Michael Citro
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Power Rankings: Potential breakout stars at Ohio State’s spring game
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
These players could shine on Saturday and carry that momentum into the 2024 season.
With the annual Ohio State spring game now just days away, there is plenty of excitement building ahead of the 2024 college football season. There is always a lot of emphasis placed on new players during the spring, because the returning veterans are typically known commodities, and there are often limitations on the participation of returning stars to minimize exposure to injuries.
The new faces — the highly touted recruits and the veteran transfer portal additions — are therefore the ones who grab our attention this time of year. Which of the fresh-from-high-school players are making plays and working their way up the depth chart? Which transfer veterans are picking up the system quickly and getting a lot of time with the first team?
What follows is a group of players that are emerging as the potential breakout stars for this weekend’s spring game, and who might carry a big performance into the 2024 season this fall. Guys who are well established in the OSU starting lineup wouldn’t qualify for this list, and they likely won’t play a lot of snaps anyway, so here are the players who I think could make a splash...
While Carnell Tate was turning heads around this time a year ago, there was another prize recruit at wide receiver who arrived on the scene — Brandon Inniss, the No. 22-ranked overall player and the highest rated Ohio State recruit in 2023. Inniss only caught one pass in 2023, but it went for a 58-yard touchdown in the Buckeyes’ lopsided win at Purdue.
While Tate got his black stripe removed quickly and finished the 2023 season as Ohio State’s fifth-leading receiver, Inniss has as much, or more, talent and upside. It would be unsurprising if he has a big spring game, especially if he’s on the same team with Tate, Jeremiah Smith or Emeka Egbuka, who would likely draw the better coverage man from the defense.
This is maybe a stretch, as quarterback performances the last few iterations of the spring game have been more of the solid variety than spectacular. When you throw in that Howard is still learning the offense and has several inexperienced receivers, it seems he’d be an unlikely candidate to break out during the spring game.
And yet, that’s how I see him. This is a player who will have an opportunity to impress. If he does, that bodes well for Ohio State’s offense this fall. Howard should get a good number of snaps, so if he’s hitting his receivers, he’ll be in the running.
Not exactly one of the new guys, Styles is nevertheless a candidate to have a breakout performance on Saturday. Styles moving to linebacker can help him become a more instinctive player. With a more defined role, he can attack the ball or be used for specific roles that require less reading and reacting.
This is what I expect from Styles this season. I envision him being allowed to simplify his game, helping him make the kinds of plays that Darron Lee and Ryan Shazier made in the past at Ohio State. If Styles is fully (or even mostly) unleashed on Saturday, he could make enough splash plays to turn in a spring game MVP-type performance.
If so, I look for that to carry on into the fall as he gets more comfortable with how Jim Knowles is using him.
Reportedly spending time at multiple safety spots during spring practice, Downs is an intriguing player out of Alabama by way of the transfer portal. He’s a player who has already demonstrated his worth on the national stage in college football, and yet he’s barely getting started.
Downs is a player I expect to elevate the entire Ohio State defense in 2024. It would be unsurprising to me if the sophomore had a huge performance in the spring game or has a monster season this fall with the Buckeyes. One never knows exactly how these things will go, but a player with Downs’ ability and instincts is a player to keep an eye on.
It’s no surprise to see Smith’s name at the top of this list, is it? We’ve all been hearing his name since his arrival. Smith set a new record for getting his black helmet stripe removed, and videos of him in practice have been all over social media. He’s been making one-handed catches in the end zone and getting the better of much more experienced defensive backs during the spring.
At a position where it’s difficult for freshmen to make their mark among so much talent, Smith seems destined to get on the field early and often. There’s no better time to start making inroads in that direction than the spring game. The annual event has largely become a passing game showcase because of the number of players who are protected frong being hit.
Running backs tend not to make as big of an impact these days in the spring game, which means quarterbacks, receivers, and defensive players are the guys who tend to stand out.
I look for Smith to step up with a big spring game and to quickly earn a starting spot.
There are a lot of dark horse candidates. Any of the quarterbacks could qualify as a breakout star with a big performance, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Julian Sayin and fellow incoming freshman Air Noland.
James Peoples might get enough carries to qualify, even though running backs haven’t been able to have big performances in recent years due to no-tackling rules. I want to see Quinshon Judkins, but he’ll likely be on a low carries count on Saturday.
Defensive lineman Eddrick Houston and transfer tight end Will Kacmarek are a couple other players I’ll be tracking.
Who are you excited about watching on Saturday? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
These players could shine on Saturday and carry that momentum into the 2024 season.
