As Ohio State crossed the halfway point of spring practice, Ryan Day effectively gave a progress report on all 10 position groups in his press conference on Monday following the Buckeyes’ eighth practice of the spring.
Over the course of his 24-minute meeting with the media on Monday, Day talked about every position group on the team and offered updates on who’s stood out so far this spring at each spot as well as where he feels the Buckeyes need more growth.
We’ve compiled Day’s comments on each position group for a halfway-through-spring progress report from the head coach.
Looking for Consistency at Quarterback
Day is pleased with the development he’s seen from Ohio State quarterbacks Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz and Tavien St. Clair so far this spring, but still needs to see more consistency from all of them as spring continues if he’s going to feel good about where the Buckeyes are at the position entering preseason camp.
“There's been really good progress in that room, all three of them,” Day said. “I can recognize that there's been growth in all areas. And then there's other moments where they have two or three plays in a row that I just, we all get frustrated. But we're gonna keep coaching them and keep pushing them. I think that they have the right attitude. I think they have a growth mindset in that they come in every day and put the work in and the preparation in. They just need more and more reps … But there's certainly growth there. We're certainly not where we need to be, but we're getting there.”
Running Backs Showing Promise
While Day acknowledged that it’s difficult to evaluate running backs during the spring since the Buckeyes typically don’t tackle players to the ground during spring practices, he’s been encouraged by what he’s seen so far from returning running backs James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon as well as West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson and true freshman Bo Jackson.
“The running back room has been good,” Day said. “It's hard in the spring to evaluate running backs because we're not taking them to the ground really very often, but James looks good. And CJ and Bo, all three of those guys, and even Sam has done a nice job. So again, hard to evaluate, but there's improvement there.”
Looking for Depth at Wide Receiver
Everyone knows about the talent at the top of Ohio State’s wide receiver room with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate returning as starters from last season. Brandon Inniss is expected to join them in the starting lineup, and he looked like a player who’s ready for a breakout season with his strong showing catching passes from Will Howard at last week’s Ohio State pro day.
Based on what Day said about that position group on Monday, however, it sounds as though the Buckeyes haven’t quite seen what they want to see yet from the next wave of receivers on the depth chart.
“We've got to do a really good job with the depth at wideout. I think at the top end, we're solid, but four through six has really got to come on for us,” Day said.
Tight End Depth as Advertised
With Purdue transfer tight end Max Klare joining a unit that also includes three experienced returning veterans in Will Kacmarek, Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman, Keenan Bailey said last week that this year’s tight end room is the deepest he’s had as Ohio State’s tight ends coach. Day echoed that assessment on Monday.
“The tight end room is as deep as we thought it would be,” Day said. “There's a lot of growth there.”
Offensive Line Strong Inside, Developing Outside
With Carson Hinzman, Tegra Tshabola, Luke Montgomery and Austin Siereveld all returning with starting experience on the interior offensive line, Day feels good about where the Buckeyes are at both center and guard. He still needs to see more at tackle, where the Buckeyes brought in Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa and Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels as potential starters, though he’s confident the Buckeyes have the players they need to get where they ultimately need to get to at OT.
“I feel good right now or feel solid interior. The development of the tackles is still something that's a work in progress,” Day said. “I feel like we have what we need there, but there just needs to continue to get more and more reps and feel it. But there's definitely improvement there.”
Ian Moore is also competing for a starting job at tackle while Joshua Padilla is also in the mix for playing time on the interior line, and Day mentioned both of them while elaborating further on the state of the offensive line.
“There's guys with experience in there, but they're also guys that are young,” Day said. “I mean, Luke Montgomery has played now, and he's played in big games, but he also hasn't started for a whole season before. Carson Hinzman has. Tegra's still growing in certain areas, but has played a lot of football. Austin Siereveld has now played. But they weren't like starters the whole year. But a good group. And we're building more and more depth with Phillip in there and with Ethan and Ian Moore. Josh Padilla's in the mix.”
Defensive Ends Making Strides
In another positive sign regarding C.J. Hicks’ move from linebacker to the edge, Hicks was the first player Day named when asked which players have stood out to him so far this spring.
“It's been good to watch C.J. work in sort of a new role. I think he's embraced it and doing a nice job,” Day said.
