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Football
Filling the Need: Heacock Lands Pair of “Big Guys” to Play Inside
By Brandon CastelLooking at pay scales in the NFL, there’s no question that quarterback and left tackle are widely considered to be the most important positions on a football team, but there might not be a harder need to fill at the college level than defensive tackle.
Ohio State Head Coach Jim Tressel recently talked about the difficulty in projecting cornerbacks at the collegiate level, but at least they are readily available. Big guys with talent who can play inside on the defensive line have become a scarcity in recent years, or at least it seems that way in the Midwest.
The Buckeyes were in on not only one of the top defensive tackles in the country, but also one of the top overall players at any position in Sharrif Floyd. Rated as the top defensive tackle in the nation by both Rivals and Scout, the Philadelphia native had Ohio State in his final three before selecting Florida over OSU and South Carolina during the U.S. Army All-American game.
Despite missing out on Floyd, Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock was still able to get his hands on a pair of talented big guys in Jonathan Hankins and Darryl Baldwin.
“Both of these guys we think have great upside, great potential and the ability to get a lot better. They’ve improved continually and they both have a great passion for the game,” Heacock said on Signing Day.
“We felt like each year we want to bring in a lot of speed and we also feel like inside we needed some big guys. We went into this recruiting season saying we needed to bring in a big guy and Jonathan Hankins fit the bill,” Heacock said.
The Buckeyes attempted to land a big-time nose tackle to clog up the middle of the defense in 2008 when they secured a verbal commitment from Shawntel Rowell, but the Glenville product never made it to Columbus because of academics.
Like Rowell, Hankins has dealt with being “too big” for his own good at times, but impressed Heacock and the OSU coaching staff with his willingness to get himself in shape before his senior season.
“His weight was a big thing. He’s a guy that was a little bit heavy as a junior. He weighed about 336 and that’s if he didn’t have any burgers that day,” Heacock said with a bit of a chuckle.
“The neat thing about him, I thought, though was when people told him he needed to lose some weight he did. He was down to playing at about 300 pounds his senior year and I think that really helped him move around a lot better and become a better player.”
It certainly seemed to impact the level interest, as “Big Hank” picked up offers from OSU, Alabama, Michigan, Oklahoma, Florida and Wisconsin during his senior season when he recorded 85 tackles and 12 sacks for Southeastern.
He weighs around 310 pounds now, which is a good playing weight according to Heacock as long as Hankins keeps his body fat down.
“I’d always like to get him down to about 290-295 and then put on muscle and get him back up to about 310-315,” Heacock said of the 6-foot-3 tackle.
With Hankins filling a need at nose tackle, the Buckeyes were also out to replenish the other defensive tackle position with Cameron Heyward set to leave after the 2010 season. For that, they reached out to The Plain Dealer Defensive Player of the Year.
Listed as defensive end by most recruiting services, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Baldwin has the frame to add weight now that he is done playing basketball and running track in the off-season, and the Buckeyes would like to move him around the defensive line like they have with a few other big-name players in recent years.
“He’s keeping a little bit on the light side, but I look for him to put on some weight and be a nice five-technique kind of like Cameron (Heyward) and Doug Worthington. That type of guy for us,” Heacock said of the Solon native.
“He’s really a big kid. When he walks down the hall he’s a big kid. He could put on 15-20 pounds and you wouldn’t really notice it. Being a three-sport guy, he didn’t have a whole lot of time to eat and put on weight.”
Heacock said Baldwin looks bigger and rangier every time he sees him, and he is looking forward to getting both players into the weight room and onto the practice field at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes lost some key defensive linemen in the off-season, including Worthington and Todd Denlinger from the defensive tackle position. They will lose Heyward and Dexter Larimore after this coming season, so getting Hankins and Baldwin may have been the most pressing need in the class of 2010.
The Baldwin File: - Talented pass rusher with all the tools … all-Ohio, first team all-conference … NOC player of the year … team captain … recorded 25 TFL, nine sacks and scored three touchdowns for Coach Jim McQuaide’s 12-1 Comets … Solon won NOC title and advanced to regional finals … Cleveland Plain Dealer defensive player of year … Detroit Free Press Top 20 … Ohio All-Star Classic … also a three-year starter in basketball and track at Solon … honor roll, SADD and CASS mentor … son of Caron Baldwin.
The Hankins File: - Outstanding defensive tackle prospect … two-time all-state selection for Coach Donshell English’s 11-1 division champions … 85 tackles, 12 sacks as a senior … all-Detroit city, all-metro, Michigan Blue Chip playing on both sides of the football … four-year starter … Cityballers.com player of the year … also a shot putter … Drama Club … son of Louise and James Ward.
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