Every year, at least one Ohio State player seemingly jumps into a potential starting role by the time preseason camp opens.Last year, one of those players was Phillip Daniels, who transferred from Minnesota and took over the right tackle spot by the summer. So far this summer, that player is freshman Jay Timmons.The five-star cornerback arrived on campus in the winter and showed flashes of his significant upside during the spring, but how much playing time he’d get remained a mystery. Then Timmons took a majority of the starter reps at nickel during the second and third days of Ohio State’s preseason camp, which were open to fans and media, and was a star.Saturday was his best day, though. He had multiple pass breakups and registered a sack blitzing off the edge during team periods. At 5-foot-11, he’s not a big corner, but he moves well and is willing to come up and make plays against the run.Ohio State may still experiment with the nickel position. Jermaine Mathews Jr., who was back outside with the starters Saturday, has also seen time in the slot, which should speak to the fluidity of Ohio State’s rotations right now.The stars for Ohio State are poised for improvement this seasonCameron Teague RobinsonWhile the exact rotation might remain cloudy, depending on the day, there appears to be little doubt that Timmons can be an immediate contributor for this defense.“It shows that the coaches trust in him, we trust in him and we expect him to make plays,” safety Jaylen McClain said.Ohio State’s practices will remain closed the rest of the preseason. Here are a few other takeaways from the last two days of preseason camp:Defensive line shines on first day with padsSaturday was Ohio State’s first day with pads, and the physicality was evident.There were a few scrums in the early team periods with members of the defensive line getting into shouting matches with the offense.No punches were thrown, but it seemed to rile up a defensive line unit that looked disruptive and physical most of the day.“We were excited to put our pads on somebody,” McClain said. “We had an edge. We wanted to show the offense that a little bit today.”Defensive tackle Eddrick Houston was the most noticeable player. He made a few plays in the backfield and forced a play elsewhere with his penetration. He jumped out right away, but so did Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Zion Grady also had a nice tackle for a loss early in practice, and Qua Russaw was disruptive.The best position, though, was the interior of the defensive line. Transfers James Smith and John Walker played with the second unit, but they consistently wrecked plays in the backfield and forced quarterback Tavien St. Clair into uncomfortable situations. Will Smith Jr. impressed as well. His improvement over the last three years is noticeable, and he should play a lot this year. It wouldn’t be shocking if he starts against Texas and becomes one of the most improved players by the end of the year. If Ohio State is four deep along the interior, that’s a good sign.Buy into the hype of these two playersThe hype train often gets out of hand in preseason camp, but receivers Devin McCuin and Brock Boyd are worth getting excited about.McCuin might’ve been the best player on the field Friday. He fought through Dominick Kelly’s body to catch an unbelievable throw in the corner of the end zone and double-clutched a contested 50-yard deep ball from Julian Sayin.After the deep ball, he caught a pass across the middle and made a move to get into the open field.He didn’t take a step back Saturday, either. I spent a lot of time watching the second team so I could see Bo Jackson’s reps and watched the defensive line vs offensive line one-on-ones, so I skipped Saturday’s 7-on-7, but McCuin is noticeable even in team drills. He has strong hands, controls his body well during contested catches and has breakaway speed.The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked McCuin as the ninth-best upperclassman in his NFL Draft WR rankings. He could easily rise up that list and be Ohio State’s No. 2 receiver this season.Boyd’s role this year may not yet be clear, but his future is extremely bright. He dropped a few passes Saturday, but they were both two tough sideline catches. Otherwise, the freshman from Texas runs routes well, is not scared of contact and looks extremely coachable interacting with Cortez Hankton. We have seen a lot of Boyd in the first three days in part because Kyle Parker was limited after spending time with the trainers, but still there’s a role for Boyd. He’s clearly much more talented than his 3-star rating suggested.Josh Padilla and the O-line changesAfter Thursday’s practice, coach Ryan Day said the offensive line would continue to experiment with rotations after reporters noticed Ian Moore at left tackle and Austin Siereveld at right guard.The next day, Siereveld opened practice at left tackle, with Josh Padilla at right guard. That continued into Saturday, as Moore spent time at right tackle with the second team.Those rotations will continue to work themselves out, but Padilla is positioning himself well to be in the rotation.I walked away from the 1-on-1 drills most impressed with Padilla. Center Carson Hinzman and left guard Luke Montgomery were good, as expected, but Padilla won both of his reps and looked to have complete control of his body.That may complicate the rotation questions, but it’s a good problem for Ohio State to have. Could Ohio State just slot Padilla in at right guard without any other changes along the line? Or is there a world where Moore slots next to him at right tackle, instead of Philip Daniels?There’s no evidence so far to suggest Daniels will be moved out of the starter role. He’s taken every rep at right tackle. But all things are on the table once practices are closed to reporters.Ohio State has its first scrimmage one week from Saturday, which is a good time to get information about the offensive line, but I think every possible rotation is on the table.What does Ohio State do at running back?Due to an injury-filled spring, the running back position has been under a microscope heading into camp, even with talented second-year players Jackson and Isaiah West back.Jackson was the presumed starter after running for over 1,000 yards last year, but West has been more impressive so far.West took a majority of the snaps from Sayin on Friday and Saturday. While he might not have breakaway speed, he moved well through contact and in tight run gaps. West’s best trait might be that his legs never stop moving. Ohio State hasn’t started fully tackling yet, but West has been seen pushing piles downfield for several yards. He’s broken into the second level on multiple runs, as well.As for Jackson, his snaps seem to be limited. In the time I did watch the second team, Jackson took carries from St. Clair and made a few nice runs, even making people miss in the hole.It’s so early into camp that it’s hard to rule West the starter for the opener, but he has been the best in the room so far.Legend Bey is backLegend Bey returned to the field Saturday after serving a brief suspension for violating team rules.He took reps at running back, carrying the ball, but also catching it out of the backfield.The explosive athlete has an extra gear and looks like he can make people miss. Before he can get on the field, though, he has to prove that he can handle the scrutiny that comes with playing at Ohio State.