Ohio State’s depth chart is about to get its first major shakeup of the season.
The Buckeyes’ starting lineup stayed consistent for the first half of the regular season, save for a few starters missing one or two games with short-term injuries. Going into the second half of the season, however, Ohio State is preparing to replace two key players of its offense. Starting left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a likely season-ending injury in Ohio State’s loss to Oregon while No. 2 tight end Will Kacmarek is also expected to miss extended time with an injury he suffered against the Ducks.
Given that the Buckeyes have two weeks between games coming off of their first loss of the season, it’s certainly possible that they could look to shake things up at some other positions too, though they aren’t expected to make any changes to the starting lineup outside of left tackle, where Zen Michalski is set to replace Simmons.
With all of that in mind and the fact that the regular season has reached its midpoint, it’s time for a midseason look at how Ohio State’s three-deep stacks up at every position.
Quarterback
1. Will Howard
2. Devin Brown
3. Julian Sayin
Howard has firmly solidified himself as Ohio State’s starting quarterback with his play during the first half of the regular season, in which he’s completed 73.3% of his passing attempts for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns with only three interceptions – good for the nation’s sixth-best passer rating – while also running for touchdowns in all of Ohio State’s last five games. He’s shown great command of the offense and gotten more comfortable as the season has progressed, completing 80% or more of his passes in three of the Buckeyes’ last four contests.
Brown has been Ohio State’s No. 2 quarterback all year long, though it wouldn’t be shocking to see Sayin warrant consideration if the Buckeyes needed a quarterback other than Howard to start a game or games. Assuming Howard stays healthy, Ohio State will likely seek to preserve Sayin’s redshirt – though it would be beneficial for his future if the Buckeyes can get him another game appearance or two this season – since he’s played in only two games so far.
Running Back
1. TreVeyon Henderson
2. Quinshon Judkins
3. James Peoples
Judkins is Ohio State’s leading rusher this season with 491 yards and six touchdowns on 71 carries, but Henderson (who has 424 yards and four touchdowns on 52 carries) remains at the top of the depth chart as he’s started all six games at running back. That said, both Henderson and Judkins have effectively functioned as co-starters as both have played major roles in the Buckeyes’ offense all season long, giving Ohio State the best running back tandem in the country.
Peoples isn’t yet in a position to steal carries from Henderson or Judkins with the game on the line, but the freshman from Texas has established himself as Ohio State’s No. 3 running back with his performance in late-game action and would be the next man up for a spot in the running back rotation if anything happened to either of the top two.
Wide Receiver (X)
1. Jeremiah Smith
2. David Adolph
3. Jayden Ballard
Wide Receiver (Z)
1. Carnell Tate
2. Bryson Rodgers
3. Kojo Antwi
Wide Receiver (Slot)
1. Emeka Egbuka
2. Brandon Inniss
3. Mylan Graham
While it was thought entering the season that Inniss would play considerable snaps in Ohio State’s receiver rotation, the Buckeyes have leaned primarily on Smith, Egbuka and Tate during the first half of the season. Inniss and Rodgers have both mixed in for some snaps with the first-team offense, but neither has risen yet to the point that they’re routinely getting on the field – which has as much to do with how elite the starters are, particularly Smith and Egbuka, as it does any deficiency on the backups’ part.
Ballard has played the sixth-most snaps among receivers, but it seems as though Ohio State may trust Adolph more as the former walk-on saw action over Ballard and Antwi against Oregon. None of them appear likely to see considerable playing time unless multiple injuries occur in front of them on the depth chart.
Graham remains a potential future star in Ohio State’s receiving corps but is in line for a redshirt as he’s brought along slowly as a freshman, appearing in only one game so far.
Tight End
1. Gee Scott Jr.
2. Bennett Christian
3. Jelani Thurman
Thurman began the season rotating with Scott and Will Kacmarek but has dropped on the depth chart behind Christian, who’s played more snaps than Thurman in every game of Big Ten play. It’s certainly possible that Thurman could re-emerge in a bigger role with Kacmarek out indefinitely, but the Buckeyes seem to trust Christian more as a blocker.
Either way, Scott is now Ohio State’s clear-cut No. 1 tight end with Kacmarek sidelined. Patrick Gurd could be another candidate for backup tight end snaps along with Christian and Thurman, though most of his action this season has come as a fullback in the T-formation.
