Jamal Marcus was staring at a great opportunity at Ohio State.
With defensive end Noah Spence suspended for the first two games of the 2014 season, Marcus was the favorite to start in Spence's place to begin the year. He had ably filled in for Spence in the Orange Bowl loss to Clemson, registering six tackles and looking like a key piece of the future.
But the junior is now a former Buckeye, as he is transferring. An Ohio State spokesman confirmed the move, which was reported by Eleven Warriors on Monday, saying it was a mutual decision.
Marcus didn't practice the last couple of weeks of spring because of what coach Urban Meyer termed an academic issue. Now, what should be one of the nation's best defensive lines and arguably the top unit in the Big Ten could be scrambling a bit in Weeks 1 and 2.
Senior Steve Miller and redshirt freshman Tyquan Lewis are the likely top candidates to start at defensive end, along with Joey Bosa. Ohio State will be thin at the position against Navy and Virginia Tech. Incoming recruits Jalyn Holmes, Darius Slade and Dylan Thompson might have to get ready early.
If the Buckeyes can weather the storm -- especially against Navy's cut blocks -- then they should be fine when Spence returns. But figuring out the defensive end rotation now becomes a major priority this summer.
