Three moments that led to the Ohio State football team going all in on 2024

The Ohio State football team is all-in on the 2024 season. All of the moves that they have made have led them to a national championship or bust season. There will be a big drop-off in talent on this team in 2025, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

You might say, "Ohio State is all in every year". You're not wrong, but the stakes are much higher this year. The Buckeyes have certain standards that they have to hit this year. Otherwise, Ryan Day won't be around to see how 2025 works out. The Buckeyes need to win the Big Ten and beat Michigan at the bare minimum for him to survive.

With a new AD, Day knows he no longer has Gene Smith as a security blanket. That's why he went to the transfer portal to get a new quarterback, a great safety, a solid running back, and made multiple staff changes. He's going all-in in a way we haven't seen the Ohio State football program do.

There were three particular moments over the course of the last few years that led up to this moment. Each of them had a profound effect on the upcoming season, whether we knew it at the time or not. The first one happened a few years ago and has affected how the team is currently constructed.

1. Greg Studrawa strikes out on the recruiting trail

There is a reason that Coach Stud is no longer with the Ohio State football program. He simply could not keep up with the recruiting the way that he needed to towards the end of his time with the Buckeyes, despite signing some really great players prior to being let go.

Studrawa was able to land Paris Johnson Jr. and Donovan Jackson, both of whom were five-star recruits. The problem lies with the 2022 class, which was the last one he recruited. None of those players are currently in line to start for the Buckeyes three years into their careers.

Because that offensive line depth was poor, Justin Frye started with the cupboard bare behind Jackson and Johnson Jr. Frye hasn't exactly excelled on the recruiting trail either but the lack of depth hampered his ability to get more guys in the program who could be ready to play in two or three years.

This led the Buckeyes to go out and get Josh Simmons in the transfer portal last season and for them to go and get Seth McLaughlin this season. Simmons will start at left tackle for the second straight year and McLaughlin is in a battle for the center spot, possibly supplanting Carson Hinzman.

The offensive line was the worst unit on the team in 2023 and it looks like that might be the case again in 2024. Poor recruiting years ago has led us to this point. The next moment that led to the Buckeyes being national title or bust in 2024 was one particular play a season ago.