Ohio State Punt Return Outlook Taking Shape, But Needs Live, In-Game Reps Before It's Decided

Ohio State's special teams coordinator can rattle off the names the team is considering at punt returner like an auctioneer trying to close a deal. But that doesn't mean Kerry Coombs is ready to give the starting job to Demario McCall, K.J. Hill, Kendall Sheffield, Parris Campbell, Denzel Ward, Eric Glover-Williams or someone else.

“I think if we ran out there today it’d probably be Demario but I think Kendall can get it,” Coombs said after practice on Thursday. “I haven’t seen anybody do it live yet so I can’t give you a great answer.”

There lies the great equalizer: Anyone with the right amount of ball skills can catch the ball in practice as it tumbles down from the ceiling of an indoor field. But doing it with 11 opposing players speeding at you all while dealing with the elements is an entirely different ballgame.

“We’re going to play some fast guys ... I think we’ve got a larger group from usual to draw from.”– Kerry Coombs on Ohio State's Return Game

“It’s a lot different when you’ve got to catch a ball with a bunch of guys breathing down your neck than catching it off a jugs machine,” Coombs said.

Ohio State is at the midway point of spring practice. In each of the three sessions the program allowed reporters to watch drills over the last month, the players listed above were all snagging punts. Early enrollee Shaun Wade did it as well during the team's first session on March 7 but has not since.

Glover-Williams switched to offense this winter, and at 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, is electric with the ball in his hands. It is still incredibly early but in practice looks he like the definition of a difference maker in the open field. One way for Ohio State to make that happen is on punt returns. Glover-Williams is also vying for time with Campbell and Hill at H, as essential position as any in Urban Meyer's offense.

“We've got other guys at H that are viable players and really good players,” running backs coach Tony Alford, who helps with the punt return team, said on Thursday. “Parris Campbell, K.J. Hill, EGW, so you got some cats running around ready to play football too.”

McCall is quick in his own right and said Ohio State told him multiple times in the recruiting process it planned to use him everywhere from H, running back and in the return game. He said on Thursday he isn't sure where he will line up on offense come Aug. 31 against Indiana in the season opener but as Coombs indicated, is the current leader at punt returner.

“They told me basically do what I do best,” McCall told Eleven Warriors last summer. “The position that they're talking about is the H-back, but also kick return, punt return, running back also.”

So far, that has held true for McCall. He got a few chances last season in blowouts to catch punts but Curtis Samuel took over the job midway through the 2016 season after Dontre Wilson's struggles could no longer be ignored. McCall finished with three returns for 14 yards, and all came in blowouts against Rutgers and Nebraska.

McCall has something that all punt returners need: Speed to burn.

“Kendall is going to be in the return game, Denzel is going be in the return game. We’re going to play some fast guys,” Coombs said. “Parris is going to be a dynamic returner. I think we’ve got a larger group from usual to draw from.”

Glover-Williams is among a wide range of names fielding punts this spring at Ohio State.

Speed and being dynamic automatically make you a candidate to return punts. And, you can't put the ball on the turf. Coombs said Ohio State charts every ball fielded from the foot of a punter in practice. If the return rate on catching it isn't perfect, he moves on.

“The guy who catches 100 percent of the balls is your first thought because the ball on the ground is a bad day,” Coombs said. “The first thing we think about is we chart every catch and then the next thing is what is their dynamic ability to score? That wasn’t a phase in our special forces that was good enough last year and we will be significantly improved this year and we’ve put a lot of time and effort into that.”

The last time a Buckeye returned a punt for a touchdown was Jalin Marshall in 2014 against Indiana. Ohio State has never taken one to the house off a kickoff under Meyer. Campbell nearly did so last year against the Hoosiers but was tackled inside the 10-yard line. He also had two strong returns against Clemson in the College Football Playoff but did not reach the end zone.

So Coombs is right, the return game lacked that extra bit in 2016. So even if he doesn't know who will get the first crack at it this season — or just won't reveal it — he has plenty of options to choose from. He just needs to see it against live coverage in the spring game and even further, fall camp.

“I can’t tell you who it is yet, but somebody is going to emerge,” Coombs said.