JD Pickell: Ohio State is playing with a different edge in 2022

On3’s JD PicKell got the inside scoop on what the vibe has been like during Ohio State’s fall camp from Letterman Row‘s Spencer Holbrook. The Buckeyes are coming off of a good season according to most schools’ standards, but not for theirs, and they’ve kept that in the front of their minds this offseason.

“If you remember correctly Ohio State a season ago, we’ll call it what it was, they had a failure of a season. Now, to make sure we specify, the standard at Ohio State is very different than it is at other places. You win a Rose Bowl and you win double-digit football games, anywhere else in the country they’re saying yes, that’s what we need to see, now we’re one of the elite programs,” PicKell said.

“A lot of teams would ship half their team off of the practice field, they would give away half their team to have that kind of season. Not so at Ohio State, they’re saying that was a failure to us, we are not okay with that. The standard for us is beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, win a natty. We went 0-3 last year, so we’re not cool with that.”

The Buckeyes lost their fair share of players from last season to the NFL but still bring back one of the most talented rosters in college football. This combined with their newfound spark and motivation from last year could mean trouble for anyone on their schedule this upcoming season.

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“We talked about it at the beginning of this segment, the edge that Ohio State feels heading into this year, it doesn’t reflect a program that just won the Rose Bowl. Like I said, they feel like they failed a season ago, they have a bad taste in their mouth and they’re ready to get it out. That’s a scary thing for everybody else in the college football world. To be as talented as you are at Ohio State and to still feel like you have something to prove,” PicKell said.

Ohio State already entered this season as one of the preseason favorites to make the College Football Playoff, and with them more focused and determined this entire offseason to make it there, they’ll certainly be tough to bet against.

“That was their mission this offseason, they were locked in — hey we failed last year. Similar to how they feel at Alabama — we failed last year. And Ohio State made an effort this offseason in the weight room, in practice, in their tempo, in their sense of urgency. We have unfinished business, we gotta go out and complete the mission,” PicKell said.