What I Know, What I Think, What I Wonder — 2024 Defensive Signing Class Edition

I know the more I watch safety Leroy Roker, the more I like. He’s comfortable in a one-high look or covering the deep field. He has plenty of range but is also a very willing tackler. He was the benefactor of some pretty bad quarterback play, however. Some of his interceptions reminded me of playing Five Dollars in the backyard as a kid.

I think overall this secondary class would all seem to already have their positions set. Aaron Scott and Bryce West are the outside corners, Miles Lockhart is the nickel, Jaylen McClain is the strong safety, and Leroy Roker is the free safety. I’m still not convinced that West won’t eventually be a safety or a nickel, but Ryan Day calling him and Scott “lock-down corners” is good enough for me for now. It’s too bad that Roker won’t be in early like the other four.

I wonder why quarterbacks in high school even threw at Aaron Scott. Wouldn’t that be the first part of the game plan? “Chapter 1: Don’t throw at Aaron Scott. Chapter 2: See Chapter 1.”

I know the defensive line haul was a disappointment but Ryan Day isn’t wrong when he says they want eight defensive ends and eight defensive tackles and right now they’re at those numbers. In fact, if they can land Dominic Kirks, they’ll be at nine guys at each spot, assuming Arvell Reese stays at defensive end. AND assuming they don’t lose any juniors.

I think it’s a red flag for a high school linebacker prospect when he doesn’t have a bunch of tackles in a game or in a season. Linebackers on OSU’s radar should be tackling machines. Payton Pierce’s 181 tackles as a senior are a bit more than I think is necessary, however. Save some for your teammates, you know? And his 40 tackles for loss are also gratuitous. Pierce runs through ball carriers in that he keeps his legs moving and wins head-to-head battles. He can go sideline to sideline, or just wait in his gap and win at the point of attack.

I wonder if the transfer portal will be a bit more plausible after next season if the Buckeyes are losing 4-5 guys in one fell swoop. That’s a lot to replace with just freshmen.

To read the rest of this edition of What I Know, What I Think, What I Wonder, you can click here, but you must be a premium subscriber. Additional topics include the potential of this cornerback class, the abilities of Aaron Scott, the future of Bryce West, the versatility of Garrett Stover, the potential of Eddrick Houston, the skill set of Eric Mensah, and more.

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