A Deep Dive Into the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes

Intro is it playoff for bus for the Ohio State Buckeyes this year it certainly feels that way with the talent they have coming back as well as the pressure on Ryan day but this coaching staff and this team is ready for that pressure today we take a deep dive into the Ohio State Buckey to look at what expectations are and how this team can meet them before we do that though make sure to subscribe to the channel like the video and share the video it goes a long way in helping this channel grow it goes a long way in helping this series Thrive it's been a really fun series and we have our final two videos coming up here and the Ohio State bucket are up next now Ryan Day obviously understands Coaching Staff the pressure of coaching at Ohio State he understands what it takes to win and he understands what fans want and a national championship run is definitely what this team wants and really they want to win the entire thing and this is a coaching staff that has the right pieces in place to make that happen now Ryan day did some really good things with with his coaching staff you know he's brought in Jim noes before to fix his defense and now he brings in Chip Kelly to run his offense so that's definitely two big names in the coaching world that are really good at what they do on both offense and defense and it's going to help an offense that was disappointing last year for Ohio State Standards but you're going to have a defense once again that should be one of the best if not the best in college football so you feel really good about the coaching staff you have coming back you feel good about the play colors that you have the fact that Ryan day and Chip Kelly get to collaborate says a lot about what this team should be and then obviously we'll dive into the talent that's going to run that offense but you feel pretty good about what this team has coming back on the coaching staff in addition to what they have coming back on the roster now in the transfer portal Transfer Portal when we look at that you look at what this team added it's not your typical transfer portal class when you're looking at certain contenders but Ohio say it recruits so well that they don't need to bring in a ton of players to fix that because that's really more concerning than anything but you did obviously bring in a couple of key players at key positions obviously will Howard is one that everybody knows he has been recently named the starter for Ohio State and he is going to obviously play a huge role in the turnaround of this offense obviously last year did not go as planned but you're looking at an offense that brings a ton of talent back to potential make this one of the best offenses in Colin football you also bring in Julian saan from Alabama that's a very underrated transfer Edition I I think that he is going to be really fun to watch down the road and he's already making some noise from reports that were're hearing out of out of Camp as well so those were two solid additions at the quarterback position the big names though you're going to look at Caleb DS and quinan Judkins now Caleb DS entered the transfer Portal from Alabama that wasn't super surprising but I think that Alabama fans were a little shocked that he was going to leave and he lands at Ohio State of all places I think a lot of people thought he was going to Georgia lands with the Buckeyes and joins a secondary that was one of the best in college football last year and he adds a phenomenal talent to that group Judkins surprised everyone I don't think there was a single person that expected Judkins to leave all miss and I don't think anybody really expected Ohio State as one of the top Landing spots for him now he joins Trevon Henderson we'll obviously dive to that in a little bit but that's one of the more exciting backfields in college football arguably the best heading into the year so that's a really exciting Duo for this team when it comes to departures there are a couple that it was pretty obvious it was going to happen you know Jihad Carter didn't work out like they wanted dalen Hayden was just in a crowded running back room wanted a chance to be the starter as he deserved and he goes to Colorado you get Noah Rogers heading this transfer portal but that's what happens when you recruit the level of wide receiver The Talented wide receiver group that Ohio state does you're going to see certain guys depart and that just is what it is Julian Fleming also wanted to have a bigger role so he goes to Penn State chip trainum kind of the same thing chip trainum was a very serviceable running back when State needed him he was a good addition for this team and he filled in when needed but he obviously also deserves a a spot and a shot really to to start and get what he wants to do which is potentially play in the NFL so we'll see what he can do at his new school but so again you lose some players now I don't think you necessarily feel too bad about the players that depart like Kyle McCord Julian Fleming was a solid player for them but I don't think you're necessarily hurting especially when you look at the talent they have coming back so that you feel pretty good about what the transfer portal did to Ohio State's roster he feels good about where they currently sit and you feel good about what that means for this team heading into the 2024 season the offense QB & RB obviously is going to be under the spotlight you bring in Chip Kelly to run this offense an offense that like I said was fairly disappointing last year when you look at the talent they had it's kind of disappointing to see that some of the numbers that they put up and you can point fingers all you want at anybody that was on that