First Look: Projecting Ohio States 2020 offensive depth chart -

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ryan Day had one of the best offenses in the country last season, his first as Ohio State’s coach.

As is the case every year, Ohio State has some major talent to replace on that side of the ball in year two of the Day era, but he returns his quarterback and got some key pieces up front to stay. If everything comes together with Ohio State’s mixture of talent and experience, the Buckeyes could have the best offense in college football in 2020.

The Buckeyes have 42 offensive players on scholarship, and 30 of those were blue-chip recruits (consensus four- and five-star prospects).

Here’s an early look at how Ohio State’s offense should look this fall.

Quarterback (4 on scholarship)

Starter: Justin Fields (Jr., 5-star)
Backups: C.J. Stroud (Fr., 4-star) or Jack Miller (Fr., 4-star)
Others on scholarship: Gunnar Hoak (Sr., 3-star)

Overview: Ohio State will be a legit national title contender again in 2020 because Fields returns at quarterback. The question at quarterback for the Buckeyes is how much Day can continue to develop Fields in what surely will be the quarterback’s final season of college football.

“I thought from game one all the way to the last game he really improved,” Day said of Fields. “So it’s exciting that we’re going to have him back.”

If Fields can take more steps forward, he could be the best quarterback in college football next season.

Perhaps the biggest position battle on the team is at backup quarterback, and not only because that battle will determine the first quarterback on the field in case of injury. It also is the beginning of the race between Stroud and Miller to determine OSU’s quarterback of the future. And in the current world of college football with the transfer portal, it’s likely that the backup quarterback battle will determine which one of the young quarterbacks sticks with Ohio State long term.

Day won’t name a backup quarterback before the season because he will do everything in his power to keep Miller and Stroud in the program as long as possible. Both players will go into preseason camp as guys who are expected to play during the regular season, with Day’s hope being that both will be in the program in the spring of 2021 to battle to be the starter.

“That room’s stronger at this point than it was last year, that’s for sure,” Day said. “Now those guys will have an opportunity in the spring to learn and grow. And hopefully we can develop some depth there.”

Master Teague was productive as a reserve last season; can he be the feature back this season? (Jamie Sabau / Getty Images)

Running back (5)

Starter: Master Teague III (Soph., 4-star) or Marcus Crowley (Soph., 4-star)
Backups: Demario McCall (Sr., 4-star), Steele Chambers (R-Fr., 4-star)
Others on scholarship: Miyan Williams (Fr., 3-star)

Overview: Ohio State lost J.K. Dobbins early to the NFL Draft after he broke the program’s single-season rushing record. That decision leaves major questions at running back. Yes, Ohio State returns Teague, who was a third-team All-Big Ten selection as a freshman, but there is lingering uncertainty as to whether the Buckeyes have enough firepower in the backfield to make a national championship run.

Ohio State signed Williams, from Cincinnati Winton Woods, in the 2020 class, and were flirting with taking a second running back, but an official visit from four-star Georgia Tech commitment Jahmyr Gibbs fell through. If Ohio State wants another running back, adding a graduate transfer seems like the right choice because that player would be immediately eligible, but it’s not clear whether that perfect fit is out there.

Teague rushed for 789 yards and four touchdowns last season, and seems to be the favorite to win the starting job. What does Day need to see from Teague?

“I don’t know what he has to show us right now,” Day said. “I think that’s something we’re going to figure out through the spring. I think we had it nailed down with J.K., what he needed to do, and Coach (Tony) Alford did a great job of that. But that’s a young group.

“It’s hard with Master because he came into some of those games late in the games and really was a great change of pace. He was downhill. He got through it. And he got to the next level and rolled. But what really didn’t happen for Master this year is in big moments early in the games, he didn’t get a ton of those carries. J.K. got the meat of those carries. So that’s the next step for Master … taking on that responsibility and knowing what he’s doing and having some confidence in that because he does have the ability.”

