Nickel options, Smith buzz top early OSU storylines
Here are five things we learned from the second week of Ohio State’s spring football practice:
More options at nickel
Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker left the Buckeyes with a little uncertainty over their depth at nickel safety.
Before Styles filled in as the strong safety late last year following safety Lathan Ransom’s season-ending foot injury, he rotated at nickel with cornerback Jordan Hancock.
But there are a handful of defensive backs who have emerged as candidates to see snaps there along with Hancock.
Secondary coach Tim Walton mentioned Jermaine Mathews Jr., Miles Lockhart and Lorenzo Styles Jr. as three cornerbacks who are cross-training at the nickel spot this spring.
Another possibility at the position is Caleb Downs, the All-america transfer from Alabama.
Though Downs is expected to replace Josh Proctor as the starting free safety, he is seeing reps at nickel and has experience in a similar role.
As a freshman with the Crimson Tide last season, Downs played 30.1% of his snaps on defense as a slot cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus.
Buzz growing for Jeremiah Smith
High expectations followed Jeremiah Smith to Ohio State.
It was the result of his high school pedigree. Three out of the four major recruiting services ranked him as the top prospect in the nation in his class.
Less than halfway through spring practice, the hype surrounding Smith has only picked up.
Before the dynamic wide receiver became the first of the early enrollees to lose their black stripe on Thursday, he had drawn a flurry of praise.
Coach Ryan Day remarked that Smith was flashing his talent. Brian Hartline, the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, likened him to a veteran for the way in which he has corrected mistakes, an ability that has enabled his fast transition to the college level.
Teammates have been especially effusive while talking him up. On the eve of spring practice, quarterback Devin Brown called his athleticism “freaky.” Cornerback Denzel Burke followed days later by proclaiming that Smith might be
the Buckeyes’ next best receiver.
“He has to play,” fellow receiver Brandon Inniss said. “Some way, he has to play.”
Buckeyes unconcerned with Mclaughlin’s snapping
The snapping woes that Mclaughlin experienced as Alabama’s starting center last season have not persisted with the Buckeyes, according to Day.
“Seth’s snaps have been great,” Day said. “I know that was a little bit of a concern.”
Day saw the problems as stemming more from Jalen Milroe, the Crimson Tide’s quarterback, than Mclaughlin, suggesting Milroe’s cadence behind center might have caused a lot of the trouble.
The departures of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming opened the possibility for Egbuka to see more snaps outside.
Egbuka had already shown his versatility as a receiver.
While starting in the slot the past two seasons, he also lined up out wide on 33.4% of his snaps on offense, per PFF.
“He’s capable of doing whatever you want to get done,” Hartline said.
But Hartline added that the growth of Inniss and Bryson Rodgers is providing Ohio State with additional options inside and allowing Egbuka to take more reps in practice at outside receiver.
Both Egbuka and Carnell Tate, who showed promise as a freshman, are getting reps at multiple receiver spots.
Interior defensive line a priority
Behind Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams, the Buckeyes are thin on experience at defensive tackle.
Four of the six scholarship tackles in line to back up Hamilton and Williams are in their first or second seasons without having taken meaningful snaps.
It prompted Day to refer to efforts to cultivate depth along the interior of the defensive line as one of their focuses.
Day mentioned Kayden Mcdonald, Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr., a trio that enrolled last year, as a group he was looking to develop. Tywone Malone, who transferred from Mississippi a year ago, is another name to watch.
All have opportunities to break into the rotation alongside Hero Kanu, a redshirt sophomore who is Ohio State’s most-experienced reserve tackle after breaking into the rotation late last season.