Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State slips in 2023 ESPN Defensive Back U rankings

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Ohio State slips in ESPN Defensive Back U rankings

After a down, albeit injury-riddled, season in 2022, the Ohio State secondary — which hasn’t produced a draft pick in two years — has a mission.

Buckeyes cornerbacks/secondary coach Tim Walton discussed it on an episode of the program’s “Tradition Talk” series this offseason. Walton, in his second year back at his alma mater, wants the Ohio State secondary to return to its “BIA” status.

“The ‘Best in America.’ That’s a big statement, you know what I mean,” Walton said to Buckeyes third-year cornerback Denzel Burke. “I think we had that going for a while. I think we gotta get that back to being the Best in America. I mean, when you start looking at the all-conference teams, the All-American team, the first-round draft picks, all that type of stuff, man, we can get that standard back going. 

“And you’ll be the guy to get that back going.”

Ohio State has taken a step back in that department, and that was once again evident when ESPN rolled out its “Position U” rankings for 2023 earlier this month. ESPN staff writer David Hale nudged Ohio State off the top spot of the Defensive Back U rankings, instead placing the Buckeyes third.

That put them behind LSU and Alabama, a pair of SEC powers.

“A quick reminder of our formula: ESPN Stats & Information combed through data on every team dating back to 1998, looking at key markers of greatness at each position. We awarded points for college production (by way of all-conference and All-America honors), NFL draft selections and NFL production (though only through the players’ first five years — Michigan can claim responsibility for Tom Brady’s success for only so long).”

David Hale, ESPN staff writer

Here’s the complete top 10:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Ohio State
4. Florida
5. Miami
6. Florida State
7. Georgia
8. Texas
9. USC
10. Virginia Tech

Hale noted that the gap between LSU, Alabama and Ohio State is “razor thin.” He pointed out, though, that Alabama has a good case for the top spot next year if cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and safety Malachi Moore blossom this season. Don’t forget about Georgia, either, Hale said. After all, the back-to-back national champions have had eight defensive backs taken in the draft over the last three years. Oh, and, as Hale mentioned, the Bulldogs account for all but one of the preseason first-team All-SEC DBs this time around.

Ohio State has had more than 30 All-Big Ten honorees at the defensive back position since 1998. Go back to 2020, and the Buckeyes had a pair of first-round cornerbacks, Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette. Two years before that, the Buckeyes had a cornerback, Denzel Ward, go in the top five. Wind back the clock one more year, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore and safety Malik Hooker went No. 11 and No. 15, respectively.

The pedigree is there. But the Buckeyes need to revitalize their NFL pipeline in the back end, and that starts with better play on Saturdays this season. Ohio State is looking to improve on last year, during which they ranked sixth in the Big Ten in passing yards allowed per game (200.5).

Five Buckeyes climbing depth chart in first week of training camp

Ohio State has reached the middle of training camp, and the Buckeyes are coming off their first scrimmage of the summer.

That scrimmage was closed to the media, but Lettermen Row is pulling from what it’s learned at the two open practices of camp, as well as from what sources are talking about, to choose five Buckeyes who are making depth chart moves right now.

That list includes a player who was sidelined last year, a defensive transfer and a true freshman offensive playmaker.

Check it out here.

Two Ohio State players shed black stripe after scrimmage

Two more Ohio State players have shed their black stripe during training camp, this time after the Buckeyes’ first scrimmage of the summer: true freshman offensive tackle Luke Montgomery and junior defensive tackle transfer Tywone Malone.

Montgomery is one of four players competing for two starting tackle spots. Malone, who transferred in from Ole Miss this spring, is already making an impact on the defensive interior, where Tyleik Williams and Mike Hall Jr. have both been banged up at points of August.

Malone is the fifth Buckeyes transfer addition to lose his black stripe this year.

For more on Montgomery’s post-practice honor, go here. And go here for details on Malone’s.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 20 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 105 days

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