Changing positions good move for Fuller
Ohio State recruited Jordan Fuller as a cornerback, so when coaches broached a position change before training camp last year, Fuller didn’t really jump for joy.
“I wasn’t ecstatic about it, but I was like, OK, they have (established) corners already here,” Fuller said.
Besides, Fuller is a teamfirst guy, and if the Buckeyes projected him more as a safety, that was fine with him. This year, the sophomore is showing the wisdom of that choice.
After the departure of first-round NFL pick Malik Hooker, Fuller won out over Erick Smith for the strong safety spot alongside Damon Webb. Against Nebraska, Fuller was the Buckeyes’ defensive player of the game.
In one five-snap sequence in the second quarter, Fuller saved a touchdown when he dived to make a shoestring tackle on Nebraska’s JD Spielman, stuffed a Cornhuskers run and had consecutive pass breakups to force a change of possession.
He played mostly a nickel cornerback role against Nebraska, showing his versatility.
“It tells me (coaches) have some trust in me,” Fuller said. “That’s definitely a good feeling. Hopefully, I can keep progressing and they can trust me more and more.” That seems likely. “He’s getting better every week,” defensive coordinator Greg Schiano said. “As he logs more and more experiences, he gets more and more comfortable. You can see him bust out of his shell a little bit and he looks like he’s comfortable again, like he did in high school.”
It is the difference, Fuller said, between real confidence and fake confidence, which he defined as being “like you think you can play, but you don’t really know.”
The Buckeyes are off this week before next week’s game against Penn State. One of Fuller’s responsibilities will be to help cover star Nittany Lions tight end Mike Gesicki.
“I know that if he’s not the best tight end in the country, he’s one of the best tight ends in the country,” Fuller said. “It’ll be a tough task, but we’ll be ready.”
Hooker was the latest in a line of Buckeyes stars at safety. Fuller doesn’t have his predecessor’s range in coverage — who does? — but he has solidified what had been a major question mark.
“I have that image and that standard in my mind of what an Ohio State safety is supposed to be,” Fuller said. “I strive for that each and every day.”
Fuller is also an OSU Scholar-Athlete as a sport industry major.
“I see a lot of the similarities to the way I handle my business,” defensive end Sam Hubbard said. “He’s in the business school as well.
“He’s a great kid who does what the coaches ask and is slowly getting better and better every week. It’s really just a testament to his hard work and trust in the process.”
Though Fuller is pleased with his season overall, there is plenty of room for improvement.
“I think I’m playing OK,” he said. “There’s definitely plays I’ve left out there, like some missed tackles.”
He and the Buckeyes know the big tests are ahead, starting next week.
“We’re not naïve,” Schiano said. “The competition is on the rise now. We’re going into murderers’ row.”