Ohio State Football: 2020 question marks for the Buckeyes

As the Ohio State football team looks to put finishing touches on its 2020 recruiting class, fans can now turn their attention to the 2020 season.

The Ohio State football team always has aspirations and goals to win the national championship. 2020 will be no different, even with the loss of some key contributors on offense and defense.

Chase Young, J.K. Dobbins, Jeffrey Okudah and others will be sorely missed. However, Justin Fields, Chris Olave and Shaun Wade will bring back a loaded team.

First, when we look at this Buckeye team there are several unknowns that will become more clear as spring and summer practices take shape.

The biggest question on offense is who steps up at running back. It will be impossible to replace Dobbins in just one year. Master Teague showed some promise early in the season but really struggled against top opponents.

The entire running backs room is largely untested and unproven which means we won’t know what to expect until we start seeing some of these kids in spring practice.

The other biggest question mark is on the defense. Young will leave a big hole, but Ohio State consistently produces top-notch defensive ends and between Jonathan Cooper and Zach Harrison, there are some promising talents waiting to step up.

The biggest question mark on defense is going to be the secondary. Wade is the only returning starter from a unit that was dominant this year. Even though he was very impressive this year, he will be moving from the slot position to an outside corner which could present some growing pains.

Behind him, there are a lot of questions and unknowns. Josh Proctor is expected to fill in at safety but he only recorded 13 tackles all season. He was largely held to a bench role except for garbage time and in situations where Jordan Fuller was not able to play.

The cornerbacks who need to step up are expected to be Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown. Both these players got some playing time throughout the season, but jumping from a backup role to a lock-down corner is a big step.

Much of Ohio State’s success this year will be based on how these positions are filled. Given Ryan Day’s success this year, and the track record Ohio State has in retooling, the Buckeyes have a very good chance of making the College Football Playoffs once again.