I figured it's been enough time since I've written a forum post to spark discussion and then making up 50% of the replies with my own comments.
My two most recent legitimate attempts at blogs came as depth chart projections, and I was going to wait until the spring window of the portal and post another, but then I had this idea. I liked the idea enough with the changes happening to our room and the departures of our players to the NFL that I decided to post a little earlier.
Now, is this post idea basically just a depth chart with extra steps? Yes.
...
No, there's no "buts", just a "yes".
Alright, I am measuring every room based on my evaluation of their 1. depth and their 2. talent. Here is the scale:
A - Exceptional
B - Good
C - Average
D - Lacking
F - Failure
(Spoiler Alert, there's no Fs.)
• • • • •
Quarterbacks
We'll be starting with the most important position of the team, and in my opinion, one of the hardest groups to grade. Why? Because I am trying to only give the room an "A" if it has exceptional depth and talent. The problem is that in an ideal world, there is only one starter per year, so this makes the position group as a whole difficult to gauge without making extrapolations based on recruiting pedigree or tiny snippets of play.
However, even if recruitment ratings are a flawed metric, most schools would kill to have rooms filled with guys like we have: Julian Sayin was Ryan Day's pick of the 2024 quarterback class before he chose Alabama, but arrived anyways in the wake of Nick Saban's retirement. Incoming freshman Tavien St. Clair is regarded by some outlets as the most highly-rated high school quarterback to ever come out of the state of Ohio. Lincoln Kienholz is the black sheep in terms of recruitment rating, but was still a solid four-star recruit that possesses the edge over both players in athleticism and experience on the team.
While no player in this room has a collegiate start and that will affect the grade, the fact is that this room should still have a lot of talent. This very much reminds me of the 2021 quarterback room, where we had C. J. Stroud, Kyle McCord, and Jack Miller III: we may not have had a proven starter, but the cream rose to the top and the starter did a mighty fine job. I expect nothing less here.
Grade: B+
• • • • •
Running Backs
Replacing the best running back duo in the country is a tall order, especially when both players were among the best at their position and are usually put in the top 5 in their draft class. Though the Buckeyes were unable to land some of the bigger names like Quinten Joyner or Justice Haynes, they did land a known commodity with West Virginia standout CJ Donaldson. The Florida native is tall and strong player who particularly excels on the goal line.
As for depth, it's James Peoples and the unproven masses. Peoples showed some promising traits this season as the third-string running back, but was never called upon in bigger games. He only saw 7 carries in the playoffs, all of which came in garbage time against Tennessee. Sam Williams-Dixon only got 7 carries all year, and the rest of the depth chart is filled by an admittedly impressive recruiting class by running back coach Carlos Locklyn, who is in his second year with the Scarlet and Grey.
While the lack of returning talent may seem bleak to outsiders, running back is one of the positions most-often filled by younger players. Ohio State has seen true freshmen like J. K. Dobbins and TreVeyon Henderson come in and start immediately. While they may not start, incoming freshmen Bo Jackson and Anthony "Turbo" Rogers should both compete for time with Donaldson and Peoples, while Williams-Dixon, walk-on TC Caffey, and fellow incoming freshman Isaiah West are other names to monitor further down the depth chart.
Grade: B+
• • • • •
Wide Receivers
Not only is Jeremiah Smith the team's best returning player, he is a common pick for the best returning player in the league. I personally would give that honor to Caleb Downs, but being in that conversation at all speaks volumes. Smith is a superstar and Carnell Tate is a budding superstar who turned down serious NIL offers to stay and start alongside him. The only question is how the rest of the depth chart stacks up.
Unlike James Peoples, our next guy up at receiver did make some plays in more important games, and they were big ones: Brandon Inniss' biggest catches this year included a touchdown against Penn State in Happy Valley, a fourth-down snag against Iowa, and a critical third-down catch against Notre Dame in the national championship. You can count the number of people with concerns about Inniss as our WR3 on one hand and the number of people with rational concerns about Inniss on zero hands.
When you include the rest of the room, it's weapons galore: Bryson Rodgers is another option off the bench who has hyped up his route-running abilities. Fringe five-star recruit Mylan Graham has remained mostly lowkey but has a chance to compete for a depth role after coming in as a summer enrollee last year. It looked like we might finally not birng in a five-star receiver this class, and then Quincy Porter had a stellar game at the Navy All-American Bowl and earned his fifth star.
As long as Brian Hartline is here, Ohio State will always compete for the best wide receiver class in the country. This year is no different.
