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Urban Meyer taking a Buckeye employee to Jacksonville
Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was officially hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars this week. And he is taking only one member of the Ohio State team with him.
Meyer and Jaguars hired Ryan Stamper to be the director of player evaluation. Stamper, who served as Ohio State Athletic Assistant Director for Player Development since 2012, when Meyer came to the Buckeyes, will return to his hometown, Jacksonville, to be part of the new team Meyer is building.
It appears that Stamper will be the only coach or team member of the Buckeyes to leave the program to join Meyer, who has promised not to break into Ohio’s infrastructure for his new job.
“I’m not going to do that,” Meyer said at his introductory press conference on Friday. “This means that there may be a [from Ohio State]? Perhaps. I’m not there yet. This is the best infrastructure for college sports. So, no, they won’t leave. I am not touching. There may be one, I said, that will go away. I am not going to do that with that organization. “
Meyer will take a member of the Buckeyes’ team. Ryan Stamper is moving home to be Urban Meyer’s first NFL team.
Shaun Wade enters the NFL draft
Shaun Wade spent two years as one of Big Ten’s best cornerbacks. Now, he will have to begin the process of proving that he can do the same in the NFL. Wade declared for the NFL Draft on Friday morning, making his decision to leave the Buckeyes after a campaign at the All-American this season.
Wade did not get everything he wanted after deciding to return for another year with the Buckeyes, first after the defeat at the Fiesta Bowl and then after initially opting out of the delayed pandemic season in September. He is a graduate of the state of Ohio, he became a captain, there were All-American honors won and he helped the program obtain redemption against Clemson at the College Football Playoff.
The loss of spring training, changes to the training ground and the shortened schedule hurt Buckeyes last season – but it was also a setback for the future. Freshman cornerbacks Ryan Watts and Lejond Cavazos did not get the reps, development or experience they would get in a normal year, and this will certainly add some urgency to defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs in the coming months as he tries to prepare them for a potential point in rotation.
For more information on the news of Shaun Wade leaving Ohio State for the NFL, click here.
Bold forecasts for Buckeyes loaded off-season
Ohio State never stops preparing to win national titles, but the program certainly needed a break after the long, stressful season when everyone had to be aware of the threat that COVID-19 posed for the season.
Choosing to take a temporary break now is a difficult balancing act for Buckeyes at this point in the calendar, and January is a critical first step in laying the groundwork for the entire off-season. While the state of Ohio plans the next step forward, Lettermen Row has spent some time looking into the future with Five Bold Predictions about what is coming up for the program.
For bold predictions for the off-season, click here.
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