COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State senior linebacker Tuf Borland remains a man of few words, especially when asked to talk about himself.
He is even less concerned with the words coming outside the program — the ones that say his position group needs an overhaul.
“That comes with the territory of being an athlete at Ohio State,” Borland said Monday, shortly after being announced as one of seven captains for 2019. “You’re on the biggest stage. People are gong to come at you. People are going to say things. It’s part of the job.”
Al Washington was not around last season when the Buckeyes endured that criticism while ranking in the bottom half of the Big Ten Conference in total defense and touchdowns allowed.
His position group, the linebackers, shared the blame. With that group returning intact, fans clamored for new blood — an infusion of talent from the underclass ranks. That may still come in time. Washington, however, said he did not study a lot of film of those players from last season. He focused instead on getting to know them as people and evaluating them based on what he saw since his arrival in January.
Washington said Wednesday he has six linebackers he feels can play at any time — depth he plans to utilize. Yet he also explicitly said he carries a different level of trust with the veterans.
“I did have a clean slate,” Washington said. “But when you have experience at what you do, it will show. When you don’t have the experience all the time, you have to experience those tough moments. Those four guys played a lot, so their learning curve’s going to be different.”
Malik Harrison (the “Will” linebacker), Borland (“Mike”) and Pete Werner (“Sam”) ranked second, third and fourth, respectively, among Ohio State’s tackle leaders last season. Harrison and Borland open the season on the Butkus Award watch list.
Borland performed at less than full strength due to a lingering Achilles injury. He said earlier this week he feels a “night and day” difference in what he can do on the field during preseason camp. Washington said, as much as he likes the younger Mikes, Borland has set himself apart during camp.
“There’s a reason,” Washington said. “That kid is a warrior. He gets to the ball.”
The challenge behind Borland is real, as junior Baron Browning (23 tackles last season) and sophomore Teradja Mitchell continue to develop. Sophomores K’Vaughan Pope and Dallas Gant also continue to rise while working at all three spots. (Mitchell said that has been common across the entire unit in camp.)
“They’ve had their first year and they know what it means,” Werner said of the rising young talent. "After that first year you’re like, ‘All right, what am I going to do now?’ They’ve got to play football and they’ve got to go out and try to make a spot.
“As older guys, that’s what we want to see when we see younger guys trying to compete for a role, because we want to have their trust if they’re going to go into a game."
Washington did not completely tip his hand as to a potential starting group for the Aug. 31 opener against Florida Atlantic. It also remains to be seen how many linebackers will see the field from down to down. In addition to extended use of the slot cornerback spot, the presence of the “Bullet” position will take snaps which previously went to the Sam linebacker.
“The nice thing is, we have depth, man,” Washington said. “We’ve done a good job defensively at allowing our guys to experience different things at different spots. Nobody’s pigeon-holed. Everyone complements each other.
"Now it’s time for guys to support each other and play their tails off.”
Get Buckeyes Insider texts in your phone from Doug Lesmerises: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with the award-winning OSU football reporter, just like you would with your friends. It’s just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here.