Grade: A+
• • • • •
Tight Ends
It wasn't long ago that the tight end was practically an afterthought in this offense. Even our better receiving tight ends like Cade Stover or Jeremy Ruckert were frequently taking a backseat to the shinier weapons in our wide receiver room. While Ohio State does not typically develop Brock Bowers or Kyle Pitts-type guys, they may have just found their best shot at that level of talent in the transfer portal: Max Klare was the brightest spot on a dismal Purdue offense last sesaon and should immediately get most reps as a reliable safety valve for our first-time starting quarterback.
There is no lack of depth in the tight end room either. Will Kacmerak returns after a being a solid contributor last year, alongside Jelani Thurman and Bennett Christian, who are both gradually becoming more involved in the offense. All of these players have seen significant offensive snaps and this isn't even mentioning younger players further down the list, such as Maxence LeBlanc or incoming freshmen Nate Roberts and Brody Lennon.
If anyone needs justification as to why tight end coach Keenan Bailey received a promotion to co-offensive coordinator this offseason, his position group speaks for itself. We have an incredibly high ceiling with Klare, several others capable of starting and playing major roles, and even more young guys waiting in the wings. This may be the first time in decades that one could make a legitimate argument that our best position group on the team is our tight ends, so I am glad that Bailey's work in recruiting and development is getting recognized.
Grade: A+
• • • • •
Offensive Linemen
Starting on the interior, the Buckeyes have a number of options. Tegra Tshabola is the line's only returning full-time starter, but Carson Hinzman played center in place of the injured Seth McLaughlin and brings back a season and a half of starting experience under his belt. To fill the other guard spot, Ohio natives Austin Siereveld and Luke Montgomery will both factor into the competition alongside the aforementioned Tshabola. I would be comfortable with any four of these names starting with an offseason to gel with new OL coach Tyler Bowen.
Tackle is where options look slightly less promising. Last year, we entered the season with a mostly solid starting line-up with the mindset: "The worst thing that could happen is an injury to one of our tackles." Exactly that happened, which is why it pains me to say that I feel the same way looking at our line this year. I expect Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa to be an achor at left tackle and Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels to win the competition and start at right tackle, but the options behind them are very unproven.
Ian Moore, perhaps aside from sliding Tshabola over from guard, is our next-best option at tackle. The sophomore did a good job learning the ropes last year, but would certainly be thrown into the fire if he was pressed into action. The same can be said for other young guys like redshirt freshman Deontae Armstrong and incoming freshmen Carter Lowe and Jayvon McFadden. I'm excited to have them on this team and see how they develop, but I'd be nervous if we were forced to start one of them in a big game due to the injury bug.
Assuming Hinzman is our guy at center, whoever doesn't start between Tshabola, Siereveld, and Montgomery will likely be the next guy up. Joshua Padilla has had two years to learn at center and it's looking unlikely that guys like Devontae Armstrong or Gabe VanSickle will be forced to play. There's simply much more depth on the interior. I will give it a decent grade for the great interior depth, but the lack of significant competition for Daniels at right tackle and poor tackle depth overall caps this grade to a B at highest in my eyes.
Grade: B-
• • • • •
Defensive Linemen
Not only did we lose all four starters on our defensive line to the NFL Draft, but we also lost rotational players like Hero Kanu and Mitchell Melton to the transfer portal. Fortunately, we have heir apparents at every spot, particularly at defensive end where Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry have been groomed for three years to succeed the duo of Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. I have few reservations about either of them earning starting spots.
At defensive tackle, true freshman Eddrick Houston burst onto the scene to cement his name in the competition to start at three-tech, while Georgia native Kayden McDonald saw the most snaps of back-up defensive tackles last year and is our most likely starter at nosetackle. These four names are the most commonly predicted starting line-up, though the bigger questions are who else will compete to start or spell them in rotation.
At defensive end, Montana State transfer Logan George has the traits and potential to become a rotational edge rusher, while linebacker C. J. Hicks has expressed the desire to be used more on the edge. On the interior, Jason Moore has been lauded by coaches for his traits, and veteran Ole Miss transfer Tywone Malone Jr. is entering a critical point in his collegiate career and has an opportunity to step into the biggest role he's had as a Buckeye.
All in all, the room has much less proven depth than last year. Expect a few names of incoming freshmen from Larry Johnson's recruiting class to try and crack the two-deep, including edge-rushers Zion Grady and Epi Sitanilei, as well as defensive tackles Jarquez Carter, Maxwell Roy, and Trajen Odom. Though this room is similar in a way to the offensive line in that I'd be concerned in the event of an injury, I do believe there are enough guys both on the inside and outside that I like it marginally better.
