BeeDee
08-05-2005, 10:09 AM
Oher handles hype
By Michael Wallace
Clarion Ledger (http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050805/SPORTS030103/508050335/1025)
http://cmsimg.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D0&Date=20050805&Category=SPORTS030103&ArtNo=508050335&Ref=AR&Profile=1025&MaxW=250
Michael Oher, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound
freshman, has had Ole Miss fans and coaches
under his spell since February. He might start
on the offensive line in his first season as a
Rebel.
OXFORD — Perhaps no one understands the odds of it better than George DeLeone.
The Ole Miss assistant stared off in the distance Thursday as his mind raced through 18 years of experience as a Division I offensive line coach in search of the answer.
The question: How often does an offensive lineman come along who is special enough to start as a true freshman?
"Well, as I think about it, it's only happened twice in my career," said DeLeone, a longtime former assistant at Syracuse who has also worked at Rutgers and in the NFL.
DeLeone then took the question in a different direction. Just as rare, he said, is having a player like Michael Oher hit campus.
"So we're not going to take the approach that this thing can't be done with a freshman," DeLeone said. "We take the approach that it's our job to make it happen right here."
That's the type of impact Oher has on people when he enters a room. And when the USA Today All-American lineman from Memphis walked into the Rebels' indoor practice facility Thursday, his presence was felt throughout an entire football program.
Oher was one of more than 100 players who reported to Ole Miss Thursday for the start of preseason practice. The former Memphis Briarcrest standout, who is the centerpiece of the Rebels' February signing class, brings with him one-in-a-million-type hype.
Even though he checks in at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, Oher's massive frame just might be dwarfed by the expectations he faces to have an immediate impact at Ole Miss and in the SEC. But he vowed to take things all in stride.
"I know they've got big plans for me, and I don't want to let anybody down," Oher said. "I know I can play. I know this is a big-time league (so) I don't come in planning to just dominate everybody. I come in willing to learn all I can."
Oher can expect to be placed on a crash course to cracking the rotation by the end of August camp. But he's used to cramming.
Oher arrives on campus following a hectic three-month period during which he completed a summer school course and retook the ACT. Then he had to wait until last week before learning from the NCAA Clearinghouse that he had met freshman academic eligiblity requirements and would be allowed to report on time with the rest of the Rebel newcomers.
Oher's work on the field will start when the Rebels hold their first practice Saturday. That's when he hopes to begin playing his way into a prominent role on an offensive line that must replace three starters from last season's team.
Ole Miss returns starting tackles Tre Stallings and Bobby Harris, but playing time is up for grabs at both guard spots and at center. Coach Ed Orgeron said Oher's best shot early will come at guard, but that he is projected to play tackle down the line.
Oher was an all-state pick his final two years at Briarcrest, where he was credited with 200 pancake blocks and reportedly didn't allow a sack over two straight seasons.
"We think he can learn the offense a lot faster at guard, so we'll try to ease him into that situation," said Orgeron, who visited Oher the day he took over as coach at Ole Miss in December. "We think he's there physically and we know he's going to be special. But we don't want to make him something he's not. We'll see on those fields."
Oher could benefit from a built-in support system at Ole Miss, where his former high school coach, Hugh Freeze, was hired as a football administrator last spring.
"Without any doubt, Michael is as gifted as any lineman already here," Freeze said. "How quickly he's able to mentally grasp what we're trying to do will decide how quickly he impacts this team. But when things get tough, and I know they will, hopefully, he will come to me and I'll be a familiar face that can help him get through."
Ole Miss has a recent track record of developing offensive linemen and turning them into NFL players. The Rebels have had seven linemen drafted since 2000, including two who were selected in the first two rounds in April.
That trend was one of the things that was attractive about Ole Miss, Oher said. But Oher said he's only focused on his immediate future, one that starts with learning the Rebels' playbook.
"I'm a hard worker," Oher said. "So I know hard work pays off."
DeLeone said he looks forward to seeing if Oher's work habits match his unlimited potential.
"We think this guy is a unique talent," DeLeone said. "We think it would be a mistake if we didn't give our team a chance to have a guy with this type of ability play as soon as we could. Everyone expects him to be great. And he's going to be. But first, he's gotta get through preseason camp."
