How Ohio State's 2022 Early Enrollees Fared During Their True Freshman Season

Eleven early enrollees, including Jermaine Mathews, Will Smith Jr., Joshua Padilla, Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld, Miles Walker, Noah Rogers, Carnell Tate, Bryson Rodgers, Jelani Thurman and Malik Hartford, are all officially one week into their college careers after setting foot on campus last Monday.

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But what should we realistically expect from Ohio State’s incoming freshmen, particularly those with a six-month head start on their peers, in year one? To gauge that, Let’s look back on last year’s 11 early enrollees, exactly how much they accomplished and the number of opportunities they had to do so on the field.

The following list includes only true freshmen, and not Power-5 transfers Tanner McCalister or Chip Trayanum, who also arrived last January. Of course, some of Ohio State’s best freshmen in 2022 may have been summer enrollees. But for the sake of this exercise, we’re focusing only on last year’s group of first-year early enrollees.

Devin Brown

2022 recap

The lone scholarship quarterback in Ohio State’s 2022 cycle is now a full year into his college career after arriving on campus last January. But the extra six months of work ahead of his freshman season didn’t help Brown earn an abundance of in-game opportunities as the Buckeyes’ third-string quarterback. Brown only saw action in two games this past year, and none at all after Week 5. The four-star, top-50 prospect out of Draper, Utah, logged nine snaps in Ohio State’s 77-21 rout of Toledo on Sept. 17, and the freshman saw six snaps in the Buckeyes’ 49-10 blowout of Rutgers. Brown didn’t attempt a pass in either of those games, though. 

2023 outlook

Assuming C.J. Stroud declares for the NFL draft, the prevailing thought is that Brown will have a real shot at beating out Kyle McCord for the vacant starting job under center come next fall. Brown was still running with the third unit on offense as of last month, as Ohio State allowed media to view a period in which Brown operated the offense against a scout team unit on defense. But Brown showed off his heralded talent even in that viewing window, as a 60-plus-yard touchdown pass to Kyion Grayes in 11-on-11 drills wowed everyone in attendance.

Bennett Christian

2022 recap

Entering his freshman year, some thought the four-star Georgia prospect might have more of a chance to make an immediate impact due to the uncertainty in the position room. The depth chart at tight end quickly became stabilized as Cade Stover emerged as a legitimate pass-catching weapon early in the year, though, and Christian wound up playing just nine snaps offensive snaps for the year – and all in the same game. Christian saw special teams reps against Toledo and Michigan State, but that was the extent of his in-game action in 2022.

2023 outlook

With Stover returning next season and Gee Scott Jr., Joe Royer and Sam Hart all holding more experience in the program, Christian still faces an uphill battle for more opportunities as a second-year Buckeye. Not to mention, four-star top-100 2023 recruit Jelani Thurman will also be in the mix among Ohio State’s reserve tight ends next season.

George Fitzpatrick

2022 recap

The past year was a developmental one for the four-star offensive tackle prospect out of Colorado. Entering the program under first-year offensive line coach Justin Frye, Fitzpatrick only played in one game for the Buckeyes in 2022, logging nine snaps against Indiana. With starting right tackle Dawand Jones out against the Hoosiers on Nov. 12, Josh Fryar started for the Buckeyes and allowed Fitzpatrick to see some action as the offense’s second-string RT. But Fitzpatrick’s season snap count was tied with Ben Christman for the lowest among the 13 Buckeye linemen that saw the field this past season.

2023 outlook

There will certainly be opportunities at tackle next season with both Jones and Paris Johnson Jr. declaring for the NFL draft in the past week, but a starting role is unlikely to fall to Fitzpatrick, barring injuries to more experienced players. Fryar and Zen Michalski appear most likely to assume a starting role as far as players currently on the Buckeye roster, but Frye and company have not been shy about offering scholarships to transfer tackles – to no avail thus far. If Ohio State doesn’t add a starting-caliber tackle from the portal before the season, though, a second-string role is not out of the question for Fitzpatrick in 2023.