roster but it's almost time to flush it you have a almost I would't say completely new offense but you have plenty of skill position Talent that's going to be a little bit different than last year and you also have some returning guys that are looking to take on bigger roles and improve this group will Howard is going to be the leader of that group he wins the starting quarterback job for now but you know that Devin Brown is going to push him Julian saan is also in that the quarterback room is crowded you have a number of players that are going to contribute and play big roles for this team it's just a matter of who is going to be that consistent player and so far we've seen will Howard be that guy and it would be fun to see what he does for this offense long term how he fits in chip Kelly's system I think chip Kelly's had a number of talented quarterbacks will Howard isn't maybe the most talented that he's had but he has the ability to make this offense a dynamic group joining him in the back field we talk about before you you're looking at one of the best tandems in college football if not best soan Henderson when healthy is one of the most electric players in college football if you get the football in his hands and you give him even the slightest opening he is going to take it a long way he is going to make some explosive plays and that's huge for Ohio State now keeping him healthy is the number one priority finding ways to keep him on the field and get him the football makes this offense better and we've seen over the past couple years if he's not in the lineup you kind of see this offense take a little bit of a step back you're kind of looking for depth pieces and granted Ohio State's had some solid depth pieces but also you've struggled with injuries in the running back room so you're hoping that he can stay healthy for an entire year because trayon Henderson like I said is dynamic out of the backfield he's going to be one of the best running backs in college football the unfortunate part for him though it's a good thing and a bad thing is that he has another running back in that backfield that is one of the best in college fo as well quinan Judkins comes in from Miss after 1100 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023 and and I think that you're going to see a good combination especially with Chip Kelly running the show Chip Kelly knows what to do with multiple backs and one of the things that's going to help trayon Henderson stay on the field is having quinan Judkins on the roster finding ways to get him the football finding ways to get him involved is on Chip Kelly but I'm excited about the opportunities that both both of these backs will be presented and Quin Shad Judkins I'm hearing this you know he's going to be you a short-term or short yard Runner and he's going to help Ohio State in that role and I think that no one's really talking about as much how much he can do just as a regular back if you've looked at his film if you watched him he is not just that short yarded back he's not going to be that Red Zone back he is an every down back that can make things happen and make things happen at a high level at an elite level and I think that's one thing that's kind of flying under the radar right now I don't know if it's just like assumed that people are gonna see that from him but I haven't heard a ton of of national media talking about what he can do just as an every down back yes trayon Henderson is explosive but quinan Judkins is an absolute stud too so expect these guys to get equal touches and expect Chip Kelly to find ways to get them involved in many ways as possible and behind them you maybe have some depths concerns James peoples could be part of that rotation but you feel pretty good about what you have in the first two guys of in Henderson and Judkins and this is a group that needs to improve running the football that's one area that they probably want to get better at for sure and bringing in Chip Kelly is kind of a way to do that and he is going to have a lot of weapons at his disposal and that makes this offense really exciting now the wide receiver WR & TE position is a little bit different story when you lose some of the players that you did coming into the 24 24 season obviously losing Marvin Harrison Jr was always going to hurt but that's not unexpected in fact I think a lot of people anticipated his departure to the NFL Julian Fleming's departure obviously gives you a player that has plenty of experience that moves on but I think at the same time with the level of recruiting that Ohio State's done Ryan hartline's done a great job of identifying top tier talent and you just assume that these guys are going to step up and play bigger roles because that's just how things work now Mecha Iuka is the leader of that group a guy who is liking looking to take a bigger step in 2024 and potential potentially put his name into the 2025 NFL draft and mea is going to be a phenomenal talent for will Howard or whoever is going to win that quarterback job and downfield you also get Carnell Tate back a guy who I think a lot of people were really excited about coming into the 2023 season but he just didn't have I mean it's been hard in Ohio State's offense to stand out with the number of elite wide receivers you have on campus but Cardinal Tate has good size for the position has the talent there's a reason why Ohio State wanted him along with a ton of other schools so Carell Tate is someone to keep an eye on uh to be a potential breakout player Brandon inis is also going to be one of those guys that is in that rotation and really Tate and inis are trying to keep their roles over phenomenal freshman Jeremiah Smith Jeremiah Smith is going to be one of those players that