Taver Johnson's first stint in Columbus was undeniably a successful one.
As Ohio State's cornerbacks coach from 2007 to 2011, Johnson helped develop two All-American corners and a Jim Thorpe Award winner. He also helped lead a secondary that ranked in the top-10 in total pass defense and top-5 in opponent passer rating three times in his five years.
Johnson was named as a finalist for Football Scoop’s defensive backs coach of the year award in both 2009 and 2010 and impressed Urban Meyer enough that the head coach opted to retain him upon his arrival in Columbus – though Johnson chose to leave to become the assistant head coach and linebackers coach at Arkansas in 2012.
Six years later, Johnson is back in Columbus, replacing the man Meyer hired to replace him.
It might be unrealistic to think Johnson will be near as successful as Kerry Coombs was during his six-year stint in Columbus, as Coombs developed five cornerbacks which went on to be first-round picks and led a continually dominant unit.
Half of Ohio State's current cornerbacks were rated higher than Johnson's previous two highest-rated corners.
But it is realistic to think Johnson will have even more success this time around than he had last time, because as successful as Johnson was during his first run at Ohio State, he never had anywhere near the talent he's inheriting now.
In terms of recruiting rankings, there might not be a more talented unit at Ohio State right now. Over half of the team's corners were rated as top-four cornerbacks coming out of high school. Only one of the eight Buckeye corners was lower than a four-star recruit – three-star Damon Arnette – and five were rated as five-star prospects – the most five-stars of any unit at Ohio State.
| Name | Year | Star Rating | Pos. Ranking | Nat. Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damon Arnette | Jr. (RS) | ★★★ | 97 | 1120 |
| Kendall Sheffield | Jr. (RS) | ★★★★★ | 4 | 31 |
| Jeffrey Okudah | So. | ★★★★★ | 1 | 8 |
| Shaun Wade | Fr. (RS) | ★★★★★ | 2 | 17 |
| Marcus Williamson | So. | ★★★★ | 24 | 182 |
| Amir Riep | So. | ★★★★ | 26 | 186 |
| Tyreke Johnson | Fr. | ★★★★★ | 3 | 21 |
| Sevyn Banks | Fr. | ★★★★ | 23 | 221 |
Few of the players Johnson coached during his previous stint in Columbus were even rated by recruiting services. The highest-rated corners to play under Johnson were four-star C.J. Barnett – the No. 10 corner and No. 102 player overall, and four-star Travis Howard – the No. 14 corner and No. 157 player overall.
Half of Ohio State's current cornerbacks were rated higher than Johnson's previous two highest-rated corners.
Johnson's two most successful corners – Malcolm Jenkins and Chimdi Chekwa – were barely acknowledged by recruiting services. Jenkins was a three-star prospect, rated as the No. 58 cornerback and No. 667 player overall while Chekwa wasn't even rated by 247Sports, but was a three-star prospect on Rivals.com.
With Johnson's help, the two developed to become All-Americans and Jenkins won the 2008 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top cornerback.
Of course, these aren't completely fair comparisons. Recruiting services have gotten much better at finding and evaluating high school talent – with the help of the internet and services such as Hudl – and people simply care more about recruiting now than they ever did before.
Still, it's undeniable that Johnson is inheriting a unit more talented than any he's coached before, which is much more of a testament to how Ohio State's recruited lately than it is a knock on how it's recruited in the past.
With Johnson's track record of player development coupled with the statistics his defenses put up with much less talent and depth should have Buckeye fans salivating at the future, and rightfully so.
Still, there still could be one worthy of at least slight concern – recruiting. Ohio State has a loaded cornerbacks room in large part because of Coombs' efforts on the recruiting trail. Johnson's inheriting an enormously talented unit, but it's up to him to keep it full of talent.
It's not like this is foreign to Johnson, either. Last time he was in Columbus, Johnson was instrumental in landing Doran Grant, Marcus Hall and Tyvis Powell. And something tells me Ohio State is even easier to sell now than it was in the midst of NCAA sanctions.
The Buckeyes will miss Coombs – he's about as irreplaceable as a position coach can be – but every indication is that the cornerbacks are in good hands with Johnson. Just like they were last time – but with a little more talent.
