The Ohio State football team is going all in this year. Buckeye fans are sick of losing to Michigan and not winning the Big Ten. It's been since 2020 that the Buckeyes have won a Big Ten championship. It's been since 2019 since the Buckeyes have beaten TTUN.
Ryan Day has reworked a lot of things this offseason. He's no longer calling the plays, he attacked the transfer portal in a way he hasn't before, and he got rid of some coaches. He's hoping that those changes will help change the fortune of the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2024.
Still, there are some players that will are going to determine how this season goes. There are three players in particular that will be the deciding factor on how far the Buckeyes are able to go. If they all play well, Ohio State can win a national championship. If they don't they might fail to even win the Big Ten.
The first player is the most obvious player on this list.
1. Will Howard
Quarterback play wasn't a strength for the Ohio State football team last year. Kyle McCord wasn't terrible, but he wasn't good either. He wasn't the biggest reason why the Buckeyes lost to TTUN, but he was a factor. He did throw two interceptions in the game.
Out goes McCord and in comes Will Howard. Howard comes in from Kansas State and has a wealth of experience. We've talked about Howard's accomplishments extensively, so I won't rehash it now. But he is the most important player for the Buckeyes in 2024.
If he gives any sort of upgrade at the quarterback position, the Buckeyes are a dangerous team. His mobility gives this offense a dimension that they didn't have with McCord. The read option is now something that is in play. Chip Kelly is gong to cook up a host of different running plays.
Howard is all in with the Buckeyes. He's talked about beating TTUN and that's this team's number-one goal. He's said all of the right things so far. We'll find out once Spring football starts next week whether or not Howard is going to be a big upgrade.
The next player on the list actually plays with Howard on the offensive side of the ball.
2. Josh Simmons
Ohio State went into the transfer portal in 2023 to help upgrade the offensive line. They came out with Josh Simmons, who was a transfer from San Diego State. Simmons then won the starting left tackle job and was the starter there all season.
Simmons wasn't very good in 2023. He had by far the most penalties of any Ohio State offensive lineman. He had multiple holding calls, including one that took a touchdown off the board. Yet, Day seems committed to keeping Simmons as the starter at left tackle this year.
Day thinks Simmons has all of the physical tools to protect Howard's blindside. Having all of the physical skills is fine, but can he actually play without committing penalties? Can he get to the second level on run plays? Is he going to significantly improve this offseason?
The offensive line is the most important total unit on this team. Right tackle is more of a pressing issue, but Simmons protects Howard's blindside. McCord's protection wasn't stellar last year from either tackle spot, but maybe Howard's mobility helps that a bit.
Simmons might have a short leash this year though. If he's not playing well, the Buckeyes might be forced to make a move and take him out. Despite not having much depth up front, Howard can't only be getting two seconds to decide where to throw the ball.
The final player on this list is also a new player the Ohio State football team got from the transfer portal.
3. Caleb Downs
One of the biggest gets for the Buckeyes in the transfer portal this offseason was getting Caleb Downs. The safety from Alabama transferred to Ohio State after Nick Saban decided to retire. Downs heavily considered the Buckeyes coming out of high school.
Now that he's with the Buckeyes, a secondary that was already nasty becomes even better. Adding Downs gives the Buckeyes the flexibility to move Sonny Styles to linebacker. Having both hard hitters on the field should make stopping the run a lot easier, which is something they struggled with against TTUN.
Downs is already an NFL-caliber safety. Having him roaming the secondary makes Ohio State one of the scariest secondaries in the country. They might have the best secondary of anyone, and it's certainly the one that's the best in the Big Ten. No one else comes close to comparing.
If Downs is able to come downhill and stop the run when teams are trying to bleed the clock, this defense reaches a whole new level. That was the real reason why the Buckeyes lost to TTUN last year. They couldn't stop them from running the ball on that final drive. It didn't give McCord and the offense enough time to score.
It's also not like Downs can't cover. His covering skills are strong too. Ohio State just doesn't need much help covering passes. They already have Lathan Ransom, Denzel Burke, and Davison Igbinosun back to help with that. He's just gravy.
These three players will decide the fate of the 2024 Ohio State football team. If they all play well, this team could be walking away with multiple trophies. If they don't, a new head coach might be leading the program in 2025.