Ohio State is preparing to unleash another weapon in its secondary
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Lathan Ransom might be the next player on Ohio State’s defense that the coaching staff spends an offseason turning into the type of weapon that earns him All-America consideration.
The Buckeyes did it with linebacker Tommy Eichenberg when nobody was even expecting him to be a starter, and it turned into a team-high 120 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and a pick-six on his way to becoming a consensus second-team All-American. The coaches saw something in him that everyone else outside the program didn’t and it paid off in a significant way.
Now it’s Ransom’s turn, and the last year is a sneak preview into what that could look like.
“Lathan’s always had that innate ability even when I first got here,” safeties coach Perry Eliano said. “It’s just a matter of maturation and playing in the scheme.”
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Ransom’s rise started the moment he replaced Josh Proctor one snap in the season against Notre Dame, and he steadily trended upward from them. He racked up 74 tackles on defense while also being one of the playmakers on special teams, blocking multiple punts.
But those high moments were matched by some low moments, such as his falling down in the Peach Bowl leading to an explosive 76-yard Georgia touchdown pass at a crucial moment in a College Football Playoff game.
That’s something to learn from. But the more important details are how Ohio State plans to build on the positive things he did. Last season he often made plays by simply doing his job. This year those big plays will be his job.
“He’s done a tremendous job,” Eliano said. “Players play and coaches coach. If you’re a playmaker, we’re gonna find a way to put you in a position to help this football team win.”
The Buckeyes are in need of . Some of that is just having highly rated players finally tap into to that five-star pedigree they arrived with. Others need to be guided and create by way of high-level coaching and play-calling.
Eichenberg often served as the latter last season. Ransom got a chance to go through just his second full offseason as a college football player — he didn’t early enroll in 2020 and was injured in 2022 — and he could fall under that category this year because of it.
“This was my second winter since I’ve been here,” Ransom said. “I’m just trying to take advantage of that. Take advantage of the reps. The only way to get better is reps.”
Those reps have provided a window into what the expectations are for Ransom this season. It was expected that he’d take over as the starting adjuster following Ronnie Hickman’s departure.
Doing so may mean a downtick in numbers because his job description would be a little different. Instead, he spent the spring as the bandit, a position looked at as more of the playmaker between the two high safety positions which could mean a better version of what we saw in 2022.
“The bandit gets to do a lot of things. It’s a really versatile position so I really like the bandit,” Ransom said. “I really like to embrace it. ... My game is really physical. I like being part of the run and being a real physical player so I try to embrace that.”
There are other players in the safety room with five-star talent who provide plenty of reasons why people should be excited. Those players are important to OSU’s defense taking the next step. But it also needs more players who coaches can get excited about the possibilities for what they can do with them.
“It starts with trust,” Eliano said. “It starts with consistency. It starts with putting good days on top of good days. Lathan had a really good spring. He’s even a better leader today than he was last year.”
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