Despite having a 56-8 overall and 39-3 Big Ten record as the head coach of Ohio State football, this is the most important year of Ryan Day's career.
The three Big Ten losses have come at the hands of the Michigan Wolverines over the past three seasons and kept the Buckeyes out of the playoff two of those three years. In a place like Columbus where all that matters is beating Michigan and competing for championships, the last couple seasons have been disappointments and caused many to question the future of Day at Ohio State.
While the Buckeyes do have tons of high-level players returning on both sides of the ball, they still utilized the transfer portal to form what is arguably one of the best on paper rosters college football has ever seen.
Here are the three biggest newcomers who will have the biggest impact for Ohio State this season.
1. Caleb Downs, S
Caleb Downs was arguably the top target in the transfer portal this offseason after being part of the mass exodus from Alabama following the retirement of Nick Saban.
Despite only being a freshman last year he was one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball in all of college football. In his first season he earned SEC freshman of the year along with being a freshman all-American. Downs possess great athleticism, pass coverage skills, and showed that he is not afraid to come up and have an impact in the run game as he led the SEC in solo tackles with 70 last season.
The Buckeyes' defense is already solid up front, and this is a great addition to their back end that has been shaky the past couple of years.
2. Quinshon Judkins, RB
This was one of the more surprising transfers as Quinshon Judkins left Ole Miss where he had great success in Lane Kiffin's offense. Even more surprising was his decision to join the Buckeyes who already have a high level RB1 in Treyveon Henderson.
Despite that, Judkins is a great running back who led the SEC in rushing as a freshman. He has big-play ability whenever the ball is in his hands and just runs angry. I expect Ryan Day to utilize him in many different ways, especially in the passing game.
The two-headed monster at running back with Judkins and Henderson is comparable to what Michigan had with Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards. Although the ball will be spread all over the place with the many shiny toys Ryan Day has in his offense, I expect Judkins to have a big year for the Buckeyes.
3. Will Howard, QB
Will Howard could be what makes or breaks this season for Ohio State.
The quarterback play last season from Kyle McCord did not live up to Buckeye fans expectations and was what many believed kept them from being great. I definitely expected a bigger name to arrive in Columbus via the transfer portal at the quarterback position, but Howard is more than capable. He comes from Kansas State with tons of experience starting in 27 games and solid dual-threat ability.
This will also be by far the most talent he has been surrounded by in his football career.
While the impact could be good or bad, there is no doubt that Will Howard will have a massive influence on if the Buckeyes get back to where they want to be.