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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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