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The Ohio State football player with the most pressure this season

While every Ohio State football player will feel the pressure this season, this one will have the most on him.

By Ryan Stano

Sept. 9, 2023; Columbus, Oh., USA; (l-r) Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Josh Simmons (71) ,Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Zen Michalski (65), Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Matthew Jones (55) warm up before Saturday's NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Youngstown State Penguins at Ohio Stadium.
Sept. 9, 2023; Columbus, Oh., USA; (l-r) Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Josh Simmons (71) ,Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Zen Michalski (65), Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Matthew Jones (55) warm up before Saturday's NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Youngstown State Penguins at Ohio Stadium. / Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch
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2024 is going to be a big season for the Ohio State football program. In the last three seasons, they have lost to Michigan and have failed to win the Big Ten. They also haven't won a College Football Playoff game. Ryan Day is facing some intense heat now that a new athletic director is in place.

The entire Ohio State football team is facing a lot of pressure. That's what happens when you load up a roster in preparation for a national championship run. That's what this roster is built to do. Anything less than that will be considered a failure for Buckeye fans.

While every Buckeye is facing a lot of pressure this season, none is facing more pressure than left tackle Josh Simmons. Simmons is approaching his second year as a Buckeye after transferring in a year ago from San Diego State. He is tasked with blocking for a new quarterback.

Simmons only allowed one sack last season, which is great. The problem was that he allowed a ton of pressure and got called for multiple penalties, including some that took touchdowns off the board. In all, he got called for 17 penalties in just 13 games last season. That's way too many.

The new quarterback will likely be Will Howard. Howard is going to be able to move better than Kyle McCord did. That will help with the number of pressures allowed, but that also increases the chance of a holding penalty from Simmons. He has to move his feet better to avoid that.

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Both Ryan Day and Justin Frye think that Simmons has gotten a lot better this offseason. Ohio State didn't go into the portal looking for a tackle. Simmons has to prove that faith wasn't misguided. If he plays well, the Buckeyes have an excellent shot to win a national title.

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