Breakout Star: Midseason Awards

Who has been Ohio State’s biggest breakout player through the first half of the season?

On this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr continue their midseason awards series by looking at the Buckeyes who have taken the biggest step forward — and it doesn’t take long for Jay Timmons to become the center of the conversation.

Timmons has gone from promising freshman to one of the most important players on Ohio State’s defense, giving the Buckeyes versatility at nickel and safety and allowing the rest of the defense to operate differently when he’s on the field.

Tony and Tom also discuss Chris Henry Jr.’s emergence at wide receiver, Riley Pettijohn’s growth at linebacker, T.J. Alford’s role in the rotation, Zion Grady’s potential, and Devin Sanchez taking a major step forward at cornerback.

0:00 — Ohio State’s biggest breakout star
0:30 — Why Jay Timmons is the obvious place to start
2:17 — Timmons’ growing importance to the defense
3:33 — Chris Henry Jr.’s breakout freshman season
5:18 — Why Henry is becoming a bigger part of the offense
5:52 — Riley Pettijohn enters the conversation
7:39 — Pettijohn’s biggest play may not show up in the stats
8:45 — T.J. Alford and Zion Grady
9:10 — Devin Sanchez’s step forward
10:11 — Who is Ohio State’s biggest breakout star?

Timmons has already shown he can cover, tackle, force turnovers, play deep safety and line up at nickel. More importantly, Ohio State’s defense looks noticeably different when he isn’t on the field — remarkable responsibility for a true freshman.

Chris Henry Jr. has also put himself firmly in the breakout conversation. He has earned meaningful snaps, made big catches in important games, and already climbed into the conversation among Ohio State’s most productive true freshman receivers.

At linebacker, Pettijohn has continued to grow into a major role, contributing tackles for loss, sacks, pressure and versatility across all three linebacker spots. His pressure on Indiana’s final offensive play may have been one of the biggest defensive contributions of Ohio State’s season.

Subscribe to the Buckeye Insiders YouTube channel for more Ohio State football coverage, and join the conversation at BuckeyeInsiders.com.