We all know by now that spring has come and gone, football wise that is, so we will be taking a look into all the positions, tell you how they did, and where they might be this fall. Today's topic is the Cornerbacks.
The cornerback position is important because they are the first protection when it comes to the passing game. Ohio State has been blessed with loads of decent, top tier corners including Malcolm Jenkins, Chris Gamble, Shawn Springs, and many others. This season the spot holds one of the deepest positions which contains two seniors starting, and a sophomore backing them up when things get too rough.
Depth Chart Prediction
- Chimdi Chekwa - After the 2008 season, hopes were high for Chimdi as he offered bright spots in bad ones. (See int against USC). He seemed to be developing into a great shutdown corner. Then 2009 hit. For the majority of the season, including the Rose Bowl against Oregon, Chekwa seemingly regressed from where he had progressed. Then he started thinking about the NFL draft, and came thisclose to leaving the Buckeyes for good. Finally, senses came back to him, and now he is looking to make a huge impact.
- Devon Torrence - In 2009, Devon Torrence made himself a starter. Speculation came from all sorts of places, and I was interested to see how he would respond. Well, he responded with this and this, so he won me over real quick. Now in his senior season as well, Torrence will continue to do the things he needs to do to bring us home to a MNC.
- Donnie Evege - Besides Donnie, I really don't see anyone else backing these 2 up. If, god forbid, one of them gets hurt, I have no doubt in my mind that Everge can take over easily. He had a fantastic spring winning over the coaches with his big pick 6's and so on, but now looks to get some more playing time on the field this season. Last year he played some special teams, and did just about as good as you can do. He is a junior, and will be taking over for one of these 2 spots next season.
The play that got me excited for this kid.
Chimdi Chekwa: Chimdi has had a very quiet spring, although he had an injury to his hip, which could be the reason as to why. Chekwa has one more shot to impress NFL scouts this year and will lead the corners out every game. He has to show the young ones how it's done.
Devon Torrence: Torrence is the guy to watch this fall for this position. We've seen what Chekwa can do, and Torrence showed a lot of his talent last year, and now he will bring it on fully. I'm excited to see what he can dish out, as he is an electrifying corner. I think he will be able to scare some QB's this year into throwing away from him. His spring went well, but fairly quiet as well seeing as he came in, did his work, and left.
Donnie Evege: Yes, this is the guy everyone has been raving on about all spring. Donnie Evege has the big hair flowing. He also had a fantastic spring lighting up the field with his interceptions. He also has played some good shutdown spots as well. Although he isn't quite ready for the starting job, an extra year won't hurt.
Overall Depth: A+
Besides the RB core, I would have to say this is one of the deepest places. I didn't mention the 4th choice, simply because I don't think he will be needed too much. Travis Howard, who went through spring suffering a shoulder injury is still fighting for that 3rd spot, but I think Evege got it in wraps. All in all, this is going to be a really good group come game time in the fall. Mark it down, they will be a big part of this defense.
