Miamisburg grad Myers fitting in well at Ohio State

Miamisburg High School graduate Josh Myers has fit in well with the Ohio State Buckeyes, at least if this description by the veteran leader of the offensive line is any indication.

“His nickname’s Tommy,” said Ohio State fifth-year senior center Billy Price. ” He’s a country boy. He’s country lovin’. We yell across the weight room, ‘Hey, Tommy boy,’ just having a good time.”

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Price touched on the topic of Myers during a wide-ranging interview Monday on the first day of Big Ten Media Days. Price, defensive end Tyquan Lewis, linebacker Chris Worley and coach Urban Meyer represented Ohio State at the event.

Myers was one of 10 recruits in the class of 2017 to enroll at Ohio State in January. Those four extra months in the program puts Myers a step ahead of other freshmen who arrived after graduating from high school.

“If he goes and puts it all out there at camp time, it’ll raise an eyebrow with coach Meyer,” Price said, “and if coach Meyer gives him the nod, then we’re going to go play some ball.”

Scott news: Fairfield grad Josiah Scott, a true freshman at Michigan State, could start at cornerback.

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“He’s a great athlete,” Michigan State linebacker Chris Frey said. “I think he surprised a lot of people this year. With the depth issue we had at corner going into spring ball, that gave him an opportunity to make a name for himself, and he took full advantage of it. Going into fall camp, he might be our starter.”

Landers update: Wayne grad Robert Landers made his debut with the Buckeyes in 2016 and was one of the most productive members on the defensive line, recording 7½ tackles for a loss. Meyer expects more of the same in 2017 from Landers, now a redshirt sophomore.

“He’s just got to continue to mature,” Meyer said. “He’s kind of a big-play guy for us. He’s so quick off the ball. He’ll be a valuable member.”

Preseason team: The Big Ten announced a 10-man preseason all-conference team with five players from each division.

Two Buckeyes made the list: Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett; Ohio State defensive end Tyquan Lewis; Indiana linebacker Tegray Scales; Penn State running back Saquon Barkley; Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley; Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell; Northwestern safety Goodwin Igwebuike; Northwestern running back Justin Jackson; Wisconsin linebacker Jack Cichy; and Wisconsin tight end Troy Fumagalli.

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New to network: Former Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis will join the Big Ten Network as an analyst. Former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards and former Northwestern tight end Corey Wootton also join the network.

Season opener: New Indiana coach Tom Allen called the Aug. 31 game against Ohio State in Bloomington the biggest home opener in Indiana history. He downplayed the significance of Ohio State assistant coach Kevin Wilson, the former Indiana head coach, being on the opposite sideline.

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“We haven’t had a conference opening game since 1982,” Allen said, “so that obviously makes it a very, very big game for us. The media is going to make a big deal about him being there and myself being here — offense versus defense. But it’s really bigger than that. It’s not about me or coaches; it’s about players making plays. It’s a tremendous motivation to have that kind of a game to start your season and creates a tremendous sense of urgency.”

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