Note: This transcript was AI-generated and has not been edited for errors.
[Dan Hope]
Welcome into Real Pod Wednesdays. I'm Dan Hope joined by Andy Anders as Ohio state is now in its second week of spring football practice. The Buckeyes, uh, five practices in to the spring, 10 more to go as of today.
And we learned on Monday that Ohio state is planning to culminate the spring with a spring game. We weren't sure if that was going to be the case, uh, when Ohio state started spring, Ohio state was initially billing, uh, it's end of spring practice in Ohio stadium as a spring showcase. And, uh, we didn't know exactly if that would entail, I don't think Ryan day even knew what that would entail, but, uh, on Monday, you know, he came out and said, you know, the plan is to have a spring game, just wants to leave a little wiggle room in case of injuries, you know, say, you know, for offensive linemen go down of injury or something.
And then you don't have enough. Players at a certain position group to really, you know, field, you know, multiple units at that position group that would potentially make Ohio state change course and modify the way it conducts that end of spring scrimmage. But as of now, the plan is for Ohio state to have a, a fairly traditional spring game, he said, he thinks it's going to look a lot like it's looked in past years, and I'm excited about that.
I'm, I'm glad about that because I'm certainly someone who's very much in the camp of pro spring games. Uh, I, I hope that spring games will continue to be a part of the college football landscape. A lot of, uh, college football teams have decided to move away from them this spring.
Uh, some of them have cited, you know, concerns about tampering or whatnot, but Ryan day, you know, he downplayed that when he was asked about, you know, he, he didn't really seem concerned about that aspect of it. It was more just the idea of, you know, injuries and, and making sure that, you know, the team's healthy, you're not putting undue stress on the players. But I, you kind of get the sense from Ryan day, you know, going into the spring, there was a lot of talk about managing players' bodies and about, you know, the recovery from the season and, you know, quick turnaround after a long year.
But since spring ball started, it's felt like a pretty normal spring. It's almost like once they got back on the field and back into it, some of those reservations maybe kind of got pushed to the side. And now all of a sudden it's like, Oh, we got to go play Texas in five months.
That's a big game. We got to make sure we're ready for that game. We got to pull out all the stops this spring to make sure we're ready for that game against Texas.
And I agree with Ryan David. I think one, one big way to do that. You know, you think about it after the spring game slash showcase, the next time Ohio state is going to be in that stadium in front of fans is going to be when the Buckeyes host Texas on August 30th.
So I think for them to have an actual spring game and for, you know, it may not matter for the likes of Jeremiah Smith or Caleb Downs, but for all those Buckeyes who are going to be playing bigger roles this year than they've ever played before. I think the opportunity to get in there in Ohio stadium, get some live reps in front of fans. I think that's a good thing, a beneficial thing for them as Ohio state continues to prepare for that season opener.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah. And, you know, to me too, I think there was a little hint for Ryan Day of wanting to give that opportunity to the fans because, you know, growing up and if you can't afford to sacrifice an arm and a leg with ticket prices, these days to go to some Ohio, Ohio state game, you know, you know, how expensive Ohio stadium tickets can get at times, especially I imagine coming off a national championship when it's good just to give fans that cheap opportunity. If you've never been to Ohio stadium, if you just want to get out and see the team this year, and then maybe you can't in the fall or even just a little nice little side thing to do in the spring. It's good to get fans that opportunity in that end game environment, just to get that feeling of the shoe and right you are too, that I think that realization hits you when you're in the middle of March and you're starting spring later than usual, if you're Ohio state, it is like, oh yeah, we got to play Texas the first week of the season and you've got a new defensive coordinator and as much talent as Ohio state does have on the defensive side of the ball with all that new, all those new pieces and you're implementing a new scheme.
