Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
While one player can definitely have an impact on a game of football, there is power in numbers. As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. This will be especially true for Ohio State football this year since they’ll be introducing a bunch of new starters on both sides of the football. Even though some of the new starters saw action last year for the Buckeyes, this will be the first time they have been at the top of the depth chart at the college level.
Since today we are talking about the group over individuals, our question of the day is going to focus on position groups for the Buckeyes. Some are at the top of the college football world, such as the wide receivers who have the nation’s best receiver to go along with tremendous depth. There are other areas that have a lot of questions to answer this season. Two of those units that will have to prove themselves are the quarterbacks and the running backs, since Ohio State will essentially be starting from scratch at both positions after Will Howard, TreVeyon Henderson, and Quinshon Judkins were all selected in April’s NFL Draft.
Since we are making “Bold Predictions” this week at LGHL, today we are going to show which position group we have the most faith in heading into the 2025 season. What we want to know is what is your boldest prediction for an Ohio State position group? Maybe it’s a number of sacks for the defensive line, interception total for the defensive backs, or maybe you have faith in how many receptions the Buckeye tight ends will haul in this year. All we ask is that you don’t be boring with your prognostications.
Today’s question: What is your boldest prediction for an Ohio State position group?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: The Ohio State running backs will total over 2,000 yards rushing this season
Some are probably thinking this is an easy mark to hit, especially since J.K. Dobbins was able to do this by himself in a season. Think again. Last year, Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson barely cracked this number in 16 games, with the pair recording 2,076 yards in Ohio State’s championship season. James Peoples did add a little to the total, as he finished with 197 yards in limited mop-up action. The 2024 season total for the running backs was actually an improvement on what we saw from the Buckeye running backs in 2023, as the team as a whole ran for just over 1,800 yards in 13 games.
So why am I expecting the running backs to excel when Ohio State is going to have to replace Henderson and Judkins? There are a number of reasons I think we are in for a big season for the running backs. While Peoples will be in a starting role for the first time in his college career, he’ll be able to share carries with West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson, who has rushed for at least 526 yards in his first three college seasons, totaling over 700 yards as both a sophomore and a junior.
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
Despite the Buckeyes losing Josh Simmons, Seth McLaughlin, Donovan Jackson, and Josh Fryar from last year’s offensive line, they have an experienced group coming back. Carson Hinzman started at center in 2023 and replaced McLaughlin after he suffered an Achilles injury late in the regular season. Tegra Tshabola was a starter at guard last year, while Austin Siereveld saw playing time throughout the season. Then there is the mountain that is Ethan Onianwa, who Ohio State plucked from the transfer portal after Onianwa started his college career at Rice.
Even though the Buckeyes have established receiving targets in Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Max Klare, they will be breaking in a new starting quarterback. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Brian Hartline and Ryan Day go a little more run-heavy to try and take some of the pressure off of Julian Sayin. Plus, if the Buckeyes are able to hurt teams on the ground, it will open the passing attack for Smith, Tate, and the others. If this works out the way I envision it, the rest of the college football world is in big trouble this season.
Matt’s answer: The Ohio State offensive line will be a top-10 unit in the country
Now, I realize that Brett and I might be suggesting two incredibly sympatico predictions, therefore making neither of them particularly bold. However, given all of the agita over the Buckeye offensive line over the past few seasons, coming into a year with a new o-line coach, and a projected starting five featuring a transfer at left tackle, and four upperclassmen still trying to prove themselves to varying degrees, I am surprisingly confident about this unit.
Over the years, I have sounded the alarm about how underwhelming the OSU offensive line unit has been, not that it takes a football genius to have picked up on that. However, as the Buckeyes marched toward a national championship last season, the offensive line, under then-position coach Justin Frye, overcame devastating injuries to end up being an integral part in winning the national title.
While some of the bigger names from last year’s line are gone — Josh Simmons, Seth McLaughlin, Donovan Jackson, Josh Fryar — because two of those four had season-ending injuries last year, other guys were able to be thrown straight into the fire far sooner than they would have been otherwise.
That’s why guys like Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, and Austin Siereveld are riding some significant momentum into the fall. While Tegra Tshabola was essentially a starter for the vast majority of last season, his productivity and reliability faded as the season went on, but coming into Year 4 in the program and Year 2 as a starter, he has the opportunity to be a much-needed leader on the line.
Then you throw in Rice-transfer Ethan Onianwa, who was the No. 102 overall prospect in the transfer portal this season and No. 13 tackle. Onianwa is slotted into playing left tackle, tasked with protecting the new starting quarterback’s blindside, whether that is Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz. While he will be taking a step up in competition, going from the AAC to the B1G, he has experience and a ton of talent.
So, between Onianwa and the surprisingly battle-tested returning Buckeyes, we are going into a fall with an almost unheard of level of certainty amongst the starting o-line. Then, you have to factor in new position coach Tyler Bowen, who has years of NFL and Power Five coaching experience, and hit the ground running on the recruiting trail.
I know quantifiably judging offensive lines is nearly impossible with traditional counting stats, but when the Buckeyes make another run to a national championship, I think many people around the country will be surprised by how impactful this year’s hogmollies will be in that quest.