Tag: Chris Olave

Could the coronavirus pandemic rob us of Justin Fields’ last season at Ohio State?

The novel coronavirus is could impact the coming college football season. What if we’ve seen the last of Justin Fields in a Buckeye uniform?

The novel coronavirus is sweeping the United State like wildfire and could impact the coming college football season.

Having topped two million people worldwide, the virus is not being taken lightly by governors — especially Ohio’s Mike DeWine who has put into place a shelter-at-home order till May 1.

Hailed as one of the governors being at the forefront of preventing the disease, he offered hesitation recently regarding a 100,000-plus crowd watching Ohio State this fall.

But, if the highly contagious virus continues at its current pace, there’s no denying the entire season could be in jeopardy as playing at all would put players at an increased risk of exposure.

After all, the bulk of major sports leagues like the NBA, MLB and MLS have yet to give solid timetables for their return. That said, if the season is canceled, this pandemic may cost fans another chance to Justin Fields in a Buckeye uniform.

It is true it’s pure speculation to think there won’t be a college football season, and nobody is pretending to have insight on something here. It’s just simply a real possibility that things won’t be at a point where everyone will agree across different locations, management, and situations to make everything work for large gatherings like a major college football game.

There are concessions that can be made, like games without fans, testing protocols, and more to help mitigate the health risk, but there’s no way to completely eliminate it at this point. The chances of that changing dramatically over the next few months isn’t looking promising either.

We also don’t know how the NCAA will treat any of this in regards to eligibility and exceptions. But if the utmost in caution continues (and there’s reason to believe that it might), Fields could have a decision to make on the next step in his career. He’ll be NFL eligible once he’s three years removed from High School. That means he could hypothetically enter the 2021 NFL Draft.

It’s not Justin Just Fields either.

Cornerback Shaun Wade and wide receiver Chris Olave would also have a options. It’d most saddening for Wade who could’ve been preparing for the NFL Draft now but opted to return.

For Fields, the Heisman Trophy finalist really could use another solid season. After several dynamic, dual-threat Ohio State quarterbacks failed at the highest level, it would’ve been ideal for another utterly dominant season. One in which he might even bring some coveted hardware home.

One of the best in college football, Fields ended the 2019 season with 41 touchdowns and three interceptions. His dual-threat natural was huge for Ohio State in multiple games — tacking on almost 500 yards and 10 touchdowns to his resume.

Head coach Ryan Day is planning and hoping for a season like many others in the same boat.

“Some football is better than no football,” Ryan Day said on a teleconference call with reporters Wednesday. Basically, Day is noting that having games without fans isn’t ideal, but it’s better than not playing at all.

We are right there with you coach. But, the health of everyone is of utmost concern and we’ll just have to see how it all plays out.

Ohio State football’s ten most memorable plays of 2019

Ohio State had a slew of memorable plays from this past football season. Here’s a ranking of the ten most meaningful.

There’s never a shortage of highlights and memorable plays during almost any Ohio State football season. There were a ton in 2019 as well, but with the Buckeyes blowing out most opponents, most of them didn’t result in as much exhilaration as years’ past. Nonetheless, they were still memorable.

We’re all in shut-down mode because of the COVID-19 health crisis, so what better time to reflect upon a mighty memorable season on the gridiron by Ohio State. One in which it proved a lot of doubters wrong and came within a whisker of playing for the national title.

Here’s a look at the top ten plays of the 2019 Ohio State football season. WARNING: Not all plays will make you feel warm and fuzzy. Memorable does not mean exuberant.

Next … No. 10 – Fields on the radar

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Ohio State Football Profile Card: Chris Olave

A profile of Ohio State star receiver Chris Olave.

