Ohio State's 2023 football season has arrived.
The Buckeyes completed their first preseason practice on Thursday, completing drills and running live plays in front of media members and 500 fans on the outdoor practice fields at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
thank you buckeye nation for coming out to practice 1 pic.twitter.com/gVMRaaEa9V
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 3, 2023
After the practice, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and the Buckeyes' linebackers met with the media on the indoor practice field. Knowles and his unit were the second ensemble of an Ohio State coach and players to hold press conferences, as Ryan Day and quarterbacks Kyle McCord, Devin Brown and Tristan Gebbia spoke on Wednesday.
In his almost 15-minute interview session, Knowles discussed Sonny Styles and Ja'Had Carter's role in the defensive secondary, C.J. Hicks' development and Ohio State's plan for the Jack position.
As for the players, Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg predicted what it will be like to spend a second season next to each other, while Cody Simon, Reid Carrico, Gabe Powers and Hicks broke down their potential roles in 2023. Additionally, Kourt Williams explained his offseason move from safety to linebacker.
Below are the videos from each interview and bullet points that break down some of what Knowles and each linebacker said on Thursday.
Jim Knowles
- Knowles said he expects Ja’Had Carter to play adjuster (free safety), Lathan Ransom to play bandit (strong safety) and Sonny Styles to play nickel in 2023.
- On Styles, Knowles said: “Don’t assume anything with Sonny. He’s extremely talented and he can do it all.” Despite his heavier build at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Knowles feels comfortable with Styles' athleticism and quickness to cover slot receivers. He said Ohio State could use Styles in more ways than one this fall.
- Knowles said Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock would be Ohio State's starters at cornerback if the season started today. However, he has been pleased with the development and progression of Davison Igbinosun and Jyaire Brown this offseason.
- Knowles said Ohio State has known about Northwestern transfer linebacker Nigel Glover "for a long time." He said Glover is "the kind of kid that's coachable and wants to learn" and he looks forward to how Glover develops in his first season with the Buckeyes.
- On Kourt Williams, Knowles said: "He's a guy we have always felt would be better when he's closer to the line of scrimmage." Knowles said Williams will have to learn the playbook quickly at his new position in order to see the field and believes Williams is someone who can do that with ease. "Kourt is a first-class young man. It's great to have him at linebacker."
- On C.J. Hicks, Knowles said: "He has had a great offseason. He continues to improve. He's gonna play at Will. He's gonna play at Jack. We are gonna look for ways to get him in the game."
Steele Chambers
- Chambers on his health entering Ohio State's first preseason practice: "I feel great. Dangerous. ... It was great to be back out there with the boys." Chambers missed most of spring ball in 2023 because of a toe injury he suffered early in the offseason camp.
- On Eichenberg, Chambers said: "He is a barbarian out there, commanding the troops." Chambers said it was nice to play alongside Eichenberg in the first practice after missing that opportunity in the spring as both players dealt with ailments.
- Chambers on Hicks' potential in 2023: "Unlimited. He can do whatever he wants, honestly." Chambers said Hicks has impressed him the most in the weight room and thinks Hicks will continue to impress him in Ohio State's preseason practices. "He is really stacking up right now."
- In what has become a trademark for interviews with Chambers, the conversation devolved into a rating of Christopher Nolan movies. Chambers recommended that the media see Nolan's latest movie "Oppenheimer" and that he believes the Cillian Murphy-led biopic stands as Nolan's second-best film behind "Interstellar."
- On Styles, Chambers said: "That is another athletic specimen. I mean, dude jumps 40 inches. He is strong as hell. He is a fantastic player and an even better guy. He's gonna do fantastic this year. He's gonna do really good. We have all the trust in him in the world. That's why you see him on the field more."
Tommy Eichenberg
- On his health entering fall camp, Eichenberg said, "It's good. I feel good. Excited to be back out there."
- Eichenberg said the Ohio State defense has used its second-half performance against Michigan as motivation this offseason, even more so than its fourth-quarter performance against Georgia. Still, Eichenberg believes both were equally frustrating: "If they don't score a point, they don't win the game. If they don't score, they can't win. I think we really took that to heart."
