Stars matter, and Ohio State has as many as ever before.
In 2015, the Buckeyes had four five-star prospects on their roster, and they only had three five-stars on their 2016 team. Those numbers seem quaint nowadays.
Ohio State will enter the fall expected to tie its modern recruiting era record – that it set last season – with 13 one-time five-star recruits taking the field together. Three came in 2017, four were part of the 2018 class, three joined in 2019 and three enrolled early spring. To put them into perspective, the rest of the Big Ten combined signed 11 five-star prospects between the 2017 and 2020 classes, and a few are no longer in the conference.
All 13 of Ohio State's five-stars are expected to eventually get looked at as NFL players, and the vast majority have All-American potential – no, that's not hyperbole. But let's focus solely on what'll happen this fall.
From a Heisman Trophy candidate to a trio of freshmen, we're ranking the most important former five-stars to don Ohio State uniforms in 2020.
13. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 28 in 2020)
As long as he remains in the slot and Garrett Wilson plays the same position, Smith-Njigba's importance as a freshman in 2020 lessens. Mookie Cooper, Jaelen Gill and C.J. Saunders – should he get his sixth-year waiver approved by the NCAA – will be in the mix, as well. Because of the depth behind Wilson, Smith-Njigba doesn't have a ton of pressure on himself to produce immediately.
As soon as next season, he could turn into a starter in a loaded receiving corps. There's also a chance Smith-Njigba turns into a rotation piece for Brian Hartline in 2020, rendering this last-place ranking null – the joy of not having spring camp means predicting such things becomes notably more difficult.
But hey, someone has to be 13th.
12. Tyreke Johnson (No. 21 in 2018)
Through two seasons, Johnson hasn't seen the field too much for Ohio State. He played two defensive snaps as a freshman, taking a redshirt, then was in games for 57 plays as a second-year cornerback, recording three tackles in reserve duty. For a one-time five-star recruit from the same high school – Jacksonville's Trinity Christian Academy – as Shaun Wade, he's had a relatively quiet career thus far.
Johnson can change that in 2020, and Kerry Coombs surely wants him to now that he has to figure out how to replace Damon Arnette and Jeff Okudah. Cameron Brown and Sevyn Banks appear to have the edge to start at cornerback this fall, but now reunited with the coach who once recruited him, Johnson has a shot to make a push at an important position. Even if he doesn't start, it's unlikely he's anything below second-string on the depth chart, which would put him an injury or two from a significant role.
11. Paris Johnson Jr. (No. 9 in 2020)
Most five-star recruits have confidence, but Johnson takes it up a level. He has openly talked about wanting to start as a freshman, leaving for the NFL after three seasons and comparisons to Orlando Pace. And nobody's counting him out whatsoever, even in regard to his 2020 goal of turning into a Freshman All-American.
Johnson, however, remains an underdog to Nicholas Petit-Frere in the competition to start at right tackle, and not having spring camp damages his chances of pulling the upset. If he starts? Sure, he'd shoot up this list. But with Petit-Frere and Dawand Jones involved at right tackle, Johnson might be most likely to serve as a backup in Year 1.
10. Julian Fleming (No. 3 in 2020)
No one on the roster who signed with Ohio State out of high school was rated higher in their respective recruiting class than Fleming, who slotted in at No. 3 overall as the highest-ranked non-quarterback in 2020. Yet to maximize their potential this fall, they don't absolutely need Fleming to turn into a monster on the field as a freshman. Sure, it wouldn't hurt. But the presence of Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson and other underclassmen doesn't make it an outright necessity.
He might be more important to the Buckeyes than Smith-Njigba as a freshman, though, simply because outside receiver might not have as much depth as inside receiver – provided, of course, that Wilson remains in the slot. Beyond Olave, who has one spot on lock, Hartline has to figure out which three wideouts to rotate at X and Z wideout.
9. Baron Browning (No. 11 in 2017)
When Browning signed to play for Ohio State a little over three years ago, some viewed him as the next great linebacker to arrive in Columbus. However, as he gears up for his senior season, he still hasn't spent a year as a full-time starter yet. Browning split time with Tuf Borland at middle linebacker in both 2018 and 2019.
Now a senior, he says the plan is to move away from the middle in favor of strongside or weakside linebacker, where he might be able to play downhill more often with less in-play thought. Either way, Browning has a prime opportunity in front of him to lay claim to a starting job. He's got the talent. But with six other upperclassman linebackers, the competition will be stiff.
8. Nicholas Petit-Frere (No. 7 in 2018)
Another year, another position battle for Petit-Frere. Last offseason, he lost a competition to a fifth-year senior – Branden Bowen – who beat him out for the right tackle spot. This time, Petit-Frere is the elder statesman, with Johnson and Jones also in the mix. No longer on an 8,000-calorie diet just to crack the 300-pound mark, he has to prove he's the top option.
