Transition of Jordan Hall
That is also where Jordan Hall has done a lot of his work this fall. The team’s No. 3 tailback from a year ago could start the season as the No. 1 back while Herron is out, but that won’t be his only role.
With so many other capable backs in their backfield, the Buckeyes are lining Hall up in the slot to get him out in space.
“He is a running back, but he creates so many different matchup problems for defenses when we put him out in the slot,” Drayton said of the junior out of Jeannette, Pa.
“(He is) just really natural in understanding coverage and can avoid reroutes by linebackers. If you get a guy like that in space against a linebacker you have to feel good about that.”
Progress of Philly Brown
Another reason the receiver group has made such a big jump this fall is the progress made by both Philly Brown and Chris Fields. With Posey and Boom Herron suspended, Brown is actually the team’s third-best returning pass-catcher from a year ago (behind Jake Stoneburner and Reid Fragel).
He caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman in 2010, but struggled to come down with some of the big catches that were within his grasp down the field.
“I can really count one hand the amount of times he’s let the ball get to his body (this fall),” Drayton said.
“So that’s the improvement you’re going to see.”
It has paid off, as Brown as been one of the team’s most explosive offensive weapons in camp. Cornerback Bradley Roby called him the hardest guy to cover because of his speed and quickness, but Fields has also done a good job catching the ball out of the slot.
‘Canes may declare at least a dozen players ineligible
It’s been a couple of days since there’s been anything in the way of real news regarding the scandal-plagued Miami football program, but there could be a development forthcoming that’s significant while at the same time expected.
According to the Miami Herald, and citing a source close to the investigation, Miami is expected to declare at least 12 football players* ineligible ahead of the Hurricanes’ season opener Sept. 5. The dozen or more players are currently under investigation by the NCAA regarding allegations that they received impermissible benefits from former UM booster Nevin Shapiro.
The move to declare the players ineligible would be a procedural one; the school is responsible for declaring a student-athlete ineligible, then seeks reinstatement from the NCAA. The Association would then determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis, whether an immediate reinstatement is in order — as was the highly-controversial case with Cam Newton — or whether game suspensions are warranted, which occurred with Ohio State, Georgia and North Carolina among others in the last year.
UM could decide to allow the players to remain eligible, but would face much stiffer
sanctions if the NCAA ultimately proves the allegations levied against them by Shapiro.
“If those players aren’t first declared ineligible, then reinstated, before they participate and they’re found to have violated rules, the school will be in much deeper trouble,” the source told the Herald.
Stacey Osburn, the NCAA’s associate director of public and media relations, further explained the decision facing the school, telling the paper that “[t]he reinstatement decision regarding the student-athlete’s eligibility is completely independent of the investigative process that determines the school’s responsibility,” adding that “as soon as the facts are determined regarding the student-athlete’s involvement, then the reinstatement process can begin. The reinstatement process is likely to conclude well before the close of an investigation.”
In other words, if UM holds out any hope of the 12 players — including nine projected starters — being cleared in time for the opener against Maryland, they need to declare them ineligible and seek reinstatement much, much sooner rather than later.
(*those 12 players are quarterback Jacory Harris; defensive tackle Marcus Forston; receivers Travis Benjamin and Aldarius Johnson; safeties Ray-Ray Armstrong and Vaughn Telemaque; defensive ends Adewale Ojomo and Olivier Vernon; linebackers Sean Spence and Marcus Robinson; cornerback JoJo Nicolas; and tight end Dyron Dye.)
No timetable for Crosby's return
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Sidney Crosby's agent says there's no set timetable for the Pittsburgh Penguins star to return from a concussion, though Crosby is expected to make a full recovery.
Agent Pat Brisson discussed Crosby's recovery and medical status on the team's official web site, apparently in response to reports out of Canada that say the 24-year-old's offseason training regimen has been shut down because of recurring symptoms from a concussion that has sidelined him since January.
Brisson says Crosby recently visited specialists in Michigan and Georgia. Brisson says Crosby's symptoms recurred when he got to 90 percent exertion in his offseason workouts, which were adjusted accordingly.
The Penguins open training camp on Sept. 16 and the regular season on Oct. 6, but Brisson says Crosby's return won't be dictated by those deadlines but by his health.
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