A quick glance at Ohio State's depth chart from its Fiesta Bowl matchup against Notre Dame reveals quite a few names no longer with the program. You already know that story.
The Buckeyes exported 12 draft picks to the NFL in late April and three more players signed with franchises as free agents. That, coupled with the graduation of 18 seniors leaves just six returning starters ahead of 2016 fall camp. But the biggest hit to the offensive side of the ball is at pass catching positions.
Ohio State's leading returning receiver is H-back Curtis Samuel, who logged only 289 yards and two touchdowns last season. Michael Thomas now plays for the New Orleans Saints, Jalin Marshall is in New York trying to make the Jets roster and the Houston Texans drafted Braxton Miller. Additionally, tight end Nick Vannett is in Seattle as a member of the Seahawks.
In their defense, Ohio State's quarterback situation and the presence of 2015 Silver Football winner running back Ezekiel Elliott did not lead to the most explosive numbers on the outside for the Buckeyes last year. Thomas' 781 receiving yards were 83rd-most in the country. Plus, injuries to Corey Smith and Noah Brown wrecked the unit's depth.
So it is obvious the Buckeyes need more from their wide receivers this fall to bring more balance to the offense and thus better opportunities to score points. Wide receivers coach Zach Smith believes the group as a whole took a proper step forward in spring practice.
"I had a number of guys, really my whole group had a great spring," Smith said in April. "I can't single out one guy for making the biggest jump."
Here is a brief breakdown of each wide receiver available to quarterback J.T. Barrett, Urban Meyer, Ed Warinner, Tim Beck and Smith with fall camp under a month away.
Corey Smith
It makes the most sense to start with the elder statesmen in the room, and that is certainly Smith. He received a sixth-year of eligibility from the NCAA after suffering a broken leg during Ohio State's 31-24 victory at Indiana in October.
Smith's career receiving numbers at Ohio State won't wow you (25 catches, 317 yards, no touchdowns) but getting back someone with his experience can only help Ohio State's wide receiver room. He also is a valuable member of multiple specials teams units and earned his degree this spring. Zach Smith expects him to be back in the fold and fully rehabbed from his injury this fall.
"He's rehabbing and trying to get healthy to have a great last year. He's been here like 10 years," Zach Smith said this spring, laughing. "I feel like I grew up with him, like he was a little kid that wouldn't leave me alone. He's been here a long time, he's a vet, he kind of knows who we run things and how the unit is expected to operate."
Corey Smith jogged around during warmups at the spring game but obviously did not participate. Ohio State desperately needs him to be 100 percent in 2016.
Dontre Wilson
Wilson is the lone other senior at wide receiver/H-back for Ohio State in 2016, his last go-round to live up to the mountainous expectations laid upon him before upon his arrival in 2013.
Wilson's career numbers are solid (50 catches, 573 yards, five touchdowns) and he is versatile enough to carry the ball (49 career carries for 350 yards and a touchdown). It took him a while to get to a weight Meyer wanted him to be so he could play in more situations as a blocker, but Wilson did make some big plays in his first three seasons.
A foot injury suffered in the 2014 Michigan State game won't go away, however, and forced him to miss four games last year. Zach Smith expects Wilson also to be healthy this fall, so he should play a bigger role within the offense due to so many players gone from last year's unit.
James Clark
A four-star burner from Florida in Ohio State's 2013 recruiting class, Clark battled injuries which hindered his development and resulted in a redshirt in his first three years with the Buckeyes. As a result, he does not have a single reception to his name in his career.
Still, he got healthy and played on special teams last season. Now a redshirt junior, however, Clark needs to show he can get open and catch the ball for J.T. Barrett and the offense or risk getting left behind on the depth chart.
Zach Smith mentioned Clark as a potential deep threat for the offense, but the wide receiver did not record a catch in the spring game.
Clark has speed and hands, but the clock is ticking on his career.
Curtis Samuel
Is Curtis Samuel a running back? Or is he a wide receiver? He played both well in his first two seasons at Ohio State, a versatile athlete with strong hands and quick feet.
"A dynamic player," Zach Smith said of the true junior.
Samuel is that and is his team's top returning receiver, at least statistically, with 289 yards and two touchdowns in 2015. He has 33 catches for 384 yards and two scores in his career, in addition to 465 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 75 carries.
Samuel had foot surgery in the offseason, but could have participated in the spring game if necessary. Expect him to be featured heavily in Ohio State's offense this fall.
Noah Brown
Like Corey Smith, Brown fought through a broken leg in 2015 but endured his in fall camp and spent the year on crutches. He looked trim and light on his feet during spring game warmups, however, an encouraging sign for not only his team but Ohio State fans.
Brown played sparingly as a true freshman in 2014, catching one pass for nine yards. He is a strong blocker on the outside too, something the Buckeyes' run game missed at times last season. Missing an entire season obviously has Brown anxious to return.
