As an Ohio State fan, the 2017 season was rough. The quarterback position was a constantly-negative situation where one side felt very strong about J.T. Barrett’s abilities as a leader and the other side felt very strongly about his lack of abilities throwing the ball. It was a constant debate where neither side was going to be dissuaded, but the other side sure as hell was going to try.
I think it started to wear on everyone.
In addition to the quarterback situation, two big losses to Oklahoma and Iowa dominated the Twitter #hottakes for the entire season. For some, what we saw against Oklahoma was as good as the Buckeyes would be. It is well-documented that no players ever get better and teams don’t gel throughout the season.
Unfortunately, the Iowa game did not quell any of these completely rational thoughts.
Lucky for us, this entire season is now behind us. It was a successful season, but it’s time to look forward. The fan base can now move on and hate each other as we discuss who is going to start at quarterback next year.
But lucky for you, that is just one thing we can all disagree on. Next year, there will be a lot of open spots and a lot of debates about coaching strategy. We are truly #blessed.
Here are the Top-5 things I am looking forward to next year.
1.) Who will start at quarterback?
This will be the first time in a long time that there is truly an open QB battle going into the season. The Buckeyes have been blessed with highly-touted freshmen who come in, start early, and play until they leave. I mean, the closest thing to a true QB competition was probably the Bauserbomb year…and that is iffy. As open as this competition is, I think it is Dwayne Haskins’ job to lose. I am a huge Joe Burrow fan, but I think his injury last season almost completely took away his chance to start at Ohio State.
Is Burrow that much better than Haskins to overcome possibly the best pocket passer to come through in a while? I’ll tell you right now, if Haskins doesn’t win the job he will transfer out. There is no way someone that talented is sitting behind someone for another two years. With that said, I also think Martell will see a lot of game action this year. I see him being used a lot like Tim Tebow was his freshman year. Martell will see a lot of short-yardage and red-zone plays running the read-option because this is obviously not a Haskins strength.
2.) Will the offensive philosophy change?
Everyone wanted Kevin Wilson to come in and revolutionize a relatively stagnant offense. Sure, the offense has put up record numbers almost every year, so how can it really be stagnant? It’s stagnant in the sense that in almost every big game the offense turned into an extremely simplified version and was not nearly as powerful.
This year, it felt like Wilson was able to incorporate some of his system early in the season and it quickly went away. We no longer saw a few staples that worked so well like rub routes or wheel routes. With a more capable passer at the helm, will Wilson be allowed to do more and make the Buckeye offense more resemble his Sooners or Hoosiers offenses? Or will it continue to be simply Meyer’s offense with a different person at quarterback? I am hoping the Buckeyes ride the J.K. Dobbins train and play action off of that…a lot!
3.) How will the wide receiver and tight end position play out?
With the expected change in philosophy, the pass catchers will play a vital role in the offense next year. In my opinion, the Buckeyes have two proven receivers in Austin Mack and K.J. Hill (I’m assuming Campbell and Dixon leave). I shouted it from the rooftops before last season and I will do it again this year. K.J. HILL SHOULD MOVE OUTSIDE! He is the most consistent pass catcher and would dominate on the outside. Outside of those two, they also have two more on the cusp of becoming a force with Terry McLaurin and Bin Victor. Victor has a big offseason coming up. Will he ever make that leap that everyone expected this year? Will he be passed up by some of the talented younger guys?
At tight end, the Buckeyes lose a consistent presence with Marcus Baugh. Who will take his spot? Rashod Berry showed glimpses last year and could be a game changer, but will he move back to DE? Behind him are three big-time recruits in Luke Farrell (#7 TE, 2016), Jake Hausmann (#4 TE, 2016), and Jeremy Ruckert (#1 TE, 2018). Who will step up and become the new starter?
4.) Will this be the most impressive defensive line we have seen?
Ohio State is losing three guys at defensive end who will probably be drafted in the first two rounds. There has to be drop-off, right? Sure, the experience will drop. Sure, the defensive end position won’t be as deep as it was this year. I’ll give you all of that.
Here’s where I am excited about this defensive line. The defensive tackle position will be as deep and as dominant as we have ever seen. Guys like Robert Landers, Davon Hamilton, Jashon Cornell, and Dre’Mont Jones (I’m on Team Move to DE though) flashed a lot down the stretch. Behind them you have guys like Malik Barrow and Haskell Garrett chomping at the bits. Behind them you have the most decorated DT recruiting class the Buckeyes have seen with Taron Vincent (#1 DT), Tommy Togiai (#9 DT), and Antwuan Jackson (#1 JUCO DT). Will any of them step in and have an Ed Oliver type of impact? The defensive tackle position along with the trio of Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Jonathan Cooper have the opportunity to really become great this season.
5.) Is the weak link going to be linebacker…again?
It was far from a banner year for the linebacker crew this season. Going into the season, it was expected that Jerome Baker, Chris Worley, and Dante Booker would all be very good players. It did not turn out that way at all.
With likely all three positions open (Tuf Borland is the closest thing to a guarantee) and about 47 former 4 and 5-stars jockeying for a position, will they become a strength? Or will the inexperience show? I’m really curious to see how Justin Hilliard, Baron Browning, Pete Werner, and Keandre Jones look this spring. Incoming freshman Teradja Mitchell is one to watch too.
That’s what I’m looking forward to. What about you?