Now that spring practices are complete, we have a much better feel for how Ohio State’s 2023 depth chart could stack up.
Between the spring game, numerous other practice sessions open to media members and interview sessions with Ohio State coaches all spring, we got plenty of insight over the past two months into which Buckeyes are in line to play the biggest roles this season.
As such, it’s time for us to project what Ohio State’s full depth chart will look like this season. Based on everything I saw and heard this spring, my best guesses for how I think Ohio State’s three-deep will stack up at every position this fall – at least as the roster is currently constructed, as it’s still possible the Buckeyes could add players via post-spring transfer additions – is below.
Quarterback
1. Kyle McCord
2. Devin Brown
3. Tristan Gebbia
McCord entered spring as the slight favorite to start at quarterback this season and still appears to be the slight favorite coming out of spring. He didn’t do enough this spring to lock up the starting job, giving Brown a chance to continue competing for the job, but Brown will need a strong start in preseason camp to seize that opportunity after missing the end of spring with a finger injury. In a close race, McCord’s extra year in the system and experience throwing passes in actual games for Ohio State could give him the edge in the end.
Gebbia’s six years of collegiate experience, including five starts at Oregon State, makes him a valuable third-stringer for 2023. Incoming freshman Lincoln Kienholz will likely redshirt his first season as the fourth-string quarterback.
Running Back
1. Miyan Williams
2. TreVeyon Henderson
3. Chip Trayanum
Williams and Henderson can be considered 1A and 1B at running back, as it’s likely both will start games and play regularly in every game as long as they’re healthy. Williams was more productive than Henderson last season, though, giving him the nod as Ohio State’s top running back in 2023 – even though a healthy Henderson could quickly re-emerge as one of the best RBs in college football.
Consistent playing time behind them could be hard to come by, but Trayanum made a real push for a role in the running back rotation with the explosiveness he showed this spring. That leaves Dallan Hayden off the three-deep for this season, even though he’s already good enough to start for many college football teams.
Wide Receiver (X)
1. Marvin Harrison Jr.
2. Carnell Tate
3. Noah Rogers
Wide Receiver (Z)
1. Julian Fleming
2. Jayden Ballard
3. Brandon Inniss
Wide Receiver (Slot)
1. Emeka Egbuka
2. Xavier Johnson
3. Kaleb Brown
Harrison, Egbuka and Fleming are all returning starters and are viewed by Brian Hartline as three of the best wide receivers in college football. Harrison could potentially play more snaps in the slot this year after practicing there most of the spring, but that’s unlikely to come at the expense of snaps for Egbuka, who could in turn play more snaps outside.
Hartline said at Ohio State’s coaches clinic last week that Johnson is “easily a top-four-round draft pick next year,” so there’s reason to believe he’ll also see substantial playing time on offense this year, with the potential to play snaps at multiple receiver spots as well as running back.
While those four are likely to see the vast majority of snaps, Tate and Ballard both made a strong case for playing time in the rotation with their performance this spring and at least did enough to secure their places on the two-deep coming out of spring. Inniss will be a player to watch when he arrives at Ohio State this summer, as he certainly has the talent to push for immediate playing time, but there’s no clear path to a spot on the two-deep for him right now.
Rogers also looks like he at least belongs on the three-deep after an impressive first spring at Ohio State. That leaves just one spot on the three-deep for second-year receivers Kojo Antwi, Kaleb Brown, Kyion Grayes and Caleb Burton; among them, Brown looks to be the closest to pushing for playing time this year.
Tight End
1. Cade Stover
2. Joe Royer
3. Gee Scott Jr.
With Stover returning as the starter, the big question at tight end is whether Royer or Scott will be his top backup. Scott saw more playing time last season than Royer, who missed most of the season due to a groin injury and the death of his mother. Still, Royer appeared to regain momentum as a potential No. 2 tight end this spring – though I expect both of them to see their share of playing time in multi-tight end packages.
Jelani Thurman could also contend for a spot on the three-deep at tight end after an impressive first spring in Columbus, but it’s rare for a true freshman tight end to play regularly at Ohio State.
Left Tackle
1. Josh Fryar
2. George Fitzpatrick
3. Luke Montgomery
Ohio State doesn’t seem completely sold on Fryar as its starting left tackle yet, but he took most of the first-team reps there this spring with Fitzpatrick and Montgomery behind him. Unless the Buckeyes add a left tackle via the transfer portal, which could potentially kick Fryar over to right tackle, he seems likely to be protecting the quarterback’s blindside this season.
