Ohio State received an early preview of its 2016 defensive line in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame, albeit unexpectedly.
Officials ejected defensive end Joey Bosa for targeting in the first quarter following his head to Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer, Larry Johnson's unit had only one starter from earlier in the season available — defensive end Tyquan Lewis.
"Oh my goodness, that was a kidney shot," Urban Meyer said of Bosa's ejection after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 44-28. "
With defensive tackle Adolphus Washington suspended and a rotation at the other tackle spot, it upped the pressure on a host of defensive linemen to get the job done so Ohio State could end its season on a winning note.
"We were playing with some cats out there that I didn't know were going to be playing," Meyer said. "But they played hard and did fine against a very good team."
Lewis is back for 2016 after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery and should be 100 percent by the time fall camp starts Aug. 7. Redshirt sophomore Sam Hubbard is primed and ready to start opposite of Lewis, but Johnson has not named starters on the interior. However, Mike Hill and Tracy Sprinkle took first-team reps this spring and likely will get the nod.
"I thought they made a lot (of progress)," Johnson said of his unit in April. "Especially the guys on the inside. Really was an evaluation for the inside guys and since we took two guys and moved them inside for the very first time. Different world, different way of playing and at the end of the day after 15 practices I thought they really improved."
Those two guys Johnson mentioned are Jashon Cornell and Dre'Mont Jones, "two puppies" Meyer said have to be ready to contribute this fall. Here is a breakdown of each scholarship player on the defensive line ahead of camp.
Tyquan Lewis
We start with Lewis, the man that led the Buckeyes in sacks last season with 8.0. He also tallied 14.0 tackles for loss in what turned out to be a breakout sophomore campaign.
Lewis faces two hurdles in his hunt to put forth similar numbers in 2016: His health and the fact Joey Bosa now plays for the San Diego Chargers. Lewis' offseason shoulder doesn't appear like it will be an issue — he and Urban Meyer both said this spring they expect him to be 100 percent — but if he suffers a setback it would take one of the best players on the defensive line out of Ohio State's lineup.
Bosa took loads of attention away from Lewis and even Sam Hubbard last season. There is a reason he went third overall in the NFL Draft. Teams now turn their eyes toward Lewis, a budding star who Johnson wants to be his next NFL export.
Sam Hubbard
Hubbard received plenty of well-deserved praise as a breakout player in 2015 as well. A former high school safety and lacrosse player, Hubbard put on significant weight but kept his athleticism. His 6.5 sacks trailed only Lewis for the team lead and 8.0 tackles for losses was fourth-most. Hubbard also had an interception and forced a fumble.
The redshirt sophomore "has to" turn into a star this season, Meyer said, and to do so he will try to replace one of the biggest stars from last year's team. Bosa took starts away from Hubbard, but now the focus is squarely on him and Lewis to become bookends on the defensive line. Depth at end is fairly solid behind Lewis and Hubbard, with Jalyn Holmes and Darius Slade progressing. But the pressure is on Lewis and Hubbard to shine.
"The end position, we felt pretty comfortable with the end position, going in there with Jalyn, Sam, Darius Slade and Tyquan being out (this spring)," Johnson said. "We felt very comfortable that we'll be OK at the end position."
Jalyn Holmes
Holmes is a true junior and, like Lewis and others, dealt with sitting behind Bosa and other great players on Ohio State's defensive line his first two years in the program.
Still, Holmes owns a terrific frame (he is listed at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds) and made an impact when he had chances his first two seasons. His 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack are solid numbers considering the players he had in front of him on the depth chart.
Johnson expects Holmes to be in the rotation in 2016 and must stay healthy in ready in the event Lewis or Hubbard cannot play for whatever reason. In a perfect world, Ohio State wants to rotate 8-10 players up front. Holmes is undoubtedly one of those this year.
Tracy Sprinkle
After off-field troubles that resulted in his removal but then reinstatement to Ohio State's football program, Johnson and the Buckeyes expect to depend heavily on Sprinkle this fall. His playing time increased towards the end of last season due to the suspension of Adolphus Washington and though his career numbers are essentially special (only four tackles) Meyer spoke highly of his development both as a player and a man this spring.
Sprinkle should start at one of the tackle spots for Ohio State, frankly because he is a redshirt junior and the Buckeyes need him to become a force inside. He also needed to become a voice in defensive line room with Bosa, Washington, Joel Hale, Tommy Schutt and now Donovan Munger (health reasons) no longer playing for Ohio State.
"Tracy Sprinkle, it's been mind-boggling in a sense of his progress and moving forward," Johnson said. "He's really taken a leadership role and grabbed the unit and pushed them forward. He's really come along himself as a player."
Michael Hill
Hill is a junior but did play in three games during the 2013 season. He has 15 career tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss while at Ohio State. Much like the other players mentioned already in this article, Hill waited his turn and developed behind great players before him. Well, now it is his turn.
