COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State football could consider itself fortunate that it progressed through the entire 2019 season with little reliance on its depth in the secondary.
A few possessions here, a spot start there. The Buckeyes’ core four of Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette, Shaun Wade and Jordan Fuller played the vast majority of the secondary’s meaningful snaps.
The steep drop-off in proven skill and experience from those four future pros to their reserves arguably did not impact a game until the Fiesta Bowl. Now, as those former backups elevate into starting roles, they’ll do so with potentially an even flimsier safety net.
Last week’s dismissals of Amir Riep and Jahsen Went affected the Buckeyes’ veteran depth at defensive back. Prior to the dismissals, new defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said he expected a rotation similar to the one OSU used during his six seasons as cornerbacks coach under Urban Meyer.
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As the position roster shrinks, it almost certainly requires some presence from the eight true or redshirt freshmen and sophomores in the secondary.
We know Josh Proctor succeeds Fuller as the starter at safety. Marcus Hooker emerged as a solid backup option late last season. If the Buckeyes shift back towards more two-safety looks, they will not do so blindly.
Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown, both juniors, remain the top two cornerback candidates on paper alongside returning starter Wade, who shifts outside. Senior Marcus Williamson is a career special teamer who did not play a defensive snap over the final five games of 2019.
That means five players, plus Williamson, for eight depth chart spots in the secondary. The math to get to four reliable starters has not changed. However, the recent roster attrition focuses additional scrutiny on the youngest Buckeye DBs to step up.
Someone must assume the slot cornerback spot Wade filled with such authority in 2019. More and more this looks like a potential job for Tyreke Johnson. At 6-1, 195 pounds, he carries a similar build to Wade. He came to Ohio State as a five-star, top-25 national recruit, but that potential has not shown up on the field.
In 2019 he saw mop-up defensive snaps in only six games, per the Eleven Warriors snap tracker. He wasn’t just behind the starting trio, he was buried. But Coombs’ return gives everyone a chance to prove themselves with a clean slate. Johnson has never had an opportunity this clear.
After that, true freshmen Lejond Cavazos and Ryan Watts are already on campus preparing for spring football. (Cameron Martinez, who will begin his career as at least a part-time corner, and safety Lathan Ransom will join them this summer.)
Does Ohio State absolutely need one of them to make an immediate impact? Probably not. But the door is open.
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