Ohio State football: 3 questions about special teams

At last, we have come to the Special Teams. Here are three questions about the Ohio State football program’s state there.

We’ve spent the last two days considering three questions each for the offense and defense. Today, we look at three questions about Ohio State special teams.

After missing two field goals in the spring game, is there reason to worry about Jake Seibert? – I don’t think so. I’m not really concerned about missing a couple of kicks in a spring scrimmage. Those were the only two we saw of Seibert during spring practice. That’s not exactly a large sample size. Keep in mind, special teams coach Parker Fleming is pleased with his off-season development.

Seibert, who was the top kicker in the country when the Ohio State football program recruited him, performed well last season as a true freshman when called on to replace Blake Haubeil in three games, including the national championship against Alabama.

He missed from 44 yards against Indiana, was good on one from just 23 yards in the national championship, and was perfect on 16 of 16 extra points. I think Seibert will perform very well this year.

Will kickoff returns improve? – Ohio State has averaged 13.7, 21.8, and 17.8 yards per kick return as a team over the last three seasons. That’s not good. As a matter of fact, that’s awful for a team as talented as the Buckeyes.

Numbers like that force the offense to play with a long field after each kickoff. It is difficult for even an excellent offense like Ohio State’s to continually put together drives of 70- or 80-plus yards. Whether it is the blocking scheme or the returners, this is an area the Buckeyes must improve.

Will Evan Pryor be used as a kick returner? – This one is pure speculation on my part. The true freshman running back has said he wants to be a homerun hitter-type for the Buckeyes and this is an area he can make an impact in 2021. Demario McCall has been the main returner over the last couple of seasons and has averaged less than twenty yards per return.

Pryor could give the team a boost here with his presence. Because the backfield situation is a crowded one and fellow true freshman TreVeyon Henderson performed so well in the spring, Pryor has been a little forgotten. But, make no mistake, he’s very talented (the number six running back nationally in the 2021 recruiting class) and is going to contribute heavily in his OSU career. Kickoff returns would be a great place for him to begin contributing.

So, there you have a look at three questions of the offense, defense, and special teams. There are more questions to be answered than just these three. But, these are a few things that come to mind for me when I look at each of these units. Fall camp opens in a few weeks. It’s kind of like waiting for Christmas as a kid. The closer it gets, the more the excitement builds.