Left Guard
1. Donovan Jackson
2. Ben Christman
3. Austin Siereveld
While it’s not out of the question that Jackson could move to tackle with the lingering concerns at that position, all indications this spring were that he’ll remain at left guard after a solid first season starting there in 2022. Christman performed well enough to secure a spot on the two-deep for the first time in his Ohio State career, while Siereveld took the third-team reps at left guard in his first spring as a Buckeye.
Center
1. Carson Hinzman
2. Jakob James
3. Victor Cutler Jr.
Hinzman looks like the frontrunner to start at center after taking most of the first-team reps this spring, but James – the No. 2 center last season but was unavailable for the entire spring after offseason surgery – will get a shot to compete for the job in preseason camp. Cutler also took some first-team reps at center this spring but will need to show improvement over the summer to make a serious run at the starting job as Ryan Day said multiple times this spring that Cutler was still “learning how to practice at Ohio State every day.”
Carson Hinzman is the frontrunner to start at center for Ohio State this season, though he hasn’t locked up the job yet.
Right Guard
1. Matt Jones
2. Enokk Vimahi
3. Toby Wilson
Like Jackson, Jones is a solidified returning starter at guard. Vimahi could potentially be the next man up at both guard spots after mixing in for first-team reps at both spots this spring, but he’s primarily lined up at right guard. Wilson mixed in with the second-team offensive line throughout the spring and is ahead of Trey Leroux in the pecking order despite being a walk-on.
Right Tackle
1. Tegra Tshabola
2. Zen Michalski
3. Miles Walker
Right tackle is the most unsettled position on the entire roster right now, as neither Tshabola nor Michalski looked ready to be the starter this spring. Tshabola looked like the stronger candidate to start based on what we saw this spring, but Ohio State would ideally like to add some competition through the transfer portal if the right player enters the portal during the post-spring transfer window.
Defensive End
1. JT Tuimoloau
2. Caden Curry
3. Omari Abor
Defensive End
1. Jack Sawyer
2. Kenyatta Jackson
3. Mitchell Melton
Tuimoloau and Sawyer are both entrenched as starters. Larry Johnson identified Curry as a second-string defensive end before spring practices even began, though Jackson looked like a strong candidate to be the first DE off the bench with the pass-rushing ability he displayed all spring.
As Johnson likes to play depth on the defensive line, Abor and Melton could have opportunities to earn playing time, too – particularly Melton, who is likely to play most of his snaps at the hybrid Jack linebacker position rather than as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end.
Defensive Tackle
1. Mike Hall
2. Tyleik Williams
3. Will Smith Jr.
Defensive Tackle
1. Ty Hamilton
2. Jaden McKenzie
3. Hero Kanu
Hall, Hamilton and Williams are all likely to play a starter’s number of snaps regardless of which two are in the starting lineup. Hall could play snaps at both 3-technique and nose tackle while Williams is likely to play primarily at 3-tech and Hamilton is likely to play mainly at nose.
McKenzie looked this spring like a player who could finally be ready to contribute in the defensive tackle rotation after a quiet first four years at Ohio State, though Kanu could also push for the fourth spot on the two-deep after an impressive spring game.
Ohio State could explore adding one more defensive tackle through the transfer portal as a depth piece, given that the Buckeyes hosted former Maryland defensive tackle Tank Booker for a spring visit before transferring to Arkansas. If not, the last spot on the three-deep will be occupied by one of three true freshmen: Smith, Kayden McDonald or Jason Moore, who could play either end or tackle for the Buckeyes.
Linebacker (Will)
1. Steele Chambers
2. C.J. Hicks
3. Reid Carrico
Linebacker (Mike)
1. Tommy Eichenberg
2. Cody Simon
3. Gabe Powers
Eichenberg and Chambers will remain Ohio State’s starting linebackers after performing well in 2022, but Jim Knowles has said he wants to rotate more at linebacker this season than he did last year. Simon has experience playing both Mike and Will and could potentially be the first linebacker off the bench at both spots, though Hicks made his case that he needs to be in the rotation this year as well with an impressive spring game starting in place of Chambers.
Powers also made a case for playing time with an impressive second spring with the Buckeyes, but his path to a spot on the two-deep is blocked for now, as is the case for Carrico.
