Ohio State football: The one surprise offensive player for 2023
The Ohio State football team will have some new faces when the 2023 season kicks off. Here is one surprise player on offense for 2023.
The Ohio State football team will be looking for some players to step up in 2023. The offense will need three new offensive linemen and a new quarterback. Younger players will need to have good spring and fall camps if they want to see game action next season. But there is one player on the offensive side of the ball that I have my eye on this spring.
Wide receiver Jayden Ballard is poised to have a breakout season in 2023. Ballard will be a third-year player in the program next season and has shown flashes of being the next man up at receiver. He saw playing time on special teams last season as that’s always an indication of younger players impressing in practice.
The former four-star, top-100 player from Massillon, Ohio caught eight passes for 155 yards and a touchdown in 2022. His biggest game was against Toledo where he helped fill in for an injured Jaxon Smith-Nijiba as he caught four passes for 114 yards and a 72-yard touchdown reception. Ballard has shown excellent speed, and he made a big impression on former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson last spring, via Eleven Warriors:
"“We really like the way Jayden Ballard’s come on, he’s had a nice offseason, he’s knocking on the door, starting to show flashes.”"
With JSN now gone to the NFL there’s more of an understanding when it comes to the receiver’s room. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka are slotted in as starters. Julian Fleming is still around and will be on the field. But it’s going to be hard for Ryan Day and Brian Hartline to keep a player with so much speed and potential off the field like Ballard.
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With Hartline moving up to offensive coordinator, the possibility of seeing more four-receiver sets are likely. If Ballard can put together back-to-back excellent springs, he should see a good amount of playing time in 2023. And when he gets his opportunity, I would expect him to take full advantage.