It’s often not the success of the stars that determines a team’s overall success, but how those players filling key roles that have some level of uncertainty step up to the stage and perform.
There isn’t a lot of uncertainty when it comes to Ohio State’s players in 2024. The Buckeyes have more proven assets than a billionaire’s investment portfolio, with great depth to boot, especially on the defensive end.
So searching for such pivotal players, ones who need to elevate their game to a certain level for Ohio State to achieve its goals in 2024, isn’t as easy of a task as it might sound. That is until one arrives at the same two question marks that plagued the Buckeyes in the 2023 offseason and on through their campaign – offensive line and quarterback.
Those two position groups accounted for three of the six selections on Eleven Warriors’ list of pivotal players who needed to step up for Ohio State last year, and this year it’s four of five. With a triple dip on the offensive line, it underscores just how vital that unit’s improvement will be to the success or failure of the Buckeyes to reach their goals this season. Let’s break it down.
Will Howard
There’s no position more pivotal to a football team’s success than quarterback, and while there’s plenty of knowns about the veteran Howard from his time at Kansas State, there’s plenty of unknown too.
After arriving to Columbus’ campus in the spring, Howard showed some issues with downfield accuracy as he developed comfort and knowledge of Ryan Day and Chip Kelly’s scheme.
“I feel like in the spring I was – at the beginning at least – drinking from a fire hose a little bit,” Howard said on Aug. 6. “Especially just with the way that the offense was installed. But I think that was good for me. Kind of learning how to go through a spring or through a couple of practices without really having any prior experience with an offense.”
Howard’s completion percentage in his final year, his best year, starting with the Wildcats was 61.3% and he averaged just 7.4 yards per pass attempt. Kyle McCord had 9.1 yards per attempt last year as the Buckeyes’ starter, for reference.
Yes, Howard’s weapons will be far superior to what he had in Manhattan with the likes of Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith, but he’ll also be facing better defenses and colder environments in the Big Ten. If he can handle pressure, stretch the field and showcase more pinpoint accuracy, it’ll only make his vaunted wide receivers harder to guard.
Perhaps the biggest priority will be taking care of the football. With the talent surrounding him and the high level of defense Ohio State should play, there’s nothing wrong with Howard being a game manager and picking his shots. He threw 10 interceptions with Kansas State last year, a number he will certainly look to cut down on.
Howard will provide an experienced hand, good leadership and rushing ability for Ohio State, but the more he elevates himself in other areas, the more he can elevate the offense.
“I think he's really worked extremely hard in the offseason; from the end of spring ball on April 13th to now, he's made great strides,” Kelly said on Thursday. “We gave him a plan over the summer to work on and he took it and ran with it. So where he is now is pretty impressive. And the one thing that you know he has is he has experience. He's been in the huddle. He's been in a huddle in a lot of games, he's been in a huddle in big games. So, you know, this isn't new to him. Columbus is new to him, but playing college football isn't new to him. So I think that experience really started to shine through here during camp. And excited to see where he goes with us.”
Donovan Jackson
Jackson was not issue A, B or C on Ohio State’s offensive line last year, behind which the Buckeyes saw their fewest yards per carry since 2004 with just 4.2. But the left guard didn’t play up to the standard he or the pundits expected.
After excelling on the Buckeyes’ 2022 front five, there were moments when Jackson excelled again in 2023 but also inconsistencies to be found, including on the offense’s final play against Michigan.
“The main things are working out in space, second-level mechanics and just straining on the back end of plays,” Jackson said in March. “I feel like those are the main areas that I definitely need to work on going back and watching every play of last year. There are a lot of things I did well, but well isn’t gonna get you far. You’ve gotta be great in those areas. That’s the fun thing about football, you’re never at a point where you’re like, ‘Hey, I’m good.’ Because you’re never ‘good.’ There’s always something you can improve on.”
Jackson finished the season with the offensive line’s third-best run-block rating on Pro Football Focus at 67.3, though he led in pass-block rating at 72.7. He surrendered four pressures at Notre Dame in Week 4.
This isn’t to say Jackson isn’t a great offensive lineman. He’s been first-team All-Big Ten each of the past two seasons for a reason. But if he can produce at that level consistently, it will go a long way toward fixing Ohio State’s offensive line woes.
Lathan Ransom
Ransom, a rather accomplished veteran for the Buckeyes at strong safety, is here for two reasons.
First, the senior is coming off a season-ending injury eight games into 2023, and while it seems his recovery has been smooth there’s always at least some concern when returning from such an ailment.
Second, the Buckeyes are thin at safety, especially at strong safety. Caleb Downs is a superstar alongside Ransom at free safety. Malik Hartford flashed as a freshman, so he should be a good backup, but he’s more of a free than a strong safety. And when it’s true freshman Jaylen McClain trending as the next man up behind those two, some concern lingers about where the position will be should Ransom or Downs go down.
If Ransom stays healthy and plays to the level he’s capable of, it shouldn’t be an issue.
Josh Fryar
A third-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and first-team by the media, Fryar looked like the best run blocker on Ohio State’s offensive line last year, and the PFF grades back that up as the right tackle led the team with a run-blocking grade of 76.
His deficiencies were in the area of pass blocking. It’s not that Fryar consistently got beat, but when he did, it was often major lapses that led to a sack. He gave up five on the year, mostly struggling against true speed rushers off the edge.
“I don’t think it was to my standard,” Fryar said of his 2023 season in March. “I thought I was thinking too much and not playing.”
Fryar made a concerted effort to slim down and gain more athleticism this offseason, and he was highlighted as one of 10 Iron Buckeyes by Ohio State’s strength and conditioning staff this offseason. Josh Simmons, the starter opposite Fryar at left tackle, took major strides in the second half of last season and has been stonewalling some of the Buckeyes’ top defensive ends in preseason camp. If Fryar can fix his issues blocking speed off the edge, it’s another step toward having the type of offensive line that can win a national championship.
Tegra Tshabola or Carson Hinzman
The right guard battle, the only position battle that seems open at this stage of camp, rounds out the list of players who need to elevate themselves for Ohio State’s success.
Tshabola and Hinzman’s duel completes an offensive line triple-dip. While it feels excessive, it goes to show how critical improvements along the front will be for the Buckeyes if they are to win it all in 2024 and how deep and talented they are at other positions.
At this stage of camp, it seems Tshabola has taken the lead in the contest, both because of his performance and because Hinzman has missed multiple practices with an illness that’s swept through the offensive line room.
“I think Tegra's really athletic and can really sink his hips, and he's long,” Kelly said. “He's really long, and when you can play long on the offensive line and keep defensive linemen away from people because of your length, that's a really big deal for us. We like offensive linemen that are big, because big people beat up little people. So we like Tegra a lot.”
Saturday's scrimmage should have provided Ohio State with more intel on who will win out at the spot. Then it can set in motion the building of chemistry for its most pivotal position group.
