It’s an annual thing around these parts. Any time a new official roster gets released by Ohio State, we begin the crosschecking to see who has grown, who has shrunk, and who has found their Goldilocks zone.
A couple of years ago, J.T. Barrett came in at 6-foot-1 after being 6-foot-2 for the first half of his career. We reported the news back in July of 2016 thusly:
Quarterback J.T. Barrett has dropped three pounds, but that might be a result of him losing an inch of height. He is now listed at 6-1 222. There is no mention in his bio as to the reason for his shortening, but one might surmise it was due to the pressure that he was feeling last year. (Update: After the original publication of this article, the author was pulled aside Monday afternoon by an Ohio State spokesperson and told that Barrett is still 6-foot-2 and that there is no cause for alarm.)
It was a good thing the report was inaccurate because, as you may recall, Barrett needed that inch in the Michigan game that year.
So as you can see, this is a very serious time of year. In order to give you as much information as possible on your quest to know everything that is going to happen this season before it actually happens, we went through the entire scholarship roster from last year and compared it to the new numbers. Below you can see who is up, who is down, and who is perfect just the way they are.
Some standouts for you as it’s a pretty long list below:
+ Sophomore defensive end Chase Young is up 25 pounds to 6-5 265. Of course, he said last year that he was never 240 and there was never any reason to doubt him. You can see what he is looking like today in the photo above.
+ Junior defensive end Jonathon Cooper has grown one inch and nine pounds and now checks in at 6-4 257.
+ Sophomore linebacker Pete Werner is up 20 pounds to 6-3 235, which probably means you’re going to see him on more than just special teams this season.
+ Sophomore Amir Riep is up 12 pounds as he makes the move from cornerback to safety.
+ Redshirt sophomore safety Wayne Davis grew two inches and is now bumping the top of his head on anything six feet tall or lower.
+ Davon Hamilton is up 10 pounds and Malik Barrow is down 10 pounds as the former gets ready for more snaps at nose guard and the latter gets ready for more snaps at the three technique.
+ Fourth-year junior Kendall Sheffield put on 10 pounds, likely because he didn’t want to be easy to tackle while running track.
+ Nick Bosa is down seven pounds because he apparently wasn’t good enough at 270 pounds last year.
+ Sophomore kicker Blake Haubeil has grown an inch and packed on 25 pounds, so at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, the Buckeyes may now have a first line of defense on kickoff returns.
+ Also, linebacker Nick Conner is no longer on the roster. His career has come to an end due to knee injuries.
Anyway, that’s just some of the changes, there are plenty more down below, including a former 5-star linebacker who apparently lost the inch that Haubeil gained.
Johnnie Dixon is up three pounds to 5-11 198.
Jeff Okudah is up six pounds to 6-1 199.
J.K. Dobbins is up four pounds to 5-10 212.
Chase Young is up 25 pounds to 6-5 265.
Damon Arnette standing pat at 6-0 195.
Jordan Fuller is down three pounds to 6-2 204.
Baron Browning is down an inch and up eight pounds to 6-3 238.
Dwayne Haskins is up four pounds to 6-3 218.
Kendall Sheffield is up 10 pounds to 6-0 193.
Jashon Cornell is down six pounds to 6-3 274.
Binjimen Victor is up five pounds to 6-4 200.
Joe Burrow held steady at 6-3 215.
Amir Riep is up 12 pounds to 5-11 195.
Austin Mack stands firm at 6-2 215.
Rashod Berry is down five pounds to 6-4 255.
K.J. Hill sticks at 6-0 198.
Isaiah Pryor is up two pounds to 6-2 197.
Wayne Davis is up two inches and up two pounds to 6-0 195.
Jaylen Harris is up 10 pounds to 6-5 215.
Keandre Jones is up three pounds to 6-2 228.
Jonathon Cooper is up one inch and up nine pounds to 6-4 257.
Tate Martell is up two pounds to 5-11 207.
Pete Werner is up 20 pounds to 6-3 235.
Parris Campbell held steady at 6-1 208.
Marcus Williamson is up five pounds to 5-10 185.
Jahsen Wint didn’t budge from 5-10 196.
Shaun Wade is up seven pounds to 6-1 192.
Mike Weber is down two pounds to 5-10 212.
Brendon White sticks at 6-2 210.
Antonio Williams is up two pounds to 5-11 210.
Demario McCall is down two pounds to 5-9 193.
Tuf Borland is still 6-1 229.
Dante Booker is again 6-3 240.
Malik Harrison is up five pounds to 6-3 240.
Justin Hilliard stands firm at 6-1 230.
Liam McCullough remains a disciplined 6-2 228.
Wyatt Davis is up five pounds to 6-4 315.
Davon Hamilton is up 10 pounds to 6-4 310.
Malik Barrow is down 10 pounds to 6-2 280.
Josh Alabi is up five pounds to 6-5 305.
Isaiah Prince is still 6-7 310.
Gavin Cupp is down an inch and up three pounds to 6-4 308.
Malcolm Pridgeon is down five pounds to 6-7 310.
Robert Landers is still just fine at 6-1 283.
Matt Burrell is up six pounds to 6-3 306.
Josh Myers is up three pounds to 6-5 308.
Michael Jordan is still 6-7 310 just like Isaiah Prince.
Thayer Munford is down six pounds to 6-6 319.
Branden Bowen remains 6-7 312.
Demetrius Knox is up four pounds to 6-4 312.
Brady Taylor is up 12 pounds to 6-5 312.
C.J. Saunders is up nine pounds to 5-11 185.
Jake Hausmann is down seven pounds to 6-4 245.
Terry McLaurin sticks at 6-1 204.
Dre’Mont Jones is down five pounds to 6-3 290.
Ellijah Gardiner is down an inch to 6-3 200.
Luke Farrell is still 6-6 250.
Drue Chrisman is up three pounds to 6-3 215 due to bottle flipping.
Haskell Garrett is up seven pounds to 6-2 293.
Blake Haubeil is up one inch and up 25 pounds to 6-4 225.
Sean Nuernberger is up three pounds to 6-1 228.
Nick Bosa is down seven pounds to 6-4 263.
Jerron Cage is up 15 pounds to 6-3 295.