Ohio State football depth chart rankings: Which Buckeyes position groups are strongest?

With just a few weeks left until preseason camp, now is a good time to evaluate the Ohio State football depth chart and rank the position groups.

This was difficult because there are so many reasons to be optimistic about the Buckeyes’ roster, even if some positions have some uncertainty. So I ranked these based on talent and depth, but also the productivity we’ve already seen.

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1. Wide receivers

Starters: Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming
Reserves to watch: Xavier Johnson, Jayden Ballard, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss

If you don’t think this the best receiving corps in the country, then you’re mistaken.

No receiver is better than Harrison, who is one of the best draft prospects at the position in a long time. Then there’s Egbuka, who for my money is the second-best receiver in the country. They combined for 2,414 yards and 24 touchdowns last year.

And because Brian Hartline recruits at a level unmatched by anybody else, there’s Fleming, the No. 1 receiver recruit in the Class of 2020, as the third option. This is an elite trio that will make it easy for the new quarterback.

There’s even more behind them. Johnson can do everything, including taking carries out of the backfield. His touchdown in the Peach Bowl was an amazing sight to see and I think his receiving talent is sometimes underrated because of how good of an athlete he is. Ballard is hoping to break into the rotation with his speed and consistent hands, and true freshmen like Tate and Inniss make the future incredibly bright in the receiving corps, too.

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2. Linebackers

Starters: Steele Chambers, Tommy Eichenberg
Reserves to watch: C.J. Hicks, Cody Simon

I have to admit I had the linebackers a few notches lower when I first started this story, but the more I thought about it, the more they won me over. This group is impressively deep.

Is it crazy to think that Eichenberg is the best linebacker in the Big Ten now, with Jack Campbell gone to the NFL? I don’t think so. Eichenberg returns with All-America potential after tallying 120 tackles last season. Chambers, an All-Big Ten candidate, is back too after finishing second on the team in tackles with 77, plus 6.5 tackles for a loss and two interceptions.

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A big reason why I think Ohio State’s defense is going to be much more consistent this season is these two. Jim Knowles gets his captain back in Eichenberg and also has Chambers, who had a good Peach Bowl and a stellar spring before getting injured. They should be able to solidify the second level for the Buckeyes.

There’s also plenty of depth behind the two starters. Simon, who had 32 tackles and two sacks, is a starter-level player, but with the return of Eichenberg he’ll have to get reps in a rotation. Knowles said he expects to rotate at linebacker more, so that should get Simon on the field. Hicks, a former five-star recruit, had a terrific spring and is going to be on the field at either linebacker or the “Jack” hybrid spot — or both. Those four give Ohio State an impressive amount of depth in its two-linebacker base defense.

3. Running backs

Co-starters: TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams
Reserves to watch: Dallan Hayden, Chip Trayanum

It’s wild to think about, but Ohio State can really go five backs deep.

Henderson and Williams will garner the most snaps when the season begins. I’m still under the belief that Hayden is the third guy off the bench, but I could also see this being something running backs coach Tony Alford plays out by feel each game. Trayanum had a great spring and Evan Pryor is back on the field, as well.

But let me take this time to go on a quick tangent about Henderson. There are a lot of rankings and lists going around, as there are every offseason, and Henderson seems to be getting overlooked more than he should be. He had 571 yards and six touchdowns last year, and the people who do these social media lists don’t really consider injuries much, if we’re being honest. They just see the stats, that he might’ve been a little hesitant to hit the holes last year and didn’t have the explosiveness from his freshman year.

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All I’ll say is that there was a time when we thought Henderson was one of the best running backs in the country. The last time he was healthy, he had 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns. He has to stay healthy this year — I think rotating three backs will help — but Henderson has elite-level talent and should show it this season.

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4. Defensive line

Starters: J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams, Michael Hall Jr.
Reserves to watch: Ty Hamilton, Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson

Tuimoloau has a potential All-American season coming. Sawyer, now playing defensive end solely, is expected to make his big third-year jump. Add in Hall, who is a dangerous three-tech interior defensive lineman, and Tyleik Williams to hold down the nose tackle spot, and the Buckeyes have an elite starting line. Then there’s Hamilton, who — like Simon at linebacker — is essentially an extra starter and will garner starter-level snaps at nose and three-tech.

The top of the depth chart is a great core of players to start the year with, and depth is emerging as well. Curry showed flashes of how good he could be on the field last year and Jackson was dominant in the spring. They give Ohio State four dangerous defensive ends, players I think any team in the country would love to have. We’ll have to see them more in games this year, but Curry and Jackson have star potential. This year will be crucial for their development.

