Having seen everything that Ohio State spring football has to show us, there is now a pretty good feel for where the two-deep stands for the Buckeyes.
Offensively, there are ORs at most positions, but only two of them are due to a decision needing to be made by the coaching staff.
Looking at the possible Ohio State depth chart following spring, it’s easy to see why Urban Meyer isn’t too concerned about quarterback. There’s too much talent around him to get hung up on uncertainty, especially when they feel good about all three of their quarterbacks.
What follows is a brief synopsis of where things stand now that spring football is in the books and the books are closed.
Quarterback
7 Dwayne Haskins, rSo OR
10 Joe Burrow, rJr
18 Tate Martell, rFr
12 Matthew Baldwin, Fr
Running Back
2 J.K. Dobbins, So OR
25 Mike Weber, rJr
26 Antonio Williams, rSo OR
33 Master Teague, Fr
The Wrap: Running backs coach Tony Alford says he doesn’t have a 1 or 2 between Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins. Antonio Williams had a productive spring, and freshman Master Teague got to learn behind all three of them. Can Williams keep Teague behind him this fall? That’s a very good question.
H-Back
21 Parris Campbell, rSr OR
14 K.J. Hill, rJr
30 Demario McCall, rSo
80 C.J. Saunders, rJr
The Wrap: K.J. Hill was out this spring with a shoulder injury. Parris Campbell enjoyed the spring as a member of the 2,000 Rep Club. Demario McCall showed what he’s capable of in the spring game with 11 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps even more noteworthy, both McCall and Campbell showed significant improvement as deep-ball receivers this spring.
X Receiver
11 Austin Mack, Jr OR
9 Binjimen Victor, Jr
15 Jaylen Harris, So
The Wrap: Jaylen Harris made some noise in camp, but this is still Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor’s island. Victor closed the spring well. Mack is a mature leader now. Harris is still going to be heard from this season, however.
Z Receiver
83 Terry McLaurin, rSr OR
1 Johnnie Dixon, rSr
87 Ellijah Gardiner, rFr
The Wrap: It was a steady spring for veterans Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon. They’re all saying the right things, but they both have plenty to prove this season. Ellijah Gardiner is still young, but will grow this year because he’ll finally be able to get onto the field.
Tight End
89 Luke Farrell, rSo
38 Rashod Berry, rJr OR
81 Jake Hausmann, rSo
The Wrap: Urban Meyer mentioned a week or two ago that Luke Farrell had surged above everyone else. It was a surprise, but not a huge upset. The knock on Rashod Berry has always been consistency. They will continue to work with him on that. Jake Hausmann had a solid spring.
Left Tackle
75 Thayer Munford, So
58 Joshua Alabi, rJr
The Wrap: We were all surprised last Saturday when Thayer Munford opened up at left tackle and Isaiah Prince was at right tackle. This week, offensive line coach Greg Studrawa said that Munford was most likely going to be the Buckeyes’ left tackle. The reason for Munford and not Prince is because Munford and Joshua Alabi are more comfortable at left tackle than right tackle. Munford still has some work to do, as Nick Bosa showed.
Left Guard
73 Michael Jordan, Jr
66 Malcolm Pridgeon, rSr
61 Gavin Cupp, rSo
The Wrap: Michael Jordan was out this spring following surgery, but he’ll be fine. In his place, Malcolm Pridgeon arguably had the best spring of any Buckeye offensive lineman. Gavin Cupp was finally healthy this spring and played well also. Even with the transfer of fourth-year junior Matt Burrell, the Buckeyes are solid here.
Center
79 Brady Taylor, rSr OR
71 Josh Myers, rFr
54 Matthew Jones, Fr
The Wrap: Brady Taylor had the lead for the first half of spring camp, but Josh Myers closed tremendously over the final two weeks. Because of the way he closed, this battle will continue in the fall. The key for Myers was consistency and confidence. Once he had that, he was able to operate his position properly.
Right Guard
78 Demetrius Knox, rSr
53 Wyatt Davis, rFr
The Wrap: There wasn’t much said here. There doesn’t really need to be. Demetrius Knox will be the starter. Wyatt Davis will be his understudy.
Right Tackle
59 Isaiah Prince, Sr
76 Branden Bowen, rJr
74 Max Wray, Fr
The Wrap: Greg Studrawa is comfortable with Isaiah Prince at either tackle spot, and so is Prince. Prince wants to be the left tackle, but he wants to do what is best for the team even more. Max Wray has gotten some great reps this spring and could find himself in the two-deep this season. Fourth-year junior Branden Bowen could be involved here as well when he returns from injury.
So we are just gonna ignore that Bowen started at RG last season? And assume he is a,backup? Lol…call me when you want real analysis.
He’s going to be involved somewhere. Thayer Munford said Branden was moving back to tackle. So I would expect Bowen and Munford to battle it out for the spot opposite Isaiah Prince.
Start Burrow…he’s been there a year longer…
Looks solid to me. I think Bowen will be the backup tackle at either spot and go in if one of those two go down. The offense is very deep at just about every position for the first time in a long time. Whoever wins the QB battle is going to have a solid OL and a deep group of RBs and WRs to work with.
Demario McCall is quicker and has better hands than either Parris Campbell or K.J. Hill. I don’t see how they can keep him off the field. At least we will have the best returner we have had in years.
As far as the QB situation, the “need to look at the data” is just plain bullsh#*. If they don’t know by now who has the best overall skill set and chance for success, they are pretty lame. If they choose Haskins over Burrow, and Burrow leaves, we will be woefully weak in QB depth next year. Martel would be a nice novelty, but we would waste all the receiver depth we have . . .just as we have for the last few years.