Welcome to another week here at Scarlet and Gray Report.
As we officially head into summer after Ohio State held its spring game Saturday, let’s get into some of my thoughts/overreactions from what the Buckeyes showed in their final scrimmage ahead of fall camp.
Young guys are set to play a prominent role in Jim Knowles’ defense.
When asked about young guys in his defense, Jim Knowles began to talk about a light switch.
It’s the shift in mentality, he said, coming in having spent their entire football careers just being great just based on their talent alone. Once they make it to the upper echelon of college football, that’s when the challenges come. It’s where nutritionists and strength trainers become necessary, when players become an “Olympic athlete,” taking care of their bodies as if they are Olympic athletes.
Knowles has seen that light switch turn on for many young players in his defense this spring, but he knows the work isn’t done.
“You see that light switch go on a lot with those young guys because we have a lot of talented guys,” Knowles said after the spring game Saturday. “We’ll continue to work with them when they get done with exams, take time, come back, we’ll be working with them and we’ll be working with them all summer because I think a lot of them could play for us.”
Ohio State’s defense has already seen incredible growth from its freshman class, especially on defense.
Prior to the end of spring camp, the two members of the 2022 recruiting class that have lost their black stripe were both from Knowles’ group: defensive end Caden Curry and safety Kye Stokes.
Curry, who’s been heralded since he was signed, viewed as this underrated, dominant and versatile defensive lineman that has a ceiling that’s as high as anyone in his freshman class, according to the program, showed that potential in his Ohio Stadium debut, bringing in three tackles — two solo — and a tackle-for-loss.
And then there’s Stokes: the free-ranging, twitchy and explosive safety comparable to Josh Proctor.
He went nuts, finding himself seemingly in the middle of every play he was a part of, gathering nine tackles, tied for second most in the game with safety Andre Turrentine, with two broken-up passes. In a room that came into the final scrimmage of the spring with far less game-ready safeties than it came in with, especially with the loss of Bryson Shaw and nickel Lejond Cavazos to the transfer portal, Stokes looked like a player who could be plugged in against Notre Dame.
That’s what Knowles wants. That’s what he’s going to spend the summer trying to cultivate because he’s seen the potential Curry, Stokes, CJ Hicks, who recorded seven tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss, Gabe Powers, who added five tackles, Jyaire Brown, who added three tackles and a pass breakup, and Ryan Turner, who added three tackles, could bring.
He has a freshmen unit that could set the tone for what he’s trying to build.
But it’s not just the “freshman” young guys.
Guys, Jordan Hancock is the real deal.
Yes, it’s the spring game. Yes, the stakes weren’t high. But, man, the redshirt freshman corner looked ready to go during the spring game.
And it wasn’t really a surprise either.
It was a message that the Ohio State coaching staff had been preaching all spring long: “Keep an eye on Tim Walton’s cornerback room.” It’s small, carrying only six scholarship corners with three tiers of tandems on each side: Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown, Hancock and JK Johnson, and Turner and Brown — the freshmen. But it’s a room with starting-level talent, with high praise coming, especially to that second team.
Hancock showed why Saturday, keeping stride with Marvin Harrison Jr. on one play, jumping up and batting a ball away, before stepping up and bringing down running back Miyan Williams in the backfield on the next.
It’s a small room, but it’s a room that’s developing, headlined by Hancock.
He’s not beating out Brown or Burke for a starting job. But he’s next in line, likely seeing the field extensively in 2022. And he’s going to be better for it as the go-to guy on the outside with Burke in 2023.
And it wasn’t only the defensive backfield.
The defensive line showed up.
OK, I’ll copy and paste my caveat from earlier here too: Yes, it’s the spring game. Yes, the stakes weren’t high.
But here’s the thing. And @jackemerson wrote about this Saturday, but I wanted to reemphasize the weight of this performance: this was without any of the wrinkles of Knowles’ defense.
