2023 College Football Catalog: Previewing the Ohio State Buckeyes
Josh Frey
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Just like the NFL season is right around the corner, college campuses are preparing to welcome back their football squads for the fall season. As the summer progresses we will be taking a look into how many of the FBS college football programs fared in 2022, what they did during the offseason, and how they can find success during the 2023 season. As we continue our tour through the Big Ten, today, we move onto the powerhouse Ohio State Buckeyes.
Overview
2022 Results
- W vs. (5) Notre Dame, 21-10
- W vs. Arkansas State, 45-12
- W vs. Toledo, 77-21
- W vs. Wisconsin, 55-21
- W vs. Rutgers, 49-10
- W @ Michigan State, 49-20
- W vs. Iowa, 54-10
- W @ (13) Penn State, 44-31
- W @ Northwestern, 21-7
- W vs. Indiana, 56-14
- W @ Maryland, 43-30
- L vs. (3) Michigan, 23-45
- L vs. (1) Georgia, 41-42 (Peach Bowl)
Overall Record: 11-2 (8-1)
All-Big Ten Members
- QB C.J. Stroud (Coaches and Media First-Team)
- RB Miyan Williams (Coaches and Media Third-Team)
- WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Coaches and Media First-Team)
- C Luke Wypler (Media Third-Team)
- G Matt Jones (Coaches and Media Second-Team)
- OT Paris Johnson (Coaches and Media First-Team)
- OT Dawand Jones (Coaches Third-Team, Media Second-Team)
- TE Cade Stover (Media Third-Team)
- DL J.T. Tuimoloau (Coaches First-Team, Media Second-Team)
- DL Zach Harrison (Coaches Second-Team, Media First-Team)
- LB Tommy Eichenburg (Coaches and Media First-Team)
- DB Ronnie Hickman (Coaches and Media Third-Team)
- K Noah Ruggles (Media Third-Team)
Recent Vikings Draft Picks
- IOL Wyatt Davis (2021 Draft; R3, P86)
- DE Jalyn Holmes (2018 Draft; R4, P102)
- IOL Pat Elflein (2017 Draft, R3, P70)
2023 Draft Selections
- R1, P2: QB C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
- R1, P6: OT Paris Johnson (Arizona Cardinals)
- R1, P20: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seattle Seahawks)
- R3, P75: DE Zach Harrison (Atlanta Falcons)
- R4, P111: OT Dawand Jones (Cleveland Browns)
- R6, P190: C Luke Wypler (Cleveland Browns)
2023 Schedule
- 9/2 @ Indiana
- 9/9 vs. Youngstown State
- 9/16 vs. Western Kentucky
- 9/23 @ Notre Dame
- 10/7 vs. Maryland
- 10/14 @ Purdue
- 10/21 vs. Penn State
- 10/28 @ Wisconsin
- 11/4 @ Rutgers
- 11/11 vs. Michigan State
- 11/18 vs. Minnesota
- 11/25 @ Michigan
Notable Additions
- QB Lincoln Kienholz (four-star recruit)
- QB Tristan Gebbia (transfer portal, Oregon State)
- WR Brandon Inniss (five-star recruit)
- WR Noah Rogers (four-star recruit)
- WR Carnell Tate (four-star recruit)
- WR Bryson Rodgers (four-star recruit)
- WR Lorenzo Styles (transfer portal, Notre Dame)
- TE Jelani Thurman (four-star recruit)
- OT Victor Cutler (transfer portal, Louisiana-Monroe)
- IOL Josh Simmons (transfer portal, San Diego State)
- IOL Austin Siereveld (four-star recruit)
- IOL Joshua Padilla (four-star recruit)
- IOL Luke Montgomery (four-star recruit)
- DL Jason Moore (four-star recruit)
- DL Will smith (four-star recruit)
- DL Kayden McDonald (four-star recruit)
- DL Tywone Malone (transfer portal, Ole Miss)
- EDGE Joshua Mickens (four-star recruit)
- LB Arveli Reese (four-star recruit)
- CB Jermaine Matthews (four-star recruit)
- CB Calvin Simpson-Hunt (four-star recruit)
- CB Davison Igbinosun (transfer portal, Ole Miss)
- S Ja’Had Carter (transfer portal, Syracuse)
- S Cedrick Hawkins (four-star recruit)
- S Malik Hartford (four-star recruit)
- S Jayden Bonsu (four-star recruit)
Notable Losses
- QB C.J. Stroud (NFL Draft, Houston Texans)
- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (NFL Draft, Seattle Seahawks)
- WR Caleb Burton (transfer portal, Auburn)
- OT Paris Johnson (NFL Draft, Arizona Cardinals)
- OT Dawand Jones (NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns)
- OT Ben Christman (transfer portal, Kentucky)
- C Luke Wypler (NFL Draft, Cleveland Browns)
- DE Zach Harrison (NFL Draft, Atlanta Falcons)
- LB Javontae Jean-Baptiste (transfer portal, Notre Dame)
- LB Teradja Mitchell (transfer portal, Florida)
- CB JK Johnson (transfer portal, LSU)
- S Jaylen Johnson (transfer portal, Memphis)
- S Jantzen Dunn (transfer portal, Kentucky)
Keys to 2023
Replacing C.J. Stroud
It is usually a tall task to replace the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, but this is Ohio State that we are talking about. They have plenty of ammo in the chamber with either Kyle McCord or Devin Brown, two former four-star recruits, available to take snaps immediately. They also added another four-star in Lincoln Kienholz this year, so they are set for the future as well.
Besides, everything is easier when you have a stacked receiver room led by arguably the best prospect in the 2024 Draft, Marvin Harrison Jr. Oh, and they still have both Treveyon Henderson and Miyan Williams in the backfield, who combined for nearly 1400 yards of rushing production last season. If needed, they can certainly be used more this season.
Rebuilding the Tackle Position
A bit of a more complicated task in Columbus will be replacing the dynamic tackle duo of Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones. The duo kept Stroud clean throughout his career at Ohio State, and they now very deservedly head to the NFL level hoping to make an impact at the next level. However, Josh Fryar is likely the next man up in Ohio State’s trenches, taking over the left tackle position.
More Consistency on Defense
While Ohio State consistently was able to put points on the board in 2022, their downfall ended up being their defense, which is not something that can usually be said of a top Big Ten program. They gave up a combined 87 points over their final two games to Michigan and Georgia, and it is absolutely imperative that this gets better in 2023 if they want to seriously compete for a national title.
Another year of growth from DEs Jack Sawyer and J.T. Timaoloau should help them out up front, and star-studded recruiting and transfer classes should bring improvements to the secondary. Don’t expect this program to take much of a step back in 2023, and somehow, they may have actually gotten better.
Prediction
- W @ Indiana
- W vs. Youngstown State
- W vs. Western Kentucky
- W @ Notre Dame
- W vs. Maryland
- W @ Purdue
- W vs. Penn State
- W @ Wisconsin
- W @ Rutgers
- W vs. Michigan State
- W vs. Minnesota
- L @ Michigan
Overall Record: 11-1 (8-1)
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.