Welcome to your daily Buck guide. We will be discussing the Ohio State 2023 Improvement Plan today. Last week, we talked about areas of improvement such as building depth, and we focused on the secondary corners and safeties as well as the offensive line. Today, we will be focusing on tight ends, a position that is currently thin.
We have three tight ends coming into their fourth year in the program who have yet to make an impact. Joe Royer and Gee Scott Jr, class of 2020, will be entering their fourth year, while Sam Hart, class of 2021, will be entering his third year. Bennett Christian, class of 2022, and Jelani Thurman, class of 2023, will also be a part of the team.
Cade Stover is currently the only notable player at tight end, and we saw what happened when he went out of the game against Georgia. Therefore, we need to build depth at this position. Mitchell Rossi was the only tight end gone out of eligibility, and now it’s time for the other players to step up.
We need to see development from Royer, Gee Scott Jr, and Hart. Royer had a tough year last season, but he deserves some reprieve since he dealt with Mono and his mother’s death. Gee Scott Jr has been in the program for four years now, but we have yet to see anything from him. Sam Hart needs to change his body substantially, just like the offensive line, but we have to build depth.
Cade Stover played 700 snaps on the season, while Rossi had 239. The other players have to share the remaining snaps among themselves. Sam Hart only played in five games and used his redshirt, while Bennett Christian played in two games and still has his redshirt available. Joe Royer only played in seven snaps, and there are a couple of Walk-Ons that might factor in.
In conclusion, we need to see development from the players at the tight end position. Gee Scott Jr, Royer, and Hart have been in the program for several years and should be in shape. They need to make an impact this year. Please check out TBC Premium, our premium version of the Buckeye cast, which provides early access to commercial-free content.