I've always said, I think it takes a year for a new scheme to really settle in. Ohio state doesn't have that kind of time when you're talking about playing Texas and in year one and so for Matt Patricia, even if they're running similar structures to what they ran in previous years, I think it behooves them to get those players as many reps, as much game-like simulation as you possibly can, but speaking of Matt Patricia, I think this week has really been one of the main things that stood out to us. I think the two practices we watched, which we talked about a little bit last week, and then I'm talking to Matt Patricia on Monday, what stood out is I think just how, when we talked about it a little bit before, but how relaxed, how rejuvenated he seems, how energetic he seems, I think I said to you after that press conference with Matt, it's like night and day from what you saw when he was the head coach of the Lions and all that pressure was on him and in his head coaching shot and things weren't going well and there was a lot of negativity with the press, but he's been so cordial and friendly, just like almost seems happy to answer questions when you ask him. He just seems excited to be at the college level, to be back maybe a little bit, so what you get into coaching for, what you love about coaching, just focusing on the scheme and the nuts and bolts of football, as we know Matt Patricia is a very football-intensive mind, loves the nuts and bolts of the game, and getting to make that impact even on young men's lives a little bit more, where you're not dealing with 30-year-old multimillionaires, although there are a few multimillionaires in college football now probably, but you're dealing with young kids that you're making an impact on their lives potentially, and you get to really focus on that scheme and what really made you come up great as a coach in the first place if you're Matt Patricia, and so that energy along with some of the scheme stuff and observations we have, which we'll get into here in a little bit, I think, has really stood out, especially Monday, I think, in Matt Patricia's press conference.
[Dan Hope]
First of all, I just want to say I agree with you wholeheartedly about the spring game being an opportunity for the fans to get back in Ohio Stadium to see the team, that it's good that Ohio State has given fans that opportunity because at the end of the day, college football, it's supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be entertainment, and I think sometimes that gets forgotten about when we get so bogged down into talking about NIL and the transfer portal and all this stuff now, and I think sometimes it gets forgotten about the fact that at the end of the day, this is a game. It's supposed to be fun, and part of that is getting the fans engaged, having events that get the fans involved, and to me, the spring game is a great way to do that.
And so I think just to go back to that point, for all the talk about NIL and all that, that stuff doesn't exist if you don't have fans coming up and showing up and watching the game. So anything you can do to give the fans more opportunities to be engaged, get engaged with the team, I think is a good thing, and you have to imagine coming off a national championship, they're going to have some fun things planned for that spring game on April 12th. We can't wait to be there, but going back to Matt Patricia, I mean, I absolutely agree with you that it seems very genuine too, like it's easy to sit in front of a mic for 10 minutes and put on a happy face.
But, you know, it just stuck out to me when we were out there on Tuesday for interviews, you know, I think, you know, 15 minutes after practice is over, he's still out there, he's doing one-on-one stuff with CJ Hicks, he's working with Devin Sanchez on some stuff, you know, he was probably the last coach to leave the field. And then even after he did that stuff, then he's over talking to media members, he's talking to recruits, he just seems so happy to be at Ohio State. And I think to see that like genuine happiness that he's exuding is big because, you know, I think one of the reasons that this hire was perceived negatively in some circles was a lot of people viewed it as, oh, he's just going to Ohio State because no NFL team wants him anymore, and that's not to say that he might not at some point choose to go back to the NFL, we saw it with Chip Kelly a year ago, but this is not a guy who is showing up at work at Ohio State with the idea of he took a step back in his career or that, you know, this is just a temporary step. You can sense that genuine enthusiasm for him to be a part of the Ohio State football program, to coach for the Ohio State football players, even recruiting. I mean, you're seeing him out there engaging with a lot of recruits.
You're hearing more about, you know, him, you know, talking to recruits and building relationships with those guys. And so I think he's saying and doing all the right things so far, you know, ultimately is going to be judged by the results and how well the defense plays this fall, and like you said, it can be hard to come in and, and, and implement a defense in one year, especially at Ohio State right now, where you're replacing eight starters from a year ago. Good news is has a lot of talent to work with, but you know, still a lot to be determined here, just five practices into the spring, not a whole lot that's really set in stone yet, but I think, you know, certainly one of the biggest storylines that we're going to be continuing to follow throughout the off season of Matt Patricia is this idea of multiplicity.
What kind of packages is he going to integrate into the Ohio State defense? What kind of different looks are we going to see with from a Matt Patricia defense in year one, and he hasn't gotten into a whole lot of specifics about that probably isn't going to get into a whole lot of specifics about that until the season starts, because why give away of a game plan before you go play Texas, but he did talk a little bit on Monday about some of the different ways that Ohio State's defense can be multiple.
[Matt Patricia]
I think multiplicity comes in a couple of different ways. Nickel is huge, big nickel. You know, if you have some of those body types, safety position in my past, you know, has always been one of those positions that's been fun to kind of move around and put in different spots, especially when you have guys with a big skill range that play that position, because I think it makes it really hard for the offense, you know, kind of what exactly is the defense in right now and what can they do out of it? So I do like the flexibility of the nickel and the big nickel position.
I think the linebackers are really, you know, critical in that too, guys that can play on the ball, off the ball and get into different structures that way is fun.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, for me, I think that was one of the most appealing aspects. We've talked about it with Matt Patricia. And when you have this arsenal of athletes, particularly in the secondary, where you've got Malik Hartford and Jalen McClain competing to be that guy next to Caleb Downs, you've got Lorenzo Stiles at the nickel there.
But then again, one of Jalen McClain and Malik Hartford could even play around the box if you needed. And when you talk about a big nickel, I think there are certain body types in that safety room that could fit that description. Or, you know, you've got obviously your typical cornerbacks competing there.
We're seeing a lot of multiplicity, too, in the fact that C.J. Hicks is coming down to play more of that stand-up, edge-rushing linebacker role now in the defensive line room, practicing as a defensive end. But really, it's going to be that stand-up, almost 3-3-5 approach when you talk about having him off the edge as sort of that, doing some maybe linebacker stuff, too, or just being that focused edge rusher, regardless of what exactly C.J. Hicks' role is and how that's going to be defined as the season goes on. It's another way that you can be multiple with this defense.
And I think their coaching, and we even saw it in the couple of hours of spring practice, we got to watch the first two practices Ohio State did. Admittedly, we're not seeing a bunch of team drills in that time. But even just in the installs and some of the formational responsibilities, it was very interesting to see them rolling Malik Hartford down toward the line of scrimmage and dropping Caleb Downs back into the secondary.
We know the 4-3 will probably still be involved in some fashion, getting maybe a Peyton Pierce onto the field with Arvell Reese and Sonny Stiles. So, to hear that consistency and the excitement behind exactly how much Patricia is going to mix and match personnel, I think when you have the horses, when you have the athletes like Ohio State does, and we saw Jim Knowles have some of his best successes, too, when he was mixing those personnel packages. I think that gets you excited as an Ohio State fan to hear that you're going to be using all these weapons and finding, trying to figure out the best ways to put them in the best positions possible to make plays.
[Dan Hope]
Malik Hartford certainly seems like a guy who's trending toward playing a big role in Ohio State's secondary this year alongside Caleb Downs at safety. And Matt, Patricia had some good things to say about Malik Hartford on Monday as well.
[Matt Patricia]
I think he's had a great spring. I mean, really go back to the weight room. And what was great was when I came in, I had an opportunity to watch him work with Coach Mick and his program and how they work.
So, I'm really looking at their body movement, how do they move, how their hips and then obviously we know position in the back end, what do we think he can do and how do we think he would be going backwards in some situations and things like that. So, I think he's done a really good job of being consistent every day, training his body. He's improved a lot.
His movement has improved. His strength has improved. And he's just a student of the game.
He's in here all the time studying and learning. I really like right now, I think that there is some flexibility for him to be able to play down, play back, has great range kind of in that back end too, which is really good. And now just maybe a little bit of eye control and teaching where he's reading and kind of being able to see through the uncovered lineman back into the quarterback and kind of have maybe a little bit of a football instincts and be able to jump some of the things that he sees back there to go play those plays faster.
But his work and his consistency with the way that he approaches it, it's really been awesome.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, to me, I think the most interesting part of that conversation is where Matt is talking about him being up near the box and working on sort of backpedal speed, working on some of the traits that are going to make him a more range athlete and more versatile in Ohio State's scheme. Because when we talked about entering the spring, the competition between Malik Hartford and Jalen McClain, it was sort of this, we both had the sort of notion that Jalen McClain fit kind of the classic strong safety mold a little better, more of that Latham Ransom, downhill, physical in the box sort of traits. But I think they're really focused on sculpting Malik Hartford to develop those skills, but also still be kind of the free safety that fit his recruiting profile, fit what he did in his first couple of seasons at Ohio State, and really roll him and Caleb Downs to play even more.
