Then there is Dre’Mont Jones, a sophomore tackle who has also been cited as having a strong spring at the “three-technique,” one of the two inside positions on Ohio State’s usual four-man defensive line, too.
But the key to making all of those guys more successful could end up being Wayne High School graduate Robert Landers.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 283 pounds, Landers is not the most physically imposing member of Johnson’s position group (which should tell you something about how imposing everyone else is), but he has an important job as the team’s nose tackle.
“Rob really has had a good spring for us,” Johnson said. “He’s the spark plug on the inside that can really get off the ball, create havoc in the backfield, attack the line of scrimmage.”
He had 7 1/2 tackles for loss last season as a redshirt freshman, but stats don’t reflect the most important part of his role for the Buckeyes.
Landers is supposed to anchor the middle and draw two blockers, making sure everyone else can work one on one.
“That’s what you want from your nose guy — a guy who’s got to be double-teamed and you can’t leave in a single block,” Johnson said. “If we force a double-team, it lets our three-technique (Jones) run free. That’s the kind of thing we want in a nose, a guy who’s really explosive, and he’s done a great job for us.”
On the other side of the ball, Miamisburg graduate Josh Myers is trying to work his way into the two-deep on the offensive line.
The five-star prospect — who graduated early and enrolled in classes in January — has impressed starting left tackle Jamarco Jones with his relentless play.
“He’s a freshman so he’s still trying to get the hang of it, but he just goes out there and he battles,” Jones said. “He battles his tail off. He’s physical. You can tell he’s used to running the ball and pounding on people, you know?”
Jones, a senior who played in 10 games as a true freshman and was the offensive line’s sixth man as a sophomore before joining the starting lineup last season, sees Myers still going up against the typical learning curve of a freshman.
“He should be going to prom right now, but he’s getting a lot better,” Jone said. “He’s improved a lot during spring ball and he’ll help us this fall.
“In high school usually you can just beat people up because you’re bigger and stronger than them, but here with talented players, technique is very important. He’s gotten a lot better over these spring practices we’ve had.”
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