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The Ohio State football program won’t make it to the College Football Playoff next season unless quarterback Justin Fields takes that proverbial next step.
The skinny: The Buckeyes lost some serious talent on both sides of the ball after last season as players such as defensive end Chase Young, cornerback Jeff Okudah and running back J.K. Dobbins (among others) moved on to the NFL Draft. This year’s team will almost certainly not be as potent on defense due to the departures of Young and Okudah, and the offense will be inexperienced as well.
Skill position questions on offense: Dobbins is gone, and so are receivers K.J. Hill, Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor — all of whom had significant roles for the Buckeyes last season.
- Who replaces Dobbins? By far, the biggest loss to Ohio State’s offense was Dobbins, who was the driving force behind the Buckeyes’ attack last season. His presumptive replacement, Master Teague, reportedly suffered a torn Achilles in the first spring practice. That leaves the likes of Marcus Crawley (also out with an injury), Steele Chambers, Demario McCall and walk-ons Xavier Johnson and Robert Cop.
- Slot games? K.J. Hill was so darn consistent as a slot specialist for the Buckeyes. It’s unclear who has the inside track to take over in this role, but many expect Jaelen Gill to be the pick. We’re not ruling out speed freak Jameson Williams taking on a big role, but this position is still a big unknown heading into the summer.
Thankfully, there is still some good news amid all this uncertainty.
- Elite receivers: Chris Olave should have a huge season for the Buckeyes and is a legit No. 1 receiver. Garrett Wilson caught 30 balls and had five touchdowns as a true freshman and should blossom as a sophomore. Williams has a high ceiling as well, and the team’s receiving corps should be one of its biggest strengths in 2020.
Still, there are more questions than answers for Ohio State when it comes to the offensive skill positions, outside of the receivers.
Massive shoes to fill on defense: We cannot stress enough how difficult it will be for Ohio State to replace the consistent production of guys like Young, Okudah, safety Jordan Fuller, cornerback Damon Arnette, and even the likes of defensive tackles Davon Hamilton and Robert Landers.
- Chasing after Young: Widely regarded as the best pass-rushing prospect to enter the NFL in years, Young leaves massive shoes to fill at Ohio State. Many expect Zach Harrison to replace Young, but the true sophomore will have a hard time providing the same type of impact we saw from Young, and Nick Bosa before him.
- Tackling the middle: An underrated part of Ohio State’s defense last season was the impact of the defensive tackles. This year, the interior of the defensive line could be elite if former five-star player Taron Vincent can come back strong from a torn labrum.
- Corner concerns: Losing Okudah was to Ohio State’s defense what losing Dobbins was to its offense. A truly elite cover corner, his departure will hurt, especially because it’s compounded by the loss of the program’s best pass-rusher. Shaun Wade will now be the No. 1 cornerback for Ohio State, with a big group that includes Cam Brown, Sevyn Banks, Amir Riep, Tyreke Johnson, Josh Proctor and Marcus Williamson all fighting for concrete roles and playing time.
It seems foolish to assume that Ohio State’s defense will be able to dominate in 2020 like it did last year.
Why it’s all on Fields: While the program is among the nation’s best at recruiting and retooling on a yearly basis, last year’s squad was among the program’s most talented ever — and it still didn’t live up to expectations, losing to Clemson in the Playoff semifinals.
The biggest reason for this is Fields fell apart, with his worst game of the season when it mattered most, taking four sacks and throwing two brutal interceptions in the second half against Clemson in a close game the Buckeyes lost by six points.
The bottom line: With so many other question marks at key positions, the success or failure of this team will hinge upon whether Fields can take a giant leap forward in his development as a pure passer to supercharge the offense to the point where all other potential deficiencies are mitigated by his prowess.
This young man absolutely has the talent to make it happen. And it’s going to be a ton of fun to see if he can live up to his immense potential.
More must-reads:
- Will Clemson finally unleash Trevor Lawrence in 2020?
- Oregon is a legit title contender if Tyler Shough lives up to the hype
- The 'Most three-pointers made in the playoffs' quiz
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