Name: Chris Olave

Number: 2

Position: WR

Class: Junior

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 188 lbs

Hometown: San Marcos, CA

High School: Mission Hills High School, Kennesaw, GA

2019-2020 Stats:

GP Rec YDs Avg TD Rec YPG Rush ATT Rush YDs Rush TDs Rush YPA Total YPG
13 48 840 17.5 12 64.6 2 5 0 2.5 65

Overview:

Olave might not have been the expected heir to Ohio State’s tremendous receiving corps in previous seasons–he certainly didn’t show it for most of his freshman season. However, he had a huge game against Michigan in 2018, and ever since then he has been the go-to guy for the Buckeyes, and for tremendous reason.

Olave’s relationship with quarterback Justin Fields is going to be a huge asset for Ohio State this coming season. Olave’s development into his own player and a very difficult-to-guard receiver will only make him better and better as he continues to grow and develop.

Don’t let the numbers fool you–Olave is the heart and soul of Ohio State’s passing game. The Buckeyes had a very spread out attack, with each of Olave, K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor, Garrett Wilson, and Austin Mack all pulling in over 300 yards on the season. Ohio State also had a potent rushing attack, led by J.K. Dobbins’ 2,000 yards.

It is noteworthy how rarely the Buckeyes ran from the wide receiver position this past year. Olave had the most carries of any Ohio State receiver, with two. That’s a far cry from what we were used to seeing with guys like Jalin Marshall in the backfield. We’ll see if that changes going forward, though Austin Mack might be the most likely to get more carries.

Of course, the lasting memory of Olave–in both his mind and fans’ minds–is the final offensive play of the Fiesta Bowl. Olave and Fields were not on the same page, and it led to a game-ending interception. Don’t let that sit for too long, though. Olave is too good and too essential to this team to let that define him. He will provide plenty more happy highlights when he next gets back on the field.

Highlights

Want to know what makes Olave so good? Check out his best plays from last season.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASN_02Yk1Do&w=560&h=315]

Chris Olave chosen as top ten returning wide receiver by ESPN

ESPN has identified Ohio State’s Chris Olave as one of the ten best returning receivers in college football for 2020.

By all accounts and measures, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave has developed well beyond his recruiting accolades when he came out of high school. The coaches believed they got an underrated diamond in the rough at the time when he came out in 2018, and that’s proven to be the case.

Rated barely in the top 400 of recruits in the class as a three-star recruit, Olave splashed on the scene his freshman season against Michigan and never looked back. His sophomore season of 2019 was a breakout year, one in which he led the team in receiving yards and touchdowns as Justin Fields’ big-play threat down the field.

He has smooth running routes, elite speed, and great hands that he uses to separate and make explosive plays.

ESPN agrees. In a piece Anthony Treash published, he identified Olave as one of the ten best returning receivers in the country for 2020. And while he barely made the list at No. 10, it’s still a nod towards the 6-1, 185 pounder from San Marcos, California.

LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Alabama’s DeVonta Smith lead the group, with many others you can read about here (subscription required).

But back to Olave. Here’s what ESPN writes on the talented wide-out.

Sophomore receiver Olave had a breakout year in 2019, separating better than anyone with his speed and route running. Over 57% of his targets thrown 10-plus yards beyond the line of scrimmage had two or more steps of separation, which both led the country and was 23 percentage points above the average. He used his strength when going up against single coverage this past season, leading to one of the 10 highest grades on such plays. Moore might be the best wide receiver in the Big Ten, but Olave isn’t too far behind.

There’s a bevy of talented receivers headed to Columbus, and with Olave as option No. 1 on the outside, it should open things up for other talented pass-catchers in 2020.

Ohio State football post-spring 2020 projected depth chart

Spring football in Columbus has ended early thanks to the COVID-19 health crisis, so we look at the projected 2020 Ohio State depth chart.

We’ve already gone through this exercise just after the season ended, and then again right before spring. But we’ll continue to revisit it as we go through the offseason and on towards real, live American football in the fall — hopefully.