In a more complete answer on Ohio State’s defensive end group, Day said he likes what he’s seen so far from the Buckeyes’ projected top four of Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson, Hicks and Logan George, while he also praised the performance of freshman DE Zion Grady. That said, Day seemingly left the door open to the possibility that Ohio State could still seek another transfer addition on the edge depending on how the final seven days of spring practice go.
“I think that with Caden, Kenyatta, Logan, CJ playing there, we're getting a decent pass rush right now. But we'll have to see over the next couple weeks if we feel like it's enough to move into next year,” Day said. “But there's been good growth there. I've been impressed with Zion Grady as a young player. I think that if he can learn and grow and get better and not get caught up in being a freshman and kind of flatlining here, and continuing to get better in the second half of the spring, I think he can help us as a freshman, which would be great. So there's a lot of guys grinding in there, and hard to make an evaluation with so much install going on, but certainly these next couple weeks will be big.”
Defensive Tackle Depth Needs to Step Up
Defensive tackle is arguably Ohio State’s biggest position of concern in terms of depth this season, as the Buckeyes don’t have any proven commodities behind projected starters Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald, who will be stepping into starting roles for the first time themselves.
While Day said the Buckeyes have seen flashes of potential from their other defensive tackles, they need to see more consistent play from their DTs over the next two weeks if they’re going to come out of spring feeling they have the depth they need.
“We need those guys to step up,” Day said with an emphasis on the word ‘need.’ “I think there's certain things that have been good, and there's certain things that have flashed, but every time we say the word flash, that means it's probably not consistent enough. The ability’s there, so it's an area that we've gotta continue now in the second half of spring to see a push out of that group.”
Linebackers Making An Impression
The second player Day named Monday when discussing spring standouts was Arvell Reese, who seems to be cementing himself as the frontrunner to start at linebacker alongside Sonny Styles based on the head coach’s latest comments about Reese.
“When you just look at him physically, he's worked very hard to build up his body to get stronger. But also his football IQ, he's played some meaningful snaps, obviously coming off of last year, he's taken the next step,” Day said. “And sometimes after the season's over, it can only be a few weeks, but you come in with a different mindset as you start to move and your role changes within a team. I feel like that's happened for Arvell. I think it's been fun to watch as the defensive staff has worked to figure out how to maximize his strengths, he has a lot of them. And he's got the right mindset.”
That said, Day has also been impressed with how the linebackers behind Styles and Reese on the depth chart – specifically sophomore Payton Pierce and freshmen Riley Pettijohn and TJ Alford – have practiced so far this spring.
“I like the way the other linebackers are running around. Payton Pierce and Riley, TJ, it's been good to watch them,” Day said.
Mathews Establishing Himself at Cornerback
Ohio State is counting on Jermaine Mathews Jr. to establish himself as a cornerback they can rely on opposite returning starter Davison Igbinosun, and it sounds like that’s exactly what he’s done so far this spring.
“You feel him every day,” Day said. “He's competitive, along with Davison and in the other corners.”
It sounds like Jermaine Mathews Jr. is doing exactly what he needs to do so far this spring to lock down a starting job at cornerback.
Day didn’t specifically address the nickel position on Monday, but was asked about the development of Devin Sanchez, who’s viewed as a candidate to push for major playing time as a freshman – likely outside, which could mean Mathews playing some nickel. Based on what Day said Monday, it doesn’t sound like Sanchez has quite positioned himself to be an immediate starter yet, though Day is pleased with the progress he’s seeing from the five-star recruit.
“He’s got the right mindset. He's out there competing, and he's doing some good things. He's also making some mistakes and learning from that and growing,” Day said of Sanchez. “I think Devin has the right mindset and just needs to continue to get reps under his belt and grow from it. But obviously, we all know he has the talent and has a bright future. And he's gonna be a really good player here.”
Hartford, McClain Both Emerging at Safety
With Caleb Downs limited in practice by what Day described Monday as a “nagging injury,” Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain have both taken plenty of first-team reps at safety this spring. While Day indicated Downs’ injury is nothing to worry about long-term, he said both Hartford and McClain have taken advantage of the extra reps, giving the Buckeyes reason to feel good about each of them as potential starters this year.
“I think both Jaylen and Malik have made a move at safety. I think that's been good,” Day said.
