Josh Dooley
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You’re Nuts: Unreasonable Expectations for individual Ohio State players
Josh Dooley 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/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Which Buckeyes are we extra bullish on?
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.
Well, it’s mid-May, which means that Ohio State football content is very hard to come by. As someone who is not a recruiting insider, May through July is my version of sad boy summer. Because I love the Buckeyes, but I can only do so many spring reviews or fall previews. And OSU adding preferred walk-ons doesn’t exactly get the creative juices flowing.
Fortunately, the powers that be here at LGHL come up with great theme weeks that bridge the gap until the season is really within reach. And for that I am thankful. If not for theme weeks, I might be trying to track down football players to discuss and write about their summer jobs and/or internships.
But then I think to myself: Is that even a thing anymore? Are guys out there landscaping or working in warehouses for $15-20/hr with all the NIL opportunities available? Yeah, probably not.
Now that we’ve covered my creative shortcomings, it’s time to point out that this week’s theme is Unreasonable Expectations — not to be confused with Bold Predictions. The difference being that Bold P’s tend to get a bit wild, a bit crazy. Like, I don’t know, predicting that Ohio State will score on both a kickoff and punt return in the same season... Who would ever be dumb enough to predict that!?
Unreasonable expectations are rooted a bit more in reality; what we’ve actually seen and/or heard. Like, what could theoretically happen but probably won’t. So using that as a framework, my unreasonable expectation is that Julian Sayin will outperform Will Howard and eventually be named OSU’s starting quarterback in 2024.
Here is my thought process, using the two things can be true rule... Twice: 1) Ryan Day pursued Howard this offseason, but he pursued Sayin first. 2) Howard is good, Sayin might be generational.
This is not a knock against Howard, with whom I believe the Buckeyes can win. But I think it’s fair to say that if Day had landed Sayin prior to latter’s commitment to Alabama, then Howard may not even be in Columbus right now. In that scenario, I believe that Ohio State’s QB room would have consisted of Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Sayin, and maybe a Tristan Gebbia type.
Sayin was and is viewed as an elite, possibly even generational talent. Day pursued him over Air Noland and would have been thrilled to have him in the fold well before Nick Saban’s retirement. The OSU coach also spoke very highly of Brown prior to last year’s Cotton Bowl, so there is an alternate reality in which those two (Sayin and Brown) are battling for the starting QB role.
There’s also the fact that Sayin has a different pedigree and likely a different set of tools than Howard. The former was QB1 in the 2024 recruiting class, while the latter was a three-star recruit and overall prospect 882 in 2020. Again, that is no knock against Howard, but the two QBs are just cut from a different cloth.
Howard’s performance thus far does not lead one to believe that he is the next Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, or C.J. Stroud. He fits more of the Josh Allen at Wyoming mold. And if he is only a marginal upgrade over Kyle McCord, well then Day is going to be left wanting more. More, as in a supremely talented pocket passer with an advanced feel for the game. That’s how Sayin has been described.
Here’s how I could see things playing out: Due to the possibility of playing 14, 15, 16 games, Day and Ohio State will want to find meaningful playing time for as many players as possible. Howard starts early, but Sayin looks great in a handful of second halves. Day decides to go with Sayin against Oregon, believing that the upside is higher with his freshman. It’s Sayin’s job from there on out, with Howard providing a good, proven, reliable backup option.
Sound unrealistic? How about unreasonable? With that failed zinger, I’ll pass it to you, Gene. And I promise to improve my theme week performance(s) as the summer progresses.
As a whole, I feel as though I’m very measured in my expectations of Ohio State this season. I recognize the Buckeyes should be incredibly talented across the board and will likely be competing with Oregon and others atop the Big Ten in 2024, but the shortcomings of the past several campaigns have been hesitant to crown them national title favorites just yet.
That being said, there are a number of players I have super high expectations for, whether that be the dynamic running back tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, a wide receiver room featuring a five-star freshman phenom in Jeremiah Smith, or a defensive backfield that brings back all of its top players while adding the nation’s top safety in Caleb Downs. All of these guys are going to have big years in Columbus, and it feels as though no expectation are too unreadable for that group.
