When Ohio State kicks off spring practices next week, there will be no shortage of Buckeyes looking to prove they deserve more playing time in 2021.
Those Buckeyes will include the 15 midyear enrollees who will be participating in their first-ever practices as Ohio State freshmen, along with 24 second-year Buckeyes who will be chasing bigger roles after their unconventional freshman year. Zack Carpenter already highlighted some of the top players to watch from those groups last week.
For those players, though, this spring will be just the first or second opportunity for them to make a move up the depth chart. There’s a bunch of other Ohio State players who also haven’t seen much playing time yet, and they’re starting to run out of time.
Below, we take a look at the veteran Buckeyes – all in at least their third year in the program – who haven’t yet been regular starters or major contributors at Ohio State, but who could get their chance in 2021 if they can prove they deserve it this spring.
While some of these players might be more likely to end up in the lineup than others, all of them are realistic candidates to see increased playing time this year – but they all still have something to prove this spring if they’re going to make that happen.
RB Steele Chambers and Marcus Crowley
With Trey Sermon now pursuing an NFL career, there’s an opening for Crowley or Chambers to earn a spot in the running back rotation in their third year at Ohio State. But they’ll have to compete with each other, and it’s no guarantee that either of them will make the two-deep with three younger running backs to hold off behind them.
Outside of fourth-year Master Teague, who’s already been in the rotation for the past two seasons, Chambers and Crowley are now the most veteran running backs on the roster. But they were both surpassed in the running back pecking order by Miyan Williams late last season, while TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor – perhaps especially Henderson – are candidates to push for immediate playing time as true freshmen.
Crowley likely enters this spring slightly ahead of Chambers, given that he was the one called upon to rotate with Teague when both Sermon and Williams were sidelined in the national championship game, but he only gained 14 yards on six carries against Alabama. Based on the running ability Williams flashed in limited action as a true freshman, there’s reason to believe he could start the spring already ahead of Crowley and Chambers. And if Henderson and Pryor are the players they’re expected to be, it’s unlikely either of them will stay at the bottom of the depth chart for long.
That makes this a crucial spring for both Chambers and Crowley because if they can’t establish a foothold on the running back depth chart this year, their opportunities to become regular contributors in Ohio State’s offense could pass them by. They shouldn’t be ruled out in this spring’s running back competition, though, even though Henderson and Williams are getting most of the hype going into it.
K'Vaughan Pope and Marcus Crowley are among the Buckeyes who will be looking to earn more playing time in 2021 after playing mostly on special teams so far in their Ohio State careers.
WR Kamryn Babb
Realistically, the outlook for playing time doesn’t look great for any upperclassman receiver not named Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson or Jameson Williams. With three second-year receivers and three first-year receivers who were all top-100 prospects in their respective recruiting classes also in the mix, it’s not in Brian Hartline’s best interest to keep them waiting behind fifth- and sixth-year receivers who haven’t yet made an impact for the Buckeyes.
The one veteran receiver who could still be a candidate for a late-career breakout, though, is Kamryn Babb – a possibility Ohio State hinted at on its official Twitter account on Monday.
If you were sleeping on @kamm_o you should probably go on ahead and wake up now.#Zone6 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/3fIpa0plry
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 8, 2021
Babb hasn’t caught a pass in his first three years as a Buckeye, but that’s mostly because he missed two full seasons with torn ACLs. He did see 31 snaps as a third-string wideout last year – while contributing regularly on special teams – and was himself a top-75 national recruit in his own recruiting class.
Earning a spot in the rotation won’t be easy, given that Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming were already regulars in the rotation last year while Gee Scott Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Jayden Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr. are all also candidates to push for playing time this spring. But Babb has drawn consistent praise within the program for how hard he’s worked to recover from his injuries and get back to form, and there’s still plenty of people in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center who believe he’s capable of a Johnnie Dixon-esque late-career surge.
@kamm_o makes us better everyday! Big things up ahead. https://t.co/OrWniM6oLC
— Matt Barnes (@CoachMattBarnes) March 9, 2021
TE Cade Stover
Cade Stover’s first two years at Ohio State didn’t go the way many envisioned they would when he was recruited to the Buckeyes as one of the nation’s top outside linebackers. Stover didn’t even play a full season at linebacker, moving to defensive end midway through his freshman year before moving to tight end last offseason.
Now that he’s spent a year developing at the tight end position, though, his chance to make an impact for the Buckeyes really could come in 2021.
Stover played only five offensive snaps last season, but that’s more than any other scholarship tight end still on the roster not named Jeremy Ruckert. With Luke Farrell and Jake Hausmann gone, the depth chart behind Ruckert should be wide open, and Stover will likely enter spring as the frontrunner to be No. 2 at the position.
That’s an opportunity to play substantial snaps for the Buckeyes, who have utilized two-tight end sets regularly for the past two years, and Stover’s athleticism at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds gives him intriguing potential as both a receiver and a blocker. Walk-on Mitch Rossi could also be a real candidate for the No. 2 tight end spot, and redshirt freshman Joe Royer and true freshman Sam Hart will be in the mix too, but the spot on the two-deep should be Stover’s to lose if he can prove he’s got his new position down.
OL Matthew Jones, Dawand Jones, Enokk Vimahi and Ryan Jacoby
All three starting spots on the interior offensive line could be up for grabs this spring, and that opens a path for any of these four third- and fourth-year offensive linemen to potentially become a full-time starter for the first time this season.
