Ohio State’s need for new leaders to step up has been one of the most-discussed storylines of the offseason both within and outside the program.
While the Buckeyes are loaded with talent, and are therefore expected to contend for a championship once again, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has reiterated on several occasions leading up to the season that the Buckeyes need strong leadership – the type of leadership that departed captains like J.T. Barrett, Billy Price and Tyquan Lewis will no longer be there to provide – in order to realize their potential.
"I know we didn’t win a national championship, but that was a heck of a team we had last year, and a heck of a group of older players that I love to death and went through the wars together," Meyer said after the spring game. "This is not where we were last year when it was a veteran team."
Nonetheless, the Buckeyes still have plenty of players who look like they could be team leaders in 2018 and ultimately, be named captains when that vote takes place in August.
Although Ohio State had nine captains last season, the most in school history, it shouldn’t be assumed that the Buckeyes will have that many this season – especially considering all the veterans who departed from last season. That said, Meyer’s six teams at Ohio State have all had at least five captains – with each of the last five having at least six – so as long as there are at least a half-dozen Buckeyes who prove themselves worthy of being captains over the next month, it’s likely there will be a large group of captains.
| Season | Team Captains |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Zach Boren, Garrett Goebel, Jordan Hall, Etienne Sabino, John Simon |
| 2013 | C.J. Barnett, Corey Brown, Christian Bryant, Kenny Guiton, Corey Linsley, Jack Mewhort |
| 2014 | Michael Bennett, Curtis Grant, Doran Grant, Jeff Heuerman, Braxton Miller, Evan Spencer |
| 2015 | J.T. Barrett, Jacoby Boren, Taylor Decker, Braxton Miller, Joshua Perry, Tyvis Powell |
| 2016 | J.T. Barrett, Joe Burger, Gareon Conley, Pat Elflein, Tyquan Lewis, Raekwon McMillan, Billy Price |
| 2017 | J.T. Barrett, Parris Campbell, Jalyn Holmes, Sam Hubbard, Tyquan Lewis, Terry McLaurin, Billy Price, Tracy Sprinkle, Chris Worley |
While Meyer has said that he does not select a set number of captains, he has also said that he does not want to deprive the honor of captaincy to someone who he feels deserves it.
"I remember when (former Ohio State defensive lineman and assistant coach) Mike Vrabel was here, he was in our staff meeting and he mentioned that he was not elected captain, which blew my mind, and it was just because they limited it to three or four," Meyer said last August. "I'm thinking that's one of the greatest honors you could ever have, why would you ever take that from a guy that's deserving? So I’ve always, since that conversation I had with him, whoever deserves it is going to be captain."
We now take a look at who Ohio State’s sure-fire captains of the upcoming season are, the players who are most likely to join them and some of the other players who could warrant consideration.
Returning Captains
Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin, WR
The only two of the nine captains last season who are still on Ohio State’s roster, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin are locks to be captains once again. They are still two of the most respected leaders on the entire team, and their coaches and teammates have continued to talk up their leadership all offseason.
"Parris and Terry are elite leaders," Meyer said in April.
Campbell has already been selected by his teammates to give the pregame locker-room speech this year – a role that J.T. Barrett, who fellow 2017 captain Sam Hubbard described as last year’s "captain of the captains," held last season – while McLaurin will lead the team’s pregame prayer.
Probable Captains
Dre’Mont Jones, DT
No player received more praise from Meyer this spring than Dre’Mont Jones, who consistently impressed his coaches and teammates with his effort and performance during the Buckeyes’ early preparations for the 2018 season.
"The guy that has probably had the best spring of anybody on our team this spring is Dre’Mont Jones," Meyer said after the spring game. "He was outstanding this spring."
Meyer also named Jones, as well as Jordan Fuller, when asked this spring about players who could be leaders of the defense this season. So after putting the NFL draft on hold to return to Ohio State as a fourth-year junior and then demonstrating continued improvements this offseason, Jones looks like a strong candidate to be a captain this season, especially after the Buckeyes lost four defensive linemen who were captains last season.
Jordan Fuller, S
As just noted above, Fuller was another player who was named by Meyer as a defender who has emerged as a leader. Like Jones, Fuller is expected to be a star this upcoming season after performing well in 2017 and impressing his coaches and teammates with his progress this spring.
"He’s a master of the defense," Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch said in April. "He can fix issues. He can get other guys right from an alignment and call standpoint, and he has the confidence to do so.”
