Ohio State Football: Player grades from the Buckeyes’ Spring Game

The Ohio State football spring game took place on Saturday afternoon in front of 60,007 at Ohio Stadium. In addition to using the annual opportunity to work on in-game scenarios, the program also honored Buckeyes legend Dwayne Haskins after his tragic death last weekend. CJ Stroud started the game wearing a Haskins nameplate as a tribute and celebrated a touchdown pass on the opening drive by pointing to the back of his jersey.

Here are a few player grades following the scrimmage.

C.J. Stroud: A

120 passing yards, 63.6% completion rate, 1 TD

Stroud only played in the first half but the sophomore signal-caller looked comfortable and focused from the opening kick-off. He led the offense quickly down the field and connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 29-yard touchdown to get the scoring started. Stroud found Smith-Njigba for a third-down conversion earlier in the possession too.

Despite only throwing for one touchdown, the 6’3 quarterback has to be content with his performance. It’s much more important to adjust to all of the moving parts on offense rather than racking up meaningless statistics. Stroud seems like he’s even more prepared to lead the Buckeyes’ loaded offense this year.

Kyle McCord and Devin Brown also took snaps under center.

J.T. Tuimoloau: B+

2 sacks, 1 tackle, 3 quarterback hurries

After a relatively quiet freshman campaign, Tuimoloau is expected to have a breakout season in 2022. The sophomore defensive end obviously wasn’t able to hit the opposing quarterback in the spring game but he consistently created pressure and would have had a few highlight-worthy sacks if allowed.

Tuimoloau compiled two sacks and one tackle in the impressive performance. Even though he was facing backup offensive linemen for most of the second half, Tuimoloau remained aggressive off the edge. The Washington product also stood up freshman running back Evan Pryor on a run in the third quarter.

Noah Potter picked up two sacks as well.

Paris Johnson: C+

2 penalties, 1 sack allowed

There weren’t a lot of stoppages in the spring game but junior offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. was called for a pair of penalties including a hold on Jack Sawyer after getting beat off the edge. He also got a false start in the first half. It might take time for Johnson to get acclimated to left tackle as the Buckeyes’ offensive line reshuffles again.

Johnson is one of three returners on the offensive line alongside right tackle Dawand Jones and center Luke Wypler. Donovan Jackson and Matt Jones earned the other starting spots on Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t a great showing from Johnson but he certainly has the experience and wherewithal to get back on track with camp around the corner.

The Buckeyes will now look forward to preseason camp in early August after another successful spring practice. The Ohio State football team definitely has room for improvement, most notably the offensive line and linebackers, but Ryan Day and the coaching staff will have the team ready to go for the season opener against Notre Dame on September 3.