Last season is barely in the rearview mirror, but it’s already time to look ahead at what’s next. After a rocky finish to a season that had such high hopes, perhaps no team has shifted its attention forward more quickly than Ohio State. The Buckeyes are up next in the look around the Big Ten at the top priorities in the offseason, as Urban Meyer looks to squeeze a little more out of his team coming off a 12-win campaign — and a two-game losing streak.
1. Fix the defense: Even before the Discover Orange Bowl, Meyer was already vowing changes to his beleaguered defense and promising to look at every aspect of the unit in trying to get it right. That process quickly started with personnel changes in the secondary, and with the loss of star linebacker Ryan Shazier, that position group may now be under the most intense scrutiny moving forward. Meyer also seemed bothered throughout the season that the scheme wasn’t as aggressive as he’d prefer, and that will no doubt be addressed in the coming months. And to help deliver that message, he’ll have two new staff members around to get the defense patched up, including former Wisconsin and Arkansas defensive coordinator Chris Ash, who specializes in the secondary and has a real mess to clean up given Ohio State’s problems against the pass. There is still plenty of talent on hand, but the Buckeyes have to figure out a way to maximize it and complement a high-scoring offense. 2. Balance the attack: For all the emphasis the Buckeyes put on evening the play-calling out between the run and the pass, for the second season in a row they were clearly more comfortable with the former and were never really able to get things moving through the air when they had to down the stretch. They still scored a ton of points, and they’ll still have Braxton Miller’s legs to help bail them out thanks to his decision to return for a senior year, but they would be much better off if the quarterback takes another step forward as a passer and allows offensive coordinator Tom Herman to get closer to a 50-50 split between the run and the pass…
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Offseason to-do list: Ohio State