Crowley is a former four-star prospect from Jacksonville who was Florida’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018, an impressive achievement in that talent-rich state. Crowley was banged up at the end of the season, which stunted his development; there is a real chance he could have gotten meaningful reps in the Fiesta Bowl had he not gotten injured.

It’s easy to assume Teague is going to win the job because he played the most in 2019, but Crowley absolutely could be the starter when the season begins. At this point, it’s probably most likely that Crowley and Teague will be a 1-2 punch in the backfield.

Chris Olave made the jump from reserve as a freshman in 2018 to highly productive starter as a sophomore in 2019. But his final play of the season was a bad one. (Joe Maiorana / USA Today)

Wide receiver (8)

X
Starter: Garrett Wilson (Soph., 5-star)
Backups: Julian Fleming (Fr., 5-star), Jaylen Harris (Jr., 4-star)
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Starter: Chris Olave (Jr., 3-star)
Backups: Jameson Williams (Soph., 4-star), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Fr., 4-star), Gee Scott (Fr., 4-star)
Others on scholarship: Elijah Gardiner (Jr., 3-star)

Overview: K.J. Hill was the career receptions leader at Ohio State and now he’s gone. So are Austin Mack and Binjimen Victor. As with most positions after every season, Ohio State has a lot of talent to replace. But at wide receiver, the Buckeyes have more than enough talent.

Ohio State is at this point because receiver coach Brian Hartline has been crushing it on the recruiting trail. He signed Wilson, a five-star prospect, and Williams, a high-end four-star prospect, in the 2019 class, then followed it up in 2020 by signing perhaps the most impressive collection of talent at receiver in a single class in the modern history of recruiting. Fleming was the No. 2 overall player and the No. 1 receiver in the 2020 class, and Smith-Njigba (No. 33 player in the country) and Scott (No. 62) also were elite national prospects.

Olave is returning, and this receivers room is absolutely loaded. And Olave returns as driven as possible after he made a critical mistake in the Fiesta Bowl’s final moments that ended up stopping Ohio State’s comeback attempt.

“I love Chris Olave,” Day said. “I’m not sure he ate solid food for about three or four days after that game; he was crushed.”

Olave will be the leader of the room and Wilson is a candidate to break out. Both of those guys are NFL players. The others will fight to be in the rotation. But as Ohio State tries to figure out how to replace Mack, Victor and Hill, there is no shortage of options.

This is the most talented position group on the Buckeyes’ roster.

Slot WR (3)

Starter: Jaelen Gill (Soph., 4-star)
Backup: Mookie Cooper (Fr., 4-star)
Others on scholarship: Kamryn Babb (Soph., 4-star)

Overview: Hill was the perfect inside receiver because of his shiftiness and ability to catch any ball. It seems as if Gill would be the perfect player to step in and assume that role, but when asked about the spot last week, Day said the only thing he’s considering is getting the best receivers on the field.

“We’re going to rank our top six wide receivers and figure out who are the top six,” Day said. “Whoever those top six are, they’re going to get on the field. And what you don’t want to do is just pigeonhole a guy where you have three really good players at one position and only one is on the field.”

Could Gill be the guy? Sure. Could Cooper – a top-100 player in the 2020 class – be the answer? Sure. Could Day put Olave inside to open up more reps for young receivers on the outside? Absolutely.

Gill has been a constant fixture in the rumor mill when it comes to transfer candidates, but he has a golden opportunity this spring. Cooper didn’t play his senior year in high school because of an eligibility issue. Babb has been injured his entire career, and it’s not clear whether he’ll be healthy this spring.

Still, if Gill can’t get it done, Hartline has options.

