The talk of the offseason will undoubtedly be Ohio State's quest to replace three first-round picks in the secondary, but what happens at the next level of the depth chart will likely be even more intriguing.
The team's defense scheme requires its corners to cover long distances at high speeds nearly every play. Given that, the Buckeyes would like to have a rotation at the position, similar to the wide receiver position.
"We’d like to play three or four — we’d like to play more than three or four," Urban Meyer said Tuesday after the team's first spring practice. "We learned a lesson. That was as good of production as we’ve had out of corners anywhere we’ve been. Obviously, you’ve got great players, but what we ask those guys to do — it’s a track meet for four hours. If you can get a little rotation in there, it’s going to be much better."
That's where things get interesting: Ohio State doesn't have three or four returning players to fill that rotation. The Buckeyes only have two players who've even seen the field in any real capacity.
"We have Damon Arnette and Denzel Ward who are the only guys who have ever played for us right now," Meyer said Tuesday. "You’ve got Rodjay Burns. We moved Wayne Davis to safety."
Ward, of course, was in a heated competition with Lattimore for the starting spot in the fall, which he ultimately lost but still played heavy minutes. Arnette was the team's starting nickelback and played extensively, but struggled at times.
"It's a track meet for four hours."– Urban Meyer
Outside of those two, Ohio State has Burns and Joshua Norwood as the only returning corners. All the rest are newcomers — four freshmen and a junior college transfer.
If Meyer's wish for a deep rotation is to come to fruition, those newcomers will have to play meaningful minutes — and they're more than capable and ready.
Kendall Sheffield, a former five star recruit out of high school, transferred from Alabama in search of immediate playing time following his redshirt freshman season. After a year at junior college, Sheffield is coming to Ohio State for that reason – to play immediately.
But it's not just Sheffield who will be gunning for playing time; the Buckeyes have a pair of five-star freshmen hungry to prove themselves. Jeffrey Okudah and Shaun Wade, the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 cornerbacks respectively, were told by secondary coach Kerry Coombs to be ready to play immediately. According to Wade, they're ready to play and even start if need be.
"One of us can accomplish that," Wade said when asked if he or Okudah could earn a starting spot as a freshman. "If one of us doesn't start, we'll rotate. Just getting on the field will be a huge thing, as a freshman, for both of us."
Okudah and Wade are joined by freshmen Marcus Williamson and Amir Riep, who round out arguably the best cornerbacks class ever. Both Williamson and Riep are four-star, top-30 players who will also compete for playing time.
Every year, Meyer says Ohio State doesn't redshirt players. This year, that will have to be true in the cornerbacks room as the Buckeyes need those players immediately, as depth will be found nowhere else but with the newcomers.
They said they came ready to play. For Ohio State's sake, that better be true.