Heading into the game, head coach Ryan Day said that the defense wasn’t going to show much of the new defensive scheme that’s been installed over the course of the past few months. However, what you saw was an invigorated group, one with a lot more fire, one with a lot more juice.
And yes, Ohio State’s offensive line is undermanned. Ohio State doesn’t have the depth that Day wants to have. You have players like Paris Johnson Jr. acclimating to the tackle position.
However, if this is what line pressure looks like without the majority of the new scheme shown, the combination of talent and depth along with the mad-scientist mentality of Knowles could bring something special to Larry Johnson’s room, something Ohio State hasn’t seen since Chase Young left.
Here’s a few more notes/overreactions on the defense from Ohio State’s spring game.
If you haven’t seen my podcast after the spring game, I kind of got on a soap box about this subject.
This is a storyline every, single year.
It started when I was covering the team back in 2017 and 2018, only it was using names like Luke Farrell, Marcus Baugh, Rashod Berry and, most of all, the arrival of Jeremy Ruckert. It was talk about the “redzone threat,” the player who can take the spotlight away on checkdowns and become a consistent option for then-quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins.
And after 2021, a season in which an Ohio State tight end had statistically the best season of any tight end since Jeff Heuerman in 2013, it still wasn’t enough, especially compared to the three-headed monster of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“But Colin, this year’s going to be different. Didn’t you watch the spring game?”
Yes, I did. And yes, Gee Scott Jr. looked consistent as a receiver. Yes, Joe Royer’s touchdown catch from Kyle McCord was, arguably, the best offensive play of the day from a player not named Evan Pryor.
But it’s the same storyline every year.
Ohio State’s quarterbacks LIVED off checkdowns and easy throws in the spring game. It’s something, Day called out Saturday, that C.J. Stroud’s been working on, something that could be used as he becomes a smarter, more experienced quarterback in his second year as a starter.
But on Sept. 3, he’s going to have Harrison, Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka full go.
Maybe I’m wrong, and part of me hopes I am. I really like Royer as a player and the potential that he would bring if I was running the offense. (Note: that would be a disaster.)
But I know history. And recently, it hasn’t worked that way.
Off soapbox.
Here’s a few more notes/overreactions on the offense from Ohio State’s spring game.
And @Zack Carpenter been all over it.
Here’s what you need to know:
Here's a look at who attended Ohio State's spring game.
Bryson Rodgers quickly became Ohio State's first wide receiver in the 2023 class. Here's what he told Zack Carpenter about why the Buckeyes were the right fit.
Here's what Rodgers' commitment means.
2023 CB Dijon Johnson also committed Sunday. Here's what you need to know about the latest addition to Tim Walton's room.
One quick note on Bryson Rodgers.
This quote gives you everything you need to know about Ohio State’s first wide receiver commit of the 2023 class:
“I love Marvin’s game. I share the same body type,” Rodgers told carpenter. “He’s a little bigger, he’s been working in their system. I feel like I can also get more weight on as I get into the Ohio State system. That was really nice for me to be compared to Marvin. Being compared to him and being held to that [standard], I wouldn’t call it pressure for me. I always like to be held accountable for what I’m supposed to do and reach my peak.”
Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline definitely has a type when it comes to wide receivers, with eight of his nine scholarship players being at least 6 feet tall and five of those players coming in at over 200 pounds. He loves a big-bodied receiver that can be a matchup problem for opposing corners.
For as much attention as players like Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss are getting in the 2023 class, Rodgers’ being Hartline’s first commit as a 6-foot-2 receiver that could grow into his frame, but coming in at 173 pounds, has huge indications for the offense moving forward.
Even with a room filled with talent, Hartline’s always refueling. And Rodgers shows Hartline isn’t satisfied.
Random spring game notes
Honestly don’t remember if I’ve shared one of these before. But if I could share a version of this song every week I would.
Welcome to “Colin explains a Phish jam.”