Tight end (5)

Starter: Luke Farrell (Sr., 4-star) or Jeremy Ruckert (Jr., 4-star)
Backups: Cormontae Hamilton (R-Fr., 3-star); Joe Royer (Fr., 3-star)
Others on scholarship: Jake Hausmann (Sr., 4-star)

Overview:Tight end probably was the deepest position group on the team last season, and the Buckeyes lost only Rashod Berry. Farrell is the perfect all-around college tight end, and Ruckert has so much upside in the passing game. Ohio State used a lot of two-tight end looks last season and that should continue in 2020, which means Farrell and Ruckert will both be on the field quite a bit.

While he is a returning starter, Thayer Munford has battled injuries of late. A healthy Munford has a big upside. (Tim Fuller / USA Today)

Offensive line (17)

Left tackle
Starter: Thayer Munford (Sr., 4-star)
Backup: Paris Johnson Jr. (Fr., 5-star)
Others on scholarship: Trey Leroux (Fr., 3-star), Grant Toutant (Fr., 3-star)

Overview:Munford could have left for the NFL, but he returned for his senior season because he has been battling injuries. The plan for Munford is to get healthy – which may mean limited reps in the spring – and be ready for a dominant season this fall. Munford is a future NFL pick, but he still has room to showcase his ability with a clean bill of health. This situation also should give Johnson plenty of reps in the spring as he tries to compete for the starting right tackle spot.

Left guard
Starter: Harry Miller (Soph., 5-star)
Backup: Matthew Jones (Soph., 4-star).
Others on scholarship: Enokk Vimahi (R-Fr., 4-star); Jakob James (Fr., 3-star)

Overview: When Miller signed with Ohio State, he was considered the center of the future; that still may be the case. But Ohio State has a high-level center with starting experience, meaning Miller can get on the field sooner at guard. Miller cracked the two-deep immediately as a true freshman, so he should become a star.

Center
Starter: Josh Myers (Jr., 4-star)
Backup: Miller
Others on scholarship: Luke Wypler (Fr., 4-star)

Overview: Myers also was a candidate to leave early for the NFL after his redshirt sophomore season, and the Buckeyes received a huge boost when he opted to return. Myers played in a run-heavy offense in high school and had to develop as a pass blocker once he got to OSU. His ceiling always has been high, and last season provided an opportunity for him to begin reaching that ceiling. In 2020, which likely will be his final college season, Myers should have a breakout year.

Miller would move to center if Myers were unavailable, and in that scenario, Jones likely would become the starting left guard. Wypler, the No. 1 center in the country in the 2020 class, is the future at the position, and his development begins now.

Right guard
Starter: Wyatt Davis (Jr., 5-star)
Backup: Gavin Cupp (Sr., 3-star)
Others on scholarship: Josh Fryar (Fr., 3-star)

Overview: Davis also decided to stay in school. Pro Football Focus data has him as the second-best returning offensive lineman in the country, which illustrates how good Ohio State’s line should be in 2020. Between Davis, Myers and Munford, the Buckeyes have a solid core of veterans blending with younger, talented players who are early in their developments. Add in Cupp, another veteran presence who has the versatility to fill in at multiple positions – and perhaps the deepest knowledge of the offense of anyone on the team – and this group is in good hands.

Right tackle
Starter: Nicholas Petit-Frere (Soph., 5-star)
Backup: Dawand Jones (Soph., 3-star)
Others on scholarship: Max Wray (Soph., 4-star), Ryan Jacoby (Fr., 4-star)

Overview: Petit-Frere was the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2018 recruiting class and battled Branden Bowen for the starting job in 2019. Bowen has graduated, so this spot now is Petit-Frere’s to lose. There should be a heated battle between Petit-Frere and Johnson to win the spot starting in the spring, but if everything goes to plan, Petit-Frere will win the job.

As talented as Johnson is — and he’s probably the most complete offensive lineman to sign with the Buckeyes in recent memory — the plan for the Buckeyes is never to have to start a true freshman on the offensive line.

(Top photo of Justin Fields: G Fiume / Maryland Terrapins via Getty Images)

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