LGHL You’re Nuts: Who will be Ohio State football’s MVP this season?
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You’re Nuts: Who will be Ohio State football’s MVP this season?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Singling out just one player on a roster this stacked is tough. With veterans poised to be dominant playmakers on both sides of the ball, there are probably 16-20 guesses for MVP that one could make a case for.
I’ve said before, but it wouldn’t surprise me all that much if Will Howard were in Heisman contention at the end of the season, and not necessarily because he’s the best player on the team, but the weapons he has at his disposal are going to inflate his numbers.
TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins would both be excellent choices, particularly given the way Chip Kelly’s style of offense lends itself to their talent.
Defensively, there’s a whole buffet of guys you could choose from—Caleb Downs, Lathan Ransom, Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau. The list goes on and on.
Also, for what it’s worth, it’s a very good problem to have, this whole “Your guess is as good as mine” thing the Buckeyes have going on here.
But as for me and my house, we believe it’s Emeka Egbuka’s time to shine.
Egbuka spent last season plagued with injuries and living in the shadow of former WR1 Marvin Harrison Jr. With Marv off to the NFL, it’s Egbuka’s turn to step into the spotlight and become The Guy for the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-1 senior finished 2023 with 515 yards on 41 receptions, with four touchdowns, having missed three games due to an ankle injury. His numbers, while still good enough for third-team All-Big Ten honors, paled in comparison to his breakout 2022 season, where he logged 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns on 74 receptions.
Injuries and splitting his reps with a Heisman finalist weren’t the only thing that prevented Egbuka from reaching his full potential last year, though. While Kyle McCord was a solid quarterback (I truly don’t mean to knock him—we’re not Kyle McCord haters in this house), objectively, he wasn’t as mobile as Buckeye quarterbacks have historically been.
This was a problem in more ways than one, but ultimately, when plays broke down, he wasn’t great at scrambling to find someone open. This also meant there were fewer opportunities for those guys to create flashy plays downfield.
In 2022, however, we saw glimmers of Egbuka’s ability to read the play and get himself open for C.J. Stroud, creating opportunities for the Buckeyes and creating a name for himself in a big way.
Will Howard is no C.J. Stroud, but he is definitely more mobile than McCord was, so together, he and Egbuka should be able to make a little magic happen when the Buckeyes have to scramble.
Add to this the wide receiver’s ability to put up big numbers, just by the nature of their position, and Egbuka could have the best of both worlds when it’s time to choose the MVP: the kind of quantitative stats that will speak for themselves, plus those memorable moments that stick in people’s brains long after the season is over, a sort of qualitative factor. He sits in the sweet spot of that Venn Diagram if you will.
If Egbuka can stay healthy, take care of the routine plays he needs to, and then add some magic to a team already so full of magical talents you might mistake it for a Disney cruise, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when he’s named the MVP at the end of the year.
I really struggled with this one, because there are so many unknowns about this season that I could see this fall going in any number of different directions that I could see everyone from Will Howard to Jack Sawyer, from Caleb Downs to TreVeyon Henderson being the team’s MVP.
I think that’s part of the fun in a season where the expectations are so astronomically high that if the Buckeyes fall even a little bit short, it will spell doom and gloom for the entire fanbase. But when you look at this team, yes, there are a few relative weaknesses here and there (still have questions about the offensive line, can Will Howard be a national title-level QB, some depth concerns at various positions etc.), but overall, it’s tough to look at this roster and find a position group that doesn’t boast someone that could be the team’s MVP.
So, I am going to zig where you might expect me to zag. For obvious reasons, my pick isn’t going to throw up any eye-popping stats, but I think that if Ohio State is going to reach its goals this season, then Josh Simmons is going to need to have a banner year for the Buckeyes.
As mentioned above, the offensive line is one of the areas on the team that it would be fair to have some trepidation about. Clearly the least effective unit on the team last year, there has been some movement on the line this season with the addition of Seth McLaughlin at center and Tegra Tshabola starting at right guard (although it sounds like the position battle with last year’s center Carson Hinzman is still ongoing), but there have not been the dramatic positional improvements (either from guys coming in or guys choosing not to leave) that we have seen at other positions.
That is why I think that the offensive line has the opportunity to make a big statement this year. Simmons, Donovan Jackson, and Josh Fryar have a lot to prove as the returning starts in that unit. While no one is coming out and saying that this offensive line is going to be the best in the country, the vibe coming out of preseason camp has been cautiously positive. An illness raged through the room throughout camp, so there is still some uncertainty as to how everyone will fare on the field, but it feels to me as an outsider that the group has taken a giant step forward from where it was last year.
Aiding the o-line’s progress should be the arrival of Chip Kelly. Known as one of the best run-game schemers in the history of college football, I fully expect the new offensive coordinator and play-caller to pull the strings necessary to accentuate what this group of guys does best. And if he does — coupled with the individual offseason improvements — I think we could see a markedly improved unit.
If that’s the case, the Buckeyes will likely be running the ball more — and more effectively — than they have in recent years. Normally that would lead me to want to pick the starting running back as my MVP, but considering that there does not seem to be a single starting running back, it’s tough to pick Henderson or Quinshon Judkins. So, I look toward the offensive line.
When you couple a theoretically improved running game with the necessity to protect a quarterback less than a year into the OSU offense, I think the left tackle position could prove to be incredibly important for the team this year. Simmons started his Ohio State career on fairly rocky footing, but he made demonstrable strides over the course of the last season and I think proved to be the best guy on the line.
If he can keep that momentum moving, I think that because of his contributions to both the running and passing games, Josh Simmons could be an under-the-radar MVP for the Buckeyes this season.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Today’s Question: Who will be Ohio State’s MVP this season?
