Ohio State Football: Checking in on Progress of Buckeyes' Top Freshmen

This year will be different.

That was the vow that Urban Meyer made on national signing day—and again on the first day of Ohio State's fall camp—while simultaneously lamenting the lack of immediate production that he received from the Buckeyes' 2013 class. The 2014 crop of freshmen wouldn't be that way, Meyer insisted, but through the first two games of the season, that's beginning to look like a broken promise.

In Ohio State's opener against Navy and subsequent loss to Virginia Tech, a total of four true freshmen played, with the majority of their playing time being spent on special teams. Meyer said this week that there were other first-year players who were pushing for playing time, but as we've learned in his three years in Columbus, that should be taken with a grain of salt until we actually see the players on the field.

With a loss already on the Buckeyes' record and tomorrow's game against Kent State expected to be a lopsided one, this weekend should give us a good idea of who's going to contribute and who could be headed for a redshirt for the remainder of the year. Until then, here's a look at how Ohio State's top freshmen have progressed thus far.

Curtis Samuel

Raved about more than any other OSU freshman in fall camp, Curtis Samuel came to Columbus expected to play wide receiver, but he now finds himself listed as one of three starting running backs on the Buckeyes depth chart.

A 4-star prospect by way of Brooklyn, New York, Samuel is the lone member of the 2014 class to see extended playing time on the Ohio State offense, which shouldn't be all that surprising given Meyer's comments about him in the summer.

“I love that kid, and man oh man, does he go hard," Meyer said. “He’s talented, and he will play this year."

So far, that's one promise that Meyer has made good on, although circumstances have made it so that Samuel hasn't played as much as most have expected him to. In two games, Samuel has taken 12 carries for a total of 71 yards, adding one reception for four yards to his stat line.

Those numbers, however, don't tell the entire story of Samuel, who has shown the most impressive burst of anybody in the Buckeyes backfield in the first two games of the season. As Ohio State running backs coach Stan Drayton explained, the 5'11", 196-pounder sure doesn't play like a true freshmen, which has made him the Buckeye staff's go-to first-year player thus far.

“You do feel comfortable putting him in the game, really in pretty much any situation," Drayton said. "He’s got some toughness to him, he’ll block a linebacker in the A-gap, and he can definitely do some dynamic things with the football when he gets in space. So, there’s no hesitation about putting him in the game.”

Against Virginia Tech, the Hokies' 46 Bear defense didn't allow Ohio State to get much going in the run game, which is why Samuel only received five carries—one of which he took for 16 yards. Unlike his other classmates—at least so far—Samuel has been given the chance to shine in his freshman campaign, an opportunity that he seems to have made the most of.

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Raekwon McMillan

Arguably the most heralded member of the Buckeyes freshmen, Raekwon McMillan arrived on campus in January as a 5-star prospect and the top-ranked inside linebacker in the 2014 class. And given Ohio State's inefficiency at linebacker a year ago, the 6'2", 240-pounder was expected to immediately push senior Curtis Grant for his starting spot at middle linebacker.

McMillan did that, spending the Buckeyes' spring game alongside Ohio State's two other starting linebackers, Joshua Perry and Darron Lee. But at the end of fall camp, it was Grant who was still atop the Buckeyes depth chart and taking most of the reps in the season opener.

McMillan, meanwhile, was relegated to kickoff coverage duty, although he did see some action in Ohio State's base defense when Grant briefly left the game against Virginia Tech with an injury. The lone tackle of his college career thus far was an impressive one, as he downed Hokies wide receiver Isaiah Ford for a three-yard loss on a reverse.

Although Grant seems to have a firm hold on Ohio State's middle linebacker job—he leads the Buckeyes with 20 tackles on the year—don't be surprised if McMillan begins to get more runs as the season wears on. Although his playing time has been limited, McMillan has already shown flashes, but he will need more opportunities to live up to substantial hype that accompanied him from Hinesville, Georgia.

