Lately, Ohio State has benefited from a mess of gifted freshmen seeing early enjoying time and making their mark on the workforce as pups. Gamers like Denzel Burke, J.Ok. Dobbins, TreVeyon Henderson, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson all made their mark instantly of their first years as Buckeyes.

Most of this 12 months’s freshmen haven’t had the prolonged alternatives to play of their first 12 months that these Buckeyes did, however the next 5 freshmen have proven flashes of what they’ll carry to the workforce when given the prospect, making them promising candidates to make a much bigger affect for Ohio State sooner or later – whether or not that be on this 12 months’s Faculty Soccer Playoff, subsequent 12 months or within the years to come back.

Dallan Hayden

With an injury-riddled Buckeye backfield, Tony Alford leaned on Dallan Hayden through the tenth and eleventh weeks of the common season. The working again from Memphis, Tennessee got here via with 248 yards and 4 touchdowns on 46 carries within the two video games towards Indiana and Maryland.

Coming off of a career-high 146 yards and three landing efficiency towards the Terrapins, many believed Hayden could be Ohio State’s major ballcarrier towards Michigan, however the Chrisitan Brothers alum was solely given two alternatives to run. 

Though his enjoying time hasn’t been constant, Hayden has three 100-yard speeding video games this season – the identical variety of 100-yard video games as TreVeyon Henderson final season.  

Dallan Hayden is (and will probably be) particular. pic.twitter.com/nMtfvMSjl7

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 19, 2022

Caden Curry

The one scholarship freshman to get enjoying time in each regular-season recreation was Caden Curry. The defensive finish from Indiana’s Heart Grove Excessive Faculty leads the 2022 class with 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. 

In opposition to Arkansas State, Curry tallied a season-high 4 tackles and a six-yard deal with for loss. Nonetheless, his finest play of the season got here on particular groups towards Iowa.

Trailing 13-7 and going through 4th-and-6 from his personal 30, Kirk Ferentz despatched the Hawkeyes’ punt workforce onto the sphere. Tory Taylor acquired the snap and rolled proper to punt the ball away. When the punter gave a fast look down the sphere, he noticed an open discipline and determined to run for the primary down.

Curry, together with Xavier Johnson and Lathan Ransom, noticed Taylor attempting to make a play and made him pay. All three gamers converged on Iowa’s punter and Curry buried him into Ohio Stadium’s artificial turf for a turnover on downs. The Buckeyes took over on the Hawkeyes’ 34-yard line and 6 performs later prolonged the result in 16-7.

All through the season Curry was known as on for normal responsibility on the kickoff, kickoff return and PAT/FG items. With a mixed 267 snaps on protection and particular groups, Curry has seen essentially the most motion of any Ohio State freshman in 2022.

Caden Curry was prepared for it. pic.twitter.com/yCS1kissjj

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) October 22, 2022

Sonny Kinds

The gifted defender who skipped his senior season of highschool to begin his school profession a 12 months early leads all Ohio State freshmen with 203 snaps on particular groups this 12 months. Though nearly all of Sonny Kinds’ enjoying time has been in that section of the sport, the bodily gifted security rocked some Rockets in Week 3.  

The Pickerington Central alum confirmed off his distinctive mix of dimension, pace, ability and energy towards Toledo. His first deal with as a Buckeye was a decleating of UT’s Adam Beale. A couple of minutes after his first collegiate deal with, Kinds crept as much as the road and blew previous a would-be-blocker to slam Willie Shaw III to the bottom for a two-yard loss.

With Ronnie Hickman and Tanner McCalister leaving after this season and Lathan Ransom additionally having an NFL draft determination to make, Kinds might parlay the promise he’s proven as a freshman right into a beginning security job as a sophomore.

Jyaire Brown

The one freshman to begin a recreation this season was Jyaire Brown. Ryan Day known as upon the Lakota West graduate as a result of Cameron Brown and Burke being unavailable towards Wisconsin in Week 4. 

Brown performed a career-high 52 defensive snaps and aided the secondary in holding the Badgers to 12 accomplished passes for 104 yards within the 52-21 victory. 

Within the inclement climate recreation towards Northwestern, Brown was used as Ohio State’s third cornerback. The defensive again’s finest play of the day occurred with beneath 5 minutes to play within the recreation when Wildcats quarterback Ryan Hilinski focused Donny Navarro and Brown broke up the go. Two performs later, the Buckeyes took over on downs and held on for the 21-7 win. 

Brown completed the common season with 196 defensive snaps, essentially the most for any Buckeye freshman on both aspect of the ball, with eight tackles and a compelled fumble.

Kye Stokes

The second-leading tackler of the 2022 class up to now is Kye Stokes, who has recorded 12 tackles in his freshman 12 months, together with a season-high of 4 towards Iowa.

His greatest play of the sport got here when he compelled a fourth-quarter fumble from Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson in Ohio State’s 54-10 rout of Kirk Ferentz’s workforce. Palaie Gaoteote IV pounced on the ball and the Buckeyes took over on their very own 44-yard line.

Stokes has additionally seen enjoying time on particular groups with the kickoff protection, punt and punt return groups.