Ohio State football: The battering ram is finally healthy

The Ohio State football team is counting on a solid performance from Taron Vincent now that he is finally healthy.

This is a guy I’ve been waiting for. The Battering Ram. That’s how redshirt junior defensive tackle Taron Vincent’s teammates have most often described him over the last few years. A battering ram.

Like any 5-star recruit, there was a lot of excitement about Vincent joining the Ohio State program. As a true freshman in 2018, he played in eleven of the team’s fourteen games and had a sack in the Big Ten championship against Northwestern.

He impressed the coaching staff enough to earn a regular role when the Buckeyes faced Washington in the Rose Bowl. Vincent was installed as the nose tackle whenever the Ohio State football team got into a 3-3-5 look.

He was on the field for 19 plays (according to Eleven Warriors) in the Buckeyes’ victory over the Huskies; the most any true freshman had played in a game all season. That certainly led you to believe he was very much in line for significant playing time in 2019.

Unfortunately, Vincent never played a down that next season. Just before the regular season began, he suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He struggled at first with the frustration of being relegated to the sidelines but credits a conversation with his dad for motivating him. The elder Vincent told him injuries are a part of the sport; this is what he signed up for. His dad knows what he’s talking about. He’s Troy Vincent, a guy who spent 15 years in the NFL and was selected to five Pro Bowls.

After a slowed rehab due to the pandemic and not being healthy until late in the season, Vincent didn’t play a whole lot of football in 2020. This year’s spring practice is obviously very important to his development. Vincent said, “I feel just stronger, faster, more explosive off the ball.” He went on to say the game is slowing down for him and he’s reading plays much better.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson is very happy with his progress, “He’s in a really great position right now. He’s what we thought he’d be when we recruited him, so he’s having a great spring right now, he really is.” Vincent has even caught Ryan Day’s attention.

The Buckeye head coach said he’s one of the team’s most improved players during the off-season. “I’ve been fully healthy this off-season and I’ve just been able to compete with everybody and just develop my skillset that I need to take it to the next level,” Vincent said late last week.

Vincent is expected to back up Haskell Garrett at the 3-technique tackle spot (3-technique simply means the defensive tackle lines up on the outside shoulder of the guard), but he has been working at nose tackle as well.

If he plays as well in August camp as he has this spring, opposing offensive linemen are going to have their Saturdays ruined by a battering ram. The Ohio State football team should be excited about that.