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Jan. 30—COLUMBUS — Ohio State football won the 2024 national championship.
Now what?
Head coach Ryan Day’s next goal for the Buckeyes will be to do something none of his predecessors have: Win two in a row.
That will certainly not be easy for multiple reasons, but the biggest is attrition.
Unlike the last two times Ohio State won it all (2002 and ’14), the majority of the starting lineup will not be back next fall.
Day will also have at least one new assistant coach after the departure of Jim Knowles.
Here is a closer look at what the Buckeyes heading into 2025:
1. They will have to replace a majority of starters.
On offense, the Buckeyes will have two new starting tackles, a new No. 1 tight end, a new No. 1 running back, new quarterback and one new starting receiver.
On defense, seven starters graduated including all four linemen, two safeties, one cornerback and one linebacker, but there are some experienced players who got key time as reserves returning on both sides of the ball.
2. Some big names do return.
Receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate will be the headliners on offense.
Tate might be the No. 1 receiver at just about any other school in the Big Ten, but Smith is likely to be regarded as the top receiver in the nation after a fabulous freshman season in which he caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, safety Caleb Downs will be a frontrunner for national defensive player of the year honors after serving as the ultimate eraser on that side of the ball last season.
He will be joined by linebacker Sonny Styles, whose athleticism also makes him a versatile weapon, and cornerback Davison Igbinosun, who has proven to be a tough matchup when he can avoid penalties.
3. The lines will be question marks again.
Buckeyes bring back interior linemen Tegra Tshabola, Carson Hinzman,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-buckeyes-6-things-020900506.html
Author : Dayton Daily News, Ohio
Publish date : 2025-01-31 02:09:00
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