Five things we learned from first week of Ohio State training camp

COLUMBUS — The first week of training camp is in the books at Ohio State. The Buckeyes will check into the Hyatt Place in Grandview on Monday and carry on into the next phase of preseason.

But, first, Lettermen Row is recapping five things we learned from watching the first four practices of camp.

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Will Howard is leader in quarterback competition, Devin Brown and Julian Sayin are next

In Ryan Day’s time as a head coach, either acting or full-time, he’s never publicly named a starting quarterback before August 19. That might change this summer.

Will Howard is progressing the way you’d expect a graduate transfer quarterback to, especially one who has 27 career starts and a Big 12 title under his belt. Granted Howard hasn’t been perfect — his deep ball accuracy remains a work-in-progress, — but he’s gradually improving, and, as of Saturday and Sunday, he’s taking the majority of first-team reps in team periods.

Redshirt sophomore Devin Brown, meanwhile, was with the second-team offense for team periods on Saturday and Sunday. Julian Sayin got a taste of first-team action this weekend, but the highly-touted true freshman paid for his pick-six Sunday — after cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. took the interception back to the house, Sayin spent the rest of practice with the reserves.

Just like Day said they would, the Buckeyes opted for split-field work the first four practices of camp, meaning Ohio State has been practicing with two offenses and two defenses — one on each field — and mixing and matching first and second-team players, mainly on the offensive side of the ball. The idea is, the split-field setup provides more reps, about 40 in a 12-15 minute span, according to Day. He said at Big Ten Media Days that the plan was to halt split-field work after the first week of camp and then more deliberately parse out reps in a five-player quarterback room.

Based on the way this weekend’s practices have gone, it feels like Ohio State’s on course. Howard’s best day was Saturday, notably when he ran for an 80-yard touchdown on a sweep play. Brown’s downfield playmaking ability has turned heads, namely his two long connections to wideout Emeka Egbuka Saturday, but Brown has to be consistently great to beat out Howard, given Howard’s experience advantage. Brown has undoubtedly been competitive and more consistent than he was at this point last year, however, consistently great is another tier. If Howard is indeed QB1 soon, Brown will also have to hold off a talented yet green Sayin for the backup role.

2. Don’t worry about the RB depth…for now

Ohio State already had only four scholarship running backs following the spring transfer of Dallan Hayden. Then it looked like walk-on TC Caffey would be RB5, but Caffey suffered another season-ending knee injury that’s going to keep him out in 2024. Buckeyes fans shouldn’t worry about the team’s running back depth, though. For one, the top-four backs — TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon — all look great in training camp. Now, it’s important to note that Ohio State is playing to “thud” at the moment, so it’s hard to truly evaluate their effectiveness. But they each pack a punch of explosion.

Henderson caught a wheel route touchdown from Howard Saturday, Judkins had a long run Sunday — complete with a stiff arm of true freshman Jaylen McClain — and Peoples and Williams-Dixon run low to the ground with light feet. Williams-Dixon is a check down magnet and, although he’s often working with the third-team, he makes plays when he’s out there.

In other words, the Buckeyes’ true freshman running backs don’t look like true freshman running backs. Another first-year Ohio State player in that room is walk-on Rashid SeSay, a finalist for Ohio’s Mr. Football award in 2023. As a senior at West Muskingum High School, SeSay set the Muskingum Valley League record with 42 touchdowns in the regular season. He’s getting significant time with the third and fourth-team offense. If SeSay can provide the impact Caffey had, at least in practice, Ohio State should be just fine depth-wise — barring injury, that is.

3. O-Line is ahead of schedule compared to past years

Unlike in years past when the Ohio State defensive line has been far ahead of the offensive line at the start of training camp, the Buckeyes’ O-Line has more than held its own through the first four practices. It feels like a make-or-break year for offensive line coach Justin Frye, and he has his unit ready to go. Tackles Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar put in the work this offseason. It showed this week. Fryar is a different kind of lineman, conditioning-wise. He’s quicker on his feet and is bending better. Simmons has continued to refine his technique — there was even a moment Sunday when he beat Ohio State defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer in back-to-back, 1-on-1 reps.

The right guard battle isn’t settled yet, however, Tegra Tshabola and Carson Hinzman are the candidates to know there. Hinzman missed the first practice of camp with illness but has been solid since his return. Tshabola seems to fit well with that first-team offensive line as well. It wouldn’t be surprising if that competition drags out, maybe even into the season. Seth McLaughlin appears to be a lock at center. Aside from a noticeably bad snap Saturday, the Alabama grad transfer has been steady with his exchanges while emerging as a leader in the trenches for the Buckeyes.

4. Nickel depth is a concern, but maybe more 4-3-4?

The Ohio State defense is deep just about everywhere, except defensive coordinator Jim Knowles admitted this week that he’s concerned about the Buckeyes’ depth at the “nickel” cornerback position. Last year, Jordan Hancock slid inside, broke out there and is now the clearcut starter at nickel. The question is, who will back him up? After all, Hancock can’t play every defensive snap that calls for three cornerbacks in a season that could go as many as 17 games. Plus, if he goes down, the Buckeyes will need someone to step up at the position. It could be Lorenzo Styles Jr., who is working his way back to 100% participation after missing the end of spring ball. It could also be Jermaine Mathews Jr., but when Mathews made a name for himself as a true freshman last season, he was at outside corner.

With that question in mind, as well as the Knowles’ desire to play linebackers Cody Simon, Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks together a significant amount, it’s not out of bounds to say we’re expecting to see more 4-3-4 defense from the Buckeyes this year than we did last year. That’s especially because Styles played the nickel safety position last year, which featured a role similar to a SAM linebacker. So he could be part of a three-linebacker package while effectively playing nickel in 2024, too: (1) It’s a workaround to a depth concern, and (2) it’s a way to maximize the athleticism of Ohio State’s linebackers.

5. Ohio State aiming to leave no doubt, chasing perfection in 2024

Dropped pass? Run a lap. False start? Run a lap. Turnover? Run a lap.

You get the point. Ohio State isn’t tolerating mistakes in training camp this year. There aren’t exceptions, either. Starting quarterback candidates, current stars and up-and-coming stars have all had to trot around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center practice fields after messing up here and there.

Day talked about the leaving “no doubt” in “matchup games,” especially The Game, during Big Ten Media Days. This week, Knowles discussed the need for his defense to “chase perfection” in 2024. In his words, “being a Silver Bullet defense means being a top-five defense” in all significant categories.

The Buckeyes need to create more havoc defensively this time around. They need to do everything better offensively. With the talent they have, there are no excuses. That mindset has mirrored the discipline Ohio State’s instilled through the first week of camp.

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