The college football season formally ends tonight but it ended more than a week ago for the Buckeyes. Ohio State's program right now is taking stock of the holes on the roster made by attrition knowing well that more departures are likely as players either transfer or forgo future eligibility to enter the NFL Draft.
In this feature, we'll take stock of some of the attrition from 2017 to 2018 and highlight five players in particular who will need to have good offseasons in anticipation of the Buckeyes maximizing their potential this fall. While the quarterback situation will be the obvious place to focus given J.T. Barrett's graduation, we will instead discuss other positions on the roster that do not have the kind of publicity that the quarterback position routinely gets.
Rashod Berry
We will go alphabetically and start with the unheralded tight end position. This constitutes an interesting position battle because the departing Marcus Baugh had been the starter since 2015. Further, Ohio State will be breaking in a first-time starter at quarterback against Oregon State no matter who it is. Tight ends are great safety valves for quarterbacks still green to the college game.
There will be several options at tight end in addition to Rashod Berry. Luke Farrell saw some playing time. Jake Hausmann is an option still on the roster as well. Jeremy Ruckert, who is yet to enroll, is a wild card the extent to which his senior season has built a lot of hype about what he could bring to the unit.
We focus instead on Rashod Berry for two reasons. He saw the most playing time among Marcus Baugh's backups, finishing with six catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns despite not having a catch since Nebraska. Yet, Berry bounced between positions and may lack the kind of conditioning specific for the position that other options like Farrell and Hausmann have. Berry originally enrolled at tight end before moving to defensive end and back to tight end. He brings an unparalleled natural athleticism to the position that others lack—see the off-season "dunk contest" from last year.
He needs more reps though and more emphasis on being the guy for a first-year starter in 2018. This will be the time to get ready.
Tuf Borland
Chris Worley will leave the program. Jerome Baker declared for the NFL draft on Monday. Ohio State fans should anticipate an overhaul at linebacker.
We could highlight any number of linebackers whose offseason will be critical for the 2018 season. Baron Browning's physicality makes him a likely candidate to take one of the positions at linebacker. Tuf Borland shined in the second half of the season, a testament to why Luke Fickell advocated to bring him to the roster as part of the 2016 class. Dante Booker had a disappointing 2017 for which his offseason development is important for his own career. Others, like Nick Conner, Justin Hilliard, and Pete Werner, are still vying for meaningful playing time.
We'll highlight Tuf Borland here. Borland, like Malik Harrison, began to see meaningful playing time in the second half of the season. He effectively supplanted Chris Worley's place on the roster. At 6-1 and 229 pounds, Borland has adequate size and athleticism to play linebacker. However, the middle is where he belongs since he lacks the kind of elite athleticism of some of his teammates. Toward that end, Borland may need to focus on increasing his size to bear a season-long load this offseason. He'll need to achieve that without compromising his speed and athleticism either.
Branden Bowen
Fans may not have fully appreciated how good Jamarco Jones was at left tackle. It took a while but Jones learned quickly as a starter in 2016 how good he is and how good he could be. He was arguably the most reliable offensive lineman on the roster at possibly the most important position. His graduation leaves an important hole on this upcoming season's roster with no obvious heir apparent.
The salience of this already important question increases knowing that Branden Bowen is the most likely candidate to replace Jamarco Jones. Bowen is a natural tackle but played the better part of 2017 as right guard.
Further, Bowen will be sliding to that position after he fractured his tibia and fibula against Maryland. This makes offseason conditioning paramount for Bowen's development and for the success of the offensive line.
Robert Landers
The depth at defensive line was the almost unquestioned strength of the 2017 roster. The Buckeyes will lose a lot of that this year. Jalyn Holmes, Tyquan Lewis, and Tracy Sprinkle were seniors. Sam Hubbard has already declared for the NFL Draft and Dre'Mont Jones might as well.
Yet, Ohio State expects defensive line will again be a strength of the 2018 team. Much of that will be because Nick Bosa is draft-ineligible and is nominally compelled to return for a third year. Robert Landers is another major reason why Ohio State expects its defensive line to be stellar again in 2018.
Robert Landers thrived as a sub in the past two seasons. He should prepare for a starting role in 2018.
This ultimately hinges on Landers' offseason. At 6-1 and 283 pounds, Landers is a fire hydrant of a defensive tackle who displays incredible speed and explosiveness coming off the line of scrimmage. However, Landers showed this largely as a substitute. He played in a crowded backfield that allowed him to be showcased situationally. He expects to be a starter in 2018.
He'll need to prepare this offseason toward that end. He can expect more attention when he's on the roster and will need to prepare himself physically for that load. He can expect a lot of double teams this year.
Jeffrey Okudah
Ohio State fans will see a retooled secondary in 2018 as well. Damon Webb exhausted his eligibility and Denzel Ward will forgo future eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. There will invariably be some growing pains once more in secondary as new faces take on a greater workload.
We already saw a preview of this as Jeffrey Okudah played extensively after Denzel Ward selected out the Cotton Bowl. However, this wasn't a friction-less process. Okudah had several freshman moments but importantly was seldom out of place. Mentally, Okudah seemed like he was ready for the Cotton Bowl. That should only improve before Ohio State hosts Oregon State.
It was the physicality of the college game that seemed a bit too much for a true freshman that otherwise has the physical tools himself to thrive at this stage. This offseason for Okudah will be about maximizing that physical endowment with the goal of being the odds-on favorite to replace Denzel Ward as a starting cornerback.
