COLUMBUS, Ohio – Over the past week the Ohio State wide receivers room has taken a hit in terms of depth with the impending departure of Blue Smith by way of transfer and the likely season-ending loss of Kam Babb due to yet another severe knee injury.
The loss of Babb is a major blow, not only because of the loss of an up-and-coming receiver looking to make his mark but also because of what kind of person Babb has been off the field going into his second year with the Buckeyes.
Receivers coach Brian Hartline was asked about what the loss of Babb would mean for the team moving forward as the team is in the midst of spring practice and beyond, especially if Babb is unable to go with his third serious knee injury in as many years.
“It is tough,” Hartline said. “One, because he is such a great guy and you want guys to earn things, but he has attacked it the right way. In the weight room or academics and studying and being at my hip. He really is a great young man from a great family. If anyone can weather the storm, it is him. It is a blow to our unit because I think he adds a lot of value to our room.”
The Buckeyes will lose a major portion of their 2018 production in the receiving game but will still have stalwarts like KJ Hill, Austin Mack and Bin Victor back while Chris Olave and others will be right there pushing the veterans.
There will be 10 receivers on scholarship going into this season, including Babb and that number would move to 11 if you consider H-back Jaelen Gill a receiver under the Ryan Day/Kevin Wilson/Mike Yurcich scheme. Seven of those players have actual stats at the college level at the position (including Gill) but when you really break things down, the rotation may be on the thin side for guys who have gone out and put up significant numbers.
Hartline is not worried however.
The mixture of veteran returners with the upside of several young players gives the receivers coach a lot to look forward to.
“I think it is great,” Hartline said of the depth of the position. “Yeah, I wish I had 12 more guys, (but) I love the depth, we are bringing Jameson Williams coming in over the summer.”
Add to that mix freshman Garrett Wilson, who is already on campus as an early enrollee and is already turning heads.
It will be a next-man up situation for everyone else in the room without Babb getting reps for the foreseeable future. Not an ideal situation but the one that the Buckeyes will have to accept and move on with.
“Losing a guy like Kam was not great for us and it did hurt us but the guys that are here are working really hard, and that is all you can really ask (for),” Hartline added.
Nobody is quite sure what is in the future for Babb as he continues to be sidelined. It was not all that long ago that Johnnie Dixon was in a somewhat similar position, sidelined with injury and unsure if his day would ever come. We all know what happened for Dixon as he finally was able to get healthy and then do more than just contribute as one of Ohio State’s major scoring threats.
Babb’s future is uncertain at this point and much of it will be up to what his body is able to do and not do with yet another surgery upcoming.
The Buckeyes will be there to support Babb just as he will be there to support his teammates.
For now, the Buckeyes have to keep pushing onward.
“You can only control what you can control, we are going to move forward but it was a blow,” Hartline said.
