Projecting depth chart for OSU football team
End of spring practice good time to assess what we learned.
Views of practices, comments from coaches and players, and the spring game offer an idea of how coaches see the roster right now.
With another round of spring football in the books, it is time to take a look at the Ohio State depth chart.
Nothing is official, but views of practices, comments from coaches and players as well as the spring game give us an idea of how coaches see the roster at this time.
Of course, things can change during the summer and likely will change during preseason, but here is an idea of where things stand at this point in the year:
Quarterback
Starter: Justin Fields Backups: Chris Chugunov, Danny Vanatsky Although Fields took the first snaps with the first team in the spring game, head coach Ryan Day did not want to name a winner of his quarterback competition with Matthew Baldwin. Baldwin’s decision to transfer made that decision for Day, though, and leaves Ohio State uncomfortably thin at the most important position in the game.
Running back
Starter: J.K. Dobbins Contenders (to back him up): Master Teague, Marcus Crowley, Demario McCall
While Dobbins is looking forward to being the unquestioned No. 1 back and hoping to return to his 1,400-yard freshman form as a junior, his backup figures to see plenty of time.
Teague and Crowley are both bigger-bodied backs who flashed some ability in the spring. Teague’s
continued from C1 experience is a boon, but this is a battle that figures to go on into August.
Receiver
Starters: Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill
Contenders (for the rotation): Chris Olave, Jaylen Harris, Garrett Wilson, Ellijah Gardiner, C.J. Saunders, Jaelen Gill, Garyn Praeter
Mack, Victor and Hill give coach Brian Hartline three seniors with lots of playing experience to rely on. They bring back as much or more production than any receiving group in Ohio State history — including years the Buckeyes returned multiple starters.
But how will the rotation shake out behind them?
Six players generally get regular playing time here, but there is room for more.
Olave also has some game experience to fall back on, and Harris has seemed to be on the verge of breaking out for two years now.
Wilson and Gill are bigtime wild cards here as they are the youngest members of the group but also perhaps the most explosive.
Tight end
Starter: Luke Farrell Contenders: Rashod Berry, Jeremy Ruckert, Jake Hausmann
With a fifth-year senior (Berry), two fourth-year juniors (Farrell and Hausmann) and a sophomore (Ruckert), this is one of the most-experienced groups on the roster.
They could unlock some new ways for the coaching staff to scheme this fall.
Offensive line
Starters (Left to right): Thayer Munford, Branden Bowen, Josh Myers, Wyatt Davis, TBD
Contenders: Josh Alabi, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Gavin Cupp, Jonah Jackson
Munford is the only returning starter, but he missed spring practice while recovering from an offseason surgery.
In his absence, Alabi, Bowen and Petit-Frere battled it out at tackle, and all three appeared to do good things in general.
Bowen’s versatility figures to pay off when Jackson arrives this summer as a senior grad transfer from Rutgers. While Jackson is strictly an inside player, Bowen can play guard or tackle, so he figures to slide back to tackle if he and Jackson both prove to be among the five best in the view of coach Greg Studrawa.
Defensive line
Starters (L-R): Chase Young, Robert Landers, Jashon Cornell, Jonathon Cooper
Second wave (L-R): Tyreke Smith, Davon Hamilton, Taron Vincent, Tyler Friday
Third wave (L-R): Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Tommy Togiai, Haskell Garrett, Alex Williams
Also in the mix: Zach Harrison, Antwuan Jackson, Jerron Cage, Noah Potter, Zaid Hamdan
Landers, a senior from Wayne, missed almost all of the spring to rest multiple nagging injuries, but coach Larry Johnson was happy with the performance of Hamilton, Vincent, Togiai and Jackson at nose tackle.
Cornell, a former end, slid inside to the other tackle spot, where the senior appears to be ahead of a slew of talented underclassmen.
Young and Cooper are returning starters while Smith, Jean-Baptiste, Friday and Williams are all talented members of the class of 2018 looking to carve out a niche this fall.
Harrison is an early enrollee who showed enough in the spring to think he could jump over all of the second-year players, but that will be easier said than done.
Linebacker
Starters: Tuf Borland and Malik Harrison (inside), Pete Werner (Outside/”SAM”)
Contenders: Barron Browning, Teradja Mitchell, Dallas Gant, Ben Schmiesing (inside), K’Vaughn Pope (Outside/”SAM”)
Borland, Harrison and Werner were the starters last season while Browning logged a significant number of snaps, too.
With Borland and Browning missing time with injuries in the spring, youngsters Mitchell, Gant, Pope and Schmiesing (a walk-on from Piqua) got to show what they can do, and new coach Al Washington had praise for all of them.
‘Bullet’
Starter: Brendon White Backup: Jahsen Wint This is a hybrid position that is new to the OSU defense and replaces one of the traditional linebackers.
White and Wint are both safeties who made starts last season and bring a combination of coverage skills and physicality to make the staff think they can handle a spot that is part safety, part linebacker and part pass rusher.
Cornerback
Starters: Damon Arnette, Jeffrey Okuda
Contenders: Shaun Wade, Sevyn Banks, Marcus Williamson, Tyreke Johnson
Arnette and Okuda were part of a three-man rotation last season, and they could benefit from new techniques brought by secondary coach Jeff Hafley. Wade was the fourth cornerback and played extensively in the team’s nickel package a year ago, but he also will see time at safety.
Ohio State likely could use at least one of the youngsters stepping up in the fall to feel good about depth here.
Safety
Starters: Brendon White, Jordan Fuller
Next up: Shaun Wade, Amir Riep, Isaiah Pryor, Josh Proctor
Fuller missed the spring after an unidentified surgery, but he is a two-year starter. White finished last season as a starter and appears ticketed to playing multiple positions this fall. Wade, too, is expected to have different roles based on which package is in the game.
Pryor struggled as a firstyear starter last season but looked much more confident in the spring and still brings a lot of natural ability.
Riep, a highly regarded prospect coming out of Cincinnati Colerain three years ago, has primarily been a special-teamer so far in Columbus, but he had a strong spring game and might thrive in a new role for the team’s strong safeties. Contact this reporter at 937225-2396 or email Marcus. Hartman@coxinc.com.