Cornerback
1. Denzel Burke
2. Jyaire Brown
3. Ryan Turner
Cornerback
1. Davison Igbinosun
2. Jordan Hancock
3. Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Burke solidified his standing as Ohio State’s No. 1 cornerback with an impressive spring in which he drew praise from the Buckeyes’ coaches from start to finish.
Igbinosun also drew rave reviews in his first spring as a Buckeye, which is why I have him emerging as Ohio State’s No. 2 cornerback even though Hancock took most of the first-team reps opposite Burke this spring. That said, it seems likely both Igbinosun and Hancock will see regular playing time in the cornerback rotation this season, while Brown also performed well enough this spring to potentially earn some snaps in the rotation as well.
Turner and Mathews also performed well this spring, while Calvin Simpson-Hunt could push for a spot on the three-deep when he arrives this summer, giving the Buckeyes reason to feel good about their cornerback depth.
Davison Igbinosun is a strong candidate to start immediately after transferring to Ohio State from Ole Miss.
Nickel Safety
1. Cameron Martinez
2. Ja’Had Carter
3. Ryan Turner
Free Safety
1. Josh Proctor
2. Kye Stokes
3. Malik Hartford
Strong Safety
1. Lathan Ransom
2. Sonny Styles
3. Kourt Williams
Proctor, Ransom and Martinez took the most first-team reps at safety this spring, making them the frontrunners to be Ohio State’s three starting safeties this fall. Carter remains a player to watch in preseason camp, considering he was a three-year starter at Syracuse and Ohio State believes he can play all three safety spots. Still, Martinez and Proctor seemingly took advantage of their reps this spring, while Carter’s spring ended early when he suffered a knee injury.
There’s certainly an argument to be made that Styles should be in the starting lineup with the potential he’s shown as a five-star talent, but he appears to be in line for a situational role in which the Buckeyes will use him as a third linebacker/box safety – replacing the nickel safety – in situations where Ohio State wants another bigger body on the field. Williams could also be a candidate to play that role if he can get healthy after missing the entire spring and most of last season with a shoulder injury.
Stokes and Hartford are potential candidates to be the backup free safety after splitting second-team reps this spring. However, Stokes is probably more likely to see substantive playing time this year with a year of experience under his belt. Turner spent much of the spring practicing in the slot, especially after Carter’s injury, and he’s likely to continue cross-training at both spots to bolster the Buckeyes’ nickel depth.
Kicker
1. Jayden Fielding
2. Parker Lewis
3. Casey Magyar
Ohio State’s kicking competition remains unsettled, with Fielding and Lewis vying to replace Noah Ruggles as the Buckeyes’ field-goal kicker. Lewis has the advantage of actual collegiate experience kicking field goals at USC in 2020 and 2021, but the Buckeyes seem to be giving Fielding the first opportunity to win the job after he handled kickoff duties all of last season.
Punter
1. Jesse Mirco
Mirco is currently the only punter on Ohio State’s roster. The Buckeyes will surely look to add a walk-on punter or two this summer for depth, but Mirco will be the starter.
Long Snapper
1. John Ferlmann
2. Max Lomonico
3. Collin Johnson
Ferlmann was given a scholarship to transfer to Ohio State and handled every long snap in the spring game, both of which are sure signs that he’s in line to be the Buckeyes’ new starting long snapper this year. Lomonico and Johnson are both walk-ons, with Lomonico likely to be the top backup as he’s been in the program for two years, while Johnson just joined the team this spring.
Kickoff Returner
1. Xavier Johnson
2. Carnell Tate
3. Kaleb Brown
After taking over that duty midway through last season, Johnson was effective as Ohio State’s kickoff returner, so he’s likely to reprise that role this year. If the Buckeyes decide to change returners, the leading candidate to take over that duty would be Tate, who lined up as the kickoff returner in the spring game; his speed makes him a potentially dangerous returner, and playing him in that role could allow him to make more of an impact as a freshman before he becomes a likely starting wide receiver as a sophomore.
Punt Returner
1. Emeka Egbuka
2. Kaleb Brown
3. Jayden Ballard
Egbuka is expected to remain Ohio State’s punt returner after handling that job all of last season. Should the Buckeyes opt to take that responsibility off his plate, Brown looks like the best candidate to succeed Egbuka in that role, though Ballard took the majority of punt return reps in the spring game and could also potentially benefit from a bigger role on special teams while his path to a starting receiver job remains blocked.
