With spring practice in the books and Ohio State heading into its offseason conditioning program, BuckeyeNation is looking at the players who boosted their stock with the program during spring workouts. Last week it was the offense, and now we'll look at a handful of defenders who will be in line for heavy workloads this fall.
No. 1: Adolphus Washington
Who: Early in camp, the practice-field highlights of fellow sophomore defensive end Noah Spence overshadowed Washington. Even midway through camp, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer wasn't quite seeing the consistent dominance he was hoping for from a well-built pass-rusher with so much potential. But down the stretch Washington consistently put everything together, stamping himself as a potential worthy heir to John Simon and a developing force with whom the Big Ten will have to contend for at least the next season. With his strength and a frame that tips the scales at nearly 300 pounds, Washington already has seen time on both the inside and the outside of the line. The sack and forced fumble from the edge last year against Michigan provided some evidence that position suits him best, though, and with Washington figuring out how to play with that urgency more regularly, he's clearly got some momentum at that spot moving forward.
Spring progress: Washington essentially showed up on campus last year physically ready for the game at this level, and he's only going to get stronger as he spends more time in Ohio State's rigorous offseason conditioning program. So that's not an area that will force position coach Mike Vrabel to worry much. Instead he can emphasize fine-tuning technical issues with Washington and motivating him to tap further into his vast potential. The Buckeyes might not have seen instant results, but by the 15th and final workout of camp there might not have been another player on the roster who had done more to win over the coaching staff.
Jockeying for position: With speed that is almost frightening given his stature, Washington is more than capable of getting to the quarterback off the edge while providing plenty of support against the run, thanks to his 292 pounds. That package will continue to give the Buckeyes flexibility, as he can easily transition from tackle to end, and vice versa. At this point, Washington appears best suited to playing outside, particularly with Michael Bennett, Joel Hale, Chris Carter and Tommy Schutt available to fill out the rotation on the interior. But depending on the situation and the formation, Washington's set of skills could be put to use in a variety of ways.
He said it: "Adolphus Washington has really raised his level of play, he’s a legitimate player, he’s a starter at Ohio State. You saw him today just have his way with our offensive line at times, and he could be a very good player." -- Meyer, after the spring game
Closing number: The sacks were easier to come by with quarterback Braxton Miller in a black, non-contact jersey, and his offensive line was also missing a couple starters. But regardless of the degree of difficulty or who was blocking, racking up four sacks in the spring game while making it look routine to get in the backfield offered some public evidence of how destructive Washington could become for the Buckeyes -- validating Meyer's claim a few days before the exhibition that the sophomore's stock was worth buying.