BUCKEYES 101

When a player makes more news for his actions off the field than on, it's never a good sign for his future with a team, especially with a new coaching regime in place. So when Urban Meyer took the coaching reigns at Ohio State, many speculated that Jaamal Berry could be playing on borrowed time. 

Now it appears that time has come to an end. The Dispatch reports that Berry, who was suspended for the final six games of the season, including the Gator Bowl loss to Florida, will not return to the team next season.

“From the conversation he had with the coaches, it didn’t appear that they were excited about him being (there),” said Larry Coffey, coach at Palmetto (Fla.) High School [Berry's alma mater], who spoke with Berry on Tuesday. “He took the lead from that, and his thought process was that it was maybe time for him to go in another direction.”

Berry's off-the-field issues are well documented, including the assault charges he is currently facing stemming from an altercation during the Buckeyes' bye week. It doesn't help that the former can't-miss recruit, can't stay healthy, which was serious issue last season. He had a number of hamstring issues and finished the season with a total of seven yards on three carries.

If and when the Buckeyes do part ways with Berry, it solves another problem. With the addition of the 2012 25-man recruiting class, Ohio State unofficially has 84 players on the roster. That's two more than the amount of scholarships they have been limited to thanks to the NCAA's sanctions. Add to that a pair of highly-touted running back recruits in Canton GlenOak's Brionte Dunn and Columbus St. Francis DeSales' Warren Bell the writing was on the wall for Berry.

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