Ohio State football: 5 questions facing defense this spring

With them knowing the players better and the players knowing the scheme better, Knowles indicated he feels good about what’s next for the Buckeyes, but there is obviously plenty of work to be done.

“To me, that’s college football,” Knowles said. “If you’re doing it right, you’ve got your principles, but you’re also tailoring everything you do to the people that you have. You don’t just say, ‘This is what we’re gonna do, and that’s how we’re going to live.’ No, these are the principles behind the system, but let’s take it this way because that’s what our guys do better.”

Here are five key questions for them to answer in March and April:

1. Can they get more sacks?

A change in the defense brought a different philosophy for the front. While the Buckeyes remained primarily a four-down front last season, they concentrated more on “block destruction” in hopes of making life easier for the linebackers.

That much they accomplished, allowing Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers to flourish and the run defense to improve, but the pass rush remained stuck in neutral.

Fixing this could be a matter of scheme or just personnel as players such as J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and Mike Hall Jr. continue to develop heading into their third seasons.

“Going into that third year, that’s what you’re looking for, and it is really about consistency. Trust in your technique, trust in your toolbox,” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said in February.

2. Who will be the cornerbacks?

Ideally, Knowles would like to have his two cornerbacks essentially take the two outside receivers out of the game by themselves. That makes calling the defense easier but of course requires elite cover guys Ohio State has not had since Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette were taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

With injuries ravaging a room that was thin to begin with, Ohio State’s cornerbacks were far from reliable last year, especially in the first half of the season.

Coach Tim Walton hopes to avoid that situation this year with the addition of Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Calvin Simpson-Hunt, but having Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock, Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner healthy would help a lot, too.

“You can never have enough guys ready,” cornerbacks coach Tim Walton said.

3. How much can the safeties improve?

Breakdowns late in the season largely came in the secondary, and the safeties were more to blame than the cornerbacks as the defense was victimized for multiple big plays that helped Michigan and Georgia rally for crushing victories.

Two new starters will be among the three in Knowles’ scheme, and veteran Lathan Ransom would seem to have a lot of room to improve after missing last spring while recovering from a broken leg.

Safeties coach Perry Eliano, who also figures to be more familiar with the scheme after a year in it, has intriguing options both old (Josh Proctor, Cam Martinez, transfer Ja’Had Carter) and new (sophomores Sonny Styles and Kye Stokes and freshman Malik Hartford) to work with.

4. Do any newcomers crash the party?

Mathews and Hartford, a four-star recruit from Lakota West, hope to make an early impact.

So do Igbinosun, a freshman All-American from Mississippi, and Carter, a three-year starter at Syracuse.

Whether any of them earn significant playing time or just push the returning players to bigger and better things, the Buckeyes hope to have positive contributions for the squad as a whole.

“I think it’s the old adage iron sharpens iron,” Eliano said. “You come to Ohio State to be the best. You come to Ohio State to win national championships. You come to Ohio State to play in the National Football League. You come to Ohio State as a DB because we’re best in America and the long line of great players that have come through here, so when you step in the door, that this is what it is. And each and every year each and every day, each and every minute, you got to bring your very best. That’s what makes us who we are.”

5. Can they cut down on explosive plays allowed?

That’s what it all comes down to.

The defense improved on a play-by-play basis last season, but that didn’t matter much at the end of the day when a combination of coverage busts, missed tackles and blown assignments led to big plays that were the difference in those losses to the Bulldogs and Wolverines.

Lots went into those breakdowns, and no single fix will eliminate them.

“The cool thing is we got a ton of talent,” Eliano said. “We got a ton of guys that are hungry. We got a ton of guys that have an edge right now. And when those games like (the Peach Bowl loss to Georgia) happened, that’s what happens. Guys come back with a different mindset, a different hunger. Understanding that, ‘Okay. it’s not cool to just be right there. We got to finish what we started.’ And we talked about that from the very beginning of, we’re here to win national championships. And so for us, as far as a safety route, is just about going to work and putting our head down and understanding that if I grind, and I do the things that I’m posed to do, I do the things that I’m asked to do, the cream will rise, and I will find myself on the field in some capacity, you know, to help this football team win.”