The safest bet to actually earn a starting spot in this group is Matthew Jones, who’s just barely eligible for this list after starting three games at left guard last year, including both College Football Playoff games. He’s a frontrunner to start at either guard or center, which could depend on whether Harry Miller can lock down the center job after starting most of last season at left guard.
Dawand Jones, Vimahi and Jacoby, all entering their third seasons as Buckeyes, could also factor into the guard competition. While Jones has spent most of his first two years at Ohio State at tackle, he’s expected to get a look at guard this offseason, and he’s perhaps the likeliest of this trio to force his way into the lineup given his literally massive potential at 6-foot-8 and 360 pounds.
It would be a bit more of a surprise if Vimahi or Jacoby earned a starting job at guard – which would mean beating out at least two of Miller, the Joneses and second-year Paris Johnson Jr. – and especially for Jacoby, given that he hasn’t yet played any snaps for the Buckeyes. But they’ll at least be in the hunt for spots on the two-deep.
DT Antwuan Jackson, Jerron Cage and Taron Vincent
Jackson, Cage and Vincent all saw semi-regular playing time as backup defensive tackles last season, and it’s a fairly safe bet that they all will again, but this spring is still a key opportunity for all of them – all now in at least their fourth year at Ohio State – to potentially earn bigger roles.
All three of them saw snaps at nose tackle when Tommy Togiai missed the national championship game with COVID-19, and now that Togiai has entered the NFL draft, they’re the top candidates to lead the nose tackle rotation in 2021.
Cage started against Alabama while Jackson played the most snaps against the Crimson Tide, and they’ll likely be competing with each other for the starting nose tackle job this spring. Either way, it’s likely they’ll both see regular snaps in the rotation rather than one of them playing all the snaps, but surely each of them would love to earn the starter title this year after waiting their turns for so long.
Vincent is probably more likely to remain on the second rung of the depth chart as Haskell Garrett’s backup at 3-technique, but it’s certainly possible he could factor in at nose tackle as well if he proves worthy of more snaps – which the Buckeyes would surely like to see from the five-star recruit after a fairly quiet first three years in Columbus.
LB Teradja Mitchell, Dallas Gant, K’Vaughan Pope and Craig Young
Mitchell, Gant and Pope have been lumped together for the past three years as recruiting classmates who have had to wait their turn at linebacker behind the likes of Tuf Borland, Pete Werner, Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard. Now that those four are gone, they can finally be lumped together as potential starters, as the three fourth-years are now the most veteran linebackers on the roster.
They’re still all mostly unproven, so it’s still not a lock that any of them will start this year. That said, Mitchell looks like the frontrunner to start at Will linebacker while Gant is the favorite to start at Mike, and it’s likely they can secure spots in the starting lineup if they perform up to expectations this spring.
Teradja Mitchell and Dallas Gant finally have their opportunity to earn starting spots this spring entering their fourth season as Buckeyes.
Pope, who played only 17 snaps last season, has more to prove if he’s going to earn the starting Sam linebacker job – and that’s where Young could come in. Entering his third year, Young is another now-veteran linebacker who’s had to wait his turn for extensive playing time, but he has high upside and should get a real chance to compete for the starting Sam job this spring.
Tommy Eichenberg is another third-year linebacker who will look to seize a spot in the lineup this spring, though it would be more of a surprise if he beat out Gant or Mitchell inside. All of those veterans will also face competition from second-year linebackers Cody Simon and Mitchell Melton and midyear enrollee Reid Carrico, but for the fourth-years in particular, this offseason is the opportunity they need to seize to finally become impact players on the Buckeyes’ defense.
CB Tyreke Johnson
Out of all the players on this list, there might not be anyone with more to prove than Johnson, who arrived at Ohio State with huge expectations as a five-star recruit yet has played sparingly in his first three seasons.
It’s not a great sign that Johnson barely played last year even when the Buckeyes’ secondary was struggling mightily, yet the door to competing for a starting spot should be open this spring. With Cameron Brown working his way back from a torn Achilles, Johnson should get his share of first-team reps at outside cornerback opposite Sevyn Banks.
Brown might still be the frontrunner to start opposite Banks even if he can’t practice this spring, and second-year cornerbacks Lejond Cavazos and Ryan Watts will be looking to climb the depth chart too, but Johnson could position himself for a spot in the cornerback rotation this fall if he performs well in March and April.
With Jakailin Johnson and Jordan Hancock set to arrive this summer, however, it could be now or never for Johnson to make his long-awaited move up the depth chart and earn playing time.
S/CB Ronnie Hickman
Hickman flashed playmaking ability in his most extensive playing time of last season, recording three tackles in 21 snaps against Michigan State. After that, however, he didn’t play any snaps the rest of the season, making it hard to forecast where he might be in the secondary pecking order entering this spring.
Lathan Ransom seemingly forged ahead of Hickman as an up-and-coming slot cornerback/safety hybrid, but as Hickman enters his third year as a Buckeye, he should certainly be among the defensive backs pushing to earn a bigger role in a secondary where Ohio State should be looking for potential improvements.
There’s a lot of potential competition at the safety and slot cornerback positions where Hickman could end up competing, including Josh Proctor, Marcus Williamson, Marcus Hooker, Ransom and fellow third-year defensive back Bryson Shaw. But Hickman has promising potential as an athlete who can make plays both in the box and on the perimeter, though he’s still mostly untested in coverage.
It’s too early to call this a make-or-break year for Hickman, given that he still has four more years of eligibility after the NCAA gave everyone a free year last season, but this spring will be his best opportunity yet to show he can be a difference-maker and earn more frequent playing time on defense.
