Here are 5 things we learned from the second week of Ohio State football spring practice

Here are five things we learned from the second week of Ohio State’s spring football practice:

More options at nickel emerge for Ohio State

Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker left the Buckeyes with a little uncertainty over their depth at nickel safety.

Before Styles filled in as the strong safety late last year following safety Lathan Ransom’s season-ending foot injury, he rotated at nickel with cornerback Jordan Hancock.

But there are a handful of defensive backs who have emerged as candidates to see snaps there along with Hancock.

Secondary coach Tim Walton mentioned Jermaine Mathews Jr., Miles Lockhart and Lorenzo Styles Jr. as three cornerbacks who are cross-training at the nickel spot this spring.

Another possibility at the position is Caleb Downs, the All-America transfer from Alabama.

Though Downs is expected to replace Josh Proctor as the starting free safety, he is seeing reps at nickel and has experience in a similar role.

As a freshman with the Crimson Tide last season, Downs played 30.1% of his snaps on defense as a slot cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus.

Having Downs and Hancock as options would allow the Buckeyes to show a variety of looks out of the nickel, using a safety and a traditional cornerback.

Walton expects others to see time there as well this offseason.

“We’re moving around to just get the right fit,” Walton said, “and see how it goes by the time we get ready to start the season.”

Early buzz growing for Jeremiah Smith

High expectations followed Jeremiah Smith to Ohio State.

It was the result of his high school pedigree. Three out of the four major recruiting services ranked him as the top prospect in the nation in his class.

Less than halfway through spring practice, the hype surrounding Smith has only picked up.

Before the dynamic wide receiver became the first of the early enrollees to lose their black stripe on Thursday, he had drawn a flurry of praise.

Coach Ryan Day remarked that Smith was flashing his talent. Brian Hartline, the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, likened him to a veteran for the way in which he has corrected mistakes, an ability that has enabled his fast transition to the college level.

Teammates have been especially effusive while talking him up. On the eve of spring practice, quarterback Devin Brown called his athleticism “freaky.” Cornerback Denzel Burke followed days later by proclaiming that Smith might be the Buckeyes’ next best receiver.

More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy

Opportunities for freshmen to break into Ohio State’s receiver rotation are rare. Garrett Wilson was the last one in 2019 to have a major role in his first year.

But enough early buzz is building to expect that Smith will factor into the Buckeyes’ plans for this fall.

“He has to play,” fellow receiver Brandon Inniss said. “Some way, he has to play.”

Buckeyes unconcerned with Seth McLaughlin’s snapping

The snapping woes that McLaughlin experienced as Alabama’s starting center last season have not persisted with the Buckeyes, according to Day.

“Seth’s snaps have been great,” Day said. “I know that was a little bit of a concern.”

Day saw the problems as stemming more from Jalen Milroe, the Crimson Tide’s quarterback, than McLaughlin, suggesting Milroe’s cadence behind center might have caused a lot of the trouble.

If McLaughlin does not hit a snag, expect him to be in the mix to supplant Carson Hinzman as Ohio State’s center.

Hinzman, who anchored the Buckeyes’ offensive line in the regular season a year ago until being benched for the Cotton Bowl, went out with the first-team offense at the start of spring practice.

But this should be a genuine position battle as long as McLaughlin has put bad snaps behind him, allowing the Buckeyes to benefit from his experience in the interior of the line. He made 25 starts with the Crimson Tide over the last three seasons.

Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate moving around at receiver

The departures of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Julian Fleming opened the possibility for Egbuka to see more snaps outside.

Egbuka had already shown his versatility as a receiver.

While starting in the slot the past two seasons, he also lined up out wide on 33.4% of his snaps on offense, per PFF.

“He’s capable of doing whatever you want to get done,” Hartline said.

But Hartline added that the growth of Inniss and Bryson Rodgers is providing Ohio State with additional options inside and allowing Egbuka to take more reps in practice at outside receiver.

Both Egbuka and Tate, who showed promise as a freshman, are getting reps at multiple receiver spots.

“It’s going to provide a lot of flexibility for our room,” Hartline said.

The Buckeyes have typically moved around their top receivers in an effort to create mismatches in coverage. It’s how Harrison ended up in the slot at times last season.

That trend should continue this year.

Building interior defensive line is a priority

Behind Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams, the Buckeyes are thin on experience at defensive tackle.

Four of the six scholarship tackles in line to back up Hamilton and Williams are in their first or second seasons without having taken meaningful snaps.

It prompted Day to refer to efforts to cultivate depth along the interior of the defensive line as one of their focuses.

“There are a handful of guys in which this is their spring to step up,” Day said. “This is a very, very important spring to build depth in that area.”

Day mentioned Kayden McDonald, Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr., a trio that enrolled last year, as a group he was looking to develop. Tywone Malone, who transferred from Mississippi a year ago, is another name to watch.

All have opportunities to break into the rotation alongside Hero Kanu, a redshirt sophomore who is Ohio State’s most-experienced reserve tackle after breaking into the rotation late last season.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football spring practice: 5 things we learned in two weeks