Ohio State tight ends
Starter — Nick Vannett, 6-6, 260 pounds, R-Sr.: Ranked fourth on the team with five touchdown catches.
Backup — Marcus Baugh, 6-5, 255, R-Jr.: Caught one pass for a touchdown against Kent State but played mostly special teams.
Others in mix: A.J. Alexander, 6-2, 235, Fr.; Rashod Berry, 6-4, 245, Fr.
Tight ends Nick Vannett and Jeff Heuerman embraced on the turf at AT&T Stadium in January as the final seconds ticked away in the national championship game.
Ohio State fans will remember it as a a game for the ages. For two tight ends from Ohio State’s 2011 recruiting class, the hug will go down in history as well. Calling it a bear hug doesn’t do it justice.
They celebrated the 42-20 victory against Oregon in Arlington, Texas, while also saying goodbye. Vannett redshirted as a freshman in 2011. Heuerman finished his career in four years and entered the NFL.
“Me and Jeff both came in together,” Vannett said. “We have a really good close relationship. It’s going to be different with him not here.”
The Denver Broncos draft Heuerman in the third round in April, but he tore his ACL eight days after the draft and will miss the 2015 season. Vannett enters the season as Ohio State’s starter at tight end with redshirt sophomore Marcus Baugh as the expected backup.
Vannett, a Westerville Central graduate, appeared in all 15 games last season and started one. He had 17 receptions for 203 yards and one touchdown in his first two seasons and 19 catches for 220 yards with five touchdowns last season.
Vannett’s touchdown catch late in the first quarter against Oregon gave Ohio State its first lead of the game. He caught two touchdowns against Rutgers and had the first touchdown against Michigan.
Heuerman caught 17 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns, splitting time with Vannett. Now Vannett should get the bulk of the action.
“We were both leaders in that group,” Vannett said. “Now that he’s gone, (coach Urban Meyer) is looking up to me to be that guy. We have two freshmen coming in. I have to show them the way, be a good example for them and make sure they understand what it takes. Me and Jeff had a high standard in that room. We were going to go hard. We were going to do whatever the coach asked us to do 100 miles per hour and to the best of our ability.”
Vannett doesn’t have individual number goals. That’s probably a good thing. With so many weapons on offense, players will have a hard time leaving their mark in the record book.
Last season, wide receiver Michael Thomas led the team with 54 receptions, the 18th-highest total in Ohio State history. Devin Smith led the team with 931 receiving yards, the 13th-highest total in school history.
“The ball was spread around quite a bit,” Vannett said. “I don’t know if we’re going to have crazy individual stats this year. That’s OK. All that matters is the team success is more important than individual success. Whatever’s best for the team, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get the ball in the hands of the playmakers. We’ve got a lot of them.”
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