Josh Proctor has an alliterative, two-word term to describe his play style.
“I like to call it controlled chaos.”
Proctor’s always shown an ability to fly downhill and make plays against the running game – even as far back as his bone-clattering hit in the 2019 Big Ten Championship against Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan – but combining that mentality with a measured approach to the safety position has allowed him to make plays sideline-to-sideline in 2023.
“When you see Proctor out there, he just flies around,” sophomore safety Sonny Styles said. “Like against Indiana, that one play where he had the running back (on triple option), you see him swarm to the ball – I think that’s his biggest thing. He pulls his shirt and he goes.”
Arriving at such a place wasn’t an instantaneous process for Proctor.
A year ago against Notre Dame – the very team Ohio State is playing this week – the Oklahoma native was benched in favor of Lathan Ransom at the Buckeyes’ boundary safety position and never carved out a consistent role in the 2022 defense afterward.
“It’s progress I had to make personally,” Proctor said. “This whole year, I wanted to buckle in and know what I’m doing. Not necessarily worried about what’s going on outside and what people may say, just focus on me.”
Now that he’s settled into a starting role as Ohio State’s free safety in 2023, the evolution of Proctor’s game has served to solidify a Buckeye secondary that, thus far, boasts the No. 7 pass defense in college football.
“He’s been consistent, and that’s something that’s always been a focus for Josh,” Ryan Day said Sept. 5. “No one ever really questioned his effort. So he needs to be a major contributor for us. He needs to be consistent, someone who’s been in the program as long as he has, that’s what he needs to bring. He’s played a lot of football games.”
It’s been an arduous process of self-growth since Proctor missed a tackle during the first series against the Fighting Irish last season, causing Ransom’s usurpation.
“It took a lot of praying, a lot of talking, a lot of conversations,” Proctor said. “A lot of looking myself in the mirror and honing in on what I think is best for me.”
Through two starts separated by an injury that kept him out against Youngstown State, it appears that work has paid on-field dividends.
Proctor made plays against both a run-heavy Indiana offense and a pass-heavy Western Kentucky offense, collecting nine tackles with a tackle for loss and three pass breakups.
“I wanted to buckle in and know what I’m doing. Not necessarily worried about what’s going on outside and what people may say, just focus on me.”– Josh Proctor
Two of those PBUs came against Western Kentucky’s Air Raid attack in Week 3, showing Proctor has developed in his ability to prevent big plays as the team’s center fielder.
“I know I can play ball, I know what I can do,” Proctor said. “So to have the opportunity to get back out there and show everybody what I can do, it feels good.”
“His second year in Coach Knowles’ system, I think he looks a lot more comfortable,” quarterback Kyle McCord said. “I think he’s playing extremely fast, as you guys have seen, then in practice he’s making a ton of plays too. So he goes out there on Saturday, it’s no surprise to anyone the impact he’s had and I feel like this is the best version he’s put out of himself since he’s been here.”
Proctor said he’s “looking forward” to playing Notre Dame again, and while he acknowledges what happened a year ago, he doesn’t feel the need to ride the emotion of that moment.
“I’m just level-headed. I’m level-headed, I’m confident in myself,” Proctor said. “Just get out there and do my job, that’s all I want to do. I tell myself that every play.”
That’s a mindstate that the sixth-year senior said he didn’t have a year ago.
A strong performance against the Fighting Irish will serve as a reminder of the progress he’s made since then.
“I just think I’ve grown a lot,” Proctor said. “Last year, like I said, mentally, I don’t think I was all the way there. This year and this offseason, it’s something I really wanted to focus on, looking myself in the mirror and (finding) ways I can get better on the field and off the field.”
