It seems as though no matter what the year may be, Ohio State always seems to have players ready to step into some big shoes and keep things rolling in Columbus. This season has kept that trend going for Penn State’s opponent this weekend as the youth movement of the Buckeyes has produced the Big Ten’s leading passer in freshman C.J. Stroud and one of the conference’s top running backs with freshman TreVeyon Henderson.
Ohio State’s ability to recruit over the years has been light years ahead of the rest of the Big Ten thanks to the efforts of Urban Meyer and current head coach Ryan Day. But to see freshmen come right in and keep things on cruise control the way Ohio State has seen this year is quite impressive. So what is the key?
Phil Harrison, editor of Buckeyes Wire, shared his opinion on Ohio State’s success with getting players groomed for their current roles, although he notes it may not have been the smoothest transition for the Buckeyes this season.
“Well, to be fair, I think Ohio State did slip up a little at the beginning of the year,” Harrison told Nittany Lions Wire this week. “I don’t care how much talent you have, losing that many guys and being the second-youngest team in all of FBS takes some time to figure out.”
When Ohio State went down in Week 2 against the Oregon Ducks, the Buckeyes were one of the more notable teams being critiqued for what their roster seemed to lack at the time. Like Clemson, Ohio State was viewed as a team that may not have been benefitting from extra years of eligibility for key players the way many other programs were at the start of the season. But, unlike Clemson, Ohio State figured it out, and they have terrific recruiting to rely on.
“In short, the recruiting has been amazing obviously. Remember, the Big Ten lost a lot of practice time and game reps more than most conferences because of the COVID-19 back-and-forth,” Harrison explained. “There are some really talented guys that you knew would be pretty good once the coaching staff figured out what pieces to put into the puzzle, and that’s what we’re seeing now.”
The key to success at Ohio State starts with the recruiting, but the coaching staff has excelled at getting players with all sorts of potential ready for their roles quickly. And the results continue to show.
This is, of course, where Penn State would love to be. And after witnessing the last two games, it is once again clear as day that this is a major difference in Ohio State and Penn State at this point in time.
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