2020 tOSU Offense

[1926Buckeyes]

“The first thing we ask is ‘who are we?’" - Ryan Day


As Ohio State's 40-year-old head coach enters his second offseason in charge of the program, he faces the difficult task of replacing the best defender in the nation, two starting offensive linemen, three veteran receivers, and three-quarters of his starting secondary. Of course, Justin Fields returns at the quarterback position, so luckily all hope is not lost inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

But despite all those departures, the most difficult player to replace may be running back J.K. Dobbins, the school's new single-season record holder for rushing yards in a season and the cornerstone of the Buckeyes' offensive identity in 2019. While Fields blossomed as a pocket passer, it was Dobbins who carried the team down the stretch, racking up 714 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the team's final four contests, all of which came against opponents ranked in the top-20.

Of course, replacing talent like this is simply part of the job for coaches at every level but the professional one...

https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...suit-the-talents-of-master-teague-iii-in-2020

Great article detailing the changes needed for Teague to succeed next season. This will be the most interesting offensive development in the offseason. Do Day and Wilson change the run game to better fit Teague, or do they turn to Crowley? Personally I think Teague is really talented and worth changing the bread and butter play calls to fit him. He's not Dobbins, but his size and breakaway speed will be a serious threat all season.

We started the '05 season knowing what we had in Holmes and Gonzales as far as polished WR's.

(If I'm understanding the topic correctly)

Yeah forgot that one after Gonzo broke out late '04.

As a side note, I keep thinking about what Williams can add to this passing attack. The incoming freshman are fantastic, but I really think that his ability and development is the difference between being a really good and being a historic passing attack. He seems to be farther along than Ginn or Campbell were at this stage, but he still has some huge strides to make to being in the regular rotation. Really hope he makes them.

 

[Jagdaddy]

As a side note, I keep thinking about what Williams can add to this passing attack. The incoming freshman are fantastic, but I really think that his ability and development is the difference between being a really good and being a historic passing attack. He seems to be farther along than Ginn or Campbell were at this stage, but he still has some huge strides to make to being in the regular rotation. Really hope he makes them.

Having a guy who can be a consistent threat to take the three step drop quick pass and house it could be huge if we get him the ball on time and in the right spot. To me, priority 1,2, and 3 for Day this off season is getting Fields' mental processor up to a speed where he can be a Burrow-like distributor and render pass rushers largely irrelevant.

 

[ShowMeBuck]

Feeling VERY thankful we have so many key pieces to a solid O Line coming back. I feel that’s the strongest position group on the team and that’s not a bad group to say that about. Give me a great O Line and QB and that’s absolutely huge.

 

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[ScriptOhio]

How Will Ohio State Replace… RT Branden Bowen

Branden Bowen came to Ohio State from Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah where he was a 3-star offensive tackle prospect in the 2015 class.

He redshirted as a true freshman during the 2015 season, but played as a reserve and on special teams in 2016. As a redshirt sophomore in 2017, he won the starting right guard job and started the first six games before breaking his leg. Bowen missed the rest of the season and also missed the 2018 season due to complications and another surgery.

Fully healthy in 2019, Bowen won the starting right tackle job and played very well for the Buckeyes. He earned a Second-Team All-Big Ten nod from the conference coaches.

Bowen’s departure may be under the radar compared to some other names, but offensive line coach Greg Studrawa is now on the search for somebody who can provide the same measure of consistency on the field as Bowen did this past season.

The Candidates

The Buckeyes aren’t exactly awash in numbers, but the talent is there.

Nicholas Petit-Frere and Bowen battled for the right tackle spot in fall camp last year. After Bowen won the job, Petit-Frere spent the season as his backup, seeing action in nearly every game on the offensive line. He even started the Northwestern game at left tackle when Thayer Munford was out with an injury.

Another third-year possibility is Max Wray, who has yet to see any significant time on offense in his first two seasons. There are also a pair of 2019 freshmen to watch. Dawand Jones seemed like a sure bet to redshirt, but quickly impressed the coaching staff with his attitude and effort. Once it was decided that he wasn’t going to redshirt, he played in every game, seeing significant minutes on the offensive line against both Maryland and Rutgers.

