It’s going to be a loud, long offseason in Columbus.
It was a long, loud offseason following the Buckeyes’ 2022 campaign, which closed on back-to-back losses to Michigan and in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Georgia, even if it put up a valiant effort in the latter game.
One can expect double that noise this offseason with Ohio State once again losing back-to-back games, this time with a not-so-valiant effort – at least offensively – in the Cotton Bowl to couple with another loss to the Wolverines.
For three straight seasons, Ryan Day’s program has failed to reach all three of its stated goals, which are to beat Michigan, win the Big Ten and win a national championship.
Day has been able to look in the mirror and address major deficiencies in the past, bringing in Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator to fix a unit that cost the Buckeyes in their two previous seasons. Knowles has taken the Silver Bullets and made them the nation’s No. 2 scoring and No. 3 total defense in two years.
But what lies ahead is an offseason that could determine Day’s future at Ohio State. There is a bevy of lingering quandaries that will need to be answered as the Buckeyes prepare to try and take back some program momentum in 2024.
The following five questions are the most pressing questions surrounding the Buckeyes as the new calendar year begins.
Who’s coming back?
NFL draft decisions await many of Ohio State’s top players in addition to any transfer portal movement emigrations that may occur in the coming weeks.
The Buckeyes have already gotten some answers on the NFL draft front. Cody Simon will be back for one final go-round in Columbus. Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover and Mike Hall will not be, and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Steele Chambers won’t in all likelihood either.
Jack Sawyer is “more than likely” coming back, which would be a huge boost as he may have been Ohio State’s best defender down the stretch of the season. He certainly was during his three-sack performance in the Cotton Bowl, and he didn't change his tune about leaning toward staying afterward.
Another big defensive draft decision awaits from cornerback Denzel Burke. One of the best corners in the country all year, Burke racked up 24 tackles with three tackles for loss, an interception and nine pass breakups. Burke already has a decision in mind and plans to announce Jan. 10.
That leaves star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, star running back TreVeyon Henderson, left guard Donovan Jackson, defensive linemen JT Tuimoloau, Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams and defensive backs Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom still undecided as it pertains to the NFL.
With the right collection of players, Ohio State’s defense could be dominant as it was for at least 12 games this season in 2024, perhaps more so. Egbuka, Henderson and Jackson would be huge boosts to an offense that will be trying to get its footing back.
What coaching staff changes does Ryan Day make?
Something’s gotta give.
When a team falls short of expectations multiple years in a row, it starts with the coaching staff. There are a few obvious areas Ohio State needs to evaluate in that regard, and Day said after the Cotton Bowl that he intends to do so.
In three seasons under full-time special teams coordinator Parker Fleming, the unit has not lived up to expectations. It continued to fall flat in the Cotton Bowl, with three special teams penalties and multiple unnecessary fair catches inside the 10-yard line.
Parting ways with Fleming would free up a full-time spot on Ohio State’s staff, one that could be used to promote graduate assistant James Laurinaitis, someone who Knowles said was important to keep around during bowl week prep.
Quarterback development wasn’t at its best for the Buckeyes in 2023, and that falls partially on Day but also on quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis. If OSU chooses to go in a different direction for its position coach, it could also hire someone with coordinating experience to help Day and current wide receivers coach/offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
There’s never been more of a demand on a head coach’s time than there is in modern-day college football. Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz discussed during the runup to the Cotton Bowl how he had to step back from playcalling this season and how that’s benefitted his team.
Day needs to embrace a CEO role, something he stated he'd try to do this season, but Hartline was never given the full keys to the offense. That drain on Day’s time seemed to backfire in a lackluster – to say the least – game plan for the Missouri matchup. A new quarterbacks coach who can scheme things up kills two birds with one stone for Ohio State.
The Buckeyes’ offensive line was strong under Justin Frye in 2022 but failed to meet expectations in 2023, gradually improving throughout the year before a total collapse in the Cotton Bowl. Frye hasn’t been a home-run hitter on the recruiting trail thus far either, signing just one offensive lineman ranked among the nation’s top 350 prospects in the 247Sports composite rankings for the 2024 class. That player is four-star interior offensive lineman Ian Moore, who ranks 137th nationally.
Justin Frye's coaching of the offensive line needs to be evaluated entering 2024.