You get the sense almost that it's going to be positionless, right? When you hear Matt Patricia talk about the intent of Malik Hartford in this defense. And it ties back in with the multiplicity we just talked about, to me, where they want players to have that versatility where you can roll coverages and roll what responsibilities are and really change the looks and pictures for quarterbacks.
That makes it a lot harder when you don't know, like Malik Hartford could be playing a deep zone on one player. He could be right down to the line of scrimmage, man up on a slot receiver, even like there, there's a lot of different things you can do with that.
[Dan Hope]
The way Matt Patricia is talking about Malik Hartford. You mentioned CJ Hicks and, you know, he was asked on Tuesday, who are some of the players that, uh, he's talked with Matt Patricia about, you know, guys, he can kind of model his game after. And, you know, the two guys he mentioned, uh, he said that Matt Patricia has talked to him a lot about Willie McGinnis, the former New England Patriots outside linebacker who, uh, Matt Patricia had a little bit of overlap with at the end of McGinnis's career there.
And then he also mentioned Nolan Smith, the former Georgia defender, who's now a star, uh, in that edge rushing outside linebacker role for the Philadelphia Eagles. And so, you know, hearing those names come up, you know, does point to what you said earlier of it, it seems like even though CJ Hicks is in Larry Johnson's even though he's with the defensive ends, we've seen him line up as a defensive end and the snippets of practice we've seen, it does seem like he's going to be used primarily in that standup kind of edge role, that kind of hybrid outside linebacker pass rusher role, which makes sense. I think, you know, that's the role that fits him best. You know, he said on Tuesday, he's bulked up to 240, uh, we'll be up to 245 by the season, you know, he said, you know, shouldn't underestimate his power.
He can run through somebody's face and I don't doubt that, but he's a little, you know, he's not built like a traditional defensive end. And I think the good thing is like, I think there, you know, I think maybe in the past there's been a tendency with a guy like him in Ohio State's defensive Larry Johnson, but like, he's got to add a lot of weight and he's got, so he can be that full-time defensive end. And I think it seems like Larry Johnson and Matt Trish are on the same page there of like building his role around his strengths.
And I think that's something that hasn't necessarily happened for CJ Hicks so far in his Ohio State career where, you know, they've, they've tried to, you know, develop him as an off ball linebacker. It just didn't quite work out the way anybody expected it would with him coming in as a five-star recruit. And now with one year left at Ohio State, I think, you know, there's a recognization among everybody that like, this is it for CJ Hicks.
We gotta, we gotta build a role for him that allows him to go be the player he's capable of being. And I think, you know, based on everything people are saying, you know, you're hearing all the right things. Now he's got to go do it, but I think there's reason to be excited about what this edge rushing role can be for CJ Hicks, CJ himself is certainly excited about it and hearing what Matt Patricia had to say about CJ on Monday.
He certainly seems excited about it as well.
[Matt Patricia]
He's a tremendous guy, you know, just the energy and the excitement. And he's always trying to please, you know, he's really eager to learn everything. Skill set wise, he's really unique, you know, like he can play off the ball.
You can play on the ball. He does a good job of transition his vision. You know, sometimes when you go behind the line of scrimmage, you know, you got to adjust your vision, but he, he does that very well.
And then just, I would say his explosive power. You know, when you watch him obviously pass rush and he can have some great skill, skill pass rushing on the edge, but even in the run game, just that explosive pop that he can have some of the other type of like hybrid, like outside linebacker defensive ends that I've coached in the past similar type of skill set, similar type of body, you know, body frame, things like that. And, and that's good, you know, cause you can use them in unique ways and in different ways and hopefully cause the offense a little bit of you know, confusion when you do that with those guys.
So I see a lot of similarities.
[Andy Anders]
I, I really like the plan we've talked about before the plan for CJ Hickson, and this is going to be the best fit of his skill set. I think there were the clear shortcomings for him at linebackers, traditional linebacker were the instincts. And I think the ability to read and react to plays, he just didn't seem to, he seemed to be a step behind and giving him this ability to use, just go be that athletic freak off the edge.
