Every year when a particularly good Ohio State defender leaves—particularly a shutdown corner—Buckeye fans collectively display a combination of the following symptoms:
- Heart palpitations, or a “racing” heart
- Feeling weak, faint, or dizzy
- Tingling or numbness in the hands and fingers
- Sense of terror, impending doom, or death
- Feeling sweaty or having chills
- Chest pains
- Difficulty breathing
These are the symptoms of a panic attack. But there’s no reason to panic.
Many people worried that Ohio State didn’t have a suitable replacement waiting when Bradley Roby left. They weren't confident Doran Grant could get it done. Yet, Grant had a fantastic senior season and proved he could handle the No. 1 cornerback spot in 2014.
Now, many of the same people are lamenting the loss of Grant and wondering if Eli Apple can handle taking over the spot. This replacement anxiety is perfectly normal and generally unnecessary. More often than not, Ohio State figures out a way to replace even its best guys.
Concerned about Ryan Shazier leaving? Oh hey, here’s a Darron Lee for you. Oh, are you troubled by John Simon going pro? How does a nice Joey Bosa sound? No more Terrelle Pryor? Let’s get you a winning trifecta of Braxton Miller (and his string of conference player of the year trophies), J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones.
The cornerback position seems to get the most angst on defense, and is second only to quarterback, because it’s a high-profile position that puts its athletes on an island against the opposition’s top play makers. It’s a tough job and it’s difficult to find guys who are super good at it.
But it’s really no different than any other area of need. Ohio State sometimes misses, but rarely does it have an entire position group lacking. That’s why linebacker was such a concern from 2011-13. To have so much attrition combine with so many misses in one position group is unusual in Columbus.
And so, Roby gave way to Grant, who in turn yields his spot to Apple, a player who made an impact earlier in his career than Grant did. Doran became a starter his junior season, taking a spot vacated by Travis Howard. In 2013, many lamented Grant’s ability to turn and locate the ball in the air. If this sounds familiar, it’s because that’s what we did last year with a redshirt freshman starter named Eli Apple.
In all likelihood, Apple will be fine. He got on the field earlier than Grant did, which can be a sign of a guy who will develop into a special player at Ohio State. If he sticks around long enough, Apple could be a three- or four-year starter.
Roby was a three-year starter at the position. Other three-year starters at corner in the last two decades include Chimdi Chekwa, Malcolm Jenkins, Ahmed Plummer and Shawn Springs. Of those four players, only Springs was the top guy for his three seasons as a starter. The others came in opposite of the shutdown corner and worked their way to the spot.
Apple could be the top guy for two or even three seasons.
Some readers may be old enough to remember the same feeling of replacement anxiety when Springs left Ohio State for the NFL. After all, he was one of the best ever to play the position for the Buckeyes. He was only replaced by some guy named Antoine Winfield, who started for two seasons before taking his considerable quality to the League.
So now it’s Eli Apple’s time to shine (and seriously, who doesn’t love a shiny Apple?) as the top dog in the cornerbacks room. If history in Columbus shows, it’s more likely we’ll have to worry about Apple’s replacement than Grant’s this season. And with the talent Urban Meyer has collected in that spot, we probably don't have much to be concerned with on that side either.
