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Urban Meyer twice thought he had his cornerbacks coach locked up. The new Ohio State boss originally planned to retain Taver Johnson, but Johnson left for Arkansas. Then Meyer hired coaching veteran Bill Sheridan, a move that lasted only a couple of weeks before Sheridan decided to take an NFL job instead.

Meyer hopes the third time is a charm, and he looked within his own state for his latest choice to round out his staff. Cincinnati assistant Kerry Coombs is moving to Columbus, and assuming this one sticks, it's a really good move.

Coombs has coached defensive backs for the Bearcats since 2007, and has worked with some good players there, including eventual NFL draft picks Haruki Nakamura, Mike Mickens, DeAngelo Smith, and Buckeyes transfer Brandon Underwood. The 2008 secondary was a big reason why Cincinnati won its first Big East title. While it's true that Meyer's Florida team led by Tim Tebow tore apart the Bearcats' pass defense in the 2010 Sugar Bowl, Coombs has done solid work during his tenure at Cincinnati.

Here's another reason why hiring Coombs is smart: Before Brian Kelly gave him his first college job in 2007, Coombs was an extremely successful high school coach at Cincinnati's Colerain High School. His connections to the high schools in that city have made him a strong recruiter in that talent-rich area. Cincinnati should be a major pipeline for Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have had more success in the northern part of the state. Coombs should give them even more recruiting inroads.

I covered Coombs during my time as the Big East blogger and can tell you he is a fiery guy who was often the loudest voice at practice. It was impossible not to hear his raspy voice screaming both encouragement and criticism at his defensive backs after virtually every play. The Bearcats seemed to respond well to that style, and Kelly liked Coombs so much that he promoted him to associate head coach.

In other Ohio State news, linebacker Jordan Whiting announced via Twitter that he is transferring to Louisville. The redshirt junior was best known for incurring a one-game suspension for his role in the tattoo-for-memorabilia scandal, and had not made much of an impact on the field. He'll try to restart his career in his hometown.

It's a question that has lingered around Ohio State ever since the Allstate Sugar Bowl: How exactly will the Buckeyes blend in the four suspended players -- including three key starters -- when they become eligible midway through this season?

While the answer to that won't come for a few more weeks, head coach Luke Fickell gets a good chance to figure that out this week.

That's because three players who were suspended for the opener for receiving impermissible benefits at a charity event -- starting cornerback Travis Howard, starting running back Jordan Hall and reserve defensive back Corey "Pittsburgh" Brown -- have been reinstated to the team this week, along with linebacker Jordan Whiting, who served a one-game ban for his role in the tattoo trading.

Howard and Hall in particular were expected to play important roles. In their absence, the Buckeyes received good play from cornerback Dominic Clarke and running backs Carlos Hyde and Rod Smith in the 42-0 opening win over Akron. So now what? Does Fickell just plug the suspended guys back into their starting jobs? Or does he stay with the guys who did nothing wrong and played well when given an opportunity?

Fickell said nothing has been determined about those starting spots and won't be until this week's practice sessions. But he also realizes how important his handling of this situation will be.

"Those guys coming back are great assets to us," Fickell said. "But we want to make sure that they don't just jump back in there, because those guys have filled in and stepped up and took their game to another level. They deserve the same situation they were in last week. We're going to make it a great example that hey, those guys that come back have got to earn everything. Just like our entire team does; we're going to earn everything."

Fickell said the returning suspended players are "accepting it and willing to go out there and practice" in an effort to get their jobs back. This could signal how the Buckeyes work in running back Dan Herron, receiver DeVier Posey, left tackle Mike Adams and defensive linemen Soloman Thomas when their suspensions end after the fifth game. In the case of the first three of those players, they are proven veterans and most likely the most talented guys at their positions. But will chemistry be affected if they step back in to replace those who may have excelled in their absence?

Running back is already becoming a crowded position. With Hall back and Jaamal Berry (hamstring) expected to be available this week against Toledo, the Buckeyes' backfield will have doubled in one week. And that's before Herron comes back. Keeping everyone happy might be a tricky balancing act.

"I think those guys can all co-exist," Fickell said.

Ohio State may start to find out this week just how well that works.

Some other quick Buckeyes notes:

• Fickell said quarterbacks Joe Bauserman and Braxton Miller would both continue to play, probably in the same roles as last week. He said he liked the way both quarterbacks played against Akron.

• Fickell received a game ball from athletic director Gene Smith following the Akron win. But as has been his attitude since he took the job, Fickell deflected attention from himself.

• Toledo coach Tim Beckman used to coach alongside Fickell when he was Ohio State's cornerbacks coach in 2005 and 2006. Fickell said he spent time with Beckman this summer during the Buckeyes camps. "It's just like if I was playing my brother," Fickell said.

