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2024 Fall Camp and Other Tidbits

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Position Battles Update: Will Howard and Sonny Styles Surge, Right Guard and Punter Competitions Remain Tight Through Four Days of Camp

Will Howard and Sonny Styles looked like starters during Ohio State’s open practices while there’s no clear frontrunner at right guard or punter yet.
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Position Battles Update: Will Howard and Sonny Styles Surge, Right Guard and Punter Competitions Remain Tight Through Four Days of Camp​

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Ohio State entered preseason camp with four primary position battles to settle: Quarterback, right guard, Will linebacker and punter.

Four days into camp, frontrunners have seemingly established themselves at two of those positions while the starting job remains up for grabs at the others.

After attending all of Ohio State’s first four preseason practices, which were open to fans who paid to attend practice and media members who regularly cover the team, it’s time for an updated look at how each of those battles looks to be shaping up entering the Buckeyes’ second week of camp, along with some notes on what we’ve seen at other positions where players are jockeying for position on the depth chart.

Howard starting to separate at quarterback​

Styles looking ready to star at Will linebacker​

Hinzman, Tshabola battling at right guard​

McLarty showing promise but inexperience at punter​

Additional notes​

  • Gee Scott Jr. exited spring as the projected starter at tight end, but he hasn’t necessarily locked that job up yet. Will Kacmarek has also seen a healthy share of reps with the first-team offense through the first day of camp while Jelani Thurman, Bennett Christian and Patrick Gurd have also been in the mix. Kacmarek and Thurman have shown up more consistently in the passing game so far in camp and Kacmarek might be the best blocker of the group, so TE remains a position to monitor as the month continues.
  • There hasn’t been a clear pecking order at wide receiver yet either as Ohio State has also rotated reps heavily at that position, but it feels safe to say Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss will be the top four receivers and that all of them will have substantial roles in this year’s offense based on how well they’ve each performed in camp so far. Jayden Ballard has also made his share of eye-catching plays through the first four days of practice, strengthening his case to be the Buckeyes’ No. 5 receiver.
  • While Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry were JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer’s top backups at defensive end last season, Mitchell Melton has also seen considerable reps in the rotation through the first four days of practice and has flashed as a pass rusher just as he did throughout the spring. At the least, Melton is making a strong case for Larry Johnson to deploy a five-man rotation on the edge this season; if Melton keeps performing as well as he has, it might not be out of the question that he could steal a spot on the two-deep.
  • Gabe Powers has taken most of the second-team reps at Mike linebacker behind Cody Simon, signifying that he’s the frontrunner to round out the two-deep with Simon, Styles and Hicks, though Arvell Reese has been a frequent playmaker with the third-team defense.
  • Malik Hartford looks positioned to be the top backup at safety as he has mixed in with the first-team defense at times when the Buckeyes have opted to give Caleb Downs extra rest. Jayden Bonsu currently appears to be in position to round out the two-deep as he has taken most of the second-team reps at strong safety, though Jaylen McClain remains a threat to climb the depth chart as he has been an active playmaker in both coverage and as a tackler after a strong spring.
  • Brandon Inniss, Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith, Bryson Rodgers, Jayden Ballard and Caleb Downs have all split reps at punt returner, but Inniss and Egbuka have typically taken the first reps in one order or the other. Egbuka is the incumbent punt returner from the past two seasons, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Inniss take over that role this year.
  • Ohio State did not have any live kickoff returns during its first four preseason practices, so it remains a mystery who will fulfill that duty this season after Xavier Johnson was the Buckeyes’ primary kick returner for the past two years.
 
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Captain Buckeye said:
Thanks for sharing I don’t get big ten network until the season starts
Click to expand...
Even for those of us who have it, getting it:

* without commercials
* with some of the into/outof break comments edited out
* in YouTube format so that it can be watched at increased speed

…greatly enhances the watchability

Some comments on the content:

The closest anyone came to something negative was Dinardo saying that the quarterbacks were a little ahead of the OL. This was on a day where most of the OL was out sick and they were down to 10 available OL including walkons. No surprise there.

DiNardo has been with the network since they hit the air in 2007 and said it was the most physical Ohio state practice he’s seen. Some years he only saw the Buckeyes in shells though, so take it FWIW.

Howard Griffith asked Quinshon about what he’s learned at Ohio State. Q said he learned what it was like to be part of a real brotherhood. I’m not saying that those of you with X accounts should troll Kiffin with that sound byte, but I’m not saying you shouldn’t.
 
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