Ohio State spring practice preview Top storylines and more on defense, special teams
As Ohio State begins spring practice on Tuesday, a look at the top storylines, most intriguing players, position battle to watch, freshman to follow and breakout candidate on defense and special teams. (Editor’s note: A preview of the offense can be found here.)
Top storylines
Are there enough options at linebacker at Ohio State?
The Buckeyes are thin on experience at linebacker, as Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg left for the NFL.
Cody Simon is the exception, having made 14 starts over the past three seasons and rotating as part of three-linebacker packages.
But the other seven scholarship linebackers have combined for only 96 career snaps at the position, as tallied by Pro Football Focus. All of Kourt Williams’ 225 defensive snaps came before he switched positions from safety to linebacker last year.
The following weeks should leave the Buckeyes with opportunities to develop potential replacements, a group of underclassmen that is talented despite its youth, led by C.J. Hicks, who was the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class.
If not enough contributors emerge, a move by Sonny Styles to the second level of the defense might be more critical.
Could the ‘jack’ return to the Ohio State defense?
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles scaled back the use of the hybrid defensive end and linebacker position known as the “jack” last year.
The limited usage was a result of an effort to simplify the scheme and a change in the available personnel with Jack Sawyer returning to the defensive line on a full-time basis after he fit the role in 2022.
Will it change this year? It’s possible. The position was a staple of Knowles’ defenses in previous stops, and he has said it remains a part of his vision.
The Buckeyes also need to find ways to generate more pressure. Their 2.15 sacks per game last season were tied for their fewest since 2011. Knowles has previously found the “jack” to be an effective pass rusher.
But there are other complicating factors, ranging from a preference for lining up with four down linemen to limited personnel for the position, though Mitchell Melton and Hicks remain as possible options.
More: Ohio State football 2024 depth chart projection 1.0: Where do new transfers fit?
How will special teams be handled?
Ohio State no longer has an assistant dedicated solely to special teams.
That was the result of the firing of Parker Fleming, who had spent the past three seasons as the special teams coordinator.
To fill Fleming’s spot on the on-field coaching staff, Ryan Day promoted graduate assistant James Laurinaitis to linebackers coach.
It’s likely that a handful of assistants will pull double duty by coaching the various areas of special teams in addition to their position groups.
That is not uncommon at the highest level of the sport. Among the teams that finished in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll, the Buckeyes were one of only two with a dedicated special teams coach as an on-field assistant.
Spring practice will offer a glimpse of how Day plans to divide up the responsibilities for coaching special teams.
Most intriguing players
Caleb Downs
The All-America safety from Alabama headlined one of the best transfer classes in the country and adds to a talent-rich defense. The intrigue with Downs is largely over how the Buckeyes might use him in their secondary. He’s likely to replace Josh Proctor as the free safety, but is versatile enough to move around as he did as a freshman with the Crimson Tide.
Sonny Styles
A move to linebacker remains possible for Styles, who started at multiple safety positions last season, a result of his size at 6 feet 4 and 230 pounds. But there’s a good chance Styles will be lining up in a variety of spots. Laurinaitis compared him to former Clemson star Isaiah Simmons, who was a Swiss Army knife for the Tigers.
Joe McGuire
As the only returning punter, McGuire would be the replacement for Jesse Mirco, who transferred to Vanderbilt for his final season of eligibility. McGuire has a similar background, a native of Australia who also trained at the Prokick Academy. Will it be a smooth transition?
More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy
Position battle to watch: Starting weakside LB
While Simon is in line to take over as the starting middle linebacker for Eichenberg, it should be a fairly wide-open competition to replace Chambers at weakside linebacker. Both Hicks and Gabe Powers are leading candidates, having rotated at times last fall, while Styles could be in the mix if the Buckeyes follow through with a position change for him.
Freshman to follow: Eddrick Houston
One of Ohio State’s biggest recruiting wins during the early signing period in December was keeping Houston, a five-star defensive end, in the fold. Day referred to him as an immediate impact player, and with the Buckeyes heavy on veterans at defensive end, likely to result in lighter workloads, opportunities should emerge for Houston to take his share of reps.
Breakout candidate: Hero Kanu
There have been signs that Kanu is poised to take a leap. During last season’s stretch run, Kanu stepped up as a bigger part of the rotation. He finished with eight defensive stops in only 90 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. With depth needed in the interior of the defensive line behind Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams, especially with Mike Hall Jr. declaring early for the NFL draft, Kanu could capitalize with a larger role.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football spring practice preview: Defense, special teams