The only reason Petit-Frere isn't higher on this list? He's not a shoe-in to start. Johnson brings a level of physical readiness rarely seen in a freshman offensive lineman. Petit-Frere will enter preseason camp as the favorite to start at right tackle, but he has to prove himself to be the right pick for Greg Studrawa.
7. Taron Vincent (No. 20 in 2018)
Many viewed Vincent as a breakout candidate a year ago. Maybe they just picked him as a riser one season too soon. The 6-foot-2, 295-pounder sat out the entirety of the 2019 season due to a torn labrum in his shoulder that required him to wear a hefty sling for a while.
A redshirt sophomore, Vincent opened this year's spring camp as a limited participant, per Ohio State. By the time preseason practices begin, he should finally be cleared to go. When he gets back on the field, Vincent could challenge for a starting job. At the very least, it seems likely that he'd rotate at 3-technique with Haskell Garrett and possibly Jerron Cage. Among the defensive tackles, Vincent has the highest ceiling. Him climbing toward it would help make up for the offseason losses of DaVon Hamilton, Robert Landers and Jashon Cornell.
6. Harry Miller (No. 30 in 2019)
Partially because he wanted to become the valedictorian at Georgia's Buford High School, Miller didn't enroll in Ohio State until June. Not going through spring practices didn't hold him back as a freshman, though. Miller appeared in all but one game, taking 181 snaps, the most by any backup interior offensive lineman.
Since the Big Ten postponed spring camp until at least April 6, Miller likely will miss the majority of March and April practices for the second year in a row. But again, he'll try to avoid that from holding him back. He's expected to begin preseason practices running with the first-team offense at left guard, and he'll have to hold off Matthew Jones and Gavin Cupp for the spot. If Miller can provide stability at left guard, the Buckeyes would have a nasty interior line.
5. Zach Harrison (No. 12 in 2019)
Larry Johnson prefers not to put freshmen in difficult positions that could lead to failure early in their careers. Self-imposed rules evidently don't apply to Harrison, who played 284 snaps – the second-most among defensive ends behind Chase Young – and started in the Fiesta Bowl. He had 24 tackles and 3.5 sacks.
Not having Young around anymore means Ohio State needs a cadre of defensive ends to replace the all-around impact he made as the nation's most productive defensive player. Harrison, even only in his second season, will be an important piece of the response. Like Young and the Bosa brothers before, he has top-of-the-first-round potential. Remarkable athleticism that had him running a 4.47-second 40-yard dash in high school combined with the confidence Johnson showed in him make Harrison a candidate to take a major leap.
Can he reach Young's total of 10.5 sacks in Year 2 as a Buckeye? That should be the goal, even though it'll be difficult to do.
4. Wyatt Davis (No. 24 in 2017)
For the first half of the 2019 season, Davis might not have been the best guard on his own team. NFL-bound left guard Jonah Jackson played at an extremely high level. Yet in the second half, Davis made a legitimate case to be viewed as the best guard in college football. The first-team All-American will attempt to remove all doubt in the fall.
Anchoring a line that also returns center Josh Myers and left tackle Thayer Munford, Davis leads the way for an offensive line that should find itself in the mix for the Joe Moore Award. Protecting Justin Fields and paving the way for a yet-to-be-named first-year starter at running back, Davis has an important job ahead of him in 2020.
3. Garrett Wilson (No. 20 in 2019)
More than a few times as a freshman, Wilson flashed greatness, with the instance coming on a leaping, 22-yard snag against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. But he wasn't Fields' No. 1 option. He finished fourth on the team with 30 receptions for 432 yards and five touchdowns last season.
In Year 2, Wilson will suddenly become a starter – possibly in the slot – and should turn into one of Fields' top-two options, along with Olave. The Buckeyes are flush with talent at wide receiver, but much of it is still young. Though he's still an underclassman, Wilson showed signs in 2019 that he might have a ceiling possibly higher than anyone else's on the roster. In what's expected to be a high-powered offense again in the fall, Wilson has a chance to stand out.
2. Shaun Wade (No. 17 in 2017)
The only returning starter from a depleted secondary just happens to be a potential first-round NFL draft pick and All-American candidate. His final season in Columbus will be spent chasing those two goals, along with a national title, as Coombs builds his secondary around Wade.
With Chase Young gone and three starters to replace in the defensive backfield, Wade has turned into the second-most indispensable Buckeye.
So that means...
1. Justin Fields (No. 2 in 2018)
Couldn't have possibly been anybody else? Not a chance.
As long as Fields is on the roster, the Buckeyes will be squarely in the national championship picture. And as long as he's in Columbus, he'll be occupying No. 1 on this list.