The consideration with a position coach is always what hitting the reset button could do. Players become accustomed to a certain style of coaching and the threat of more entries into the draft or transfer portal than there otherwise would have been lingers. It forces the forging of new relationships on the recruiting trail as well, which usually take multiple years to develop.
Frye might have earned himself another year with Ohio State thanks to the 2022 offensive line, but his approach, at the very least, needs to be evaluated.
Ohio State’s support staff should also be evaluated. Strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti has been a longtime stalwart with the Buckeyes, but there are considerations to be had as to whether his approach is dated as physicality has lingered as a question for the Buckeyes.
Day knows his program better than any pundit, so it’s on him to determine what changes need to be made. But there needs to be an urgency to evaluate everything and ensure that he has the staff he needs to compete for championships.
What can Ohio State add through the transfer portal?
A blueblood like Ohio State always needs to be working to bring in the best talent it can to compete for jobs. That used to all or at least mostly happen through high school recruiting, but times have changed.
The Buckeyes added their first transfer on the offseason Sunday with former Ohio tight end Will Kacmarek, but that should be just the first of Ohio State’s moves.
Quarterback is the top spot that sticks out where Ohio State could add a transfer next. Ohio State didn’t get its chance to evaluate Devin Brown after he was injured in the first quarter against the Tigers. Based on the way its offensive line played in that game, it may not have mattered. But Will Howard appears to be a likely option to join the Buckeyes, who have been in contact with the former Kansas State signal-caller.
Given the offensive line’s performance, transfers to come in and bolster those position battles could be essential. The Buckeyes have tried to add help at linebacker, in the secondary and along the defensive line but have made no additions there as of yet.
Henderson’s decision will likely dictate OSU’s portal strategy at running back, but with only four on scholarship – two of them freshmen in James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon – should he return, some depth would be nice to have at the very least.
How will the Buckeyes’ quarterback play be?
Outside of perhaps the offensive line, a full breakdown of which already exists on Eleven Warriors, quarterback is the top positional concern in terms of personnel and development for Ohio State entering 2024.
Brown and Lincoln Kienholz remain question marks after combining for only 106 passing yards in the Cotton Bowl. Five-star freshman Air Noland is arriving in the spring, but expecting a first-year gunslinger to be the answer under center might be unreasonable.
Kyle McCord played solid but not to the level one expects from a Buckeye quarterback in 2023, completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns with six interceptions – including a game-changer in the first quarter of The Game – while averaging 9.1 yards per pass attempt before transferring to Syracuse.
It’s no secret that quarterback is the most important position in football. Expecting a player to reach the echelon of C.J. Stroud, Justin Fields or Dwayne Haskins might be asking a bit much, but with Day’s track record, he needs to find and develop someone who can be among the nation’s best.
Will Ohio State’s young prospects emerge?
Bowl games are usually a time for first- and second-year players to break out. There weren’t any impact performances from youngsters in the Cotton Bowl, save for a few fun reps at fullback for defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.
Freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate made his first career start and was picked to have a standout performance by teammates, but he only posted one catch for four yards with a drop as the passing game never got going.
Carnell Tate will be among the top youngsters that need to develop for Ohio State in 2024.
Freshman offensive tackle Luke Montgomery appeared as a sixth offensive lineman in Ohio State’s “Bison” package early in the season but his role diminished as the year went on.
Sophomore linebacker C.J. Hicks, a five-star recruit, was billed to be the next player to be “unleashed” by Knowles in the summer but never found so much as a rotational role in his second campaign. He played a few snaps in the Cotton Bowl but failed to make any noteworthy plays.
Another five-star sophomore in Sonny Styles started throughout the year for the Buckeyes, first at nickel and then at strong safety, but a few bad angles and coverage lapses down the stretch of the season bring into question what his best positional fit is for Ohio State as he enters his junior year.
Freshman tight end Jelani Thurman brings recruiting pedigree as the No. 3 tight end in his class and started the Cotton Bowl, but played only two snaps and didn't see much of the field generally in 2023, taking a redshirt.
At least two young five-star wide receivers are likely to find the field next year for OSU in rising sophomore Brandon Inniss and incoming freshman Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2024, but Ohio State could need a lot from them quickly after losing the likes of Harrison and multi-year starter Julian Fleming.
Let the noise commence.