Go be that Will Anderson. Go be that Abdul Carter, go be that. And, you know, Abdul Carter played a little different role for Penn state, but the point stands, these are guys that just, you, you set them on the edge and you let them go use that elite speed and power that they have.
Because yes, CJ isn't going to be a 260, 270 pound bulked up defensive end, like you said, Dan, but at his size, he's able to have such a great punch. I mean, you talk about a guy who played running back in high school has that great athletic profile where this role, I think is really going to fit him. And now it's a question of how much does he enter into the mix with the other defensive ends that Ohio state has coming up?
Because I think as we saw at defensive line interviews Tuesday, as was the focus of defensive line interviews, that that defensive end is definitely the stronger portion, at least depth wise, in terms of what Ohio state has, you kind of get the sense entering this spring practice between Kenyatta Jackson Jr. And Caden Curry waiting their turns on the edges now in their fourth years in the program, Logan George brought in from the FCS level and some of the traits that really seem to be standing out about him when you talk to Larry Johnson and some of the teammates and the stats that he put up there in the FCS and now CJ Hicks, right, you have kind of these four guys that are all going to be battling for reps and then defensive tackle on the same token on the opposite end of things, beyond those top two starters, there's a lot of question marks and even like what level can Edra get to this year, right, as he is probably assuming that starting three tech role, what does the depth look like at defensive tackle and for a unit that is replacing more than any other, I think for Ohio state entering this season, all four starters gone and all four of those guys were multi-year starters, the questions at defensive tackle, I think are more prevalent, whereas defensive end, you have kind of these two guys that you expect to be pretty good. And then CJ Hicks kind of brings that upside. Logan George kind of brings that upside coming off the bench potentially.
[Dan Hope]
Frankly, I think the fact that Ohio state made four defensive ends available for media interviews on Tuesday and only one defensive tackle kind of speaks to that. It, you know, not to say that the fact that, you know, Caden McDonald didn't do media interviews is something negative about him necessarily, but just the idea that I do think that too deep at defensive end is a lot more defined. I think they've got four guys who are all going to play in some capacity there and Kenyatta Jackson, Caden Curry, CJ Hicks, Logan George.
I, and I've said it before. I think what I'm interested to see with that group is do Kenyatta and Caden separate themselves, become the clear top two guys who play the majority of snaps. Like we saw with Jack Sawyer, JT to a mole of the last couple of years, or will this be more of a true rotation where CJ Hicks and Logan George, uh, are playing almost the same number of snaps and you're really rotating those guys frequently.
And I, until we see exactly what each of those players becomes this year, I can't sit here and say like, which option is better. Like if two of those guys are clearly the best players, they should play the majority of snaps. If all four of them prove they can be effective players and they can all give you something a little bit different, then a rotate, then a true rotation where all those guys are mixing in for a healthy amount of snaps every game might be your best option.
So it's going to be interesting to see how that all unfolds. I think, you know, Kenyatta and Caden are certainly the two guys that Larry is challenging to be the leaders of that room because they are the most experienced guys, they've both been defensive ends for their entire careers, they've been in that unit for three years. And so those are the guys he really wants to step up and be the leaders of that group.
But I think, you know, CJ's the guy, you know, you think about upside CJ's probably the guy with the highest upside, especially as a pass rusher in terms of. If it all comes together for him, what can he become? I think CJ's the guy who probably has that highest upside to really be a difference maker in that rotation, especially in a pass rushing capacity.
And then Logan George, you know, I mean, I mean, I've said it all along. Like, I think Logan George is not a guy that should be overlooked. I think the fact that he came from the FCS, he doesn't get talked about as much as some of the other transfers, but you know, I've always gotten the impression, you know, he was not a guy that we were bringing in to be a back of a roster player, they were bringing him in to be in that mix and play a lot.
And, you know, Larry Johnson said it on Tuesday that he's been a pleasant surprise to us all that Logan has actually been better so far this spring than they were expecting him to be. So if that's the case, and you look at what he did at Idaho state, how productive he was there, you know, there's a potential for him to be a really big factor in that defensive end group. And so I feel optimistic about what this defensive end group is going to be.
