Ohio State May Need to Lean on Sophomores to Realize its Passing Potential in 2017

Noah Brown and Curtis Samuel's early departures for the NFL means an already uncertain wide receiver rotation became much more open in 2017. The situation might be even more dire in 2017 than it was last year.

Last year, Ohio State had to replace 92% of its total receiving production relative to the 59% that stands to leave at the moment. However, Ohio State's wide receiver production in 2016 lacked the presence of a Michael Thomas in 2015. The returning wide receivers do not extend much confidence to hopes of improving a receiving game that relied on an H-back (Samuel) to do the heavy lifting. Cynicism this year replaces the cautious optimism of last year.

If the depth chart to start 2017 simply resembles the one it fielded in 2016, minus the names that will leave, next year's football team may not realize Urban Meyer's decree the 2017 team will be a good passing team. A youth movement that relies on Ohio State's returning sophomores may be necessary if Ohio State's 2017 team will realize Urban Meyer's promise.

An all-sophomore starting receiver corp might be Ohio State's ceiling at the position. K.J. Hill, Austin Mack, and Binjimen Victor were arguably the brightest spots at receiver among those returning for 2017.

Hill, who redshirted his first year in 2015, leads all returning true receivers in production in 2016. His 18 catches for 262 yards with a lone touchdown against Bowling Green placed him 141 yards above Parris Campbell for fifth on the entire roster. 

The Arkansas native was not consistent for the much of the year. In fact, no receiver was in 2016. Yet, Hill showed flashes through an otherwise disappointing year for wide receivers that underscored suspicion about why he redshirted as a true freshman. His two-game span against Nebraska and Maryland, 10 catches for 128 yards that effectively served as half his output for the entire season, offer promises of what K.J. Hill can be in 2017 with even more opportunities.

Disappointment in output at a position on the football field makes younger players seem more desirable. Thus, fans may hope for big things in the coming offseason from Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor, true sophomores next year, that will lead them to supplant 2014 signees Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin on the depth chart.

Mack and Victor not only have an edge to them that comes with being younger players competing for playing time, they have a palpable size advantage as well. Austin Mack played behind Parris Campbell on the depth chart at the X-receiver position, though he is listed at 6-2 and 215 pounds to Campbell's 6-1 and 208 pounds. 

Victor's size advantage over Terry McLaurin at the Z-receiver position is more height than size. The lanky true freshman from Pompano Beach, Florida stands at 6-4 and 185 pounds relative to McLaurin's 6-0 and 204 pounds. Ohio State fans saw a glimpse of that in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson on his 21-yard completion. He also showed that promise against Maryland, which included his lone touchdown for the season.

Optimism for 2017 focuses on those sophomores-to-be forging a large path forward for Ohio State's receiver corp in 2017 even if there are other options.

Fans may not have much enthusiasm for Campbell or McLaurin but both will be four-year players who have earned the coaches' confidence elsewhere with solid play on special teams. Special teams performances do not neatly translate to success at an offensive or defensive position, but it leads to a higher level of trust among coaches for players that have been around longer and demonstrate their selflessness elsewhere.

Further, Campbell and McLaurin are not bad players even if their statistics through their careers do not bode well for the kind of breakout season in 2017 that Meyer promised for the passing game.

Johnnie Dixon, another highly recruited receiver prospect like Mack and Victor, should see enough action in 2017 as well. He's nominally K.J. Hill's backup at the third wide receiver position. He's not had the kind of production yet his recruiting rankings would suggest, catching just six passes for 26 yards in  2016. 

Nevertheless, Thomas did not have any warning signs of a breakout year in 2014. He took a redshirt in 2013, unrelated to any injury, after catching just three passes for 22 yards in 2012.

The biggest question mark might be Torrance Gibson. Gibson was a highly anticipated signee from the 2015 class that almost entirely redshirted. However, his 2016 season ended before it started with a non-football-related suspension. Gibson recently tweeted that he was flying from his Florida home to Ohio, ostensibly to return to school. However, his formal status with the program is still unclear.

We have yet to see Gibson play for Ohio State, but the former quarterback-turn-receiver has a 6-4 and 205-pound frame that is matched only by Binjimen Victor among the returning receivers who are credible threats for playing time.

At the moment, Ohio State is poised to sign just two wide receivers in 2017, Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey. Both will be highly-valued prospects from football factories at St. Thomas Aquinas and Bishop Gorman, respectively. However, both also suffered season-ending injuries in 2016. Trevon Grimes tore his ACL and Tyjon Lindsey tore his meniscus.

Of the two, Grimes might be the best candidate to see time as a true freshman. The five-star prospect has ideal size (6-3, 202 pounds) and prep bona fides that should translate well to an immediate impact. However, that depends on his rehabilitation in the off-season.

Last year's depletion of the receiver corp underscored 2016 would be a youth movement no matter what. It was, but results did not follow. The early exit of Noah Brown and departures of Corey Smith and Dontre Wilson do not mean next year's wide receiver corp must have a similar youth movement.

However, it might need one if Ohio State's receiver corp will realize Urban Meyer's promise that 2017's team will be a good passing team.