Ohio State Football: Winter workouts signal the start of 2020 season

The 2020 Ohio State football team began winter workouts and the early enrollees now have their first true opportunity to begin to earn their place on the team.

In a post shared by the Ohio State social media team on Instagram and Twitter, Buckeye fans got their first look at early enrollees from the 2020 recruiting class.

Seeing players like Julian Fleming, C.J. Stroud and Paris Johnson Jr. (among others) lifting weights and warming up may not be as exciting as seeing the players in pads wearing Scarlet and Gray in Ohio Stadium. But it is an important part in building the strength of these young players and signifies the beginning of the 2020 season.

Each early enrollee from the 2020 class, which ranks fourth overall nationally according to 247 Sports, has a chance to put in the work that can make the difference come the week of The Game.

Of the 24 players in this year’s class, 13 arrived on the Ohio State campus two weeks ago for the spring semester. Here is a list of those players in order of ranking by 247 Sports:

• WR Julian Fleming
• OT Paris Johnson Jr. 
• WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
• WR Gee Scott Jr.
• WR Mookie Cooper
• QB C.J. Stroud
• C Luke Wypler
• OLB Kourt Williams
• DT Jacolbe Cowan
• DT Darrion Henry
• CB Ryan Watts
• S Lejond Cavazos
• QB Jack Miller

Ryan Day showed that he is already one of the best coaches in college football, and with a full calendar year under his belt he will be even better prepared for the off-season this time around. Last year, he dealt with the doubt of whether he could replace Urban Meyer.

Now that he has proven himself as an able coach, he brings in a recruiting class that is more of his own than the 2019 class.

With winter workouts underway, Assistant AD for Football Sports Performance (aka strength coach) Mickey Marotti will lead the charge of building this team into a group which can beat any team in the country.

The 2019 Ohio State football team showed their tenacity by battling to 13 wins and a Big Ten championship. But the close loss to Clemson is one that will be used for motivation in the weight room and every workout that follows from now until kickoff against Bowling Green on September 5th.