Tuesday, April 20, 2004
John Kerr and Anthony Schlegel came from other programs.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Two vastly different roads carried these players to the same position -- vying for a starting linebacker job at Ohio State.
John Kerr, a Cleveland native hurt by Ohio State's rejection, went to Indiana before clashing with the head coach. Anthony Schlegel was a standout at Air Force but bristled at military life.
They left those programs to cast their lot with the Buckeyes and sat out the 2003 season.
As the Buckeyes go through their final paces before Saturday's spring game, the transfers figure prominently in plans for the 2004 season.
On Jim's radar
"They love to play the game," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. "John Kerr flies around. He's a lot like Anthony Schlegel in that this is a time to show his teammates that he really wants to help. He's doing that."
Their earlier college experiences make both intriguing candidates for the middle linebacker job.
Kerr was all-everything at St. Ignatius High, yet was virtually snubbed by Ohio State because of his stature (6-foot, 240 pounds).
Disgusted with his treatment by Buckeyes recruiters, he signed with Indiana. He quickly showed his height was not an obstacle, leading the Hoosiers in tackles with 114 as a true freshman.
By the 10th game of his first season, he was already looking to get out of Bloomington, mostly because of disagreements with coach Gerry DiNardo.
"I had real problems over at Indiana and decided that's not where I wanted to be," Kerr said.
Paying own way
Now Kerr, who will be a sophomore this fall, is paying his own way because of Big Ten transfer rules -- and battling for playing time at middle linebacker with Schlegel and the often injured Mike D'Andrea.
"It's early, he's still learning the defense," defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said. "But he does some good things -- there's no question. He's still swimming a little bit right now. Once he gets it down, he's definitely going to add some depth to our linebacking unit."
Schlegel grew up in the Dallas suburb of Highland Park, not far from the upscale campus of old-money Southern Methodist University. He accepted an appointment to the Air Force Academy to play football and, like Kerr, quickly marked himself as a prodigy.
Schlegel (6-2, 245) started six games as a freshman and was elected a co-captain as a sophomore in 2002, earning All-Mountain West Conference mention.
Dismayed
While he was enjoying success on the field, he was growing ever more unhappy off it because of the discipline at the academy.
Schlegel was in the doldrums a year ago, learning the system while preparing to sit out the 2003 season.
He had his eyes opened at Ohio State's 2003 spring game.
"There were 58,000 people. That was unbelievable!" he said. "That really showed me the fan support that we have here at Ohio State, what this team means to this community and this state. That was very impressive."