Grade: B
• • • • •
Linebackers
Alongside tight end, our linebacker room has taken a vast upward trajectory in the past couple of years. Sonny Styles' transition from safety to linebacker went swimmingly, and Arvell Reese made a big offseason jump to overtake C. J. Hicks as the third linebacker. With Hicks possibly slated to move primarily on the edge, these two are expected to be our primary starters next season.
Ohio State has also been the benefactor of excellent recruiting: Styles was a five-star prospect out of high school and Payton Pierce was an underrated pick-up whose high school stock took a hit due to injury. Coming in this recruitment cycle are high four-stars Riley Pettijohn and Tarvos "TJ" Alford, both of whom we had to fight off serious competitors to secure recruitments from.
Other names that will make up the depth chart include Duquesne transfer Ty Howard, incoming freshman and Ohio native Eli Lee, and redshirt freshman Garrett Stover, the cousin of former tight end and linebacker Cade Stover. James Laurinaitis has been impressive so far in his first season as Ohio State's linebacker coach, and he could see himself climbing the coaching ladder if this success continues.
Grade: A-
• • • • •
Cornerbacks
Few were concerned with replacing the incumbent starters in the cornerback room. Ohio native Jermaine Mathews Jr. has been too good to keep off the field for long ever since he arrived, and incoming recruit Devin Sanchez is bringing with him a near-Jeremiah Smith level of hype. The room got even better with the declared return of Davison Igbinosun, who could see himself as a first-round corner if he is able to shed the penalty issues.
Tim Walton's elite recruiting has left us with a room full of depth and talent even with the departure of some transfers. The biggest concern is likely at nickel, where Walton has the option to either move one of the aforementioned three names from outside or to start wide receiver convert Lorenzo Styles Jr., who has been learning the position for the past two seasons. Other options include the versatile Miles Lockhart, impressive Ohio native sophomore Aaron Scott Jr., and fellow Ohioan second-year Bryce West.
The biggest question is Sanchez's placement on the defense. His size and skillset is a match for an outside corner, but with Igbinosun and Mathews Jr. still here, there's no room for him on the outside without displacing a starting-level talent. Whatever ends up happening, an embarrassment of riches is much better than the alternative.
Grade: A
• • • • •
Safeties
And finally, we get to my personal pick for the best player on our team: Caleb Downs. Complete with a year of starting experience at both strong and free safety, solid return ability, and two seasons of All-American team recognition, he is a nightmare that could be a top 5 pick in next year's NFL Draft even as a safety. The main pick for safety coach Matt Guerrieri is who he wants to start beside him, whether it's Ohio native free safety Malik Hartford or New Jerseyan true freshman Jaylen McClain who stood out at strong safety.
Having three potential starters is always good, though I will note that the depth is still a minor concern. South Carolina transfer Keenan Nelson Jr. did not take any snaps outside of special teams, so he and other young players like Leroy Roker III and incoming freshmen Faheem Delane, DeShawn Stewart, and Cody Haddad will have to step up in the event of injury.
My concern with this unit is less a present one and more a future one. Downs is gone for sure in 2026, and I expect Hartford and maybe McClain to leave in 2027. If that is the case, then I'm not sure who on our roster steps up to contribute then. That being said, we have plenty of time until then, and the fact that I'm extrapolating my concerns this far shows how well we have it right now.
Grade: A
• • • • •
Specialists
Kicker: Jayden Fielding had a successful redemption arc. He followed up an abysmal game against TTUN with a spectacular postseason run, only missing a field goal from 50+ yards on a cold night against Tennessee. Bringing in a transfer to compete or prepare to start next season would not be a bad idea, but it's certainly no longer necessary.
Punter: Joe McGuire performed solidly most of the way through, even though Nick McLarty was declared the starting punter at first. I'm interested to see what happens this upcoming season. I'm biased towards McLarty due to his higher ceiling, but I trust the coaches to make the right decision. Either way, I do not expect this team to punt a ton anyways.
Longsnapper: John Ferlmann. Returning starter. Next!
Punt/Kick Returner: Brandon Inniss with a splash of Caleb Downs. A few other players have the potential to get involved such as Lorenzo Styles Jr., and I would bet that the coaches try to find some non-starters so as to avoid injuries, but Inniss and Downs definitely have the highest potential for big returns, so we should expect them to be the most involved.
• • • • •
Welp, there you have it! I hope that I didn't make a bunch of goofs this time, but if I did, then feel free to let me know and I will edit and fix it.
Have a good week, everyone!
