Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Ohio State Football: Way-too-early 2-deep depth chart projection for 2020

By Will Koger

LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes waits with his team to take the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)
LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 28: Head coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes waits with his team to take the field before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Photo by Steven Branscombe/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 10
Next
PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 16: Jake Hausmann #81 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates his touchdown with teammate Jaelen Gill #26 in the third quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey.The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 56-21. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 16: Jake Hausmann #81 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates his touchdown with teammate Jaelen Gill #26 in the third quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey.The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 56-21. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

H-Back

Starter: Jameson Williams
Backup: Jaelen Gill

A case can be made for any of five Buckeyes to start here, with Jameson Williams perhaps being the most unexpected. The future of the H-back position at Ohio State seems to be extremely uncertain. A staple of the Urban Meyer offense, the position featured dynamic playmakers like Percy Harvin, Curtis Samuel and Parris Campbell. Yet with K.J. Hill graduating, Jaelen Gill and Kamryn Babb are Meyer’s last remaining H-back recruits.

Might Ryan Day take this third receiver spot in a different direction than his predecessor? It seems so. Day’s slot recruit for 2020 is Mookie Cooper, who is much more of a downfield route-runner than someone like Campbell was at Ohio State. Moving Williams inside to the slot would serve as another signal of this evolution of the Ohio State offense by using the third receiver downfield rather than screens and shallow crossing routes.

Williams showed his skill-set on a 61-yard touchdown against Miami (OH) in Week 4. A player with such speed and elusiveness will be difficult to keep off the field.

There are many other candidates.

Gill served as Hill’s backup last season but only caught six passes in four games. Still young, Gill has the talent to play well in Meyer’s traditional H-back role. Babb is coming off his third ACL tear and will face an uphill battle to win the job, simply due to his inexperience.

The veteran options include 2019 captain C.J. Saunders and kick-returner Demario McCall. Saunders missed his redshirt senior season and is seeking a medical hardship waiver for a sixth year of eligibility. McCall has never been able to scratch out a consistent role as a Buckeye, and this appears to be his last shot. If he can’t win the job in spring, a graduate transfer could be in the cards for McCall. As for Cooper, he will just be a freshman but might be the future of this position as a slot receiver and could see time.

Home/Ohio State Buckeyes