The spring game often feels like a distant memory by the time the college football season officially starts in the fall, but the glorified scrimmage can shine a spotlight on the breakout stars of the year to come.
C.J. Stroud got the best of the quarterback battle in last year's edition, while a number of true freshmen – including Jack Sawyer, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka – stood out with showcase performances in the exhibition. As we take a look at which Buckeyes to focus in on ahead of Saturday's spring game, several of those same names appear to be good bets to make standout plays, while a number of other Ohio State players will be intriguing to watch for one reason or another.
Whether it be first-year Buckeyes trying to make a first impression on the Ohio State fan base, players looking to put a stamp on their first spring back from an injury or individuals that figure to feature in a particularly interesting aspect of a scarlet and gray scheme change, we've compiled a list of 11 players worth keeping a close eye on in Saturday's contest.
Note that players like Kamryn Babb and Kourt Williams, who may very well have made the list otherwise, were not named specifically due to the uncertainty surrounding their apparent short-term injuries, which could keep them out of the spring game entirely.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Perhaps the foremost standout performer at Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day practice on April 2, at least in terms of offensive players, Marvin Harrison Jr.’s stock only continues to rise on the heels of his three-touchdown showcase in January’s Rose Bowl. Harrison made a number of highlight-reel grabs in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 reps in the aforementioned open practice window, and let’s not forget about what he did in last year’s spring game, catching seven passes for 49 yards and a score.
The second-year wideout has only improved since then, and he’ll have a chance to prove it Saturday as he continues to make a push to be WR2 behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Brian Hartline’s position room.
DE Jack Sawyer
After stealing headlines with his four-sack spring game performance a season ago, Sawyer has a good chance to do so again given his expected prominent usage in the Jack position – a package that has been talked about ad nauseam since news first broke that Jim Knowles would be the new defensive coordinator at Ohio State. Sawyer appears to be the top candidate to fill the hybrid defensive end/linebacker role for the Buckeyes this season, but even beyond that, his potential improvements strictly as a pass rusher will be fascinating to watch as he enters his second season.
Sawyer wasn’t satisfied with his results as a true freshman, and the spring game will be a platform to show what fans can expect from him in 2022 and beyond.
Jack Sawyer going head to head with Dawand Jones here: pic.twitter.com/1I2XnPfIA1
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) April 2, 2022
QBs Kyle McCord & Devin Brown
We’ll cheat here and add both quarterbacks that are expected to play most of the snaps under center on Saturday, as C.J. Stroud will likely exit the game early given his veteran status in the program.
There will be no separating what one does without the context of the other player’s performance, as McCord and Brown will likely be duking it out until next offseason to become the heir apparent to Stroud in the Buckeye offense. It won’t be the top storyline of this weekend’s spring game, with the new-look Jim Knowles defense sure to steal plenty of headlines, but we’d be lying to say we won’t also be keyed in on how Ohio State’s backup QBs perform at Ohio Stadium on Saturday.
McCord turned heads in last year’s event, going 12-for-17 with 184 yards, two touchdowns and no picks, but Brown will be making his spring game debut as a true freshman in the program.
DE Mitchell Melton
Expectations weren’t necessarily sky-high for Mitchell Melton entering the spring, given that the third-year linebacker missed all of 2021 with a torn ACL and didn’t get on the field a whole lot the year before that, either. But Melton has been a surprise standout over the past several weeks according to Knowles, who has showered the Maryland native with praise following his transition to the defensive line. Bigger than the average Buckeye linebacker but not quite the size of a defensive lineman, Melton seems to be an ideal fit for the Jack position, where he has shared plenty of reps with Sawyer this spring.
Melton should see a considerable amount of playing time Saturday, should the Jack position be utilized as much as we expect, and it will be Melton’s first-ever spring game appearance at Ohio State.
WR Emeka Egbuka
It’s hard to mention Harrison’s name without also bringing Egbuka up soon after, as both sophomore wide receivers seem to share a similar trajectory as future superstars in the same mold as Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Smith-Njigba. Despite his obvious talents, which he used to haul in seven passes for 123 yards in last year’s spring game, Egbuka was the low man on the totem pole in terms of snaps played among Ohio State’s top four wideouts in the Rose Bowl. That had a lot to do with the all-time great performance Smith-Njigba was putting on in the slot, but it’s possible we see Egbuka play on the outside Saturday as he vies for a starting position in the Buckeye receiving corps.