"I didn't have to do much to keep him engaged. To keep him in good spirits is a little tougher," Zach Smith said. "To be honest I don't know there was much anybody could do because the only thing that was going to get him in good spirits was to be healthy and playing and getting the benefit for all the hard work he put in. I still coached him mentally in the meeting room. He was still engaged and in every meeting. We were still working, but as far as psychologically, I coached him through it, but that's about all you can do."
Brown has the frame and skill set to be a No. 1 receiver but must be healthy for that to have a chance to happen. He said he reached 65 percent in spring practice and told Eleven Warriors a few weeks later he was closer to 90. He looked like it in June.
Terry McLaurin
McLaurin turned into a terrific special teams player for Ohio State a year ago, blazing down the field on punt and kickoff coverage and recording seven tackles. After redshirting in 2014 and putting in work in that area, his next step is becoming a threat on the outside.
"He took a step that I needed to see him take," Zach Smith said of McLaurin. "It's his time."
McLaurin caught four passes for 111 yards during the spring game and scored a touchdown on a 47-yard strike from Joe Burrow. Certainly encouraging for Zach Smith and Meyer.
"Terry McLaurin had a great spring as far as deep ball percentage," Smith said.
Whether or not he grows into a deep threat Ohio State's offense needs is yet to be seen, but McLaurin appears to have the tools in place to do so.
Parris Campbell
Campbell received the start in Ohio State's season opener at Virginia Tech last season due to the suspensions of Corey Smith, Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall. He dropped a few passes then hurt his knee later in the season, falling behind those guys and Braxton Miller on the depth chart.
Fully healthy, Ohio State expects much more out of Campell in 2016. He caught three passes for 105 yards in the spring game, including a 55-yarder late.
"Parris Campbell had to make that catch at the end of the game. He had to," Meyer said "It was a great catch. I watched the whole thing. You do that in practice, it's not that big of a deal. He has to do that in game, and I saw him do it, so there's a bunch of really good things."
Meyer's statement certainly resonated with Zach Smith, who knows Campbell must be a contributor for Ohio State this season.
"Terry, Parris and James Clark, it was kind of like, 'all right, it's your turn to kind of run the show,' and they really did," Smith said. "Fifteen practices and didn't miss a rep, went really hard, executed at a really high level, so I'm really pleased with all three of them."
Johnnie Dixon
Dixon's speed and talent are never in question — it is whether or not his knees are healthy enough from him to play at a high level.
Meyer said the former four-star recruit added significant strength to his legs this spring to hopefully alleviate some of the stress and pain on his surgically repaired knees, but he needs to show something soon or risk getting passed over. In five games last season, Dixon only had his one 29-yard catch against Virginia Tech.
"This spring we limited him more thinking we need to have him 100 percent full strength, no issues, come fall," Smith said. "So the stuff we asked him to do he did extremely well. We didn't ask him to do everything so you can't really evaluate him as a complete receiver when you don't ask him to do everything you need him to do, but he has the skill set and how he executed everything else I would imagine given he's healthy he will be able to that."
That is about all you need to know when it comes to Dixon — will his knees hold up to allow him to play?
Torrance Gibson, K.J. Hill, Alex Stump
These three are grouped together because they redshirted in 2015. Gibson hurt his ankle in camp after he chose to switch from quarterback to wide receiver and Stump also rehabbed a foot injury he suffered his senior year of high school. Hill wore a cast on his left wrist this spring.
Each player has significant potential. Gibson's speed and size is a rare combination, Hill is quick in and out of cuts and Stump is a long player with speed.
Gibson showed flashes of his potential with two touchdown receptions in the spring game and even attempted a reverse pass to Burrow. He is still learning the nuances of the position and maturing but can crack the lineup provided he keeps progressing.
"He's not there yet, and I have a very detailed plan to get him there," Smith said. "It's just going to be a matter of if comes along and develops to meet the criteria. There's no question it could happen, and he’s got everything, and he's starting to understand."
All highly ranked out of high school, the Buckeyes are sure to key on each Gibson, Hill and Stump this fall if they stay healthy.
Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor
Mack enrolled in January to get a head start on his Ohio State career, a top talent from Fort Wayne, Indiana, that impressed Zach Smith this spring.
"That's not saying he was the best one or if he's in the conversation, but just how he performed and how he went to work every day for a kid who should be getting ready for prom was really impressive," Smith said.
Victor is a rangy and fast prospect, standing at 6-foot-4 but only weighing 180 pounds. It is not clear if either player will be pressed into duty in 2016, but their potential is sky high.
Ohio State is not short on talent at any part of its 2016 roster. When you recruit the way the Buckeyes do, that is a foregone conclusion.
The wide receivers are all largely unproven, but the same could be said for pretty much any player on the offense not named J.T. Barrett, Pat Elflein or Billy Price. The passing game must take steps forward and produce more than it did in 2015 because Ezekiel Elliott now plays for the Dallas Cowboys.
Zach Smith's position room is littered with four- and five-star talents. The time is now for them to show what they can do.
