Replacing the best deep threat in college football isn’t easy.
In fact, it may be impossible.
That challenge is settling in for Ohio State, which has to fill the void left by Devin Smith’s departure. The 6’1″, 199-pound wideout was the Buckeyes’ home run hitter for four straight years, and now, head coach Urban Meyer needs to identify someone who can stretch the field in a similar fashion.
And while the Buckeyes grind their way through spring camp, Jalin Marshall is emerging as an unexpected replacement.
Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith revealed that Marshall—who played the H-back position in 2014—has moved to the outside this spring, running the deeper routes that Devin Smith executed so well.
“Jalin can play outside, and he’s going to have a full spring of doing that,” Zach Smith said, according to Ari Wasserman of The Plain Dealer.
Are the Buckeyes moving their rising redshirt sophomore to the perimeter permanently? Zach Smith isn’t ready to pull that trigger, but he’s experimenting with a number of different possibilities. While Devin Smith’s departure hurts, the Buckeyes are loaded with a number of exciting yet unproven options at receiver.
“We are going to get the best six or seven wideouts in the rotation, so where Marshall fits in that is really where we best see him fitting,” Zach Smith said, via Wasserman.
That could be in the slot or playing the H-back position that he thrived in a season ago. After…
Continue Reading: Can Jalin Marshall Replace Devin Smith as Ohio State’s Deep Threat?
