Today’s Topic: What Does Ohio State Need From Their Safeties?
In football — in general — the free safety is the centerfielder of a defense. He is the deepest guy on the field because he is tasked with covering so much ground. The strong safety then plays closer to the line of scrimmage to help out with the run game if needed.
Over the last five years or so, that’s been the opposite of OSU’s safety duties. The free safety has been the guy closer to the line of scrimmage and the strong safety has been the deeper of the two.
Now, however, the Buckeyes have returned to the terminology of old, with the free safety being the deep guy and the strong safety being the not-as-deep guy.
But what those safeties do will be anything but standard.
“It’s pretty multiple. Free safety, strong safety, bullet, we’re kind of rotating all of the guys through those spots right now,” co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said back in the spring. “Sometimes you’ll see them in the middle of the field, sometimes you’ll see them in the half, sometimes you’ll see them down in the box, sometimes you’ll see them lined up over the slot, so really all three of those guys are pretty versatile. You can take any safety in our room right now and we’re trying to make it so we can plug and play them at all of those positions so that we just say, ‘You’re this.’ The more multiple we can be, the more we can do on defense.”
In other words, sometimes the free safety will be a one-high safety — the lone ranger in the middle of the field — and sometimes he will defend one half of the field while the bullet moves back on passing downs and defends the other half. The strong safety will generally be over the slot. If there is no slot, then that guy will be over the tight end.
But what skill sets will those safeties need to have?
“For the free safety, a guy in the middle of the field, you’d love to see a rangy guy who can cover a lot of ground,” assistant secondary coach Matt Barnes said. “Get the ball on the ground for anyone that spits outside of the front seven. The cover safety, the down safety, has to be able to play out in space, he’s got to be able to cover a slot man-to-man, those kinds of things.”
Based on what the coaches want, it would seem the Buckeyes have what they need.
Jordan Fuller, who was out this spring, has played both safety spots in Ohio State’s old defenses, and probably had his best season in 2017 as the deep safety. Brendon White emerged as a deep safety last season and has shown the necessary promise to be able to play linebacker and defend as a safety as OSU’s Bullet this spring.
Shaun Wade was the Buckeyes’ nickel last year, which is quite a bit what the strong safety looks like in this defense.
All told, the coaches are intrigued with their options, and the players like what they’re being asked to do.
It’s all still a work in progress, but the goals remain unchanged.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to put our guys in position to be successful,” Barnes said. “However that ends up shaking out when we go to play the game, that’s what we’ll do.”