Under the radar safety emerging, has the Buckeyes’ attention

It was a down year for Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius as the Wildcats, playing their usual tough schedule, finished with a 3-9 record. It didn’t help that they lost one of their top players just before the season started when 2025 safety Cody Haddad broke his arm. Haddad then missed the bulk of the season.

However, Haddad made it back for the last two regular season games and two playoff games and made up for lost time. He was outstanding in those four games as St. Ignatius won two and lost two. In those four games Haddad made 42 tackles, forced three fumbles and intercepted four passes.

Column: Ohio State isn't going to fire Ryan Day, but they should - Land-Grant Holy Land

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Freshman Tracker: How many of OSU’s first-year players redshirted in 2023?

We take a player-by-player look at Ohio State’s 21-man freshman class to consider playing time and assess which players redshirted this season.

Ohio State’s 2023 football recruiting class included 21 high school signees and was ranked No. 4 nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. That class included seven national top-100 signees.

Column: Ohio State isn't going to fire Ryan Day, but they should - Land-Grant Holy Land

A number of these first-year players saw action for the Buckeyes during the 12-game 2023 regular season.

Two of them started games for the Buckeyes this season in CB Jermaine Mathews Jr. and safety Malik Hartford.

ased on the available data – i.e. this is not 100 percent official — seven of them played in five or more games during the 2023 regular season and will move on to sophomore eligibility in 2024. That group included Mathews, Hartford, WR Brandon Inniss, WR Carnell Tate, OL Luke Montgomery, LB Arvell Reese and DL Kayden McDonald.

Fourteen of them played in four or less games and will be redshirting this season. That group includes WR Noah Rogers, CB Calvin Simpson-Hunt, DL Jason Moore, TE Jelani Thurman, DE Joshua Mickens, QB Lincoln Kienholz, DL Will Smith Jr., OL Joshua Padilla, S Jayden Bonsu, OL Austin Siereveld, OL Miles Walker, WR Bryson Rodgers, LB Nigel Glover and S Cedrick Hawkis.

Column: Ohio State isn't going to fire Ryan Day, but they should - Land-Grant Holy Land

It is believed that recent NCAA legislation allows all of these “redshirting freshmen” would be eligible to play in the Cotton Bowl without jeopardizing their redshirt status.

In addition to these freshmen, it appears that sophomore running back Dallan Hayden will return as a third-year sophomore in 2023. Hayden saw action in only three games during the 2023 season. He ended up with 110 yards rushing on 19 carries with one touchdown, playing behind mainstays TreVeyon Henderson and Chip Trayanum this season.