Al Washington started rattling off everything he loves about Ohio State. Everything that made him remain in Columbus even when Tennessee wanted to hire him as its defensive coordinator.
Speaking passionately last week like he so frequently does, he mentioned developing himself as a coach, the players on this roster, the people he enjoys coming to work with, the leadership of Ryan Day, his colleagues on the staff and his family having roots in Columbus. He rolled through a number of reasons why he’s still with the Buckeyes after joining them in 2019, and he made sure to mention one group in particular.
“A lot of these guys are young and haven't had the chance to prove themselves yet, and we have a great relationship in the sense of I want to see them transition,” Washington said last week. “I want to see them actualize their dreams.”
No, Washington isn’t staying solely because of the relationship he has with those inexperienced linebackers. But they were at least part of his thinking. And now that he’s back, with spring camp well underway, he’s overseeing the transition from Pete Werner, Tuf Borland, Baron Browning and Justin Hilliard to the next in line.
Just a week and a half into spring practices, Washington doesn’t have a depth chart locked in. He joked with the media a week ago that reporters might be able to set one easier than he could.
It appears that two of the three spots have leaders to secure the openings – Teradja Mitchell at weakside linebacker and Dallas Gant at middle linebacker – while strongside linebacker remains an unknown. Mitchell and Gant have waited their turns, making them top candidates to take over at the second level of the defense. Nothing at this point, however, is official. Injuries and inexperience make the linebacker situation subject to change, which Washington knows better than anyone.
Because Mitchell hasn’t started a game in his Ohio State career, because Gant will miss the entirety of spring camp with a foot injury and because there’s a big hole at Sam, the underclassmen on this Ohio State roster are staring at a prime opportunity to rise up the depth chart and secure starting or rotational roles.
These chances don’t come along every year. Mitchell, Gant and K’Vaughan Pope are now seniors after having sat behind upperclassmen every single year up until this point. They never saw so much turnover before now.
So, with Mitchell, Gant and Pope now as the upperclassmen, it’ll be up to Craig Young, Cody Simon, Mitchell Melton, Tommy Eichenberg or Reid Carrico to take advantage of a rare opportunity sitting in front of them. Tony Alford, the running backs coach, said the tailbacks need to “show the staff that we have to play you,” and Washington’s delivering a similar message to his freshman and sophomore linebackers.
“This is the evolution of football, especially in college,” Washington said. “This is why they come to Ohio State. This is what it's about. Next guy's up. Take advantage of your opportunity, believe in yourself and compete, and every day identify the things that you need to improve on.”
For Young, a 6-foot-3, 228-pounder, this is the break he’s been waiting for since arriving at Ohio State when Washington did in 2019. Back then, he was a raw athlete. Now that Browning and Hilliard are gone, he’s an option at both strongside linebacker and the hybrid linebacker/safety spot known as the Bullet. Pope, a senior, will be one of the other options at Sam. But Young’s versatility makes him somebody whom it could be hard for Washington to keep off the field.
Eichenberg, a fellow third-year, should be getting plenty of first-team and second-team run as an inside linebacker with Gant out for the spring. Unlike Young, the guys in front of him – Mitchell and Gant – appear to have a greater grasp on the starting spots, but they’re not proven commodities yet.
A four-star recruit out of St. Ignatius in Cleveland, Eichenberg was unavailable for part of last season and played just six defensive snaps. Yet he’ll get the most practice reps yet as a Buckeye this spring, and those could translate to playing time this fall if he impresses.
“Tommy was a guy coming out of high school who was at one point committed to Boston College; that's my alma mater,” Washington said. “I say that just to bring up the point, highlight the fact that he wasn't a blue-chip guy. So he's always had a chip on his shoulder. He's always had things to prove, so to speak. That attitude. That's what makes Tommy an elite player. That's what's going to make him an elite player. I won't give him that title yet. But I think he's trending that way. He's trending that direction because of that chip, that sense of purpose, that sense of drive.”
Simon and Melton will get plenty of looks this spring, too, as second-year linebackers who want to make a name for themselves.
Out of New Jersey as the 75th-ranked recruit a year ago, Simon flies a bit under the radar. But he’s viewed as an eventual starting inside linebacker. Melton, a standout pass-rusher in high school, wants to be in the mix, too.
“Cody Simon and Mitchell Melton got schooled on what it looks like to be a linebacker here,” Washington said. “So they handle themselves the right way. They're very talented. I think everybody who comes to Ohio State, for the most part, has a certain foundation of talent. They're very talented. They're very bright. They just need reps. They need those repetitions. They need to be coached. They need to be evaluated. They need to be pushed. Coach Marotti's the best in the business at that in the weight room, and on the field, that's why I don't have a voice, because those guys need it. They need that callus. When it does callus over and click, then they're going to be pretty doggone good just like a lot of guys before them were.”
Carrico, a top-100 player out of Ironton, enrolled at Ohio State a couple of months ago.
None of these guys – Young, Eichenberg, Simon, Melton or Carrico – have done much in games as Buckeyes. They played a combined 59 defensive snaps in 2020. But with so many veterans littering the linebacker corps the past several years, that’s to be expected. This group has bided its time, waited its turn, and it’s finally here.
“For these young guys, they didn't get spring ball, they didn't get summer, preseason camp,” Washington said. “So it takes reps. It takes those experiences to really become more of a technician.”
And that’s what they’ll get this spring.
Perhaps it could lead to one or two guys propelling themselves up the depth chart.