we probably talk about at the end of the year as a future Superstar for this I when you talk about the Freshman wide receivers this year you have a number of wide receivers all around college football that are freshman that could play right away and could play big roles Jeremiah Smith is just one of those guys and the fact that Ohio State got him speaks to the level of recruiting that they can consistently produce they are able to get top tier Talent you've seen it over the last however many years when you look at the Marvin wils Marvin Wilson excuse me Marvin Harrison Jr you have Garrett Wilson Chris La I mean just go back to even just recent memory of those guys you've seen a different level wide receiver at Ohio State than maybe some of these other schools that are competing in for national championships and this passing attack one has to find some chemistry you have new faces stepping into bigger roles mea Iuka is trying to be the leader of that group Jeremiah Smith is new to this program in general and they are trying to find some chemistry with the quarterbacks and right now will Howard is that guy so if they find that chemistry then great but if it's a rotation between will Howard Devin Brown whoever's going to play that role that could put a wrinkle in things but again there's so much talent that you maybe don't have as many concerns as some other people might have the Titan position is also one to keep an eye on G Scott Jr gets to play a bigger role in 2024 and I think that he's a really exciting player that maybe hasn't tapped into his potential quite yet you have some depth behind him but you don't have a ton of production at the tight end position so that's definitely something to keep an eye on you saw couple players depart from that position so that's going to be an essential position to keep an eye on there you have some young Talent behind those wide receivers including Jeremiah Smith milin Graham could be another guy that figures into that rotation as well so you feel like you have good talent it's just a matter of who's going to be that guy that steps up and becomes the alpha of that group maybe it's egbuka maybe it's Tate maybe it's inis and maybe it's Jeremiah Smith if Jeremiah Smith is as advertised and right now so far what we've seen is that he is doing a lot of exciting things that Ohio state is in good hands the other thing that they have to do and OL have to get better at is winning at the line of scrimmage and there is no excuse for this group to not be one of the best in college football there is too much talent on this offensive line and it's going to be a group that is just as important as everybody else yes you need to find a quarterback to run the show but you also need an offensive line that's going to give him time to throw as well as open things up for the running backs and we just mentioned the two running backs you have are too good to not give space and not give opportunities to Showcase their talent fortunately for Ohio State you have plenty of talent returning but you also have uh some new faces that might step up into to bigger roles the big one is going to be Seth mclin coming in from Alabama now everybody when talking about him is going to reference the snaps and the issues that he's had with the Crimson Tide last year obviously those were under the spotlight and he was under a lot of scrutiny because of those botch snaps but we'll see what Chip Kelly can do to get him right in his mind and get this offensive line to the level that Ohio State needs them to be because again you are competing for a national championship you cannot afford some of those mental mistakes so mlin I think some people think think is a great addition there's also some people that have questions about his ability to play at a high level for the Buckeye so we're definitely going to keep an eye on the center position but you'll also have players around him where you can't necessarily just hone in on him and Target him because you have on the left side you have Donovan Jackson and Josh Simmons two very experienced players who have Bright Futures Donovan Jackson I think contemplated going to the NFL but decided to come back so you have two guys on the left side that feel pretty good Carson hinsman could have been the starting center this year but moves over to guard with mclin coming in he's also the backup to mclin at Center so that's a good depth piece to have you have a starter but you also have someone who can back up the guys that are at other position Josh frier is also going to be the last one we talk about on the right side at right tackle again you're looking at plenty of talent there's not really an excuse for this group not to be good they have plenty of experience they have plenty of talent and again it's not all on them but they play such a big role in getting this offense to where it needs to be and it needs to be one of the best in college football and even just getting into that top 25 is where they've expected to be and they've been there before but last year you obviously take a little bit of a step back because if they can't do that you're going to have to rely on a defense that should be elite but you can't rely on them for too long because eventually you're going to play really good teams that are going to be able to score and Ohio State's defense can only hold them for so long eventually you do need your offense winning Aral Championship you need your offense to do its part now the defensive line is going DL to be one of the best in college football it kind of sounds like a broken record to keep saying that about positions for the Buckeyes but that's how good this group is now Jack Sawyer has been waiting his turn and giving his coaching staff time to let the guys