As it is the final week of the offseason (thank God), I was reflecting on the team we know and love's red hot recruiting success and the log jam of talent we enjoy at a variety of positions this season. I remembered in my early days of lurking on 11w, an article previewing the 2014 season discussed how the Va Tech contest did not engender very much fear that fall, but that the Labor Day 2015 clash in Blacksburg, where the Buckeyes would be rolling out a new qb, presumably JT Barrett, in primetime to kick off the season would be rather intimidating. It's funny looking back at that now, seeing how right and wrong it was (in case you forgot, the Buckeyes lost a heartbreaker to Va Tech in 2014, which was just as gut wrenching in person, by the way, but we won handily in 2015 with Cardale Jones as the starting QB). I thought it would be an interesting and fun practice to prognosticate the line up two seasons down the road, and compare them to one another. Of course, there's an entire recruiting class and then some still to be determined, but you can make any and all (reasonable) roster and recruiting assumptions that you would like (that's fun part, duh).
Because this takes quite sometime, I'm going to split this up into two posts. Today I will prognosticate the future offensive lineup, and tomorrow I'll follow up with the defensive facsimile.
So without further ado, here's my best guess at what the starting offensive lineup will look like when the Scarlet and Gray kick off the 2018 season on September 1st in the 'Shoe against Oregon State (Gary Anderson can run from Urban, but he can't hide):
Head Coach: Urban Frank Meyer. Many, especially at the outset of his Ohio State career, predicted that Coach Meyer would not last very long in Columbus. But we're now entering his 5th season in Columbus (whoa), and he is showing no signs of slowing down. According to Coach Meyer and his family, he is practicing much healthier and sustainable habits than he previously engaged in, and he is happy here. I have tabbed him to return in 2018 for his 7th season at the helm of The Best Damn Team in the Land.
QB: Dwayne Haskins (RS Sophomore): I have Haskins winning the impending QBgeddon2. I really like his game, he's got great size, and probably has the best footwork and arm, albeit based on highlight videos, that I've seen from an OSU QB recruit. It'll be exciting to see how it plays out with Collier, Burrow, Haskins, Martell, Clark, and Emory Jones, assuming all are still a part of the program then, battle this out. For what it's worth, Haskins has already lost his black stripe, and his battling Burrow for back-up reps now. I think he eventually wins the back up job this season (look for Joe Burrow OR Dwayne Haskins at back up QB on the rosters this year).
RB: Cam Akers/JK Dobbins (Sophomores). This was a tough choice. I know Mike Weber said on signing day, something to the effect of, three years then on to the NFL. Two years as a starting running back in Urban's offense is plenty of time to crush an audition for the pros (see Hyde, Carlos and Elliot, Zeke). Assuming Mike kills it the next two years, the starting RB slot will be up for grabs between Antontio Williams, Cam Akers (yes, I believe Urb reels him in), JK Dobbins, and Jaelen Gill. I assume Demario McCall will follow the Curtis Samuel path and move to H-back following this season. Cam and JK seem to both be absolute studs, and they are different types of backs, so I see Urban unleashing them in tandem during their second years in the program, as he was wont to do at Florida; thus I've listed them together here.
Tight End: Jake Hausman/Luke Farrel (RS Sophomores): We know Urban likes to use two TEs, I see this duo playing much like Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett did in 2014.
O-Line: C Jack Wohlabaugh (RS Soph); RG Wyatt Davis (Soph); LG Jake Moretti (RS Fr); LT Michael Jordan (Jr.); RT Josh Myers (Soph). This basically assumes the 2017 O-Line class is as advertised, and wrestles away starting positions from upperclassmen, much like Michael Jordan is doing now. I considered Malcolm Pridgeon, Matt Burrell, Gavin Cupp, Brady Taylor, and Tyler Gerald, all of whom should be on the 2018 roster and have received some praise from the coaching staff. In particular, the guard position I have Moretti filling should be highly competitive, much like the left guard position has been this off season. It is possible that Michael Jordan stays at guard and Malcolm Pridgeon fills the LT spot as RS Senior, effectively bumping Moretti out of the line up.
H-Back: Demario McCall (Jr.) / Tyjon Lindsey (RS Fr.): Again, Ohio State likes to play and "start" multiple H-backs. Demario and Tyjon will play complimentary roles, much like Dontre and Curtis will this season. This is a dynamite duo. They should both excel at H in this offense.
WRs: Austin Mack (Jr), Torrance Gibson (RS Jr), Terry McLaurin (RS Sr), Parris Campbell (RS Sr) Back ups: KJ Hill (RS Jr), Ben Victor (RS Soph), Trevon Grimes (Soph), Alex Stump (RS Jr): it's certainly a challenge to guess what the 2018 WRswill look like when we don't have a very clear idea of what that group will even look like this year. I chose to pick 4 "starters" because Ohio State has typically rotated several regulars at the X & Y spots (Zach Smith recently said that he aims for 6 "starters," so 2 H-backs + 4 X/Ys = 6). I assume Noah Brown will have gone pro before this season. The one name I feel uneasy leaving off the list is Johnnie Dixon; but with his injury history, it's unclear if he will still be on the roster in 2018. With that said, I'm really rooting for Johnnie to stay healthy and have the kind of impact we know he can have here. Also, if the talent pool is as deep as I have listed here, so barring any unforeseen catastrophes, and the players develop as their predecessors have under Coach Smith and Urban, then I anticipate up to 7 WRs (the four listed starters, plus the first three "back ups) will play with some regularity. There is just too much talent and unique skill sets to keep guys like Trevon Grimes and Ben Victor off the field.
That was much longer than I anticipated lol. I'm interested in reading what you guys think the team will look like. I plan on looking into my crystal ball and updating the defensive starters lineup tomorrow morning.
