Ohio State Football: Time for 2018 class to shine

For Ohio State football players getting significant playing time by year two is difficult.  That’s just life in an elite program.

Maybe it was the players who joined the Ohio State football team from the 2016 recruiting class sticking around longer than expected or the 2017 class being mostly hits, but most of the heralded players from the 2018 class have yet to make an impact as starters.

Chris Olave and Jeremy Ruckert are the exceptions.

This is not to say the players have not contributed.  Most have played well when they have seen the field, either as backups or on special teams.

That has to change for the upcoming season to be special. The stars of the 2018 class, especially those on defense, have to rise to their potential and stay healthy.

Here are the five players who will be needed most:

Tommy Togiai

The four-star has played a lot as the backup to Davon Hamilton and Robert Landers accumulating 26 tackles over the last two seasons.

Togiai now is the leader on the interior part of the defensive line.  With his size and power, Larry Johnson has the right man to clog up the middle and collapse the pocket.

Taron Vincent

The five-star defensive tackle missed last season due to injury.  If healthy, Vincent will push Haskell Garrett for the other interior spot.

At the very least, he needs to be a major part of Johnson’s rotation to keep everyone fresh.

Josh Proctor

Our last memory of Proctor was the hit he delivered on Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan to end the Big Ten Championship game.

That’s what everyone in Buckeye Nation wants to see this season.  An enforcer who punishes opponents while protecting the back-end of the defense.

Proctor has been patiently waiting his turn behind Jordan Fuller.  He’s primed for a huge breakout year.

Nicholas Petit-Frere

This offensive line has the very real possibility of becoming the best in college football.  If Petit-Frere becomes the right tackle everyone expects him to be, it will be the best.

The five-star out of Florida spent his freshman season in the weight room and last season as the backup to Branden Bowen.  He played in every game in 2019 and is ready to dominate.

These players from the 2018 recruiting class have to step up in order for the Buckeyes to make another run to the College Football Playoff. There is a very good chance they will.