I still have questions about it because there's not one guy in that group who's so proven to where it's like, I know this is the guy, like if they need a guy to go make a play on third down, like who is that guy? Like, you know, you've been, I mean, I guess a good example, you know, who's that guy on fourth and goal against Texas. Who's going to go make a big play.
We knew Jack, we know Jack Sawyer could go make that play. We saw JT to a mole. I'll make a lot of clutch plays, especially in that CFP can one or two of these guys go be those guys.
That's what I don't know about this group yet, but I do think they've got four really good players there at the top of that depth chart that give them the chance to have a really strong defensive end rotation, whereas a defensive tackle. I'm I think Andrew Houston's probably going to be a fantastic player at Ohio state, and I think he's going to be really good this year and probably get even better next year and beyond. You know, I think Caden McDonald has a ton of upside at nose tackle, just with, you know, his physical gifts, what we've seen him do in some of that goal line, short yardage stuff, but beyond them, I just don't know about the depth of defensive tackle.
Now, you know, Taiwan Malone did get a shout out from Larry Johnson on Tuesday as somebody who's been starting to step up as a senior leader alongside Kenyatta and Caden Curry. So that's certainly an encouraging thing to hear about Taiwan Malone, but between him, between Jason Moore, Will Smith, everybody else in that room, they need a couple guys to emerge. And, and that's what I just don't know about is like, how much are they going to be able to rely on those defensive tackles beyond Edrick Houston and Caden McDonald, and if they can't, you know, our Edrick and Houston or Edrick Houston and Caden McDonald guys that Ohio state can rely on to play the kind of snaps that Tyleek Williams and Ty Hamilton were a year ago.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah. I think that's my main concern is does Caden McDonald at his size have the conditioning to go and give you 50 or 60 snaps if needed? And I have my doubts about that.
To me, as I look at like players I'm most confident in, and like you said, it's hard to be like fully confident in anyone because none of these guys were every down players, they were all rotational at most last season, you know, you're placing all four starters, but Kenyatta Jackson Jr. has shown a lot of flashes. And I think the way that he's been talked about as being kind of the leader of this room now gives you some confidence in him. To me, what I saw out of Caden McDonald in goal line packages last year and the ability to plug the middle when plugging the middle is most important, he was actually a huge part of why Ohio State's goal line defense was so successful.
Arguably, I'd say, I mean, probably not even arguably. The best goal line defense in team history. I mean, you look at the weight of the stops they made, Caden McDonald was a central piece of those packages.
And beyond that, used him in some more short yardage settings, got some more reps that way, he has the physical tools, just an elite first step for his size. And that's when you have that size first step combo as a nose guard, your number one job is to eat blocks and if you're beating the center off the ball and you're just a mountain to move, you're usually going to be taking on and eating up a couple of offensive linemen to let your linebackers go make a play. And so Caden McDonald might be the guy, I love Edric Houston's upside.
I think Caden Curry can be really good. Like you said, CJ Hicks, but to me, Caden McDonald might be one of the more proven assets of this defensive line, just because of those goal line reps and those short yardage reps he got last year. But to your point, and like I've said too, this defensive tackle depth has a lot to show because Edric Houston, once he was committed to the three tech and once he got going a few weeks, he passed everyone that's in that room now like this.
I mean, it was, that doesn't speak well, as talented as Edric is, as good his skill set can be at that three tech position can really provide really good rush skills. When you talk about having maybe a speed advantage over offensive guards, that's something he talked about today. It's not a good sign when you've been in Larry Johnson's room for multiple seasons and someone moves inside from defensive end that's a freshman and immediately is able to pass you on the depth chart.
So there's a lot to prove for Tywon Malone and Jason Moore this year. Jason Moore was a guy that I was very curious to ask about on Tuesday because he last spring was called the ideal three technique defensive tackle in Ohio State's defense by Larry Johnson. And the second half of the season, here's the stat I looked up earlier today, actually, Ohio State's last nine games, Jason Moore played eight snaps total.
