Ohio State's safety room has garnered plenty of attention this offseason.
With All-Big Ten honorees Lathan Ransom and Josh Proctor back for a fourth and sixth season, Cam Martinez and Ja'Had Carter ready to earn prominent roles and five-star recruit Sonny Styles poised for a breakout sophomore campaign, the reason for that attention becomes apparent.
Still, Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano believes his players have plenty of work to do before the season starts. He understands that preseason expectations, while fun, do not matter unless the Buckeyes' safeties deliver positive results on Saturdays in 2023.
"We’re trying to find the best 11 players in the field and create an opportunity for guys that can elevate their skill set at certain positions," Eliano said at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday. "I have been pleased to this point. This is only practice five, but I have been pleased to this point. It's still a work in progress. We are trying to find the best combination (of players) to get ready for game day."
Eliano was among five Buckeyes who met with the media after Ohio State's fifth practice of preseason camp, as Ransom, Styles, Martinez and Carter accompanied their position coach at individual podiums.
In addition to his comment about his position room's progress in fall camp, Eliano explained the roles he expects each safety to fill this season, their growing comfortability with Jim Knowles’ defensive system entering year two and more. As for the players, Ransom shared his desire to remain healthy this season, Styles expressed his excitement for an increased role, Martinez broke down his development this offseason and Carter discussed his recovery from the injury he suffered this spring.
Below are videos from each of their press conferences and bullet-point recaps of what each Ohio State coach and player said after the team's fifth practice of preseason camp.
Perry Eliano
- Eliano said all three safety sports remain open for competition. “We’re just trying to find the best 11 players in the field. Trying to create an opportunity for guys that can elevate their skill set in certain positions.”
- On Sonny Styles’ versatility: “He’s kind of a unicorn, so to speak. I love the kid. We’re just trying to create the very best opportunities for our guys to be on the field to give us the very best chance to win games.”
- Eliano says he wants to have “six guys plus one” who Ohio State can rely on to play significant snaps at safety.
- “This is healthy competition. Nobody’s guaranteed a spot. And that’s what you want as a coach. So they know they got to bring it every day.”
- Eliano believes Ohio State has more safeties that can play than it did last year. “We’re better than we were last year, but I think part of that is just another year in the system, another year in the scheme, so they have a greater understanding. So you’re seeing more guys get reps.”
- Asked if people are making too much of which specific safety spots players are lining up at in practice, Eliano responded “I would say yes.” He says they want all of their safeties to know all three spots and that “we’re just trying to find the very best mix.”
- Eliano said Malik Hartford’s physical development since he arrived at Ohio State in January “has been nothing short of amazing. That’s a credit to the young man’s maturity, so I’m excited about him.” Eliano said Hartford and Styles are similar with how quickly they’ve picked things up.
- Asked what Styles’ role will be this season, Styles responded simply, “He’ll be on the field.”
- Eliano said cornerbacks Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner could both play nickel safety situationally. He said Cameron Martinez has a similar skill set to them with his ability to play both safety and cornerback.
- Eliano said Lathan Ransom has “really taken a leadership role” and “had a phenomenal summer.”
- Asked if there had been any conversations about taking Ransom off of special teams units to limit injury risk, Eliano responded “Here at Ohio State, our best players play on special teams, period.”
- Eliano said he expects Josh Proctor to “play a significant role.” He said the biggest thing he needs to see from Proctor is consistency, but described Proctor as a “selfless” player who “loves to help his teammates win and do it at a high level.”
- Eliano said Kye Stokes is “continually growing.” Stokes had a lot to learn because he played multiple positions in high school, but Eliano said “I’ve seen great strides from Kye.”
Lathan Ransom
- Ransom said this is “the healthiest” he’s been since he’s played at Ohio State.
- On playing in Knowles’ system for the second year: “Our defense is playing really confident. Firing out to the ball and making a lot of plays. It’s exciting to watch and great to be a part of.”
