When former Ohio State cornerbacks coach Kerry Coombs left the program in January to accept a job with the Tennessee Titans, much was said about how it would effect the Buckeyes' defensive secondary.
Since 2012, Coombs had made a reputation by repeatedly molding high school stars into college studs and NFL first-round draft picks, while being widely known as one of the best recruiters in the country.
But in Columbus, it's a next man up culture, and the next man up is Taver Johnson, a 23-year coaching veteran with experience at the college and professional levels, including previous experience at Ohio State.
Under Johnson and safeties coach Alex Grinch, also new to the Buckeyes' staff, Ohio State returns several experienced defensive backs alongside plenty of depth.
Our Season Preview continues by taking a look at Ohio State's defensive backs, a position that's been a strong point of the program for quite some time.
What We Know
After a year in which the Buckeyes ranked 30th in the nation in pass defense — surrendering 195.9 yards per game — the team returns Damon Arnette, Kendall Sheffield and Jeffrey Okudah at cornerback while Jordan Fuller is a sure starter at safety.
Fuller is the most proven out of that group. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound junior out of Norwood, New Jersey recorded 70 tackles in 2017, second-best on the team, and picked off two passes. He was a third-team All-Big Ten honoree as well.
Season Previews
Whether or not the Buckeyes continue to rotate their cornerbacks like they have in the recent past, Arnette, Sheffield and Okudah should all see significant playing time.
Arnette and Sheffield, both standing at 6-foot and weighing slightly under 200 pounds, shared a starting role last fall. There's been no indicators of change throughout the spring.
Okudah, a sophomore who was a five-star recruit out of Grand Prairie, Texas, played last year as the team's fourth cornerback. But with a year of experience under his belt, he's expected to take on a bigger role this fall and, potentially, become the star at his position.
Also projected to see playing time is redshirt freshman Shaun Wade, who was also a five-star recruit in the class of 2017, as well as sophomore Marcus Williamson.
What We Don't Know
With the departure of Damon Webb from last season, the biggest question in the secondary has been who will join Fuller at the opposite safety position.
As of now, many believe that Isaiah Pryor will start alongside Fuller against Oregon State on Sept. 1. But it would be no surprise if the Buckeyes rotate players until they find the best fit.
Damon Webb
Pryor could indeed be the best fit. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound sophomore played in all 14 games last season and has been labeled as a potential breakout star. However, he's competing with several other safeties for playing time, including Jahsen Wint, Amir Riep, Brendon White and true freshmen Josh Proctor and Marcus Hooker.
At cornerback, while Ohio State does bring back experience, it won't be with Coombs. While Johnson has the experience to back up his hiring, he'll be different than Coombs, whom the Buckeyes' defensive backs have been accustomed to.
Johnson is no stranger to Columbus as he coached under Jim Tressel from 2007-2010 and under Luke Fickell in 2011. Upon his hire, head coach Urban Meyer said, "I am really pleased to have Taver Johnson join our coaching staff. I think he is a terrific coach and person. He’ll do an excellent job coaching our cornerbacks and mentoring the young men in our program."
He certainly has big shoes to fill. But with Meyer's confidence and the overall talent the Buckeyes' cornerbacks have, there should be no reason for alarm just yet.
In the coming years, Johnson will have to recruit as well as Coombs in order to keep Ohio State's cornerbacks among the best groups in the country.
Position Outlook
In an overall sense, Ohio State's secondary absolutely has the potential to be strong. But it may be worth watching how quickly the group can adapt to new coaching schemes.
| NO. | NAME | POS. | HT. | WT. | YEAR | HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | JEFFREY OKUDAH | CB | 6-1 | 199 | SO | Grand Prairie, Texas (South Grand Prairie) |
| 4 | JORDAN FULLER | S | 6-2 | 204 | JR | Norwood, New Jersey (Old Tappan) |
| 8 | KENDALL SHEFFIELD | CB | 6-0 | 193 | RS JR | Missouri City, Texas (Blinn College) |
| 10 | AMIR RIEP | S | 5-11 | 195 | SO | Cincinnati, Ohio (Colerain) |
| 12 | SEVYN BANKS | CB | 6-1 | 195 | FR | Orlando, Florida (Jones) |
| 13 | TYREKE JOHNSON | CB | 6-1 | 193 | FR | Jacksonville, Florida (Trinity Christian) |
| 14 | ISAIAH PRYOR | S | 6-2 | 197 | SO | Lawrenceville, Georgia (IMG Academy) |
| 15 | JOSH PROCTOR | S | 6-2 | 198 | FR | Owasso, Oklahoma (Owasso) |
| 21 | MARCUS WILLIAMSON | CB | 5-10 | 186 | FR | Westerville, Ohio (IMG Academy) |
| 23 | JAHSEN WINT | S | 5-11 | 196 | RS SO | Brooklyn, New York (Erasmus Hall) |
| 24 | SHAUN WADE | CB | 6-1 | 192 | RS FR | Jacksonville, Florida (Trinity Christian) |
| 25 | BRENDON WHITE | S | 6-2 | 210 | SO | Powell, Ohio (Olentangy Liberty) |
| 26 | CAMERON BROWN | CB | 6-1 | 175 | FR | St. Louis, Missouri (Christian Brothers) |
| 28 | ALEX BADINE | CB | 5-11 | 185 | JR | Brooklyn, New York (Monroe CC) |
| 29 | MARCUS HOOKER | S | 6-0 | 185 | FR | New Castle, Pennsylvania (New Castle) |
| 30 | KEVIN DEVER | S | 6-0 | 190 | SO | Cleveland, Ohio (St. Edward's) |
| 42 | LLOYD McFARQUHAR | CB | 5-9 | 165 | FR | Cleveland, Ohio (Brush) |
| 43 | RYAN BATSCH | S | 6-3 | 205 | FR | Loveland, Ohio (Loveland) |
| 46 | DAMON ARNETTE | CB | 6-0 | 195 | RS JR | Fort Lauderdale, Florida (St. Thomas Aquinas) |
The losses of Webb, who signed with the Tennessee Titans as a free agent, and Denzel Ward, who was drafted fourth overall by the Cleveland Browns, will most certainly be felt.
At times last year, Ohio State's pass defense was bend-but-not-break — especially early on, giving up over 800 passing yards in the first two games. A lot of that, though, had to do with the linebacker position, which had habitual trouble covering tight ends and short routes out of the backfield.
Thankfully for the Buckeyes, they've developed a crop of young defensive backs that should pick up the slack of those departed and learn well on the fly if need be.
With multiple key contributors returning and another year of experience under their belts, the expectations are high. If the Buckeyes can find a bona fide safety to start alongside Fuller, there's no reason to believe those expectations can't be met head-on.
