Jim Knowles Sees Potential Everywhere On Buckeyes Defense

COLUMBUS — Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles met with reporters following practice on Monday. He discussed how things are shaping up through the Buckeyes’ depth chart. He provided updates on the development of the defense and discussed a number of standout players. Highlights of everything that was said can be found below.

Why are you giving Jordan Hancock a look at nickel? They like to be able to matchup with various teams and that’s a look they’ve worked on.
“I like CJ there” at Jack. Mitchell Melton too. Both guys have been active. They have both been making plays. How much might they play? “That’s private information,” he laughed.
Sonny Styles has established himself as a starter. He’s definitely a guy we’re going to have on the field as much as they can. He can matchup to both 11 and 12 personnel.
Ja’Had Carter is doing well. He’s been banged up a little bit.
Josh Proctor, Malik Hartford, and Ja’Had Carter are fighting it out for that free safety position.
You feel Malik Hartford’s presence on the field. That’s what you want from your safeties. He shows up around the ball. He’s very smart. Yeah, you worry about freshman mistakes. “He’s on that path and we’ve just to keep finetuning it.”
“Our Rushmen have had a great camp.” They have four ends that are as good as anyone in the country. The depth there is fantastic. “You have potentially elite players.” They have felt the rush be strong and seen it during camp.
There has been progress in not giving up as many big plays. It has been an effort on everyone’s parts to fix that issues. He himself has developed as a play caller in terms of having coverages that keep the play in front of them. He can’t be stuck in his ways. He has to grow as well.
What questions does he have about this defense right now? “I want to make sure that we solidify that other safety position. I think that battle is still out there.” The cornerback development has been great. Davison Igbinosun has been one of the best cover guys in camp. You’re always concerned about depth inside because the DTs just get beat up. Mike Hall can be elite. They need to stay healthy inside. Hero Kanu has been showing up and will add to their depth there.
Is there anything different that you do when it comes defending the QB? “No comment.” Good question, but he can’t participate in that questioning.
Jack Sawyer was at a high level during camp but the last two days he has vaulted himself into a dominant player.
When did Kenyatta Jackson start making it a three-man rotation at DE? Spring. “You can’t deny that he’s making plays” and making life difficult for the offense.
Could Kenyatta Jackson’s presence impact the amount the Jack plays? Yeah, you want the best 11 players. You have to feature the best players.
Mitchell Melton has grown a lot as a defensive end, so you have to have consideration how playing Jack could impact his growth at defensive end. You have to look at it player by player and how they are handling it without having any diminishing returns.
Caden Curry is going to play a lot. He can fit in different places all along the defensive line. Maybe not on run downs, but he can be anywhere on passing downs. They’ll find ways to play him in all instances.
Cody Simon is going to play a lot at linebacker. Same with CJ Hicks. Knowles needs to do a better job of projecting towards the end of the season and keeping guys healthier for a long run. But you’ll also see Simon as a Sam when they need it.
There is “absolutely” more depth and versatility this year compared to last year, but you have to be careful with that because you still want guys to play fast. You don’t want the creativity to end up harming what players do best.
Sonny Styles will be the Nickel/Sam and maybe Knowles will create “Strike” as a name for the position. The nickel has usually been a third corner-type of spot for Knowles’ defenses. But there are still a bunch of situations where that guy has had to hold on against a tight end. Sonny Styles can handle all of the big duties, but can also drop as a deep safety. He mentioned former Buckeye Jeremy Cash, who he coached at Duke as a playmaking safety/linebacker, as being a similar playmaker.
Tommy Eichenberg is a guy that no matter when you hit some adversity, he’s never going to flinch. He’s going to lead — not so much through his words — but by being a stalwart for the program. He diagnoses things. He figures it all out. He never points fingers. He looks at his own deficiencies. “He’s just that dude.”
Have you hit a home run in the transfer portal? “I don’t think we could have done better.” They are all team guys who have added to the culture.