Spring football is here.
After a roller coaster of a 2021 season, from the highest of highs at the Rose Bowl to the lowest of lows at home against Oregon and in Ann Arbor against Michigan, Ohio State is back on the practice field with high expectations once again.
In the weeks leading up to the spring game, we'll break down the roster, going position-by-position to see who's back for another season, who the Buckeyes lost and what the expectations will be heading into the Buckeyes' season opener Sept. 3 against Notre Dame.
Today, we take a look at Ohio State's safeties.
Note: Ohio State safety Bryson Shaw submitted his notification to transfer April 4.
2021 recapÂ
This is where a lot of opposing quarterbacks attacked Ohio State's defense in 2021.
Last season, the Buckeyes finished with the third-worst pass defense in the Big Ten, allowing 246.2 yards per game, 6.9 yards per pass attempt and 21 touchdowns: one of five teams inside the Big Ten to allow more than 20 a season ago.
Of those touchdowns, Ohio State's safety unit allowed nine, with Ronnie Hickman, Lathan Ransom, Cameron Martinez, Bryson Shaw and Craig Young allowing receptions on 69.2 percent of targets credited to them.
Over the course of the 2021 season, Hickman became a leader in the defensive backfield.
He was a tackling machine, leading the team with 100 tackles. No other player on the roster came to within 36 of the sophomore bullet, who also recorded one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and two interceptions, seemingly getting himself in the middle of every play.
Shaw added 54 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and three pas break-ups, while Ransom added 38 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and five pass breakups for a defense that was consistently attacked in the middle of the field by opposing tight ends and slot receivers.
2022 outlookÂ
Departing: Craig YoungÂ
After coming into the 2021 season contending for a starting spot at the bullet position, Young never really found a consistent path to playing time.
The former three-star athlete out of Fort Wayne, Indiana played 138 snaps for the Buckeyes last season, playing more than 20 snaps against Rutgers and Michigan State. In those 138 snaps, Young recorded 15 tackles and an interception, while allowing nine receptions on 10 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown.
Shortly after Ohio State's regular season-ending loss to Michigan, Young entered the transfer portal, transferring to Kansas.
Returning: Kourt Williams II, Cameron Martinez, Lathan Ransom, Ronnie Hickman, Bryson Shaw, Marcus Hooker, Jantzen Dunn, Jaylen Johnson, Andre Turrentine, Josh ProctorÂ
Other than Young, Ohio State basically has everyone returning for another season.
In 2022, though, the focus will be on the return of Josh Proctor, who missed the majority of the 2021 season after suffering a significant leg injury against Oregon in the second week of the season.
The depth is there for Perry Eliano, heading into his first season with the Buckeyes, including players like Shaw, Martinez and Kourt Williams II, who are likely set to play major roles in 2022, along with Ransom, who suffered a fractured left leg in the Rose Bowl.
Incoming: Kye Stokes, Tanner McCalisterÂ
With a new coaching regime in place with the hire of Jim Knowles as Ohio State's defensive coordinator, former Oklahoma State safety Tanner McCalister could be the most important pick up for the Buckeyes this offseason.
McCalister played with Knowles for four seasons in Stillwater, starting for three seasons as the Cowboys' cover safety. As a redshirt senior with one season left of eligibility, there isn't a player on the roster that knows Knowles' defense better, already having worked with his new teammates before spring camp started to give them a head start of what to expect from their new defensive coordinator.
In the 2022 class, Ohio State also picked up the No. 18 safety in the country in Kye Stokes, a player who said he wants to be the next iteration of Proctor at free safety for the Buckeyes.
Projected starters: Tanner McCalister (nickel), Ronnie Hickman (bandit), Josh Proctor (free safety/adjustor)Â
While there are three starting safety spots up for grabs, there is expected to be a lot of fluidity in terms of who sees the field.
But the three starting spots seem to be set in stone: McCalister as the nickel/cover safety like he was at Oklahoma State, Hickman at the bullet/bandit and Proctor back at the free safety/adjustor position.
Williams is expected to rotate in to spell Hickman, while playing together in the defensive backfield as that safety/linebacker hybrid, while Martinez would come in behind McCalister at cover safety with Shaw behind Proctor at free safety.
Spring practice storyline to watchÂ
The big story here is the change in leadership.
One season out of leading one of the best cornerback rooms in the country at Cincinnati, with Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner expected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick this April and Coby Bryant expected to be an early second-day selection, Eliano is off to Ohio State, taking over a safeties room that has a lot of returners, but had its fair share of struggles in 2021.
With the experience of helping turn the Bearcats into a consistent and dominant defense, can Eliano bring the same magic to Columbus, with the help of Knowles' scheme that he sees as a "safety-driven defense?"
