Ohio State football: Which Draft-eligible players could return in 2021?

The Ohio State football program is in a position to lose several players before next season at key positions. These are the players that could leave that have chosen to stay next season.

2020 was an Ohio State football season to remember. Even though the Buckeyes didn’t close it out with a national championship, it’s a season we will never forget. A lot of players are left with a bad taste in their mouth though about that final game and want to do something about it.

There are several players who are draft eligible who have decided to pursue their dreams of playing in the NFL. Justin Fields, Chris Olave, Wyatt Davis, and Josh Myers are just a few of the non-seniors to make that decision. All of them stand to be high draft picks.

However, some players have decided to make another run at a title. My sources have told me that both starting defensive tackles, Haskell Garrett and Tommy Togiai, have decided to return next season. That’s huge news for a defensive line that was elite all season long. Defensive end Tyreke Smith is also staying.

It also sounds like Jeremy Ruckert is staying. Ruckert doesn’t have huge NFL prospects at the moment. It would make sense for him to return another year and try and get on some teams’ radar for next year’s Draft.

While I assume Shaun Wade will also declare, there’s no word on what he is going to do yet. He didn’t play up to expectations this season despite being named a First Team All-American. He has slid down most draft boards. I would be surprised if he came back, but you never know.

I would be surprised if Nicholas Petit-Frere isn’t back at Ohio State. He could declare for the draft but really hasn’t garnered any Draft buzz. I would expect him to come back and try and raise his stock to be a first or second-round pick.

Marcus Williamson is taking advantage of this year being a free year and will be back in 2021. Whether or not that is actually a good thing remains to be seen. We will see how much he can improve for next year.

These are all of the guys that I have heard about so far. Certainly, others could decide to return to have one more year as Ohio State football players too. We’ll keep you posted.