A series of profiles on members of the Buckeyes’ 2020 recruiting class who redshirted their true freshman seasons, including a look back at how their first year went, and an evaluation of where they stand in the program ahead of 2021.

Even with the well-documented struggles at the top of the depth chart in the Ohio State secondary last season, Lejond Cavazos didn’t get a chance to test his talents in the defensive backfield as a true freshman in 2020.

A preseason injury certainly didn’t help his cause, as the San Antonio native and IMG Academy product missed crucial development time in an already COVID-shortened offseason for the Buckeyes, and went on to miss the first three games of the season.

Cavazos, a three-star prospect and the No. 29 overall safety in the class of 2020, did not register a single snap at cornerback in his first season in Columbus. That will change during his redshirt freshman campaign, should he stay healthy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a starring role in the Buckeye secondary is on the horizon for Cavazos just yet.

Despite not logging a defensive snap for Ohio State last year, Cavazos has received mention from head coach Ryan Day on multiple occasions dating back to one unfortunate turn of events for the Buckeye secondary in 2020.

In just the second game of the season, an Oct. 31 win over Penn State, the Buckeyes lost No. 3 outside corner Cam Brown for the year due to an Achilles tear. The injury seemed a critical setback for a group that was already replacing both its outside CBs from the 2019 season, and one that was suddenly short on depth behind Sevyn Banks and Shaun Wade.

Day said publicly that Cavazos and fellow true freshman Ryan Watts would have to step up in Brown’s absence, but a quick look at Wade and Banks’ combined 1,003 season snaps –– compared with a combined 28 for Watts and Cavazos –– makes it clear that the coaching staff opted to ride their proven commodities in 2020.

With Wade gone this year though, and Brown’s health status still relatively unknown, Cavazos and Watts received specific mention from Day once again back in March.

“That corner position, Sevyn and Cam will be coming back, but to me, it’s a big spring for Lejond Cavazos and Ryan Watts,” Day said. “These are two guys, now, who have been in the program, and this is gonna be a big spring for them. They gotta really step up. They’re gonna have a great opportunity to compete, so they’re gonna have to stay healthy and perform.”

Watts made the most of his opportunity in April’s spring game, picking off Jack Miller at the goal line in single coverage against Garrett Wilson on the very first possession of the exhibition.

Once again though, injury kept Cavazos out of the equation, as the second-year Buckeye was held out of the scrimmage and unable to display his talents for Ohio State fans and coaches.

If Brown makes a full recovery and Watts continues to flash, Cavazos may be the third wheel in a battle for the second outside corner position opposite Banks. Still, assuming Cavazos is healthy himself when this fall gets underway, a full slate of games will allow him to notch some much-needed experience, even if it comes in the second halves of blowout wins.