Having recently turned in my wishlist and biggest fears ahead of Ohio State's 2016 football season, today I embark on an exercise as old as the offseason itself – making feeble attempts to correctly peg which non-factors from the previous year will explode onto the scene this year.
Everyone has their own criteria for player eligibility to even be up for consideration as a bust out performer. For me, I'm looking at either redshirts from the previous year or else guys who were largely unseen positional reserves beyond any contributions on special teams.
Curtis Samuel is already too much of a known entity to qualify for this list though I do look forward to him finishing no less than third on the team in yards from scrimmage. Sam Hubbard is a guy who kind of straddles the eligibility line and since I already pegged him for 10+ sacks which would be a top-10 single-season in school history, we'll skip him for now and focus on four other guys who saw zero-to-limited action last year but I believe stand to become Buckeye-household names this fall.
DANTE BOOKER
Entering his junior season, Dante Booker is set to emerge from the shadow that was Joshua Perry's run as a three-year starter at outside linebacker.
Ohio's Mr. Football in 2013, Booker arrived in Columbus via Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary as the nation's No. 2 outside linebacker according to 24/7 Sports.
A special teams fixture over the last few seasons, Booker tallied 22 tackles in 2015 and saw extensive action in Ohio State's Black Saturday win over Penn State after Perry left the field with a flat tire.
Booker was maybe a little too hype for his extended duty versus the Nittany Lions but from my 11-inches worth of bench in the Shoe alongside Ramzy and Jason, I saw an incredibly fast, athletic kid flying around looking to make plays.
Booker's biggest fan might be stud middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan which makes me feel even better about my expectation for Booker to flirt with all-conference honors while finishing absolutely no worse than third and presumably second on the team in total tackles.
NOAH BROWN
An easy call on my season wishlist was for Noah Brown to be rewarded with a great season after everything he's been through since snapping his leg on a non-contact play during fall camp last August.
Though he didn't participate in spring drills Brown recently noted he's 90% recovered meaning he's running and cutting without hesitation and largely working to get his body and conditioning back to an elite level.
With three months to go before the season opener there's little reason to believe Brown can't pick up where he left off when he was widely considered by teammates to be the second-best receiving option behind Mike Thomas just nine months ago.
Brown's combo of size and speed should pair nicely with the host of speedsters dotting the H-back and wide receiver slots while providing J.T. Barrett a big target willing to make tough catches is crowded spaces.
I look forward to watching Brown lead Ohio State in receiving yards this fall.
TORRANCE GIBSON
This one could be the biggest reach of the list when you consider Gibson's rawness combined with the sheer number of bodies on the roster listed as wide receivers.
With Brown and fifth-year senior Corey Smith expected to see plenty of time, Gibson is part of an unproven slew of blue chips including Austin Mack, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin, K.J. Hill, among others, vying for playing time.
Mack has received unsolicited praise from Meyer in various media sessions which bodes well for him and Campbell was considered good enough to be a rotation guy back in 2014 before dropped passes and injury halted his emergence.
Though big spring game performances have proven in the past to be the kiss of death, Gibson's two touchdown performance showcasing a sneaky blend of size and speed did more than enough to finally land me on his bandwagon.
I'm not sure Gibson will see a ton of touches this fall but I foresee him making the most of them as Meyer and staff look for creative ways to get the football in his hands.
JAMARCO JONES
A top-10 offensive tackle prospect when he arrived in Columbus via Chicago, junior Jamarco Jones ran with the first team at left tackle all spring.
New offensive line coach Greg Studrawa spoke positively of Jones' work this spring and so has Taylor Decker, who served as Jamarco's mentor for the better part of the last two seasons.
With Pat Elflein and Billy Price serving as the only two returning starters up front, the largest hole on the line appears to be at left guard where true freshman Michael Jordan is battling Demetrius Knox and Matthew Burrell.
Behind that battle, Isaiah Prince owns the right tackle gig for now but with juco transfer Malcolm Pridgeon on the way, Prince's hold on that position could be precarious.
That leaves Jones as the lone new offensive line starter with a stranglehold on his spot. That may speak to the lack of depth but I'm taking the optimistic approach and saying it speaks more to the fact Jones was talented enough to start for a ton of teams last year but just not good enough to start ahead of guy taken with the 16th pick of last month's NFL Draft.
I look for Jones to be an anchor in the running game and competent enough to keep Barrett's blindside largely protected.
