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Ohio State posted its lowest scoring average (30.5 points per game) since 2011 last season, but a new-look offense could make a major leap in 2024.
Brad Crawford of 247Sports ranked college football’s 10 “most explosive offensives” entering the new season. The analyst placed the Buckeyes atop the list following a busy offseason that saw Ryan Day add quarterback Will Howard and running back Quinshon Judkins through the transfer portal.
“The greatest show on grass? Not to hype this transfer-laden roster offensively too much during spring practice, but if Howard’s as good as advertised in the leadership role of a deep quarterback room and the two-headed monstrous backfield of Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson works out, the Buckeyes could be unstoppable,” Crawford wrote.
Howard comes to Columbus after accounting for 33 touchdowns at Kansas State last season. Judkins ran for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns during two seasons at Ole Miss.
Judkins will form a two-headed backfield monster with Henderson, who scored 11 times and averaged 5.9 per carry as a junior. While Marvin Harrison Jr. is NFL-bound, Howard will still have talented wide receivers in Emeka Egbuka and five-star recruit Jeremiah Smith.
Day also made a major staffing move by hiring Chip Kelly as his offensive coordinator. UCLA had exceeded 35 points per game in three straight seasons before settling for 26.5 last year.
Crawford ranked Oregon second with quarterback Dillon Gabriel transferring from Oklahoma to replace Bo Nix in Dan Lanning’s offense. Ole Miss, Liberty, and Texas round out the top five, and Ohio State fans might take extra satisfaction in Michigan not making the list.