COLUMBUS- In a defensive system like Ohio State, depth at the cornerback position is vital for the success of the secondary. After creating a rotation involving two first round-draft picks in 2016, the goal for the cornerbacks in the 2017 season is not pick up where Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore left off.

It seems like the position room is off to a good start in recreating that rotation. Coach Kerry Coombs talked about how Denzel Ward, Damon Arnette and Kendall Sheffield will be the primary cornerbacks in the secondary.

However, the depth aspect of the position come from the four true freshmen coming into the program. Ward talked about how there is an opportunity for these players to make a name for themselves early on.

“I feel like we have a lot of talent in that room,” Ward said. “(Lattimore and Conley) are gone, so there are a lot of guys that can step up.”

The expectation surrounding these four players is off the charts. Jeffery Okudah and Shaun Wade each come in as five-star recruits while Marcus Williamson and Amir Riep are four-star corners.

“I hope that they are as good as people say,” Arnette said. “Overall, that means we are going to be a better secondary.”

With Williamson missing three practices because of what Coombs considers “a little ding” and Riep starting camp in June, the focus from the coaching staff has been on the two five-stars.

“Jeff Okudah is making a huge push, playing really well the last three days,” Coombs said. “Shaun Wade's last two days have been his best two as a Buckeye.”

Coming out of Grand Prairie, Texas, Okudah led South Grand Prairie to a Texas 6A playoff berth, recording 43 tackles and five pass breakups in his senior season. He enrolled at Ohio State in January and immediately started to practice, participating in spring drills.

However, spring drills and Fall Camp are two totally different things according to Coombs.

“Training camp for a young kid, this is traumatic,” Coombs said. “It takes them a little bit of time a little while to get into the swing of things. He is finally starting to get it. Once he can focus every play on just that job, just that play, I think he is going to be a great player.”

One of the things that Coombs is working on with Okudah is becoming more of a physical corner. At 6 feet 1 inch tall and 193 pounds, Okudah is “long and fast” and will develop that physicality over time.

Another early enrollee, Wade was awarded the 2017 Lockheed Martin Defensive Back of the Year award along with the All-USA Defensive Player of the Year award after his senior season.

With 63 tackles, seven interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, and nine broken up passes in his senior season, Wade has the stats to be a successful corner. However, for Coombs, there is more to the position than just skill.

“For him right now he has got the skillset, he has got to learn how to strain at the end of a play, strain to get the ball and strain to finish,” Coombs said. “He knows that. If you asked him, he would tell you. Every kid in the room knows what exactly it is that they have to work on to improve their game, and that is what he is.”

For Coombs, that is the type of tenacity that he expects from every cornerback that he coaches. That is the expectation coming in, but it is something that has to grow in every particular player.

“More than anything, the young guys have got to learn the culture of the unit and the culture of the program,” Coombs said. “I think when they really, really get that and it becomes part of who they are, it will be really cool thing for them.”

For Ward, the best advice he can give the young players at his position is to not hold anything back.

“Just don’t come out worrying about making mistakes,” Ward said. “Come out and go hard and ready to play.”

The time to make an impression is now for the freshmen cornerbacks. Coombs points out that that time to make an impact in practice is ticking away.

“August 31st is coming,” Coombs said. “We are going to play.”