by After yet another offseason with sky-high expectations, it’s safe to say that the 2023 season didn’t go the way that Head Coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State football team would have hoped for. After starting the season 11-0, the Buckeyes fell in a nail-biter to Michigan for the third consecutive season, ending their College Football Playoff hopes. To add insult to injury, Ohio State then lost to Missouri, 14-3, in the Cotton Bowl.
However, 2024 is a brand new year and Buckeye fans have a lot to look forward to. Kyle McCord, last year’s starting quarterback, has transferred to Syracuse, while Will Howard, a fifth-year senior with 27 starts under his belt at Kansas State, transferred into the program and was announced as the starter by Day on Aug. 15. Howard isn’t the only transfer slated to make a big impact immediately, as safety Caleb Downs joined the Buckeyes in January. Downs, a sophomore, was a AP second-team All American as a true freshman at Alabama and left the program after Head Coach Nick Saban’s retirement. Back to the offensive side of the ball, Day and Co. were able to get running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss after Judkins was second in the SEC in rushing this past season. He and TreVeyon Henderson should combine to be among the most fearsome running back tandems in the sport. Tight end Will Kacmarek transferred in as well from Ohio University and should play a significant role at his position.
Not only did Ohio State do exceptionally well in the transfer portal, but many of their draft-eligible players decided to return to the program. Offensively, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, guard Donovan Jackson, and Henderson all made the decision to return after getting first round buzz and the same could be said on the defensive side of the ball, as cornerback Denzel Burke, safety Lathan Ransom, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, and edge rushers J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer all announced their returns to Columbus. Combine that with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the #1 recruit in the class of 2024 per 247sports, and all of a sudden the Buckeyes have as high of expectations as anyone has had in years, especially with the new 12-team playoff system.
To start the year, they will welcome the Akron Zips into Ohio Stadium on Saturday. Akron, starting its third season under Joe Moorhead, went 2-10 in each of the last two years but could have a better year with Ben Finley transferring in to start at quarterback. Finley, a fifth-year senior, played in eight games over three years at North Carolina State before appearing in seven games last year at California. He’ll have a tough task facing such a stout Ohio State defense. The Akron defense, while stronger than the offense, should still have trouble slowing down Kelly, Howard, and the rest of the Buckeye offense as well.
A major storyline to watch on the Ohio State side will be the performance of Howard. After the scrutiny that McCord got all year last season, the pressure is on to elevate the Buckeyes to the clear-cut national championship favorite. The likes of Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields, and C.J. Stroud, have gotten this fanbase quite used to a superstar under center. During his time at Kansas State, Howard was never quite that, but with the tools that he’s now provided, the dual-threat quarterback could take his game to the next level. Despite facing a subpar opponent to start off the year, Howard will be and perhaps should be heavily scrutinized in his performance.
The spread for the game has Ohio State favored at -48.5, projecting a win by seven touchdowns. That’s quite the number, but there is no reason why the Buckeyes should not clear it. If they want themselves labeled as the best team in the country, it starts now, as greater threats loom in the near future.
