When Cam Burrows arrived at Ohio State, he thought he had in mind what the plan would be set in place for him.
Listed at 6-foot and 208 pounds, Burrows thought he'd be the next Malcolm Jenkins — a former Buckeye great similar in size and speed who became an All-American corner on his way to winning the 2008 Jim Thorpe Award.
That's not the case anymore.
Burrows, a four-star recruit from Dayton, moved to safety last spring following Urban Meyer's hiring of safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash. Ash brought to Ohio State a press-quarters scheme with the cornerbacks playing up on the line of scrimmage, so the need for guys who can do the same at safety became important. Burrows has those skills.
"I'm a DB," Burrows told Cleveland.com in April 2013. "It doesn't matter to me."
Naturally, it matters to the Ohio State coaching staff, especially this spring as the Buckeyes try to build depth behind the suspected starters in the secondary.
"Cam Burrows has probably invested the most amount of time, not only in the unit, but on defense and maybe on this football team this offseason in terms of trying to put in extra work to try and make himself better," Ash said April 2. "So that’s been fun to watch."
Burrows was the first verbal commitment to Meyer and Ohio State's 2013 class, but played spot duty that year and last season — he's recorded 28 total tackles and four pass breakups in his career.
But he heard his name talked about often by Meyer last season with starter Vonn Bell out with a knee injury and now appears to be the next guy in line at nickel with Armani Reeves unable to continue playing due to concussion concerns.
"Cam Burrows came in as a corner, so it’s important to remember that, too," cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs said this spring. "The skillset required for the nickel and really for the safeties is specific and we’ve gotta have a bunch of guys who are able to go out there and play man-to-man coverage so Cam is doing a great job this spring and Damon (Webb) is a backup there."
Burrows' size and speed allows him to play multiple positions for Ohio State, even if he was recruited as a corner. With Bell and Tyvis Powell locked into the starting safety spots, it makes sense for the staff to try and get him on the field in other ways.
"I don't think there's any question anyone can win the job," Coombs said of the nickel spot. "As we rotate through in the fall when everybody’s here and everybody’s healthy, there will be a lot of competition and that’s exciting. There will be a lot of competition at that spot, as well.”
Competition is what Ohio State thrives on, and even though an Instagram post from Burrows indicated some sort of injury for his left foot or ankle, he name appears to be tops at nickel.
It's just up to him to keep it there.
"Cam Burrows has got some momentum, too, so it’s a lot of guys that have got a year under their belt and they really feel like they’re in the mix now," Bell said. "So everybody knows what they’re doing and I think we’re playing faster."
