TreVeyon Henderson ahead of the spring game April 15, 2023. Day said his performance in training camp this fall has been great. Photo Credit: Zachary Rilley | Former Lantern Photo Editor
The college football season is less than three weeks away, therefore the pressure is on for position room questions to be answered.
Head coach Ryan Day held a press conference Monday with updates following fall camp practice No. 10 of 25 and the Buckeyes’ first fall scrimmage Saturday.
So, what’s the deal with the quarterback competition?
Uncertainty remains as Day said there needs to be a “sizable gap” in which one player emerges compellingly, either junior Kyle McCord or sophomore Devin Brown.
“It’s hard to name somebody where there isn’t a significant gap,” Day said. “I appreciate the competitiveness right now. They’re going at it every day. We are not ready to name a starter right now, and so the competition will continue this week.”
Day said during Saturday’s scrimmage, both quarterbacks partook in first-, second- and third-down drills, along with periods called “move it” and “coming out.” Another focus was on the red zone, which Day said was okay, but not where he needs it to be.
The starting quarterback needs to be consistent, Day said. He added that he has yet to see that from either McCord or Brown, but this week is typically the point in fall camp when one contender begins to pull away from the other — which he recalls from his experience with Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud.
“I don’t feel like there needs to be extraordinary play,” Day said. “It’s making the routine plays routinely and taking care of the football. Period.”
Day said it’s not ideal, but there may not be a definite starter by the end of the week.
How about the offensive line?
Though Day said he is not ready to confirm, there is a five-man group consistently working with the ones.
Junior Josh “Jimmy” Simmons at left tackle, junior Donovan Jackson at left guard, sophomore Carson Hinzman at center, graduate student Matthew Jones at right guard and Senior Josh Fryar at right tackle.
However, senior Jakob James is still fighting for the center position and a couple other names are swirling around in contention for the tackle positions, left wide open by the departure of Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones to the NFL.
“We’ve looked at who’s going to be the best moving forward for the long term,” Day said.
Since the start of fall camp, Day said they’ve been doing “split field,” which allows more players the opportunity to practice and everyone to get more reps. He said this is especially useful for the offensive line as they try to create depth.
Who has stood out over the past 10 practices?
Day said Tywone Malone, the Ole Miss transfer, has improved, which was evident in Saturday’s scrimmage as the junior defensive tackle had his black stripe removed, signifying a player is ready for the next step.
Ohio State originally tried to recruit him out of high school, but Malone was determined to be a dual-sport athlete — baseball and football — and he did both for the Rebels.
The difference now, Day said, is he is focused on one craft: being a great Buckeye football player.
“We felt like if he just completely devoted himself to football, we were going to get the best version of Tywone. And so we’ve seen, so far, flashes that he can do it,” Day said. “If he shows consistency, then he can help us.”
After an impressive freshman season in 2021, followed by an injury-riddled sophomore year, a fully healed TreVeyon Henderson is another person Day said will help the team.
Day said even though Henderson has to go out there and put it on the field come game day, he “can’t say enough about the work he’s putting in right now.”
“He looks fast, he’s seeing the holes, he’s involved on special teams,” Day said. “I know he’s anxious to get back on the field.”
The running back room is not just Henderson, either. It is five-guys deep. Minimum.
Between Henderson, senior Miyan Williams, sophomore Dallan Hayden, senior Chip Trayanum and a healthy junior Evan Pryor, the Buckeyes should be productive running the ball.
Injury updates?
On the other side of the ball, there has been a decrease in depth at linebacker.
Day said graduate student Kourt Williams II tore his ACL this past week and will miss the entire season.
The fourth-year just made the switch from safety to linebacker at the start of fall camp, saying it was a “better fit” for him.
Williams also missed most of last season due to injuries in both shoulders and was subject to the sidelines his freshman year with the same torn ACL.
“I feel awful for Kourt, I just feel like he can’t catch a break, he’s such a great young man,” Day said. “We’re all rallying around Kourt.”
Williams has three seasons of eligibility remaining, so a future chance to make a difference on the field is not completely out of the question.
As for which 22 players will take the first snaps against Indiana Sept. 2, Day said he hopes to have a clear picture by this Saturday with classes beginning next week.
“By the end of this week, you’d like to know where you’re at in a lot of areas. This is kind of the last week we can just focus on football,” Day said. “I think we know what we need to work on. I think we have a list of things — here are the things we’ve got to get better at this week. Here are some things we feel like we’re doing well. But I said to the staff, by Saturday, we need to have our identity kind of etched in stone.”
