Succession: Ohio State's future plan for safety

Perry Eliano seems to have his room ready to go to start the 2022 season.

With three starters set and stone heading into the season opener against Notre Dame, there is not much experienced depth for the Ohio State safety room behind its three starters, giving the Buckeyes' new safeties coach an opportunity to start stocking up on offers in future classes.

So what could Ohio State's safety room look like in the next four years?

Here's a look at the room's succession plan.

Starters are in bold.

Previous Positions

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive tackle

Offensive guard and center

Defensive end

Defensive tackle

Linebacker

Adjuster (free safety)

1. Ronnie Hickman

2. Kye Stokes

3. Lathan Ransom

Bandit (boundary safety)

1. Josh Proctor

2. Kourt Williams II

3. Sonny Styles

Nickel safety

1. Tanner McCalister

2. Cameron Martinez

3. Lathan Ransom

Ohio State is going to have an experienced defensive backfield in 2022.

With Ronnie Hickman returning and playing the free safety spot and Josh Proctor returning to play the boundary, the Buckeyes also bring in a fifth-year veteran in Tanner McCalister, who played in Jim Knowles' defense for the past four years at Oklahoma State.

However, in Eliano's room, game-ready depth has dwindled with the loss of Bryson Shaw, Andre Turrentine and Lejond Cavazos to the transfer portal leaving Cameron Martinez, Kourt Williams II, Lathan Ransom, who's coming off a significant leg injury that took him out of the Rose Bowl, and freshmen Kye Stokes and Sonny Styles along with Jaylen Johnson and Jantzen Dunn.

The Buckeyes' room is getting young quickly, but it's a room that has a lot of talent that could impact the hierarchy starting as soon as next year.