“I think we have a better feel for where everybody is, and guys will start to build some roles,” head coach Ryan Day said. “I do think you still have to ask yourself, ‘Is this person game ready for this first game? Are we going to trust him to put him in the game?’
“If the answer is yes, then we’ll still have multiple guys play the position, but I think it won’t nearly be as much as last year.”
In a 45-31 victory at Minnesota to open last season, Ohio State’s defense at times resembled a hockey team with waves of players replacing each other, especially at linebacker.
The coaching staff seemed to struggle to identify its best players early in the season, an issue that carried on throughout at some spots.
Most of the defensive coaches have been replaced since the end of last season, but the new staff might also find itself using multiple players in the opener against Notre Dame.
If that is the case, it won’t be because of lack of confidence in the starters but rather an abundance of confidence in others to do the job — particularly if it is a specific job.
“They are still building roles and determining who will be part of rotations,” Day said.
Holdover defensive line coach Larry Johnson always rotates heavily up front, as has become the norm many places.
“It’s called, ‘Block destruction.’” How Ohio State is changing things up on the DL this year https://t.co/9hSJF2IvOe
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) August 22, 2022
New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is a fan of that strategy, but he prefers to keep the back seven more consistent.
“The system is set up that those units can operate independently,” Knowles said. “And certainly your front-line troops, so to speak, are taking the brunt of the attack all the time. So it’s good when you have a lot of depth there. We want our front to be fresh. We want to play a lot of guys.
“In the back end, I think you need to get into more of a flow with the game and the adjustments and how they’re running their routes and their motion and chips and all those things so I feel like it’s more important that those guys are in there and they see everything.”
While Johnson is likely to play eight guys frequently and a few more regularly, most indications are a starting line has emerged in the back seven.
That would be Cam Brown and Denzel Burke at cornerback, Ronnie Hickman and Josh Proctor at safety and Tanner McCalister at nickel with Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers at linebacker.
But Knowles has raved about Kourt Williams and Lathan Ransom in the secondary, and veterans Cody Simon and Teradja Mitchell have starting experience at linebacker.
There is also a likelihood he will want to deviate from his 4-2-5 base defense at times, whether that is with a sixth defensive back in passing situations or a third linebacker against power running teams.
The front six can also morph into more of a 3-3 look depending on who is at one of the end spots.
“We have more depth than I’ve ever had before, so we will play more guys, and we have guys who are true combo guys, not just guys who can play defensive end and linebacker,” Knowles said. “The ones that are really hard to find are the true combo guys who can play defensive back and linebacker. A guy like Kourt could play that role, and then it doesn’t tip your hand. They don’t know if you have three safeties on the field or three linebackers on the field.”
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