Presser Bullets: Kerry Coombs, Kevin Wilson, Zach Harrison and Thayer Munford Discuss the First Day of Spring Practice

Following their first of 15 scheduled practices in March and April, defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Kevin Wilson, defensive end Zach Harrison and offensive tackle Thayer Munford met with the media to talk about what they're working on as spring practice begins.

Below is a bullet-point rundown of what the two coaches and two players discussed:

Kevin Wilson

• When it comes to the evaluation of the three quarterbacks competing for the starting job (C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller, Kyle McCord), Wilson says "we need more time." He said that among himself, Ryan Day and Corey Dennis, they have a good contingent of evaluators and it's a good, collaborative process.
• "We've had one practice with a few throws. ... We know a little bit more about C.J. and Jack, but they also missed last spring." With Justin Fields having taken "80 percent of the snaps" last season, there's still a lot to figure out about with the strengths and weaknesses of Stroud and Miller.
• Wilson said that he has heard from scouts that Jeremy Ruckert "is the best blocking tight end" in the country: "He can maybe be as complete of a tight end as there is in college football this year. ... He's setting up to have a super year."
• He says Ruckert has trimmed up and added muscle: "His strength level with Coach Mick has improved. He's trying to be a little leaner and get a little quicker coming out of his breaks. He's setting up to have a huge year."
• Finding out a second tight end to be able to depend on is "huge," Wilson says, in order to have a better offense that fires on all cylinders, especially with how often the Buckeyes want to use 12 personnel.
• Wilson hinted that the Buckeyes may not use 12 personnel as often as they did last season with how many top-level receivers they have, but they still want to use two tight ends on the field often.
• Wilson said Cade Stover was recognized by the strength and conditioning coaches as one of the top performers in winter workouts. “Big spring for Cade.”
• He says that you don't just need five great offensive linemen: "You need seven or eight," in order to have quality depth.
• The offensive line "may be the most competitive position group in practice" early in the spring thus far.
• Wilson says that Paris Johnson Jr., who is projected to be a starting guard in 2021, is athletic enough to play both guard and tackle and handle edge rushers.

Kerry Coombs

• Asked about Lathan Ransom's role in the defense, Coombs says that Ransom is "going to play in that cover safety spot, the guy in the slot where he played last year on third down and stuff like that ... and he will play some other roles for us back there."
• Coombs believes Zach Harrison is set for a huge season: "He's been very impressive with his leadership. He's excited to play, and I'm excited to see him this season."
• The way that Alabama's dominant offense handled Ohio State's defense in the national championship game was "incredibly painful," Coombs says: "The journey that our kids were on to get to that game was phenomenal ... And I feel very responsible that we didn't play our very best in that environment. That's on me. That's my job.”
• Coombs was not willing to dish out any answers about how the Buckeyes' defensive schemes and philosophies may change as a result of that loss to Alabama.
• Only having three spring practices last season and not being able to install the new defensive schemes and have "direct teaching" hurt the Buckeyes' growth on that side of the ball "significantly," Coombs says. "For me, being able to look them in the eye and see them do it on the field, that's what I miss. ... Being able to have that this spring makes a significant difference. ... For us to have this opportunity to install what we wanna install is significantly important."
• Man-to-man defense "is our fastball. That's what we've gotta be able to do. ... Everything else bleeds off of that."
• Josh Proctor lined up as the free safety at the Buckeyes' first practice and "played really well." Proctor, Bryson Shaw (second-team reps) and Jantzen Dunn (third team) are the players that Coombs mentioned who have played that spot early on.

Thayer Munford

• On why he returned for another season: "I love this question. The reason I came back is I had to get my academics together. I have one semester left. It's also because of my mom. My mom really wants me to get my degree so I can be the first one in my family to graduate college. ... Football is important, but academics are even more important because I'm the first generation in my family to actually go to college." He said he promised his mom and "anyone who was around me my senior year of high school" that he would go back to get his degree. He is on track to graduate in August.
• Munford said that Ryan Day and the coaching staff wasn't surprised that he decided to return. He said he had "to make a grown man decision."
• Asked what sticks out about the three quarterbacks is "they love to work. They want this spot. They want to compete for this spot." He said that seeing those quarterbacks work so hard bleeds down to the other positions and breeds more competition between the other position groups.
• About where he thinks he can improve in his fourth year starting at Ohio State: “Everything.” He said he thinks going up against Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith in practice every day will allow him to continue to get better.
• Munford said that Matthew Jones, who is competing for a starting spot on the interior offensive line, has "something going on with his personal life" and is not focused on football at this moment.
• After his football career is over, Munford says that he wants to become either an athletic director or a head coach someday. Much of that stems from his story when Massillon head coach Nate Moore took him in as his legal guardian and helped lead to him having a successful college career on and off the field.

Zach Harrison

• On the praise he has gotten from the Buckeye coaching staff early on this spring: "I just made the decision at the end of last season going into this offseason that i'm going to give everything I have to this program – every rep, every workout – and I think the coaches noticed that going into this offseason."
• Harrison said he's not necessarily trying to be a leader and that he just has a "great bond with the guys" and that they trust him now more.
• Harrison admits he didn't have the season he expected from himself last season but that everyone is going to see the hard work he's put in pay off on the field this fall.
• Something the defensive line has really focused on is improving their pass rush and "do the things we need to do to get that extra half-yard, that extra three feet" to make the difference on those plays.
• "Consistency" is the thing Harrison singles out as what he needs to improve the most. Playing better down-to-down has been a major focus for him.
• Getting a front-row seat to Chase Young's evolution as a superstar has helped give Harrison a blueprint of how he can make a similar jump. He points out Young's practice habits as one of the main factors that he noticed.
• Harrison said he thinks the biggest thing he's improved from last season is his flexibility.
• He says that he doesn't worry about comparisons made between him and other past Buckeye greats such as Young, Joey Bosa or Nick Bosa.
• When asked who could fill Tommy Togiai's production, Harrison mentions Antwuan Jackson, Jerron Cage and true-freshman Tyleik Williams as some of the guys who have been impressive thus far.
• On Jack Sawyer: "Jack's a worker. He's one of those guys that gives everything he has. ... He's gonna be a good player here at Ohio State."