Speaking about the secondary, a lot of the talk has been about the safety group, headlined by Downs and Lathan Ransom with Jordan Hancock at the nickel. At corner, Denzel Burke has been the primary focus, and the fast rising Jermaine Mathews Jr. has garnered a lot of hype for his strong play in a reserve role last season. This has left Davison Igbinosun as a bit of a forgotten man, despite returning as a starter, and he is the guy that I am choosing to have unrealistic expectations for.
Igbinosun came to Ohio State by way of Ole Miss ahead of the 2023 season. Named a Freshman All-American by College Football News with the Rebels in 2022, Iggy played in all 13 games and started 10 in his first collegiate campaign. He then took his talents to Columbus, where he started opposite Burke all last season. Igbinosun finished his first year with the Buckeyes ranking third on the team in tackles with 59 and third in pass breakups with five, behind only Burke and Josh Proctor.
Tackles aren’t always a stat that you want to see a cornerback racking up, as it likely means that are letting up the catch before making said tackle. However, while Igbinosun did have his issues in coverage at times, he was also one of the teams more willing and able tacklers in the defensive secondary. Iggy had his troubles with penalties as well, getting flagged six times throughout the year, but the 6-foot-2 DB’s physical style of play definitely helped him far more often than it hurt him.
Having played over 100 more snaps than any other player in the Ohio State secondary a year ago, I really like what Igbinosun brings to the table. He is a different type of player than many of the other guys in his unit, and his size and physicality gives him a great chance against any wide receiver lined up against him. The former No. 1 player out of New Jersey in the 2022 recruiting class is entering his third year, and those two full seasons of starting experience at a pair of high-level P5 programs will only make him better.
With Downs, Ransom, Hancock and Burke all drawing a ton of attention, Iggy is going to get a lot of chances to make some plays as opposing offenses look to avoid those other guys. It may not seem too unreasonable of an expectation, but Igbinonsun is going to be a big time player for Ohio State in 2024, and could play himself into a Day 2 or even late Day 1 NFL Draft pick with a productive campaign. The former transfer is still looking for his first career interception, and I believe he will get that and more this season on the back of a ton of experience and a loaded group around him.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley 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/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Which Buckeyes are we extra bullish on?
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.
This week’s topic: Unreasonable Expectations for individual Ohio State players
Josh’s Take
Well, it’s mid-May, which means that Ohio State football content is very hard to come by. As someone who is not a recruiting insider, May through July is my version of sad boy summer. Because I love the Buckeyes, but I can only do so many spring reviews or fall previews. And OSU adding preferred walk-ons doesn’t exactly get the creative juices flowing.
Fortunately, the powers that be here at LGHL come up with great theme weeks that bridge the gap until the season is really within reach. And for that I am thankful. If not for theme weeks, I might be trying to track down football players to discuss and write about their summer jobs and/or internships.
But then I think to myself: Is that even a thing anymore? Are guys out there landscaping or working in warehouses for $15-20/hr with all the NIL opportunities available? Yeah, probably not.
Now that we’ve covered my creative shortcomings, it’s time to point out that this week’s theme is Unreasonable Expectations — not to be confused with Bold Predictions. The difference being that Bold P’s tend to get a bit wild, a bit crazy. Like, I don’t know, predicting that Ohio State will score on both a kickoff and punt return in the same season... Who would ever be dumb enough to predict that!?
Unreasonable expectations are rooted a bit more in reality; what we’ve actually seen and/or heard. Like, what could theoretically happen but probably won’t. So using that as a framework, my unreasonable expectation is that Julian Sayin will outperform Will Howard and eventually be named OSU’s starting quarterback in 2024.
Here is my thought process, using the two things can be true rule... Twice: 1) Ryan Day pursued Howard this offseason, but he pursued Sayin first. 2) Howard is good, Sayin might be generational.
This is not a knock against Howard, with whom I believe the Buckeyes can win. But I think it’s fair to say that if Day had landed Sayin prior to latter’s commitment to Alabama, then Howard may not even be in Columbus right now. In that scenario, I believe that Ohio State’s QB room would have consisted of Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Sayin, and maybe a Tristan Gebbia type.
