Ohio State tight ends changing positions, mindsets for Buckeyes success

COLUMBUS — Jeremy Ruckert has become a prototypical NFL tight end prospect at Ohio State. He’s the leader of Kevin Wilson’s position group for the Buckeyes.

Ruckert didn’t play the position in high school. Neither did Cade Stover or Mitch Rossi or Gee Scott, Jr.

In fact, tight end was probably the only position that Ruckert didn’t play at Lindenhurst (N.Y.) High School nor Stover at Lexington High School.

“Jeremy said the only position he didn’t play in high school was tight end,” Mitch Rossi said Friday. “He was the punter, the kicker, quarterback … but yeah, tight end is a huge development position.”

Rossi was a running back, Stover a linebacker and tailback. Scott a wideout and Ruckert was an all-everything talent.

These guys are athletes. Wilson’s tight ends may be focused on learning how to specialize but generally speaking, the Ohio State tight ends may be the best football players on the entire, uber-talented roster.

“We always joke that if we had an all-sports [competition],” Rossi said. “Like baseball, golf, and basketball that the tight ends would be up there, for sure.”

To be a successful tight end at Ohio State requires a number of different skills. How well you hit a three-iron may not matter, but how well you hit a defensive end does. So too does the ability to get off blocks, to catch the football, etc. It’s a position without a definable attribute. These guys have to be good at everything, period.

“It’s one of the hardest positions to develop,” Wilson said. “But our guys embrace it. These kids are getting it. They’re going to be some good players. They’re unique — they’ve got to do a lot of tasks. They have a skillset where they can do a lot of jobs but a lot of your best tight ends may not be great at anything. They’re good at a lot of things. One of our goals, to be a tremendous player and a tremendous unit, is just to be good.

“Then if you’re worth a darn, just do it again the next day.”

That’s the rub for these Buckeyes tight ends. What they do on one day isn’t what they do the next. Heck, one they do one play isn’t the same as the next. That’s the duality of the position. That’s why versatile athletes make a difference there.

“We’re basically left tackles half the time and we’re playing receiver half the time,” Kevin Wilson said. “I have to tell recruits, two years ago you’d have Bosa on the left and Chase Young on the right. If we flank you out wide, you’re going against [Jeff] Okudah or [Damon] Arnette, so good luck.

“A lot of times we get minimized but like, [offensive line] Coach [Greg] Studrawa does pass protection drills every day — we never do it. But, because we’re good athletes with long arms and good feet we understand the position … it’s a lot of jobs.”

That’s why it sometimes takes years for Buckeyes tight ends to make an impact. Every player has something different to get better at. For Ruckert, it was learning how to be a physical blocker. For Cade Stover, it was learning how to run effective routes. He’s always been good at hitting people — and he likes it. Running and getting open? That required a lot of extra time with former Ohio State wide receivers assistant coach Keenan Bailey.

“Blocking is more of a ‘want to’ in my opinion,” Stover said. “Route-running? That’s a craft you’ve got to learn and this summer I’d come in here, six at night, work with the coaches and just work. Work routes, work on footwork and stuff. It’s just something I’d never done. I’d never taken a snap at tight end in my whole life.”

Tight end isn’t a glamorous position in the Ohio State offense but it’s one that changes what the Buckeyes are capable of doing. Gee Scott was a 5-star prospect at wide receiver when he arrived in Columbus, now he’s learning to love something else.

“I hear a lot of people say that the tight end position here doesn’t really get the ball too much,” Scott said. “But my answer to that is why not? Why can’t that change? And why can’t we install different things into the offense to make that be different?

“I don’t know if me and tight end are still in the honeymoon stage, but I think I started liking it more than receiver. I get the physical side of the game, I love that, and then I also get to be a route-runner. So I enjoy it a lot.”

Football is about matchups. It’s about maximizing abilities and no position group in the Ohio State program exemplifies that more than the tight ends. It’s a selfless team-oriented group but don’t confuse statistical production with impact.

It doesn’t matter what position these guys used to play. They’re tight ends now and they’re set to make a difference for the Buckeyes.