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The Ohio State offense is at a crossroads.
For the first time since a redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett stepped in to replace Braxton Miller, the Buckeyes have a real question mark at the most important position on the field. While it’s a question teams teams ideally never want to face, Ohio State for certain is not lacking in talent at the position.
The real question is if any of the three underclassmen quarterbacks competing for the starting job can do just enough with the arsenal of surrounding weapons to push the Scarlet and Gray over the top. Ohio State had a top-10 offense in 2020, enough to lead the team to the pinnacle of the sport before ultimately coming 4 touchdowns short against college football’s Goliath.
With a more stable offseason and another year of experience behind the returning starters, not to mention the No. 2 Class of 2021 recruits, Ohio State and Ryan Day must hope these ingredients can minimize the learning curve of the new quarterback.
If Ohio State is to reach the College Football Playoff for the 5th time in the format’s 8-year existence, the offense must be prolific, capable of winning a shootout with the Alabama’s and Clemson’s of the world.
Is a game-breaking offense achievable in 2021? Let’s find out …
Passing offense: Better
Zero.
That number is significant for Ohio State’s passing game this season, as all three quarterbacks competing for the starting job (C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller) have zero combined passing attempts at the collegiate level. Stroud and Miller at least saw the field last season, but the two “veterans” of the trio combined for just 19 snaps and were never asked to do anything other than hand the ball off or carry the ball.
Stroud is likely the lead candidate for the starting job Week 1 against Minnesota given his general familiarity with the offense and the fact he was coach Ryan Day’s first quarterback recruit from start to finish.
But how is the passing game going to be better with a total unknown commodity replacing a first-round NFL pick? There may not be a more talented group of pass catchers than the one residing in Columbus.
Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are likely the best receiving tandem in the nation, as both finished No. 2 and 4, respectively, in the Big Ten with 104.1 receiving yards per game and 90.4 yards per game, while also combining for 14 total receiving touchdowns, something only Penn State’s duo of Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington matched in the conference.
Olave surprised many by electing to return for a fourth season, but even had he not, the Buckeyes have a cornucopia of underclassmen receivers waiting in the wings.
In sophomore Julian Fleming and freshman Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State has the last two No. 1 receivers in their respective recruiting classes. Freshman Marvin Harrison Jr. set the world on fire this spring to make a real case for significant playing time in his first season on campus, and then there’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba who isn’t a stranger to making jaw-dropping snatches.
WHAT! Catch of the year from Jaxon Smith-Njigba!? 🤯
(via @CFBONFOX) | #NEBvsOSU
pic.twitter.com/uiBUJNOYab— FanDuel (@FanDuel) October 24, 2020
Ohio State also has one of the best tight ends in the country in Jeremy Ruckert, although depth behind him could be an issue, which necessitated the conversions of Cade Stover from linebacker and Gee Scott Jr. from receiver to the tight end position.
And whoever ends up throwing the ball for Ohio State in 2021 should find himself with plenty of time in a fairly clean pocket.
Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis are significant losses on the line, but Ohio State arguably has the best edge protection in the nation with Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere anchoring the tackle positions. Returning starter Harry Miller will factor in at either the center or guard position with the Class of ’21’s top tackle prospect Paris Johnson starting at right guard, while the remaining spot will go to Matthew Jones or Luke Wypler.
2021 will undoubtedly be a year of growth from the quarterback position, but with so much elite surrounding talent, Ohio State essentially just needs a dependable, mistake-free placeholder to reliably deliver the ball.
Running game: Better
It may take a few weeks to sort out who will be the lead dog, but by season’s end, Ohio State’s running attack will likely be stronger despite Trey Sermon’s departure for the NFL.
Master Teague is the “incumbent” starter to begin the season after eclipsing the 100-yard mark twice last season against Penn State and Indiana, but it’s the two players likely behind him come Sept. 2 that have the real potential to raise Ohio State’s ceiling at the position.
Miyan Williams, who took the lion’s share of spring carries due to Teague’s limited availability, made a strong impression this offseason coming of his freshman season in which he carried the ball 10 times for 64 yards.
The real intrigue, however, surrounds true freshman TreVeyon Henderson, the nation’s top running back recruit despite not playing his senior season of high school ball. Henderson has the type of talent to be one of the Buckeyes’ best backs in recent memory and lost his black stripe in just 11 practices.
Henderson will likely need the first half of the season to come up to collegiate speed, but when he does, he’ll be a real problem for opposing defenses for the next three years.
Special teams: Worse
With Blake Haubeil gone, Jake Seibert will take over placekicking duties. The second-year player and top kicker in the Class of 2020 was 1 for 2 on field goals last season and failed to inspire much confidence in the spring game, missing both kicks.
Seibert may be relieved of kickoff duties, as Dominic DiMaccio took over that job last year. DiMaccio finished second-to-last among qualified kickers in the Big Ten, however, with just 13.5% of kickoffs going for a touchback.
On kickoff return duties, Demario McCall is back, but after only having 1 return of greater than 30 yards last season. With the Buckeyes in search of their first kick-return touchdown since 2010, they may look to its talented receiving room for something different.
Overall: Better
It may sound blasphemous to say the country’s 7th-best total offense from 2020 can stand to improve while starting a new quarterback, but that really may be the case.
Ohio State is heads and shoulders above the talent of every other Big Ten team it will face. Its receivers have the potential for a home-run play on any snap, and the running back rotation will only improve as the season goes on.
It’s also worth noting that the Buckeyes’ defense will likely take a step back this season, decreasing the amount of potential blowouts and forcing a slightly higher output from the offense.
When you get close to the top, the only direction to go is down, but this Ohio State offense has the potential to carry the team one win further than it did in 2020.
Penn State grad Thomas Schlarp covers the Nittany Lions, Michigan State and other B1G trends for Saturday Tradition. Follow him on Twitter @TSchlarp.