Finalizing Ohio State’s Post-Spring Depth Chart on Offense

Now that spring football is over, we have to spend a good amount of time haruspicating the gory entrails in order to have an idea of what this season might look like. One way we can do this is by best-guessing the post-spring depth chart. How many question marks are there? How difficult is it to find a second unit? Are any jobs simply being won by default?

The fewer the questions, the better the answers, and the better the team.

How many question marks does the Ohio State offense have? Let’s find out with our best guess as to what the post-spring depth chart looks right now.

Note: The only freshmen listed will be those who are enrolled and participated in spring ball.

Quarterback
16 J.T. Barrett, rSr (6-2 222)
10 Joe Burrow, rSo (6-3 218)
7 Dwayne Haskins, rFr (6-3 220)
18 Tate Martell, Fr (5-11 205)

Urban Meyer says it’s too close to call for the backup quarterback spot, but Joe Burrow has been steady. He might need to be more than steady, however, to keep the job in the fall.

Running Back
25 Mike Weber, rSo (5-10 212)
30 Demario McCall (5-9 195)
2 J.K. Dobbins, Fr (5-10 208)
26 Antonio Williams, Soph (5-11 210)

J.K. Dobbins passed Antonio Williams in the spring while Williams battled hamstring issues. He did not pass Demario McCall, who was arguably the most explosive player on the field in the spring game.

H-Back
21 Parris Campbell, rJr (6-1 208)
14 K.J. Hill, rSo (6-0 200)
19 Eric Glover-Williams, Jr (5-9 178)

We had Parris Campbell listed here back in February because the position suited him better than the outside, so it wasn’t a surprise when he was actually there on the first day of spring football. He had an excellent camp and was the No. 1 receiver throughout. K.J. Hill may technically be a backup, but he’ll play as many snaps this year as any of the other wide receivers. He has Jalin Marshall-like ability in the slot.

Wide Receiver
9 Binjimen Victor, Soph (6-4 195) OR
1 Johnnie Dixon, rJr (5-11 198)
80 Brendon White, Fr (6-2 200)

Wide Receiver
83 Terry McLaurin, rJr (6-0 204)
11 Austin Mack, Soph (6-2 215)

The Buckeyes only had five scholarship wideouts during spring ball and they all moved around, so there is no ‘X’ or ‘Z’ right now. In general, four of these guys will be in the rotation, combined with a pair of H-backs, which will give Zach Smith his normal six-man rotation. Once a guy like Trevon Grimes arrives — and with the improvement of Brendon White and Eric Glover-Williams, that number may have to grow a bit. Those who produce could get that number whittled back down a bit as the season progresses, however.

Tight End
85 Marcus Baugh, rSr (6-5 258) OR
88 A.J. Alexander, rSo (6-2 254)
89 Luke Farrell, rFr (6-6 245)
81 Jake Hausmann, rFr (6-4 245)
24 Kierre Hawkins, rFr (6-3 245)

Yes, Marcus Baugh is the established starter, but he was out this spring and A.J. Alexander played well enough in the spring to make a push. Luke Farrell distanced himself from his second-year classmates. Kevin Wilson said the summer is when tight ends really grow as pass catchers since they spend so much of their practices blocking.

Left Tackle
74 Jamarco Jones, Sr (6-5 310)
76 Branden Bowen, rSo (6-7 312)
58 Josh Alabi, rSo (6-5 300)

Ohio State obviously feels good about their left tackle situation with Jamarco Jones, but Branden Bowen gives them depth at the tackle positions that few teams can match. Josh Alabi has been one of the pleasant surprises of camp after moving over from defensive tackle.

Left Guard
73 Michael Jordan, Soph (6-7 310)
61 Gavin Cupp, rFr (6-4 300) OR
71 Josh Myers, Fr (6-6 306)

Nobody is really talking about this position, which is a testament to how steady Michael Jordan has been. The eventual No. 2 here might be the guy who finishes No. 3 at right guard.

Center
54 Billy Price, rSr (6-4 315)
79 Brady Taylor, rJr (6-5 300)
64 Jack Wohlabaugh, rFr (6-4 290)

Billy Price received no complaints this spring as he moved to center. It’s kind of funny how nobody is talking about the Buckeyes having to replace the best center in college football.

Right Guard
69 Matt Burrell, rSo (6-4 305)
66 Malcolm Pridgeon, rJr (6-7 315) OR
78 Demetrius Knox, rJr (6-4 308)

Demetrius Knox opened the spring as the No. 1 right guard, but is now mired in a battle with Matt Burrell and Malcolm Pridgeon. The position is trending away from him at the moment, and he’ll have to reverse that trend in the offseason.

Right Tackle
59 Isaiah Prince, Jr (6-7 310)
76 Branden Bowen, rSo (6-7 312)
77 Kevin Feder, rSo (6-9 305)

Not much was said about Isaiah Prince this spring, which is a good thing. We haven’t yet spoken with offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, so I can’t include his thoughts here. It was good to see Kevin Feder active throughout the spring.