Sayin was and is viewed as an elite, possibly even generational talent. Day pursued him over Air Noland and would have been thrilled to have him in the fold well before Nick Saban’s retirement. The OSU coach also spoke very highly of Brown prior to last year’s Cotton Bowl, so there is an alternate reality in which those two (Sayin and Brown) are battling for the starting QB role.
There’s also the fact that Sayin has a different pedigree and likely a different set of tools than Howard. The former was QB1 in the 2024 recruiting class, while the latter was a three-star recruit and overall prospect 882 in 2020. Again, that is no knock against Howard, but the two QBs are just cut from a different cloth.
Howard’s performance thus far does not lead one to believe that he is the next Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, or C.J. Stroud. He fits more of the Josh Allen at Wyoming mold. And if he is only a marginal upgrade over Kyle McCord, well then Day is going to be left wanting more. More, as in a supremely talented pocket passer with an advanced feel for the game. That’s how Sayin has been described.
Here’s how I could see things playing out: Due to the possibility of playing 14, 15, 16 games, Day and Ohio State will want to find meaningful playing time for as many players as possible. Howard starts early, but Sayin looks great in a handful of second halves. Day decides to go with Sayin against Oregon, believing that the upside is higher with his freshman. It’s Sayin’s job from there on out, with Howard providing a good, proven, reliable backup option.
Sound unrealistic? How about unreasonable? With that failed zinger, I’ll pass it to you, Gene. And I promise to improve my theme week performance(s) as the summer progresses.
Gene’s Take
As a whole, I feel as though I’m very measured in my expectations of Ohio State this season. I recognize the Buckeyes should be incredibly talented across the board and will likely be competing with Oregon and others atop the Big Ten in 2024, but the shortcomings of the past several campaigns have been hesitant to crown them national title favorites just yet.
That being said, there are a number of players I have super high expectations for, whether that be the dynamic running back tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, a wide receiver room featuring a five-star freshman phenom in Jeremiah Smith, or a defensive backfield that brings back all of its top players while adding the nation’s top safety in Caleb Downs. All of these guys are going to have big years in Columbus, and it feels as though no expectation are too unreadable for that group.
Speaking about the secondary, a lot of the talk has been about the safety group, headlined by Downs and Lathan Ransom with Jordan Hancock at the nickel. At corner, Denzel Burke has been the primary focus, and the fast rising Jermaine Mathews Jr. has garnered a lot of hype for his strong play in a reserve role last season. This has left Davison Igbinosun as a bit of a forgotten man, despite returning as a starter, and he is the guy that I am choosing to have unrealistic expectations for.
Igbinosun came to Ohio State by way of Ole Miss ahead of the 2023 season. Named a Freshman All-American by College Football News with the Rebels in 2022, Iggy played in all 13 games and started 10 in his first collegiate campaign. He then took his talents to Columbus, where he started opposite Burke all last season. Igbinosun finished his first year with the Buckeyes ranking third on the team in tackles with 59 and third in pass breakups with five, behind only Burke and Josh Proctor.
Tackles aren’t always a stat that you want to see a cornerback racking up, as it likely means that are letting up the catch before making said tackle. However, while Igbinosun did have his issues in coverage at times, he was also one of the teams more willing and able tacklers in the defensive secondary. Iggy had his troubles with penalties as well, getting flagged six times throughout the year, but the 6-foot-2 DB’s physical style of play definitely helped him far more often than it hurt him.
Having played over 100 more snaps than any other player in the Ohio State secondary a year ago, I really like what Igbinosun brings to the table. He is a different type of player than many of the other guys in his unit, and his size and physicality gives him a great chance against any wide receiver lined up against him. The former No. 1 player out of New Jersey in the 2022 recruiting class is entering his third year, and those two full seasons of starting experience at a pair of high-level P5 programs will only make him better.
With Downs, Ransom, Hancock and Burke all drawing a ton of attention, Iggy is going to get a lot of chances to make some plays as opposing offenses look to avoid those other guys. It may not seem too unreasonable of an expectation, but Igbinonsun is going to be a big time player for Ohio State in 2024, and could play himself into a Day 2 or even late Day 1 NFL Draft pick with a productive campaign. The former transfer is still looking for his first career interception, and I believe he will get that and more this season on the back of a ton of experience and a loaded group around him.
Continue reading...