Previewing Ohio State's 2021 Defense & Special Teams

by Murphy Horning

DEFENSE

Defensive Line: Easily the Buckeyes' best defensive unit coming into fall camp. OSU did lose 2nd team all-B1G D-lineman Tommy Togiai plus Jonathan Cooper, but return 2nd team All-American Haskell Garrett plus five-star Taron Vincent, whom Ryan Day thinks can take off in 2021. OSU's pass rush slipped in 2020, with only 21 sacks compared to 54 in 2019. Look for the sack number to go up, as the Buckeyes have Jack Sawyer (three sacks in the spring game) and in July, Ohio State signed defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau, the #1 recruit for 2021. The interior is strong once again, and the pass rush should perform.
Linebacker: Ohio State replaces their three starting linebackers and their top backup linebacker from 2020. There is more uncertainty for this group than any other position on the team, as the current linebacking corps only saw a combined 200 snaps and made 37 tackles last year. OSU madden USC senior transfer Palaie Gaeteote IV, who has 105 career tackles, but hasn't been cleared by the NCAA for 2021 eligibility. Teradja Mitchell should start in his third year, and Steele Chambers may switch from RB to LB. Dallas Gant and K'Vaughn Pope are also projected starters coming into camp, but not much is settled for this unit. The Buckeyes may run a linebacker by committee approach in 2021. 
Cornerback: Sevyn Banks will be the #1 starting cornerback for Ohio State, but nothing else is set in stone for OSU's cornerback position. At the other wide end, Cameron Brown hopes to land that spot for Ohio State. In the slot, Marcus Williamson started there last year and is team's leading returning tackler, but he split time at slot in Spring with Lathan Ransom, and he has a shot to win that job. DeMario McCall made the switch in the offseason from RB/WR to cornerback, but will he see the field given the switch in his sixth year at Ohio State? This position has a lot of unproven talent, but is in better shape than LB. 
Safety: Josh Proctor will be the #1 starting safety, but like the cornerback position, nothing else is set in stone. Marcus Hooker lost the starting job to Proctor in 2020 and his expected to back him up once again after being reinstated from a suspension due to a DUI. Ohio State used a single safety defense in 2020, which differed from 2019 where the Buckeyes also used a "bullet" hybrid linebacker-safety. The Buckeyes won't use just one safety in 2021, but will the Buckeyes use two true safeties this season, or will they use a "bullet"? This is another position with one solid player at the top (Proctor) and unproven talent. 
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Buckeyes lost K Blake Haubeil and P Drue Chrisman to graduation after 2020. The kicking job is a competition between redshirt freshman Jake Seibert and UNC graduate transfer Noah Ruggles. Freshman Jesse Mirco, an Australian-style punter should replace Drue Chrisman there. Last year's long snapper Bradley Robinson will start at LS once again. Parker Fleming is the new special teams coach, he was the quality control coach in 2020. Not much attention is given to special teams during camp, but there are a lot of questions about Ohio State's special teams. 

Outlook: The defensive line is strong, lots of uncertainty in the secondary outside of Banks and Proctor being starters, and the linebacker position is even more unknown. Ohio State's pass rush wasn't dominant last year, but should dominate once again with Sawyer and JTT at defensive end. The Buckeyes may run a shifting 4-2-5, 4-3 scheme this season with a "bullet" in place of a third starting linebacker, or a "bullet" in place of a second safety. Figuring things out at linebacker and in the secondary both from a personnel and schematic standpoint will determine if Ohio State is a National Championship team. 

What's next?: A look at Big Ten expansion candidates, dropping Sunday. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guide to the CFP chase

Who I'd like to be based on playoff scenarios Teams who control their own destiny #1 Georgia #2 Alabama #3 Ohio State #4 Oklahoma #5 Michigan State Teams who don't quite control their own destiny, but likely in if they win out #6 Oregon #7 Michigan Team who don't control their own destiny, but will get in with some help  #8 Oklahoma State #9 Cincinnati Teams still "alive" but on life support  #10 Texas A&M #11 Notre Dame #12 Wake Forest #1 Georgia- Controls own destiny Explanation:   Barring a stunning loss for the Bulldogs in their last three regular season games, Georgia will be in the playoff regardless of what happens in the SEC Championship Game. Two SEC teams will likely make the playoff if Georgia loses the SEC title game to Alabama. There won't be any controversies about the Bulldogs unless they get shocked in the next three weeks. There is no way Georgia wins out and doesn't finish #1.  Georgia's remaining schedule:  11/13 @ 4-5 Tennessee
Read more

What's wrong with Ohio State?

After a 35-28 loss to Oregon on September 11th, a 41-20 win against Tulsa did little to calm the nerves of Buckeye fans. To be sure, Ohio State's performance against the Golden Hurricane won't cut it against teams like Penn State, Michigan or Iowa if the Buckeyes get that far. That being said, here's the three biggest reasons Ohio State has struggled the first three games.  Lack of progression from C.J. Stroud Stroud has shown signs of brilliance. He threw for four touchdowns in his debut at Minnesota, and 484 yards vs Oregon, but there are some troubling trends. There hasn't been any notable progression from Stroud, as his quarterback rating has declined in each of the last three games. A lot Stroud's problems, namely overthrowing open receivers and being too tentative when rolling outside the pocket are normal problems for young QBs, but there hasn't been any noticeable improvement. It is worth noting that Tulsa dropped eight back in coverage, which makes thin
Read more

All you need to know about the CFP race: Week 13

PLAYOFF Status Changes for Week 13 (here's last week's guide for reference) Michigan State: Controls own destiny to Eliminated Oregon: Controls own destiny to Eliminated Wake Forest: On life support to Eliminated Cincinnati: Doesn't control own destiny to Controls own destiny Michigan: Doesn't control own destiny to Controls own destiny The biggest winner of Week 12 is Cincinnati. The Bearcats are finally in the Top 4 (three weeks overdue many would say) and now control their own destiny for the CFP. Oregon and Michigan State getting blown out turned heads in the college football world, and had significant impact on the playoff race. Suddenly, Notre Dame appears to be one break away (more on that later) for the College Football Playoff. Here is a breakdown of the playoff chase for each team in the race.  #1 Georgia: Controls own destiny Alabama winning the SEC West will be the last significant thing that happens to Georgia in the regular season as that ensures a Bulldo
Read more