Scarlet Sunrise: Robert Landers still chasing NFL free-agent deal

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Robert Landers still chasing NFL free-agent deal

Robert Landers is facing a detour. But the Ohio State defensive tackle is not giving up on the road to the NFL yet.

Landers proved he could play at a high level with the Buckeyes after contributing to three Big Ten championships. He showed that he can use his slightly shorter physique to his advantage in the trenches. And there has never been any doubt whatsoever about his work ethic, all of which pointed to him at least getting a shot this summer on a tryout basis at the next level.

But concerns about nagging injuries during his time at Ohio State combined with the current inability to visit teams to take a physical and get a clean bill of health has kept him from locking down a spot thus far. But that doesn’t mean he won’t eventually find one, and he’s certainly not giving up.

Landers took some time to chat with Lettermen Row’s Tim May about his NFL future, mental health and other hot topics in this special edition of the Tim May Podcast, which is also Landers’ first public interview since the draft. And it can be found here:

Former five-star Tyreke Johnson working to crack lineup

Tyreke Johnson was recruited by Kerry Coombs, but the former five-star recruit from Florida never got to play for him. Coombs left Ohio State for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans before Johnson could play for him.

Now reunited, Johnson will finally have a chance to play for the coach who recruited him — and he has a chance to find the field in his third Ohio State season.

Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward has more:

After a redshirt season in 2018 and making just three tackles in eight games last season, Johnson had seemingly been building a bit of momentum during winter workouts and had caught the eye of Coombs early in March. He almost certainly has ground to make up in a competition against Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown for playing time in the secondary, but a fresh restart with Coombs might be just what he needs.

Can Johnson find a role for the Buckeyes with Coombs as his coach? Check out the rest of the story here.

Cameron Martinez prepping for Ohio State arrival

There aren’t many players in the 2020 recruiting class more familiar with uncertainty than 4-star athlete Cameron Martinez, so for the two-time Michigan player of the year, it’s been business as usual — or at least as close to usual as possible. The talented athlete took his time during the recruiting process, and one of the reasons for that was Martinez trying to decide if he should play wide receiver or defensive back in college.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound Martinez has never played either position he’s learning the playbook for ahead of his arrival on campus. So Martinez is just learning both spots in various position meetings and playbook breakdowns to be ready for whatever he does in college.

Lettermen Row Director of Recruiting Jeremy Birmingham caught up with Martinez and wrote about how he’s handling the adverse situation going on right now. That full story can be found here.

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