While Ohio State's roster was full of talented players this past season, Pro Football Focus believes seven separated themselves from the pack.
On Friday, PFF named Marvin Harrison Jr., C.J. Stroud, Paris Johnson Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Tommy Eichenberg, Luke Wypler and Dawand Jones to its list of the top 101 players in college football in 2022. The Buckeyes had the second-most players mentioned behind only back-to-back national champions Georgia.
Harrison and Stroud led the way for Ohio State as the No. 6 player featured in the rankings. Harrison, labeled the "best receiver in the country" by Max Chadwick and Mitch Kaiser, was the top pass-catcher listed by PFF after a season in which he caught 77 passes for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns.
PFF's 2022 College 101:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 27, 2023
No. 6: Marvin Harrison Jr pic.twitter.com/4jDRzkqKFq
Meanwhile, Stroud's 3,688 passing yards, 41 touchdown passes and NCAA-best passer rating ranked him as the third-best quarterback at No. 7 overall behind Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams of USC (No. 1) and Bryce Young of Alabama (No. 5). According to PFF, Stroud solidified himself as one of the greatest signal-callers in Ohio State history with his performances this season, which was highlighted by a 348-yard, four-touchdown effort against Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
PFF's 2022 College 101:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 27, 2023
No. 7: C.J. Stroud pic.twitter.com/IWjm6KRbFK
Johnson and Egbuka were the next Buckeyes featured on the list and checked in at No. 47 and No. 50, respectively. Johnson was the cornerstone of Ohio State's offensive line this past season, allowing only two sacks and 14 quarterback pressures across 827 snaps at left tackle. At the same time, Egbuka's 77 catches, 1,263 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Buckeyes' second receiver placed him firmly within PFF's top 10 players at his position and allowed him to round out the top 50 best players in college football from the 2022 season.
Eichenberg (No. 63), Wypler (No. 83) and Jones (No. 86) were the final three Buckeyes mentioned in the rankings. In 2022, Eichenberg collected 120 tackles as "one of the best run-stopping linebackers in the country," according to his PFF grade across 13 games. Wypler and Jones also graded out well by PFF's standards, with the former ending the year as a top-five graded center and the latter as a top-10 tackle.
Four of the Buckeyes mentioned will be headed to the NFL next season, including Stroud, Johnson, Wypler and Jones. However, four will return to Ohio State for the 2023 season, with Harrison and Egbuka set to enter their third years with the program and Eichenberg coming back for a fifth year in the scarlet and gray.
