Spring Preview: Lots of Youth, Questions at Cornerback

Spring ball is underway and Glenn Spencer and Co. are already hard at it trying to fill out their depth charts for September. One of the biggest questions for the defensive staff will be how to replace longtime starter Ashton Lampkin and 2016 transfer Lenzy Pipkins.

Ramon Richards was going to be the king of the cornerbacks in 2017. Or at least the only one with any experience. Welp … it looks like Ramon is moving to safety.

What does that do for OSU’s cornerback experience? It makes it nonexistent.

Upperclassmen Darius Curry and Malik Kearse return but have spent much of their time on special teams. We’ll see if they can outbid some of these young guys for reps.

Of the nine cornerbacks currently listed on the roster, only three have lettered at OSU — a combined four years.

“Obviously (Darius) Curry is here”, said Gundy. “We’ve got some young guys that we want to get a lot of work. They’ll get a lot of work as far as from a depth perspective, and they’ll definitely get a lot of reps in the spring until we get some young guys in.

“We need those young guys to come in and improve. That’s one of the positions where we need those guys to come in and play well for us next year, and to do it earlier than what you normally would at that position.

“We like the young guys. We like what they bring to the table. They just don’t have a ton of experience yet. They’ve had a good offseason.”

Kyle Boone gave his thoughts here on whether the move to safety would be permanent for Ramon Richards and who could take slot, but let’s take a closer look at those young guys who have a lot to prove this spring.

Madre Harper started out his true freshman campaign in 2016 with a bang — converting a muffed punt into six points against Southeastern Louisiana. He contributed mainly on special teams and probably will figure into the rotation this spring.

Rodarius Williams chose OSU over reported offers from the likes of Oklahoma, Baylor, Nebraska and Cal and redshirted lat season. He will get his first chance to contribute this fall. An impressive showing this spring could help him move up the depth chart.

A.J. Green will look to increase his role as a sophomore this fall. As a true freshman he played in nine games, mostly on special teams. He’s another young defensive back in the hunt for time.

Bryce Balous played in two games as a redshirt freshman last season and is apparently one of the fastest players on the roster. Can his sub-4.40 40-speed translate into production on the field?

Lamarcus Morton is the lone incoming freshman corner that will take part in spring camp. But at 6-foot-1 and 165 pounds, he might be in line for a redshirt year to benefit from Rob Glass’ tutelage.

Javarus Blair is a 6-foot, 175-pound corner from Lexington, Kentucky. He spent last year redshirting and should get some burn in the spring game.

Bryce Brown is a redshirt sophomore from Denton-Guyer High School.

The only freshman coming in the fall who might play CB is Thabo Mwaniki, and it’s still up in the air whether he will play corner or safety.

At this point, I’d say all of these guys will get at least a chance to compete for reps. That’s what spring practice is for.

The back end of OSU’s defense has more questions than answers, and the April 15 spring game will be our first look. With the receivers they’ll be asked to cover, it should be baptism by fire.