Ohio St. LB Ryan Shazier flashes his potential
By Bill Rabinowitz
The Columbus Dispatch
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
On one sideline or the other, Ryan Shazier was destined to play in the 2012 Gator Bowl.
That he will do so wearing the scarlet and gray of Ohio State instead of the blue and orange of Florida is something for which Buckeyes fans are grateful. In a disappointing season for Ohio State’s defense, Shazier stood out as a potential star, even if it was doled out in glimpses.
The freshman didn’t start until the Penn State game on Nov. 19 — in which he made 15 tackles to earn Big Ten freshman of the week honors.
After showing his ability against the Nittany Lions, Shazier showed his heart against Michigan the next week. Early in the game, he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. With fellow linebacker Andrew Sweat out because of a dislocated elbow, Shazier gutted it out, even though he limped noticeably.
“It was hurting pretty bad, but I wanted to stick through it and help the team out,” Shazier said.
He is wearing a knee brace in practice, but said he is about 85 to 90 percent healed.
“My leg is feeling a lot better,” said Shazier, who will play weak-side linebacker next to Sweat at middle linebacker.
The Florida game is one Shazier would not want to miss, in part because he almost was a Gator. A native of Plantation, Fla., near Fort Lauderdale, Shazier committed to Florida but changed his mind after Urban Meyer announced his retirement as coach. Shazier visited LSU, but decided to enroll at Ohio State after being recruited by Luke Fickell.
He has no regrets, especially since Meyer has been hired as OSU’s coach and Fickell will coach him in the Gator Bowl before returning to being an assistant.
“I’m happy about it because we get to keep coach Fickell and [get] coach Meyer,” Shazier said. “Coach Meyer is the reason I [committed] there and coach Fickell is the reason I came here.”
Shazier was a pass-rushing defensive end in high school, so being a linebacker is new to him. He enrolled last winter at Ohio State weighing 198 pounds.
He was listed at 212 pounds this season and said he has added a few more pounds.
“I’ve been trying to put on weight since I got here,” he said.
But Shazier doesn’t hit like a lightweight.
“He’s going to be one of those guys who’s probably never going to be really heavy, but he can play a lot heavier than anyone else,” Fickell said.