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Projecting Ohio State’s Week 1 depth chart: Jeremiah Smith starting, O-line clarity and more

Published

2 years ago

August 27, 2024

Projecting Ohio State’s Week 1 depth chart: Jeremiah Smith starting, O-line clarity and more

Ohio State coach Ryan Day brought some clarity Tuesday to what the depth chart might look like when the Buckeyes take the field on Saturday afternoon.

He announced that Tegra Tshabola will start at right guard, although the Buckeyes will roll players along the line in the season opener against Akron. Day also said that Sonny Styles will start at will linebacker, beating out C.J. Hicks, but Ohio State expects Hicks to play major snaps this season.

And there’s also a piece of expected news that nevertheless is worth emphasizing: Breakout offseason star Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024, is slated to start right away at wide receiver.

Here’s our prediction of what the depth chart will look like in Week 1:

Quarterback

Starter: Will Howard
Backup: Devin Brown

Howard was named the starter on Aug. 16, but Day noted on Tuesday that Brown will get the backup reps against Akron. Brown apparently beat out freshman Julian Sayin and redshirt freshman Lincoln Kienholz to be second-team QB. Saturday’s game will be Howard’s to win, though, and Brown is expected to get some snaps.

GO DEEPER

Ryan Day made the right choice — the obvious choice — naming Will Howard QB1

Running back

Starter: TreVeyon Henderson
Backup: Quinshon Judkins

Day said that position coach Carlos Locklyn hasn’t decided which running back will start, but both Henderson and Judkins will play. In reality, it doesn’t matter who takes the first snap, because both will play a lot. Day said they haven’t figured out what that snap count will look like, but there is a minimum number they want to get for both running backs. That carry number could look different week to week, but we should get a first look at how they play together Saturday.

Wide receiver

Starter: Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate
Backup: Brandon Inniss, Bryson Rodgers and Jayden Ballard

Day has tried to keep the Jeremiah Smith hype down all summer, but it’s been hard to watch the former top-ranked recruit and not see how good he is. On Tuesday, Day finally went on record and said that Smith will start on Saturday, alongside Egbuka and Tate. The Smith hype could explode with a big day against the Zips.

GO DEEPER

Emeka Egbuka shouldn’t be Ohio State’s forgotten star. He’s ready to lead

Tight end

Starter: Will Kacmarek
Backup: Gee Scott Jr.

Day didn’t touch on tight ends on Tuesday, but it appears Kacmarek and Scott will be the top two. I’m leaning toward Kacmarek as the starter, because of his blocking prowess, but also his additional growth as a route runner. Scott will play often, as well. The biggest question going into Week 1 is whether Jelani Thurman will get key game reps, or see more time in a backup position.

Offensive line

Starters: Left tackle Josh Simmons, left guard Donovan Jackson, center Seth McLaughlin, right guard Tegra Tshaboloa and right tackle Josh Fryar.
Backup: Left tackle George Fitzpatrick, left guard Austin Siereveld, center Carson Hinzman, right guard Luke Montgomery and right tackle Zen Michalski

The offensive line seems to be in a better position than it was before preseason camp, and Day credited that to the sickness that hit the position group. That forced Ohio State to go deeper into the lineup, and it resulted in more confidence. Tshabola was the right choice at right guard, as his athleticism should work well with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s run game.

Defensive ends

Starter: JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer
Backup: Kenyatta Jackson Jr., and Caden Curry

Tuimoloau, Sawyer, Jackson and Curry have been the top four defensive linemen since last season. Mitchell Melton is a player to watch, because he’s the fifth guy on the list, but how many snaps he gets will be the question.

GO DEEPER

Is it national title or bust for Ohio State? Ryan Day, Buckeyes ‘know what’s at stake’

Defensive tackles

Starter: Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton
Backup: Hero Kanu and Kayden McDonald

McDonald had a great offseason and really solidified himself as the second-team 3-tech defensive tackle. Jason Moore and Tywone Malone Jr. are two other players who could crack the rotation with a strong first month of the season.

Mike linebacker

Starter: Cody Simon
Backup: Arvell Reese

Reese made one of the biggest jumps of anybody during camp. The staff has raved about him, and I expect we’ll see more of him this season than we expected coming into camp. Gabe Powers will still get reps, but it appears Reese is in a good position to back up Simon.

Will linebacker

Starter: Sonny Styles
Backup: C.J. Hicks

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles made sure to specify that he considers both Styles and Hicks as starters. But the most interesting thing Knowles said is that there may be times Styles moves to mike and Hicks plays will, to give Simon a rest. Ohio State has that much faith in Styles.

Cornerbacks

Starter: Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Davison Igbinosun
Backup: Jermaine Mathews Jr., Aaron Scott Jr. and Calvin Simpson-Hunt

I expect Lorenzo Styles Jr. to get playing time with the second team in some capacity, but he was hurt during the camp portions the media got to see.