With the annual Ohio State spring game now just days away, there is plenty of excitement building ahead of the 2024 college football season. There is always a lot of emphasis placed on new players during the spring, because the returning veterans are typically known commodities, and there are often limitations on the participation of returning stars to minimize exposure to injuries.
The new faces — the highly touted recruits and the veteran transfer portal additions — are therefore the ones who grab our attention this time of year. Which of the fresh-from-high-school players are making plays and working their way up the depth chart? Which transfer veterans are picking up the system quickly and getting a lot of time with the first team?
What follows is a group of players that are emerging as the potential breakout stars for this weekend’s spring game, and who might carry a big performance into the 2024 season this fall. Guys who are well established in the OSU starting lineup wouldn’t qualify for this list, and they likely won’t play a lot of snaps anyway, so here are the players who I think could make a splash...
5. Brandon Inniss
While Carnell Tate was turning heads around this time a year ago, there was another prize recruit at wide receiver who arrived on the scene — Brandon Inniss, the No. 22-ranked overall player and the highest rated Ohio State recruit in 2023. Inniss only caught one pass in 2023, but it went for a 58-yard touchdown in the Buckeyes’ lopsided win at Purdue.
While Tate got his black stripe removed quickly and finished the 2023 season as Ohio State’s fifth-leading receiver, Inniss has as much, or more, talent and upside. It would be unsurprising if he has a big spring game, especially if he’s on the same team with Tate, Jeremiah Smith or Emeka Egbuka, who would likely draw the better coverage man from the defense.
4. Will Howard
This is maybe a stretch, as quarterback performances the last few iterations of the spring game have been more of the solid variety than spectacular. When you throw in that Howard is still learning the offense and has several inexperienced receivers, it seems he’d be an unlikely candidate to break out during the spring game.
And yet, that’s how I see him. This is a player who will have an opportunity to impress. If he does, that bodes well for Ohio State’s offense this fall. Howard should get a good number of snaps, so if he’s hitting his receivers, he’ll be in the running.
3. Sonny Styles
Not exactly one of the new guys, Styles is nevertheless a candidate to have a breakout performance on Saturday. Styles moving to linebacker can help him become a more instinctive player. With a more defined role, he can attack the ball or be used for specific roles that require less reading and reacting.
This is what I expect from Styles this season. I envision him being allowed to simplify his game, helping him make the kinds of plays that Darron Lee and Ryan Shazier made in the past at Ohio State. If Styles is fully (or even mostly) unleashed on Saturday, he could make enough splash plays to turn in a spring game MVP-type performance.
If so, I look for that to carry on into the fall as he gets more comfortable with how Jim Knowles is using him.
2. Caleb Downs
Reportedly spending time at multiple safety spots during spring practice, Downs is an intriguing player out of Alabama by way of the transfer portal. He’s a player who has already demonstrated his worth on the national stage in college football, and yet he’s barely getting started.
Downs is a player I expect to elevate the entire Ohio State defense in 2024. It would be unsurprising to me if the sophomore had a huge performance in the spring game or has a monster season this fall with the Buckeyes. One never knows exactly how these things will go, but a player with Downs’ ability and instincts is a player to keep an eye on.
1. Jeremiah Smith
It’s no surprise to see Smith’s name at the top of this list, is it? We’ve all been hearing his name since his arrival. Smith set a new record for getting his black helmet stripe removed, and videos of him in practice have been all over social media. He’s been making one-handed catches in the end zone and getting the better of much more experienced defensive backs during the spring.
At a position where it’s difficult for freshmen to make their mark among so much talent, Smith seems destined to get on the field early and often. There’s no better time to start making inroads in that direction than the spring game. The annual event has largely become a passing game showcase because of the number of players who are protected frong being hit.
Running backs tend not to make as big of an impact these days in the spring game, which means quarterbacks, receivers, and defensive players are the guys who tend to stand out.
I look for Smith to step up with a big spring game and to quickly earn a starting spot.
There are a lot of dark horse candidates. Any of the quarterbacks could qualify as a breakout star with a big performance, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Julian Sayin and fellow incoming freshman Air Noland.
James Peoples might get enough carries to qualify, even though running backs haven’t been able to have big performances in recent years due to no-tackling rules. I want to see Quinshon Judkins, but he’ll likely be on a low carries count on Saturday.
Defensive lineman Eddrick Houston and transfer tight end Will Kacmarek are a couple other players I’ll be tracking.
Who are you excited about watching on Saturday? Let us know in the comments section below.
Continue reading...