Buckeyes 'see huge ceiling in' tight end Jelani Thurman

Jelani Thurman keeps showing up behind the Ohio State press tables set up in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, plopping down a few rows back in the chairs set up for the media. The second-year tight end sits, smiles and listens intently to his teammates at the mic, often getting a reaction out of his fellow Buckeyes.

Thurman has also been showing up on the field for Ohio State in training camp.

In a big way — like in a 6-foot-6, 258-pound way.

Those are Thurman’s measurables, but he moves like a tall wide receiver in the red zone. Thurman plucked a pair of touchdowns in Thursday’s practice, the seventh of Buckeyes camp.

First he stretched out his arms to reel in a red zone throw from Kansas State grad transfer quarterback Will Howard. Then he brought in a perfectly-placed pass from redshirt sophomore signal caller Devin Brown, who lofted a downfield throw over junior linebacker Sonny Styles and into Thurman’s bread basket.

“Jelani has the talent,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Thursday. “You’ve heard me say this before, but he has the talent. And you can watch a 5-10 play cutup and be very, very impressed. But he needs to be consistent.

“It’s all the no-talent issues with him — it’s the focus. He made some plays, but then there were some plays that we got to make that weren’t [made].”

Just as Thurman made those head-turning touchdown grabs Thursday, he also notably had to run a lap after getting flagged for what appeared to be a false start right before a crucial 4th-and-3 in enemy territory.

“I love the way he competes, I love his approach, I love his attitude,” Day said of Thurman. “But in order to play tight end, you have to do a lot of job description, so you really got to be on it every play, and all it takes is one bad play, and that can ruin a whole drive at tight end.

“So we say that you have to run routes like a receiver, you have to block like an offensive lineman, and you have to protect like a running back, and you have to know all of them. So after the quarterback, the tight ends are probably asked to do the most things.”

That’s why it typically takes tight ends at Ohio State longer to get on the field.

Thurman — the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 5 tight end in the 2023 cycle — flashed last offseason, especially in the spring, and he was the second Buckeyes player in last year’s signing class to shed his black stripe. But then he scattered just 24 offensive snaps across five games last season, per Pro Football Focus.

Thurman’s now competing for an increased role in a tight end room that could be spearheaded by fifth-year veteran Gee Scott Jr. and Ohio University transfer Will Kacmarek.

“We try to do the best we can and keep it simple. But the reality of it is, they’re asked to do a lot,” Day said of Buckeyes tight ends. “So [Jelani] needs to continue to work in the meeting rooms to make sure that when he gets on that field, he knows exactly what he’s doing because we see a huge ceiling in him.

“He’s made strides. He’s had a good first couple weeks of camp, but we need him to come on in that area and just show more consistency. If he can, he’ll play for us this season.”