- When asked if Ohio State believes it let last season's games against Michigan and Georgia slip away, Eichenberg responded, "Absolutely. Yeah."
- JT Tuimoloau asked Eichenberg what sport he would be great at if he didn't play football. Eichenberg said baseball and claimed he would be a great designated hitter who could hit lots of home runs.
Reid Carrico
- On his best attributes, Carrico said he excels at covering and wants to work more on stopping the run. He says he’s “pretty fast and pretty strong" for a linebacker.
- Carrico says this is “the best he’s felt” health-wise. He called his previously injured shoulder “OK,” but maintained he’s ready to play.
- Carrico said he didn’t expect to have three surgeries on his shoulders last year but “did the best that he could” at that moment and did the best he could for his teammates under the circumstances.
- On his motivation for playing after the injury, Carrico said he’s doing something “bigger than myself” and that he’s doing it for “the glory of God.”
C.J. Hicks
- Hicks said he would play the Jack position if necessary because he wants to “get out there and play." He added: "I feel like Jack would show how versatile I am because I could come off the edge but still drop back and play Will as well.”
- On Knowles, Hicks said “he’s starting to expect more out of me. I can tell. He and I have that relationship now that we can talk business but also talk about stuff outside of football and how it correlates to football and the Jack and Will and things like that.”
- In the offseason, Hicks said he tried to show he could be one of the hardest workers on the team and that he “wanted to make a name for myself.” He said people know him for what he did in high school and not what he’s done on the field at Ohio State because he hasn’t done anything yet, so he wants to take a step forward.
- Hicks is roommates with safety Sonny Styles and admires “how he approaches everything.” He admired Styles’ versatility and said he’s grown a lot since last year mentally.
Cody Simon
- Simon said he wants to “be as versatile as possible” in 2023 and be capable of playing different linebacker positions. He primarily played Sam linebacker last year, but he wants to help out the defense as much as he can by extending his versatility.
- On playing different positions, Simon said it’s “really the same mentality with each position.” The difference is learning different rules and schemes that come at each spot.
- On having to sit on the sidelines sometimes in a two-linebacker system behind Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg, Simon said he “loves those guys and they’re my brothers. It’s never wishing you were in there instead of him. Ultimately, it’s up to the coach.”
- Simon called Eichenberg “such a good leader” and said, “I don’t think anyone on the defense wouldn’t go into battle with him.”
Gabe Powers
- On getting lots of reps in the spring due to injuries to other players, Powers said the opportunity gave him “a lot of experience” and that “those reps helped a lot.” He said he knows the system “really well” now and that it should be a big camp for him.
- On entering his second year, Power says “there’s a huge difference” because he knows what to expect, what to do and knows the defensive scheme. He said he has much more confidence with this camp than a year ago.
- Powers called being coached by James Laurinaitis “amazing” and gushed about his knowledge of the linebacker position. “He’s an amazing coach, I’ve learned so much since he’s been here from techniques and just his knowledge of football.”
- Powers said linebacker meetings are run by different coaches depending on the situation, ranging from Jim Knowles, Laurinatis and Sam McGrath.
Kourt Williams
- Williams said his transition from safety to linebacker came after he thought and prayed about the move all offseason. "It was an idea I had brought up to the coaches... I was thinking about the next level. I think it could be a good move for me."
- Williams said he will need to learn the playbook and work on stopping the run consistently at the linebacker spot. However, he feels confident about his position change. "I'm already pretty fast, pretty strong. I think it will be a pretty easy transition for me."
- Williams said he had three shoulder surgeries last year to repair both his left and right shoulders, which was hard. Still, he wanted to be a leader for his teammates whenever possible last season. "I did the best that I could in that moment. I wanted to be there for the guys."
- On how he continues to come back to football despite those three surgeries: "I'm gonna ride this thing until the wheels fall off," calling back to Ohio State's culture of "Fight."