Ryan Jacoby came to Ohio State as a tackle last year, but quickly moved to guard as a true freshman. That is probably where he will stay, but he has the size to be able to flex.

The Buckeyes have also added six freshmen offensive linemen, of which three probably project to tackle at this point. Paris Johnson is a 5-star prospect from Cincinnati who is ranked the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2020 recruiting class. He is big and mobile and has already enrolled. Grant Toutant and Trey Leroux are both 3-star prospects who have size. Leroux is already enrolled.

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/01/ohio-state-replace-branden-bowen/

 

[MGMT]

Part of me is truly curious about Jones developing footwork and taking over for the left tackle spot and just becoming a massive wall and NPF mans the right. Munford either out of moves to one of the vacant inside spots but I’m not sure the power to move people is there.

Wish we could get some details on Crowley’s injury (if we have I’m sorry) then we’d have a sense of whether he’ll be in camp but that’s absolutely crucial for him to push for carries and I think the talent is there to do it when Teague hasn’t shown quite enough to slide right in (imo).

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[ScriptOhio]

J.K. DOBBINS’ DEPARTURE, MARCUS CROWLEY’S INJURY OPENS DOOR FOR STEELE CHAMBERS TO CLIMB OHIO STATE’S RUNNING BACK DEPTH CHART THIS SPRING

Running back is one of Ohio State’s biggest positions of uncertainty entering this spring, but for Steele Chambers, that could open up an opportunity.

J.K. Dobbins is gone after entering the 2020 NFL draft. Master Teague is the frontrunner to replace Dobbins in the starting lineup, but given that Teague has never started a game, the Buckeyes will likely go back to a running back rotation next season. And other than Teague and Chambers, it’s uncertain which other scholarship players will be taking snaps at running back this spring.

Demario McCall could be in that mix, but it’s hard to know where he’ll factor in after he’s bounced back and forth between the running back and H-back positions for the past two years. Incoming freshman Miyan Williams won’t be on campus until summer.

Rising sophomore Marcus Crowley has been the popular early pick to potentially break out along with Teague in 2020. However, he’s coming off a knee injury, his arm was in a sling during the football team’s appearance at an Ohio State basketball game last week and Ohio State director of sports performance Mickey Marotti said last week that he's “not sure” whether Crowley will be able to practice this spring.

If Crowley isn’t ready to go, Chambers would likely open spring as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, giving him a big opportunity to prove he deserves playing time as a redshirt freshman.

Crowley started out ahead of Chambers on Ohio State’s depth chart last season, which is why he played in seven games and burned his redshirt, while Chambers played in only four to preserve his. But Crowley entered his freshman year with an advantage that Chambers did not: Spring practice, as Crowley was an early enrollee while Chambers arrived in the summer.

In an interview following the Big Ten Championship Game, Chambers acknowledged that he had some struggles getting up to speed in such a short time.

“There have been ups and downs,” Chambers told Eleven Warriors in December. “Just being a new freshman, just got there like a month before, having learned the playbook and just kind of being thrown into the fire.”

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...mbers-to-climb-ohio-states-running-back-depth

 

[ScriptOhio]

Buckeyes Didn’t Sign Jack Miller, CJ Stroud To Have One Transfer

Roughly 200 quarterbacks have transferred from FBS programs over the last two seasons, and the gamut runs from former 5-star recruits to walk-ons.

It is the rare program that has yet to be impacted by it.

Ohio State, of course, is not one of those rare programs.

Joe Burrow, Tate Martell, Matthew Baldwin, and Kory Curtis have all transferred out, while Justin Fields, Gunnar Hoak, and Jagger LaRoe have all transferred in.

There has always been transfers in college football — especially at quarterback, but the transfer portal has now made it easier and more player-friendly to transfer.

Coaches understand that generally only one quarterback is going to get enough snaps to be happy. And when the starting quarterback is an underclassman, that just means an extra year of two or waiting for the guys behind him. Not everybody has that kind of patience anymore, which is why the portal is so loaded up right now.