“Harry Hood” is a perfect example of what Phish does well: weaving in and out of different genres, using dynamics and breathtaking musicality for builds, feeding off one another with no band member taking the “lead.” What this creates is a moment that’s truly unmatched and really indescribable.
It’s one I’ve seen only once in person: Sept. 5, 2021 at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, watching glow sticks fly through the air through that final build that begins after “Thank you Mr. Hood.”
It’s unbelievable, something I really wish I could break down more musically. But to me, that’s the beauty of something like this, just something to experience, seeing four people in a groove and creating something brand new each time this song is played.
This version from the Clifford Ball Aug. 16, 1996 is a perfect example. Enjoy.
See you on the board.
As we officially head into summer after Ohio State held its spring game Saturday, let’s get into some of my thoughts/overreactions from what the Buckeyes showed in their final scrimmage ahead of fall camp.
Young guys are set to play a prominent role in Jim Knowles’ defense.
When asked about young guys in his defense, Jim Knowles began to talk about a light switch.
It’s the shift in mentality, he said, coming in having spent their entire football careers just being great just based on their talent alone. Once they make it to the upper echelon of college football, that’s when the challenges come. It’s where nutritionists and strength trainers become necessary, when players become an “Olympic athlete,” taking care of their bodies as if they are Olympic athletes.
Knowles has seen that light switch turn on for many young players in his defense this spring, but he knows the work isn’t done.
“You see that light switch go on a lot with those young guys because we have a lot of talented guys,” Knowles said after the spring game Saturday. “We’ll continue to work with them when they get done with exams, take time, come back, we’ll be working with them and we’ll be working with them all summer because I think a lot of them could play for us.”
Ohio State’s defense has already seen incredible growth from its freshman class, especially on defense.
Prior to the end of spring camp, the two members of the 2022 recruiting class that have lost their black stripe were both from Knowles’ group: defensive end Caden Curry and safety Kye Stokes.
Curry, who’s been heralded since he was signed, viewed as this underrated, dominant and versatile defensive lineman that has a ceiling that’s as high as anyone in his freshman class, according to the program, showed that potential in his Ohio Stadium debut, bringing in three tackles — two solo — and a tackle-for-loss.
And then there’s Stokes: the free-ranging, twitchy and explosive safety comparable to Josh Proctor.
He went nuts, finding himself seemingly in the middle of every play he was a part of, gathering nine tackles, tied for second most in the game with safety Andre Turrentine, with two broken-up passes. In a room that came into the final scrimmage of the spring with far less game-ready safeties than it came in with, especially with the loss of Bryson Shaw and nickel Lejond Cavazos to the transfer portal, Stokes looked like a player who could be plugged in against Notre Dame.
That’s what Knowles wants. That’s what he’s going to spend the summer trying to cultivate because he’s seen the potential Curry, Stokes, CJ Hicks, who recorded seven tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss, Gabe Powers, who added five tackles, Jyaire Brown, who added three tackles and a pass breakup, and Ryan Turner, who added three tackles, could bring.
He has a freshmen unit that could set the tone for what he’s trying to build.
But it’s not just the “freshman” young guys.
Guys, Jordan Hancock is the real deal.
Yes, it’s the spring game. Yes, the stakes weren’t high. But, man, the redshirt freshman corner looked ready to go during the spring game.
And it wasn’t really a surprise either.
It was a message that the Ohio State coaching staff had been preaching all spring long: “Keep an eye on Tim Walton’s cornerback room.” It’s small, carrying only six scholarship corners with three tiers of tandems on each side: Denzel Burke and Cameron Brown, Hancock and JK Johnson, and Turner and Brown — the freshmen. But it’s a room with starting-level talent, with high praise coming, especially to that second team.
Hancock showed why Saturday, keeping stride with Marvin Harrison Jr. on one play, jumping up and batting a ball away, before stepping up and bringing down running back Miyan Williams in the backfield on the next.
