Dexter Larimore

Ohio State fans have been wondering why ballyhooed true freshman linebacker Dorian Bell wasn’t getting any playing time of late.

He did see spot action early in the season, but hadn’t seen the field in weeks.

Well, on Wednesday, co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Luke Fickell answered the question: Bell is headed for a redshirt year.

“Yeah, he’s going to be a redshirt guy because he’s had some problems,” Fickell said. “He got sick and has had a few things. So, he’s probably a guy we’re going to hold back as a redshirt guy.”

With Tyler Moeller and Andrew Sweat out for the season with injuries, coupled with the news that Bell is going to redshirt, that makes sophomore Etienne Sabino the clear No. 4 linebacker for the Buckeyes.

“Yeah, he is the top backup,” Fickell said. “And he’s kind of playing all the positions and that’s kind of the tough thing, but that’s what you’re getting at this time of the year. There’s a lot of things that are happening and you’ve got to get guys ready and you’ve got to roll. That’s why I say that maturity level that you can get to by the seventh, eighth, ninth game of the season, that’s what you’re counting on.”

With starting linebackers Ross Homan, Brian Rolle and Austin Spitler all playing well, Sabino might not get a lot of playing time on defense the rest of this season. But he is performing well on special teams and is one play away from being a starter at linebacker.

Fickell explained what was holding Sabino back in the early stages of this season.

“He’s just guy that’s a cerebral guy,” Fickell said. “Etienne needs to relax and just play football. And everybody is a little bit different. Some guys play fine when they don’t know exactly what they’re doing, and there are some guys that just want to know everything and they don’t feel comfortable unless they exactly know everything (which is how Sabino is at times).

“In this game and the way things change, you’re not going to know everything. So, you’ve got to have that ability to relax and do what you do best, and that’s play with your vision and run.”

Fickell didn’t hesitate one bit when asked who the No. 5 linebacker on the team is. It’s someone the staff has been impressed with since preseason camp.

“Storm Klein,” Fickell said. “He would be the next one in. And then we just got back last week Jonathan Newsome. And then Tony Jackson is probably the seventh.

“But all those guys are on special teams and all those guys are needed. And at one point in time, I might have to put them in there (at linebacker).”

Larimore update

As well Ohio State’s defense is playing, there is no question the group misses Dexter Larimore. The junior defensive tackle was playing very solid football when he went down with a knee injury against Indiana on Oct. 3. He has missed the last four games, but is likely to play this week.

However, Fickell is not sure just how much Larimore will be able to help against the Nittany Lions.

“I don’t know,” Fickell said. “(Wednesday) was the first day I actually saw him in there playing a little bit more. We have not sat down and evaluated that yet. But hopefully we will get something out of Dexter. Who knows how much. But right now, he looks like he’s going to be able to play.”