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Ryan Day names starters at key special teams roles ahead of Week 1
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Ryan Day is getting Ohio State ready for its season opener against Indiana. On Thursday, he delivered some of his final public remarks before Week 1.
During his weekly radio show appearance, Day confirmed the starting punt and kick return roles to begin the year. The Buckeyes will use Emeka Egbuka to return punts and Xavier Johnson as the primary kick returner, the same jobs held by both players last season.
When it comes to the return game, Day did not rule out other players getting a chance during the season but noted Johnson and Egbuka giving Ohio State its best chance at success.
“When you’re talking about returning both punt and kickoff, they require a certain a certain skill set,” Day said per Nathan Baird with Cleveland.com. “The first thing is they have to be able to field the ball. We put some guys back there and felt like once the ball was in their hand, they gave us a real good chance, but they didn’t quite handle the ball very well.
Last season, Egbuka returned 11 punts for 75 yards and also had a 25-yard kick return. He’s also a key contributor on offense but has the hands and open-field ability to thrive in the return game.
Johnson returned 12 kicks in the 2022 season with 269 yards for an average of 22.4 yards per return. He was also named a captain and the program’s “Block O” recipient for the season.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.