It’s a small room, but it’s a room that’s developing, headlined by Hancock.
He’s not beating out Brown or Burke for a starting job. But he’s next in line, likely seeing the field extensively in 2022. And he’s going to be better for it as the go-to guy on the outside with Burke in 2023.
And it wasn’t only the defensive backfield.
The defensive line showed up.
OK, I’ll copy and paste my caveat from earlier here too: Yes, it’s the spring game. Yes, the stakes weren’t high.
But here’s the thing. And @jackemerson wrote about this Saturday, but I wanted to reemphasize the weight of this performance: this was without any of the wrinkles of Knowles’ defense.
Heading into the game, head coach Ryan Day said that the defense wasn’t going to show much of the new defensive scheme that’s been installed over the course of the past few months. However, what you saw was an invigorated group, one with a lot more fire, one with a lot more juice.
And yes, Ohio State’s offensive line is undermanned. Ohio State doesn’t have the depth that Day wants to have. You have players like Paris Johnson Jr. acclimating to the tackle position.
However, if this is what line pressure looks like without the majority of the new scheme shown, the combination of talent and depth along with the mad-scientist mentality of Knowles could bring something special to Larry Johnson’s room, something Ohio State hasn’t seen since Chase Young left.
Here’s a few more notes/overreactions on the defense from Ohio State’s spring game.
- Jack Sawyer looked like a natural fit at Jack. Again, this is no shocker at all. If you were following my notes from Ohio State’s coaches clinic this past week, I wrote that there was film of Sawyer, Zach Harrison, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Mitchell Melton at Knowles’ hybrid defensive end and linebacker. But even out in coverage, Sawyer looked the part. Was he perfect? Did he show everything that the position would do? No, but there’s potential there.
- Cameron Kittle’s interception was probably the most impressive play of the day, making a deflection and grabbing an interception late in the game against Devin Brown and the Ohio State offense. Those are the kind of performances you expect for in a spring game: from a guy that may not see much of the field during the regular season, but getting his moment to shine.
- Tommy Eichenberg continued to be a tackle machine.
- Denzel Burke continues to look like a shutdown cornerback.
If you haven’t seen my podcast after the spring game, I kind of got on a soap box about this subject.
This is a storyline every, single year.
It started when I was covering the team back in 2017 and 2018, only it was using names like Luke Farrell, Marcus Baugh, Rashod Berry and, most of all, the arrival of Jeremy Ruckert. It was talk about the “redzone threat,” the player who can take the spotlight away on checkdowns and become a consistent option for then-quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Dwayne Haskins.
And after 2021, a season in which an Ohio State tight end had statistically the best season of any tight end since Jeff Heuerman in 2013, it still wasn’t enough, especially compared to the three-headed monster of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“But Colin, this year’s going to be different. Didn’t you watch the spring game?”
Yes, I did. And yes, Gee Scott Jr. looked consistent as a receiver. Yes, Joe Royer’s touchdown catch from Kyle McCord was, arguably, the best offensive play of the day from a player not named Evan Pryor.
But it’s the same storyline every year.
Ohio State’s quarterbacks LIVED off checkdowns and easy throws in the spring game. It’s something, Day called out Saturday, that C.J. Stroud’s been working on, something that could be used as he becomes a smarter, more experienced quarterback in his second year as a starter.
But on Sept. 3, he’s going to have Harrison, Smith-Njigba and Emeka Egbuka full go.
Maybe I’m wrong, and part of me hopes I am. I really like Royer as a player and the potential that he would bring if I was running the offense. (Note: that would be a disaster.)
But I know history. And recently, it hasn’t worked that way.
Off soapbox.
Here’s a few more notes/overreactions on the offense from Ohio State’s spring game.
