Also potentially in the mix will be Kam Babb, a senior who is nursing another knee injury but hoping to return not long after the season starts.
Smith-Njigba is a returning starter and already holds Ohio State records for receiving yards in a season (1,606) and a game (347).
Fellow junior Fleming is looking to make an impact after battling shoulder issues his first two seasons on campus while Egbuka, Harrison and Ballard are sophomores who arrived with high expectations and Johnson is a fifth-year senior who started his career as a walk-on running back.
Although the three spots — X (split end), Z (flanker) and H (slot) — are distinct, Hartline said all of his top seven can play any one at a given time.
“We talked about having more guys playing this year than we did last year — that’s going to for sure be the case,” said Hartline, who shortened his rotation last year with veterans Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson getting the lion’s share of snaps. “A lot of that has been by design and being able to train guys and not pigeonhole guys in certain spots and allow these guys to play all three.”
On the other side of the ball, Perry Eliano is in a unique spot at Ohio State.
He gets to coach one of the oldest and the youngest players on the roster in the same room — and they are both newcomers.
On one end of the spectrum is Tanner McCalister.
A fifth-year senior from Rockwall, Texas, he arrived in January after transferring from Oklahoma State.
He is in line to start at nickel safety for the Buckeyes and embracing a role as coach on the field.
The latter is a result of his knowledge of the defense thanks to playing in it for Jim Knowles, who left the Cowboys to join the Buckeyes in December.
“Tanner came in very humble,” Eliano said. “He just wanted to embrace Ohio State and our culture. Obviously, him being in the scheme has been extremely beneficial for the guys, but at the same point in time, Tanner embraced what we were doing and the little nuances and additions that we’ve added to coach Knowles’ defense and the development piece.”
McCalister, who started 23 games for the Cowboys over the last two seasons, said he is comfortable in Columbus and looking forward to his last go ‘round.
“Going into my fifth year, I kind of understand what it takes to prepare my body and prepare my mind going into a season and going into fall camp,” he said. “So I’ve taken this process pretty serious just because it’s my last year. I want to make the most of it and those guys count on me.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
He earned a finance degree from Oklahoma State, and now the graduate student is looking to maximize his pro football prospects, too.
“He came to Ohio State for a reason,” Eliano said. “He wanted to be the best of the best, so I’m glad to have Tanner here, and he’s done an outstanding job since he stepped foot on campus.”
Then there is Sonny Styles.
Not your typical freshman, the son of former Ohio State linebacker Lorenzo Styles should be a senior at Pickerington Central High School this fall.
The five-star recruit opted to graduate a year early, though, and enrolled at Ohio State in June to get his college career going.
The 6-foot-4, 222-pounder brings the pedigree of a pro, and though he might be a ways away from contributing on the defense, he has drawn rave reviews from teammates at multiple interview sessions in August.
“He’s a beast,” Eliano said. “He’s a big boy. You know, the biggest thing about Sonny, he’s 17 years old, and you will think he’s 22. Very, very mature. Very humble. No entitlement. He just came in and worked very quiet. Embrace the culture, embrace the role of learning, and he’s really, really smart. He’s really, really smart. And Sonny’s got a bright future.”
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