If Ohio State had to play a game tomorrow, Buckeyes cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs knows who would be starting opposite Gareon Conley at the other corner spot. There is no game, of course, but in this hypothetical scenario, if Coombs was forced to choose, he knows who would take the first defensive snap at that position.
“If we played tomorrow, it would be Marshon [Lattimore],” Coombs said Thursday following a recent spring practice.
Coombs paused briefly and continued.
“But Denzel [Ward] is going to play. [Damon] Arnette’s going to play. That’s really how I see it in all honesty,” he said.
Even though there’s currently a leader, it surely doesn’t sound like anything is set in stone just yet. And that’s precisely why the battle for Ohio State’s No. 2 corner could be the most interesting of the spring.
Lattimore, the ultra-gifted third-year sophomore, said recently he feels the best he ever has since arriving in Columbus as a highly-touted prospect in the 2014 class. The talent has never been the question with Lattimore, it’s just been his health. He has been limited throughout his first two seasons due to lingering injuries.
“Right now, I feel the best I have felt since I’ve been here so I’m not really concerned. I do extra stuff to make sure I’m right, but yeah, it’s aggravating not playing because of an injury when I know I’m ready,” Lattimore said. “But I don’t let it break me down. I keep my head high.”
Added head coach Urban Meyer: “Marshon’s gotta stay healthy because he’s so talented.”
Ward, one of just four Ohio State players in last year’s freshman class not to redshirt, impressed the coaching staff a season ago with his speed and playmaking ability. He was a solid contributor on special teams for the Buckeyes and is going to do everything he can to push Lattimore for that starting job.
“Yeah, there’s definitely some good candidates [for the starting spot],” Ward said. “We’re just all out here competing and we’re still good friends off the field and on the field. We’re just out here competing, having fun.”
Arnette figures to be the third guy in the pecking order here, but Coombs said the goal is for all three, plus Conley, to play in a regular rotation. Damon Webb, who was the team’s starting nickel last season, is repping with the safeties this spring. Coombs said that move is not necessarily permanent, calling it, “experimental spring time stuff.” It’s possible Webb returns to corner and finds himself right in the middle of this competition, as well.
The Buckeyes will no doubt have their two starting corners when it's all said and done, and they will play the majority of the snaps, but rotating for a series here or there is something Coombs absolutely wants to do.
Coombs said last season Conley and Eli Apple each played over 1,000 snaps. That’s too many and he does not want to repeat that in 2016. But in order to have a rotation, the players behind the starters must be ready to go.
“We have not had the depth to be able to do that,” Coombs said. “We would always love to be able to do that, but invariably, this is a position that takes a lot of wear and tear on your body and, to keep them healthy, it’s tough.”
So it’s Lattimore who’s currently in the lead to replace Apple and start opposite Conley for Ohio State at corner. But there’s still a long way to go, and there’s plenty of time for one of the other guys to make their move.
“We do have a lot of young guys and there's different comfort levels,” Coombs said. “This is an uncomfortable situation because of the level of knowledge that they have, but at the same time it's a lot of fun because they're like sponges and they're taking it all in.
“They're eager to do extra and that's very exciting.”
