After a team wins a national championship, the search for a weakness on the team can become overbearing. Even so, identifying potential question marks on the team is vital, if only to remind us not to be arrogant and assume the team is flawless. If there's any position at which Ohio State needs to have unproven players step up, it's defensive tackle.
In 2014, Ohio State had two accomplished linemen, Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington, stationed on the interior defensive line. Bennett started the season at nose guard and Washington at 3-tech, but Bennett struggled in the first half of the year. Once the two flipped positions halfway through the year, Bennett thrived and the defensive line was hard to stop.
This season, Washington will return to his natural 3-tech position, leaving the starting nose guard job up for grabs. Tommy Schutt spent time at nose guard alongside Washington this spring and is the presumed favorite, but the younger players need to step up as well.
Ohio State's defensive tackles come in three sets of three: seniors (Washington, Schutt and Joel Hale), freshmen (Joshua Alabi, Da'Von Hamilton and Robert Landers) and sophomores. Barring injuries, all of the seniors will play and all of the freshmen will likely redshirt. That makes the sophomores – Michael Hill, Donovan Munger and Tracy Sprinkle – the variables in determining how good the Buckeyes' interior defensive line can be. Each can contribute in his own way.
Michael Hill
An athlete from Pendleton, S.C., Michael Hill made an immediate impact as a freshman. After signing with Ohio State in February 2013, Hill played in three of the team's first four games – no mean feat for a true freshman. He suffered an upper body injury later in the season, though, and took a medical redshirt. In 2014, Hill recorded two tackles and a sack across four games.
In 2015, Hill could be asked to contribute either as a nose guard or a 3-tech. He has the right body for a nose guard; at 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Hill has the size to clog up the interior. He has the quick burst for a 3-tech (a position that requires more athleticism and playmaking); his lower body strength could allow him to drive through blocks and disrupt plays in the backfield.
Hill will have to contend with an injury history, though. Before the injury suffered in 2013, he missed part of his high school senior season with a crushed finger. Two injuries hardly makes a person injury prone, but playing defensive line takes a physical toll on a person. Michael Hill was the highest-rated of the three sophomores coming out of high school; If he holds up through the season and becomes stronger, he has the potential to do the most.
Donovan Munger
Of the three sophomores, Munger has the most in-game experience. After redshirting in 2013, Munger broke into the defensive line rotation as a freshman in 2014, playing in 10 games and recording five tackles. He's the only defensive tackle reserve who played against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, showing that the coaches trusted him against the biggest, baddest uglies in college football.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Munger is the largest of the three sophomores, and in my view he's the most likely to be the starting nose guard if Schutt can't hold on. There's a reason SEC schools were all over the Shaker Heights prospect during his recruitment: he has an enticing blend of size, power and speed. He seems to be developing at a good rate, and as long as he's healthy he ought to see the field in every game this season.
Tracy Sprinkle
Though Tracy Sprinkle has been something of an afterthought, he shouldn't be. An early enrollee in the class of 2013, Sprinkle has been at Ohio State longer than Hill or Munger. After redshirting his first season, Sprinkle got into trouble during the offseason: he was arrested in July 2014 and dismissed from the team pending evaluation of the charges. A few weeks later, charges were dropped, and Sprinkle was reinstated to the team. The lost time hurt his development, and he did not record any statistics in 2014.
He probably won't be a starter, but Sprinkle will be the best indicator for Ohio State's defensive line health. He has bulked up measurably from his high school days at Elyria, going from 255 pounds to 290, and he seems to fit in as a backup 3-tech. One concern coming out of high school was that he had unrefined technique; working with the well-regarded Larry Johnson, Sr. should help. If Sprinkle can combine new skills with energetic play, he could elevate the platoon.
Ohio State was fairly lucky last year in regards to defensive lineman injuries, but the Buckeyes might not be so fortunate in avoiding maladies in 2015. At some point this season, the Buckeyes might need to shuffle its starting rotation, promote a backup, or burn a redshirt to keep the unit operational. By developing its depth, especially its sophomores, they can keep the defense going strong with minimal disruption.