Jami’s Take: Emeka Egbuka, WR
Singling out just one player on a roster this stacked is tough. With veterans poised to be dominant playmakers on both sides of the ball, there are probably 16-20 guesses for MVP that one could make a case for.
I’ve said before, but it wouldn’t surprise me all that much if Will Howard were in Heisman contention at the end of the season, and not necessarily because he’s the best player on the team, but the weapons he has at his disposal are going to inflate his numbers.
TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins would both be excellent choices, particularly given the way Chip Kelly’s style of offense lends itself to their talent.
Defensively, there’s a whole buffet of guys you could choose from—Caleb Downs, Lathan Ransom, Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau. The list goes on and on.
Also, for what it’s worth, it’s a very good problem to have, this whole “Your guess is as good as mine” thing the Buckeyes have going on here.
But as for me and my house, we believe it’s Emeka Egbuka’s time to shine.
Egbuka spent last season plagued with injuries and living in the shadow of former WR1 Marvin Harrison Jr. With Marv off to the NFL, it’s Egbuka’s turn to step into the spotlight and become The Guy for the Buckeyes.
The 6-foot-1 senior finished 2023 with 515 yards on 41 receptions, with four touchdowns, having missed three games due to an ankle injury. His numbers, while still good enough for third-team All-Big Ten honors, paled in comparison to his breakout 2022 season, where he logged 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns on 74 receptions.
Injuries and splitting his reps with a Heisman finalist weren’t the only thing that prevented Egbuka from reaching his full potential last year, though. While Kyle McCord was a solid quarterback (I truly don’t mean to knock him—we’re not Kyle McCord haters in this house), objectively, he wasn’t as mobile as Buckeye quarterbacks have historically been.
This was a problem in more ways than one, but ultimately, when plays broke down, he wasn’t great at scrambling to find someone open. This also meant there were fewer opportunities for those guys to create flashy plays downfield.
In 2022, however, we saw glimmers of Egbuka’s ability to read the play and get himself open for C.J. Stroud, creating opportunities for the Buckeyes and creating a name for himself in a big way.
Will Howard is no C.J. Stroud, but he is definitely more mobile than McCord was, so together, he and Egbuka should be able to make a little magic happen when the Buckeyes have to scramble.
Add to this the wide receiver’s ability to put up big numbers, just by the nature of their position, and Egbuka could have the best of both worlds when it’s time to choose the MVP: the kind of quantitative stats that will speak for themselves, plus those memorable moments that stick in people’s brains long after the season is over, a sort of qualitative factor. He sits in the sweet spot of that Venn Diagram if you will.
If Egbuka can stay healthy, take care of the routine plays he needs to, and then add some magic to a team already so full of magical talents you might mistake it for a Disney cruise, it shouldn’t come as a surprise when he’s named the MVP at the end of the year.
Matt’s Take: Josh Simmons, LT
I really struggled with this one, because there are so many unknowns about this season that I could see this fall going in any number of different directions that I could see everyone from Will Howard to Jack Sawyer, from Caleb Downs to TreVeyon Henderson being the team’s MVP.
I think that’s part of the fun in a season where the expectations are so astronomically high that if the Buckeyes fall even a little bit short, it will spell doom and gloom for the entire fanbase. But when you look at this team, yes, there are a few relative weaknesses here and there (still have questions about the offensive line, can Will Howard be a national title-level QB, some depth concerns at various positions etc.), but overall, it’s tough to look at this roster and find a position group that doesn’t boast someone that could be the team’s MVP.
So, I am going to zig where you might expect me to zag. For obvious reasons, my pick isn’t going to throw up any eye-popping stats, but I think that if Ohio State is going to reach its goals this season, then Josh Simmons is going to need to have a banner year for the Buckeyes.
As mentioned above, the offensive line is one of the areas on the team that it would be fair to have some trepidation about. Clearly the least effective unit on the team last year, there has been some movement on the line this season with the addition of Seth McLaughlin at center and Tegra Tshabola starting at right guard (although it sounds like the position battle with last year’s center Carson Hinzman is still ongoing), but there have not been the dramatic positional improvements (either from guys coming in or guys choosing not to leave) that we have seen at other positions.
That is why I think that the offensive line has the opportunity to make a big statement this year. Simmons, Donovan Jackson, and Josh Fryar have a lot to prove as the returning starts in that unit. While no one is coming out and saying that this offensive line is going to be the best in the country, the vibe coming out of preseason camp has been cautiously positive. An illness raged through the room throughout camp, so there is still some uncertainty as to how everyone will fare on the field, but it feels to me as an outsider that the group has taken a giant step forward from where it was last year.
Aiding the o-line’s progress should be the arrival of Chip Kelly. Known as one of the best run-game schemers in the history of college football, I fully expect the new offensive coordinator and play-caller to pull the strings necessary to accentuate what this group of guys does best. And if he does — coupled with the individual offseason improvements — I think we could see a markedly improved unit.
If that’s the case, the Buckeyes will likely be running the ball more — and more effectively — than they have in recent years. Normally that would lead me to want to pick the starting running back as my MVP, but considering that there does not seem to be a single starting running back, it’s tough to pick Henderson or Quinshon Judkins. So, I look toward the offensive line.
When you couple a theoretically improved running game with the necessity to protect a quarterback less than a year into the OSU offense, I think the left tackle position could prove to be incredibly important for the team this year. Simmons started his Ohio State career on fairly rocky footing, but he made demonstrable strides over the course of the last season and I think proved to be the best guy on the line.
If he can keep that momentum moving, I think that because of his contributions to both the running and passing games, Josh Simmons could be an under-the-radar MVP for the Buckeyes this season.
Let us know who you are agreeing with:
Continue reading...
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