Ohio State football may be more talented than ever in 2018. With Dwayne Haskins set to lead the offense, can the Buckeyes return to the playoff in 2018?
It seemed like all of the stars were aligning for Ohio State to run the table in 2018. With 12 starters from last year’s team back, and a massive amount of blue-chippers in their two deep, Ohio State looks like, on paper, one of the two or three best teams in the country. They’ve got excellent talent on both the defense and offensive lines. They have skill position talent all over the field. They have a naturally gifted quarterback with a massive ceiling.
Then their coach went and got put on administrative leave, for not firing wide receivers coach Zach Smith in 2015, when he learned of allegations regarding domestic violence. Smith remained on the staff until this summer, and wasn’t finally fired until Brett McMurphy’s reporting forced Urban’s hand. For his part in the whole scandal, and for lying about his knowledge of the incident, Meyer has been on leave since Aug. 1. As of writing, he’s still on leave.
However, I do expect that Meyer will be back this season. Whether it’s after a suspension or in week one against Oregon State, Ohio State should probably be fine. Interim coach Ryan Day seems more than capable of running the show for a few weeks, and with the amount of talent on this team, a coach can only matter so much.
After six years of excellent recruiting, and depth building, this seems to be Meyer’s best team at Ohio State. That’s a terrifying thought when considering the 2014 roster that won a title, or the 2015 roster that was absolutely loaded with NFL talent. However, when looking at the depth and top end talent here, it’s hard to dispute it. That talent starts on the offensive side of the ball.