Tag: Justin Hilliard

Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard gets high praise from Reese’s Senior Bowl Director

Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard has worked to overcome injuries and make it to the NFL. His draft stock improved at the Senior Bowl.

When Ohio State signed Justin Hilliard out of St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, they knew they were getting a good one. Hilliard was a five-star guy in the 2015 class and was ranked the No. 3 outside linebacker and No. 35 player overall according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Unfortunately for Hilliard and the Buckeyes, injuries plagued most of his career in scarlet and gray. He’s had glimpses of greatness, but this season Hilliard was able to stay healthy and showed us all what he could do. And he played his best when his team needed him the most in the Big Ten Championship game and in the Sugar Bowl against Clemson.

After an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, Hilliard again is making a name for himself. This time drawing the attention of the Senior Bowl Director, Jim Nagy. Sharing via Twitter, Nagy said that no one had helped themselves more than Hilliard over the last two months.

An NFL GM will most likely take a chance on the Ohio State product in the upcoming draft, and whoever that NFL GM is may just end up looking like a genius.

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Highlights, stats, of all four Ohio State players from the Reese’s Senior Bowl

Four Ohio State players took part in the on-field action during the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Here are highlights and stats of all four.

In case you missed it, there was a college football game today — well, sort of. It was really a glorified scrimmage for a bunch of seniors, their last opportunity to make a mark and improve their stock for the upcoming 2021 NFL draft. Included among those participating on the field in the Reese’s Senior Bowl were four Ohio State players. Three linebackers, including Tuf Borland, Justin Hilliard, and Baron Browning, as well as defensive end Jonathon Cooper all got a little time to shine.

And each did pretty well with some flashes of some of that skill and effort that made them all an integral part of the Ohio State football team this past season.

So how did each do? Here are some highlights and final stats for each of the four. Each made Buckeye Nation proud in their own way.

Senior Bowl: 10 linebackers for the Eagles to watch

Here are 10 linebackers at the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl for the Eagles to watch

The Philadelphia Eagles will have a new coaching staff in 2021 and that could allow for a newfound desire to place value on the linebacker position.

The NFL is a new game and gone are the years of running backs getting 40 carries per game, or defenses serving with three down-hill, thumping style linebackers on the roster.

Alex Singleton and T.J. Edwards have been solid but the Eagles need an athletic, playmaking linebacker who can flourish in pass coverage.

Some of college football’s top linebackers have converged onto Mobile for the Senior Bowl and we’ve provided 10 that the Eagles should keep an eye on.

All five Ohio State players taking part in the Reese’s Senior Bowl weigh-in numbers, career stats

Five Ohio State football players are a part 0f the Reese’s Senior Bowl this week. Here are their official weigh-in numbers and career stats.

You may have taken a break from the good ‘ole game of American football after Ohio State lost the national championship game to Alabama just over a week ago. And for that, we don’t blame you.

However, the end of the football season never seems to be the end of the football season as we still have the NFL playoffs and the last-ditch senior games for college football like the Reeses’ Senior Bowl.

And it’s that where we step in to remind you that there are five Ohio State football seniors taking part in all the festivities down in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama in hopes of improving their NFL draft stock.

Those five players officially weighed in yesterday morning to begin going through workouts. Here are all five and what their weigh-in numbers and season stats look like because we are geeks and like numbers.

Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard accepts Senior Bowl invite

Ohio State football linebacker Justin Hilliard accepts Reese’s Senior Bowl invite for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard has accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl to help improve his draft ranking. Hilliard had a long road to get to this point with two early upper-body injuries followed by an Achilles tear. A five-star recruit, Hilliard’s college career has not gone according to plan.

For the 2020 season, Hilliard spent much of the time as a backup linebacker but started to get more and more playing time as he made a significant impact. He made some extremely important plays through the end of the year, none bigger than the third offensive series by Clemson in the Sugar Bowl where Hilliard stopped Amari Rodgers to force a punt. He then followed that play up with a fumble recovery and a stop of Travis Etienne.

Hilliard has a high upside being such a high recruit and having spent some extra time at Ohio State learning the position. However, the tag of being injury prone is now attached to him heading into the NFL draft. To help his draft status, which is currently between a sixth-round pick to an undrafted free agent, Hilliard will head to Mobile, Alabama to impress scouts.

In his six games this season, Hilliard had 33 tackles, five for a loss, an interception, and three fumble recoveries. Hilliard is a savvy and smart linebacker who recognizes plays quickly and is always around the ball. He is a solid tackler who can shed blocks and line up the ball carrier well. He excels in dropping into zone coverage but does not have the speed to cover quicker players man-to-man.

Where Hilliard will need some work is sometimes he will take an extra step to plant and go. His ability to change after recognizing the play helps overcome some of this. The biggest issue is the injury issues and lack of game tape for more than a handful of plays at a time.

I think Hilliard can improve his stock a round or two should he clear medical issues and show off his high football IQ. Hilliard won’t wow anyone with his speed, is not the hardest hitter, and not the biggest guy, but he is steady and smart enough to understand what he is seeing and adjust to it. He can make some splash plays and find himself moving up draft boards with his do-it-all play.

Ohio State vs. Alabama college football national championship preview and prediction

Get insight on how Ohio State can defeat Alabama to claim the national championship. We’ve got a complete preview and prediction.