in front of him go do their thing Go Pro and now he's had a chance to Showcase what he can do and W State's really glad that he's stuck around because I think he's set for a big year Jack soer had 10 tackles for loss six and a half sacks last year in his first real year as a contributor for the Ohio State defensive line and I think that he is just getting started a very bright future for him JT tuam Mala is one of those guys that we've seen flashes of his talent but can he do that consistently can he be a cons consistent dominant threat for Ohio State the flashes we've seen tell us yes but we'll find out how good he can be Again part of this is going to be just watching film because the stats aren't going to tell you the whole story this is an Ohio city defensive line that's going to be extremely disruptive and sometimes your teammates are going to get to the ball carrier before you or you're going to have guys that are you know you're going to get double team you're going to get chipped there's going to be plenty of challenges in terms ter of statistically for these guys but that speaks to how great this group can be and Tu MOA and Jack Sawyer are going to be two of the best defensive ends in college football and it's going to be really fun to see what they are capable of doing to help this defense Ty Hamilton and Ty Williams are back on the inside Ty Williams probably could have been a second round pick maybe flirting with first round but he is someone who has NFL talent and he decided to come back I think that was a huge return for Ohio State I think a lot of people were kind of surprised by that but also very excited about the fact that he is coming back to be very disruptive and be a problem for the teams that they face this is Ohio State Defense that was very good at everything they did last year and there's no reason why they can't do the same thing the depth is where are they have maybe more questions but also in limited times some of these guys made a Major Impact defensive end is going to be a tough group to in terms of uh getting on the field because of how many players they have available Sawyer and Tuli Mala are obviously the starters but you have a guy like kayen Curry who had three and a half tackles for loss Kenyata Jackson Jr two tackles for loss Mitchell melt and three tackles for loss so you have guys that in limited time did some really explosive really disruptive things but it's going to be hard to find the field because you have so many good players around you and in front of you but that's a good thing for Ohio State right now you have them on roster you don't have to worry about them going to the transfer portal you just have find have to find ways to get them on the field and let them do their thing that's good depth even if it's not the most experienced depth I think that's good depth in terms of talent and even in limited production you know that these guys can get the job done the defensive tackle position might be a little bit of a different story hero canoe could be one of those guys that is part of that rotation katd McDonald is another one but you don't have a ton of EXP behind them again with what this group has been able to produce over the last however many years I trust what Jim NES and that staff has doing so you don't have to really be too concerned especially with the talent you have in front of them and that also helps the linebackers behind LB them but not that the linebackers need help because this is also a group that has plenty of talent and really it's going to come down to who is going to see the field the most sunny Styles and Cody Simon appear to be those two starters right now CJ Hicks is definitely going to be part of that rotation definitely going to play a big role as well Styles comes in at 64 235 pounds Simon just a little shorter at 62 235 those are productive players for the Buckey returning and CJ Hicks is a former stud for his high school the former I believe five-star linebacker comes back and he is expected to play a bigger role for Ohio State this year part of that rotation even with Styles and Simon back Gabe Powers is another name to keep an eye on but behind them I don't think there's going to be a ton of players that are going to find their way to the field simply because you have such good talent in that first three or four guys so you're going to obiously want to find depth but you probably don't feel too concerned with Styles Simon and Hicks coming back and that's really good for the Buckey that you feel like you're in a really good spot you feel like you have things kind of sorted out and that's going to help this defense once again this is a group that I mean if you're going to nitpick I guess you could say that they need to be better stopping the run but a group that finished 29th so it's not like you're saying oh well they were terrible last year you just if you're G to find ways to get better and you know that this coaching staff is going to look at that what can we do better that's going to get us to another level because the offense is going to need some time to figure things out and some of the pressure is going to go to that defense and I don't really know if you're going to worry too much about any certain level especially not the secondary the secondary returns plenty of talent and also adds an elite player that's going to make them one of the best if not the best once again in college football Denzel Berg decided not to go pro and came back for another year he is looking to win a National Championship that is huge for the Buckeyes that was a huge rury for them there's a couple guys obviously that we've talked about before that decide to come back Ty Williams and mechuka shvan Henderson those are guys that decided to