Facing undefeated Maryland, a program Ohio State has always defeated, one could have reasonably expected a slew of freshmen to get playing time against Mike Locksley's team.
A slow start and an early 10-0 hole for Ohio State prevented the young Buckeyes from gaining valuable game experience. Malik Hartford, Brandon Inniss, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Carnell Tate were the only true freshmen to see the field.
Tate caught the one pass for eight yards and helped on the kickoff, kickoff return and punt return teams. The IMG Academy alum is the only member of the 2023 class to play in every game this season. He’s also the first to use up his redshirt eligibility.
Hartford helped on every punt return team, while Mathews played on the kickoff coverage and punt return teams. Inniss was on the field for the four kickoff returns. Hartford, Inniss, Mathews and Luke Montgomery are each one game appearance away from losing their redshirts.
(Editing note: C.J. Hicks and Brandon Inniss both wear No. 11. We received confirmation that both Inniss and Hicks were on the kickoff return team. Inniss was wearing No. 11 and Hicks sported No. 16. The article has been updated to include Inniss.)
Next week, the Buckeyes head to West Lafayette to take on two-win Purdue. With Ohio State's sketchy history in Ross-Ade Stadium and this team's penchant for slow starts, it is not a guarantee the freshmen will see extended playing time there either.
| SEASON | PERCENTAGE |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 10-21 (0.476) |
| 2022 | 17-21 (0.810) |
| 2021 | 18-23 (0.783) |
| 2020 | 17-25 (0.680) |
| 2019 | 13-17 (0.765) |
| 2018 | 20-25 (0.800) |
So far this season, less than half of Ohio State’s scholarship freshmen have seen playing time in any game, by far the fewest through five games since the NCAA changed the redshirt rule in 2018 to allow players to participate in up to four games and still redshirt. By comparison, 81 percent of Ohio State’s scholarship freshmen appeared in at least one of the Buckeyes’ first five games last year. Only 68 percent of Ohio State’s scholarship freshmen saw action in the first five games of 2020, but the Buckeyes played only five regular-season games that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through five games, only 10 of Ohio State's 21 scholarship true freshmen have seen the field.
| NAME | POS | DEBUT | MARYLAND STATS | GP | SEASON STATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CARNELL TATE | WR | Indiana | 1 catch, 8 yards | 5 | 5 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD |
| MALIK HARTFORD | S | Indiana | Special teams | 4 | 3 tackles, 1 PBU |
| JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. | CB | Indiana | Special teams | 4 | 2 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU, 1 TD |
| BRANDON INNISS | WR | Indiana | Special teams | 4 | 4 offensive snaps |
| LUKE MONTGOMERY | OL | Indiana | 4 | 20 offensive snaps | |
| ARVELL REESE | LB | Indiana | 2 | Special teams | |
| NOAH ROGERS | WR | Indiana | 2 | 8 offensive snaps | |
| KAYDEN McDONALD | DL | WKU | 1 | 4 defensive snaps | |
| JASON MOORE | DL | WKU | 1 | 3 defensive snaps | |
| JELANI THURMAN | TE | WKU | 1 | 5 offensive snaps | |
| JAYDEN BONSU | S | ||||
| NIGEL GLOVER | LB | ||||
| CEDRICK HAWKINS | S | ||||
| LINCOLN KIENHOLZ | QB | ||||
| JOSHUA MICKENS | DE | ||||
| JOSHUA PADILLA | OL | ||||
| BRYSON RODGERS | WR | ||||
| AUSTIN SIEREVELD | OL | ||||
| CALVIN SIMPSON-HUNT | CB | ||||
| WILL SMITH JR. | DT | ||||
| MILES WALKER | OT |
(Note: The table does not include freshman walk-ons who have not yet played.)
- #4 Ohio State 37, Maryland 17
- • Buckeyes Start Slow, Finish Strong
- • Proctor's Career Year Continues
- • Poise, Passing Awaken OSU From Stasis
- • Day Becomes 7th Ohio State Coach to Reach 50 Wins
- • Ohio State Postgame • Maryland Postgame • Notebook
- • Photos • Social Reax • Five Things
