Tuesday Skull Session

By D.J. Byrnes on April 1, 2014 at 6:00 am
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It's April Fool's Day today, and I will be up early — with the alacrity of a doughy middle class pink toddler on Christmas morning — because I can't wait to see what the social media interns at my favorite conglomerates like Arby's and Orange Julius have cooked up for us today. I bet it will be as unpredictable as stale writers from a played-out show like How I Met Your Mother bungling a series finale. 

ADOLPHUS FINDS A HOME. Diesel Washington — no, not that one (NSFW) — has had an interesting career at Ohio State. A former five-star recruit, he has been solid while showing flashes of dominance, but was ultimately supplanted last year by freshman sensation Joey Bosa.

Washington's versatility is something that handicapped him, as coaches moved him around and struggled to find a place for him. This year, however, he is a man without a country no more. From Austin Ward at ESPN.com:

“I’m inside for good,” Washington said. “I think it will definitely help out now that I’m playing just one position.”

Washington expressed a few concerns initially about staking himself to just one spot at the three-technique for the Buckeyes, worrying briefly about the number of double-teams he would face on the interior as opposed to firing off the edge at defensive end. 

But those fears quickly were replaced by surging confidence, both a product of another tear through spring practice, splitting those blocking schemes that caused his concern, and the validation that he can still be a disruptive force against the pass in the role new defensive line coach Larry Johnson has tabbed for him. 

I still have night terrors about what that Florida pass rush did to Troy Smith that fateful night in the Glendale desert. I look forward to that being replicated soon at Ohio State, and Washington playing full-throttle would go along way to making that happen.

Larry Johnson Sr. has to feel like a true Pokémaster now.

MICHIGAN LOOKING FOR PRODUCTION FROM DTs. With Ohio State adding icing to the beefy interior of their defensive line, Michigan is still hoping for player development from the Hoke regime. From Freep.com:

Lost in last year’s offensive line struggles, quarterback turnovers and big plays surrendered, the Michigan defensive line flew under the radar.

This season, the defensive tackles know they need to make an impact for Michigan to matter and, with many changes at the spot, from prominent personnel to a coaching shuffle, they’re hoping there’s a leap.

[...]

Chris Wormley, Matt Godin, Tom Strobel, Willie Henry and Ryan Glasgow saw time last season. Maurice Hurst and true freshman Bryan Mone are among those new to the mix.

Two summers ago, I wrote about Brady Hoke ignoring defensive line recruiting and stocking up on the wrong types of offensive linemen. MGoBlog of course tried to whack me, but I feel the performances of both their units over Hoke's tenure has vindicated me. 

In other delicious Michigan news: There's spring buzz an early-enrollee freshman could replace the departed Taylor Lewan. Hopefully that's still true come the end of November.

PSU STILL HAS A FLAWED ROSTER. I mentioned yesterday Penn State's hot recruiting start under new frontman James Franklin; it's been nothing short of remarkable.

However, Franklin will still be dealing with a shorted deck when it comes to games this fall. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"I think we have really good football players and great kids here. We just don't have enough of them. That's the reality."

As Franklin has said since he has been hired, the most glaring hole has been on the offensive line, where he says that position, along with wide receiver, doesn't have enough depth for a quality starting lineup at this point.

It will be interesting to see if Penn State will be able to hold onto their recruits if the Franklin era hits a bit of turbulence in the fall. Ohio State was much more talented in Urban Meyer's first year, and that team almost lost a couple of games. 

Their 2014 schedule isn't a murder's row, but what if Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State all whack the Lions and show they're still a couple tiers below where their fans think they are? 

HELL YEAH OSU IS CHEATING. Two tweets:


My hot take:  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ North Carolina is making up classes; I don't even want to hear about sending a potential transfer an edited picture in the year 2014 being against the rules. 

A CARTOON FROM SIMPLER TIMES. Here's an interesting old-timey cartoon, via @RedditCFB. Boy, would the artist be floored by today's shenanigans:

Simpler times.

THOSE WMDs. Support Maria's Message... Israeli Breaking Bad tifo is class... Torrance Gibson is still interested in OSU... Buckeye football's Student Appreciation Day is Saturday... Hope you're wearing a cup, m8... Akron is trying to swagger-jack Notre Dame... O-Town is back, baby!... Parents get do-over for in-app purchases by their kids... Still an amazing picture... Carlos Hyde and DeVier Posey are chillin'... The 14 greatest hoaxes of all time... Downtown stadium for Crew would be "very difficult"... Moderate NSFW: A good message to those attending Coachella... 

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