Safety

Starter: Lathan Ransom and Caleb Downs
Backup: Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain

This could be the best safety duo in the country — Ransom and Downs don’t leave the field as long as the starters are out there. Hartford and McClain, also with Jayden Bonsu, are the leaders for the second-team reps.

Special teams

Starters: punter Nick McLarty and kicker Jayden Fielding

Last week, Day announced that McLarty, the 6-foot-7 newcomer from Australia, will start at punter. Fielding should take kicks, again, after making 16 of 20 field goal attempts last season.

GO DEEPER

How I’m predicting Ohio State’s season: Will it end in a national championship?

(Photo of Jeremiah Smith: Adam Cairns / Columbus Dispatch / USA Today)

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Ohio freezes new behavioral health provider applications amid fraud concerns

Published

1 hour ago

June 4, 2026

Press Room

Ohio freezes new behavioral health provider applications amid fraud concerns

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (WCHS) — The Ohio Department of Behavioral Health is cracking down on fraud and abuse within its system, announcing a temporary freeze on new behavioral health and rehabilitation provider applications statewide.

Officials said the move comes as the state works to rein in oversight issues in a rapidly expanding addiction recovery industry.

Across Ohio, there are thousands of addiction recovery facilities. While many are helping people overcome addiction, state leaders said others are falling short.

“We have more waste and abuse,” Rep. Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto, said. “The recovery system grew so quickly that our oversight never caught up.”

Pizzulli said that is now beginning to change. The Department of Behavioral Health has implemented a temporary freeze on new providers while developing a stricter review process for incoming applications. The goal is to ensure facilities meet consistent standards before being approved.

Part of the concern stems from questionable billing practices uncovered in some facilities.

“We have a facility that was billing Medicaid in Portsmouth for activities such as pickleball, nap times, hanging Christmas lights and even aromatherapy and other recreational services,” Pizzulli said. “Taxpayers are very confused.”

Officials said the lack of consistent standards has allowed wide variation in the quality of care being offered.

“There’s an issue because there’s a lot out there and there are different degrees of effectiveness,” Pizzulli said.

Some in the treatment community support the crackdown. Kevin Dennis, CEO of Field of Hope, an addiction recovery facility in Gallia County, said increased oversight will ultimately strengthen the system and improve outcomes for patients.

“One of the secrets to success is keeping the rehabilitation of the client first and foremost,” Dennis said. “That’s what’s important and I’m not sure everybody does that.”

State leaders said the new approach will focus on accountability and measurable results.

“This is going to begin a more thorough review process for new behavioral health and rehab provider applications,” Pizzulli said.

One of the key goals is to create clear standards to determine whether facilities are effective and using taxpayer money appropriately. The application freeze is expected to last about one year.

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Ohio

Ohio auditor describes how widespread Medicaid fraud affects taxpayers | Fox News Video

Published

12 hours ago

June 4, 2026

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Ohio auditor describes how widespread Medicaid fraud affects taxpayers | Fox News Video

Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber discusses fraud within Ohio’s Medicaid program and explains how big government programs are exploited by individuals.

Lawrence Jones questions Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber about the widespread Medicaid fraud affecting taxpayers. Faber explains that big government programs like Medicaid, operating on a trust-based system, are easily exploited. He highlights disproportionate home healthcare utilization by the Somali community in Columbus, emphasizing that inadequate controls allow people to lie, steal, and cheat the system.

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Ohio

Ohio State reaches $100 million settlement with nearly 300 sex abuse survivors | CNN

Published

22 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Ohio State reaches 0 million settlement with nearly 300 sex abuse survivors | CNN

Ohio State University has reached a $100 million settlement with nearly 300 former students who had accused the school’s campus doctor of sexually assaulting them decades ago, the school and a lawyer for the victims said on Wednesday.

The settlement with 279 of the 280 former students was ratified by the university’s board on Wednesday. It followed years of litigation overaccusations of decades of abuse by Richard Strauss.

The abuse occurred from 1978 to 1998, the year he retired from the faculty.

“The mediation and its confidentiality are continuing as the parties work to finalize the details of the settlements, and additional information will be shared as appropriate,” the school and a lawyer for the victims said in a joint statement.

In February, the university reached eight additional settlements, bringing the total to 304 survivors and more than $60 million.

Strauss, who killed himself in 2005, was employed by Ohio State’s athletic department and medical staff for nearly two decades.

A 2019 report detailing the investigative findings said that Strauss had sexually abused at least 177 men, nearly all of whom were students, and that university staff who knew of the abuse failed to act. The abuse included groping and fondling of the students’ genitals and other acts under the guise of a medical examination.

News of the investigation and its findings prompted more than 500 plaintiffs to sue Ohio State, alleging they had been sexually abused by Strauss and that the school had shown deliberate indifference.

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