"I think Mike Hill and Tracy Sprinkle would be the guys that you would pencil in right now," defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said this spring. "But the beauty is that you know there is competition, you know you have to play eight guys up there, you know you have to develop that."
Hill and others stepped in for Washington during the Fiesta Bowl but he must now take another step forward and show consistency in the middle of Ohio State's defensive front.
Darius Slade
A three-star defensive end from New Jersey, Slade is a redshirt sophomore that announced his commitment to Ohio State on signing day. Considered a pleasant surprise then, he is expected to do more (notice a theme here?) in his third season with the program.
Slade should be in the rotation at end with Holmes, Lewis and Hubbard and needs to keep progressing or risk falling behind the young talent at the position Ohio State just signed.
Slade hasn't recorded a single statistic as a Buckeye yet — that should change in earnest during the 2016 season.
Dylan Thompson
Thompson broke his kneecap in 2014 fall camp which forced a redshirt. Nearly two years later, he remains in a battle — to not get buried on the depth chart.
"Do something. And underline that," Meyer said of Thompson in March. "Do something."
Harsh words from the man atop the program, but some that hold merit. Finally healthy, Thompson must prove to Johnson he can be a contributor at tackle or he could find himself looking up at younger players in the fight for playing time.
Jashon Cornell
Cornell came to Ohio State as a highly regarded defensive end from Minnesota, but added weight and officially moved to tackle in the hopes of creating depth on the interior. Johnson said Cornell "no question" took the dive into playing tackle headfirst this spring.
"The first thing I look at when you take a guy from the outside to the inside, you bring his speed to the inside," Johnson said. "The second question you ask, and Mick (Marotti) can do this better than I can, can that guy put on weight? Can his body hold 275 or 280? We think he can. He's 275 right now, so he's a guy that can hold the weight. Then you take a guy who has those kind of twitches on the inside, it's just really now teaching him how to fit blocks and get off blocks. Everything is there to do it. He's done a great job of handling it."
Ohio State fans hope his move inside benefits the defense the way Johnson sees that it can, because of how much inexperience there is up front.
Dre'Mont Jones
Just like Cornell, Jones came to Ohio State as a defensive end with a ton of promise. However, he entered on crutches after tearing his ACL in a basketball game in March of his senior year at St. Ignatius.
Healthy again, Jones saw his first significant playing time during Ohio State's spring game. Meyer singled him out as someone he planned to watch closely during the game because he knows how much Jones and Cornell need to contribute in 2016. The head coach put the onus on Johnson to get them ready this spring, and Johnson liked what he saw.
"I think Dre'Mont has made a lot of progress," Johnson said. "I think Jashon has made a lot of progress. It's interesting to see them develop because they're both at two different positions and really for the first time learning how to play inside."
Both players sit behind Hill and Sprinkle but should see playing time this fall if they stay healthy.
Rashod Berry, Joshua Alabi, DaVon Hamilton, Robert Landers
Berry switched from tight end to defensive end this spring, so he will need time to learn the nuances of his new position. He, Alabi, Hamilton and Landers all redshirted during the 2015 campaign because of the depth ahead of them and need for more development.
Each player enters fall camp trying to break into the rotation up front and become perhaps that seventh or eighth guy Fickell and Johnson want on the defensive line. That won't be easy with the talented players the Buckeyes signed in February.
"I thought Davon Hamilton, I thought BB (Landers) really came along as we moved forward," Johnson said. "BB is a guy I thought was going to come along, and he has. So I think there's quite a few guys that have really impressed."
Nick Bosa, Jonathon Cooper, Malik Barrow
The three true freshmen defensive linemen at Ohio State, Barrow and Cooper enrolled in January to participate in spring practice. Barrow rehabbed a knee injury, however, just like Bosa did back home in Florida.
Meyer and Johnson expect Bosa to play as a freshman and the latter called it "ridiculous" how far the freshman was in his progression back from the injury.
"I think the doctor is even surprised by how far ahead he is," Johnson said. "So now the thing is kind of slow him down, get him in here in June, don't push him too fast and the idea is to get him to camp in August healthy and see where it goes from there."
Bosa is in Columbus with the rest of his teammates and could play either at end or tackle. Cooper impressed Johnson this spring with his eagerness and motor, two things you need to play defensive end in college.
"We have a pup like Jonathon Cooper that comes in, he adds to the value of what we're doing," Johnson said.
Just like everywhere else on the roster, Larry Johnson has plenty of talent to work with on the defensive line. Now it is on him to get it ready for Saturdays in the fall.
The top four of the group appear set as starters, but depth is needed on defensive line more than any other position. Which players step forward as contributors remain to be seen, but Ohio State is not short on skillful players in the trenches.