Left Tackle
1. Zen Michalski
2. George Fitzpatrick
3. Deontae Armstrong
Left Guard
1. Donovan Jackson
2. Luke Montgomery
3. Toby Wilson
Center
1. Seth McLaughlin
2. Carson Hinzman
3. Joshua Padilla
Right Guard
1. Tegra Tshabola
2. Austin Siereveld
3. Gabe VanSickle
Right Tackle
1. Josh Fryar
2. Ian Moore
3. Miles Walker
Simmons’ season-ending injury makes left tackle the biggest area of concern on Ohio State’s depth chart by far. Ryan Day said Thursday that the Buckeyes are planning to start Michalski, but whether he can handle one of the most important positions on the field remains a major question mark as he’s never started a collegiate game before. If he underperforms, Day said other options at left tackle could include moving Jackson or Tshabola outside.
That’s become a viable option because of Siereveld, who’s seen significant playing time at both left guard (when Jackson missed the first two games of the season) and right guard (in rotation with Tshabola) this season. He’s the next man up at both spots and would become a starter if Jackson or Tshabola shifted to tackle.
Fitzpatrick becomes the top backup tackle for now with Michalski moving into the starting lineup opposite Fryar, while Ian Moore is in line for the other spot on the tackle two-deep. Hinzman has faded into a backup role after starting at center last season and competing at right guard this offseason, but he’s still the next man up behind McLaughlin in the middle. Montgomery would likely be the third interior offensive lineman off the bench, though Padilla saw second-team action over Montgomery against Iowa in Ohio State’s most recent game in which its second unit saw action.
Defensive End
1. Jack Sawyer
2. Caden Curry
3. Mitchell Melton
Defensive End
1. JT Tuimoloau
2. Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
3. Eddrick Houston
Ohio State’s defensive end corps is under fire after the Buckeyes were held to zero sacks against Oregon, but this remains the deepest position group on the team. At least five defensive ends have played in every game with Jackson, Curry and Melton all rotating in off the bench, though the snap counts against Oregon – in which Sawyer and Tuimoloau each played 55+ snaps while none of the other three played more than 17 – made it clear there’s still a significant gap between the starters and backups.
Cumulatively, Ohio State’s top five defensive ends have combined for 12.5 tackles for loss with nine sacks this season. They’ll be judged on whether they make more big plays in big games in the remainder of the year, but this remains a group that should be one of if not the best in the country with Sawyer and Tuimoloau leading the way and plenty of talent behind them – including Houston, who’s flashed in limited action as the No. 6 DE.
Defensive Tackle
1. Tyleik Williams
2. Jason Moore
3. Tywone Malone
Defensive Tackle
1. Ty Hamilton
2. Kayden McDonald
3. Hero Kanu
Ohio State’s subpar defensive tackle depth was exposed when Williams missed Ohio State’s games against Marshall and Michigan State, and it continued to be problematic against Oregon as there was a clear drop-off at 3-technique whenever Williams came off the field – even though he didn’t come out of the game often.
Williams and Hamilton are an excellent starting tandem while McDonald has flashed in backup nose tackle duty, but there’s been no consistency on the 3-technique depth chart behind Williams. Kanu started against Marshall while Malone started against Michigan State, but Moore played over both of them against Oregon. It would go a long way if one of them can emerge as a consistently reliable backup, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Will Linebacker
1. Sonny Styles
2. C.J. Hicks
3. Payton Pierce
Mike Linebacker
1. Cody Simon
2. Arvell Reese
3. Gabe Powers
Simon and Styles have solidified themselves as Ohio State’s top two linebackers while Reese has established himself as the third linebacker in Ohio State’s 4-3 package, in which Reese plays Mike, Simon moves to Will and Styles plays Sam.
Reese has played the third-most snaps among linebackers as a result, but Jim Knowles has said the Buckeyes want to play Reese exclusively at Mike, making Hicks the next man up at Will – though it’s also possible the Buckeyes could move Simon to Will and insert Reese at Mike if they needed someone other than Styles to play Will in extended duty.
Powers has performed well in limited action but hasn’t yet played any snaps with the first-team defense. Pierce has also played only in the fourth quarter of blowouts but the freshman will remain a depth option all season as he has already burned his redshirt by playing in five games.
