COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first week of spring practice for Ohio State University football offered a glimpse of the depth chart shuffling that occurred over the winter.
From bowl practices to winter training, veteran backups and young players alike are trying to prove they deserve bigger roles. Linebacker is one of the positions most likely to be promoted, but two starters and one reserve have left since the end of last season.
One Buckeye Talk Subtext subscriber noted that Abel Reese and Gabe Powers were lined up in the media viewing window for opening practice and wondered what that meant for both players.
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Hey, Nathan: “What do you think about Arvel Reese beating Gabe Powers to get second-string Mike (linebacker) reps? Considering James Laurinaitis recently praised Powers, this… I was surprised.” — Anthony from Findlay
Hey Anthony: The best advice about what you see on the first or second day of spring practice is that it doesn't mean everything, but it probably means something. This is especially true considering that in the beginning he only watched the two practices for about 20 minutes each.
Both linebackers coaches Laurinaitis and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles have been talking about Powers in recent weeks. Knowles said he was one of the players who improved the most defensively in the second half of last season.
But Reese built a real buzz in his first year with the program. The staff has long been interested in the 6-4, 238-pound Glenville product's combination of size and speed. His athleticism led to Reese being used as a defensive end last season. Knowles called for “experimentation” earlier this month.
“I think he can be a great linebacker. He just needs to grow and learn,” Knowles said. “So I want to continue to grow Arvell mentally at the linebacker position and football intelligence.”
I don't think praising one player should mean negating the other. There's currently a huge clash of talent going on in the linebacker group that includes Powers, Reese, Cody Simon, CJ Hicks, Sonny Styles, and whoever will make some noise in the coming weeks.
There are only two linebacker spots in the base defense. It's the most competitive position on the defense, and probably the most competitive position on the team besides quarterback.
You only have to look back a few seasons to remember when the position was so thin that Steele Chambers went from running back to starting linebacker in a matter of months.
Reese and Powers both remind us how much has changed.
