Ohio State football: The freshman who will make the biggest impact

The Ohio State football program has a great class of freshmen this year. Which of those players will make the biggest impact on the field this season?

Ryan Day has been recruiting at a ridiculous level since he became the head coach of the Ohio State football program. His classes have the highest-ranked in the Big Ten conference every year and just continue to get stronger. His 2021 class is no different.

The 2021 class has some great players in it. It’s one of the best classes in Ohio State football history. Which of the players from this very talented class will make the biggest impact on the team right away? There are two main candidates in my eyes, one on each side of the ball.

The first candidate is running back TreyVeon Henderson. The five-star running back is one of the most talented backs the Buckeyes have recruited in quite some time. I do believe he will eventually be the starting running back. He will get quite a few carries this season.

On the defensive side of the ball, that candidate is Jack Sawyer. The five-star defensive end from Pickerington has the opportunity to be the next great defensive end. We saw what he can do during the Spring Game. He has the chance to play a lot of snaps this season.

One freshman I didn’t mention is quarterback Kyle McCord. The reason I didn’t mention him is that while I believe he is the most talented of the three quarterbacks, I think C.J. Stroud will ultimately win the starting job this Fall. Therefore, he can’t make an impact if he’s on the bench.

So who will make the bigger impact this season, Henderson or Sawyer? In my opinion, I believe it will be Sawyer. Sawyer is so strong at the line of scrimmage that he can not only rush the passer but stop the run at the point of attack. He truly can do it all from that end position.

Sawyer may not start like Henderson could because Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith are ahead of him on the depth chart. But he will still get plenty of snaps and will be impactful in those snaps. He could have 8 or 9 sacks as a freshman.

All of these players should play well at various points in their Ohio State careers.