The Ohio State Buckeyes were once again big NIL spenders this offseason, but there's no replacing the kind of championship-caliber future NFL talent Ryan Day and Co. had during their 2024/2025 College Football Playoff National Championship run.
While likely QB1 Julian Sayin is of a higher pedigree as a raw talent than Will Howard was, he'll face greater challenges in front of him with an offensive line that's far less proven.
Matt Patricia will also have less talent up front in his first season as the team's defensive coordinator.
Championships are won in the trenches, and while Inside Texas's Paul Wadlington was trying to sunshine pump his statement about the Buckeyes 'linemen on both sides of the ball, that's a damning reality for the defending champs.
"Ohio State will take a step back on both lines of scrimmage, but remember that in the playoffs last year, their piecemeal and injury-plagued OL was probably the worst group in the semifinals. They held up against some terrific defensive lines in their four-game playoff run. They return that entire interior group but will start two new tackles outside," Wadlington wrote.
Even if the offensive line talent is comparable to what the team had in the Cotton Bowl and CFP title game, that group, when healthy for a large portion of the season, was able to protect Howard and the team's elite RB room.
Speaking of the TreVeyon Henderson/Quinshon Judkins platoon, they're gone. In their place is James Peoples, who showed flashes in limited opportunities last year, and West Virginia Mountaineers transfer CJ Donaldson, who consistently spruced up Neal Brown's underwhelming offense. Both are great options, but they might not be top-40 draft picks like their predecessors.
Defensively, it's tough to have a new play-caller who has access to less talent with a schedule that's objectively harder than last year.
Maybe Tyler Bowen can get more than what anyone bargained for from his OL. Maybe Larry Johnson gets the same from his group.
That a beat writer who's deep-diving on his team's opening week opponent sees regression where it matters most is horrifying, though.