Because of the transfers of Martell and Baldwin, as well as the departure of Dwayne Haskins to the NFL, the Buckeyes entered 2019 with just two scholarship quarterbacks. They eventually added a third via the portal in former Kentucky quarterback Gunnar Hoak, but Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s ideal situation is to always have four scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

That plan is getting harder and harder to accomplish because of the transferring, but he managed to meet that goal for this coming season by signing two quarterbacks — Jack Miller and CJ Stroud — in the 2020 recruiting class.

Miller had been committed to Day and the Buckeyes while Urban Meyer was still the head coach. Chasing another quarterback like Stroud while Miller had been loyal for so long could have backfired, but for Day this has always been about improving the numbers.

There is also the thought that in today’s game you need as many quarterbacks as you can get because some of them are going to be transferring in a year or two.

According to Day, however, they don’t sign quarterbacks with the idea that they may transfer.

“No, what we tell them is that we expect them to be here and graduate. That’s what we expect, Day said. “In this day and age, I know that the transfer portal is in there, but that’s not even a conversation. That’s not even something we bring up. It’s about coming in here, competing, winning a job and getting your degree and going on to do great things. That’s it.

“Everybody knows they’re going to have to compete, and the only thing I can guarantee is that there’s going to be two or three other guys in the room, really good players — because they’re getting recruited by Ohio State — that they’re going to have to compete against.”

There are different levels of players signed every year. Some are signed with the coaches knowing they’ll be able to contribute from game one, and there are other players who are signed with the coaches knowing that there will need to be a year or two of development before the production starts coming.

But they don’t sign players expecting to lose them in a year or two. Instead, they work with each player, intending to develop them to the point where they can contribute and then become a starter.

“That’s the promise you make in recruiting — we’re going to do everything we can to develop you,” Day said. “And yeah, I think this offense is very quarterback friendly, and when you look at our history and the past, what we’ve done here, having Dwayne and seeing what Joe did and Justin being in New York City, I think it speaks for itself.

“I think it’s exciting, and not being able to have to start right away is a good thing. I think it’s good when you can get developed. Those guys will be enrolled in school, they’ll get going with Mick on the mat drills and everything else, and then before you know it we’re in spring ball and we go from there.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2020/01/buckeyes-jack-miller-cj-stroud-transfer/

 

[MGMT]

Super unfortunate to hear that about Crowley right now

 

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FOOTBALL: FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE BEGINS IN C.J. STROUD-JACK MILLER QUARTERBACK COMPETITION

There’s a quarterback battle afoot in Columbus –– just not at the top of the depth chart.

Justin Fields more or less had the starting spot locked up the day he chose to transfer from Georgia, and after a 51-touchdown season that earned him a Heisman Trophy finalist distinction, the key has long since been discarded.

But with two coveted freshman passers in C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller entering the program as early enrollees, the door has opened for the backup position –– and the driving seat for the future face of the Buckeyes.

“Our coaches here have done a great job of not making it a competition yet. But it is a competition,” Stroud said. “Me and Jack talk every day about the things we do. We compete against each other in the mat drills. It’s one of those things you get used to.”

With Fields likely playing just one more year before opting for a future as a top 5 draft pick, former Buckeye quarterback Matthew Baldwin could have had the keys to the car for the 2021 and ’22 seasons.

But after Baldwin transferred to TCU following the 2019 Spring Game, Miller –– a four-star prospect out of Arizona –– quickly climbed the theoretical ladder as the lone quarterback commit in Ohio State’s 2020 class.

For a long time, it stayed that way.

Miller committed to the program July 1, 2018, and nearly 18 months later –– up until Early Signing Day –– no other quarterback in the class had. Then, Stroud made things interesting.

There had been rumblings that the top 50 overall prospect and top 5 quarterback recruit would join the ranks in Columbus, and the Buckeyes offered Stroud a scholarship this past October. It was an offer that –– in the wake of the transfer portal era in college football –– the Buckeye staff mentioned to Miller first.

“I said, ‘No, you can offer whoever you want.’ I’m not that type of guy,” Miller said. “I mean, you bring in whoever you want, I’m gonna compete with them.”

The two weren’t complete strangers though. Miller and Stroud first met at the Opening and Elite 11 competitions in 2019.

