At a football factory like Ohio State, everyone involved in the program from the support staff to the players to Urban Meyer face extreme pressure to deliver virtually every single day.
That reality is part of the draw to come to Columbus – to be involved in a program where everything matters and gameday or otherwise, someone is keeping score.
That said, the amount of pressure faced by each player obviously depends on the role and therefore expectations placed on each individual player. As such, it goes without saying J.T. Barrett enters the season with a tremendous amount of pressure to perform considering his experience, position, and a 2016 season that saw his effectiveness backslide for a host of reasons.
Who are some of the other guys Meyer desperately needs to live up to expectations for Ohio State to have a chance at returning to the College Football Playoffs? Here's a sampling:
ISAIAH PRINCE - RIGHT TACKLE (jr.)
Prince earned the starting right tackle gig last year as a true sophomore but proved to be the weakest link in the offensive line despite Ohio State being forced to start a true freshman (Michael Jordan, LG) up front for the first time since 1994.
Not only was Prince a liability, he seemed to regress as the season went on as the Buckeyes faced stiffer competition. It was clear by season's end, despite blather about the correction of his woes during bowl practices, Prince was in his own head, having so little confidence in himself that he nearly false started (not sure why he wasn't flagged more, tbh) on every obvious passing down in anticipation of getting beat off the edge.
With last year's struggle as a backdrop, the pressure is on Prince to figure it out in 2017 especially with Meyer's recurring concerns over a lack of depth across the line and the notion there's no clear-cut choice to line up alongside Prince at right guard.
It can't be understated how breakdowns up front contributed to Barrett's own regression in the footwork and accuracy department last year meaning a repeat of troubles off the right edge would most likely again become a huge hindrance in the Don't Get Blown Out By Clemson department.
On the bright side, Prince knows it's put up or shut up time, he'll have a full offseason under his belt to improve, and we must remember how bad Taylor Decker was in his first year as a starter only to become an NFL starter. I'm not saying that's the ceiling for Prince but at least we've seen a blueprint to improve.
DAMON ARNETTE - CORNERBACK (RS-SO.)
Arnette saw more time in the secondary than some expected last season as the fourth defensive back slotted behind Marshon Lattimore, Gareon Conley and Denzel Ward in the cornerback pecking order.
Unfortunately for Arnette, with so much talent around him, opposing offensive coordinators often preyed on what they saw as the safest guy to attack and that led to some unflattering moments for the then-redshirt-freshman.
With the departures of Lattimore and Conley, the staff has seemingly gone out of its way to tout the growth seen from Arnette and as of now he slots as the starting corner opposite Ward.
My belief is Ward will step up as a lockdown cover guy opposing teams will effort to avoid which could once again put a target on Arnette's back. Will he be up to the challenge after a rough 2016? That much remains to be seen but you have to like the noise coming out of spring drills and similar to Prince, at least there's a blueprint for success.
Don't forget, many a Buckeye fan wanted to see Conley stapled to bench after a rough 2014 season only to see him blow up into a potential 1st round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
If Arnette does falter, Kendall Sheffield will likely be there to pick up the pieces as the current third-corner but as long as Arnette stays in staff's top-three, he'll still see a ton of playing time so the pressure is on for him to make a leap similar to what we witnessed from Conley unless one of Shaun Wade, Jeffrey Okudah or Rodjay Burns take a giant leap forward.
PARRIS CAMPBELL - H-BACK (JR.)
A high school athlete / running back, Campbell arrived at Ohio State and moved to wide receiver which has yet to yield meaningful results despite Meyer gushing about Campbell more than the majority of the wideouts.
An underrated factor in the return game, Campbell never found his stride at wideout racking up 13 receptions (7th on team) for 121 yards (6th) as part of a wide receiver room absolutely starved for impact players.
This year, Campbell finds himself as the projected starter in the slot which I felt was a bit of an upset over a guy like Demario McCall or maybe even K.J. Hill but for now McCall is tabbed as Mike Weber's backup at tailback while Hill will likely line up at the H as well as out wide.
