You decide: Ohio State football’s all-decade tight end

The 2010s are coming to an end and we can’t help but reminisce about the memories that the decade brought with it— a national championship, four Big Ten titles, four head coaches, and some of the best to ever wear the scarlet and gray.

To wrap up the decade, we want to hear from you about who you think should comprise the Ohio State Buckeyes’ All-Decade team. From now until the end of the year, we will be going position by position and giving you the candidates so that you can decide who receives this honor more prestigious than a tree in Buckeye Grove, a pair of gold pants, or a ring so big that you have to carry a 10 pound weight in the other hand just to stay balanced.

You’ll be able to vote in the positional articles through Dec. 30 at 12 noon ET, and on Twitter for one week after the poll goes up. Keep in mind that since we are conducting part of the voting on Twitter, we are limited to just four options per position, so this is going to be tough!

Once all the votes are in for every position, we’ll reveal the final All-Decade roster on the final day of the 2010s.

Next up: Tight end. Here are your candidates:

Jake Stoneburner (2009-2012)

It’s well-known around these parts that Ohio State kind of underutilizes their tight ends. So the majority of the tight ends listed here have almost identical stats. But, if you are going to judge a player simply by how many touchdowns he produces, Jake Stoneburner should be your vote. He is the all-time leader in touchdowns by tight ends in OSU history with 13.

His most successful year was 2011, when he scored seven of those 13 TDs. It is worth mentioning, however, that in 2012 he switched to H-back and he recorded 16 receptions for 269 yards and four touchdowns, including this 72-yard beauty from Braxton Miller.

Jeff Heuerman (2011-2014)

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As Brent Sobleski wrote for Bleacher Report just before the 2015 NFL Draft:

Some NFL draft prospects are such well-kept secrets that even their college teams didn’t know exactly how to properly use them.

It’s true. Heuerman’s stats at Ohio State were almost the same, if not worse than Stoneburner’s. In four seasons, Heuerman caught 52 passes for 792 yards and seven touchdowns.

Except unlike Stoneburner — who’s NFL career never really took off — NFL teams saw something in Heuerman that Ohio State didn’t. The Denver Broncos selected Heuerman in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, crediting his ability to both block and be a threat in the passing game.

In 2013 with the Buckeyes, Heuerman finished first on the team with an average of 17.9 yards per catch. For reference, Devin Smith, who went on to lead the NCAA in yards per catch in 2014 and who is one of Ohio State’s best wide receivers of the decade, averaged 2.9 less yards per catch that season.

At Ohio State, the role of tight end revolves around blocking, but Heuerman proved (and is still proving in the league) that he could do a heck of a lot more.

Nick Vannett (2012-2015)

Nick Vannett’s NFL draft story was pretty similar to Heuerman’s, in that teams admired his ability to both block and catch. And obviously, being an Ohio State tight end, just like his predecessors, he put up mediocre receiving numbers on paper: 55 receptions, 585 yards, and six touchdowns.

Vennett admitted that catching passes was what he was best at, and that he had to learn how to block from Heuerman in order to fit the Ohio State model. And he did just that. Prior to his senior season, Vannett was ranked as the best tight end prospect by ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay.

Marcus Baugh (2014-2017)

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Marcus Baugh’s made a lot of big-time plays as a Buckeye, but perhaps the most memorable one was in 2017 against Penn State where he caught the go-ahead score with less than two minutes remaining.

Stats-wise, he totaled 55 receptions, 607 yards, and eight touchdowns. But most importantly, he was known for hurdling defenders, which truly never gets old.

Remember, since we are limited to four options on Twitter polls, some other great Buckeye tight ends had to be left out. If you want to tell us how wrong we are for leaving your favorite TE out, or if you want to make your case for one of the candidates, please feel free to do so in the comments below!

Which Buckeye tight end should be on Ohio State’s All-Decade team?