come back to compete for a national championship and that's huge for a defense for a team I should say that has high aspirations and a secondary that has plenty of talent opposite of him DAV Davidson venison is going to be targeted probably quite a bit and it'll be fun to see how he responds to that challenge I think everyone knows what Denzel Burke is capable of and teams will still definitely challenge him but mcminnis is going to be probably targeted a little bit more maybe not as proven but still someone who has a bright future an NFL future for sure that the reason why you go to Ohio State you want to go to the NFL and he gets a chance to Showcase his talent also good size 62 193 pounds I think he has the right frame for a future NFL cornerback so keep an eye on him and what he can do there's a reason why Ohio Ohio state was really good last year and it wasn't just because of Denzel Burke Jordan Hancock returns at the nickel position so he's another player that will play a pivotal role for this defense whether it's near the line of scrimmage whether that's back deep in coverage or in the slot wherever they're going to put him he's going to play a big role getting Caleb DS was probably the biggest Edition for this team I think that's kind of a surprise that Ohio state was able to get him everyone kind of anticipated that he was going to go to Georgia everyone anticipated he was going to join his former coach but he changes things up and goes to Ohio state for a secondary like I said that's full of Elite Talent and Caleb DS is one of those players that's going to make this team even better even with the talent they do have returning you bring in Caleb Downs you instantly get better and that's really exciting for the defense joining him is lean Ransom a guy who's been playing for the bucke high for a while a reliable player who understands the system understands what this defense wants to do understand what Jim NES is calling what his vision is so that's another good player to have back the talent behind them is less proven but still super super talented you have the one that I think is the most interesting is Lorenzo Styles Jr the former Notre Dame transfer and former wide receiver is playing defensive back for the Buckeyes and that's an interesting transition whenever you see someone make a transition to a different role and obviously wide receiver to defensive back is one we see all the time but Lorenzo Styles is definitely a name to keep an eye on not just to be a contributor for the bucke high but for what he can do in terms of making that transition to defensive back and you have plenty of talent up front in terms of the starters but what are you going to get for depth and Lorenzo styles could be one of those guys we'll see what happens there but you feel pretty good about that defense as a whole and when we talk National Championship you Schedule have a schedule that's going to give you opportunities to Showcase your to but it also has some I won't say concerns but definitely some tough contests in store for this team the over under right now is 10 and a half wins and the ceiling to me is 12-0 and realistically the floor should be 10-2 if things aren't going wrong I don't really expect Ohio State to fall off the map it they're going to lose to maybe one team for sure that makes sense and then maybe there's one slip up that you you know it's when you look at what they have the three games that I'm concerned the most about are Oregon Penn State and Michigan and that shouldn't be a surprise but when you look at the rest of the schedule akan Western Michigan and Marshall that is a three and 0 start Michigan State even if they're better that should be a win as well Iowa doesn't have the offense to keep up with Ohio state so they should be Five-0 heading into that trip to Eugene on October 12th and that's going to be a tough game we'll see what Oregon looks like at that time we'll see what state has sorted up but we'll see which team looks better and obviously they face head-to-head and that's a huge contest for the future of both programs in terms of the college football playoff then you get two weeks to prepare for Nebraska that should be a win then you go to Happy Valley and face Penn State now Penn State is hoping that they are going to be a college football playoff Contender so that could be a tricky game as well it's on the road so you just never know Purdue at home don't really have concerns about that Northwestern is going to be interesting play in Chicago it's not going to be at their practice field or their their temporary stadium so that's good but that's going to be a win indiia home and home is going to be a win and then Michigan I think Michigan is going to take a step back and I don't think they necessarily have the talent that they once did and that's huge for Ohio State Ohio State is looking to avenge the losses that they've sustained when Jim Harbaugh is running the show the last few years Ryan day is looking to get that win over Michigan and that puts them in a good spot so again 12-0 is probably the most likely uh out or should say the ceiling the most likely outcome is probably 11 to1 it was right down the middle but 12-0 is definitely a possibility you just have a few tough tests the Oregon and Penn State Games the fact that they're on the road makes it a little bit interesting but you also have Michigan on the the schedule and that's always going to be a challenge as well but Ohio state is in good hands they feel like in they they're in a good place they have their goal in their sits and it's just a matter of certain certain positions out getting the offense to take a step forward under Chip Kelly and getting this team to where they want to be which is national champions