Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.
Jeremiah Smith raised the bar for Ohio State freshmen with what he did on the field last year in his first season in the scarlet and gray. All Smith did was immediately step on the field for the Buckeyes and become one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the country. Now, Ohio State fans are trying to identify who could be the next Buckeye freshman to make an impact on the field like Smith was able to do.
With it being “Unreasonable Expectations” week here at LGHL, today we figured we’d look at the freshman who will be suiting up for Ohio State in the fall, and which one we have high hopes for. There are plenty of quality candidates who could make an immediate impact as Buckeyes, since head coach Ryan Day has put together a top-five recruiting class. Along with being loaded with new talent, with so many starters and contributors from last year’s title team having moved on to the NFL, there are plenty of roles up for grabs on this year’s team.
Today’s question: Which first-year Buckeye do you have unreasonable expectations for this season?
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: Riley Pettijohn
James Laurinaitis is making Ohio State linebackers great again. After the unit produced underwhelming results under former linebackers coaches Billy Davis and Al Washington, the former Buckeye linebacker has brought tremendous enthusiasm to the position. It also doesn’t hurt that Laurinaitis is in the conversation as one of the best linebackers in Ohio State history. Even though he has only been the team’s linebackers coach for one season, Laurinaitis was able to get the most out of Cody Simon, who was selected in April’s NFL Draft, along with helping Sonny Styles transition from safety to linebacker.
I feel like it’ll be a little easier to make an impact at linebacker as a freshman than elsewhere. With Styles returning as well as Arvell Reese, Riley Pettijohn will have a couple of dynamic linebackers ahead of him to learn from. Pettijohn arrived at Ohio State as an impressive prospect, ranking as one of the top linebackers in this year’s recruiting class. As a senior in high school in Texas, Pettijohn recorded 115 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. With the way that linebackers can get rotated into games, we could see Pettijohn’s snaps be limited this year, but the freshman is going full throttle when he is out on the field.
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I just feel like Pettijohn is going to be too good to keep off the field as a freshman. Iron sharpens iron. Pettijohn will be motivated by Styles, Reese, and fellow underclassman Peyton Pierce at linebacker, along with Laurinaitis as his position coach. Just by listening to Laurinaitis talk and hearing his passion for the game, I’m ready to run through walls for the former Buckeye linebacker. I can only imagine how much that is magnified for the players who are actually in meetings and practices with the two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
When it comes to a stat line, I have no idea what to expect from Pettijohn, especially since he says he is comfortable doing anything on the field, so it’s hard to know just how he’ll be utilized this year. What I am more confident about is that there will be a number of plays throughout the year that stun Buckeye Nation because they’ll fully realize just how special of a talent Pettijohn is. When it comes to an “unreasonable” expectation for Pettijohn, I’ll call my shot and say he makes college football’s Freshman All-American team this season.
Matt’s answer: Devin Sanchez
Devin Sanchez comes into his freshman season with all of the recruiting pedigree you want for a future Buckeye star. He was the No. 8 player nationally according to 247Sports Composite rankings, and the No. 1 corner in the country. For decades, Ohio State has considered itself the Best In America when it comes to defensive back play, so anytime someone of Sanchez’s pedigree arrives in Columbus, the expectations are exceedingly high.
And while expectations are high for Sanchez’s career in the scarlet and gray, as a true freshman, no one is expecting him to start from Day 1. However, that has not lessened my excitement for the corner’s rookie season. With Davison Igbinosun and Jeremaine Mathews Jr. slotted into the starting spots, Sanchez will start the reason in a backup, depth position. However, I expect him to see significant playing time, perhaps working himself into a starting spot later in the season.
I imagine that he will be paired up with redshirt freshman Aaron Scott as the second team CBs, perhaps with Scott being behind Igbinosun, given his extra year of collegiate experience. Given the expectation that the Buckeyes will be able to beat most teams fairly handily this season, despite all of the roster turnover since last season’ title, both Sanchez and Scott will likely get plenty of playing time, especially early in the season, to work themselves into a position where they can make significant contributions as the weather turns colder and the games get more important.
However, it’s not impossible that Sanchez could be called upon far earlier than that. We all suffered through Iggy’s issues with penalties in 2024, and while he cleaned them up for the postseason (until the national championship game), if that problem rears its ugly head again, there could be a situation where cornerback Tim Walton and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia decide to give one of the young guys some extra time alongside Mathews (who is a junior).
If that does happen, I would personally expect Sanchez to be the guy to get the first shot. Listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, the true freshman has all of the length, athleticism, and speed you want from that position. A track star in high school, he ran the 100-meter dash in 10.69 seconds.
While who knows how Patricia will modify his traditional schemes for the college game, during his time in the NFL, he relied heavily on press-man, where a guy of Sanchez’s physicality could thrive. The first-year Buckeye will likely start on the boundary side of the field, giving him the extra protection of the sideline to aid in his coverage. But with his size, he can be more physical on that side of the formation, making an instant impact.
The current Big Ten isn’t exactly known for employing pass-heavy offenses, so having elite depth at corner isn’t likely to be a game-breaker for the Buckeyes during the regular season, barring injury. However, with the expanded College Football Playoff, the speed and variety of offenses that Ohio State could play in the postseason have been greatly expanded.
So, it would behoove Patricia, Walton, and head coach Ryan Day to get young studs like Devin Sanchez ready to go early, should the need arise late. So, I expect Sanchez to not only have a solid first-year season, but for him to take those early opportunities and turn them into something substantive. I am expecting Sanchez to end the season as either an official starting cornerback, or at least someone who gets starting corner levels of snaps when the games are the most important. He is just too damn big, talented, and athletic not to end the season making major contributions to another OSU title run.