With more comfort in defensive system comes greater versatility for Ohio State safeties

COLUMBUS — A word burst out of the mouth of Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom this week when the senior was asked about how the defense is playing in its second year under coordinator Jim Knowles.

“Confident,” said Ransom, who looks noticeably more muscular this training camp.

“Our defense is out there playing really confident, flying around to the ball, making a lot of plays on the ball. It’s been exciting to watch and great to be a part of.”

That confidence comes from a place of familiarity — not just with the safety position but with the defense as a whole. Ransom pointed out that, for the first time in his soon-to-be-four-year Buckeyes career, he is in the same system as the season prior.

The same goes for classmate and fellow safety Cameron Martinez.

“Another year under our belt, doing this thing again,” said Martinez, who has been lining up at nickel ahead of the 2023 campaign. “Just all being together, too. I think we’ve gotten really comfortable with each other. We’ve hung out, spent a lot of time in the offseason as well. I think any time you can gel with the unit like that, and then our room — with all the talent we have — I think that can be dangerous and scary, too.”

Ransom noted that a greater understanding of the Knowles defense allows you to “see a little to see a lot.”

Knowing your “keys,” Ransom said, helps you slow the game down.

“Coach Day talks about it all the time,” Ransom said. “It’s not just to be the best defense but to be the smartest defense, smartest all-around team. And I think Coach E (Perry Eliano) does a great job in our meeting rooms asking us, ‘What the WILL have right here? What the MIKE have right here?’ Because you have a better understanding of the defense. You have a better understanding of what to look for, what’s coming next, of when certain play-actions happen, this and that and where the MIKE, the WILL are fitting and all of that.

Ransom continued: “Once you get an understanding for the whole defense, you can really fly around and be confident. And I think that our D staff has done a great job of making sure we understand all the positions.”

Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom speaks to the media after practice during the second week of training camp. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

A quick Knowles 101 crash course session: There are three safety positions in his system — an “adjuster” (high safety, or “free safety”), a “bandit” (boundary safety, or “strong safety”) and a “nickel” (a corner/safety who covers the slot).

But before you try to figure out who is playing where and in what role, hit pause. Because Knowles and safeties coach Perry Eliano want their safeties to know all three positions.

For one, it helps them understand the defense. But also makes them more versatile, and it gives the Buckeyes’ staff more flexibility on game day.

“We’re a safety-driven defense,” Eliano said. “So one of the things for those guys they got to know, is they gotta learn everything. Because anything can happen in a game. So it’s our job as coaches to prepare our guys for the ‘what if.’

“It’s a long season. And we plan on playing them for a long time. So for you to read into it, that’s totally up to you guys. But we’re just trying to find the very best mix and chemistry to utilize our personnel and our talent that we have on this football team.”

Sonny Styles epitomizes that approach. So much so that Eliano called the second-year safety a “unicorn.”

Styles was the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, and that was after reclassifying. Buckeye junior cornerback Denzel Burke compared Styles to Arizona Cardinals defensive back Isaiah Simmons, who was a star linebacker at Clemson and shows up just about everywhere on the field at the NFL level.

Styles played 69 defensive snaps last season, including 12 in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia. Still only 18 years old, he’s expected to play a significant role in the 2023 iteration of the Ohio State defense. Where? Well, there seems to be more than one correct answer.

“I think my favorite thing is making plays in multiple spots. That’s my favorite thing,” said Styles, who noted that he grew up watching highlights of Kam Chancellor and the late Sean Taylor. “You know, going from half to being in the box to playing in the middle of the field to playing man-to-man. Being able to do it all.”

The 6-foot-4, 229-pound Styles was seen lining up at nickel with the first-team defense during the first training camp practice last week. While the Buckeyes are moving him around, he believes that position is another vehicle for him to showcase his diverse skill set.

“I’m able to be in the slot, play coverage, be able to blitz off the edge, things like that,” Styles said. “So I think it’s just a way for them to display my versatility. I think it feels good to know that they trust me and believe in me, moving me around different places.”

Just because Ohio State’s safeties can be used at different levels of the defense doesn’t mean all of them will be deployed like Styles.

For instance, take Ja’Had Carter. The Syracuse transfer arrived this winter and spent time at all three safety positions during spring ball. At this point, though, Knowles said the Buckeyes like Carter at the adjuster.

That high safety spot has the potential to maximize Carter’s coverage ability. Last season, his third and final year as a starter at Syracuse, Carter allowed 22 receptions on 33 targets for just 169 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. The longest catch he conceded went for 19 yards. Additionally, he picked off three passes and only gave up one touchdown.

At the time with Syracuse, safety Ja’Had Carter intercepts a pass against Pitt during the 2022 season. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

“Playing way back in high school, I actually played corner,” Carter said. “So making the transition to safety, I always had that versatility, speed and being able to track the ball and things like that.”

That said, Carter made it clear that he did a bit of everything at Syracuse as well.

Versatility is simply a requisite for Eliano’s safety rotation, which he said this week will include “at least six guys, plus one” for the season opener.

Eliano said he subscribes to the “players over scheme” philosophy, meaning that he prioritizes getting his best players on the field. It’s easier to do that when they can play more than one position.

“Now going into Year Two, they know the ‘what,’ the ‘why’ and the ‘how,’” Eliano said. “And so that’s what’s fun for me as a coach. It’s to be able to see them process even more, play even faster and see them grow.”

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