Captains named for 2023
COVER PHOTO: Wide receiver Xavier Johnson hauls in a catch while pulling off a spin move between two defenders for a 37-yard touchdown in last year's Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against No. 1 Georgia. Photo by Ken Tishenkel/Columbus Wired.
After Saturday’s second scrimmage of fall camp, the Ohio State football team voted on who should be their leaders for the 2023 season: Linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, tight end Cade Stover and wide receiver Xavier Johnson, the latter of which was given the prestigious Block “0” number.
Stover and Eichenberg are now two-time captains after being named as such last season while Johnson earns the distinction for the first time in his career. Head coach Ryan Day shared the news on Saturday afternoon following the Buckeyes’ 14th practice of fall camp.
Johnson has proven to be a valuable and versatile player on both offense and special teams. An OSU scholar-athlete that graduated in Dec. 2021 with a degree in consumer and family financial services, he originally walked on as a wide receiver. But the “super senior” out of Summit Country Day (Cincinnati) High School flip-flopped between that position and running back until the coaching staff finally decided last season that WR was where he was most needed and he didn’t disappoint with some big-hit plays. His 24-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter in the season-opener against fifth-ranked Notre Dame gave the Buckeyes a 14-10 lead on the way to a 21-10 win over the Fighting Irish. His snag in between two defenders while pulling off a Braxton Miller-like spin move for a 37-yard TD in the Peach Bowl Semifinal against No. 1 Georgia was nothing short of eye-popping. He also had the team’s longest rush of the season, a 71-yard touchdown against Indiana. He led the team with 12 kickoff returns for 269 yards and finished sixth with 571 all-purpose yards. His three total touchdowns ranked were good for eighth.
Eichenberg was a defensive beast last year despite playing the last few games with two broken hands. For his efforts, the now-fifth-year senior out of St. Ignatius (Cleveland) High School was a unanimous first-team all-Big Ten selection, named to several All-American second-teams, and finished as a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. He comes into this year with 186 career tackles, 18.5 tackles-for-loss, 31 games played with 17 starts and led the Buckeyes with 120 tackles last season. Eichenberg graduated in May with his degree in real estate, and is a two-time Academic all-Big Ten honoree and OSU Scholar-Athlete.
Stover, a fifth-year senior from Lexington (Mansfield, Ohio) High School, is a 13-game starter at tight end after moving to the position permanently before the start of last season. He finished third on the team with 36 passes caught, and fourth with 406 yards and five touchdowns. His single-season receptions and yardage totals were the most by a Buckeye tight end in 28 years since Rickey Dudley had 37 and 575, respectively, in 1995. His TD total was the most by a Buckeye tight end in 11 years when Jake Stoneburner caught seven in 2011.
Eichenberg and Stover represent the 16th and 17th two-time captains in school history.