The Ohio State coaches have said that they will really start to piece together the Buckeyes’ depth chart after the first scrimmage. Well, that first scrimmage happened on Saturday, and even though the media saw exactly zero seconds of it, that isn’t going to stop me from putting together a depth chart based on what I know, what I’ve heard, and what I think.
I can’t swear to the accuracy of all of this, but since the coaches likely won’t give us the full rundown on the actual depth chart, I can’t be proven inaccurate either. I’ll take those odds every time.
Quarterback
16 J.T. Barrett, rSr
10 Joe Burrow, rSo OR
7 Dwayne Haskins, rFr
18 Tate Martell, Fr
Martell had a long run during the scrimmage, so that impressed some folks. Urban Meyer will speak with the media on Monday, so we’ll find out more about the pecking order between Burrow and Haskins at that point. Nobody was really talking on Saturday after the scrimmage, other than to say both quarterbacks looked good.
Running Back
25 Mike Weber, rSo
2 J.K. Dobbins, Fr
30 Demario McCall, So OR
26 Antonio Williams, So
Weber has been out with his hamstring issue, which has allowed Dobbins to continue impressing. McCall was floating back and forth with the running backs and H-backs when we saw the first few periods of Saturday’s practice. I don’t know if he’ll move to any one spot full time. By the way, here’s a clip of Dobbins as a junior in high school followed by a clip of him from Saturday.
Remember this downshift from J.K. Dobbins? pic.twitter.com/HBwkV8V9T8
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) August 6, 2017
He broke it out again today… pic.twitter.com/1oucAEpFOg
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) August 6, 2017
That touchdown run by Dobbins came with the first-team offense against the (mostly) first-team defense.
X Receiver
9 Binjimen Victor, So OR
11 Austin Mack, So
15 Jaylen Harris, Fr
Receivers coach Zach Smith said he doesn’t have three starters, he has six starters, which would explain why I have placed an OR between the top two guys at each of the three receiver positions.
Z Receiver
83 Terry McLaurin, rJr OR
1 Johnnie Dixon, rJr
8 Trevon Grimes, Fr
87 Ellijah Gardiner, Fr
The Z receiver has to be able to block and get open deep, which is where McLaurin has excelled this offseason. Dixon continues to be a great story. I don’t know if Grimes or Gardiner are Zs or Xs yet. They have X body types, but both can fly. This is known as “a good problem to have.”
H-Back
21 Parris Campbell, rJr OR
14 K.J. Hill, rSo
30 Demario McCall, So
19 Eric Glover-Williams
McCall is here ahead of Glover-Williams because he’s already been on offense and doesn’t have nearly as much adjusting to do as EGW. In fact, maybe one of the reasons McCall wasn’t at H in the spring was so that EGW could get reps.
Tight End
85 Marcus Baugh, rSr
89 Luke Farrell, rFr OR
81 Jake Hausmann, rFr OR
13 Rashod Berry, rSo
24 Kierre Hawkins, rFr
Baugh is still out, so the first-team reps are going to everyone else at this point. This is still basically the same depth chart as it was in the spring. I think the only movement will come when either Farrell or Hausmann solidifies the No. 2 job as theirs.
Left Tackle
74 Jamarco Jones, Sr
58 Joshua Alabi, rSo
77 Kevin Feder, rSo
Alabi was out on Saturday, but for nothing serious. Does that give freshman Thayer Munford a shot? He has been impressing coaches, but he’s not on this depth chart because I have no idea where to put him. Meyer said he was in the mix at right guard, but in reality that is likely just a battle between Malcolm Pridgeon, Matt Burrell, and Demetrius Knox. Until it’s not, anyway.
Left Guard
73 Michael Jordan, So
78 Demetrius Knox, rJr
Knox doesn’t get talked about as much as Malcolm Pridgeon and Matt Burrell, so I’m putting him here behind Jordan for now.
Center
54 Billy Price, rSr
79 Brady Taylor, rJr
64 Jack Wohlabaugh, rFr
Taylor has been the backup at center for a while now. It’s time for Wohlabaugh to challenge him, which should be one of the more underrated competitions to watch during camp. You know, because nobody can get enough of watching the battle at backup center.
Right Guard
69 Matt Burrell, rSo OR
66 Malcolm Pridgeon, rJr
As I said above, I’ve only got two names here because I believe this is where the real battle will take place. I could list all seven names here that Urban Meyer said will get a look, but that seems unnecessary. I don’t see the freshmen Wyatt Davis or Josh Myers breaking through, and redshirt freshman Gavin Cupp is still battling injuries.
