Ohio State signed 26 players in their 2018 recruiting class, so whittling down a prediction piece with so many possibilities to just five predictions doesn’t just shortchange me, it shortchanges you.
Shortchanging you, I can get over. But I’ll never get these non-predictions I don’t make back, and that’s what hurts the most.
But I am only going to let it affect me quite a bit and I am going to try to give you the best five predictions that I possibly can, knowing that I can’t possibly give you five good predictions because of all of the predictions that I won’t be giving you.
This is probably how Neil Armstrong felt when he was walking on the moon and then they told him that they weren’t gonna go to Mars next like he thought and that they would have to turn around and come home.
But I will give it the old college (freshman) try regardless.
1 Alex Williams will end up at tackle — offensive tackle.
Alex Williams is already listed at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds, and is currently without a position. He played all up and down the line in high school, as well as some tight end. It is rare for a kid who plays nose tackle in high school to be able to play tight end at Ohio State, so I’m not so convinced that’s where he’ll end up, even though Urban Meyer said back in December that he could start out there. Defensive end was a need as well, but since he was offered, the Buckeyes signed Tyreke Smith, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and Tyler Friday. Maybe he ends up at defensive tackle, but it’s tough to find players that tall who can hold up inside. That’s why I’m thinking he ultimately ends up at offensive tackle. He is big and athletic with a frame to carry more weight. Offensive line is going to be a big target area in the 2019 class, but Williams may already give them a head start in that realm with a redshirt season.
2. Tyreke Johnson will be fun to watch on kickoffs.
You know how you liked watching Jeff Okudah run down on kickoffs and throw his body into people last year? This year, that may be Tyreke Johnson. At 6-foot-1 and 191 pounds, Johnson is built for the task and has the speed to match. He is already enrolled and only getting faster and stronger right now, and if he shows himself capable of playing this season, he could be an ideal match for such a heat-seeking role.
3. Max Wray and Nicholas Petit-Frere will both play this year.
The Buckeyes have a couple of issues at offensive tackle. It’s not anything that they aren’t equipped to solve, but there will be a need for depth. With Isaiah Prince at left tackle and a battle between Josh Alabi, Branden Bowen, Thayer Munford, and Max Wray at right tackle this spring, there are still too many unknowns to redshirt two talented offensive tackles. It’s not that Wray or Nicholas Petit-Frere should be needed this year, but one of them could definitely be called upon in 2019, and it would be better if they had actual playing experience under their belts before that happens. This is what the staff has done in the past with Taylor Decker, Jamarco Jones, and Isaiah Prince. If there’s a chance that an offensive tackle will be needed as a sophomore, they’re going to do what they can to get him experience as a true freshman.
4. Josh Proctor will be in the two deep at strong safety this year.
Like Vonn Bell in 2013, Jordan Fuller in 2016, and Isaiah Pryor last season, I fully expect Josh Proctor to be in the two-deep as a true freshman this season. Proctor has the speed, size, and range of a prototypical deep safety, and should make for a very nice complement behind Jordan Fuller. Urban Meyer was very high on Proctor back in December. When asked to name a couple of players from the class that jumped out to him, he mentioned Proctor and New York tight end Jeremy Ruckert. That’s not by accident.
5. At least four true freshmen will score touchdowns in 2018.
Last season, the only true freshman to score a touchdown for the Buckeyes was J.K. Dobbins. In 2016, Demario McCall, Ben Victor, and RodJay Burns were able to do it. No true freshman in 2015 scored, and only Curtis Samuel and Raekwon McMillan did it in 2014. The 2013 season saw Ezekiel Elliott, Dontre Wilson, and Joey Bosa score, and in 2012, it was just Bri’onte Dunn. So if you were doing the math, Urban Meyer has never had as many as four true freshmen Buckeyes score a touchdown. So who will be responsible for setting another new milestone for Meyer’s Buckeyes? I think we can assume that one of the freshman running backs will score. Ohio State also signed six guys who will be pass catchers, so it’s not unreasonable to think that two of those guys can score this season. Then the fourth touchdown can either come from the other running back, one of the other four pass catchers, or any number of defensive possibilities. After all, in half of Meyer’s six seasons at OSU, a defensive freshman has scored a touchdown.
Do you have any predictions for the 2018 freshmen?
All of them will get a GOLD pair of pants.
And he drops the mic….
There it is……BOOM!
Kinda like saying the sun will come up tomorrow.
Not now. I got nothin’ after that one!