Ohio State Football: Three defenders who have the most to prove
By Ryan Stano
2. Denzel Burke
After his stellar freshman season, I thought Denzel Burke had a chance to be an All-American. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time in 2021 and was the one defensive back they could count on. That player was nowhere to be seen in 2022.
Burke got burned time after time on deep balls last season. Teams started picking on him once they realized he couldn’t keep receivers in front of him or track the ball anymore. It was like another player had entered Burke’s body and was playing instead of him.
This season, Burke is no longer the number one cornerback on the team. New transfer Davison Igbinosun is. Igbinosun has shown that he can be a lockdown corner and will get the toughest assignments all year. Burke will be covering the number two receivers.
Burke has to prove that he can be the guy we saw in 2021. He was hurt at times last year so that certainly didn’t help him. But he’s healthy now and shouldn’t have any excuses moving forward. If he plays badly again, the Buckeyes are in big trouble because they don’t have anyone behind him.
But if Burke rediscovers his form, the secondary will be in a lot better of a spot than they were a year ago. It might even be a unit that the Ohio State football team can rely on in close games late. A lot still has to happen before that happens though.
The final defender on this list is someone on the defensive line that is looking for a big year.