Ohio State entered preseason camp with four primary position battles to settle: Quarterback, right guard, Will linebacker and punter.
Four days into camp, frontrunners have seemingly established themselves at two of those positions while the starting job remains up for grabs at the others.
After attending all of Ohio State’s first four preseason practices, which were open to fans who paid to attend practice and media members who regularly cover the team, it’s time for an updated look at how each of those battles looks to be shaping up entering the Buckeyes’ second week of camp, along with some notes on what we’ve seen at other positions where players are jockeying for position on the depth chart.
Howard starting to separate at quarterback
Will Howard has been the frontrunner to start at quarterback for Ohio State this season since the Buckeyes added him from the transfer portal in January, but he entered camp still needing to prove he was up to the task after an underwhelming spring. Four practices into August, Howard looks to be much more comfortable in Ohio State’s offense and seems to be closing in on securing the starting job.
After splitting reps with Devin Brown, Julian Sayin and the rest of Ohio State’s scholarship quarterbacks all spring, Howard has steadily seen his share of the first-team reps increase through Ohio State’s first four practices, to the point where he took all but one rep behind the first-team offensive line during full-team 11-on-11 drills in Sunday’s fourth practice.
Howard has stood out compared to Ohio State’s other quarterbacks with his pocket presence, making the correct reads and going through his progressions to find open receivers. He still hasn’t looked spectacular as a deep passer – Brown and Sayin have outshined him in that regard – but he’s been the most efficient quarterback on short and intermediate passes while also showing plenty of ability as a runner, highlighted by a long run up the left sideline in Saturday’s third practice that might have been an 80-yard touchdown if it wasn’t whistled dead.
Ryan Day said after Ohio State’s first practice that he hoped a starting quarterback would emerge within the first week to 10 days of camp. If Howard can build off of his start to camp with a strong second week of practice, he could bring Ohio State’s starting quarterback competition to an end.
Styles looking ready to star at Will linebacker
Although Sonny Styles started every game but one for Ohio State in 2023, he has to earn a starting job all over again after moving from safety to linebacker this offseason. Based on his usage and performance in Ohio State’s first four practices of preseason camp, however, it’s looking like Styles can be penciled in as the Buckeyes’ likely starter at Will linebacker.
While C.J. Hicks took many of the reps with the first-team defense at Will linebacker in the spring, Styles has seen the lion’s share of first-team plays at that position thus far in camp. The converted safety has looked plenty comfortable in that role, putting himself in position to make plays often as a tackler and in coverage.
Hicks has seen some work with the top unit, too, and he hasn’t looked out of place when he’s been in. The expectation remains that Hicks will have a role in the defense this year even if he doesn’t win the starting job, as Jim Knowles said Friday that he plans to use more three-linebacker packages this year to get them both on the field.
Knowles described the competition between Styles and Hicks as “neck-and-neck” as of Friday, but the on-field action through the first four days of camp painted the picture that Styles is the frontrunner to fill out the Buckeyes’ defensive starting eleven.
Hinzman, Tshabola battling at right guard
It’s become clear through the first four days of camp that the right guard competition is a two-man race between Carson Hinzman and Tegra Tshabola, as they’re the only linemen who have seen consistent first-team work at that position. It hasn’t yet become clear whether there’s a leader to start between them.
Tshabola took most of the first-team reps at right guard on Sunday, but Hinzman got the first look with the top offensive line at RG on Saturday. Hinzman has also been in the mix at center, where he started last season, though Seth McLaughlin looks like the heavy favorite to start there as he’s taken the vast majority of first-team center reps during full-team 11-on-11 drills.
Luke Montgomery, who looked like a potential frontrunner to start at right guard early in the spring, no longer appears to be a serious contender in the starting competition as he’s worked primarily with the second-team offensive line – where he’s taken many of his reps at center as the Buckeyes look to build his versatility to provide depth across the entire interior offensive line.
