Ohio State’s first two games of the season have not only provided confirmation of who the Buckeyes’ current starters are but given us a glimpse at who the next men up on the depth chart are at each position behind them.
In their first two games of the season, especially their 56-0 rout of Western Michigan last weekend, Ohio State has been able to play deep into its bench in blowout wins. As a result, we’ve seen the Buckeyes play as far down as the fourth or fifth row of the depth chart at some positions.
While Ohio State no longer publishes an official depth chart, we can piece together the vast majority of what the Buckeyes’ three-deep looks like based on what we’ve seen in the first two weeks of the season. We’ve decided to do just that with the Buckeyes currently in their first bye week of the season, or what they’re calling an “improvement week”.
Quarterback
1. Will Howard
2. Devin Brown
3. Julian Sayin
Howard has cemented his standing as Ohio State’s starting quarterback with two strong starts to begin his Buckeye career in which he’s accounted for 544 total yards and five touchdowns with no turnovers.
Brown has been the first quarterback off the bench in Ohio State’s first two games and looks to be on solid ground as the No. 2 QB for this season. Sayin is expected to make a major run at the starting quarterback job next year, though, and he’s off to a good start by already surpassing second-year quarterback Lincoln Kienholz on the depth chart and connecting with Bennett Christian for a 55-yard touchdown on the first and only drive of his OSU career so far.
Running Back
1. TreVeyon Henderson
2. Quinshon Judkins
3. James Peoples
It might be more accurate to call Henderson 1A and 1B on Ohio State’s running back depth chart, but Henderson has started Ohio State’s first two games. That said, they’ve seen a very comparable workload thus far and all indications are that both will play major roles in the offense all season long, with both averaging more than seven yards per carry so far this season.
Peoples has solidified himself as Ohio State’s No. 3 running back with a strong start to his freshman year in which he has rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries, looking more than capable of stepping in if the Buckeyes need him to play a bigger role at any point this season.
Wide Receiver (X)
1. Jeremiah Smith
2. Jayden Ballard
3. Kojo Antwi
Wide Receiver (Z)
1. Carnell Tate
2. Bryson Rodgers
3. Mylan Graham
Wide Receiver (Slot)
1. Emeka Egbuka
2. Brandon Inniss
3. David Adolph
Any doubts that Smith would play a major role in the offense from day one have been obliterated in Ohio State’s first two games as Smith has already caught 11 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns. Egbuka remains the veteran leader of the group while Tate has played the most snaps among receivers in both of Ohio State’s first two contests, giving the Buckeyes a clear starting trio at the position.
Inniss has also seen some snaps with the first-team offense and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his opportunities in the rotation increase based on the playmaking ability he’s shown as both a receiver and a punt returner. Rodgers, who has also played some of his snaps in the slot, looks to be fifth in the pecking order at receiver as he’s seen snaps with the ones in both of the first two games.
Either Ballard or Antwi could be considered the No. 6 receiver as Antwi got into the game at receiver before Ballard against Western Michigan, though Ballard ended up playing more snaps. Ryan Day said Thursday that Graham remains a candidate to push for more playing time as the season progresses after enrolling in the summer, but he’s played only four snaps so far. Adolph, who walked on at Ohio State but was awarded a scholarship this summer, looks to be solidly on the three-deep.
Tight End
1. Gee Scott Jr.
2. Will Kacmarek
3. Jelani Thurman
Ohio State has taken a tight-end-by-committee approach to its first two games with no tight end playing more than 44 total snaps, but Scott has started both games. That said, the fact that all three of Ohio State’s top tight ends have played a nearly identical total of snaps so far – 44 for Thurman, 43 for Scott and 42 for Kacmarek, though some of Thurman’s snaps have come with the second-team offense – suggests that their positioning on the depth chart remains fluid.
Kacmarek has looked like the Buckeyes’ most well-rounded tight end so far while Thurman offers the most upside of the group, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see either of them move up the pecking order. Bennett Christian has also been far more than a typical fourth-string tight end so far as he’s seen playing time with the first-team offense in both games – though only in multi-tight end packages – and may be the Buckeyes’ best blocker at the position.
