List of Ohio State kick-return candidates growing
Columbus- A No. 7 was returning kicks for Ohio State on Wednesday. Maybe the Buckeyes were attempting to conjure up the ghost of Ted Ginn Jr.
At the moment, the OSU return game remains in flux with Ted Ginn Jr. in the NFL, and his heir apparent, Ray Small, sidelined with a sprained ankle.
During Wednesday's special-teams kick scrimmage, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins (wearing Ted Ginn Jr.'s old No. 7 in a temporary jersey switch for the day), safeties Anderson Russell and Jamario O'Neal and freshmen James Scott and Daniel Herron all stood back on kickoff returns. Jenkins and receiver Brian Hartline took care of the punt returns. Freshman running back Brandon Saine also took part in a reverse on one kick, while O'Neal broke one kick return for 50 yards.
Coach Jim Tressel said as of now, running back Maurice Wells and Russell are the top kick-return options. It seems Hartline and Jenkins are battling for the punt returns.
"I thought Malcolm did a good job, and he really wants to be our deep guy, Hartline wants to be the deep guy, [Brian] Robiskie wants to be the deep guy," Tressel said. "So there's a little competition."
But at the end of spring, it was Small who was the No. 1 guy for both those jobs. Tressel said Small's ankle is getting better, but caution will probably keep him out of the Sept. 1 opener against Youngstown State.
Homan works with first team:
Sophomore Ross Homan was working with the first-team defense at linebacker next to James Laurinaitis and Larry Grant, while junior Marcus Freeman, listed on the depth chart as a starter, worked with the second-team linebackers with Austin Spitler and Tyler Moeller. . . . Steve Rehring was back with the first-team offensive line. Out of shape coming into camp, he had seen freshman Bryant Browning get time with the first team at left guard, but Wednesday, Browning was working as the second-team right tackle. . . . Running back Chris "Beanie" Wells, who missed Saturday's scrimmage with an ankle injury, took part in all the drills and seemed fine. But Small, receiver Albert Dukes and linebacker Curtis Terry all sat out practice. Terry, who also has a sprained ankle, had his right foot in a boot. . . . Tressel said captains will be named by Friday, but this may have been a sneak peek. Before the scrimmage, four seniors went to midfield to talk with Tressel. They were right tackle Kirk Barton, linebackers Terry and Grant and fullback Dionte Johnson. With a thin senior class, it had been speculated at least one junior, like Laurinaitis, Freeman or defensive end Vernon Gholston, would be named a captain, but that might not be the case.
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