Forced to predict who the starting right guard will be after four days of camp, I’d lean slightly toward Tshabola, who has held his own nicely during one-on-ones and shown explosiveness and power as a run blocker. But Day said Thursday that consistency throughout the preseason would be key for Tshabola to earn a starting job, so the Buckeyes will likely allow this position battle to continue playing out for at least another week or two before picking one starter over another.
McLarty showing promise but inexperience at punter
Three of Ohio State’s first four August practices have included punting periods, with the Buckeyes splitting reps evenly in all of them between new scholarship punter Nick McLarty, Buffalo transfer Anthony Venneri and returning walk-on Joe McGuire. As of yet, it’s too early to call anyone a real frontrunner in that competition.
McLarty certainly stands out physically among the punters at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, and he noticeably has the strongest leg of the three. He’s shown the potential to be an elite punter on his best punts, including a coffin-corner punt that traveled approximately 80 yards through the air during a warmup period in Friday’s second practice and a pair of pooch punts downed at the 1-yard line in Sunday’s fourth practice.
The problem for McLarty so far has been an issue he pointed out himself in an interview with Eleven Warriors in March. While his size allows him to generate the power to uncork long punts, it can also make his mishits “very large,” and he’s had too many mishits during his first practices as a Buckeye that have resulted in shanks. So while it’s clear he has the upside to be a field-flipping weapon for the Buckeyes, he hasn’t yet shown he can be consistently reliable to avoid mistakes, which is the most important attribute for a punter.
Venneri has looked the steadiest of the three punters in Ohio State’s early practices, and that paired with his two years of experience as the starting punter at Buffalo would likely make him Ohio State’s top punter if it had to play a game today. But Day has said this competition will likely continue for at least the first three weeks of camp, and McLarty’s big leg is reason enough for the Buckeyes to leave the door open for him to win the job if he can cut down on errors.
Additional notes
- Gee Scott Jr. exited spring as the projected starter at tight end, but he hasn’t necessarily locked that job up yet. Will Kacmarek has also seen a healthy share of reps with the first-team offense through the first day of camp while Jelani Thurman, Bennett Christian and Patrick Gurd have also been in the mix. Kacmarek and Thurman have shown up more consistently in the passing game so far in camp and Kacmarek might be the best blocker of the group, so TE remains a position to monitor as the month continues.
- There hasn’t been a clear pecking order at wide receiver yet either as Ohio State has also rotated reps heavily at that position, but it feels safe to say Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss will be the top four receivers and that all of them will have substantial roles in this year’s offense based on how well they’ve each performed in camp so far. Jayden Ballard has also made his share of eye-catching plays through the first four days of practice, strengthening his case to be the Buckeyes’ No. 5 receiver.
- While Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry were JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer’s top backups at defensive end last season, Mitchell Melton has also seen considerable reps in the rotation through the first four days of practice and has flashed as a pass rusher just as he did throughout the spring. At the least, Melton is making a strong case for Larry Johnson to deploy a five-man rotation on the edge this season; if Melton keeps performing as well as he has, it might not be out of the question that he could steal a spot on the two-deep.
- Gabe Powers has taken most of the second-team reps at Mike linebacker behind Cody Simon, signifying that he’s the frontrunner to round out the two-deep with Simon, Styles and Hicks, though Arvell Reese has been a frequent playmaker with the third-team defense.
- Malik Hartford looks positioned to be the top backup at safety as he has mixed in with the first-team defense at times when the Buckeyes have opted to give Caleb Downs extra rest. Jayden Bonsu currently appears to be in position to round out the two-deep as he has taken most of the second-team reps at strong safety, though Jaylen McClain remains a threat to climb the depth chart as he has been an active playmaker in both coverage and as a tackler after a strong spring.
- Brandon Inniss, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith, Bryson Rodgers, Jayden Ballard and Caleb Downs have all split reps at punt returner, but Inniss and Egbuka have typically taken the first reps in one order or the other. Egbuka is the incumbent punt returner from the past two seasons, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Inniss take over that role this year.
- Ohio State did not have any live kickoff returns during its first four preseason practices, so it remains a mystery who will fulfill that duty this season after Xavier Johnson was the Buckeyes’ primary kick returner for the past two years.