Right Tackle
59 Isaiah Prince, Jr
76 Branden Bowen, rSo
Bowen is also getting a look at right guard, and I should have actually considered him a legitimate candidate to win the job, but I forgot. At least I eventually remembered. There is a little concern about what happens if he would actually win the job and then either Jamarco Jones or Isaiah Prince would go down. Bowen winning the right guard spot would thin the tackles, but perhaps the continued growth of Thayer Munford has maybe eased some of those concerns? That’s a complete guess on my part and probably wrong.
Defensive End
59 Tyquan Lewis, rSr OR
97 Nick Bosa, So
18 Jonathon Cooper, So
There’s not much to say here, which kind of says it all.
Defensive End
6 Sam Hubbard, rJr OR
11 Jalyn Holmes, Sr
2 Chase Young, Fr
In terms of riches, I could compare Larry Johnson to Scrooge McDuck, except instead of swimming in McDuck’s vault of gold, Johnson swims in his vault of defensive ends. The major difference, of course, is that Johnson is willing to share his defensive ends with every other team the Buckeyes face.
Defensive Tackle
86 Dre’Mont Jones, rSo
93 Tracy Sprinkle, rSr
55 Malik Barrow, rFr OR
9 Jashon Cornell, rSo
98 Jerron Cage, Fr
Don’t be surprised to also see Sprinkle getting time at nose tackle this season. This is a big camp for Barrow and Cornell, as both are trying to show Larry Johnson that he needs to find room for each of them.
Nose Tackle
77 Michael Hill, rSr OR
67 Robert Landers, rSo OR
53 Davon Hamilton, rSo
92 Haskell Garrett, Fr
We haven’t really gotten to see any kind of defensive line pecking order yet. Sometimes you can get an idea based on position drills, but when you also have defensive linemen working on special teams at the same time as those drills, your ideas have missing pieces.
Will Linebacker
17 Jerome Baker, Jr
16 Keandre Jones, So
32 Tuf Borland, rFr
20 Pete Werner, Fr
Urban Meyer said he wants to play Pete Werner this year, but it’s going to have to be on special teams. Jones was wearing a no-contact jersey on Saturday, but it wasn’t anything serious.
Middle Linebacker
35 Chris Worley, rSr
47 Justin Hilliard, rSo
5 Baron Browning, Fr
Expect Browning to find his time on special teams, with some here-and-there appearances on defense this year. He hasn’t been healthy enough to make a push yet, but should be considered 100% any moment now.
Sam Linebacker
33 Dante Booker, rJr
39 Malik Harrison, So
36 Zach Turnure, Sr
Turnure is a former walk-on who was put on scholarship recently, so I put him on the depth chart. I don’t know what position he actually plays, but there is less depth at Sam for the moment. Harrison should be 100% any day now as well. Both he and Baron Browning are coming back from shoulder surgeries in the spring.
Cornerback
12 Denzel Ward, Jr
1 Jeffrey Okudah, Fr
Urban Meyer said on Saturday that Okudah is a little bit ahead of the rest of the freshmen, so he gets the top “B” spot here. I’ve split this group into three starting cornerbacks because that’s just how things are now. It doesn’t really lend itself well to depth charting, but you’ll kind of get the picture.
Cornerback
3 Damon Arnette, rSo
24 Shaun Wade, Fr
Cornerback
8 Kendall Sheffield, rSo
21 Marcus Williamson, Fr
10 Amir Riep
Free Safety
7 Damon Webb, Sr
23 Jahsen Wint, rFr
15 Wayne Davis, rFr
The depth here is an issue. Greg Schiano did have some positive words regarding Jahsen Wint last week, however. Webb continues to be a productive leader in the back end.
Strong Safety
34 Erick Smith, Sr OR
4 Jordan Fuller, So
14 Isaiah Pryor, Fr
25 Brendon White, Fr
Fuller was out Saturday, but Greg Schiano wasn’t concerned that it would put him too far behind Smith as they compete for this spot. Neither has emerged as a favorite, which could be considered a problem if your glass is half empty.
Place Kicker
96 Sean Nuernberger, rJr
95 Blake Haubeil, Fr
Urban Meyer said the job was Nuernberger’s last month, now it’s just up to him to keep it.
Punter
91 Drue Chrisman, rFr
The punting that we have seen in practice hasn’t been overly impressive, but that may mean absolutely nothing. It doesn’t mean much in terms of this depth chart.
Long Snapper
49 Liam McCullough, rSo
As long as you continue to never hear McCullough’s name during a game, Ohio State will continue to be thrilled with having him at the top of this depth chart.
Kick Returner
21 Parris Campbell, rJr
You’ll see other names here eventually, but Campbell is the guy at the top.
Punt Returner
30 Demario McCall, So
8 Kendall Sheffield, rSo
You should probably get excited about this unit. Eric Glover-Williams has also fielded punts, but expect the job to come down to — or be shared by — these two.
“Wow. Dobbins is fast.” -Captain Obvious