Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State has entered 2023 with 'chip on our shoulder'
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Ohio State has entered 2023 with ‘chip on our shoulder’
Last season ended in heartbreak for Ohio State. As the ball dropped in Times Square, the ball dropped on Noah Ruggles, statistically the most accurate kicker in Buckeyes history. Ruggles shanked a potential game-winning, 50-yard field goal in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal. And, as a result, instead of upsetting eventual back-to-back national champion Georgia, Ohio State slid to 1-3 in the CFP under head coach Ryan Day.
That ending didn’t sit well with Day or the rest of his Buckeyes squad.
“I think coming off the way the season ended, yeah there was a chip on our shoulder,” Day told On3’s J.D. PicKell on “The Hard Count.”
“I’m really excited about the leadership here. The guys that have come back. Xavier Johnson could have gone to the NFL. He decided to come back, Tommy [Eichenberg], Cade Stover … there’s a veteran group here that’s driving this, but also the third-year players that are in the program, they played a lot as freshmen, and that was a great class. So there’s a lot more experience on this team than any team that I can remember in the past.”
Day acknowledged that Ohio State is less experienced at a few critical spots, such as quarterback and offensive line.
But his point still stands. This year’s Buckeyes roster is coated with talent, more talent than usual. That’s why Ohio State is already projected to match 2020 Alabama and 2003 Miami with six players taken in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft.
“I like this team a lot,” Day said. “The feedback we’ve gotten from [strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti] on a daily basis is exciting. We’ve gotta go put it on the field. But this is a good group.”
That’s the key, of course. Translating said talent into wins at the highest level.
There are no excuses at Ohio State, especially when this kind of group decides to run it back. Naturally, the goals are clear for the Buckeyes: snap their two-game skid to Michigan, reclaim Big Ten bragging rights, make the CFP and win the national title.
“The expectations, the standards never change,” Day said. “We’ve never wavered from that yet. We’ve been in the CFP three of the last four years. We were just a couple plays from really winning it all and having the opportunity to play in the national championship game.”
Of course, Ohio State wants to hang its hat in 2023 on more than just being a couple plays away.
Jordon Johnson-Rubell high on Ohio State after official visit
Ohio State hosted 10 official visitors over the weekend, including four-star Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell.
Johnson-Rubell is the No. 14 safety and No. 185 overall prospect, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, and he is seriously considering the Buckeyes in his recruitment.
“It was a great weekend just being with the coaches and the players,” Johnson-Rubell told Lettermen Row.
For more on his visit and his interest in Ohio State, head on over here.
Five Questions as Buckeyes look to reload along offensive line
Lettermen Row is mowing along with its position-by-position preview series. Next up? The offensive line, which is at the center of Ohio State offseason discourse this time around.
After all, the Buckeyes have to replace three starters up front, all of whom went to the NFL.
There will be kinks to work out. Growing pains are practically inevitable. Things just have to click for Ohio State by the time its trip to South Bend rolls around in late September.
Time will tell if O-Line coach Justin Frye and his room can stay the course, despite the turnover. We have five questions about the position group as we forage into the summer.
Check it out here.
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Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 75 days
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