Ohio State Practice Observations: Cade Stover Moves Back to Tight End, Josh Proctor Returns to Action

By Dan Hope and Griffin Strom on March 29, 2022 at 9:26 am
Cade Stover
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Cade Stover has changed positions yet again.

After starting the spring practicing with the linebackers, a position where he said he expected to make an impact “every single play” during a February interview with Eleven Warriors, Stover was back with the tight ends for the entire portion of Tuesday’s sixth practice of the spring that was open to the media.

Stover was the first player in the tight end line during position drills in Tuesday, followed by Joe Royer and Sam Hart. Gee Scott Jr. was not seen practicing with the tight ends on Tuesday, while Mitch Rossi is also unavailable this spring.

If his move back to tight end is permanent, it would mark the fourth position change of his Ohio State career. He began his career as a linebacker, then moved to defensive end later in his freshman year. He then spent the majority of the last two seasons at tight end before moving to linebacker for the Rose Bowl, but it appears the move back to linebacker will be short-lived.

Ryan Day, Kevin Wilson and Jim Knowles are all scheduled to meet with the media after Tuesday’s practice, so we’ll likely hear more then about why Stover has moved back to offense – though presumably, that indicates he is needed more at tight end than he is at linebacker.

Some additional observations from Tuesday’s practice:

Proctor returns to limited drill work

Still recovering from the season-ending leg fracture he sustained in Ohio State’s Week 2 matchup with Oregon last year, Josh Proctor returned to limited drill work on Tuesday, having previously only warmed up during the Buckeyes’ stretching periods in open viewing windows for the media.

Proctor was not among the 10 players Ohio State listed as unavailable for the spring, although Ryan Day said he was not likely to be back at full strength at any point during spring training.

“I don’t know if he will be full-go by the end of spring, but he’s working through his rehab,” Day said on March 9. “We are looking forward to getting him back into drills as we push into the middle of spring.”

Other notes

  • Cameron Martinez took the first rep at punt returner during Tuesday’s practice, followed by Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming.
  • Mitchell Melton continued to practice with the defensive ends as he has for all three windows of practice that have been open to the media.
  • Freshman defensive end Caden Curry was among the players working with the punt team as an upback while the rest of the defensive linemen went through position drills during the first period of practice.
  • Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jacolbe Cowan was back on the field and going through drills on Tuesday even though he was previously listed as unavailable for the spring.
  • Denzel Burke was seen with a heavily taped up left hand/wrist during Ohio State practice.

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