Left Tackle
1. Josh Simmons
2. Zen Michalski
3. Deontae Armstrong
Left Guard
1. Donovan Jackson
2. Austin Siereveld
3. Toby Wilson
Center
1. Seth McLaughlin
2. Carson Hinzman
3. Joshua Padilla
Right Guard
1. Tegra Tshabola
2. Luke Montgomery
3. Gabe VanSickle
Right Tackle
1. Josh Fryar
2. George Fitzpatrick
3. Ian Moore
Right guard was the biggest question mark on the depth chart entering the season, but Tshabola has seemingly solidified himself as the starter as he’s played all but one drive with the first-team offense through two games.
Hinzman might still be the next man up at right guard after competing with Tshabola for the starting job in preseason camp, while his primary role right now is to be McLaughlin’s backup at center. Siereveld is firmly entrenched as the next man up at left guard and could get the call to step in at right guard, too, after starting in place of Jackson in Ohio State’s first two games and showing significant improvement from Week 1 to Week 2.
Offensive tackle depth remains the biggest depth concern on Ohio State’s roster, but Michalski and Fitzpatrick drew praise from Justin Frye for their improvement this preseason and have been the second-team offensive tackles in the first two games.
The only third-team offensive linemen who saw playing time on offense in the first two games were Padilla and Moore, leaving the rest of the third-team offensive line unclear. Padilla is the seventh man on the interior offensive line depth chart as he can play both center and guard; his only playing time so far this year has come at LG, and Montgomery might be the true third-team center after practicing there this preseason, though he’s only played at RG in the first two games. Moore is Ohio State’s No. 5 offensive tackle for now but looks like a candidate to move up the depth chart and vie for a starting job next season as he gains experience.
Defensive End
1. Jack Sawyer
2. Caden Curry
3. Mitchell Melton
Defensive End
1. JT Tuimoloau
2. Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
3. Eddrick Houston
Defensive end is Ohio State’s deepest position group as the Buckeyes have five DEs who would be starting for most college football teams. Sawyer and Tuimoloau are the clear-cut starters for OSU as they’ve looked like two of the best defensive ends in the country so far this season, but Jackson, Curry and Melton have all seen their share of snaps with the first-team defense and look poised to remain in the rotation all year long, allowing the Buckeyes to keep their senior stars fresh.
Houston would be far higher than sixth on the defensive end depth chart for most other teams; the five-star freshman has only seen late-game playing time so far but has been impressive when he’s been on the field, showing the capability to play more if needed and putting himself in position to be a regular in the rotation next year.
Defensive Tackle (3-Tech)
1. Tyleik Williams
2. Hero Kanu
3. Will Smith Jr.
Defensive Tackle (Nose)
1. Ty Hamilton
2. Kayden McDonald
3. Tywone Malone
Johnson doesn’t seem to trust his defensive tackle depth as much as his defensive end depth yet, but McDonald has established himself as the Buckeyes’ top backup DT as the only backup DT to play double-digit snaps in each of OSU’s first two games. Kanu has been the first man off the bench at 3-technique behind Williams, but he’s only played 16 total snaps despite the lopsided nature of those games.
Malone and Smith have been the third set of defensive tackles into each of the first two games, though Jason Moore could also be considered the third-team 3-tech as he’s played one more snap than Smith (11 to 10). Either way, it seems like all three of them still have more to prove to the coaches if they’re going to be a part of the rotation in bigger games.
Kayden McDonald has positioned himself as Ohio State’s top backup at defensive tackle.
Mike Linebacker
1. Cody Simon
2. Arvell Reese
3. Gabe Powers
Will Linebacker
1. Sonny Styles
2. C.J. Hicks
3. Payton Pierce
While this depth chart looks the same as it did entering the season, the pecking order among the backups has changed as Reese – who has played snaps at both Will and Mike – has moved ahead of Hicks to become Ohio State’s No. 3 linebacker. Based on how playing time was divided against Western Michigan and how he has performed through Ohio State’s first two games, it appears likely that Reese will be both the first linebacker off the bench in the base defense and the third linebacker on the field with Simon and Styles in 4-3 packages going forward.
Ohio State has rotated more frequently at linebacker so far this season than it did in Jim Knowles’ first two years in Columbus, and that could continue as Knowles said Tuesday that Hicks remains “very much a part” of the mix at linebacker while Powers is also making a push for more playing time as he’s been impressive in late-game action. Pierce isn’t likely to see much first-team action this year but has solidified himself on the three-deep by impressing coaches with his practice performance as a freshman.