By Michael Wallace
Clarion Ledger (http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050805/SPORTS030103/508050335/1025)
http://cmsimg.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=D0&Date=20050805&Category=SPORTS030103&ArtNo=508050335&Ref=AR&Profile=1025&MaxW=250
Michael Oher, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound
freshman, has had Ole Miss fans and coaches
under his spell since February. He might start
on the offensive line in his first season as a
Rebel.
OXFORD — Perhaps no one understands the odds of it better than George DeLeone.
The Ole Miss assistant stared off in the distance Thursday as his mind raced through 18 years of experience as a Division I offensive line coach in search of the answer.
The question: How often does an offensive lineman come along who is special enough to start as a true freshman?
"Well, as I think about it, it's only happened twice in my career," said DeLeone, a longtime former assistant at Syracuse who has also worked at Rutgers and in the NFL.
DeLeone then took the question in a different direction. Just as rare, he said, is having a player like Michael Oher hit campus.
"So we're not going to take the approach that this thing can't be done with a freshman," DeLeone said. "We take the approach that it's our job to make it happen right here."
That's the type of impact Oher has on people when he enters a room. And when the USA Today All-American lineman from Memphis walked into the Rebels' indoor practice facility Thursday, his presence was felt throughout an entire football program.
Oher was one of more than 100 players who reported to Ole Miss Thursday for the start of preseason practice. The former Memphis Briarcrest standout, who is the centerpiece of the Rebels' February signing class, brings with him one-in-a-million-type hype.
Even though he checks in at 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, Oher's massive frame just might be dwarfed by the expectations he faces to have an immediate impact at Ole Miss and in the SEC. But he vowed to take things all in stride.
"I know they've got big plans for me, and I don't want to let anybody down," Oher said. "I know I can play. I know this is a big-time league (so) I don't come in planning to just dominate everybody. I come in willing to learn all I can."
Oher can expect to be placed on a crash course to cracking the rotation by the end of August camp. But he's used to cramming.
Oher arrives on campus following a hectic three-month period during which he completed a summer school course and retook the ACT. Then he had to wait until last week before learning from the NCAA Clearinghouse that he had met freshman academic eligiblity requirements and would be allowed to report on time with the rest of the Rebel newcomers.
Oher's work on the field will start when the Rebels hold their first practice Saturday. That's when he hopes to begin playing his way into a prominent role on an offensive line that must replace three starters from last season's team.
Ole Miss returns starting tackles Tre Stallings and Bobby Harris, but playing time is up for grabs at both guard spots and at center. Coach Ed Orgeron said Oher's best shot early will come at guard, but that he is projected to play tackle down the line.
Oher was an all-state pick his final two years at Briarcrest, where he was credited with 200 pancake blocks and reportedly didn't allow a sack over two straight seasons.
"We think he can learn the offense a lot faster at guard, so we'll try to ease him into that situation," said Orgeron, who visited Oher the day he took over as coach at Ole Miss in December. "We think he's there physically and we know he's going to be special. But we don't want to make him something he's not. We'll see on those fields."
Oher could benefit from a built-in support system at Ole Miss, where his former high school coach, Hugh Freeze, was hired as a football administrator last spring.
"Without any doubt, Michael is as gifted as any lineman already here," Freeze said. "How quickly he's able to mentally grasp what we're trying to do will decide how quickly he impacts this team. But when things get tough, and I know they will, hopefully, he will come to me and I'll be a familiar face that can help him get through."
Ole Miss has a recent track record of developing offensive linemen and turning them into NFL players. The Rebels have had seven linemen drafted since 2000, including two who were selected in the first two rounds in April.
That trend was one of the things that was attractive about Ole Miss, Oher said. But Oher said he's only focused on his immediate future, one that starts with learning the Rebels' playbook.
"I'm a hard worker," Oher said. "So I know hard work pays off."
DeLeone said he looks forward to seeing if Oher's work habits match his unlimited potential.
"We think this guy is a unique talent," DeLeone said. "We think it would be a mistake if we didn't give our team a chance to have a guy with this type of ability play as soon as we could. Everyone expects him to be great. And he's going to be. But first, he's gotta get through preseason camp."