Erick Smith

While his more highly touted high school teammate, 4-star cornerback Marshon Lattimore, redshirts due to a hamstring injury, Erick Smith has been one of the few Ohio State freshmen to play in the first two games of the season, although all of his playing time has come on special teams.

A 4-star prospect from Cleveland Glenville, Smith is listed as a third-stringer on the Ohio State depth chart at safety, where he currently sits behind Tyvis Powell and Ron Tanner. But Meyer described the 6'0", 198-pounder as nipping at the heels of the Buckeyes starters throughout the preseason, and Smith could play if an injury necessitated so.

Although his playing time thus far has been limited to special teams, it's telling that of all of the players in Ohio State's freshmen class, he's one of the few who's been trusted enough to have already been put on the field. That shows that the Buckeyes staff believes that he'll be contributing sooner rather than later, as the hard-hitting safety's duties could be expanding in the near future.

Jay LaPrete/Associated Press/Associated Press

Johnnie Dixon

He's yet to take a snap in his college career, but given the ineffectiveness of the Ohio State wide receiving corps thus far, it shouldn't be long until Johnnie Dixon finds himself on the field. In fact, Meyer hinted at as much on Wednesday when asked if his six-man receiver rotation—which didn't previously feature Dixon—was set in stone.

"I'll tell you, Johnnie Dixon and Noah Brown are very close to getting involved in this thing," Meyer said of the two freshman wide receivers.

While playing time could be harder to find for Brown, who's listed behind Dontre Wilson and Jalin Marshall at H-back on the OSU depth chart, it could quickly become readily available for Dixon.

With both Corey Smith and Evan Spencer—the two players ahead of Dixon on the wide receiver depth chart—struggling in the Buckeyes' loss to the Hokies, the former 4-star prospect could be the next man up should their issues persist.

Given the way that Virginia Tech's dare-you-to-throw defense neutralized Ohio State last Saturday, it's clear that Meyer is now eyeing all of his options in the Buckeyes passing game. That includes Ohio State's true freshmen, where Dixon stood out during the preseason, but has yet to translate that into playing time in the regular season.

Sean Nuernberger

The title of Ohio State's most impactful freshman so far this season belongs to kicker Sean Nuernberger, and that's not necessarily a good thing. After connecting on his two field-goal attempts against Navy—including one from 46 yards—Nuernberger struggled against the Hokies, missing each of his two field-goal attempts, including a chip shot from 27 yards.

Nuernberger's shoddy showing obviously didn't sit well with Meyer, who has placed an extra emphasis on special teams since arriving in Columbus.

“The two field goals were major, especially when it was a young player who did really good the first game,” Meyer said. “That’s big, to come away with those drives with nothing.”

With backup kicker Kyle Clinton having issues of his own on kickoffs—he's kicked two out of bounds in two games—the Buckeyes will likely ride with Nuernberger when it comes to place-kicking duties for the remainder of the season. After following his first impressive outing with an ugly one, it will be worth watching how the 6'1", 230-pounder bounces back this weekend.

David Richard/Associated Press

Other Freshmen To Keep An Eye On

• Linebacker Dante Booker was listed on each of Ohio State's first two depth charts but suffered a cut on his foot in the first week before falling ill in the second.
• In addition to Dixon, Brown and Smith, Sam Hubbard has also been mentioned by Meyer as a first-year player on the cusp of receiving playing time, although it's still unclear whether the Buckeyes will use the Cincinnati product at tight end or linebacker.
• After the departure of Chad Lindsay caused a reshuffling on Ohio State's second-team offensive line, Jamarco Jones found himself listed as Taylor Decker's backup at left tackle. Meyer said that the former 4-star product had been dealing with a sprained ankle in fall camp, but he is now full-go and could be called on at a moment's notice.
• Meyer also noted that freshman guard Demetrius Knox had a good week of practice in the days leading up to the Buckeyes' matchup with Kent State, and could soon be pushing for playing time on an offensive line that has thus far been ineffective.

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.