- It was really fun to watch the freshman matchup of Kyion Grayes at wide receiver and Brown at cornerback. It was very, very even at points, and something Grayes didn’t get too much production from, finishing the game with two catches for 15 yards. But he looked like he belonged, which is the first step.
- Evan Pryor could be a PROBLEM for opposing offenses. I wrote about this Sunday morning, but his versatility and his multiplicity for Day’s offense could put him on the field much, much more this fall than his freshman season. Ohio State has high expectations for this kid.
- Miyan Williams was very good as well in the run game. He was as aggressive as you could be as a runner in the final spring practice, pushing his way through tackles and bringing a completely different look than Pryor did or TreVeyon Henderson does.
- It’s cliche, I know, but Tony Alford’s running back room could be housing a three-headed monster. And if it is, this offense is going to be hard to stop.
- I had to keep doing double-takes in the press box thinking I was watching Olave. But I was really watching Emeka Egbuka.
- For as special as that first drive was, that touchdown Stroud threw to Smith-Njigba to start the day was perfection. We’re going to be seeing that combination a lot in 2022.
And @Zack Carpenter been all over it.
Here’s what you need to know:
Here's a look at who attended Ohio State's spring game.
Bryson Rodgers quickly became Ohio State's first wide receiver in the 2023 class. Here's what he told Zack Carpenter about why the Buckeyes were the right fit.
Here's what Rodgers' commitment means.
2023 CB Dijon Johnson also committed Sunday. Here's what you need to know about the latest addition to Tim Walton's room.
One quick note on Bryson Rodgers.
This quote gives you everything you need to know about Ohio State’s first wide receiver commit of the 2023 class:
“I love Marvin’s game. I share the same body type,” Rodgers told carpenter. “He’s a little bigger, he’s been working in their system. I feel like I can also get more weight on as I get into the Ohio State system. That was really nice for me to be compared to Marvin. Being compared to him and being held to that [standard], I wouldn’t call it pressure for me. I always like to be held accountable for what I’m supposed to do and reach my peak.”
Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline definitely has a type when it comes to wide receivers, with eight of his nine scholarship players being at least 6 feet tall and five of those players coming in at over 200 pounds. He loves a big-bodied receiver that can be a matchup problem for opposing corners.
For as much attention as players like Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss are getting in the 2023 class, Rodgers’ being Hartline’s first commit as a 6-foot-2 receiver that could grow into his frame, but coming in at 173 pounds, has huge indications for the offense moving forward.
Even with a room filled with talent, Hartline’s always refueling. And Rodgers shows Hartline isn’t satisfied.
Random spring game notes
- Sonny Styles continues to look so much bigger in person. Every time I've seen him, whether it’s on a basketball court or signing to Ohio State, I’ve realized that the 6-foot-5, 215 pounds Rivals has him doesn’t do it justice.
- I love being on the field pregame, seeing recruits and former players. But man, the drum fill of “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins nearly burst my eardrum.
- Watching the Ohio State players remain on the field during the Dwayne Haskins tribute video, kneeling and being led in prayer by Kamryn Babb in a silent stadium was probably the most moving moment I have ever seen in the Ohio Stadium press box.
Honestly don’t remember if I’ve shared one of these before. But if I could share a version of this song every week I would.
Welcome to “Colin explains a Phish jam.”
“Harry Hood” is a perfect example of what Phish does well: weaving in and out of different genres, using dynamics and breathtaking musicality for builds, feeding off one another with no band member taking the “lead.” What this creates is a moment that’s truly unmatched and really indescribable.
It’s one I’ve seen only once in person: Sept. 5, 2021 at Dicks Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado, watching glow sticks fly through the air through that final build that begins after “Thank you Mr. Hood.”
It’s unbelievable, something I really wish I could break down more musically. But to me, that’s the beauty of something like this, just something to experience, seeing four people in a groove and creating something brand new each time this song is played.
This version from the Clifford Ball Aug. 16, 1996 is a perfect example. Enjoy.
See you on the board.