In addition to emerging as the Buckeyes’ best safety on the field, Fuller has had performance befitting of a captain in the classroom, earning Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors for the 2017-18 academic year.
Other Likely Captains
Johnnie Dixon, WR
While Ohio State already has two sure-fire captains at wide receiver, that won’t stop the Buckeyes from naming another wide receiver as a captain – considering that the Buckeyes had four captains on the defensive line last season – if they feel there is another player worthy of the distinction at the position. And Johnnie Dixon looks like a strong candidate to fit that ball.
Like Campbell and McLaurin, Dixon is a fifth-year senior who is among the team’s most respected veterans, even though he wasn’t a captain last year. He has also been selected to speak to the wide receivers before each game prior to Campbell and McLaurin addressing the entire team.
Johnnie Dixon is among Ohio State's top candidates to become a new team captain this year.
Robert Landers, DT
While Campbell, McLaurin and Dixon were the captains for the pregame coin toss for Team Gray and the first-team offense in the spring game, Robert Landers joined Jones and Fuller as one of the three captains for Team Scarlet and the first-team defense. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise if that foreshadows a captaincy assignment for Landers this fall, too.
Landers has one of the biggest personalities on the entire team, and is a player who seems to draw his teammates to rally around him. With the departure of so many defensive linemen who provided leadership for last year’s team, Landers could play a part in filling that void.
Other Possible Captains
Michael Jordan, Isaiah Prince, Brady Taylor and Demetrius Knox, OL
Ohio State has had at least one captain on its offensive line in four of the last five seasons, so there’s reason to believe another captain could emerge from the unit this season, and four of the five projected starters up front could be legitimate candidates.
Isaiah Prince, a true senior, is going into his third season as the Buckeyes’ starting right tackle, while Michael Jordan, a true junior, is going into his third season as the Buckeyes’ starting left guard. Demetrius Knox, the Buckeyes’ projected starter at right guard, and Brady Taylor, the projected starting center, are both fifth-year seniors. All of them will be expected to be leaders for the offensive line this season, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise if one of them is named a team captain as well.
Mike Weber, RB
Ohio State’s most veteran running back, Mike Weber was already on the Buckeyes’ leadership council last season because of his standing in his position group. Ohio State hasn’t had a running back captain since Jordan Hall in 2012, but if Weber can extend his leadership from the running back room to the entire offense, he could end that drought.
K.J. Hill, WR
Meyer said during an interview in June that the Buckeyes have “four legitimate leaders” at wide receiver, and while he didn’t spell out who those four receivers are, he was certainly referring to Campbell, McLaurin and Dixon and presumably also referring to fourth-year junior K.J. Hill – who has the most career catches of any player on Ohio State’s roster.
Four wide receivers as captains might be too many, but since the Buckeyes had four defensive linemen as captains last season, they’ve proven that they won’t shy away from having a multitude of captains in one position group if they feel all are deserving.
Nick Bosa, DE
Nick Bosa doesn’t stand out as a vocal leader, but he certainly stands out for his play on the field. He’s Ohio State’s best player regardless of position, and now, he’s also the Buckeyes’ most experienced defensive end. That makes him likely to be a player who his teammates look up to this year, and that could lead to a captaincy nod.
Tuf Borland, LB
It’s rare for a redshirt sophomore to be named a captain (with J.T. Barrett being the exception to the rule), but linebackers are often popular choices for captains – the Buckeyes have had at least one linebacker captain in 10 of the last 11 seasons – and Tuf Borland, going into his second playing season and third year on campus, has already established himself as a leader of that position group. Borland is set to be Ohio State’s starting middle linebacker as soon as he makes a full recovery from the Achilles injury he suffered this spring, and that big role could be enough to lead to captaincy despite his lack of seniority.
Dwayne Haskins, QB
Dwayne Haskins would be a surprising choice to be a captain this year, considering that he has never started a game for the Buckeyes and is still developing as a leader, but it’s still a possibility that shouldn’t be ruled out.
The Buckeyes have had a quarterback captain for each of the last five seasons, and Haskins is in line to be Ohio State’s new starting quarterback this year. Additionally, he appears to have a natural ability to rally his teammates around him even though he is a redshirt sophomore with limited game experience.
Haskins still has a long way to go to become the revered leader that Barrett was as his predecessor, but if Haskins can take ownership of Ohio State's offense and demonstrate a commanding presence in fall camp, he just might emerge as a captain – which would be a huge vote of confidence in his abilities from his team.