5. Secondary

Starters: Cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock; safeties Cameron Martinez, Lathan Ransom and Josh Proctor
Reserves to watch: Sonny Styles, Davison Igbinosun, Jyaire Brown, Ja’Had Carter

This spot was tough, because I love what tight end Cade Stover brings to Ohio State’s offense. I tend to think there aren’t more than two people more important to the success of the offense. But I’m so big on Burke, Ransom, Martinez and Styles this year that I couldn’t drop the DBs any lower.

Now, I know there are some things that haven’t been proven yet by this group. Ransom had a few bad plays that cost Ohio State against Michigan and Georgia. Martinez did too. But I think they both bounce back this season. Ransom and Martinez were both terrific in the spring. Though I’m not sure if Martinez holds onto the nickel safety spot when the season begins — Styles can’t be overlooked — I think he’s in for a strong year regardless.

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Burke played terrific down the stretch last year and is preparing for a season that could launch him high into the NFL Draft next spring. From Burke to Igbinosun to Hancock to Brown, Ohio State has a well-rounded corner group.

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The Buckeyes needed playmakers in the back and got help from the transfer portal in Igbinosun from Ole Miss and Carter from Syracuse. Of course, the secondary isn’t without its questions. Let’s be honest: The  images of the final two games of last season will linger year until the secondary takes over a game. They’ll get tested this year by teams like Notre Dame, Maryland and Penn State before the all-important Michigan finale.

6. Tight end

Starter: Cade Stover
Reserves to watch: Joe Royer, Gee Scott Jr.

Stover is going to be a pro this time next year, but right now his return gives the Buckeyes one of the best tight ends in the country.

He caught 36 passes for 406 yards and five touchdowns last season and also provides value to the offense as a blocker. The only reason this position isn’t higher up is because of the depth behind Stover. Don’t get me wrong, Scott and Royer had good springs, but their consistency is still unproven.

Scott got better last year, including his first touchdown, but he made a boneheaded play against Michigan and was hurt in the Peach Bowl. Can he become a threat Ohio State can rely on? I really like Royer, but we haven’t seen it in games yet.

It’s hard to rank these positions because Ohio State’s talent and depth is matched by only a handful of teams in the country. New tight ends coach Keenan Bailey is tasked with developing the depth behind Stover to ensure the future of the position.

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7. Quarterbacks

Starter: Kyle McCord or Devin Brown
Reserves to watch: Tristan Gebbia

I didn’t know what to do with the quarterback position, honestly.

On one hand, I’ve been doing these rankings by what has been proven already, so in that case we could just put the quarterbacks at the bottom. But that seems disrespectful for a few reasons.

First, quarterback isn’t a position I’ll ever worry about at Ohio State as long as Ryan Day is the coach. He and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis do a good job developing quarterbacks, and from what I saw in the spring, they’ve done a good job so far with McCord and Brown.

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Second, I think talent wise, both McCord and Brown have what it takes to be the starter and lead Ohio State back to the Big Ten Championship Game.

Lastly, I’ve been on record saying I think the offensive line is my biggest worry, much more than the quarterback position.

For now, until we know who is taking over, I’ll leave them here based on uncertainty about the starter and inexperience.

8. Offensive line

Starters: Josh Fryar, Donovan Jackson, Matt Jones, Tegra Tshabola, Carson Hinzman
Reserves to watch: Josh Simmons, Enokk Vimahi, Zen Michalski, Jakob James

Jackson and Jones at guard is a great way to anchor the offensive line, with Jackson capable of an All-America season propelling him into being a first-round NFL Draft pick.

If I had broken this down by interior offensive line and tackles, the interior would be much higher, even with the competition at center between Hinzman and James. For what it’s worth, I think James earns the starting spot after preseason camp, though he didn’t participate in spring practice, giving Hinzman an edge for now.

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The tackles are a bit of a worry. I think Fryar will be fine at left tackle once he gets comfortable in games. Right tackle is one of the biggest question marks on the team. Tshabola was terrific in the spring game, and if Ohio State is going to lean on its run game, he could be the answer because he’s physically imposing. But there’s a real competition there with Michalski and Simmons, the newest transfer from San Diego State. I want to see preseason camp before I decide how I feel about this group, but this is going to be a massive question entering the season and even as it carries on.

We’ll learn a lot about this group in the five-game run of Notre Dame, Maryland, Purdue, Penn State and Wisconsin in the middle of the season.

(Top photo of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka: Adam Ruff / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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