COLUMBUS, Ohio – We tend to use these terms casually, as Ohio State football continues to attract recruiting classes to rival any in the country.
Recruit # 1 in the 2022 class. # 1 running in 2021. Recipient # 1 in three consecutive classes and counting.
By entering the virtual time machine and jumping three years into the future, you gain a new perspective on what the Buckeyes have accomplished and where they are going.
Wednesday’s episode of Buckeye Talk (link below) explored the initial offensive and defensive lineup projected by the State of Ohio for the 2023 season. Qualified players include freshmen and sophomores and players we hope Buckeyes will sign for. 2022. In this case, this includes some players who have not yet committed themselves.
I gave my best guess about how things could happen, and Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means told me where they thought I was wrong. (More precisely, they pledged to come back in 2023 and make fun of me for any mistakes.)
Here are my 22 entries, along with their class designed at the beginning of the 2023 season:
Defense
DEFENSIVE END
• Jack Sawyer (Jr.)
• JT Tuimoloau (Jr.)
Sawyer has already been signed, sealed and handed over as one of the most important members of the 2021 freshman class. He could have a rotating role already this fall. Tuimoloau remains uncommitted and does not expect to make a decision until April. Adding it, however, could give the Buckeyes the best passing race in the country if both players developed as expected over the first few years.
DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT
• Mike Hall (Jr.)
• Tyleik Williams (Jr.)
In a freshman class with so many other talented candidates, Hall is the one who may be escaping a bit through the cracks in attention. That could change quickly, because the state of Ohio could benefit from your help as early as this fall. He should smoothly enter the lineage of the 3 techniques that recently passed from Jashon Cornell to Haskell Garrett.
The options are less plentiful on the nose, where Williams’ great body is a natural fit. If any of the young Buckeyes today can grow, there may be a path to a big role in a year or two. Not to mention the need for immediate help after Tommy Togiai left for the NFL.
DEFENDER
• Will: Gabe Powers (Soph.)
• Mike: Reid Carrico (Jr.)
• Sam: Kourt Williams (Jr.-RS)
Between the 2021 and ’22 classes, the Buckeyes are bringing in at least four of the top 100 linebackers, if current commits continue. Some seem stuck in their future positions. Carrico has the physicality and behavior of a middle linebacker. Powers’ ability to chase ball carriers from one sideline to another must follow Pete Werner’s model.
The big question is: what will be the attitude of the state of Ohio towards the only place of external linebacker in 2023? I’m not even sure if Williams will be a linebacker at that point. But I know that he was recruited with that hybrid future in mind and I know that one of his best assets will be his leadership, which Buckeye coaches are likely to want on the field as much as possible.
CORNERBACK
• Exterior: Jordan Hancock (Jr.), Jakailin Johnson (Jr.)
• Space: Cameron Martinez (Jr.-RS)
I decided that players like Lathan Ransom and Ryan Watts would return to Ohio State’s previous tradition of transferring their best cornerbacks to the NFL after three years. The shortened season for COVID-19, however, somewhat disrupts this trajectory. Both may still be around and arrested as initiators in 2023.
Regardless, this season is expected to present a beautiful collision between the cornerbacks that are already developing under Kerry Coombs and the best players in their path. Hancock and Johnson are the top 100 players who would be reaching true veteran status. We didn’t see much of Martinez in 2020, but his size and strength should fit well in the slot.
FREE SECURITY
• Jantzen Dunn (Jr.)
The state of Ohio needs someone to start reminding people of the 2019 version of Jordan Fuller – broad enough to cover just the back end, but reliable as a defender. Dunn has that potential, but security will also be a priority in the 2022 recruiting class.
Offense
QUARTERBACK
• Quinn Ewers (Soph.)
Who wins when you start gathering five-star defenders in every class? Well, not all five stars are created equal. Could this be strange if a return holder is not ready to move to the NFL when Ewers is ready to take over? Sure, but we have to assume that Ryan Day took this into account in mathematics.
RUNNING BACK
• TreVeyon Henderson (Jr.)
What is the basic expectation for Ohio State fans about what Henderson will be producing in his third year? Remember, JK Dobbins ran for more than 2,000 yards as a junior and in many years would have been a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. These are the patterns that Henderson begins to pursue, possibly this fall.
WIDE RECEIVER
• Julian Fleming (Sr.)
• Emeka Egbuka (Jr.)
• Caleb Burton (Soph.)
This assumes that Jaxon Smith-Njigba capitalizes on the starting momentum of last season and makes his leap into the NFL after Year 3, while Fleming does not. The participation of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in the offense probably prevents many other recipients from bursting in 2021, so that could mean a treaty of at least four years for someone as talented as Fleming.
If that projection continues, it would mean that the state of Ohio entered 2023 with a quarterback, running back and three recipients rated No. 1 in those positions in their respective recruiting classes. I’m not looking, but it has to be unprecedented. Even though Fleming has become a professional so far, Buckeyes have a long list of other elite targets to connect with.
TIGHT END
• Benji Gosnell (Soph.)
The state of Ohio will have older tight ends on the list at this time, like Sam Hart and Cade Stover. I think Gosnell may be the most complete option, though, and the one that most resembles what Luke Farrell has given the Buckeyes in recent seasons. This could again be a strong committee approach, and we have evidence that Day is willing to be creative with the number of tight ends he puts on the pitch.
OFFENSIVE LINE
• Left tackle: Zach Rice (Fr.-RS)
• Left guard: Donovan Jackson (Soph-RS.)
• Center: Luke Wypler (Jr.-RS)
• Right guard: Enokk Vimahi (Sr-RS)
• right tackle: Tegra Tschabola (Fr.-RS)
Nothing ever goes according to plan on the offensive line from here. Players like Dawand Jones and Harry Miller may still be in the cast thanks to the free year of eligibility related to COVID-19 in 2020. Tschabola could end up on guard depending on his growth and development and what the Buckeyes need in any given year.
The most difficult projection is left to face. Regardless of where he plays in 2021, we have no reason to believe that Paris Johnson Jr. has changed from a three-year path for professionals. Rice seems to be the best opportunity to face 2022 with the best chance of ending up in Columbus. Regardless, it appears that the 2023 response at any tackle location may not currently be on the list, which is why that position is a priority in the current OSU recruitment cycle.
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