckeye to log at least 100 kickoff return yards with 147, courtesy of another typical strategy of putting a burner back there knowing that if he gets into the open field past the kicker, he won't likely be caught.
2013
Meyer's second season in Columbus saw the duo of Miller (1,068) and Hyde (1,668) again amass over 1,000 all-purpose yards each. Hyde was an absolute beast with 1,521 rushing yards augmented by another 147 through the air giving him an average of 151.6 all-purpose yards per game.
Philly Brown again led the way through the air (771 yards) while accounting for 74% of the punt return yards (179 out of 243) but again fell just short of the 1,000 yard barrier with 992 all-purpose yards.
This season however, the trio had company in the 900+ club as true freshman Dontre Wilson tallied 983 all-purpose yards on the strength of 523 kickoff return yards supplemented by another 250 on the ground and 210 through the air as a reserve H-back.
Also acting in a reserve role, Jordan Hall made his presence felt with 536 rushing yards – 402 of which came as Hyde served a three-game suspension to start the season – along with 122 yards worth of kickoff returns on the way to 721 total all-purpose yards giving Meyer five guys over the 700-yard mark.
2014
The 2013 all-purpose totals were merely an appetizer for what Meyer's Buckeyes had in store for 2014 as a ridiculous seven players produced at least 700 all-purpose yards.
Ezekiel Elliott, he of 285 all-purpose yards in 2013, burst onto the scene with an incredible 2,114 all-purpose yards highlighted by his 1,878 rushing yards in a season for the ages.
It might surprise you but Wilson was actually the only other Buckeye to go for 1,000+ during the magical season with 1,064 all-purpose yards boosted by his 528 kickoff return yards, another 300 through the air and 100+ both rushing and in the punt return game. Those numbers are even more impressive when you consider Wilson suited up for just 10 of the 15 games that season.
Another versatile performer, Jalin Marshall ranked third with 983 all-purpose yards with 499 of those coming as a receiver and another 283 coming as Ohio State's primary punt returner. Behind Marshall, quarterback J.T. Barrett's 938 rushing yards ranked him fourth on the squad, just ahead of Devin Smith and his 931 all-purpose yards, all coming via receptions, to round out the five guys in the 900-yard club.
Receiver Michael Thomas clocked in next with 799 receiving yards and an underutilized Curtis Samuel still managed to tally 724 all-purpose yards headlined by 383 on the ground and 246 on kickoff returns.
2015
Last year, despite a bevy of weapons only Elliott went for more than 1,000 all-purpose yards with an astounding 2,040 featuring 1,821 in the ground game with another 206 as a receiver out of the backfield.
Marshall, while largely making the switch from H-back to wideout, produced 477 receiving yards and another 379 as the team's primary punt returner on the way to 922 all-purpose yards.
Thomas added 781 as a receiver and Barrett rushed for a solid 682 despite diminished playing time as part of the dual-quarterback system that never quite panned out.
Behind that foursome, Samuel was back at it with 628 all-purpose yards while again being kind of a forgotten man. Most shockingly, Braxton went for only 601 all-purpose yards (260 rushing, 341 receiving) as the staff never quite figured out how to mesh him into an offense headlined by Elliott's rushing prowess alongside a passing game that never truly found its stride.
An interesting side note, the Buckeyes only mustered 410 kickoff return yards on the season despite posting their highest average yards per kickoff return (24.1) during Meyer's four-year run in Columbus as opponents allowed just 17 kickoff returns, also a four-year low.
2016
Entering this season, it's hard to come up with even one name as a sure-fire bet to eclipse 1,000 all-purpose yards but that doesn't mean there's a lack of talent.
If Mike Weber not only wins the starting tailback job but flourishes in the role then he's probably a solid candidate though not a lock.
In most years, it would make sense to pencil in Barrett as a solid pick to tally 1,000 rushing yards thus putting him in the club but Meyer could also elect to run his quarterback slightly less than we've seen in past years in an effort to keep him upright knowing the backup quarterback situation features talent, but very green talent in Joe Burrow.
Wilson and Samuel could be the best candidates to tab as 1,000+ all-purpose players because they should receive not only a good chunk of touches on offense but also via special teams.
Meyer hasn't announced his starting punt or kickoff return guys but it's hard to envision a scenario where a healthy Wilson isn't a factor in at least the kickoff return game where he's amassed 50 attempts over the last three years with 1,218 yards to his credit. If Wilson is a starter on kickoffs and potentially punt returns as well, I'd put him down for 1,000+ all-purpose yards easily when you consider the touches he should see as a rusher/receiver from the slot.
Similarly, Samuel is itching to break out and assuming he is a starter on the kickoff return team and/or as a punt returner, he's a lock for 1,000+ all-purpose yards.
Beyond those four the rest of the skill guys, while talented, are major long shots to tally 1,000. Noah Brown would probably have to do it exclusively as a receiver and when you consider only four Buckeye wideouts have ever reached that mark it would take a miraculous season for the first-year starter to do it.
Likewise, wide receiver Torrance Gibson oozes talent but he's still finding his way and would certainly need to be a legit return man to even sniff such lofty heights. Gibson was seen fielding some punts in early spring but with veterans like Wilson and Samuel on the roster it seems impossible that Meyer would trust an unproven guy like Gibson with such a high-risk task.
