Ohio State fans should know by now that "we don't redshirt" is more of a platitude on the recruiting trail than an actual pledge made by coaches. More accurately, "we [coaches] don't want to redshirt" incoming freshmen. Coaches hope that true freshmen can contribute to talent-laden championship-caliber squads much like they did on Urban Meyer's 2006 Florida Gators and his 2014 Buckeyes.
Several members of Ohio State's recent recruiting classes under Urban Meyer sat their first year of eligibility and watched the Buckeyes from the sidelines. However, the 2015 season constituted something of anomaly. Only four true freshman (Jerome Baker, Eric Glover-Williams, Isaiah Prince, Denzel Ward) from a signing class of 25 played last year. Three of those four almost exclusively saw special teams duties. Isaiah Prince was a reserve offensive lineman.
That this happened on a team in which we hoped youth would push an experienced Ohio State roster back to the promised land is a surprising development from the 2015 season.
There is a silver lining. Many of those players we hoped would contribute to a talented and experienced 2015 team will be thrust into sink-or-swim positions on a 2016 team in which almost every major contributor from the past two years is gone.
In this feature, I forecast some of the breakout redshirt freshmen in 2016.
Mike Weber
Cass Tech's Mike Weber enrolled at Ohio State with quite a logjam at his running back position. He knew this when he entered. Still, he may have anticipated that 2016 would have been his year.
It may well be. Ezekiel Elliott is moving to the NFL and Warren Ball participated in senior day ceremonies. Curtis Samuel will have the most carries of anyone returning, though his position is more fluid than the standard running back. Weber could be the man for Ohio State in 2016.
Bri'onte Dunn will be his primary competition for a true tailback role on the 2016 team, but this may not stop Weber from becoming the team's primary rusher. Weber almost supplanted Dunn as Elliott's backup before an injury late into training camp ultimately sidelined him for the rest of the season.
K.J. Hill
Like Mike Weber, K.J. Hill is a class of 2015 signee that fans and close observers were genuinely surprised did not see the field as a true freshman.
The Arkansas wide receiver prospect was one of the first true freshmen to lose his "black stripe", which is usually a reliable indicator of who will play and who will redshirt. Further, Ohio State's wide receiver depth in 2015 was not particularly formidable. Hill seemed like an immediate contributor, but ultimately took a redshirt last year.
Both Jalin Marshall and Mike Thomas chose to eschew remaining eligibility in pursuit of an NFL paycheck. Hill should help fill the void they left.
Matthew Burrell
Offensive linemen routinely fall through the cracks as preseason "breakout performers", but someone will have to be that for the 2016 Buckeyes. True sophomore Isaiah Prince will almost assuredly start at one of the tackle positions. Expect Matthew Burrell to be a prime candidate take over at right guard, especially if Pat Elflein moves to center for the departed Jacoby Boren.
Coaches and those who have observed Burrell rave about his potential. He enrolled at 6-4 and 321 pounds but thrived under Mickey Marotti's watch. He gained muscle and strength while he lost over 20 pounds. Burrell is also a capable run blocker whose hip movement was among the best of any offensive line prospect in last year's recruiting class.
Further, Burrell has the type of personality that translates well to thriving in a program like Ohio State. Those close to Burrell know him as a jovial personality who takes direction well. A redshirt his first year on campus may be some of the impetus he needed to emerge as a starter his second year on campus.
Nick Conner and Justin Hilliard
Ohio State's starting linebackers in a 4-3 formation will probably be Chris Worley, Raekwon McMillan, and Dante Booker next year. Jerome Baker, who played as a true freshman in 2015, will challenge Worley for a starting spot in what might be one of the top preseason camp battles to watch.
However, redshirt freshmen will undoubtedly round out depth at Luke Fickell's unit. Expect Nick Conner and Justin Hilliard to backup McMillan and Booker this season.
I'm somewhat surprised Nick Conner did not play as a true freshman. Conner, from nearby Dublin Scioto, was an early enrollee and one of the stars of the 2015 spring game. That typically parlays well into special teams duties as a true freshman even if the starters at linebacker were set from 2014.
Justin Hilliard was an athletic linebacker prospect when he enrolled from St. Xavier in Cincinnati. He is also fast at the position, if not particularly long or rangy. At the least, that should have parlayed into special teams duties as a true freshman. Instead, Hilliard will likely serve as understudy to Raekwon McMillan at middle linebacker this coming season.
Torrance Gibson
Torrance Gibson will be a wild card on the 2016 Buckeyes. Gibson was brought to Ohio State from Fort Lauderdale as a quarterback who has a much higher ceiling at wide receiver. He was another 2015 signee that fans expected to see the field last season, though he did not.
With uncertainty about what position he will be in 2016, Gibson does not appear in many formal depth chart projections. However, Ohio State is losing some of its best play makers from 2015, including its best athlete, Braxton Miller.
Gibson may be the best athlete on offense in 2016. He will likely see the field as a redshirt freshman, though it is difficult to forecast how exactly Ohio State will try to utilize his athleticism on offense.
This will be another preseason storyline. Will Torrance Gibson find his niche on offense? Ohio State fans hope he will. The coaches may be eager to try multiple things until something sticks.
Other Projections Among Next Year's Redshirt Freshmen
- Long snapper is not an exciting position for the casual football fan, though watchful fans will miss Bryce Haynes (who was an underappreciated component of Ohio State's team). Liam McCullough will almost assuredly be the new long snapper for the Buckeyes.
- Ohio State experimented more with two tight end sets down the stretch in 2015. Nick Vannett graduated. A.J. Alexander may see a lot of action, if not a lot of catches, in 2016.
- I'm reticent to forecast who will be J.T. Barrett's backup in 2016, thought it may well be Joe Burrow.
- Ohio State signed too many tackle prospects in 2015 for none of them to be at least a second-teamer in 2016. Watch carefully for appearances by Branden Bowen or Kevin Feder in mop-up duties. One may even start, though I'm inclined to think the two starting tackles will be Jamarco Jones and Isaiah Prince in 2016.
- The Buckeyes have too many question marks at defensive tackle in 2016 for Da'Von Hamilton or Robert Landers to not see some action. Larry Johnson showed considerable willingness to substitute liberally at defensive line even with players like Michael Hill, who had not been a regular contributor at defensive tackle.
- Players like Damon Arnette and Josh Norwood may light up a kick returner or two on "piranha" duties.
