offense
| RANK | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1 | J.T. BARRETT or CARDALE JONES |
| 2 | -- |
| 3 | BRAXTON MILLER |
| 4 | STEPHEN COLLIER |
| 5 | TORRANCE GIBSON |
I'm not going to choose a starting quarterback before Urban Meyer does, and because Urban Meyer says he's open to the idea of a quarterback platoon.
Braxton Miller comes next. If both J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones go down, it's hard to imagine Braxton Miller not moving back to quarterback, especially once he's fully healthy mid-season. However, Stephen Collier will likely get mop-up duty at the end of blowouts instead of Miller.
And though it's unlikely QB-turned-WR Torrance Gibson will see time at quarterback, it's possible.
| RANK | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1 | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT |
| 2 | MIKE WEBER |
| 3 | BRI'ONTE DUNN |
| 4 | CURTIS SAMUEL |
| 5 | WARREN BALL |
Ezekiel Elliott is a Heisman favorite and is the clear feature running back. However, many
others will get reps. Before his injury, Mike Weber was turning heads in camp and will likely see plenty of carries, even supplanting Brio'nte Dunn as Elliott's primary backup. Curtis Samuel could also see spot time after his move to H-Back.
| RANK | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1 | BRAXTON MILLER |
| 2 | CURTIS SAMUEL |
| 3 | DONTRE WILSON |
| 4 | JALIN MARSHALL |
Ultimately, this depth chart does not matter. The "starter" will likely change on a week by week basis and all of these guys will get plenty of reps. I think Braxton Miller and Curtis Samuel will get most of the reps at the h-back position while Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson will play a more as pure receivers, but that remains to be seen.
| RANK | WIDE RECEIVER X | WIDE RECEIVER Z |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICHAEL THOMAS | JALIN MARSHALL |
| 2 | COREY SMITH | JOHNNIE DIXON |
| 3 | K.J. HILL | DONTRE WILSON |
| RANK | CONTRIBUTORS | |
| 1 | BRAXTON MILLER | |
| 2 | TORRANCE GIBSON | |
| 3 | CURTIS SAMUEL | |
| 4 | TERRY MCLAURIN | |
| 5 | JAMES CLARK | |
| 6 | PARRIS CAMPBELL |
The injury to Noah Brown really threw a wrench into Zone-6, and outside of Mike Thomas, not much of a pecking order can be discerned. That said, there are a bevy of four-star recruits (and Braxton Miller and Torrance Gibson) lurking in the wings. Although inexperience could factor into Ohio State's first outing in a hostile place like Blacksburg, the unit should be at full power when the postseason rolls around.
| RANK | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | NICK VANNETT |
| 2 | MARCUS BAUGH |
| 3 | RASHOD BERRY |
Nick Vannett played much of last season as a starter due to Heuerman's injuries. He will return this season and will be an important target, especially the early games due do the inexperience at wide receiver. Behind him is Marcus Baugh who's shown on-field potential but has been held down by off-field issues.
| RANK | LEFT TACKLE | LEFT GUARD | CENTER | RIGHT GUARD | RIGHT TACKLE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TAYLOR DECKER | BILLY PRICE | JACOBY BOREN | PAT ELFLEIN | CHASE FERRIS |
| 2 | JAMARCO JONES | DEMETRIUS KNOX | PAT ELFLEIN | BRADY TAYLOR | ISAIAH PRINCE |
The starters have been set in stone since spring, but the second string is still up in the air, primarily at the guard position. Brady Taylor and Demetrius Knox appear to have the upper hand in landing the backup duties, but freshman Matt Burrell could pass either of them eventually.
Defense
| RANK | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1 | ELI APPLE |
| 2 | DAMON WEBB |
| RANK | NAME |
| 1 | GAREON CONLEY |
| 2 | DAMON WEBB |
| RANK | NAME |
|---|---|
| 1 | DAMON WEBB |
| 2 | MARSHON LATTIMORE |
Eli Apple and Gareon Conley will start. Damon Webb was just named starting nickelback. If a starter were to go down, Webb would fill their place, and Marshon Lattimore would move into the nickel spot.
| RANK | SAF | SAF |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VONN BELL | TYVIS POWELL |
| 2 | ERICK SMITH | ERICK SMITH |
| 3 | CAM BURROWS | CAM BURROWS |
Both starters return at safety. If one of them were to go down, Erick Smith would fill in without skipping a beat. He's tremendously talented and would be an outright starter at most schools.
| RANK | OUTSIDE (SAM) | MIDDLE (MIKE) | OUTSIDE (WILL) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DARRON LEE | RAEKWON MCMILLAN | JOSHUA PERRY |
| 2 | CHRIS WORLEY | CAM WILLIAMS | DANTE BOOKER |
| 3 | JEROME BAKER | NICK CONNER | JUSTIN HILLIARD |
Ohio State returns 2 and a half starters who will see most of the meaningful reps. However, that doesn't mean we won't get a chance to see some of the young guys too. I expect freshmen Jerome Baker, Nick Conner, and Justin Hilliard to see time this season.
| RANK | DEFENSIVE END | DEFENSIVE TACKLE | DEFENSIVE TACKLE | VIPER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JOEY BOSA | ADOLPHUS WASHINGTON | TOMMY SCHUTT | TYQUAN LEWIS |
| 2 | SAM HUBBARD | JOEL HALE | JOEL HALE | JALYN HOLMES |
| 3 | JALYN HOLMES | DONOVAN MUNGER | MICHAEL HILL | SAM HUBBARD |
All the starting spots for the season are set. However, there is a battle between Sam Hubbard and Jalyn Holmes to start in place of the suspended Joey Bosa in the season opener. I think Hubbard will win that battle, but that is not set in stone. Either way, both will move to backup roles once Bosa returns. On the inside, coaches lauded Tommy Schutt's camp thus far, but things could get dicey if either he or Adolphus Washington miss significant time.
