DB Miles Lockhart (Official Thread)

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Winning the game in an OSU too

 

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Miles Lockhart Eager to Learn As Freshman, Motivated to Beat Michigan and Help Ohio State “Wherever I Can”

Miles Lockhart expects to develop behind Jordan Hancock as a true freshman but is eager to help Ohio State win – especially against Michigan – wherever he can.

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MILES LOCKHART EAGER TO LEARN AS FRESHMAN, MOTIVATED TO BEAT MICHIGAN AND HELP OHIO STATE “WHEREVER I CAN​

The role that Miles Lockhart could eventually play in Ohio State’s defense became clear this past season.

While Lockhart was recruited to Ohio State as a slot cornerback, Jim Knowles initially used a three-safety system in his first one-and-a-half seasons as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator. Tanner McCalister was considered to be a safety when he manned the nickel position throughout the 2022 season, while Ohio State started 2023 with Sonny Styles starting at nickel as a safety/linebacker hybrid.

In the second half of the season, however, Ohio State moved to playing three cornerbacks in its base defense with Jordan Hancock replacing Styles as the starting nickel. That proved to be a positive change for the defense, as Hancock provided a significant upgrade in slot coverage while also making plenty of plays against the run, giving Knowles and the Buckeyes reason to continue playing a cornerback at nickel going forward.

Hancock will continue to play that role in 2024 after choosing to stay at Ohio State for his senior season. Lockhart will be among the candidates to play that role in the future.

Lockhart possesses the athleticism and coverage skills in tight spaces that one looks for in a slot cornerback. And while he isn’t the longest defensive back at only 5-foot-10, he’s a strong tackler at 193 pounds who plays with the physicality Ohio State looks for in its nickelbacks.
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BETTER KNOW A BUCKEYE: MILES LOCKHART’S SKILL SET AND INSTINCTS MAKE HIM A NATURAL FIT AT SLOT CORNERBACK FOR OHIO STATE’S SECONDARY​

IMMEDIATE IMPACT​

An early enrollee, Lockhart is quite ambitious regarding his goals early on as a Buckeye.

“I definitely want to get my black stripe off first in my position group,” Lockhart said. “I want to stay on top of academics and fight for my spot, really. I just want to compete every day.”

While Lockhart is willing to play anywhere in the defensive backfield, his frame will make him an ideal slot cornerback, which is what Ohio State coaches have already told him.

"I would say (coach Walton) mostly talks about me in the slot," Lockhart said. "But I can play outside. I think (it’s mostly at slot) because I’m not a 6-foot-1, 6-2 guy, more like 5-11. So that’s probably why I’ve been in the slot."

Given that Jordan Hancock will be manning the slot/nickel cornerback starting job in 2024, Lockhart's first season in Columbus will likely be a redshirt year as he develops his body and adjusts to the speed of the college game.

“I'm just gonna sit behind him and just watch him do his thing and learn as much as I can behind him,” Lockhart told Eleven Warriors in regards to Hancock returning. “Just soak up everything I can from him, (secondary coach Tim Walton), everybody else.”

He won't likely receive significant playing time on defense as a freshman, but he could fill out the three-deep in the slot, behind Hancock and Lorenzo Styles Jr. Jermaine Mathews Jr. might be more likely to see play significant snaps in the slot this year than Lockhart, though.

LONG-TERM IMPACT​

Hancock is entering his senior year at Ohio State, so the Buckeyes will have a new slot cornerback a year from now. While Styles will likely be the frontrunner to take over the starting job next season, Lockhart can put himself in the mix for playing time with a good first year of development.

That said, Lockhart will face plenty of competition to get on the field throughout his Ohio State career. In addition to Mathews, Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Scott and West all set to vie for starting jobs next year, Ohio State is set to bring in at least two five-star cornerbacks in the 2025 class with Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord both committed to the Buckeyes.

Lockhart isn’t one to back away from competition, though.

“I'm gonna give them my all from start to finish,” Lockhart said. “They’re getting a competitor, for sure, and just a good person overall. Not just a football player, but somebody that's going to help the community and do everything that he can to help the team.”

Lockhart says his biggest goal for his Ohio State career is to help the Buckeyes get back to beating Michigan.

“That's the biggest thing for us, really. I mean, we can't lose to team up north, that’s the biggest game,” Lockhart said. “No other game matters, really. We can go undefeated and losing that game, it just feels like a failure to the season. So yeah, the team up north is the biggest game, we have to win that. And that's how you get to the Big Ten championship, that's how you get to the playoff. So that's something that we're taking very seriously. And that's not a game that we're gonna lose. We gotta get the Gold Pants every time.

“Guys always say that like, the guys that didn't grow up in Ohio don't understand the rivalry, but that's not something that I take lightly at all. I don't like that at school at all. We don't talk about that school, I don’t wear that color anymore. Like, that's part of me now. So all of our commits I feel like that are not from Ohio take it just as serious. Like, we talk about it all the time. That's not a school that we're going to lose to if it’s up to us.”