But it didn’t become official until Stroud put pen to paper at Rancho Cucamonga High School in his native state of California Dec. 18.

In one fell swoop, Stroud gave Ohio State its first pair of four-star quarterbacks in the same recruiting class since 2002 –– when Justin Zwick and Troy Smith both joined the program.

That pair saw two national title appearances in their Buckeye tenures, and despite Zwick being a five-star prospect, it was the lower-rated Smith who ultimately won the starting spot –– and a Heisman Trophy –– by the end of his career.

It might have been nearly 20 years since two quarterbacks this talented entered as freshmen, but it’s far from the first contested quarterback competition for the Ohio State coaching staff.

In the past five seasons as a lower-level assistant, first-year quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis has seen Dwayne Haskins and Joe Burrow duke it out for playing time, and J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones as well.

“Sure it was a quarterback battle [between Haskins and Burrow], but even still to today, they’re best friends,” Dennis said. “So for it to sit there and be a malicious battle –– sure there’s gonna be a competition, but they’ve leaned on each other and that’s what we’re trying to build in that room.”

Stroud said he and Miller are already developing a similar relationship. He said the pair have gone out to eat several times, watched the Super Bowl together and described the relationship as being “like brothers.”

Entire article: https://www.thelantern.com/2020/02/...j-stroud-jack-miller-quarterback-competition/

 

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[ScriptOhio]

Next wave of Ohio State receivers have unique personalities, shared goals

The next wave of star receivers arrived en masse just about a week after the Buckeyes arrived back home from the devastating loss in College Football Playoff.

The pressure of great expectations arrived with them.

“It’s really exciting,” Julian Fleming, speaking Wednesday during his first Ohio State media availability, said. “You know there’s a lot of expectations with this class, especially at receiver. I’m hoping we could all live up to them.”

The Buckeyes are counting on them to start doing it early. And based on their reputations, there’s plenty of reasons to expect the Fab Four can do it.

Fleming, the country’s top-ranked receiver, is from Pennsylvania and picked the Buckeyes over Penn State. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, a fellow 5-star wideout from Texas, was the No. 5-ranked wideout and said no thanks to the Texas Longhorns when they tried to flip him from the Buckeyes in the middle of his record-breaking senior season. No. 10-ranked receiver Gee Scott told his home-state Huskies no when he bolted from Washington. Former Texas commitment Mookie Cooper, ranked No. 16 nationally and never had any interest in another school after Brian Hartline and Ohio State made him their top choice as the perfect slot/inside receiver to complement Fleming, Smith-Njigba and Scott.

Each of those players chose Ohio State knowing full well that they wouldn’t be The Man in the Buckeyes offense, though they certainly could’ve been if they’d stayed home. That’s not being ignored. These guys want the pressure. They want expectations and that’s precisely why they chose the Buckeyes.

“That’s definitely one of the first things we always talked about — I mean even before coming here, we told each other we wanted to be the best to ever come through as a unit,” Smith-Njigba, who moved up 300 spots in the national rankings in his final year at Rockwall High School, said. “We push each other. We all just push each other and we’re all just trying to be great, and this is the best program to be at to do that.”

Living up to those expectations means that the group has to succeed in a major way on and off the field in a position room that has been the heartbeat of the program year in and year out since Urban Meyer famously called it a “clown show” back in 2012. These receivers are, on paper, one of the best single position hauls in the modern era of college football recruiting. To become that on the field means embracing the struggles that come with leaving home for college, and doing that as one piece of a group that will likely have their Ohio State careers judged collectively, rather than individually.

That means success can’t happen doing it all alone.

With each day they spend together, the four very different personalities are learning about each other. They learn more and more how they will fit together between the lines and between their spare time.

“It’s just going to be crazy, it’s going to be fun,” Cooper said Wednesday. “Just knowing you got a bunch of guys, we all came in together, we all play different, but it’s just going to be fun knowing what we can do and how everything will play out.

“All our lockers are right by each other. We all talk before workouts, crack jokes. We’re all in group chats. … I feel like we’re going to have a good group.”

Entire article: https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state...de-receivers-buckeyes-football-signing-class/

This a great article too.