Ohio State Football: A Look Ahead To The 2017 Buckeyes

Ohio State has some work to do to get back to the playoffs next year, but what exactly needs to be changed or will look differently?

Make no mistake, there is some serious disappointment with how Ohio State ended their season. To describe their offensive performance against Clemson as flat would be an understatement.

Giving up 31 points is also a massive let down for a defense that ranked as one of the best all season long. While nearly every site on the internet has performed an autopsy of the Fiesta Bowl (including us here at FoS), it’s time to at least begin to look ahead to the 2017 version of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The offense is only going to lose one starter. Unfortunately, that starter is All-American and Rimington Trophy winner Pat Elflein. He was easily the best offensive lineman all season and leaves a huge hole in the middle of an otherwise struggling unit.

Junior to be Brady Taylor has been listed as the #2 center all year, but don’t put it past Greg Studrawa and Urban Meyer to look at moving Billy Price to the pivot. If Evan Lisle or Demetrious Knox are ready to play at guard, moving Price to the center spot keeps up with the tradition of putting the best interior lineman at that spot.

The real questions marks are on the outside. If Curtis Samuel makes the leap t the NFL, there are zero apparent playmakers ready to assume such a workload.

Noah Brown is the most likely, but between all of the youth currently on the roster and the incoming class headlined by Trevon Grimes and Tyjon Lindsey, no one’s job is safe. Maybe K.J. Hill, Ben Victor, Terry McLaurin, and Johnny Dixon makes the leap. Maybe Austin Mack is who we all thought he could be in his second year.

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Who knows. The only thing for certain is that there will be a great deal of attention on this unit in the spring.

Ohio State’s backfield has plenty of their own questions for entirely different reasons. J.T. Barrett should return as a quarterback under fire. After a lackluster performance in the desert and a track record of falling flat in big games, Barrett’s critics will be screaming to see what Joe Burrow, Dwayne Haskins, or even Tate Martell can do.

While I personally think it wasn’t Barrett, but a horrid game plan, at fault, the criticism is warranted and must be taken seriously. Mike Weber will be back as the leading rusher behind Barrett.

It’s a shame that Weber was essentially frozen out of the gameplan the last two contests. He is exactly the type of runner needed to balance the roster of a pile moving force between the tackles. Only a freshman, Weber punished defenders on a regular basis and freed up Samuel and Barrett on the edge.

Behind Weber it is likely the Demario McCall show. Assuming Samuel goes to the NFL, McCall is a smaller version of Samuel in the gameplan. He’s got freakish speed and quickness and flashed when given the chance in 2016. Even if Samuel returns, it would behoove the offensive staff to get McCall on the field as a another potential game breaker.

Ohio State’s defense also needs to find a way to move past 31 points surrendered in the Fiesta Bowl. Malik Hooker has already declared for the 2017 NFL Draft and he is expected to be joined by Marshon Lattimore and Raekwon McMillan.

Replacing two starters in the secondary a year after replacing three is going to be difficult. Gareon Conley should return along with Damon Webb. While Denzel Ward and Damon Arnette saw time at corner, there wasn’t a lot of other snaps from potential safety replacements Jordan Fuller and Erick Smith.

It would not be surprising to see incoming freshman Shaun Wade get a look early in fall camp.

Linebacker is a position that should stay relatively stable. One can hope that McMillan decides to stay for his senior season to go out on a higher note. If he leaves, there might not be a clear replacement on the roster right now.