11W Season Kickoff Mailbag: Ohio State's Most Talented Wide Receiver, Early Playoff Seed Projections, Interim Head Coach

It's game week for Ohio State, so we're kicking it off with a season-opening mailbag. Let's get into it.

With Saban contracting COVID, who is OSU’s game day stand-in if the same were to happen to Ryan Day? — TNT

It’s absurd that this is a legitimate question that has to be asked, but welcome to 2020.

The answer, I imagine, has to be Kevin Wilson. He led a Big Ten program in the recent past, has worked side by side with Ryan Day for over three years and could continue to coach the offense while not interrupting the flow of the defensive coaching staff. He’d make a lot of sense in that role if Gene Smith and Day needed to make such a determination.

My personal wild card, though, is Kerry Coombs – even if I don't think he'd be the pick. And I have only one reason. I suspect he possesses some Interim Ed Orgeron Energy. If you want to win a single game and want your team as juiced as possible, Coombs might be the man for the job. He’s never been a head coach in college football before, so who knows whether he could sustain it. But I know no team would be more hyped than his in an interim situation.

Already some questions of course about wide receivers, and who in that group might break out, but specifically is there someone (Jameson Williams?) even faster than Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson who will emerge as a true deep threat? — Southbay

Oh, yeah. It’s Jameson Williams, to whom you referred. If you have some spare time, go have some fun by watching the Juiceman’s high school highlights if you’ve forgotten about what he can do with the ball in his hands. I also think several of the freshmen – including Julian Fleming – will be threats to reel in deep balls.

Do we play Alabama in the semis and Clemson in the finals, or Clemson in the semis and Alabama in the finals? — RollRedRoll

It’s never too early...

So, we have to approach this as if Ohio State, Clemson and Alabama are all three undefeated conference champions. Maybe an unbeaten Oklahoma State or zero-loss Oregon could make things interesting. But let’s imagine these three are the clear-cut top three seeds.

I think Clemson would be No. 1, Alabama would be No. 2 and Ohio State would be No. 3. The obvious caveat: We literally haven’t even seen the Buckeyes on the field yet, and the eye test could factor heavier than ever before into the opinions of the selection committee.

The Crimson Tide beating Georgia in the regular season, running the table in a 10-game regular season then winning the SEC title would likely be the best on-paper resume. But Clemson has looked like college football’s best team thus far and would have regular season wins against Notre Dame and Miami, along with an ACC championship. I’d give the Tigers a slight edge over Alabama. As of now, I’d predict an undefeated Ohio State team earns the third seed. It’ll have played fewer games and won't have played a clearly tougher schedule than either of the other teams.

But there's more than enough time for the Buckeyes to make their case.

Who will return punts and will they house one this year? — Goby

Matt Barnes listed several guys who’ve been taking reps as returners, including Garrett Wilson, Demario McCall, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave, Xavier Johnson and Cameron Martinez. My prediction: Wilson returns punts for the most part.

Does he get to the end zone? Recent history says no. But he showed enticing explosion as a returner last year. I’ll say Wilson returns one for six points this season.

What’s the Buckeyes’ biggest on-field (non-COVID protocol) weakness that could derail a championship run? — OSU_ALUM_05

Can my answer be as simple as Justin Fields’ health? Because if so, that’s what I’d go with. I know C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller have a higher ceiling than last year’s backup quarterbacks, but the dropoff from Fields to them remains stark.

To go with something not injury-related, I’d point to the entire defensive restructuring. I’m not sure there’s one thing that makes me think, “Oh, man, they’re definitely in trouble here.” But if you put everything together, your eyebrows should probably raise a bit.

The Buckeyes are replacing their Heisman Trophy finalist defensive end, their top three defensive tackles, one of their best two linebackers, two first-round cornerbacks and a multi-year starting safety. Oh, and their co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach left to go become Boston College’s head coach after one year.

So now Greg Mattison and first-time defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs are teaming up to replace a boatload of talent and create a defensive strategy heavy on personnel matching and versatility. If this season goes off the rails, defensive issues would be high on my list as the culprit.

Who do you see as our 3rd-down RB? — Keze

Trey Sermon.

I see him as being a more dangerous pass-catcher than Master Teague and someone who’ll see more action in the passing game. Now, could this be an area for a third back to earn some snaps? Perhaps. I just don’t know who’s a better fit than Sermon. This is the role many have wanted Demario McCall to have for years, but I’m just not seeing it as happening this fall.

Is this the year the tight ends break out? Or is there too much WR talent for the TEs to catch anything? — Urbane Meijer

Ha! I’ve watched too many years of Ohio State football to actually think this is the year.

That said, I think it would be a misuse of resources for the Buckeyes not to increase their tight end targets – even when accounting for the wide receiver talent. Jeremy Ruckert is too talented of a receiving tight end to average only one catch per game, which was the case last year. If he doesn’t have a notable uptick in targets, I would think the Buckeyes are wasting a talented offensive weapon.

Who do you think is the most talented player in the WR room? Not for just this year, but into the future. — OSU069

This is the equivalent of lining up a Bugatti, Mercedes Benz, Lamborghini, McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari on my street and telling me, “Pick the best.”

Hard to find a wrong answer.

