The Buckeyes signed Damarion Witten out of the familiar stomping grounds of Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Witten lined up just about everywhere on offense (and defense) in his time with the Tarblooders and was a key piece to their back-to-back state championships the past two seasons.
Listed as a tight end by the recruiting services, Witten (6-4 215) was ranked the No. 28 player at his position in the 247Sports Composite and the No. 464 player overall. Witten was a First-Team All-State selection as a senior and signed with Ohio State over offers from Michigan, Miami, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Michigan State, and many others.
He enrolled at OSU this summer.
What To Like
Following the Ohio State spring game back in April, Buckeye head coach Ryan Day spoke about the receiver depth and in part of his answer he mentioned that Damarion Witten would “play a little bit of receiver, a little bit of tight end.” The thing is, however, you can’t really play just a little bit of tight end and do it well. It takes time to get to that point, but in the interim it sounds like Witten will begin his time at wide receiver and they’ll see what happens next.
And when it comes to Witten, “what happens next” has always been a fun situation to watch. In the clips below, you’ll see an ability to make plays after the catch. Glenville got him the ball anyway they could, including screen plays. He can put his foot down and make one cut and be gone. The athleticism is clear and his ability to dominate on the high school level was apparent.
There were games where he bullied defenses. That will get much more difficult at this level, but the foundation is there for a playmaker on offense.
The Potential
Damarion Witten ran a 4.65 a year ago at an Ohio State camp following a morning training session. The speed and size combination creates a familiar situation for many bigger receivers. If he keeps growing, he will likely have to move positions. If he doesn’t grow too much more, he can stay at receiver — but would he be more effective and would his future be brighter if he made the move regardless?
For Witten, the athleticism and ability to dominate allows Ohio State to put those questions on the backburner for now. Tight end is such a developmental position that if they were to start him out there right now, it might be years before he gets to see any meaningful time on the field. By starting out at receiver, however, he would see the field much more quickly, which would be a better use of his time and potential.
The Expectations
It is rare that a true freshman wide receiver comes to Ohio State already strong enough to deal with college cornerbacks, and it’s even more rare for a tight end to come in strong enough to handle everything they have to deal with. Damarion Witten right now looks much more like a wide receiver than a tight end. In fact, he looks a lot like your prototypical X receiver who can become a red zone weapon and a menace at the sticks.
The Buckeyes are relatively thin at receiver this year. Depth is a concern for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. While senior Emeka Egbuka is both a starter and the top backup at the other two receiver positions, he can’t be everywhere at once. Receivers coach Brian Hartline hasn’t been going too deep into his rotation the last couple of years, and Witten isn’t expected to be there this year anyway.
Three of OSU’s four receiver signees redshirted last year. Witten could do the same this year, but there will still be opportunities to get on the field.
The Bottom Line
The move from wide receiver to tight end is not an easy one. Ohio State fifth-year senior Gee Scott, Jr. will tell you that. He made the move after his freshman season and has gradually seen more and more playing time. He will now take the field as a starter for the Buckeyes this season. Last year’s starting tight end Cade Stover made the move from defense and it was very much a process for him as well.
Both of those guys had decisions to make, just as Damarion Witten will. The Ohio State coaching staff isn’t going to move somebody who isn’t willing to move, and there also must be a reason for a position switch. There is nothing saying that Witten ever needs to play tight end at Ohio State. If receiver is where he fits best, then that’s where he should stay. But there’s also nothing saying that a move to tight end won’t eventually be what’s best for everybody involved.
The good news for Witten is that there is time before those decisions have to be made. And until — or if — that time comes, he can get all of the playing time he can earn at wide receiver.
Previous Closer Look Editions
Quarterback Will Howard | Running Back Quinshon Judkins | Running Back Sam Williams-Dixon | Receiver Mylan Graham | Tight End Max LeBlanc | Tight End Will Kacmarek | Offensive Tackle Deontae Armstrong | Center Seth McLaughlin | Defensive Tackle Eric Mensah | Linebacker Payton Pierce | Safety Leroy Roker | Safety Jaylen McClain | Safety Caleb Downs | Safety Keenan Nelson, Jr.
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