Will Howard kept momentum on his side in Ohio State’s third practice of preseason camp.
After following up an underwhelming first day of preseason camp with an impressive second day, Howard looked sharp again during Ohio State’s third practice of camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Saturday, showing why he’s the frontrunner to be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback for the 2024 season despite a shaky spring.
While he didn’t have any wow throws on Saturday, the Kansas State transfer was on the mark far more often than not during team drills and 7-on-7. Taking the majority of reps behind the first-team offensive line during 11-on-11 work, Howard also showcased his running ability with an explosive sprint up the left sideline that might have been an 80-yard touchdown – against the first-team defense – if the play hadn’t been whistled dead to protect the quarterback.
As was the case on Friday, Julian Sayin and Devin Brown also had their moments on Saturday.
Sayin was the most effective quarterback during a red-zone passing drill early in practice and had what might have been the most impressive throw of the day during 11-on-11 when he lofted a perfect deep ball over the outside shoulder of Jeremiah Smith, drawing defensive pass interference on Denzel Burke as Smith just narrowly missed hauling in a one-handed catch anyway.
The true freshman led multiple drives behind the first-team offensive line during team drills – the first we’ve seen in preseason camp that featured a full first-team offense on the field simultaneously – suggesting that Sayin is in the mix to be Ohio State’s No. 2 quarterback if not Howard’s top competition for the starting job.
Brown had what our contingent of Eleven Warriors reporters agreed was his worst day of preseason camp so far on Saturday, and he ran primarily with the second-team offense in team drills. That said, he delivered a late-practice highlight with his arm for the second day in a row when he connected with Emeka Egbuka on a cannon shot over the top of the defense to beat Jermaine Mathews Jr. deep.
Three days into August practice, Howard’s standing as the leader in Ohio State’s quarterback competition feels stronger than it did when camp opened on Thursday, while Sayin is pushing Brown for position behind Howard. While the competition between all three of them continues on, it seems clear that they will be the Buckeyes' top three quarterbacks in one order or another, as Lincoln Kienholz worked primarily with the third-team offense on Saturday, while Air Noland saw no action during the 11-on-11 periods.
Hinzman, Tshabola battle at RG; Montgomery gets center work
After mixing its top offensive linemen between two units on the first two days of camp, Saturday’s team drills gave us our first real look of camp at where things stand as the Buckeyes look to determine their starting five up front.
Left tackle Josh Simmons, left guard Donovan Jackson and right tackle Josh Fryar took all of the first-team reps at their respective positions, as expected. Seth McLaughlin took the majority of first-team reps at center, though Carson Hinzman also mixed in for center reps with the top unit. Hinzman and Tegra Tshabola, meanwhile, split first-team reps at right guard.
Aside from a botched shotgun snap during team drills, which is notable after his snapping issues for Alabama in last year’s Rose Bowl against Michigan, McLaughlin was impressive as a blocker on Saturday, showing his ability to move people in the run game while standing out as a pass protector during offensive line vs. defensive line one-on-ones.
Simmons was another standout during one-on-ones on Saturday, stonewalling Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau on back-to-back reps. Fryar continued to demonstrate his increased quickness at the right tackle spot, though he was bull-rushed straight back into Brown for a sack by Sawyer during a split-team drill.
Another interesting wrinkle along the offensive line in Saturday’s practice came with Luke Montgomery, who split second-team center reps with Hinzman in addition to taking second-team reps at right guard. While Montgomery appears unlikely to start at either position this season, the Buckeyes appear to be working on increasing his versatility, which could be more important if Hinzman ends up starting at right guard.
Peoples, Williams-Dixon proving they can play
Two of the freshmen who Ohio State most needs to be ready to play this season are running backs James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon, and the first three days of preseason camp have been a positive indicator of both of their readiness.
Each of them has flashed consistently in the run game, breaking off impressive runs with their cutting ability, while Williams-Dixon has also frequently caught short passes out of the backfield. With only four scholarship running backs on the roster, both of them have gotten plentiful reps behind Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and have made the most of them.
How confident Ohio State will feel playing them in big moments could depend on the finer points of the game like how effectively they pass protect and if they show consistent ball security. So far, though, there have been plenty of positive signs that both of them are capable of contributing as needed at a position where the Buckeyes lack veteran depth behind their duo of stars atop the depth chart.
Sam Williams-Dixon has looked the part of a potential immediate contributor through three days of preseason camp.
Hancock, Styles, Reese among Day 3 defensive standouts
No defensive player had a better practice on Saturday than Jordan Hancock, who got his hands on several passes including one that he tipped to Caleb Downs for an interception. The senior slot cornerback has picked up where he left off last year through the first three days of camp, consistently providing sticky coverage in the slot while also getting active as a tackler around the line of scrimmage.
Fellow cornerback Davison Igbinosun had what might have been the best tackle of the day when he shut down a screen pass to Henderson during team drills. Another active tackler on Saturday was Sonny Styles, who has looked plenty comfortable making plays around the line of scrimmage as both a run stopper and in coverage from the Will linebacker position despite his lack of experience at LB.
Young defenders who flashed on Saturday included sophomore linebacker Arvell Reese, who intercepted a pass off a deflection by Miles Lockhart and also had multiple quarterback pressures as a blitzer. Another sophomore standout was defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, who was disruptive in both one-and-ones and team drills one day after Jim Knowles identified McDonald as someone “you’ve gotta keep an eye on.”
Additional notes
- Saturday’s practice was the first of camp that included live field goal kicking attempts. Returning starter Jayden Fielding shanked one attempt wide left but otherwise looked to be the most consistent of Ohio State’s kickers on the day.
- Jayden Ballard delivered the highlight of the red-zone passing portion of practice when he made a catch over a defensive back and got his feet down in the back of the end zone on a throw over the middle from Sayin.
- Walk-on standouts on the day included tight end Jace Middleton, who had a long catch-and-run off a short pass, and wide receiver Reis Stocksdale, who got open frequently against the third-team defense and made multiple downfield catches for notable gains.
- NFL scouts from the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders attended Saturday’s practice.