Cornerback
1. Denzel Burke
2. Aaron Scott Jr.
3. Calvin Simpson-Hunt
Cornerback
1. Davison Igbinosun
2. Jermaine Mathews Jr.
3. Bryce West
Slot Cornerback
1. Jordan Hancock
2. Lorenzo Styles Jr.
3. Miles Lockhart
Burke, Igbinosun and Hancock make up an elite starting trio while Mathews further solidified himself as a fourth starting-caliber cornerback who Ohio State can feel comfortable playing whenever it needs him with his work filling in for Burke following Burke’s first-quarter targeting ejection in the Western Michigan game.
Styles has established himself as Ohio State’s top backup nickel, with Day saying earlier this week that he’s earned the chance to play more on defense with excellent special teams play. Scott has proven he belongs on the two-deep as a freshman by performing well in late-game action in Ohio State’s first two contests.
Simpson-Hunt is the only other cornerback who’s seen any playing time on defense so far, but West and Lockhart would presumably round out the three-deep as the only other scholarship cornerbacks.
Free Safety
1. Caleb Downs
2. Malik Hartford
3. Keenan Nelson Jr.
Strong Safety
1. Lathan Ransom
2. Jaylen McClain
3. Jayden Bonsu
The pecking order for the first two rows of the safety depth chart has been clear-cut through Ohio State’s first two games. Downs and Ransom have played every snap with the first-team defense while Hartford and McClain have taken their place in the secondary for the rest of the game once the starters have checked out.
It’s unclear who the next men up at safety are as Ohio State has only played four safeties in its first two games, though Bonsu could have a chance to earn some playing time in backup duty once he returns from injury after missing the Buckeyes’ first two games. Nelson and Brenten “Inky” Jones would likely be next in line as they have both played on special teams in the first two weeks.
Kicker
1. Jayden Fielding
2. Austin Snyder
3. Casey Magyar
With Fielding handling both field goals and kickoffs, Snyder emerged as Ohio State’s No. 2 kicker over Magyar when he was called upon to kick the Buckeyes’ final extra point following their eighth touchdown against Western Michigan.
Punter
1. Joe McGuire
2. Nick McLarty
3. Anthony Venneri
Day has left the door open for McLarty, who was initially named Ohio State’s starting punter in August, to potentially regain that job if he shows more consistency in practice. But McGuire has been rock-solid in his first two games as the starter, averaging 44.67 yards per punt, and McLarty’s 35-yard effort in his first career punt against Western Michigan didn’t inspire confidence that he’s ready for the job yet.
Long Snapper
1. John Ferlmann
2. Morrow Evans
3. Max Lomonico
Ferlmann has handled every long snap for Ohio State so far this season, so it’s uncertain whether Evans or Lomonico would be the next man up. The likely answer is Evans given that he was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 long snapper in the 2024 recruiting class.
Kickoff Returner
1. Jayden Ballard
2. Carnell Tate
3. Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Ballard has handled all of Ohio State’s kickoff returns so far this season, but Day said Tuesday that Ohio State would evaluate its options during the bye week after Ballard misplayed Western Michigan’s only kickoff by allowing the ball to bounce before fielding it at the 6-yard line on a fair catch.
Day named Tate before the season as the other top option to return kicks alongside Ballard, so he could get the call if Ohio State opts to make a change. Styles, who has experience returning kicks from his time as a Notre Dame wide receiver, could also be a candidate to slide into the primary returner role as he’s lined up as OSU’s secondary returner for the first two games.
Punt Returner
1. Brandon Inniss
2. Emeka Egbuka
3. Jayden Ballard
Inniss’ explosive first game as the punt returner against Akron demonstrated that he’s the right man for that job. Should Ohio State need someone else to return punts with the game on the line, Egbuka would be the likely choice after serving as OSU’s lead punt returner for the last two years.
Ballard fielded two punts in the fourth quarter against Western Michigan and was the starting punt return for part of last season after Egbuka went down with an ankle injury, but a bobbled punt catch against the Broncos after misplaying multiple punts last season leaves questions about how well he can be trusted in that capacity.
