Ohio State football: Who will step up in Shaun Wade’s spot?
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football team didn’t play well in the secondary in 2020 despite having an All-American in Shaun Wade. Who will step up in his stead in 2021?
The Ohio State football program has a reputation for producing some great defensive backs. Shaun Wade had all the accolades of a great back, including being a consensus All-American in 2020 even if he didn’t play quite up to huge expectations.
Even so, he was the best defensive back Ohio State had. Now he moves off to the NFL to get paid for his services. The Buckeyes need to replace his production on a unit that was overwhelmed in big games, especially the National Championship Game.
Who could that guy be? I would put my money on Cameron Brown. Brown missed every game but two in 2020 after he tore his Achillies against Penn State. With him back, the depth of the secondary improves. Brown also has more talent than all of the other guys returning in the secondary.
A lot of people think that Sevyn Banks actually has the most talent coming back. I just don’t see it. He didn’t improve over the course of this season. He kept getting burned game after game and kept making the same mistakes that led to receivers getting behind him.
Brown has better fundamentals as a cornerback and seems to have a better football IQ at this point in their careers. He won’t make those same mistakes that Banks consistently made. He just has to stay healthy enough to stay on the field.
Next. Ohio State is better with C.J. Walker coming off bench. dark
Having Brown back won’t single-handedly make this a good secondary. Everyone in the secondary needs to improve on their skills from 2020. But Brown is a good corner who will certainly help. He could step into Wade’s shoes as the next big-time defensive back to play at The Ohio State University.