Cornerback
1. Denzel Burke
2. Jermaine Mathews Jr.
3. Calvin Simpson-Hunt
Cornerback
1. Davison Igbinosun
2. Aaron Scott Jr.
3. Bryce West
Slot Cornerback
1. Jordan Hancock
2. Lorenzo Styles Jr.
3. Miles Lockhart
Burke’s struggles against Oregon put the spotlight on Ohio State’s lack of cornerback rotation as the Buckeyes never put Mathews into the game on defense even as Burke had the worst game of his Ohio State career. Burke isn’t going to lose his starting job over that performance – he’s been too good of a player over his three-and-a-half years as a Buckeye to be benched for one bad night – but it could give the Buckeyes reason to get Mathews more involved in the rotation with Burke and Igbinosun.
So far this year, though, Ohio State has leaned almost entirely on Burke and Igbinosun as its outside cornerbacks with the game on the line. Similarly, Hancock has played nearly all of the first-team snaps at nickel, though Styles and Mathews have each seen occasional action with the top unit as a sixth defensive back in dime packages.
Scott beat out Simpson-Hunt for the final spot on Ohio State’s cornerback two-deep and has held that spot all season as he’s burned his redshirt by playing in five games. West and Lockhart are both in line to redshirt as West has made just one game appearance while Lockhart has yet to play.
Free Safety
1. Caleb Downs
2. Malik Hartford
3. Keenan Nelson Jr.
Strong Safety
1. Lathan Ransom
2. Jaylen McClain
3. Jayden Bonsu
Downs and Ransom have played every first-team snap at safety so far this season as they’ve formed the strongest unit on Ohio State’s defense so far this season with their combined play from the middle of the secondary. Hartford and McClain are the only other safeties who have seen action on defense this year with all of their snaps coming in the second half of blowout victories.
It’s hard to say who the next men up behind them would be at safety since no one else has played a defensive snap at the position, but Nelson and Bonsu are the most likely candidates. Brenten “Inky” Jones could also be a candidate as he’s played on special teams in every game this season.
Kicker
1. Jayden Fielding
2. Austin Snyder
3. Casey Magyar
Fielding got benched for Snyder in Ohio State’s third game against Marshall after three straight kickoffs out of bounds, but Fielding has recovered from that hiccup over the last three weeks. He hasn’t had any more issues with kickoffs while he’s made all three of his field goal attempts and all 33 of his extra-point attempts.
Punter
1. Joe McGuire
2. Anthony Venneri
3. Nick McLarty
McLarty was named Ohio State’s starting punter one week before the season but now appears to have fallen to third on the punting depth chart as he was replaced on the travel roster by Venneri for the trip to Oregon. McGuire has been solid as the starting punter, averaging 41.3 yards per punt while opponents have only two punt returns for seven yards.
Long Snapper
1. John Ferlmann
2. Collin Johnson
3. Morrow Evans
Ferlmann has handled every long snap for Ohio State so far this season with no noticeable mistakes. Johnson is the next man up as he has been the second long snapper on the travel roster for both road games this season even though Evans was the No. 1-ranked long snapper in the 2024 recruiting class.
Kickoff Returner
1. Emeka Egbuka
2. Brandon Inniss
3. Jayden Ballard
Inniss and Egbuka have alternated kickoff return duties for each of the past four games after Ballard was the kick returner for the first two games of the season. There’s no clear pecking order between them right now as Inniss has returned only one kick for 14 yards while Egbuka has yet to return any kickoffs, but Ohio State seems to trust Egbuka most in that capacity as he has been the deep man for both of its road games.
Punt Returner
1. Brandon Inniss
2. Emeka Egbuka
3. Jayden Ballard
Inniss has been Ohio State’s punt returner all season and already has the most punt return yards (109 on 12 returns) by any Buckeye since 2017, though 60 of those yards came in the season opener against Akron. He hasn’t had as many opportunities to return punts since, but he’s shown explosiveness when those opportunities have come and most importantly, he’s been reliable catching the ball.
Ballard is the only other Buckeye who’s returned a punt this season, but the ball-security issues he’s had as a returner would make Egbuka – who was Ohio State’s primary punt returner in 2022 and 2023 – the more likely choice if OSU needed someone other than Inniss to handle punt return duties with the game on the line.