If you were to ask specifically about this season, it’s clearly between Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Adding the future into the equation complicates it. I’d add Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba into the mix, but I’ve barely seen anything from those two beyond their high school film.

Either way, I guess it’s up to me to choose between last year’s leader in receiving yards and touchdowns (Olave), a former five-star prospect who could be in line to lead the team in catches (Wilson), the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the 2020 class (Fleming) and a five-star freshman who recorded 5,346 career receiving yards and 82 touchdowns in his Texas high school career (Smith-Njigba).

I’ll take a swing and go with Smith-Njigba as the most productive at Ohio State. He’s not the fastest or biggest among this quartet, but the guy just produces. I expect him to do more of the same for the next three years in Columbus. In terms of pure talent? I’ll go with Fleming. There’s a reason why he’s the third-highest-rated recruit to ever sign with the Buckeyes out of high school.

Who's your dark horse for having a big season? — NHBuckeye

Marcus Hooker.

He’s always been overshadowed by his older brother, Malik, and he was even under the radar when he signed given the presence of Josh Proctor, the highest-rated safety recruit in his class. Recent signs, though, point to him starting as the single-deep safety in Ohio State’s defense. As long as that’s the case when the season begins, Hooker will have a massive role in the Buckeyes’ defensive backfield despite being overlooked the prior two seasons.

I’ll name somebody almost completely off the radar, too: Dallas Gant. Given the presence of four senior linebackers, I’m not anticipating a breakout season. Heck, he won’t even start. But Gant consistently impressed me last year late in games, has the combination of speed and size that allows him to play all three linebacker positions, if needed.

Who starts at RB? — JakeStevensIsSwag

Master Sermon, of course.

In all honesty, I don’t think it matters much. I believe they’ll go with a 50-50 split in the opener, which Kevin Wilson predicted a couple of weeks ago. If you made me choose? I’ll say Master Teague gets the first snaps at running back simply due to his longevity in the program.

Is Zach Harrison the next Bosa/Young (production-wise)? What attributes are his strengths (for example, Joey was power, Nick was bend, Chase was everything)? Does he have any holes in his game that he has been working on this offseason? I'm very intrigued to watch him develop, especially being a local kid. — ANOTHERMICHIGANLOSS

To be clear, you’re not only asking whether Zach Harrison will be a stud in college. I think it’s important to mention what Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa and Chase Young did to clarify exactly what’s being asked. You’re asking if he can become an All-American and eventual top-five NFL draft pick.

With that in mind, yes, I legitimately believe Harrison is on that path right now.

He played more snaps than either Young or Nick Bosa did as true freshmen, recording 3.5 sacks, and ended the year starting a College Football Playoff game. Legendary defensive line coach Larry Johnson hasn’t done much to temper expectations, either. He said it was clear Harrison was different when he walked in the door as a freshman, and that hasn’t changed.

Nor have my expectations.

I think Harrison will become another double-digit sack artist for the Buckeyes before turning into a top-of-the-first-round selection. You ask about his No. 1 trait? It’s raw athleticism. He ran track in high school, clocking a 10.82-second 100-mater dash as a junior at Olentangy Orange, and has maintained those gifts that made him a five-star recruit. There are already legendary tales of him chasing down ball-carriers during Ohio State practices. We’ll soon get to see more of those wheels.

Harrison needs to continue to develop his toolbox of pass-rushing moves since his athleticism will only take him so far. I’d also like to see him get off the ball faster than he did last year. Young was otherworldly in that area, and Harrison should continue to make strides there.

What do you expect the production drop off to be when the 2nd-string DTs rotate in? Could Tommy Togiai be the most indispensable player on the defense? — Jestertcf

Some of that depends on the health of Taron Vincent and Haskell Garrett. We likely won’t know for sure whether or not they’ll play until Friday when Ohio State releases the status report.

If they’re good to go, I think the Buckeyes’ depth will be fine. They could have Tommy Togiai, Antwuan Jackson and Jerron Cage at nose tackle with Vincent, Garrett and Jaden McKenzie at 3-technique. They’d have a solid trio at both spots.

If either Vincent or Garrett – or both – can't go on Saturday, things would get a little bit hairier. Ohio State would likely have to shift Tyler Friday inside to play some snaps at 3-technique or insert true freshman Ty Hamilton into the three-deep lineup – or do both.

Even with those questions at defensive tackle, Togiai wouldn’t be my pick for the defense’s most indispensable player. Even without optimal depth, he’s not going to come close to playing every snap. My choice? Shaun Wade. He’s the No. 1 cornerback and, in my estimation, won’t come off the field much. The defensive backfield, given its turnover, will need him out there all the time.

In my opinion, this team has been facing championship elimination since August. With the abbreviated season, perfection is a necessity... I think the Buckeyes know this and intend to play like it. I fully expect to see 11 of the most complete and dominating Buckeye performances of all time (including Big Ten championship game, playoff, and national championship games). If the Buckeyes prepare and play each week like there's no tomorrow, who is a legitimate contender to keep them from winning it all? — BuckeyeInOrlando

Clemson.

Clemson’s the undisputed No. 1 answer until Ohio State topples the powerhouse built in the 2010s by Dabo Swinney.