by The Ohio State Buckeyes offense will have a whole new look in 2024 with some new faces out of the transfer portal, recruiting class, and guys who are ready to take some big jumps. Here’s a preview of what the new Buckeye offense will look like in the 2024 season.
Starting off at Quarterback, the Buckeyes are looking at a very different room from last year. The big addition is former Kansas State star Will Howard. Howard is a dual threat quarterback with a cannon of an arm. In his 4 years at Kansas State Howard threw for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns while also rushing for 921 yards and 9 touchdowns. He’s coming off the best year of his career while lacking playmakers around him and he’s set up nicely for 2024 with a whole new slew of weapons.
The Buckeye receiver room is the best in the country, plain and simple. With a mix of a veteran in Emeka Egbuka, sophomores getting their first chance, such as Carnell Tate and Brandon Innis, and of course the number one recruit in the country Jeremiah Smith, this group will be practically unstoppable. I am looking for 2 guys to explode this year, Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith.
Carnell Tate was a five-star recruit out of IMG Academy and is entering his sophomore year at Ohio State. Tate was one of the best receivers coming out of high school in 2023 and has been a non-stop highlight reel in spring and fall practices. His playstyle is very reminiscent of Calvin Ridley when he was at Alabama. He runs crisp routes and hardly ever drops the football. I expect him to make a big jump into the offense this year and be one of Howard’s top targets.
Now let’s talk about the unbelievable player Jeramiah Smith. Smith is the highest ranked receiver prospect coming out of high school ever, and for very good reason. He’s 6-3, 214 pounds and can catch absolutely any ball that is thrown in the vicinity of him. He’s coming off a senior year where he led Chaminade-Madonna Prep to their 3rd straight state title with 90 receptions for 1,389 yards and 19 touchdowns. Smith has an infinite ceiling and may be the best prospect we’ve seen since Julio Jones. But the Buckeyes aren’t only elite through the air.
Ohio State’s running back room might also be the country’s best in 2024. With talented returner TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, the run game will be virtually unstoppable as long as the line holds up. Judkins is coming off 2 unbelievable seasons at Ole Miss where he ran for a combined 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns. Judkins is one of the hardest players to tackle in the country. He can make you miss, run through you, or simply just run by you. Judkins can do it all. When you add him to the elusive track star TreVeyon Henderson, the Buckeyes will have a scary two headed monster in their backfield this year.
The Buckeyes also added offensive coordinator Chip Kelly in the offseason, and he will complement the stars on the field greatly with his play calling. This year the Buckeyes are looking to make a return to the College Football Playoff and these exciting additions and changes may be why they get over the hump.
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