After years of dominance on the recruiting trail in defensive backfield, Ohio State fell off a cliff in the class of 2019. With Kerry Coombs gone, Taver Johnson flailed and Alex Grinch flopped attempting to replace his production on the field or in recruiting. The Buckeyes were only able to land two true defensive backs (Ronnie Hickman and Bryson Shaw) in the 2019 class, and because of those failures, Grinch and Johnson are no longer in Columbus.
Because of the down year last cycle, Jeff Hafley and Matt Barnes had their work cut out for them taking over in the backfield for the 2020 class.