COLUMBUS, Ohio — Wrapping up a 15-minute non-football interview as Ohio State’s de facto—and soon to be, official—captain, Joshua Perry’s eyes drifted toward the Buckeyes practice field in front of him.
“You ready to get back out there?” he’s asked, eight days in advance of Ohio State’s first spring practice of 2015.
“Yeah,” the Buckeyes linebacker replied. “That was a quick turnaround.”
It sure was.
Just seven weeks ago, Ohio State was in North Texas, defeating Oregon to capture the first-ever College Football Playoff Championship. In the time since, Urban Meyer and his staff have signed the nation’s seventh-ranked recruiting class, while the players’ preparation has been limited to winter workouts.
But even though the Buckeyes’ first spring session won’t take place for another a week, that hasn’t stopped a certain mindset from starting to develop inside the walls of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Unsurprisingly, Ohio State’s attitude relates to its defense of its national championship, although not entirely. The Buckeyes know they now have one giant target on their collective back heading into the 2015 season, but first they must worry about taking care of their own business.
“The thing that can hurt a team like this the most is rock stars,” said Perry. “We had some guys who just came along in the blink of an eye. That is hard to handle because everybody’s going to be patting you on the back. That’s the biggest thing to be able to…
Continue Reading: Inside the Mindset of Ohio State’s National Championship Defense
