• Returning top talent: The Buckeyes return many key contributors from their 2023 squad like Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau.
• Adding superstars: Ohio State added a couple superstars in the transfer portal in Alabama safety Caleb Downs and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins.
• Arguably the best recruiting class coming in: The Buckeyes bring in the No. 1 overall recruit in wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and the top quarterback recruit in Julian Sayin.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Michigan has dominated the Big Ten conference over the last few seasons, winning three straight conference titles, making three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances and capping off this season with the team's first national championship since 1997. Perhaps most importantly to fans of the maize and blue, they’ve beaten their arch-rival, Ohio State, three years in a row.
There’s an immense amount of pressure on OSU head coach Ryan Day to buck that trend this year, as another failure to Michigan could result in his termination. With the team he’s fielding next year, there’s a good chance he can finally get over that hump.
Returning most of their top talent
The first reason there should be unbridled optimism in Columbus is that many of Ohio State’s top prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft ended up returning to school.
Emeka Egbuka entered the season as my No. 2 wide receiver in college football, trailing only his teammate in Marvin Harrison Jr. While Harrison continued to shine, Egbuka dealt with a nagging ankle injury that forced him to miss three games. He’s still a smooth receiver with elite route-running chops. Over the last two seasons, his 86.1% open-target rate places him in the 95th percentile among receivers. He’ll be the veteran leader for a new group of Buckeye receivers next season.
Despite being projected as one of the top running backs in the draft, TreVeyon Henderson surprised many by returning for his senior season. He bounced back in a big way as a junior after an injury-riddled sophomore campaign. Henderson’s 89.9PFF rushing grade this year was a top-20 mark among Power Five running backs. He’s a home-run threat every time he touches the ball and is a very capable receiver, leading all Big Ten backs with a 73.6 PFF receiving grade this year.
Jack Sawyer was the only edge in the country with 85-plus PFF grades as both a pass-rusher and run-defender this year. He finished the season as the third-most valuable Power Five edge, behind only Bralen Trice and Laiatu Latu. His running-mate at edge defender, JT Tuimoloau, also returned for his senior season. Tuimoloau’s 69 pressures over the last two seasons rank fourth among Big Ten edge defenders. Tyleik Williams also returns along the defensive line and was second among Big Ten defensive tackles this year with 26 run-defense stops.
Denzel Burke is back to anchor the secondary and forced 10 incompletions this season, tied for 20th among Power Five corners.
Adding top talent
Not only is Ohio State returning many key contributors from this past season, but it’s also been one of the best programs in terms of the pieces it’s bringing in.
It starts with Alabama safety Caleb Downs, who might just be the best safety in college football. He was named a first-team All-American by us as just a true freshman, placing fourth among FBS safeties with an 88.9 PFF coverage grade this season.
While the Buckeyes already have one star running back in Henderson returning, they added another in Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins. He leads all Power Five running backs since 2022 in rushing yards (2,726), yards after contact (1,799) and forced missed tackles (151).
The new quarterback for Ohio State will likely be Will Howard, who transferred in from Kansas State. His PFF 78.4 grade this year was fifth among Big 12 signal-callers.
The Buckeyes also bring in arguably the best recruiting class of the 2024 cycle, adding both the top overall recruit (wide receiver Jeremiah Smith), the top quarterback (Alabama transfer Julian Sayin), and two other five-star recruits (edge defender Eddrick Houston and cornerback Aaron Scott Jr.).
While 2024 is a make-or-break year for Day, he built essentially as good of a team as he could’ve to not only win the Big Ten but potentially win it all.
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