Ohio State's 2016 football team boasted something for the first time in nearly a decade: a national award winner.
Pat Elflein took home the Rimington Trophy as the nation's top center, an award presented to him on Dec. 8. Before Elflein, the last national award winner was cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, who took home the Thorpe Award as the country's top defensive back in 2008.
Clemson embarrassed the Buckeyes 31-0 in the Fiesta Bowl a little more than three weeks after Elflein received the Rimington, ending Urban Meyer's fifth season with an 11-2 record.
Elflein also won the 2016 Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year as the Big Ten's best player in the trenches on that side of the ball. He wasn't the only member of the Buckeyes to take home top conference recognition, though.
The Big Ten named J.T. Barrett the Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year, running back Mike Weber its Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year, end Tyquan Lewis its Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year and Cameron Johnston its Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year. Many others received All-Big Ten nods as well.
Last summer, we predicted two of those correctly: Barrett and Elflein. A June #hot #take of Weber supplanting Saquon Barkley for Running Back of the Year ended in disappointment come December — the Penn State star also won Offensive Player of the Year and a share of the Silver Football. But Weber did get some love after running for more than 1,000 yards his freshman season.
Anyways, who still on the roster could add something to their trophy cases at the end of 2017? Let's discuss.
J.T. Barrett, Quarterback
Like last year, this first one is easy.
Barrett won Big Ten Quarterback of the Year for the second time in his career in 2016, accounting for 33 total touchdowns, more than 2,400 passing yards and nearly 850 rushing yards in the regular season. The total scores led the conference even though many Ohio State fans grew understandably frustrated with a lack of downfield passing game as the season progressed. Barrett also shared the Silver Football as Big Ten Player of the Year with Barkley.
Barrett, circa January 2017, accepting his Silver Football.
Meyer moved quickly in an effort to correct that issue, hiring Ryan Day and Kevin Wilson as his new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in place of Tim Beck and Ed Warinner. The hope is Barrett returns to his 2014 form when he set a conference record with 45 total touchdowns and won Big Ten Quarterback and Freshman of the Year.
Spring practice revolved around Barrett and the rest of the quarterbacks in the program working on their deep throws with the receivers, as Wilson and Day took Meyer's demands to improve that area to heart. With no quarterback controversy in his way and 2017 being his final season in Columbus, it is on Barrett to show out once again.
If he stays healthy, chances are good that happens. As a result, he could win Quarterback, Offensive Player or even Big Ten Player of the Year in 2017.
Billy Price, Center
An Ohio State player could win Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year for the third straight season in 2017. Left tackle Taylor Decker nabbed the honor in 2015, while Elflein did a year ago, as previously mentioned.
Price shifts from right guard to center in place of the current Minnesota Viking for his final year in the program. While that is big shoes to fill in its own right, Price's experience (41 straight starts) and past recognition (2016 first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer) put him in a terrific position to hoist an individual trophy at season's end. Plus, he's really good, too.
Already a team captain and a pillar on the line in every sense of the word, Ohio State hopes that Price's shift to center goes as seamlessly as Elflein's did a year ago. The chances are high, as the 6-foot-4 and 312-pounder is not only the strongest player on the team but one of its most cerebral.
Price returned to lead Ohio State's offensive line as a graduate senior just like Elflein did. He has a strong chance to also win some awards as well.
Tyquan Lewis, Defensive End
We picked Sam Hubbard as the member of Larry Johnson's defensive line that had the best shot of winning a conference award in 2016. Naturally, Lewis proved us wrong, something he is used to doing.
Lewis has often flown under the radar at Ohio State, with names like Joey Bosa (then Nick Bosa), Hubbard and others garnering headlines. All he did was lead the Buckeyes in sacks each of the last two seasons, with eight each year. His 10.5 tackles for loss also led the team in 2016. There was a reason the conference voted him Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Lewis will be in the conversation once again with another strong year as a senior. He spurned the NFL to stay in college one more season like some of his other teammates on the defensive line. It left Johnson with the same personnel this fall as last season — plus the addition of five-star defensive end Chase Young. Quite the bear for opponents.
Lewis is a captain, leader and a star at his position. Expect him to have an excellent chance at defending his crown and become the fourth Buckeye in as many years to win Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Jamarco Jones, Left Tackle
With much respect given to Price, Jones is the best NFL prospect on Ohio State's offensive line. The senior came into his own nicely in 2016, his first season as a starter after he stepped in for Decker at left tackle.
According to College Football Film Room, Jones posted a 97.6 percent pass block rate in 2016. He allowed just one quarterback hurry and only two sacks in 425 attempts. Jones is blessed with an outstanding frame for a left tackle at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, with long arms and legs.
Jones should play himself into the discussion as a first-round NFL Draft pick next spring. In the meantime, he could win the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the year. His best competition could come from Price, however.
Jerome Baker, Linebacker
Baker exploded into the lineup in the middle of the 2016 season opener against Bowling Green, stepping in after Dante Booker left with a knee sprain. Booker never returned last season to preserve a season of eligibility. Baker can be blamed for the majority of that.
Baker's 83 total tackles finished second on the team to Raekwon McMillan, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins. He also finished just behind Lewis for the team lead in tackles for loss with 9.5, intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown at Oklahoma. Baker was everywhere and should be again under new linebackers coach Billy Davis.
Ohio State has not won the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award since its inception in 2011. Baker should face stiff competition, primarily from Indiana's Tegray Scales. A second-team All-Big Ten performer, Scales is on many early All-American watch lists. So is Baker, a player who could be an early round draft pick next year should he elect to leave early.
And as we saw last season, Baker will be one of the top players in the conference this fall.
OTHERS: Cornerback Denzel Ward, Defensive Tackle Dre'Mont Jones, a freshman cornerback
