Football

Ohio State Football 2019 Early Enrollees Set To Start Classes

by Tom Orr
Ohio State Football 2019 Early Enrollees Garrett Wilson Zach Harrison

OSU’s Spring Semester starts on Monday, which means the Ohio State football 2019 early enrollees are now on campus to start their careers.

Before we get to the freshmen, it’s worth noting that sophomore transfer quarterback Justin Fields is already in Columbus. He attended Saturday’s basketball game with Dwayne Haskins, and has confirmed that he is transferring to Ohio State.

But there is another group of Buckeyes who are also on campus and ready to start classes.

Defensive ends Zach Harrison and Noah Potter, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, safety Ronnie Hickman, offensive lineman Ryan Jacoby, and running back Marcus Crowley are all expected to start classes on Monday.

Those players will likely meet with the media in the next week or so, providing the first chance to hear from them since they started their Buckeye careers.

In the meantime, here’s a look at each of the players who will get a chance to take part in Ohio State’s 2019 spring practice, giving themselves a big head start on their college careers.

Marcus Crowley

Position: Running back

Recruiting Ranking: 3-star, No. 26 Running back, No. 409 Overall

2019 Impact: Running back is a position where freshmen have a chance to make an immediate impact. Remember: J.K. Dobbins started the season opener as a true freshman in 2017. With Mike Weber off to the NFL and Brian Snead’s status for 2019 still up in the air, there is a chance for Crowley to earn some carries this fall. As with all Buckeye skill position players, Crowley’s blocking ability will go a long way toward determining how soon he plays meaningful snaps on offense.

Zach Harrison

Position: Defensive end

Recruiting Ranking: 5-star, No. 1 Strong side defensive end, No. 4 Overall

2019 Impact: Harrison’s freakish athletic ability means he’ll be hard to keep off the field, and Larry Johnson has shown he is willing to play true freshmen who are ready. Don’t expect him to start – especially from day one – but it’s likely that Harrison will earn a spot in the Buckeyes’ defensive end rotation at some point in 2019. Both of the Bosa brothers played as true freshmen and Tyreke Smith got meaningful snaps as a true freshman in 2018. Expect Harrison to do the same.

Ronnie Hickman

Position: Safety

Recruiting Ranking: 4-star, No. 9 safety, No. 112 Overall

2019 Impact: Jordan Fuller’s return means that OSU will have starters back at both safety positions. Add in Isaiah Pryor, who started for about half of the season, and players like Amir Riep and Josh Proctor who the coaching staff talked up in 2018, and it’s hard to see Hickman playing much at safety this fall. Look for him to contribute mostly on special teams, and then have a chance to fight for a starting role in 2020 and beyond.

Ryan Jacoby

Position: Offensive line

Recruiting Ranking: 4-star, No. 26 Offensive tackle, No. 296 Overall

2019 Impact: Linemen almost always need a redshirt year before they’re ready to contribute, and Jacoby will likely follow that path. Being in for spring practice will certainly help speed up his learning curve, but that may not pay off on the field until 2020.

Noah Potter

Position: Defensive end

Recruiting Ranking: 4-star, No. 24 Strong side defensive End, No. 330 Overall

2019 Impact: Much like Harrison, if Potter can show that he’s ready to contribute as a true freshman, Larry Johnson will give him a chance to play. The Buckeyes brought in three defensive ends in 2018: Tyreke Smith (played meaningful snaps), Tyler Friday (played sporadically, mostly in mop-up duty), and Javontae Jean-Baptiste (didn’t play at all). Potter doesn’t have to bulk up as much as Jean-Baptiste did, so he’ll probably see the field some. But with the depth at defensive end ahead of him, it may be hard to break into the rotation this fall.

Garrett Wilson

Position: Wide receiver

Recruiting Ranking: 5-star, No. 2 Wide receiver, No. 16 overall

2019 Impact: It’s never smart to bet on a true freshman wide receiver to have a big season, but Wilson has exceeded expectations in almost every possible area so far. He is the kind of talent who jumps off the screen even when facing other truly premier players. His path to playing time may depend on which receiver position the Buckeyes play him. He likely profiles as a “Z” which is the position that Terry McLaurin and Johnnie Dixon have played the last couple years. Both of them are now gone, leaving playing time wide open. If Wilson ends up a “Z” he should play this fall. If they stick him a “X” (Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor, Jaylen Harris) or “H” (Demario McCall, C.J. Saunders, Jaelen Gill) then the path to significant playing time is harder.

You can find the official “welcome” posts from OSU for each player below.

Safety Ronnie Hickman and Wide receiver Garrett Wilson

Defensive ends Noah Potter and Zach Harrison

Running back Marcus Crowley

Offensive lineman Ryan Jacoby

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3 Responses

  1. I watched Wilson in the All-Star game catch two unreal touchdown passes where he made jump balls in the end zone look like he was playing against middle schoolers. Why this site has not replayed these unbelievable catches is hard to understand.

  2. WR jameson, reminds me of dixon, and garrett will replace Mclaurin, maybe Babb? But can these WRs block? i hope mack or Harris can block like Spencer. Harrison will get drafted higher than Stover. He can make highlight plays that will be shown on ESPN for days. i like Alabi, davis, myers, Bowen and mumford. but depth is thin and untested. PF is a big question mark, but would like to add nester to miller, jacoby, and possibly Dawand OLINE haul. if we do we shoiuld be set until next years haul

  3. I’am going to make a call right now, STOVER will be a better contributor on defense then HARRISON & Harrison will be ALL BIG 10!! Will be BEST linebacker OSU has had. May also play some end in Rush packages& he doesn’t even start till June. Love this kids natural ability. Would love to hear from Mr AA, Kurt Mews, & Doug Leedy on this opinion.

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