RELATED Zen Michalski Prepared to Compete for Ohio State’s Starting Left Tackle Job After Two Years of Growth

Caleb Burton

2022 recap

Of Brian Hartline’s four wideout signees in 2022, Burton and Kyion Grayes were the lone early enrollees. But Burton, the No. 132 overall prospect in the class, saw the least playing time of the entire group as a true freshman. The nation’s 21st-ranked wideout was the only one of the bunch to not play a single snap on offense this past season, while Kojo Antwi and Kaleb Brown – both summer enrollees – each saw 27. Lack of opportunity wasn’t unexpected by any means, given the stars at the top of the depth chart, but Burton’s failure to see the field at all suggests he’s a step behind some of Ohio State’s other talented young pass catchers.

2023 outlook

The Ohio State wide receiver room has only lost Jaxon Smith-Njigba thus far, and he hardly took snaps away from any Buckeye wideout this past season after missing most of the year with injury. For Burton and the rest of last year’s freshman WRs, that likely means another season mostly spent on the sidelines.

Devin Brown completes to Caleb Burton along the sideline in 11 on 11 during OSU practice: pic.twitter.com/VZ3r94vsZi

— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) December 29, 2022

Kyion Grayes

2022 recap

The second-highest-ranked wideout out of the aforementioned group of four, Grayes played 13 offensive snaps across two games for Ohio State as a true freshman, logging eight against Toledo and five in the Buckeyes’ 54-10 win over Iowa on Oct. 22. Grayes even caught a pass in his first year, albeit for a two-yard gain against the Rockets, but Brown was the only other freshman wideout to do so in 2022. As an outside playmaker at wide receiver, stealing snaps from the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. or Emeka Egbuka was never in the cards for Grayes as a true freshman, even once Smith-Njigba went down.

2023 outlook

Unfortunately for Grayes, Ohio State’s entire year-end starting wide receiver corps should be back in 2023, not to mention players like Xavier Johnson and Jayden Ballard vying for bigger roles in the offense. But Grayes has flashed in practice from time to time, as evidenced by the aforementioned highlight-reel touchdown he caught during bowl week on a pass from Devin Brown.

C.J. Hicks

2022 recap

Jim Knowles’ philosophy on lineup continuity meant Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers more or less had linebacker reps under lock and key in 2022. As such, even a five-star prospect like Hicks – the top-ranked recruit in the Buckeyes’ 2022 class – didn’t see a single defensive snap as a true freshman. That didn’t stop Hicks from seeing the field on special teams, though, as the Dayton native appeared on Parker Fleming’s unit in every game other than the season opener. Hicks suffered what seemed like a serious leg injury on special teams against Michigan, but wound up returning to play in the Peach Bowl in a knee brace.

2023 outlook

Both Eichenberg and Chambers will be back for the Buckeyes in 2023, which means they’ll likely see the lion’s share of linebacker reps once again. Even beyond those two, Cody Simon is back after logging 233 snaps as a third-year linebacker. But with Palaie Gaoteote looking likely to depart from the program and Chip Trayanum possibly remaining in the running back room, there may be second-team opportunities available for Hicks at Will.

Gabe Powers

2022 recap

The Buckeyes’ second-rated linebacker in the 2022 class saw the field even less than Hicks. Powers didn’t get any snaps on defense and only played on special teams against Toledo and Wisconsin. Powers didn’t shed his black stripe until the end of the regular season, at which point he was the 20th Ohio State freshman to do so.

2023 outlook

The Marysville, Ohio, native and No. 101 prospect in the 2022 cycle will likely face another year of development in Knowles’ system with Eichenberg, Chambers and Simon expected to handle most of Ohio State’s linebacking duties again in 2023. But Powers will be in the mix alongside Hicks and Reid Carrico among young LBs working to secure a better spot on the depth chart this offseason.

