text: Ohio State may rely on Barron Collier grad's talentSUBSCRIBE NOWto get full accessWeatherIconHumidityPrecip.WindsOpen settingsSettingsEnter City, State or ZipCancelSetClose settingsFull ForecastHomeNewsSportsBusinessTravelLifeTasteOpinionArchivesInsiderUSA TODAYPhoto-VideoMoreWeatherHomeNewsSportsBusinessTravelLifeTasteOpinionArchivesInsiderUSA TODAYPhoto-VideoFollowSearchFireflyHi Already a subscriber?Log inSubscribe today for full access on your desktop, tablet, and mobile device.Subscribe NowAlready a print edition subscriber, but don't have a login?Activate your digital access.Manage your account settings.My AccountView the E-NewspaperManage your NewslettersView your Insider deals and moreMember ID CardLog OutGet the newsLog In or Subscribe to skipAlready a subscriber?Log inSubscribe today for full access on your desktop, tablet, and mobile device.Subscribe NowAlready a subscriber, but don't have a login?Activate your digital access.TOP TRENDINGxShareShare This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutFacebookEmailTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestOhio State may rely on Barron Collier grad's talentWith QB Braxton Miller out for season, TE Jeff Heuerman should get more chancesPost to FacebookOhio State may rely on Barron Collier grad's talent With QB Braxton Miller out for season, TE Jeff Heuerman should get more chances Check out this story on news-press.com: http://newspr.es/1p04F3L
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  6:45 p.m. EDT August 22, 2014Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Jeff Heuerman (86) gets a first down on a fake punt in the 1st quarter of their game against Clemson Tigers in the Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 3, 2014.(Dispatch photo by Kyle Robertson)(Photo: Kyle Robertson, Columbus Dispatch)This past spring, Ohio State tight ends/fullbacks coach Tim Hinton took his players out for a ride on his boat.Attached to the back of the boat was a surfboard.Who was riding it and keeping his balance? Jeff Heuerman."Here's a guy 6-foot-5½, 255 pounds. Look how athletic he is," Hinton said. "I was shocked."I tell them, I'm the lucky one to coach these guys."Heuerman's skills will be needed — maybe even more than the Buckeyes even planned — after they lost quarterback Braxton Miller to a season-ending shoulder injury on Monday."We're not naive to the situation," Heuerman said. "We knew what happened. It's a big loss to our team. He's one of the most explosive players to ever play."When you lose that guy, it's a pretty big blow."Heuerman, a Barron Collier High graduate, and the Buckeyes have full confidence in back-up J.C. Barrett.Barrett received most of the reps in the spring with Miller recovering from his first shoulder injury.Back-ups often look to their tight ends as security blankets. If that's the case, Heuerman could double his 35 career receiving numbers at Ohio State. In going from one to eight to 26 receptions, he has risen to the No. 2-rated tight end in the NFL Draft by ESPN's Todd McShay as well as NFL Draft Scout."I use it as motivation," Heuerman said. "If they got me at No. 2, why not No. 1? I'll work hard to be No. 1."It's easy to understand Heuerman's competitive nature and desire to be No. 1.He has team bests of 33 bench press reps of 225 pounds and a 17.9 receiving average."He's the ringleader of what we want in terms of work ethic," strength coach Mickey Marotti said.In addition, his vertical jump of 36.5 inches is second-best on the team.His speed is deceiving."He's funny to watch, he doesn't look fast," Hinton said. "But he's very athletic, has a great explosion and a super-strong body. He had a long catch and run in the Purdue game. People had an angle but he scored. No one caught him from behind. He had a touchdown against Clemson. No one caught him."He's a long loper. He runs better than you think. He's a vertical threat or if you need a guy to create mismatches, he can body you up and screen you when catching a pass."Heuerman also is an intriguing prospect because he started playing football in high school after focusing on hockey early in his life. Many of his youth coaches felt he would've been a high NHL pick had he stayed in that sport."It's a tough man's game," Hinton said. "There's a certain amount of endurance needed. You get checked, there's a work ethic. I think it made him a better football player. That lateral movement he learned doesn't hurt. He worked on different muscle groups, there's elements of strategy, it's played at a fast, rapid pace. It can't hurt you."It seems the only concern is not overdoing it with their prized tight end in the fall, particularly two-a-days. Heuerman is coming off a mid-foot sprain, which kept him out of most spring drills. He said he feels no lingering effects when he cuts.As many NFL and most college programs do, the Buckeyes put a 3.5-ounce monitor on players between their shoulder blades. It pinpoints movements within 15 centimeters, giving coaches acceleration, distance covered, speed, explosion times, exertion, hitting force and every other imaginable piece of data on a player's specific movements."All the information, it's unbelievable," Hinton said. "G forces, amount of impact, amount of force. We want to make sure that we're keeping guys at peak performance. We want to push the body, but we also want it to repair itself. We watch hydration, sleep is monitored, all those things."Heuerman said he didn't see his career turning out this way, but dedication and the right mindset can work wonders."My coach at Barron Collier (Mark Ivey) told me good things happen to good people, sometimes not right away," he said. "Be consistent, be a good person and keep working hard. He said try to be the best. If you're a garbage man, be the best garbage man. If you're a doctor, be the best doctor. Give 100 percent."I think that's what I've done. And it's helped me a lot."Jeff Heuerman game-by-gameYear Rec. Yds. TD2011 1 25 02012 8 94 12013 26 466 4This is Day 13 of our annual 'Friday Nights to College Heights' series. Through the opening weekend of the college football seasons, The News-Press will feature athletes with Southwest Florida roots who will play Saturdays this fall.Today: JeffHeuermanSunday: Jayron Kearse, Mackensie Alexander,ClemsonCONNECTTWEETLINKEDINCOMMENTEMAILMORE