What a ride this Ohio State football season has been. From almost having no season at all, games being canceled, rule adjustments, and players having to sit out, well… it’s been quite the roller coaster of a year. Now the finish line is in sight with only one obstacle remaining – the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide

Since December 28 of 2019, this OSU football team has had one thing on its mind – redemption and rewriting a story that felt unfinished. The Buckeyes have the opportunity to do just that and as head coach Ryan Day has said on several occasions, this team has the chance to write one of the greatest stories in college football history.

It won’t be easy, especially facing the 17-time (depending on who’s counting) national champion Tide. Nobody gave Ohio State a chance against Clemson and it seems like more of the same from the national media. And I think that’s just the way the Buckeyes prefer it.

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Ohio State names its players of the game for the Big Ten Championship Game win over Northwestern

Ohio State named its Players of the Game for the Big Ten Championship game win over Northwestern. You can probably guess a couple of them.

The Ohio State football program won its fourth-straight Big Ten Championship Saturday. And while things looked a little bleak for a while against a well-coached and highly motivated Northwestern team, the Buckeyes were able to pull it out thanks to running back Trey Sermon and the ground game.

Each week, after the coaches get to look back on film and grade players out, the Ohio State football program announces its players of the week, and you’re probably not going to be too surprised about who was recognized this week.

Punter Zach Hoover was awarded the Special Teams Player of the Game. He filled in admirably for Drue Chrisman who was lost to coronavirus protocols. Hoover dropped two of his three punts inside the ten-yard line and averaged over 40 yards per effort.

In a really cool moment for hard-luck linebacker Justin Hilliard, he was named the Defensive Player of the Game. He too was filling in for a missing starter, Baron Browning, and was all over the field. He intercepted a key pass in the end zone, but also had five tackles, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.

And lastly, you know who received the Offensive Player of the Game. Trey Sermon had the best single day ever for an Ohio State running back, breaking Eddie George’s program record by toting the rock for 331 yards on 29 carries (11.4 ypc). He found the end zone twice.

Well done by all three of these guys and many more. The fact that all of these guys aren’t the so-called unquestioned starter speaks volumes for the depth of the program at Ohio State.

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Ohio State adjusts, wins Big Ten Championship against Northwestern

After a very shaky first half, Ohio State adjusted the game plan and rode the ground game to a Big Ten Championship over Northwestern.

It wasn’t pretty, but the Buckeyes got the job done and beat a very good Northwestern team. Heading into the game, the one fear the Buckeyes had was the Northwestern passing defense. In the first half, Ryan Day kept trying to force the throw when the running game was effective. We said at the half, that the Buckeyes needed to focus on the run and stop the Wildcat running game. It took a few drives, but finally, Ryan Day figured it out. Trey Sermon had a monster day and had Day gone that way in the first half, it might have been even bigger.

The defense showed up like they haven’t for large stretches this season in the second half, and Justin Hilliard was a large part of the defensive turnaround. The defense stopped the run and forced Peyton Ramsey to have to throw, which led to some mistakes the Buckeyes took advantage of. The second half showed why the Buckeyes are ranked fourth, putting an awful first half behind them.

This was one of the few games we could question Ryan Day and his playcalling. He was stubborn in the first half and once he allowed himself to call the game with what Northwestern was giving, it was an easy decision to keep gashing the Wildcat defense on the ground. If the Buckeyes do get into the playoffs, Day has to learn from this game and play within the game and to the weaknesses of other teams. Now we wait for tomorrow to see if the Buckeyes remain in the top four.

We absolutely think they will.

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WATCH: Justin Hilliard grabs an interception in the end zone

Ohio State is struggling against Northwestern, but it got a huge interception to keep the Wildcats from extending the lead.

Maybe this is the spark the Buckeyes needed. Trailing 10-6 starting the third quarter, the Northwestern offense was again on the move converting several third and long plays.

With the Wildcats knocking on the door again, Justin Hilliard who is starting while Baron Browning is out, stepped up and made a spectacular catch for the interception. The turnover couldn’t have come at a better time for Buckeyes who seem to be spinning their wheels on offense.

Hilliard is a great story for the Buckeyes. He’s battled injury after injury during his OSU career, but he’s stayed with it and just keeps working hard to be the best teammate he can.

Watch his touchdown saving interception below.

Hopefully this turns the tide for the Buckeyes in the second half.

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WATCH: Justin Hilliard makes heartwarming call to dad to announce he’s Ohio State captain

Senior linebacker Justin Hilliard has had some tough luck at Ohio State, but now he’s a captain. Watch him break the news to his dad.

If you’ve followed the story of Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard at all, you know what he’s been through. Time after time he’s battled through injury and tough luck to simply keep his dream of playing in Columbus alive.

Often he’s gotten back on the field, but it’s been through special teams and backup roles. Ofen he’s had to deal with injury again. He would of course take it over nothing, but now Hilliard appears to be fully healthy and ready to contribute full-time in the linebacker rotation.

Oh, and there’s this too; Hilliard was named one of seven captains Tuesday for the 2020 season. But that’s not the best part. The former five-star recruit now going on his sixth year in the program got to make a call to his dad to break the news, and it’s one that might have you reaching for a box of Kleenex.

Watch below as Hilliard — flanked by assistant coaches Greg Mattison and Al Washington — dials his dad to break the news that he’s a team captain. Dad’s reaction is both priceless and heartwarming.

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Here’s to hoping that Hilliard finally gets some luck in the health department and becomes a beast for Ohio State this year. If anyone deserves it, he does.