Just didn't, he got some use at the beginning of the season, especially when Ty Leak-Williams had some early injuries, missed a game or two. But once Ty Leak needed a breather or had anything later in the year, it was all Edric and Jason Moore kind of completely faded, I think, from those conversations in many ways. And so I was curious to hear what Larry Johnson said about him on Tuesday and basically said that they need to get him more reps.
He just needs that experience. He wasn't talking down Jason Moore at all. But I think it's interesting to see, like, Edric's kind of cemented himself as the starter.
If he needs reps, can you rely on a Jason Moore or a Tywon Malone to be that guy? And nose guard, like, it's really hard for me to tell who even would be the backup nose tackle for Ohio State right now. I mean, Will Smith Jr. maybe has a bigger frame. Maybe you could slide Tywon over there. I definitely don't think it would be Jason Moore because Jason himself was kind of a tweener 3-tech DN coming out of high school. And just he doesn't have the physical build, the frame for that nose guard position as much as he does the 3-tech.
So nose guard in particular is a real concern depth wise. But you need one of those guys at least between Tywon and Jason Moore to also step up at the 3-tech.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, I think to me, like, that backup nose tackle position is a huge question mark. You know, can Will Smith Jr. be that guy? And if not, does Ohio State need to go out and get somebody from the transfer portal?
Or will there be somebody in the post-spring transfer portal who can come in and fill that hole? So, you know, that continues to be a big question mark for me. And I think, you know, when we think to the spring game, you know, and players we're going to be watching in that spring game setting, like, that's going to be a big position.
If you assume, you know, the backups are going to play most of a game, like, I'm certainly going to be keeping a close eye on how do Will Smith Jr. and Tywon Malone and Jason Moore look out there, you know, or even some of those, you know, Eric Menser, a freshman defensive tackle, like, will guys emerge in that group as quality depth? Because if not, I think that could be potentially the biggest depth concern on the team, is that defensive tackle group. And so, you know, that's going to certainly be a position to monitor this spring, along with the entire Ohio State defense.
Because, you know, obviously, you think back on this past national championship season, it was the defense that led the way. The offense was great, too, with lots of explosive playmakers, but it was that number one ranked Ohio State defense that was the biggest reason why Ohio State won a national championship. And with a new defensive coordinator in Matt Patricia, eight new starters on that side of a ball, you know, we know what Caleb Downs can do.
We, you know, we've seen the potential for Sonny Stiles to, you know, be a star. There's guys like, you know, Davison Igbenosa and Jermaine Matthews, who, you know, there's reason to have a lot of confidence in. But, you know, they need, they still need players at all three levels to step up and really become those starting level players this year.
And whether their develop, how well their development marries with what Matt Patricia is doing defensively is going to determine not only whether Ohio State can go beat Texas in week one, but the entire success of the season and whether this Ohio State team can make a legitimate run at defending its national championship.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, particularly as we've talked about in the trenches, I think it's just so vital to get the defensive line figured out. It's where it all starts. I've said it many, many times before.
It's been said by a million other football minds in the past. This game is won and lost in the trenches. And so when you have the most question marks about your defense on the defensive line, that's got to be priority number one.
And again, I think there's great upside with this group, but you've got to get that defensive tackle depth figured out. And some guys that haven't had these starting roles and been every down players before have to prove themselves at multiple positions. And that's hard to do even when you're reloading with guys who have been in the program multiple years or five-star prospects or those kinds of things.
Hoping that it works out at all four spots is tough and will be a true development challenge for Larry Johnson and for Matt Patricia, his first year running the defense for Ohio State.
[Dan Hope]
Well, spring practice continues the rest of this week for about two and a half more weeks culminating with that spring game on April 12th. We'll be continuing to follow all of it over on 11warriors.com. Ohio State's pro day for NFL draft prospects is today, so lots of coverage of that coming as well over on 11warriors.com and on 11warriors YouTube channel. The transfer portal is open for basketball now, so we'll be continuing to track that as well for potential moves that Ohio State and Jake Diebler could make to rebuild the Ohio State men's basketball roster for next season. So lots to cover still here this spring over on 11warriors.com. We hope you'll continue to keep up with what we're doing over there and we hope you'll join us again next week on Real Pod Wednesdays.
For Andy Anders, I'm Dan Hope. Thanks for joining us.