With Ohio State’s first 15 practices of the year in the books, we now have a better idea of who’s on the rise and where things stand for the Buckeyes at every position group entering the 2026 season.
New Buckeyes were on the field at every position this spring as 51 new Ohio State players were part of the team that went through the Buckeyes’ March and April practices. There were plenty of newcomers and returning Buckeyes alike who stood out on each side of the ball as players competed for position on the depth chart and looked to prove they can make an impact for OSU this season.
With the Buckeyes currently in a break from on-field activity before summer workouts ramp up in a few weeks, we’re taking a position-by-position look at who stood out this spring, what questions still linger after spring, how the depth chart currently stacks up and the overall outlook for each position going into the summer.
Spring Recaps
In the fourth installment of the Spring Recap series, we’re diving into a pivotal position on the Buckeyes’ defense: Safety, where returning starter Jaylen McClain and highly-touted transfer additions Earl Little Jr. and Terry Moore are leading the way as the Buckeyes fill the massive shoes left behind by Caleb Downs.
Spring Standout
Earl Little Jr.
After transferring in from Florida State this offseason, Little made a rapid impression on his Ohio State coaches and teammates this spring. The fifth-year senior safety, who started his career at Alabama, lost his black stripe after just five practices, tying LSU transfer wide receiver Kyle Parker for the fastest black stripe removal this year. And he received high praise from his peers all spring.
“He’s gonna hit, he’s gonna make plays. He’s gonna be very special for us, that's all I can say,” said Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.
Unfortunately, Ohio State fans didn’t get the chance to see Little play in the spring game after he underwent what Ryan Day described as a clean-up procedure on his knee. But he’s expected to be back for summer workouts, and the 2025 second-team All-ACC selection did more than enough before his injury to solidify himself as one of Ohio State’s top safeties.
“Plays fast, plays twitchy, communicates well,” Day said of Little this spring. “Did a great job in the weight room with Mick (Marotti). “First time we're tackling and scrimmaging, he's the first guy showing up, making tackles and making plays, and just jumped off the screen right out of the gate.”
Little is expected to primarily play nickel for the Buckeyes, though he also played free and strong safety at Florida State and could move all around the secondary in Ohio State’s three-safety defense.
Two Lingering Questions
1. Will Terry Moore secure a starting job over Leroy Roker III?
Although Moore was also a second-team All-ACC safety at Duke, he began the spring with the second-team defense. For the first few weeks of spring, it looked as though redshirt sophomore safety Leroy Roker III might beat out Moore for the starting free safety job, as Roker took most of the first-team reps early on.
By the final week of spring, however, Moore became a fixture with the first-team defense, ultimately earning the starting nod for the spring game.
Roker shouldn’t be counted out in that competition yet. Ohio State has always valued him more highly than his three-star recruiting rating coming out of high school, and Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerrieri had high praise for him this spring, describing him as “a guy who has developed tremendously over the last couple of years” that “has all the skills to be a very, very, very good safety.” Even if he doesn’t win a starting job, Roker will be a candidate to see at least some playing time on defense, such as in dime packages, where he saw some action with the starters last year.
That said, Moore didn’t transfer to Ohio State to be a backup. He was graded by Pro Football Focus as the second-best safety in all of college football in 2024, and his quiet start this spring likely had more to do with the fact that he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL than anything else. So it would come as a surprise if he isn’t in the starting lineup this fall, even with Roker emerging as a legitimate candidate for a starting job, too.
2. Is Jaylen McClain ready to be Ohio State’s new superstar safety?
McClain was a quiet star of Ohio State’s defense last season, recording 53 tackles while providing excellent coverage from his strong safety position. He’ll be thrust into a much bigger spotlight this year, however, now that he’s no longer playing alongside Caleb Downs.
No one is expecting McClain to singlehandedly replace Downs; Guerrieri made it clear this spring that replacing the Jim Thorpe Award winner will be a collective effort. But McClain is the Buckeyes’ new leader at the safety position, and he’ll be tasked with taking over at least some of Downs’ responsibilities in terms of communication and coverage on the back end of the defense.
Much like Downs’ ability to do it all was a massive factor in Ohio State’s defense being the best in the country for both of the last two seasons, McClain’s ability to be the linchpin of Ohio State’s 2026 secondary will be a major factor in whether the Buckeyes’ defense remains elite.
Projected Depth Chart
Free Safety
1. Terry Moore
2. Leroy Roker III
3. Khmari Bing
4. Brenton “Inky” Jones
Strong Safety
1. Jaylen McClain
2. Blaine Bradford
3. Simeon Caldwell
4. Kaden Gebhardt
Nickel
1. Earl Little Jr.
2. Jay Timmons
3. Miles Lockhart
4. Deshawn Stewart
McClain lined up at both free and strong safety last season while Little and Moore both moved all over the secondaries at their previous schools, so it’s likely that all three starting safeties will play multiple roles rather than specifically playing defined positions. That said, Moore projects to primarily play free safety while McClain’s most natural position is strong safety and Little is expected to play many of his snaps at nickel.
Roker projects to be the first safety off the bench if he doesn’t steal a starting job. Bradford also looks likely to earn an immediate spot on the two-deep after a strong first spring as a Buckeye in which the four-star freshman flashed plenty of playmaking ability.
While we’re grouping nickel with the safeties since Little is the projected starter, Ohio State could also utilize cornerbacks at that position. Timmons, a five-star freshman cornerback, is the leading candidate to back up Little at nickel, while starting cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. could also move inside to nickel – as he did in the spring game with Little sidelined – in three-cornerback lineups.
Post-Spring Outlook
Even without Downs, Ohio State’s safety unit could be one of the best in the country this season. Assuming McClain builds off his excellent first season as a starter, Little builds upon his strong start to his Buckeye career and Moore returns to his pre-injury form, all three of Ohio State’s projected starting safeties have All-Big Ten potential and should complement each other well on the back end of the defense.
Roker also appears ready to be a starting-caliber safety, giving the Buckeyes a strong depth option off the bench. The depth behind Roker is a bit more suspect, as there are no other safeties on the roster who played defensive snaps at the collegiate level last season, though there’s plenty of young talent with potential in the four-man freshman class of Bradford, Caldwell, Bing and Gebhardt.
Downs was one of the greatest safeties in Ohio State history, so it’s impossible to say he won’t be missed by the Buckeyes in 2026. But the safety unit could still be one of Ohio State’s top position groups this season if everything comes together as expected.
