I know most of us are already looking to 2021, but I'm unbelievably excited about 2022 (Natty, anyone?). Here's a waaaay too early look at the year after next:
QB: Stroud vs Miller vs McCord. Surely between those three elite triggermen (who will all have at least two years of experience in Day's system) we will have an entrenched superstar starter. And if not, maybe Quinn Ewers shows that he's truly the best recruit in the nation and a generational talent as a true freshman. Hey, another tall lanky kid with golden locks won it all as a frosh a few years back.
WR: Wilson will have moved on, but the fab three of 2020 (Fleming, Smith-Njigba, Scott Jr.) should be flying high, bolstered by any veterans who choose to stay (e.g. Jameson Williams) and some contributions from newcomer elites Emeka Egbuka, Jayden Ballard, Marvin Harrison, or Caleb Burton. There is some serious superstar potential here.
RB: I'm salivating to see TreVeyon Henderson hit the field. I think he'll seize the starting job next year as a true freshman, and if Evan Pryor develops into the change-of-pace back we expect him to be, we may be looking at the top 1-2 thunder-lightning backfield duo in the country.
OL: On offense, OL is one of my biggest question marks. We will see who defects to the NFL, but Paris Johnson and Luke Wypler will be Juniors and Donovan Jackson and Ben Christman still Sophomores. Enokk Vimahi should still have eligibility following his mission. Harry Miller and Dawand Jones may also choose to return for their senior years to solidify their draft stock. A quorum of the above prospects would make for a solid base.
TE: No offense, but OSU never throws to the TE outside of random games. We'll be fine here.
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I'm a lot less optimistic about the defense, but there are some big names out there to look for...
DT: Honestly, I have no idea who will step up in the interior. We have some decently rated guys in Darrion Henry, Jacolbe Cowan, and Mike Hall coming in, but no superstars. Perhaps we'll have some developmental guys bloom later on in their careers as Garrett and Togiai did.
DE: I've been a little disappointed with our DE development this season, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited about Jack Sawyer coming in next year. We do have a bunch of kids getting some early-career experience (e.g. the two Hamiltons) and if Zach Harrison, Noah Potter, Tyler Friday, or Javontae Jean-Baptiste don't live up to their recruiting rankings, I could see them returning a la Jonathon Cooper to play a veteran's steady presence as seniors or super-seniors. Fingers are still crossed for J.T. Tuimoloau, who would be a monster get and completely change the perception of this DL.
LB: We don't have a whole lot of names in the linebacker pipeline, which worries me somewhat (I believe Reid Carrico was the only true LB in his recruiting class). I must say that Craig Young and Mitchell Melton's HS tapes are pretty eye-popping, though they're definitely developmental prospects. If Kourt Williams is as good as the coaching staff say he is, he may potentially bulk up to play OLB. I haven't heard Cody Simon's name much this year, but he is a top 100 recruit as well. Maybe the elite duo of Gabe Powers/CJ Hicks may rise to the occasion as true freshmen?
Safety: Ronnie Hickman and Bryson Shaw are both developmental prospects with some potential, while Lathan Ransom will still only be a junior. We'll also have Andre Turrentine, Denzel Burke, and Jantzen Dunn coming in 2021, though some may transition to cornerback. Honestly, we only need one or two to step up, and there is some potential here.
CB: Ironically, I think the CB room has a lot of optimism going forward. 2021 may still be a year too young. Nevertheless, Ryan Watts, Cam Martinez, and Lejond Cavazos will be juniors, while Jakailin Johnson and Jordan Hancock, two top 100 guys will be sophomores. I doubt that Jaheim Singletary or Jyaire Brown will be able to contribute as true freshmen, but Singletary is a Top 10 national player and we've seen those types of CBs contribute at OSU in the past.
I think this roster has national championship caliber potential. Thoughts?
