Ohio State isn’t ready to name a starting free safety yet.
Although Ohio State’s season opener against Indiana is just four days away, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles declined to name a starting free safety on Saturday, saying that Ja’Had Carter, Josh Proctor and Malik Hartford are all still battling for the job and that all three of them are likely to play in Bloomington.
Knowles acknowledged that he feels “some angst” about the fact that Ohio State does not have a singular starter at free safety right now, but said he wants to see someone go out and win the job, which he doesn’t feel has happened yet. He believes all of them are capable of playing the position for the Buckeyes, though.
“They all can play,” Knowles said.
Carter had been viewed as the frontrunner to start at free safety after opening preseason camp at that spot with the first-team defense, especially considering that Carter started 28 games over the past three seasons at Syracuse before transferring to Ohio State in January. But Carter missed time in the spring with a knee injury, and Knowles said last week that Carter had been “banged up” again, though Carter lost his black stripe in practice last week.
Proctor was the first-team free safety during spring practices and has experience starting games for the Buckeyes in each of the last three seasons, while Hartford has made an immediate push for playing time as a true freshman.
Ryan Day said Tuesday that the Buckeyes will be “smart” with Hartford given that Saturday’s contest will be his first-ever college football game, but said he is expecting Hartford to see playing time in the secondary right away.
Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles are in line to be Ohio State’s other two starting safeties with Ransom starting at bandit (strong safety) and Styles starting at nickel safety.
