Buckeye Football Notebook: ‘I’m looking forward to watching him play’
Five-Star Starting to Shine
In 2018, Tyreke Johnson became the first 5-star safety signed by the Buckeyes since Vonn Bell in 2013. Unlike Bell, who contributed as a true freshman, then started as a sophomore, and was an All-American as a junior, Johnson has yet to find his footing now entering his third season at Ohio State.
Of course, Johnson didn’t come to OSU to play safety, so the comparison to Bell kind of fizzles out after signing day.
Johnson came to Ohio State to play cornerback, where he redshirted as a true freshman. He played in eight games last season, seeing more than 10 snaps on defense just three times all year.
With the Buckeyes losing starting cornerbacks Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette off of last year’s team, the time is now for Johnson to begin meeting expectations.
Ohio State defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kerry Coombs sees Johnson as a viable option outside, especially after seeing how well he was doing in the winter and spring.
“I think he fits more outside than inside. He had a really good start, his winter was really productive,” Coombs said. “He is a very smart player. And I am looking forward to him competing his butt off in the fall. I’m excited about Tyreke. And so I think he’s going to have every opportunity to prove himself out there on the field, and I’m looking forward to watching him play.”
A Veteran’s Presence
When you recruit as well as Ohio State does, there will be players who don’t get to make their respective marks until their third, fourth, or fifth years.
Senior receiver Jaylen Harris, for instance, spent his first three seasons behind Binjimen Victor, which has made playing time difficult to find.
Harris caught just one pass last year, which came after catching just two passes in each of his freshman and sophomore seasons. Despite the five career catches, Harris has stepped up as a leader in a receivers room that lost three seniors off of last year’s team. It’s a relatively young group, but Harris has stepped up as a veteran leader.
“I think the whole group is making progression,” receivers coach Brian Hartline said recently. “I think that Jaylen Harris has made progression from December. As soon as we were done and moving on to the next year in early January, Jaylen Harris, did a phenomenal job. He’s been a leader. He’s on our leadership council. He’s doing an excellent job of taking the group under his wing and I’m really impressed by him.”
Entire article:
https://theozone.net/2020/05/buckeye-football-notebook-im-looking-forward-watching-play/
