Strong leadership played a crucial role in Ohio State’s run to a national championship last season, but most of the Buckeyes’ veteran leaders from that team are gone.
2024 captains Cody Simon, Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson and Jack Sawyer are all now in the NFL. So too are fellow senior starters Will Howard, Gee Scott Jr., Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin, Josh Fryar, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams, Ty Hamilton, Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom.
As such, Ryan Day has put the call out to his team all offseason, urging new leaders to step up. This summer, Day asked his players to read the book “Chop Wood Carry Water: How to Fall in Love with the Process of Becoming Great” to drive home the message that players would need to elevate themselves for the Buckeyes to repeat their success from last season.
“Guys who were not in leadership roles the year before need to now carry the water,” Day said in April. “We lost a lot of leadership. Now, we do have some guys who are stepping up in a big way, and they just need more opportunity.”
Based on what Day and his players at Big Ten Media Days had to say last week, a multitude of returning Buckeyes have heeded that call and seized their opportunity to become leaders between winter workouts, spring practices and summer workouts.
More than a dozen Ohio State players, spanning nearly every position group, drew praise for their leadership this offseason during last week’s interview sessions in Las Vegas. We’ll run through each of those players below and what their teammates and coaches have had to say about their emerging leadership ahead of this week’s start of preseason camp.
LB Sonny Styles
Styles, one of the three Buckeyes who made the trip to Vegas, has been viewed as Ohio State’s top leader all offseason. A virtual lock to be a captain, Styles is also viewed as the clear frontrunner to receive the vaunted “Block O” jersey this season.
James Laurinaitis described Styles this spring as “the leader of the front seven and the leader of the entire team.” Day echoed that praise last week in Sin City.
“You take a guy like Sonny Styles, I mean, he's one of the best players we had in a long time at Ohio State,” Day said. “I just believe he's gonna have a great year this season, and he's one of our hardest workers and a great leader.”
Starting alongside Simon last season in his first year as a linebacker gave Styles a tremendous blueprint to follow for leading the Buckeyes from the linebacker position. He’s seemingly done everything Ohio State needs him to do in that role so far, and it’s not a responsibility he takes lightly.
“Cody's one of those guys that does everything the right way all the time. Guys that are doing stuff the right way on a consistent basis, you can expect them to do the right things in the game as well. So it's something I've been trying to adapt to myself,” Styles said.
S Caleb Downs
The other Buckeye who seems like a lock to be a captain this season, Downs was already among Ohio State’s many leaders last season even though it was his first year as a Buckeye after transferring from Alabama. The Buckeyes’ star safety was one of the most vocal players in their now-famous team meeting with Day following last season’s loss to Michigan, and he’s now expected to be one of the team’s most vocal players all year long as one of just three returning starters on the defense (along with Styles and cornerback Davison Igbinosun).
Like Styles, Downs has impressed Day with how he’s embraced his leadership role this offseason.
“Caleb is like a coach out there, and this is somebody who not only sets a great example on the field but off the field and how he handles himself,” Day said. “He's like a pro. When he speaks, he's thought it all the way through. And I think that the guys recognize that. And when your top players are your hardest workers, then it just sets the right culture moving forward.”
When Downs was asked last week what his goals are for the upcoming season, he said he’s focusing on his leadership rather than his statistics.
“I feel like on the field, tackles, picks, pick-sixes, that type of stuff, that'll take care of itself and that's the things that doesn't really need to be talked about because at the end of the day, every player always has that stat around their name. But can I be a leader to my teammates? Can I be somebody that they can count on? I feel like that's the truly important thing that can't really be measured,” Downs said.
WR Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith
When talking last week about the many Buckeyes who have stepped up as leaders this offseason, Day said Tate has “probably taken the biggest step as a leader” of any Ohio State player this offseason. That echoed what many of his fellow receivers said this spring as Tate made a concerted effort to step out of his comfort zone and become a more vocal leader.
“Whenever I have trouble like remembering something, I just go up to him and he knows like every play, every little detail and he just helps me with that,” freshman wide receiver Bodpegn Miller said of Tate. “If I ever like need help like with footwork or something, he'll come out and help me, and just like, whatever I need, he's there.”
Day said both Tate and Inniss have been vocal leaders in the wide receiver room this offseason, echoing what Brian Hartline said this spring. Inniss has drawn consistent praise from Day for his competitiveness and energy dating back to last season, and he now has an opportunity to take on a bigger role as a leader as he replaces Egbuka as Ohio State’s starting slot receiver.
“Brandon Inniss has been a really good leader,” Day said.
Smith isn’t a player who speaks up a lot, Day said, but the superstar receiver commands everyone’s attention when he does have something to say. While Smith admits trying to become a more vocal leader has been a “big challenge” for him, he’s had no trouble leading by example, as evidenced by his selection as one of Ohio State’s three “Iron Buckeyes” for winter workouts.
“(Director of sports performance Mickey Marotti) constantly says during our warmups, he's the first guy every time we run through and we're warming up. The first guy every single time. He just sets such a standard. You don't need to motivate Jeremiah,” Day said. “He may not be really vocal in terms of his leadership, but what he does on the field speaks for itself, and the work ethic he's brought into this year has been exceptional.