Julian Fleming, who just as easily could have made this list, will be another player to keep a close eye on this weekend as he tries to stave off his younger counterparts from taking more of his snaps in 2022.
Stop what you're doing and check out this insane one-handed catch by Emeka Egbuka. pic.twitter.com/kk5OjHIbPe
— Justin Holbrock (@NBC4Justin) April 2, 2022
TE Joe Royer
One of two names (along with Babb) that C.J. Stroud recently listed as Buckeyes who are flying under the radar this offseason, redshirt sophomore Joe Royer has a chance to have a breakout season at tight end in 2022, and the spring game could give fans a strong indication of why that is. With Jeremy Ruckert gone from the position room, things are wide open for a tight end to make a statement this offseason, and despite having played just 34 snaps last season, Royer is right in the mix as a top candidate to do exactly that.
Cade Stover may be penciled in as the top tight end for Kevin Wilson and company after switching back from linebacker, but Royer is the more natural pass-catcher of the two and has a chance to showcase that skill set on Saturday.
C.J. Stroud says Joe Royer and Kamryn Babb are two Buckeyes that people need to start paying more attention to ahead of next season. pic.twitter.com/qAytzLYRwL
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) April 6, 2022
LT Paris Johnson Jr.
There’s no secret as to who Ohio State’s first-team left tackle will be this season, but Saturday will be the first chance for Buckeye fans to get a look at Paris Johnson Jr. in the role he came to Columbus to play in the first place. The five-star recruit is so talented he became a starter at guard in his second year of college football, a position he had never played before, but many anticipate his full potential to be realized upon transitioning back to the outside. Dawand Jones said early in the spring that Johnson got off to a slow start after moving to tackle this offseason, but the spring game presents an opportunity for Johnson to show how far he’s come since getting reacclimated to his natural position.
DE Caden Curry
The second true freshman to lose his black stripe this spring, Caden Curry was an impact performer during 11-on-11 drills at Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day practice in early April, and is yet another Buckeye who could factor into things at the Jack position. Curry could earn more first-team reps with a standout performance in the spring game, where he may very well see a high number of snaps if veteran defensive ends like Zach Harrison and Javontae Jean-Baptiste sit out most of the day as one would anticipate, given that they have been limited participants this spring.
LB Chip Trayanum
While some combination of Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers, Cody Simon and Teradja Mitchell figure to have the inside track on the starting jobs at inside linebacker this season, Knowles has made it clear Arizona State transfer Chip Trayanum isn’t necessarily all that far behind the others despite transitioning from the running back position. Trayanum logged some impressive reps with the second-string unit at Ohio State’s open practice on April 2, and just how fast he can assimilate to the way things operate under the new Knowles regime with the Buckeyes may be foreshadowed by his caliber of play in Saturday's exhibition.
S Kye Stokes
A surprising development out of Ohio State’s spring camp recently was the announcement that Kye Stokes, the third-lowest-rated recruit in the Buckeyes’ class of 2022, was the first true freshman to lose his black stripe. Such an achievement can’t be interpreted as anything other than positive for the speedy 6-foot-2 safety, who has a chance to show spectators what he’s shown the Buckeye coaching staff over the past several weeks on Saturday.
Stokes likely gained more opportunities in practice following the departure of veteran safety Bryson Shaw, who recently entered the transfer portal, but that doesn’t make his early black stripe removal any less impressive. And that will lead to the opportunities to take more reps on Saturday, too.
S Cam Martinez
Tanner McCalister figures to have the starting nickel safety spot locked down in 2022, but Cam Martinez seems to have made a strong push as of late to also earn playing time in the secondary. A Silver Bullet of the Day recipient this past week, Martinez would likely be the second-team nickel if the Buckeyes had to play a real game on Saturday, but McCalister says Martinez’s athleticism and versatility could allow him to be used in different ways on the back end for the scarlet and gray this season.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.
— Jim Knowles (@CoachJimKnowles) April 11, 2022
African Proverb
@C_Mart1k #BIA #StrengthAndHonor pic.twitter.com/WOvjIpVZtP
We may very well see some of that variety on Saturday, as Martinez continues to campaign for an increased role on the Buckeye defense entering his third year in the program.
