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Ohio State Football: Buckeye 2022 Midseason Awards

By Frank Teriaca

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads his team into Ohio Stadium prior to the NCAA football game against the Oregon Ducks in Columbus on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Oregon Ducks At Ohio State Buckeyes Football
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day leads his team into Ohio Stadium prior to the NCAA football game against the Oregon Ducks in Columbus on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021.Oregon Ducks At Ohio State Buckeyes Football /
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The Ohio State football team is midway through its 2022 campaign. It’s time to give out some mid-season awards for the Buckeyes.

Off to a perfect 6-0 start, the Ohio State football team was able to get a rest this weekend as they had their bye week. Ranking No. 2 in both the AP and Coaches Polls, Ryan Day and his staff have to be pleased with the start.

Now that we are halfway through the season, it would be a good time to reflect upon the first six games and give out some mid-season awards.

Biggest Surprise: Mike Hall, Defensive Tackle

We all thought that Mike Hall would get some reps in the defensive tackle rotation, and we heard that Hall was very impressive in fall camp. But nobody saw this coming from the second-year Buckeye from Streetsboro, Ohio.

With 4.5 sacks, Hall leads the team in that category. But it’s his overall dominance of stuffing the run game, clogging the middle of the line, and getting quarterback pressures that have some wondering if Hall is the second coming of Warren Sapp.

Most Improved Player: Luke Wypler, Center

Luke Wypler was a fine center a season ago. As a first-time starter, he went through some growing pains but really did a great job down the stretch of the 2021 season for the Buckeyes.

But this season, Wylper has taken his game to a new level. Being the vocal leader of the line, he has graded out very well in both run blocking and pass protection. Look for Wypler to be a finalist for the Dave Rimington Trophy awarded to the nation’s best center.

Best True Freshman: Dallan Hayden, Running back

Dallan Hayden has been excellent in his role as a spell back for the Buckeyes. With 52 carries for 250 yards and a score, Hayden is proving to be worthy of playing time for Ohio State.

His best game was against Michigan State where he had to handle the second-half load with TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams both out with injuries. He finished that game with 70 yards on 14 carries for a 5-yard per-rush average.

Tony Alford deserves a ton of credit for getting this true freshman ready to play this season after expected third back Evan Pryor went down in fall camp with a season-ending injury.

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