The time is now for Campbell. In his defense, trying to turn a guy into a wide receiver once he hits college isn't a layup and he's not the only example of this strategy falling flat in the Meyer era. As such, the slot could be a much more natural fit allowing him to get touches on designed runs and potentially shorter routes and/or routes where he won't be lined up against one of the opposition's top-two cover guys as he would normally encounter lining up out wide.
Knowing how much Meyer likes to feature the H and the amount of hype lobbed Campbell's way over the years, the pressure is on for the Akron SVSM product to finally produce at a level worthy of the talk about his potential.
CHRIS WORLEY - MIKE LINEBACKER (RS-SR.)
Outside linebacker Jerome Baker's evolution from backup to badass after Dante Booker went down with a season-ending injury stole some thunder from what I felt was a fine season turned in by fellow outside linebacker Chris Worley.
Worley seized the moment in his first year as a starter, performing admirably in both run support and pass coverage though his output wasn't as sexy as Baker's nor as talked about as Raekwon McMillan's final season in the middle in which he led the team with 102 stops, good for a full 19 more than 2nd place Baker.
So, from a past performance standpoint, there isn't necessarily more pressure for Worley to tackle and cover at a dramatically elevated level.
Instead, Worley makes this list because Meyer needs the converted outside backer to make the transition inside and become the guy the defense needs to make the calls, ensure his teammates are lined up correctly and generally anchor a unit with designs on again being one of the nation's best.
Can Worley stand up to the increase in physical rigor felt by a Mike compared to a Will linebacker? Will he seamlessly manage the leadership and strategy tasks that come with being the defense's field general? My guess is yes but there's no question the pressure will be on Worley to effectively shoulder increased responsibility.
DAMON WEBB - SAFETY (SR.)
In a secondary featuring Conley, Lattimore and Malik Hooker, then-junior Damon Webb battled inconsistency especially in pass coverage a season ago.
Picked on from time to time as opponents felt it safer to attack Webb than mess with the trio of studs making up the rest of the starting base secondary, Webb is now the elder statesman in the squad's last line of defense.
With Ohio State not only breaking in two new starting corners but also a safety alongside him, the pressure is on Webb to patch up the holes in his game and become a dependable guy especially early in the season as the new starters effort to find their footing.
If Webb were to falter, I suppose it's at least plausible Jordan Fuller and Erick Smith could push for his current spot but the more likely scenario could be Fuller and Smith rotating alongside the senior.
As such, Webb's game must evolve for this defense to have a shot at being great.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
I feel like Demetrius Knox probably should have been listed above considering Meyer currently has him slotted to be Ohio State's starting right guard but with Malcolm Pridgeon, Matt Burrell and even Wyatt Davis still in the mix, maybe the better option would've been to generically list "Right Guard" as a spot facing tremendous pressure.
Pridgeon was hyped as a guy with all the tools when he joined the program as a juco transfer last year but injury ended any chance of him making an immediate impact. Now, instead of hearing things like the staff maybe wanting to take it slow so they can ensure he's fully healed, we constantly hear how he's still learning the offense. That's a bit of a red flag since learning an offense is more mental than physical.
Burrell was called out by his own teammate as basically partying too much in his early days but now he's taking things more seriously. Davis won't be in Columbus until summer which could make it tough for him to be a factor this fall but he comes in with all the hype you want in an offensive lineman.
How things shake out at right guard, similar to the concerns at right tackle, will be crucial to the offense's overall success.
Finally, a non-player who should be feeling some pressure to perform is wide receivers coach Zach Smith. His vaunted #ZoneSicks has come up snake eyes enough that if not for his relation to Earle Bruce and status as a stud recruiter, it wouldn't have been a surprise to many fans if he was relieved of his duties after last season. Ohio State's offense desperately needs a few wideouts to take major steps forward this year under Smith's guidance.
