Lathan Ransom has had a resurgent season as Ohio State’s starting strong safety.
Fresh off a 2022 campaign that saw him break out and finish third on the Buckeyes’ defense in tackles only to have costly lapses in coverage against both Michigan and Georgia, he’s been a steady force on the back end again in 2023.
Fourth on the team with 34 tackles, he’s added 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception and two pass breakups.
“Lathan’s been much improved. His eyes, any issues he’s had in the past with, we call it ‘eye discipline,’ just seeing too much. He’s really started to, I call it, ‘See a little to see a lot.’ A lot of times at the safety position you have to see just this,” Knowles said, holding his hands in a small rectangle to indicate a small portion of the field. “That right there will tell you everything else that’s going on. So he had really been improved.”
That momentum came to an unfortunate halt against Wisconsin, however.
Ransom was carted back to Ohio State’s locker room after suffering an apparent lower leg injury in the opening moments of the fourth quarter. His absence will change the look of the Buckeyes defense for as long as he remains out – even if there are clear suitors to replace him.
Sonny Styles, who started the first seven games of the season at nickel, filled in at “bandit” for Ransom after the Arizona native’s injury. Jordan Hancock, who had rotated with Styles in the nickel spot, occupied the slot coverage position on a more permanent basis as the Buckeyes’ starting nickel against Wisconsin.
“Yeah, I think that’s highly possible,” Knowles responded in six words after being asked if the same configuration would be used going forward.
Knowles gave another succinct response when asked a follow-up question on whether he’d be worried about having Styles at bandit and Hancock at nickel for the majority of defensive snaps going forward.
“No concerns. I think they have both proven themselves in a lot of different dimensions,” Knowles said. “So I don’t have any concerns about it.”
His words place a lot of faith in Styles, who is still just 18 years old and would be a freshman this season had he not enrolled at Ohio State following his junior year of high school.
It’s not unwarranted based on what Styles has accomplished in his short time in Columbus, though.
After seeing the field for 12 snaps in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Georgia last year, Styles has 30 tackles with three tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup through eight games this season.
“No concerns. I think they have both proven themselves in a lot of different dimensions. So I don't have any concerns about it.”– Jim Knowles on the bigger roles of Sonny Styles and Jordan Hancock
He saw occasional snaps at deep safety in previous games but it became more prevalent against Wisconsin, even before Ransom’s exit. Styles played nine snaps spelling either Ransom or free safety Josh Proctor against the Badgers, then took over at bandit for the rest of the game after Ransom’s injury.
“It was more of a nickel game in terms of the matchup on the slot,” Knowles said. “We felt like Jordan would be better at that so we wanted to find places to get Sonny into the game. And against a spread RPO team, playing him at high safety worked. It’s a good thing we did it.”
Although he has played primarily at nickel this season, a deep safety spot could prove to be Styles’ best position long-term.
“I think it’s possible,” Knowles said. “I think he’s now getting experience at both (nickel and deep safety), and I think he can really add a different dimension as you look to the future in structuring things. He can be in there with other guys and end up in different places and add some unpredictability to it.”
Hancock has been a weapon for Ohio State at nickel, recording 25 tackles with one sack and four pass breakups on the year.
The depth behind him changes as Styles shifts to deep safety for the time being, however.
Freshman Jermaine Mathews Jr. showed moxie in his time playing for Denzel Burke while the star cornerback was injured for part of Ohio State’s matchup with Purdue and all of its top-10 showdown with Penn State. He’s a possibility to take the field and move either Burke or fellow starting cornerback Davison Igbinosun inside to nickel if Knowles wants to spell Hancock at all in the slot.
“It changes,” Knowles said of the nickel rotation. “I don’t know that it would necessarily be Jermaine. He’s a true freshman, so you don’t want to overload him with those responsibilities. But there are other corners where he can go to a corner and other guys can move inside who have more experience.”
“I think he can really add a different dimension as you look to the future in structuring things. He can be in there with other guys and end up in different places and add some unpredictability to it.”– Jim Knowles on Sonny Styles at deep safety
Another option at nickel is Cam Martinez. He saw the field for six snaps against the Badgers, his first action since Week 3 against Western Kentucky, but was expected to play more regularly going into the year.
“It’s all matchups, trying to get the right matchups,” Knowles said. “Cam’s been a guy who hasn’t been healthy, we’re just trying to work him back in. We think he can help us in those situations when the offense puts a lot of speed on the field.”
Ryan Day said Tuesday that the timeline for Ransom’s return has not yet been determined. That could mean the 6-1, 210-pound safety is in line to miss multiple games. He's been a big part of Ohio State becoming the nation's No. 4 defense in passing yards allowed per game and No. 1 in yards per pass attempt, so his absence would be significant.
But if Knowles’ confidence is any indication, Ohio State’s secondary doesn’t plan to miss a beat.