“When he tells you something, you can believe it. There's no reading between the lines with him. He's going to tell you exactly – he may not be a man of many words, but when he says something, you're listening, and we're all listening. And he's the ultimate competitor.”
OL Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery
Among Buckeyes who aren’t yet established stars, there might not be any player who’s drawn more consistent praise from Day this offseason than Siereveld. Selected as an Iron Buckeye alongside Smith and Styles for winter workouts, Siereveld performed so well during spring practices that Day said Siereveld is “going to be a starter for us,” whether that be at tackle or guard. And the third-year offensive lineman has established himself as a leader off the field, too.
“Austin's been great. Austin's been one of those leaders. Austin's really stepped his game up,” Day said. “He's going to be an important piece of our offense in a big way. He's found a voice. He's gotten stronger. He's got more confidence. He's playing very, very well right now. And he's going to be one of those guys that we need.”
Starting center Carson Hinzman has also stepped up as a leader this offseason, to the point that Day said Hinzman (along with Siereveld) would have been one of the next men up to attend Big Ten Media Days if he could have brought more than three. Day also mentioned Luke Montgomery as another offensive lineman who’s stepped up as the third-year guard prepares for his first full season as a starter after taking over as Ohio State’s top LG midway through the College Football Playoff.
“They've been better in terms of speaking up,” Day said. “They've been great.”
Montgomery said earlier this month that he’s made a concerted effort to step up as a leader this offseason and that he’s seen a lot of leadership throughout the offensive line this summer.
“I think there's a lot of leaders on the group. I don't think you have to play to be a leader. I think you can step up in many ways. I see a lot of freshmen leading other freshmen and stuff like that,” Montgomery told Eleven Warriors after the Special Skills Football Invitational. “But yeah, I would say just getting the experience behind me and stuff like that and going into year three, having the College Football Playoff behind me, playing games and stuff like that, I think I'm a leader for sure.”
DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry
As we already covered last week, Jackson was another player who drew considerable praise from Ohio State’s representatives at Big Ten Media Days. Day said Jackson was another player who he would have brought to Las Vegas if he had been able to bring more than three, and Styles and Downs both complimented the way Jackson has stepped up as a leader this offseason.
“He does things the right way every day. He holds everyone accountable, including me,” Styles said of Jackson.
Jackson isn’t the only fourth-year defensive end who’s stepped up to help fill the leadership void left by the departure of last season’s four senior starters on the defensive line. Styles and Downs said Curry has also asserted himself this offseason as he and Jackson look to take advantage of their long-awaited opportunity to play bigger roles on the edge after backing up Sawyer and Tuimoloau.
“I think especially for Kenyatta, I've talked to him a lot, I think it's a big thing for Kenyatta because he had JT, Jack, Ty Hamilton and Tyleik all walk out the door. And now, you leave that room, now it's Kenyatta and Caden Curry are the seniors. So I think those two guys, it's probably hit them the most,” Styles said when asked about members of his senior class who have stepped up as leaders. “Because it's like, all right, it's time for us to step up. They've been here for three years. They've had the chance to be behind some really good defensive ends, Jack and JT. So I'm super excited for both of them.”
TE Bennett Christian
While Christian is unlikely to be higher than third on the tight end depth chart this season with Max Klare and Will Kacmarek in front of him, that hasn’t stopped him from emerging as a team leader entering his fourth year at Ohio State. Tight ends coach Keenan Bailey described Christian as the leader of his room this spring, and Day added further praise for Christian’s leadership last week.
“I'd say another guy who's really taken a step as a leader is Bennett Christian. He's been great,” Day said last week.
Christian, a stout run blocker who played primarily in multi-tight end packages last season and will likely play a similar role this season, said this spring that he’s using the adversity he’s faced during his Ohio State career – including a suspension for the entire 2023 season after he tested positive for a banned substance – to inspire his teammates.
“I feel like guys can relate to what I've been through and if someone feels down or something, I've been at the very bottom. So I think guys kind of draw to that, and I'm really stepping into that and trying to be a good example for the younger guys,” Christian said.
QB Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz
We’ll finish with the position where Ohio State most needs a strong leader to step up. While Ohio State hasn’t named a starting quarterback yet, both Sayin and Kienholz have impressed their teammates with the leadership they’ve shown this offseason, inspiring confidence among their peers that they’ll have a strong field general behind center regardless of who wins the job.
“I think both the quarterbacks have done a very good job in their leadership roles. They're both stepping into that vocal role and exactly what you want in a quarterback,” Styles said.
How much each of them continues to demonstrate leadership in preseason camp will play a part in determining who leads the offense when the Buckeyes begin their season against Texas on Aug. 30. But they’ve both shown enough so far this offseason to give Day confidence in both of their leadership skills.
“Guys have taken leadership roles, and they've been throwing with the wide receivers. And I ask those guys (the receivers) all the time, and they like both of them,” Day said. “So we're going to put them in as many competitive situations as we possibly can to figure out who handles that the best, because we've got to be on point week one.”
