Football
If Speed Kills at Linebacker There Could be a Killer Dark Horse in OSU's Linebacker Playing Time Derby
By John Porentas

It's tough to be a linebacker at Ohio State right now, especially if your name isn't Laurinaitis or Freeman.

The Buckeyes have so many really good linebackers on their roster at the moment that the OSU coaching staff has taken to raiding that talent pool for other positions. This fall you will find former OSU linebackers at defensive end and fullback and who knows where else.

OSU will line up with three linebackers on the field some of the time next season, and two of them will likely be Laurinaitis and Freeman. At other times, such as when OSU is facing the spread offense, there would be just two on the field.

The third linebacker spot will be hotly-contested. The common school of thought is that the leading candidates will come from the group of Austin Spitler, Curtis Terry and Ross Homan. All three have considerable playing time to their credit. All three are big, fast, and experienced. Terry is listed at the Sam linebacker, the spot left vacant when last year's starter Larry Grant exhausted his eligibility. A one-time starter before injury forced him to redshirt last season, Terry seems like the leader to be OSU's third linebacker, particularly since Spitler is a middle linebacker and Homan a Will linebacker.

Terry may be the leading candidate, but hardly the only one, because there is a bevy of new talent right behind him. Second-year players Jermale Hines and Brian Rolle are right there pushing for playing time, and incoming freshmen Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat are both expected to make strong bids for playing time, though there is some talk that Sweat could be used at fullback.

"They all know that they want to play," said OSU linebackers coach Luke Fickell describing the competition for playing time at linebacker .

"These guys are all unselfish and they know that however they can help the team best, that's what they're going to do. That's the makeup of this group, but they all want to play, and we've got to find ways to get them out there."

It's a long list of talented players vying for what is essentially one spot, but if the axiom that "speed kills" applies to the linebacker spot, there may be a dark horse candidate for that linebacker position that isn't on the list above.

Redshirt sophomore Tyler Moeller has bounced around between several positions in his Buckeye career but is now settled in at linebacker. He is listed at 6-0, 216 pounds, which is rather smallish for a linebacker by today's standards. Spitler, Terry and Homan go 235, 230 and 230 respectively. Laurinaitis and Freeman weigh in at about 240. What Moeller has more than any of the rest, however, is speed. Fellow linebacker Curtis Terry was asked to describe Moeller as a player. He summed it up in one word.

"Fast. Fast, fast, fast, fast," said Terry. "Tyler is fast."

Tyler Moeller

Moeller's main competition for the honor of being the fastest linebacker on the team is probably sophomore Brian Rolle. Rolle rather unabashedly stated last season that he could very well be the fastest player on the entire team, not just at linebacker. Terry, however, says hold on a second.

"He (Rolle) might be close (to the fastest on the team), but actually, I think Tyler is faster than him," said Terry.

For the sake of accuracy, we got a second opinion.

"He's probably the fastest guy in our group truly," said Fickell of Moeller.

Moeller has almost everything you would ask for in a linebacker. His speed is unquestioned and he is an all-out play maker who simply loves making tackles. What he might not have is overwhelming size, but according to both Terry and Fickell, he has enough size to get the job done.

"You can play a position and everyone plays it differently. That's something that Bobby Carpenter told me when he was here," said Terry.

"Obviously he was a lot bigger than me and Larry (Grant) at 6-4, 265, but I think that everyone brings something a little different to the table. You could be 215, 220 and still get the job done," Terry said.

Fickell's opinion matched Terry's. When asked if Moeller is big enough, his answer was short and to the point.

"Most definitely," said Fickell.

Like Terry, Fickell thinks that Moeller can play the position effectively even though his style of play may be different than what OSU fans are accustomed to seeing at linebacker.

"Tyler is a guy that is a lot different than the other guys," said Fickell.

"Tyler shows the ability to do a lot of different things," Fickell said.

The OSU coaching staff has Moeller at a position where a rise up the depth chart is not out of the question.

"He plays our Sam backer with Curtis Terry and Jermale Hines," said Fickell.

Moeller spent his early Buckeye career as a defensive back. He developed skills at that time that will serve him well in pass coverages. He is also an amazingly good hitter.

"He's a great player and when he gets there he packs a punch," said Terry.

What Moeller is lacking at the moment is reps at linebacker, something he is starting to get this spring. A high school linebacker, Moeller has had to relearn that position at the college level.

"In high school he played a different position. He just ran off the edge every time. Learning football is something that's been a little different for him," said Fickell

"He just needs millions and millions of reps so he can have the confidence.

"When you move positions there's a confidence factor that every kid has to have. When they're in the right position it helps them to have a little more confidence.

"Maybe we've moved him around and haven't given him the time at that position where he can get the confidence in it."

Moeller's current main task is to "slow down the game", something that, ironically, is sometimes tough for fast players.

"Sometimes he's too fast for his own good," said Terry.

"Sometimes he'll get out of position, not that he's trying to do too much, but because he's naturally that fast and he might over pursue a little bit or try to go make the tackle and get out of his spot.

"He needs patience. You can't do everything, make every tackle. I think sometimes that's what Tyler tries to do, but sometimes you have to slow down and be patient and let things come to you," Terry said.

"He's still a young guy that's learning to slow the game down," concurred Fickell.

"If he can slow the game down he'll be in fine shape."

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