Raekwon McMillan Is the Catalyst to Ohio State’s Midseason Resurgence

COLUMBUS, Ohio — On the Sept. 16 edition of the Big Ten coaches teleconference, Urban Meyer was asked how he balances loyalty to his seniors with the emergence of talented younger players.

No specific players were mentioned by the interviewer, but it was obvious who he was making reference to. And judging by Meyer’s answer, it was a situation that he had obviously been wrestling with recently.

“That’s a hard one,” the Ohio State head coach responded.

“We have an obligation when they say, ‘You’re the head football coach’ to win the game and represent Ohio State, but you also—if the guy does everything right as far as academics, behavior on and off the field, his work ethic—then you give them every opportunity to succeed and you go with that guy.

“But there comes a point where if the younger player’s better, then you have to go with that younger player.”

Apparently, the Buckeyes are now at that point.

No disrespect to Curtis Grant, who has proven to be a solid, albeit unspectacular player at the Buckeyes’ middle linebacker position in three-plus seasons at Ohio State.

But ever since the OSU coaching staff has opted to increase the playing time of Raekwon McMillan following the team’s Sept. 6 loss to Virginia Tech, the Buckeyes defense has been noticeably improved—thanks in large part to the play of their of 5-star freshman.

That especially rang true last weekend, when McMillan…

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