Eleven Warriors’ weekly stock report is back with the return of college football season.
As the sport got underway with some Week 0 action this past Saturday, Ohio State wrapped up its final scrimmage of the year and now enters game week preparations to face Indiana this weekend.
The first edition of this fall’s stock report features a few prognostications about the Buckeyes with observations from around the nation mixed in.
Stock Up
Sonny Styles
Sonny Styles has drawn the intrigue of Ohio State fans all offseason as to where he’ll factor into the defense, and it seems that defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has big plans for him out of the nickel – or “Strike” position, as he recently referred to it with Styles there – in 2023. Expectations are that he’ll make plays all over the field. No pressure.
Ohio State offensive line
Speaking of expectations, the confidence with which Ryan Day talks about this year’s offensive line has improved week after week. He referred to the team “turning around” and suddenly having “decent depth” along the line at his press conference Aug. 21, and named leaders in each of the position battles at left tackle (Josh Simmons), center (Carson Hinzman) and right tackle (Josh Fryar). He spoke in glowing terms about Simmons. If the front five is strong, the Buckeye offense shouldn’t have much trouble finding its footing this year.
Notre Dame offense
It may have been against Navy, but Notre Dame’s offense looked quite dynamic to open the season with veteran Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman at quarterback. Hartman posted back-to-back 3,700-yard seasons in his last two campaigns with the Demon Deacons – something no Fighting Irish quarterback has done since Jimmy Clausen in 2009 – and opened his Notre Dame career by going 19-for-23 with 251 yards and four touchdowns prior to exiting the game early. The Fighting Irish beat the Midshipmen, 42-3.
C.J. Stroud
Ohio State’s former two-year starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist turned No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft will start from the first game of his rookie season with the Houston Texans. Stroud had some shaky starts to open his first preseason but threw his first touchdown before exiting early against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
CJ7. QB1. pic.twitter.com/K60OmHOFQT
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 28, 2023
Player Compensation
With NIL fully ingrained into collegiate athletics and more money flowing through the sport via multibillion-dollar media deals than ever, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh began trumpeting that players should earn a cut of revenues at his press conference Monday.
Personal thoughts on the topic aside, it seems to be the direction that the sport is trending more and more lately. A lot of considerations – more than were made in the case of NIL –will have to be thought through to make it feasible, however.
Stock Down
Certainty at Quarterback
In case you’ve been resting your head under a geode the past few weeks, Ohio State’s quarterback battle looks likely to rage into the regular season. Day will hope a starter emerges sooner rather than later so that either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown can develop command of the huddle and chemistry with the team’s wideouts.
Veteran Backup Tackles
Ohio State freshman offensive tackle Luke Montgomery has been on the rise, with Day saying he will "play this year.” Montgomery has been the main person competing with Fryar for the right tackle spot per Day, but by the same token, Zen Michalski and Tegra Tshabola have been passed on the depth chart. The third- and second-year edge protectors, respectively, have gone from competing for the starting right tackle job in the spring to fringe second-teamers.
Coastal Allegiances
The Atlantic Coast Conference is looking more and more likely to have schools from the Pacific Coast among its member schools. A meeting between the league's presidents and chancellors to vote on the matter was postponed from Monday due to a shooting on North Carolina’s campus, but when the powers that be do convene Cal, Stanford and SMU are expected to be approved for admission into the conference.
Here's the latest on ACC expansion, with a decision looming on the additions of Stanford, Cal and SMU. Sources told ESPN there's continued momentum toward the additions, with a decision coming in the next few days. https://t.co/q0i6PGJOQt
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 28, 2023
The Offseason
This stock plummeted more than any other this week as it went to complete zero. College football is back. In case any of you missed the game of the week last week between Louisiana Tech and Florida International, catch up on a perfect fourth quarter to open your collegiate viewing season:
