Josh Proctor saw the details of Jim Knowles’ new defense first from the sideline.
As the Ohio State fifth-year safety continued his recovery process from a compound fracture suffered against Oregon in the second game of the 2021 season, he was in the film room, studying the playbook, walking in the back, stepping and talking through play calls.
He was "getting reps without getting reps" for a coach who knew the ins and outs of what he wanted from his defense.
Proctor's responsibilities never really changed. He was still that quarterback of the defense, but now had much more on his plate than ever before, tasked with getting the entire defense set up from his safety spot.
But Proctor knew he could do it.
He knew what he would bring back to the Buckeyes when he was eventually healthy: energy, leadership, experience on the back end and just knowing a thing or two as one of the veteran members of Ohio State’s defense.
He was just behind, doing everything he could to learn the scheme and fit right in when he was a full go.
“It’s definitely a challenge,” Proctor said. “I would come do and do teach period, just learning the plays like that. But other than that is just staying in the playbook as much as you can. But you never really know how it feels until you get out here on the field and everything is coming at you 100% full speed.”
Proctor got there.
Heading into the final week of spring, the redshirt senior safety was back on the field, able to go full speed and do everything asked of him in no-contact settings, getting his first chance to run through Knowles’ new defense, which he had been stepping and talking through all offseason.
That’s when the reality of what faced Proctor really hit, the task Knowles had to help his veteran through.
“When you’re away from it that long and it’s a new system, then you get back out there and everyone else out there is ahead and you got to catch up,” Knowles said after the spring game Saturday. “And I’m not very patient because I think he’s great, so I’m, ‘Hey, let’s go. Let’s go Proc,’ yelling at the coaches to meet with him extra to get him up, get him going.”
Proctor remembers more patience from Knowles than he admitted.
In his first days, the safety said, he would mess up a play and the defensive coordinator would break things down, helping him understand the play and allow him to play faster, without thinking.
Over the course of his time sidelined, the mental side of the game was something Proctor developed even more, understanding route concepts from receivers and what the quarterbacks were thinking in and around the pocket, reading tackles and guards on the offensive line.
Attention to detail was become more and more important to Proctor, helping him find the ability to give Knowles what he wants out of a safety.
“It lets you play faster, play loose,” Proctor said. “A lot of people get out here, play start moving, you see a lot of people running around. Things (move) fast and you lose eye control. It’s so easy to get distracted, but as long as you know the defense, you know where you’re supposed to be and you know the guy next to you is supposed to be, you should be OK.”
Multiple practices in, including Ohio State’s final scrimmage of the spring inside Ohio Stadium, Proctor showed that he was moving in the right direction.
He was not 100%, playing in the Buckeyes’ thud tackling periods. But he wasn’t afraid of contact, battling against Jaxon Smith-Njigba out in coverage, keeping his position on a ball underthrown by quarterback C.J. Stroud and forcing the ball away from a receiver who was draped over the safety, trying to draw the pass interference call.
Proctor was playing faster and looser. He looked like he knew what he was doing even without as many in-game reps as many playing alongside him.
“I saw a surge from him,” Knowles said. “He kind of started picking it up, it started clicking. And I think he can be great for our defense.”
For a defense that’s adjusting well to Knowles’ scheme, bringing a renewed vigor and resurgent energy throughout the depth chart, the defensive coordinator still said his biggest worry is the depth at safety because of the amount of injuries the position had this spring.
But from the little he saw from Proctor, Knowles gets excited for the potential he brings.
That’s all Proctor wanted to show this spring: potential, bringing excitement for what he will bring when he is 100%.
Coming out of the spring game 80-85% of the way back, the senior safety knew he was behind, knew he had to work, showing that progress off in his limited action Saturday.
To him, it was just going back to the defensive backfield and playing like he has nothing to lose.
