Ohio State Football Notebook: ‘You guys have all seen the talent’

It Still Takes Time

It is not unheard of for a true freshman to be Ohio State’s backup quarterback. CJ Stroud did it in 2020 and Kyle McCord did it in 2021. This year, true freshmen Julian Sayin and Air Noland both enrolled early and have been part of the five-man competition to start for the Buckeyes this year.

Last Thursday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day named Kansas State transfer Will Howard as the Buckeyes’ starter. He also named Devin Brown the backup, but there was still more preseason practice before the depth chart behind Howard was fully solidified.

Sayin has been impressive in the spring and had good moments in fall camp as well. There is some thought that he could ultimately be the Buckeyes’ backup this year.

Day was asked last week if Sayin is still in the mix at that spot.

“Yeah, for sure. Yeah, he is,” Day said. “He has a tremendous ability to locate the football. The ball comes out quick. His mind moves quick. You guys have all seen the talent.”

Devin Brown is still the likely backup this year but that won’t stop Julian Sayin from getting better each day and fighting to get on the field.

“The thing for Julian is just getting more and more reps,” Day said. “We say when you get out there, you’re either remembering what you’re doing, or you’re learning what you’re doing. For him, a lot of times, he’s still learning out there. He’s trying to figure it out. And it’s a little bit different than where he came from in terms of a jump from high school to college, but you see the talent, and the faster he learns, the faster he’s getting it on the field. He’s gonna play a lot of football at Ohio State and when he gets on the field is gonna be up to him.”

Pick Up On Line Two

The old football adage says that games are won up front. It is an undefeated truism, which bodes well for the Buckeyes this year as they have veteran starters on both the offensive and defensive lines.

Depth on the defensive line is also a key ingredient to winning because defensive starters can get worn down both during a game and a season. The deeper a defensive line, the fresher and more effective the starters will be.

The depth at defensive end behind senior starters Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau features third-year players Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson, as well as fifth-year senior Mitchell Melton. The level of experience isn’t in question.

At defensive tackle, however, the Buckeyes are still looking for at least two guys they can lean on to spell seniors Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams. The first name that comes up is sophomore Kayden McDonald, who flashed numerous times as a true freshman.

“I will tell you what, I think they have all been doing well,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said last week. “Kayden McDonald, he shows up all the time, Curry and KJ and Mitch Melton, I think are all extremely capable. All those guys can play. No problem with any of them in there.

Redshirt sophomore Hero Kanu is the second defensive tackle name mentioned. The Germany native was always going to have his developmental moments, but the consistency is the next step.

“Hero flashes. He does flash,” Knowles said. “Looking for some consistency out of him, but he is flashing. So, I think we really have a strong second unit there. As you know, we play a lot of guys, so they are all going to play.”

Dawg, Mentality

Almost everything has already been said about Ohio State true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and he has yet to play a single game as a Buckeye.

It is extremely rare for a Buckeye freshman to arrive with Smith’s level of expectation, but “extremely rare” is also a very good descriptor of his overall game. Smith has shown since he enrolled that he is advanced physically for his age, making spectacular plays on a routine basis.

Like any true freshman, he is far from a finished product, however. He continues to grow and get better.

Senior receiver Emeka Egbuka was asked recently where he’s seen Jeremiah Smith grow the most in fall camp.

“Probably just his mental, his ability to take in the good with the bad and consume the playbook, growing his knowledge of the game,” Egbuka said. “Because as a freshman, when you come in, that’s something that you may lack a little more than your physical ability, especially for someone like Jeremiah. He has all the physical tools you might need. So it’s kind of catching up that mental game. And it can be hard as a freshman because there’s so much stuff flying over your head. Especially with all the praise he’s receiving. But he’s taking it the best way he can and he’s doing great.”

Smith has responded positively every step of the way. He is battling some of the best cornerbacks in the country every single day. He’s been giving as well as he’s getting, and he’s grown in so many ways because of it.

Egbuka has seen it first hand.

“Yeah, absolutely. We try to recruit guys with that dawg mentality,” he said. “It’s not really something you’re going to want to teach them. It’s going to be something that you hope they already have. And he definitely has that. He has that competitive spirit, that competitive nature. So it definitely shows when going against bigger talent.”

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