Jyaire Brown

2022 recap

Ohio State’s three top cornerbacks entering the 2022 season all dealt with injury issues over the past year. That opened the door for Brown, the top-ranked corner in the Buckeyes’ freshman class, to see significant snaps in his first year. The Ohio native tallied 197 in total across 10 games by year’s end, including a season-high 52 as a starter in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten opener against Wisconsin. Brown was part of a secondary that limited the Badgers to just 12 completions and 104 yards through the air in the 31-point rout. Brown’s role was reduced once Ohio State’s regular starters got back in the mix, but he still finished the season with eight total tackles, three pass deflections and a forced fumble.

2023 outlook

Cameron Brown will be gone to pursue NFL opportunities and JK Johnson transferred to LSU earlier this month, and both of those absences clear room for Jyaire Brown to see even more time as a second-year Buckeye. Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock will be frontrunners to hold down the two starting spots, but Jyaire Brown played the second-most snaps of any returning Buckeye corner this past season.

Caden Curry

2022 Recap

The second freshman to see his black stripe removed last spring, Curry was also the lone scholarship freshman to appear in every game in 2022 – special teams or otherwise. The four-star edge rusher out of Indiana logged 78 defensive snaps, only fewer than J.T. Tuimoloau, Zach Harrison, Jack Sawyer and Javontae Jean-Baptiste among defensive ends, and also made multiple standout plays on special teams. Chief among them was his fourth-down stop on a fake punt attempt by Iowa during the Buckeyes’ 54-10 win on Oct. 22. In total, Curry was credited with 14 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack as a true freshman.

Caden Curry was ready for it. pic.twitter.com/yCS1kissjj

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 22, 2022

2023 outlook

Given Ohio State’s efforts to get Curry on the field in his first year, Buckeye fans should get a more extended look at the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defender in year two. That will be easier with Harrison and Jean-Baptiste both exiting the program, which leaves Curry as the returning Buckeye defense end with the third-most snaps played in 2022. Perhaps Curry could also see an expanded role as Jim Knowles’ Jack in 2023, should Sawyer see more time as a traditional edge.

Kye Stokes

2022 recap

The speedy Florida safety was ranked third-to-last among Ohio State’s 2022 scholarship signees. Then he was the first freshman to shed his black stripe after enrolling for the spring semester. Then in the spring game, he might have been the most talked about first-year performer of all. Stokes parlayed his standout first spring in Columbus into nine game appearances in 2022, and he saw defensive reps in seven of those. Stokes played a season-high 32 snaps at safety against Rutgers and finished the year with 12 tackles, one tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

2023 outlook

Ronnie Hickman played the second-most snaps of any Ohio State defender in 2022, which didn’t leave many leftovers for prospective free safeties lower on the depth chart. He’s headed to the NFL this offseason, though, which should free up opportunities for Stokes and company. However, with Syracuse transfer Ja’Had Carter entering the program, Sonny Styles expected to see a bigger role at one safety position or another and Lathan Ransom possibly returning to the program and sliding to Hickman’s old post, there won’t be any guarantees for the second-year DB.

Ryan Turner

2022 recap

Even with the aforementioned injuries at cornerback, Turner only saw the field for 20 defensive snaps across four games and five reps on special teams. A four-star prospect in the 2022 class, Turner was Ohio State’s second-ranked corner recruit behind Brown. But Turner, the 13th freshman to shed his black stripe, wound up playing 177 fewer defensive snaps than his fellow freshman CB. Turner was credited with one tackle on the year, which doubled as a sack and a TFL.

2023 outlook

The departures of Johnson and Cameron Brown should be beneficial for Turner’s playing time, but he’ll have to contend with the likes of Jyaire Brown and incoming freshmen Jermaine Mathews and Calvin Simpson-Hunt for reps in 2023.