COLUMBUS, Ohio – Getting information out of Ohio State's 2018 fall camp has not been an easy task but on Friday acting head coach Ryan Day released a statement via social media to give a glimpse into what is going on within the team.
Day made note of the success that the team has made with its first-year players and the players who have lost their black stripes, including scholarship players Taron Vincent, Teradja Mitchell, Dallas Gant, Brian Snead and Chris Olave.
Camp will end on Saturday with a scrimmage and the student part of being a student-athlete will get under way on Tuesday as classes start at the University. Focus will then turn toward the season and the opener against Oregon State.
Day concluded talking about the two main driving forces behind the motivation of the team the 'brotherhood' and the 'standards of excellence that the former Buckeye players and teams have set before'.
No update on the status of Urban Meyer in the release and that could be coming in the coming days down to the coming hours, but at that point it is just speculation on a timeline and ultimately, an outcome.
The release had updates on each of the position groups that read as follows.
Quarterbacks – This is a young group of talented quarterbacks. We have very big shoes to fill in replacing one of the most productive players in the history of college football. In our entire room, we have zero collegiate starts. That being said, Dwayne Haskins and Tate Martell have been putting in the work on and off the field to get themselves prepared for an excellent season. They both have been taking the majority of the reps in practice as freshman Matthew Baldwin is recovering from ACL surgery and won’t be 100 percent for another couple of weeks. We can see the improvement by each of the QBs on a daily basis.
Running Backs – Led by Tony Alford, we have two returning 1,000-yard rushers in J.K. Dobbins and Mike Weber. Both are veterans and are having a productive camp. They are very deliberate with everything they do on the field and they haven’t rested on their success at all. They are going hard every day, fighting to earn their reps. And, they love their teammates. They’ve been great in helping the younger guys acclimate to our culture. Master Teague and Brian Snead have both shown flashes of brilliance and are continually working toward consistency. Both have really bright futures.
Wide Receivers – This group continues to be full of leaders and is a very strong unit of quality young men. The upperclassmen – Parris Campbell, Johnnie Dixon, Terry McLaurin and K.J. Hill – have set the standard for work ethic on offense and we are expecting big things from them this season. Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor and C.J. Saunders have also been practicing at a high level, making this unit very deep. The depth continues to grow with the emergence of the true freshmen and younger players, including Chris Olave and Jaelen Gill. Kamryn Babb is on pace for a full recovery and is working daily with sports medicine on his rehab. Brain Hartline has embraced the new role of WR coach and has brought the “juice” each day.
Tight Ends – The tight ends have had a very competitive preseason camp so far and, even though we lost a quality player last year to the NFL, this year’s group will be deeper and has a chance to be stronger than last year. Kevin Wilson has done a remarkable job developing Luke Farrell, Rashod Berry and Jake Hausmann over the past year and Jeremy Ruckert is a very talented freshman. Hausmann missed a few practices due to a hamstring injury but is back now and practicing well.
Offensive Line – Coach Greg Studrawa really likes working with this group of players. Led by Isaiah Prince, Demetrius Knox and Michael Jordan, the offensive line has been working every day to solidify the foundation of our offense. The competition within this unit has raised the level of play across the board as guys are battling for starting positions. Thayer Munford and Josh Alabi have been competing for the starting left tackle spot while Brady Taylor, Michael Jordan and Josh Myers have all been taking snaps at center. A bright spot has been the development of Malcolm Pridgeon at guard.
Defensive Line – No surprise to anyone in Buckeye Nation, Larry Johnson has another talented group this year. It doesn’t take much to notice how close this unit is and the leadership from Nick Bosa, Dre’mont Jones, Robert Landers, Jashon Cornell, Davon Hamilton, Jonathan Cooper and Chase Young. We’re really impressed with the young freshmen as well; there are some individuals in that freshman class who are positioning themselves to play this fall. Depth at this position group might be the strongest on the team.
Linebackers – Coach Billy Davis feels as if things are starting to fall into place with this inexperienced but talented linebacker corps. There are fierce competitions at all three positions. Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard are battling at Mike while Tuf Borland is recovering from his Achilles injury. At the Sam, Dante Booker and Pete Werner are all over the field making plays on a daily basis and Malik Harrison and Keandre Jones have both stepped up in their new roles. We’re anxious to see how these final scrimmages and practices go before game week.
Cornerbacks – Taver Johnson is really enjoying being a Buckeye coach again. His position group has focused on being consistent with their technique and their understanding of how everything fits together with this defense. Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield are poised to continue the tradition of great Buckeye CB play. Jeffrey Okudah is coming along well and, after missing the spring due to injury, has come back strong and is using each snap to improve. Shaun Wade is really progressing as well. We are excited about this position group and all of the guys are working to be consistent in everything they do.
Safeties – First-year at Ohio State coach Alex Grinch feels it has been a very positive camp for his position group. Jordan Fuller, in particular, has established himself as a leader and as a playmaker on our defense. There has been excellent competition to determine who will be the starter opposite Fuller, between Isaiah Pryor and Jahsen Wint. Brendon White and Amir Riep are fueling the competition by showing up on film and making plays. The play of a couple of true freshmen – Josh Proctor and Marcus Hooker – has been encouraging.
Specialists – Through 12 fall camp practices, the specialist group has shown the promise of a group returning all four starters from the 2017 season. Field goal kicker Sean Nuernberger, punter Drue Chrisman, long snapper Liam McCullough and kickoff specialist Blake Haubeil have all embraced the competition of improvement this fall camp. With no specific playing time battles, the units have focused on consistency on operation time and kick placement. The field goal unit finished practice recently with a pressure “game-winning” kick made from 40 yards in the rain, leaving no doubt of the outcome. Chrisman and the punt team have continued to build off of the 2017 campaign when Chrisman ranked in the top five among returning punters for the 2018 season with an average of 44.2 yards per punt. Haubeil is working to improve on his 2017 season and with limited opportunities in fall camp for full kickoffs, he has been focused on improving in hang-time, distance and accuracy.
