Ohio State football: Projected 2018 two-deep depth chart
Ohio State football may have their most talented team ever on paper in 2018. They’re loaded across the board. Can they return to the national title?
Ohio State will soon take the field against Oregon State. Through all of the chaos in the Zach Smith and Urban Meyer scandal, Ohio State football has been relegated a bit in these past few weeks. However, there is still a football team in Columbus, and no matter who the coach is, they should be very talented.
While they do lose a good portion of their team that went 12-2 last year, there are so many blue chip recruits and potential stars on this roster. Even if Ryan Day has to run the team all year, there’s seemingly just too much talent for the Buckeyes to fail.
They’re loaded at almost every single position, and because of Meyer’s excellent recruiting, the second and third string players on this team are better than many team’s starters. Starting with the big boys up front, let’s take a look at one of the nation’s most talented teams.
Offensive Line
Starting Tackles: Isaiah Prince, Thayer Munford
Backups: Josh Alabi, Nicholas Petit-Frere
The tackle spots seem pretty cut and dry. Prince was excellent last year, and Munford was able to step up late in the season. The main question about those two seems to be which side they line up on. Behind them, five-star freshman Nicholas Petit-Frere both seem solid if needed.
Ohio State has had some issues in the past with a weak tackle, be it Darryl Baldwin, Chase Farris, or even Prince a few years ago, but all of those guys improved as the season went on. I don’t see that as an issue with this group. We already know that prince is awesome, and Munford was solid when he played last year. That’s a big deal for the passing attack.
Starting guards: Demetrius Knox, Malcolm Pridgeon
Backups: Branden Bowen, Josh Myers, Wyatt Davis
The guards are less experienced than the tackles, but still very talented. Knox is a former blue-chip recruit, as are Myers and Davis. Pridgeon was one of the nation’s best JUCO linemen two years ago, and he finally seems healthy. Bowen started last season, but after a season-ending injury, he may have to earn his job back.
The likely loss of Michael Jordan to the center position certainly hurts, but these starters should be solid. I wouldn’t be shocked if Bowden works his way back into the lineup because he was generally very good last season before his injury.
Starting Center: Michael Jordan
Backups: Brady Taylor, Matthew Jones
Jordan, who was fantastic as a guard his past two seasons, seems to be set to move inside for his junior year. This is a common move at Ohio State, as players like Billy Price and Pat Elflein have both moved from guard to center. With no clear starter there, and Brady Taylor struggling, Jordan gets the nod.