There will be several intriguing position battles for Ohio State when preseason camp kicks off early next month. Let’s take a look at the ones under the microscope the most on the offensive side of the ball, and we’ll tackle the defense in the near future.
STARTING QUARTERBACK
All signs are pointing toward redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud being the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback this year. I believe that Stroud will not only start but will perform very well. However, as I said on the Bucknuts Morning 5 on Wednesday, I also think the competition is a bit closer between Stroud and true freshman Kyle McCord than some fans might believe. Even though they are very young and inexperienced at the position, I think the Buckeyes are in very good hands at QB. Ryan Day hand-picked both of these young men and believes in them.
STARTING RUNNING BACK
This is basically a two-part story because how things look at the beginning of the season might not be how they look midseason for the Buckeyes at running back. I think fourth-year junior Master Teague will start at Minnesota and get the first carry of the season, but my midseason or earlier I expect redshirt freshman Miyan Williams and true freshman TreVeyon Henderson will be Ohio State’s most-productive RBs. Teague will still be involved throughout the year, and who knows, maybe he will fend off the other two and hold on to the starting job. We will see a lot of RB-by-committee until one or two of the guys rises to the top.
STARTING CENTER
It is fun to talk about quarterbacks and running backs, but the battle to be the Buckeyes’ starting center this season is the one that has piqued my interest the most. It is a three-horse race between fourth-year junior Matthew Jones (who will likely be a starting guard, but he is also in the mix at center), junior Harry Miller and redshirt freshman Luke Wypler. I initially figured this was Miller’s job, no questions asked. However, Wypler received a lot of first-team reps in spring and performed well. (Jones just ran with the first-team at guard during spring.) So, even though I included Jones here, it’s really a competition between Miller and Wypler. And it’s going to be very interesting to see how it pans out.
FOURTH WIDE RECEIVER
Everyone knows the top-three wide receivers are locked down for the Buckeyes with senior Chris Olave, junior Garrett Wilson and sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Then everyone has their own opinions regarding the depth chart from that point forward. I think the No. 4 WR will be true freshman Marvin Harrison Jr. However, that would mean the No. 1 WR in the country in the 2020 class – Julian Fleming – would be no higher than the No. 5 wideout on the squad. Same would be true for the No. 1 WR in the country in the 2021 class – Emeka Egbuka. Therefore, I expect a very good competition between Harrison Jr., Fleming, Egbuka and true freshman Jayden Ballard in camp.
