Ohio State junior defensive end Tyler Friday looks on at practice. | Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
In an offseason that saw the Buckeyes lose key members on the defensive line, including star defensive end Chase Young, Ohio State is turning to its depth for the 2020 campaign.
Without a true superstar on the defensive front, Ohio State is looking to kill teams by a thousand cuts, using an extensive rotation on both the interior and ends. Defensive line coach Larry Johnson said that the line will operate like it did in 2017, with a greater focus on the rotation rather than a specific individual.
“2017 was a year we had a lot of depth,” Johnson said Wednesday in a Zoom call. “We can play fresh. I’m really big on having guys playing fresh and playing fast and it gives us a chance to do that.”
Johnson said that the Buckeyes have six interior defensive linemen they could rotate and five ends that could be moved around.
On the inside, Ohio State is dealing with the injury bug, as redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Taron Vincent is still recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the 2019 campaign.
“With the injury, being out of football for a long time, and then the pandemic hit and him not being able to practice, so he’s in progress going forward,” Johnson said. “You don’t just jump back in and be at the same level as when you got here. That’s why we’re doing a great job developing him and getting his skill set back to where it needs to be.”
Senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett is also still recovering from a gunshot wound to the cheek, which he sustained Aug. 30, and has not yet been cleared for full contact, Johnson said.
With the injuries, junior defensive tackle Tommy Togiai is looking to command the 1-technique spot, which is when a guy lines up on the inside shoulder of the guard.
“He’s powerful, he’s strong, he’s athletic,” Johnson said.
Although Togiai sits at the top of the depth chart, Johnson said that redshirt junior Jerron Cage and freshman Ty Hamilton, who made the move to the inside this preseason, may see time at the 1-tech spot.
At the 3-technique spot, Johnson said that redshirt freshman Jaden McKenzie, Cage, Vincent and Garrett will all get opportunities at the spot.
Johnson said that he wants someone who is adept at rushing the passer in at the 3-tech position.
“We’re working guys that I think will have a chance to do something at the 3-technique when we need to make a change to rushing the passer,” Johnson said.
Graduate defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson is expected to bounce between both the 1- and 3-tech spots as Johnson said he has excelled in preseason camp.
“Antwuan came with a great attitude and he’s worked extremely hard since he’s been here,” Johnson said. “This is his moment. This is his time.”
On the outside, Johnson pointed to five key players that he said he felt could be starters on any other team in the nation.
Sophomore defensive end Zach Harrison enters the season with high expectations following Young’s departure to the NFL. Johnson said that Harrison needs to keep his focus on improving his game rather than on his lofty expectations.
“He’s got to block the noise from the outside that he’s gonna be the next guy and really continue to concentrate on his development,” Johnson said. “That’s what I’ve been talking to him about. ‘Just be the best player you can be, Zach. Don’t worry about the standards set before you, that’s great, but you gotta be your own player.’”
Redshirt senior defensive end Johnathon Cooper is looking to make up for lost time from last season when he was forced to redshirt after playing in just four games.
Johnson said that Cooper’s leadership has helped the younger defensive ends get into the groove of things on the defensive line.
“Our players look up to him. The whole entire team looks up to Johnathon Cooper,” Johnson said. “He’s challenged the younger players and he’s setting great marks at how you’re supposed to do it as a player.”
Rounding out the rotation is sophomore Javontae Jean-Baptiste and juniors Tyler Friday and Tyreke Smith.
Harrison said that the rotation is strong enough that they can remain consistent on the field no matter who’s out there.
“It keeps guys fresh,” Harrison said. “You could put all the D-linemen in the game and there’s not gonna be a drop off.”
As the Buckeyes look ahead to a season without a superstar up front, Friday said that the unit is unfazed by its losses.
“The key thing that coach [Johnson] keeps telling us, and the most exciting part of the season, is that we’re a bunch of no names. We don’t have a Bosa, we don’t have a Chase Young,” Friday said. “That’s just how we like it.”
