5 offseason questions facing Ohio State Buckeyes

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Ohio State football won another Big Ten championship and a playoff game in 2020.

To do those things again, coach Ryan Day will have some holes to fill and questions to answer.

“For the guys who were in the locker room who are going to be coming back, they have something to motivate them in the offseason, that feeling of coming off the field,” Day said after the Buckeyes lost to Alabama in the National Championship Game on Monday night. “We felt that way coming off the field last year against Clemson, now we feel that way coming off the field against Alabama. We’re going to use that as a motivation in the offseason.”

Here is a look at five issues he and his staff figure to face:

1. Who will play quarterback?

With Justin Fields expected to enter the NFL Draft, Ohio State will need a new starter next fall.

Day said when five-star prospect Kyle McCord signed last month he would get a shot to compete with C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller III.

Stroud and Miller signed a year ago, but their development has been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic eliminating most of spring practice and shortening the regular season, so they have a smaller head start on McCord than might otherwise be expected.

Both saw action this fall, but neither has thrown a pass in a college game yet.

2. Who will step up at linebacker?

This season, coach Al Washington was tasked with finding playing time for more senior linebackers than he had spots in the base defense.

Although the uncertainty created by the coronavirus pandemic caused the NCAA to give everyone an extra year of eligibility, that isn’t likely to be a problem in 2021.

Even if Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, Justin Hilliard and Pete Werner have all played their last downs as Buckeyes, Washington should have several veterans ready to step in as K’Vaughn Pope, Dallas Gant and Teradja Mitchell have been waiting in the wings for three years behind those veterans and another wave of freshmen and sophomores are behind them.

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3. Will there be any other changes on defense?

The new faces at linebacker are likely to impact how the Buckeyes play defense overall.

The staff typically kept three (and sometimes four) linebackers on the field most of the time over the past two seasons, but Alabama and others have exploited the matchups that creates and constraints it puts on available coverages.

The specific skillsets of the players who rise to the top of the linebacker depth chart — for instance, ability to cover and/or blitz — are likely to impact who is asked to do what, as will the availability of cornerbacks who can play man-to-man at closer to the level of 2020 NFL Draft first-round picks Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette.

They were sorely missed this season, as was deep safety Jordan Fuller, who enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Los Angeles Rams.

If the defensive staff returns fully intact is also an open question as Washington, co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison and assistant secondary coach/special teams coordinator Matt Barnes all have expiring contracts.

4. Who will step up on the offensive line?

Left tackle Thayer Munford is a senior who had an outstanding season, and Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers could go pro after four years in the program and two as starters.

If all of them are gone, coach Greg Studrawa should have two strong pieces to build around in returning starters Harry Miller at guard and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere.

Matt Jones filled in capably at guard when needed this season, and big things are expected of 2020 five-star tackle recruit Paris Johnson Jr.

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“Paris is an extremely talented football player and offensive lineman,” Myers said last week. “He has the right skill set. He has what God has given him, and God has given him a lot. And he also has the mindset.

“I don’t know if I should say this or not because it’s pretty early on in Paris’ career, but in my personal opinion, if Paris isn’t an Outland Trophy winner before he leaves here then he’s screwed something up, because he should be by the time he leaves. In my opinion, he’s that talented.”

5. Can the tight ends maintain their success?

This position group has the ability to bind together the whole offense, and it has done that the past two seasons.

Luke Farrell and Jake Hasumann were fifth-year seniors this past season, and true junior Jeremy Ruckert is draft-eligible after flashing his big-play ability in the postseason, so coach Kevin Wilson could be looking at a total rebuild.

Cade Stover, Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2018, offers an intriguing option to begin that effort.

Without multiple reliable and versatile tight ends, Ohio State could be forced to play more three-receiver sets. That brings pros and cons considering the talent and potential play-making ability of the players in the latter position group.

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