Ohio State Football: 2019 B1G media days officially ends erratic 2018 season

From the beginning of fall camp in August until the final game last season it was a roller coaster ride for the Ohio State football team.

The 2019 Big Ten media days are July 17 and 18 in Chicago.  With that in mind, has there ever been another year so turbulent for Ohio State than in 2018?

Last July Urban Meyer was preparing for his seventh season leading the Buckeyes program. The usual coaching-type issues were at hand, most notably how to replace three-time Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year J.T. Barrett.

Then the Zach Smith bombshell hit, followed by the media frenzy and ultimately Meyer’s three-game suspension.

I am not interested in dissecting the nonsense that followed the Smith story.  That is old news and serves no real purpose.

Following his return, Meyer oversaw an erratic season.  The offense, while dynamic behind Dwayne Haskins’ arm, struggled with consistency and running in short-yardage situations.

Now for the other side of the ball: The defense was arguably Ohio State’s worst in decades. Of course that was in large part due to the loss of Nick Bosa, but the cracks were there before his injury.

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Add in Meyer’s health issues and it is a miracle the team won the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl.

Then Urban steps down and Ryan Day is hired as the head man.

That would enough drama for one season, but it continued after the Rose Bowl with two words.  Transfer Portal. Justin Fields decides he wants to leave Georgia, enters the portal, selects Ohio State and is conveniently approved for immediate eligibility.

At the same time, two Ohio State quarterbacks, Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin, decide to leave the program for greener pastures.

Whew, that was quite a year. Time now to officially focus on the 2019 season which promises to be an exciting one..