Zach Domicone is a proud member of the Ohio State kickoff team, but he’s not sure he likes the nickname assistant coach Kerry Coombs pinned on that outfit.

Coombs calls them piranhas, joking that there are too many still-growing true freshmen in that group to label them sharks.

“I was a little offended because I’m one of the biggest guys on the unit,” said Zach Domicone, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound fifth-year senior from Beavercreek. “We were joking around about being the piranhas, and they’re like, ‘You’re still a piranha, Zach, you’re just a bigger piranha.’

“It’s cool, though, because when there’s blood in the water, we go get it.”

Domicone has taken a relentless approach to everything in his Buckeye career. He’s had to go through two reconstructive knee surgeries, the most recent coming about 10 months ago when he suffered his second torn ACL.

He wanted to play his final season at OSU but had questions about whether his battered body could take it.

“I remember getting out of surgery and looking at my dad and saying, ‘I’m never going to be able to run again,’ “ Domicone said. “But that was a post-surgery thing and was probably the only negative thought I had. Talking to my family and friends and coaches, it’s been all positive.”

Domicone has had his upbeat disposition tested at times with the Buckeyes. He had hoped to earn a spot at safety but has played only sporadically at the position.

He’s been a special teams stalwart, though. He plays on the kickoff return, punt and kicking units, taking a leadership role on the latter. OSU has filled that squad with as many as seven true freshmen, and Domicone not only tries to calm some nerves, but helps them see value in what they’re doing.

“You’re talking about a senior guy who’s surrounded by all these freshmen,” Coombs said. “They don’t know what they don’t know. We’re starting to gather them up before we take the field, and he’s taking some leadership with that group to inspire them and motivate them.”

Domicone says he’s just passing on what he learned from others.

“I was always told it’s the first play of defense. If you want to help out our defense, go make a play,” he said. “Field position is a very important part of the game. Special teams are a very important part of the game. It’s a role we’ve all embraced.”

But Domicone knows every player comes to OSU with bigger visions.

“The first two years, I really struggled with that conflict — special teams vs. safety,” he said. “But I think last year, with the group of guys we had, we really embodied that role, and I’m just trying to carry that over to this year.

“It’s tough because everyone is a position player and wants to have success at their position. But it really starts on special teams. If you do well on special teams, it will carry over to everything else you’re doing.”

The kick-coverage team has mostly excelled this season. A new rule in college football has meant touchbacks are brought out to the 25-yard line instead of the 20. But the Buckeyes have been taking their chances by dropping kicks inside the 5-yard line and trying to swarm the kick returner.

It worked last week in a 63-38 win over Nebraska, which received 10 kickoffs and returned all but one. The Cornhuskers’ average starting field position on those nine was just short of the 20-yard line.

Playing on kickoff coverage requires an all-out sprint to the ball, and Coombs has been pleased with how the freshmen haven’t shied away from contact.

“They don’t have enough knowledge to play on the offensive or defensive side of the ball quite yet. They’re going to get there. But this is an area where they can really contribute, so kids like Devan Bogard and Jamal Marcus and David Perkins and Najee Muray and Armani Reeves, they’re just streaming down the field trying to do what they can to help the team,” Coombs said.

Domicone was a factor in the kickoff team’s success last week, recording three tackles. He also saw some duty at safety in the second half.

Through the highs and lows of his OSU career, he hasn’t lost his edge. Some would say he still plays like a piranha.

“I think I’m blessed,” he said. “I know that’s a weird way of looking at it since I’ve had so many injury problems. But to keep fighting back and make a positive impact on the field and being able to lead some of these young guys and get them ready, I’ve just been lucky.”