'Backer bonanza

Transfers have added to Ohio State's depth, especially at linebacker

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As an all-conference sophomore for Air Force in 2002, Anthony Schlegel was part of a team that was thrilled just to reach the San Francisco Bowl. Now he's at a school, Ohio State, that settles for nothing less than the BCS.

As an all-freshman performer for Indiana, John Kerr became accustomed to playing Big Ten home games in front of about 30,000 spectators. Last Saturday, he played in front of 45,000 -- for the Buckeyes' spring game.

Besides crowd size and expectations, there's a notable difference between Schlegel and Kerr's former teams and their current one: depth.

"When I was at the Academy, we started 6-0 [in 2002, finishing 8-5]," Schlegel said. "Why did we kind of slump off? We got banged up. Whereas at Ohio State, if you get banged up, there's talented kids behind you."

Nowhere is that depth more apparent in Columbus these days than at linebacker, where the the addition of Schlegel and Kerr gives the Buckeyes three players at the position who have posted more than 100 tackles in a season -- despite losing two of last year's starters.

"I think you'd be hard-pressed to find another program with more depth than we have at that position right now," Ohio State defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said. "We haven't had that kind of depth the last three years."

Schlegel, a suburban Dallas native, posted 118 tackles in 2002, including 13 against then-No. 7 Notre Dame, earning All-Mountain West honors. Though he was close with his coaches and teammates -- 20 of whom made a 13-hour drive from Colorado Springs to Dallas last February to attend his wedding -- the free-spirited Schlegel had picked the Academy largely by default when few other programs recruited him, and he never warmed to military life.

"I was tired of being miserable," said Schlegel, an avid hunter and outdoorsman. "I've got so much free time now, it's ridiculous."

Schlegel arrived in Columbus just weeks after his last game with the Falcons. He participated in spring practice last year and served on the scout team in the fall, but never attended a game, choosing to stay home and watch on TV.

This spring, he's been a lot closer to the action. Having had a year to grasp the Buckeyes' defense, he was elevated to first-team middle linebacker and showed why in the spring game, notching three solo tackles and six assists. Wearing No. 51, the 6-foot-2, 245-pounder looks very much like a classic middle linebacker, reading, reacting and racing to the ball carrier. It will be an interesting case study to see whether his Mountain West dominance will translate into Big Ten success.

"There's no question Anthony belongs at this level," said Snyder, "but there's some liabilities he needs to work on to be able to play in this conference, and to play against an SEC or Big 12 team in a bowl game. He could get away with it there, but I know for a fact if those things don't improve, he won't be able to get away with them in this conference."

Kerr, a lifelong Buckeyes fan from Strongsville, Ohio, made 114 tackles as a true freshman at Indiana but said he didn't get along with Hoosiers coach Gerry DiNardo. He decided to transfer to Ohio State in spite of a Big Ten rule regarding intraconference transfers that prohibits him from accepting a scholarship for the remainder of his career.

Following a bout with mononucleosis, Kerr (6-1, 246) got a late start last fall and is significantly behind Schlegel in terms of learning the defense, but he did see action in the spring game, notching three assisted tackles. He's presently listed as the third-team middle linebacker.

"I'm picking it up slowly but surely," Kerr said. "At first, I didn't know what was going on. I feel I'm starting to perform a little bit better."

In addition to the two newcomers, the Buckeyes' linebacking corps includes returning All-Big Ten junior A.J. Hawk, who led the defense last season with 106 tackles, experienced juniors Bobby Carpenter and Mike D'Andrea and converted safety Thomas Matthews, who had two sacks in the spring game.

Snyder, elevated from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator last winter after Mark D'Antonio was named head coach at Cincinnati, will lean heavily on the more experienced linebackers this fall while breaking in new faces on the defensive line and in the secondary.

On paper, the Buckeyes might seem depleted in those areas due to the loss of such stalwarts as defensive end Will Smith, defensive tackle Tim Anderson, cornerback Chris Gamble and safety Will Allen. But Hawk, defensive end Simon Fraser and cornerback Dustin Fox are all proven commodities, while projected first-year starters Carpenter, tackle Quinn Pitcock, end Mike Kudla and safety Donte Whitner all saw significant action last season.

Technically, Schlegel and Kerr don't count as returning starters. Just call them experienced newcomers.

BCS dressed for desert

BCS officials are meeting this week in Phoenix, with no shortage of items on the agenda.

Of most immediate concern, in light of last season's USC/LSU controversy, they'll begin finalizing changes to the BCS formula that will go into effect this season. Among the possibilities: giving more weight to the human polls, distinguishing between home and road wins in the strength-of-schedule category and eliminating the quality-win component.

MAILBAG MAILBAG Stewart Mandel will answer questions from SI.com readers each week in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Next up is beginning the selection process for a fifth bowl to begin in 2006, as was announced in February. Among the existing games that have expressed interest: Capital One (Orlando), Gator (Jacksonville), Holiday (San Diego), Cotton (Dallas), Peach (Atlanta) and Houston.

An in a new wrinkle, reported by the Boston Globe, ABC will use the meetings to pitch a proposed championship game after the bowls in their next contract. Coaches voted against endorsing the so-called "plus one" model at their January convention, but interest is still high among the commissioners.

LSU reloads on defense

Two junior college transfers made their presence felt on LSU's defense. In last Saturday's spring game, cornerback Mario Stevenson, from Northeast (Miss.) Community College, had three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a tackle for loss, while defensive tackle Claude Wroten of Mississippi Delta Community College had two sacks.

"Mario would be the fifth defensive back if we had a game today," LSU coach Nick Saban told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "Wroten is a starter right now."

In addition to the talented newcomers, LSU returns seven starters from its national championship-winning defense, including standouts Marcus Spears and Corey Webster, but Saban is still concerned about the unit's depth.

"We have voids at linebacker and safety," Saban said. "We could use a more few defensive linemen."

Worth noting

Ohio State redshirt freshman Sian Cotton, a 6-3, 295-pound defensive tackle better known in some circles as LeBron James' former high-school teammate, was one of the Buckeyes' most improved defensive players this spring and will push for playing time in the fall. ... Washington's offense, minus departed stars Cody Pickett and Reggie Williams, sputtered badly much of the spring, with junior Casey Paus holding a slight lead at quarterback over sophomore Isaiah Stanback and freshman Carl Bonnell. ... Notre Dame sophomore safety Tom Zbikowski, an elite 2003 recruit from the Chicago area, was named defensive MVP of the Irish's spring game after notching two interceptions. ... Kim Thompson, a 6-4 redshirt freshman from Detroit, has emerged as a receiving threat for Northwestern, catching five passes for 99 yards in the Wildcats' spring game. ... Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who last week named Joel Staham his starting quarterback, backtracked a bit after Staham threw three interceptions against the Terps' first-team defense in last weekend's spring game. ... Senior Aaron Polanco, the successor to Craig Candeto as Navy's quarterback, ran for 117 yards on 14 carries in the Midshipmen's spring game.

Stewart Mandel covers college sports for SI.com.