Five Buckeyes who can still make statement in final week of spring ball

COLUMBUS — With just one week of spring practice remaining, most of the position battles are beginning to settle and shake out for Ohio State.

But the competition won’t just cease because spring ball is reaching an end. No, the Buckeyes still have three practices and the spring game remaining. They’ll hit practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday before the annual spring scrimmage in the Horseshoe.

And there are plenty of Buckeyes who are still looking to make their final push this spring and show why they need to be a factor on the depth chart heading into a pivotal phase of the offseason: the summer.

Who are those players? We won’t break them all down, but let’s highlight five Buckeyes we’re keeping an eye on this week before the spring game.

DT Tywone Malone

While attention has rightfully been elsewhere along the defensive line this spring, Tywone Malone has been in the background working. Yes, Jason Moore, Will Smith Jr. and Kayden McDonald are emerging in their second seasons for the Buckeyes. And with Hero Kanu, Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams returning to the fold this season, snaps could be hard to come by. That’s why this final push would be so critical from Tywone Malone. He’s facing a huge final week of spring practice. Can he work his way into the equation for the Buckeyes?

OT Tegra Tshabola

Ohio State already knew Josh Simmons would enter the spring — and leave spring — as the starting left tackle. He was good enough down the stretch last year to earn that status entering the offseason; he also had a great couple of months in the weight room this winter. But the question mark is on the right side, where Josh Fryar returns as the starter but Tegra Tshabola is pushing to be among the ‘top five’ linemen, which would force Justin Frye and the staff to re-evaluate. Tshabola has shown his bright moments, and he’s been in the conversation throughout. But an impressive final week of spring ball would go a long way in proving he can win a starting job on the Ohio State offensive line.

LB Gabe Powers

The big storyline in the Buckeyes linebacker room this spring has been Sonny Styles’ move into the room and C.J. Hicks’ emergence — finally — as a true contender for big-time playing time. But it’s important to remember Gabe Powers as an option for James Laurinaitis and this Buckeyes unit. Powers began to emerge late last season due to his contributions on special teams, and it has carried over to the weight room in the winter and practice this spring. He’s running with the second and third team defenses because of all the talent assembled, but that doesn’t mean he’s not pushing for playing time. Laurinaitis has made it clear that he wants a deep linebacker rotation. Powers can add to that with a final push this week ahead of the spring game.

WR Jayden Ballard

Can he finally make a real push? Ohio State has been patiently waiting for and hoping Jayden Ballard would finally make his move for playing time and put other skills together with his elite, blazing speed and deep-threat ability. Ballard is a fourth-year Ohio State veteran; he arrived to the Buckeyes program with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. He’s now contending for playing time with Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, among others. It won’t be easy, but the Buckeyes know Ballard has the ability to become a star in him. Can he unlock that potential and show it this week ahead of the spring game — and finish this spring with a bang heading into summer? He needs to make his move before others make theirs.

QB Lincoln Keinholz

The starting quarterback competition, and the chatter surrounding it, has largely been centered around Kansas State transfer Will Howard and third-year Buckeyes quarterback Devin Brown. But second-year signal-caller Lincoln Kienholz is stacking days and still working to make sure this two-man battle becomes a legitimate three-man competition. Kienholz has just one game of experience at Ohio State, and that came in the abysmal Cotton Bowl. But he grew a lot already this offseason from that experience, and he has flashed at times in spring practice. A final push to show he’s not to be forgotten could go a long way heading into an absolutely critical summer of work.

The post Five Buckeyes who can still make statement in final week of spring ball appeared first on On3.