When Josh Proctor decided to return to Ohio State for his sixth-year senior season, he did so with no guarantee he would play a major role for the Buckeyes’ defense this year.
At the time, it didn’t appear particularly likely that he would. Ohio State had added a transfer safety in Ja’Had Carter, a three-year starter at Syracuse, with Lathan Ransom returning as a sure-fire starter and Sonny Styles on a trajectory toward starting as a sophomore. Initial expectations were that Ransom would move to free safety while Styles would start at strong safety and Carter would be the Buckeyes’ top nickel safety.
Instead, Ohio State kept Ransom at strong safety, opening the door for Proctor to take the first-team reps throughout spring at free safety. Come the start of preseason camp, however, it looked like Proctor could find himself on the backburner once again as Carter moved to free safety and began camp taking first-team reps there alongside Ransom at strong safety and Styles at nickel.
But Carter never ended up securing the starting free safety job this preseason, and he didn’t end up playing at all in Saturday’s season opener at Indiana, which opened the door for Proctor to begin the year in the starting lineup once again. This time, Proctor took advantage of the opportunity, recording four tackles with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup that got the Buckeyes off the field on fourth down.
. @Jproctor_2018 flyin around https://t.co/2d8qzQSZgK pic.twitter.com/sZm1shElFV
— Brodie (@BrodieKnowsBall) September 3, 2023
Although he wasn’t told until walkthroughs before Saturday’s game that he would start against the Hoosiers, Proctor felt ready for the spotlight because of the way he approached this offseason.
“I just wanted to honestly keep my head down and work,” Proctor said. “I didn't know if I was going to be a starter, but I wanted to work like a starter. Just work, watching film, meeting with coach, staying in the playbook and all of that, so I just wanted to be prepared if I got the chance next time.”
Proctor said “it means the world” to him that Ohio State trusted him to begin the season as a starter, and he wanted to show he belongs in that position.
“All I needed was a chance to get out there,” Proctor said. “I know I can ball and I know what I can do. So when that chance came, I just wanted to take advantage of it.”
Proctor learned the hard way last year what can happen when a player doesn’t perform when his starting opportunity comes. While Proctor began the 2022 season as Ohio State’s starting strong safety, he was replaced by Ransom after just one series in the season opener against Notre Dame because of a coverage bust on the game’s first play that led to a 54-yard catch-and-run for then-Notre Dame receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr. (who is now an Ohio State cornerback). Proctor saw limited playing time the rest of the season as Ransom locked down the starting job alongside Ronnie Hickman and Tanner McCalister.
That setback came after Proctor began the 2021 season as Ohio State’s starting free safety but suffered a season-ending leg fracture in the second game of that year. Those repeated setbacks could have caused Proctor to lose faith in his opportunity to become an impact player for the Buckeyes, but he continued to believe in himself.
“It definitely is,” Proctor said when asked if it was hard having to go through those setbacks, “but it's all about trials and error, so I'm just happy to be back out here, man.”
Proctor credited Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano with bolstering that belief.
“There's been a lot of meetings between me and him, there's been a lot of conversations, and he just wants me to be the best I can be,” Proctor said of Eliano. “And I took account into that, and whatever he told me, I just tried to apply it on the field and in life, and it's paying off so far. So I just want to keep doing it.”
“I know I can ball and I know what I can do. So when that chance came, I just wanted to take advantage of it.”– Josh Proctor on starting the season opener
Starting the season opener doesn’t guarantee that Proctor will be the starter all year long. Malik Hartford took his place in the lineup alongside other defensive starters for Ohio State’s final four defensive series against Indiana, showing how highly the Buckeyes think of the true freshman safety. Carter, who missed some practice time both in the spring and preseason with injuries, could still earn his way into the starting lineup as the year progresses.
But Ryan Day said Tuesday that Proctor’s strong showing against Indiana earned him the opportunity to remain a starter going forward, though he said he expects Hartford and Carter to also see their share of playing time.
“I think you'll see those other guys play, but Josh right now has earned the right on the field to be the starter,” Day said.
While Proctor has always flashed the talent to be a difference-maker, his consistency in making the plays he’s supposed to make has been a problem in previous seasons, so Proctor will need to build off of his strong season opener – for which Ohio State coaches said he graded out a champion – to prove he belongs in the lineup all year long. But he showed that consistency near the end of preseason camp, which led to his starting opportunity.
“That's something that's always been a focus for Josh is his consistency,” Day said. “He needs to be consistent.”
Knowles said he thought Proctor “played well” against Indiana and agreed with Day’s assessment that Proctor should remain the starter for now, but said he expects the free safety depth chart to remain “highly contested” between Proctor, Hartford and Carter.
“You have to earn it every week when you're in one of those situations,” Knowles said. “You really have to evaluate practice.”
Proctor still must prove he can be consistently relied upon in coverage against better downfield passing offenses, as Indiana ran a triple-option offense against Ohio State and only attempted 21 passes, completing just nine of them.
“His strong point is being aggressive, playing downhill as a safety. So yeah, I definitely want to see how he reacts to balls thrown down the field. That's something you got to see out of safeties,” Knowles said.
That said, Proctor will go into this week’s second game of the year against Youngstown State with “a big confidence boost” thanks to his performance against Indiana, though he says the approach he took into the first game won’t change.
“My whole thing going into this offseason was clear mind, clear heart, clear soul. Don't worry about anything, let everything go,” Proctor said. “Once you're out here, play ball. And I know I can do that.”