Ohio State's challenge to replace two multiyear starters at linebacker won't include Dorian Bell this season.

The redshirt sophomore has been suspended for the season for an unspecified violation of team rules. Bucknuts.com, which first reported Bell's suspension Sunday afternoon, writes that Bell violated the same team rule for the third time. Those familiar with how Ohio State disciplines players can probably figure out what Bell did wrong.

Bell didn't make the trip to New Orleans for the Allstate Sugar Bowl for undisclosed reasons, and Bucknuts.com reports he would have been suspended for the 2011 opener against Akron before the latest rule violation. But he participated in spring practice and seemed to perform well, as he competed for a starting outside linebacker position.

The second-highest rated member of Ohio State's 2009 recruiting class, according to ESPN Recruiting, Bell redshirted in 2009 before appearing in eight games last season as a reserve. He recorded nine tackles in 2010.

Ohio State exited the spring knowing two of its likely starters at linebacker (Andrew Sweat and Etienne Sabino). With Bell out of the mix, the spotlight turns to players like Storm Klein and Jordan Whiting to fill the third starting spot.

It's going to be a rough Christmas in Columbus.

After several days of rumors and speculation, Ohio State announced Thursday that the NCAA has suspended five football players for the first five games of the 2011 season for selling items and accepting improper benefits. A sixth football player will miss the 2011 season opener for receiving discounted services, a violation of NCAA rules.

These aren't just any players. The list included four starters -- quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Dan "Boom" Herron, receiver DeVier Posey and left tackle Mike Adams -- as well as reserve defensive lineman Solomon Thomas. Linebacker Jordan Whiting, a redshirt freshman, is the player who will miss only the first game next fall.

Wow. Huge news indeed.

The twist is that all the players will be eligible for the upcoming Allstate Sugar Bowl matchup against Arkansas. According to Kevin Lennon, the NCAA's vice president of academic and membership affairs, the players are allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl based on several factors, which include "the acknowledgment the student-athletes did not receive adequate rules education during the time period the violations occurred."

From Ohio State's news release:

NCAA policy allows suspending withholding penalties for a championship or bowl game if it was reasonable at the time the student-athletes were not aware they were committing violations, along with considering the specific circumstances of each situation. In addition, there must not be any competitive advantage related to the violations, and the student-athletes must have eligibility remaining.

The policy for suspending withholding conditions for bowl games or NCAA championship competition recognizes the unique opportunity these events provide at the end of a season, and they are evaluated differently from a withholding perspective. In this instance, the facts are consistent with the established policy, Lennon said.

Hmmm. This seems like a very creative way for the NCAA to defer punishment.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith contends that the players were only specifically educated on the consequences of selling items in November 2009, after they had committed the violations. Players cannot sell items given to them by the university while still eligible, but they can sell them after their eligibility is up.

"We were not explicit with these young men that you could not resell items that we give you," Smith said. "We began to be more explicit in November 2009."

Ohio State will appeal the NCAA's decision in hopes of getting the number of games reduced for the suspended players. This case sounds very similar to what happened with Georgia receiver A.J. Green, who received a four-game suspension for selling his bowl jersey. I wouldn't be surprised to see the suspensions reduced from five games to four.

There's a lot to discuss, so I'm going to break things up into categories:

SMITH'S ECONOMIC ARGUMENT

Smith said the players sold championship rings and other items to help their families during a rough economic time. While not condoning players' actions, Smith said they went into the decisions "with the right intent, to help their families."

This situation certainly refuels the debate about whether college players should be paid -- Ohio State safety Jermale Hines defended his teammates here and here -- but it's a tough argument for Smith to win. Pryor and his teammates get a lot of perks simply for being Ohio State football players, not the least of which is a free education. And they're certainly not the only people in Columbus dealing with a tough economy.

While a lot of folks are jumping on the tattoo thing, this situation was about money.

"The discount on tattoos is not as big as the other pieces," Smith said. "The cash was relative to family needs. The bigger violation is the cash."

I don't buy the fact that the players didn't know that their actions violated NCAA rules. Smith and the other Ohio State officials can fall on their sword as much as they want, but these guys had to know the consequences.

THE NFL QUESTION

Before Thursday's announcement, Ohio State didn't seem like a team that would be heavily impacted by juniors entering the NFL draft.

That has changed.

Four of the five players receiving the stiffest penalties -- Pryor, Herron, Posey and Adams -- are candidates to go pro after the bowl game. I had heard Herron was the likeliest to do so, but he'll probably have some company. I just can't see all of these players coming back to miss what likely will be at least one third of their senior seasons.

“I’m not sure this would be the most advantageous time to have a job interview," coach Jim Tressel said.

