The best example was Tommy Eichenberg, who went from after-thought to All-American at linebacker last season in Knowles’ defense, something the coordinator attributed to his understanding the scheme beyond just absorbing his own duties. Yes, the Cleveland native understood his job, but he also got the concept of each call and what it meant when it came in. “So Tommy figured it out a little more quickly than maybe some other guys that if I made this call, and they ran this play, the ball was going to end up over here,” Knowles said. “So that’s how you play fast. So when you get 11 guys, you can do that, and that’s how you get better.” Eichenberg led Ohio State with 120 tackles, almost 50 more than anyone else on the team. He also had 12 tackles for loss, a big number for a middle linebacker and again the best…
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