Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK
Few teams in college football are as well known or have had as much consistent success as the Ohio State Buckeyes. They are third all-time in wins and since 2000, have won two National Championships and routinely been at the top of the Big Ten. However, despite being as good as they have been, they haven’t won a National Championship in the last nine years and haven’t won one since Ryan Day has become the coach. Now making three College Football Playoffs and making a New Year’s Six Bowl all nine years is great and would be good enough for almost every other school, Ohio State is one of the few schools where it might not be good enough.
This year’s Ohio State team is one of the most talented teams they have had in a while, and one of the most talented in the country. I’m going to tell you why anything but a championship for Ohio State this year is a failure.
The 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes were all but guaranteed a spot in the playoffs going into the final game of the season against Michigan if they won, even with poor quarterback play all season. Despite Kyle McCord’s decent stats, he really held the Buckeyes and that offense back all season. The passing game really suffered because of his inaccuracy and inability to hit big plays down the field. That shouldn’t be an issue this season with graduate transfer Will Howard from Kansas State coming in and taking that starting job. Howard’s stats don’t look overly impressive, but he has never played with the type of weapons he will have in Columbus. Howard should be able to step in on day one and really get that Ohio State offense, Howard isn’t JT Barrett running the ball, but is able to move and make plays with his feet. The biggest thing that will separate Howard from McCord’s play last season is the mental side of things. Howard doesn’t get rattled and keeps his composure. He is able to put a team on his back and make plays, no matter the pressure of the situation. Howard will be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten and one of the better in the country this season.
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One of the things that sets Ohio State apart from most teams in the country is the amount of talent they have at the skill positions. Ohio State has the best running back duo in the nation in the returning TreVeyon Henderson and the incoming transfer from Ole Miss, Quinshon Judkins. Both are in the top five to ten backs in the country and many have Judkins as the best running in college football. As if that wasn’t enough, we all know how well Ohio State recruits and develops receivers. They lost an absolute stud in Marvin Harrison Jr to the NFL and Julian Fleming to transfer, but replaced them with five-star recruit sophom*ore Carnell Tate and the top recruit in the country for the 2024 season in freshman Jeremiah Smith. That doesn’t even mention the four-star recruits behind them, they have in Junior Jayden Ballard, Sophom*ore Brandon Inniss and Freshman Mylan Graham. That receiving room is insanely talented and deep and that isn’t even talking about the returning future first round pick in Emeka Egbuka. The one “weak” spot they might have, if you want to call it that, is the tight end position where they lost Cade Stover to the NFL, but even then, they are replacing him with Gee Scott Jr, who was a four-star recruit himself. They have an embarrassment of riches.
Add to that on offense, Ohio State should have one of the best offensive lines in the country. While they started off a little slow last season, by the end they were playing extremely well. They bring back four starters, including both tackles in Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar. They also returned both guards, which includes their star left guard in Donovan Jackson, who many thought would go to the NFL. Ohio State also brought in Seth McLaughlin, who transferred in from Alabama, to man the center position for them. McLaughlin had a slight down year in 2023, but was one of the top centers in the SEC before that. This line should protect Howard well all season and open holes for that insane running back duo the Buckeyes have.
On the defensive side of the ball, things look just as good for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes return three starters on what is one of the top few defensive lines in the nation. Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, who both at worst would have been day two picks in this past NFL draft, return as the two starting edges. Both are extremely well-rounded players who will wreak havoc this season. Add to them the return of Tyleik Williams, who finished fourth among power five defensive linemen with 26 run stops last season. The one new starter will likely be Ty Hamilton, who played well in limited snaps last season. PFF gave him a 76.4 grade for his 350 snaps in 2023. This defensive line will impact the game in various ways, from being extremely strong against the run, to creating chaos for opposing quarterbacks.
If there is one position group that has question marks for the Buckeyes, it’s the linebacker group. The Buckeyes have to replace both of their starters who left for the NFL last season. However, despite needing two new starters, it is an extremely talented linebacker unit. Cody Simon played 374 snaps for the Buckeyes last season and played well. He looks to step into one of the starting spots, with Sonny Styles likely taking the other one. Styles is a safety moving to linebacker this season, but his 235 pound frame should fit much better there. Styles is a former top five recruit and played extremely well around the line of scrimmage last season. Ohio State also has CJ Hicks, who was a top 15 recruit in 2022. Hicks should see plenty of playing time and adds more talent to that unit.
The Buckeyes also have one of, if not the best secondary in the country. They return one of the best cornerbacks in the country in Denzel Burke. Burke was an absolute stud for Ohio State last season and looks to be the next first round corner from Ohio State. Joining him at the cornerback position are returning corners Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hanco*ck, both who finished with PFF grades above 70. At one safety position the Buckeyes return Latham Ransom, who was extremely solid last season. The biggest addition to the Buckeyes this offseason will be the other safety position. Caleb Downs was probably the best safety in college football last season for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Downs transferred to Ohio State and will instantly be an impact defender. With Burke covering teams number one receiver and Downs patrolling at the safety position, the Buckeyes pass defense will be one to be feared.
While Ryan Day has been a very good coach for the Buckeyes so far, his inability to win the big game is something that has plagued him and has some Ohio State fans calling for him to be fired. This might be a make-or-break year for him in Columbus. Ohio State is one of, if not the most talented team in college football and not beating Michigan and making noise could be the end of the line for Day. You are expected to win in Columbus and this team, more than any other recently, will be expected to win. Anything besides a National Championship for the Ohio State Buckeyes will be a failure this season.
