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OHIO STATE FOOTBALL
OSU's Coleman having productive spring
Tressel calls Northmont grad 'a playmaker' at safety in just his sophomore season.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
COLUMBUS — Ohio State safety Kurt Coleman has turned a famous phrase from the movie Wall Street into his motto on the football field: Greed is good.
The sophomore from Northmont looks at any pass in his jurisdiction as though it were intended for him, and he enhanced his bid for a starting job this season by intercepting two passes in an intrasquad scrimmage Friday.
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"I feel like if the ball is in the air, it's mine," he said. "I try to be the first to make the play. That's my knack."
Coleman has been earning a reputation as a playmaker since he arrived as an early enrollee in the spring of 2006. He appeared in every game as a freshman on special teams and saw some spot duty in the defensive backfield.
"Kurt Coleman is a producer," coach Jim Tressel said. "He's a playmaker. He has good awareness. His body is always under control. He's always a balanced guy.
"He's a smart football player. He comes from a good (high school) program where he faced the pass every day in practice and was part of a pretty intricate football system. I think Kurt is going to be very good."
The defense was beaten by the offense in the scrimmage, but Coleman certainly did his part. Interceptions are given high point values in Tressel's scoring system, although Coleman was chagrined he was stopped just short of returning one pick for a touchdown, which would have given his unit an even bigger boost.
"I saw a lot of people in front of me," he said. "I tried to get as far as I could. The 1-yard line was the best I could do."
Coleman has been lining up with the first string in the spring, but he knows the competition is steep.
"I've just got to keep working hard," he said. "Nothing is ever good enough for me. I've got to keep gritting my teeth and going hard every day."
Tressel sees promise
Tressel defines a successful season as "playing to our potential."
Asked about the potential of the 2007 team, he said: "We're capable of being as good as any team in the country. We've felt that every year since we've been here, and we feel that today.'
Buckeye bits
• Sophomore safety Anderson Russell, who suffered a torn ACL midway through last season, is being held out of contact drills, but his recovery is ahead of schedule, according to Tressel.
• A pair of cornerback recruits, Wayne product Donnie Evege and James Scott of Daytona Beach, Fla., have enrolled early and are practicing this spring.
• Ben Person, a 6-foot-4, 315-pound junior from Xenia, is listed as the first-string right guard on the spring depth chart.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com
