Ohio State starting linebackers
2011 stats
Player Games Games started Tackles Tackles for loss
Etienne Sabino 13 5 62 6.5
Ryan Shazier 13 3 57 5.0
Curtis Grant 10 0 2 0
Most freshmen college football players understand they may be approached by their coaches about redshirting — even those with a record of high school accolades that stretches as long as a Kardashian shopping list.
But no one is prepared to be asked to sit out as a sophomore to preserve a season of eligibility after being relatively productive and perfectly healthy.
Ohio State linebacker Etienne Sabino, though, had to endure that humbling experience despite appearing in all 13 games as a freshman special-teams player in 2008 and scoring the team’s only touchdown on a blocked-punt return in a 16-3 win over Purdue.
“I never doubted my ability,” said Sabino, once a top-50 national recruit from North Miami Beach, Fla., who also had scholarship offers from Southern Cal, Florida State and Miami. “I was always taught to stick with it and things would work out.
“But I wanted to understand why I wasn’t playing, why my role wasn’t bigger. They just laid out the situation and said I wasn’t ready. It was a hard pill to swallow.”
Sabino made modest gains after his year in exile, starting five games last season and being named the Buckeyes’ MVP in a losing cause in the Gator Bowl. But the arrival of coach Urban Meyer and his staff has given him new life.
The 6-foot-3, 237-pound fifth-year senior was voted a co-captain by his teammates and will be in the starting lineup against Miami on Saturday. If the Buckeyes set up in their nickel defense (five defensive backs), which is likely because of the RedHawks’ pass-oriented attack, he’ll direct the defense at middle linebacker while sophomore Ryan Shazier will line up outside.
“Those are two guys who can play in space, guys who can pressure and blitz and cover one-on-one,” new co-defensive coordinator Everett Withers said.
Asked a question about Sabino’s readiness given how he’s under-performed during his career, Withers replied: “When you say ‘under-performed,’ we hit the restart button around here. Maybe that was last year.”
The Buckeyes’ other starting linebacker in their base defense is sophomore Curtis Grant, and the group has much to prove since they’ve only had a combined eight starts.
But Sabino insists the trio will do their part on what is expected to be a menacing defense.
“Just watch us play,” he said. “I’m not going to sit here and make any bold statements. Just watch us play and our play will take care of everything else.”