- Ransom said last season he learned the importance of putting on enough size to endure the whole season: “I’m in there against linemen, tight ends and running backs. I think it took maturity of my diet and lifting to understand it’s good to feel Game 1 or Game 2, but how are you going to feel Game 8? Those are the real big games of the season. Coach Mick got me right this year and I bought in to my nutrition. I feel great.”
Sonny Styles
- Styles thinks the nickel safety position is a good fit for his game because it enables him to demonstrate his versatility. “I’m able to be in the slot, play in coverage, be able to blitz off the edge, things like that. So I think just a way for them to display my versatility. It feels good to know that they trust me or believe in me to move me around different places.”
- Styles said it is “super cool” and “special” to play with his older brother again after Lorenzo Styles Jr.‘s transfer from Notre Dame to Ohio State. He said he didn’t try to convince his brother to play at Ohio State, but “home felt like the best place for him.”
- On being in a position to play a more prominent role this year, Styles said “it feels good, but I just got to keep getting better.”
- Styles said he said he has “a lot more confidence” going into his sophomore year than he did as a freshman.
- On how the defense will be different in Jim Knowles’ second year: “I think the team’s gonna be flying around a little bit more. I think guys got a better understanding of the defense. And I think he’s just going to be a different intensity. I think we improved last year, but it’s going to improve even more.”
- Styles believes going up against Ohio State’s receivers and tight ends in practice is preparing him well for having to cover a wide variety of receivers and tight ends during the season. “You get those reps against them, then you get in the game against other dudes, I think the game’s a little slower.”
- Styles said Kam Chancellor and Sean Taylor were two of the safeties he idolized growing up.
- On freshman tight end Jelani Thurman: “He’s a specimen. You guys like that to say about me, that’s a specimen right there. And I think he’s gonna keep getting better. He’s gonna be a great player.”
- On freshman safety Malik Hartford: “I think what’s really impressive about Malik is he doesn’t act like a freshman. He knows what he supposed to do, he’s very trustworthy, and I think you can expect good things from him. He doesn’t make those freshman mistakes.”
- Styles said he thinks he made “a really good decision” reclassifying and enrolling at Ohio State last year instead of this year. “I felt me reclassing was gonna set me up for this year, and I think it did.”
- Styles said he was 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds when he arrived at Ohio State last year and is 6-4, 229 now.
Ja'Had Carter
- Carter said it was difficult to miss some of the spring practices for health-related reasons and said "it's never good" to watch the team work from the sidelines. "It was tough, but I fought through it. I got back out there and got prepared for fall camp."
- Carter said Ransom, Styles and Proctor helped him transition from Syracuse to Ohio State. He said those players, among others, helped him learn what it means to put in the "unseen hours and unrequited work" that Eliano constantly preaches.
- Carter said he feels like he "can do everything" at the safety position. "Wherever I am needed, that's where I will go." He added that he hasn't earned anything and wants to continue to prove himself to the coaches and his teammates in preseason camp.
- On Styles, Carter said: "There's not a lot of guys that big that can move like he moves." He said that quality is what stands out most about the former five-star from Pickerington, Ohio. Carter also said Styles has shown several leadership qualities even as a sophomore.
Cam Martinez
- Martinez said he’s been “picking up right where he left off” from spring ball. He said it usually takes a few practices to get the rust off, but that hasn’t been the case this year for him.
- Martinez said the team drills have been “very competitive” thus far between the offense and the defense.
- On the safety room, Martinez said “this is the first year we’ve had a lot of depth. We have a lot of talent and a lot of players that can play multiple positions. Any time you have that, that can be really scary and I think that’s really important for our team.”
- Martinez said having the same system for the second year in a row has been refreshing and it’s been the first time at Ohio State he hasn’t had to spend a lot of time in the offseason learning a new playbook. “I think there’s always an advantage to that.”
- Martinez said he’s “a lot more comfortable” with playing safety after starting out as a cornerback.