That's true to an extent, but I doubt it's enough to keep players in Columbus, especially if they can finish their careers with a Sugar Bowl championship.

Whether or not there's an exodus, Ohio State will be impacted by these suspensions in 2011. The first five games aren't too severe -- Akron, Toledo, at Miami, Colorado, Michigan State -- but Pryor's absence will loom large, and the same goes for Adams, who really came on strong.

SELLING TRADITION

The worst part of this mess is what the Ohio State players sold to the individual now under federal investigation.

It's one thing to sell a jersey or a pair of cleats. Those are individual things. But selling Big Ten championship rings and Gold Pants (given to Ohio State players for beating archrival Michigan) won't sit well with Buckeyes fans. Pryor, Adams, Posey and Solomon sold their 2008 Big Ten championship rings, while Pryor and Solomon sold their Gold Pants from the 2008 Michigan game.

Those are items won as a team. They're special. They're integral to Ohio State football and what it stands for.

"I suppose the older you are, the more you understand the difficulty of what’s gone into having a chance to earn those things," Tressel said. "I don’t know what's in the minds of a 19-year-old. It might be, 'I'm going to win four more of these, so I’m going to help out at home [by selling] this one.'"

It will be interesting to see how Ohio State fans view the players after finding out what they sold.

WHAT'S NEXT

Ohio State reconvenes as a team Sunday and will fly to New Orleans on Wednesday. Today's announcement certainly could be a distraction, or it could bring the team closer together.

Smith sounded confident this incident is isolated to these players and to the individual under investigation. This isn't a criminal case or one related to agents or boosters. The person under investigation isn't connected with Ohio State.

"There are no other NCAA violations around this case," Smith said. "We do not have a systemic problem in our program.

Tressel said it's good he'll have a few days at home to think about the situation before seeing the players on Sunday.

"These guys feel terrible," Tressel said. "If you said go run 50 miles before you come to practice tomorrow, they would go run 50 miles."

The players likely won't face further disciplinary action from Ohio State. Their focus will turn to the bowl game, in which they're amazingly allowed to participate. The NCAA certainly will take more heat than Ohio State in this case.

What a day in Columbus. Stay tuned for more.

Here's the second half of my interview with Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.

You mentioned the safety spot being a critical area. Jermale [Hines] played a lot there last year. Is he a guy you really lean on now to take the next step?

Jim Heacock: No question. Jermale had a good year last year, maybe underrated a little bit. When you look at the bowl game and what he did, playing out there, I thought he did really well. And he's really had a great offseason, so yes, he's got to step up and be the leader of that safety group. And then Orhian Johnson played some last year. He actually filled in when Kurt [Coleman] didn't play in the Indiana game, and he's had a good offseason. And any chance of getting Tyler Moeller back, which we won't know until the fall, but he's a guy that could help. Coming out of last spring, we felt like he was one of our better safeties, and then, of course, he had the offseason injury and didn't play. So he's another guy that could be a piece for us.

As far as that third linebacker spot, is [Etienne] Sabino the guy you look for there, or are there others competing?

JH: There's some good, talented young guys at that spot. Sabino is a guy who has played a bit; we got him in the mix last year. Andrew Sweat is a guy who was coming on real well last year, and then had to have a little knee surgery and was out at the end of the year. He's been out a while, but he looks like he's coming back strong, so he's going to be a factor. And then we've got four or five of those young guys -- Storm Klein, Jordan Whiting, Dorian Bell -- who we think are going to get in the mix. So it looks like we'll be able to develop some depth there.

What are your ultimate goals for the group coming out of the spring? Would you like to have a rough draft of the depth chart?

JH: I always like to come out of the spring and say you're two deep. You'd like to say you've got 22 players who you feel like you can play with in the fall. And then we can get after it in the offseason. That's a goal. And then you always want to see leadership. There's a new group of seniors in town, and you've got to develop those guys and see how they develop and see how they mature and how they handle a leadership role. You're always looking to see the little things. Are they taking care of business, doing good things off the field? You hope the direction is maturity, and they're gearing up and pointing toward a good fall.

And as far as those leaders, is it the usual suspects?

JH: Yeah, I think so. Cam [Heyward] and Ross [Homan]. Brian Rolle looks like he's going to develop into a good leader. And that's something, as we go through spring, we'll get a little bit better feel for that. They've become seniors, and as they become seniors with Coach [Jim] Tressel, there's a lot of expectations put on our seniors. He expects the seniors to do a great job of leading. That's something that as we go through spring, we'll get a little bit better feel of what kind of leadership we're having.

Will anyone on the defensive side miss spring or be severely limited?

JH: Off hand, I can't think of anybody. We've had some guys who had offseason surgeries and some minor things, but I'm assuming all of them will be back and be practicing.