We now know the early departures for the NFL, and there’s a couple of dismissals to make note of. In addition, some early enrollees will have a chance to make their mark, and a big-time graduate transfer has arrived to provide immediate depth for the backfield.

And with the COVID-19 crisis shutting spring football and almost all areas of life down (and rightly so), it’s time to project where the depth chart is heading towards the fall. Hopefully, things get a little closer to normal and we have football this season.

Anyway, let’s start things off in the backfield.

Next … the quarterback/running back combination

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Ohio State Football Profile Card: Justin Fields

A profile of Ohio State starting quarterback Justin Fields

Name: Justin Fields

Number: 1

Position: QB

Class: Junior

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 228 lbs

Hometown: Kennesaw, GA

High School: Harrison High School, Kennesaw, GA

WATCH: J.T. Barrett on Ohio State QB Justin Fields' Heisman chances

2019-2020 Stats:

GP COMP/ATT % Pass YDs Pass TD INT EFF Pass YPG Rush YDs Rush ATTs Rush TDs Rush YPA
14 238/354 67.2 3273 41 3 181.42 233.8 484 137 10 3.5

Overview:

Fields received a waiver to play immediately in his first season in Columbus (he transferred from Georgia after losing out on the starting job to Jake Fromm). As the 2019 season showed, that was likely a mistake by Georgia. Fields excelled in Ohio State’s powerful offense, while Fromm and the Bulldogs stagnated throughout the year.

Fields showed no struggled adjusting to Ohio State and had zero problems integrating into the offense. He very quickly found a rapport with the entire Ohio State receiving corps, most notably sophomore Chris Olave. That connection–painful as the one miss at the end of the Fiesta Bowl was–was a major factor in Ohio State’s success all season.

Fields is not particularly known as a dual-threat or running quarterback, but that’s a mistake. He’s very mobile and can just as easily run the read-option as he can a pass-first game. He struggled with a bit of a knee injury towards the end of the season, which limited him as a runner a bit. Still, even while hobbled he was mobile enough to avoid sacks, and his ability to throw on the run makes him just more dangerous.

Fields also did an excellent job avoiding mistakes in 2019, as the 41:3 touchdown-to-interception ratio will show. If Fields just stays at his same level from last season–let alone improves–the Heisman finalist will be a major threat when he next suits up in an Ohio State uniform.

Highlights

Miss any of Fields’ touchdowns during the last season? Don’t worry. This highlight real shows you every single one of them.

Five way too early bold predictions for Ohio State football in 2020

We’re looking way ahead to this fall and throwing out five way too early bold predictions for Ohio State football in 2020.

If you feel like you’re in the college football equivalent of purgatory, you are not alone. It may have only been less than two months since Ohio State lost in shocking and depressing fashion to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, but it feels much longer.

We’ll have spring ball soon enough, but until then, we’re left to question what if, why, and for what reason? But enough about the past, we’re here to look ahead — perhaps way ahead to next season.

We always roll out some bold predictions for the upcoming football season, but this time we’re getting ahead of the game with five way-too-early bold predictions for this fall. By the way, we nailed every single one of our bold predictions before the season last year.

That means we’ll probably be way off this time, but nonetheless, we’ll give it the old college football try.

Next … Prediction No. 1

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Ohio State football pre-spring 2020 projected depth chart

It’s almost time for some spring football in Columbus. We take a look at a projected pre-spring Ohio State two-deep depth chart for 2020.

We’ve already gone through this exercise just after the season ended, but we’ll continue to revisit it as we go through the offseason and on towards real, live American football in the fall.

We now know the early departures for the NFL, there’s a couple of dismissals to make note of, and a slew of early enrollees that will have a chance to make their mark. And with spring football right around the corner, it feels like a good time to do another projection for Ohio State football’s depth chart.

Disclaimer — this is clearly not set in stone and can and will change. But here we go for now with a two-deep.

Quarterback

1. Justin Fields**
2. Gunnar hoak

No change here. Fields is the guy, and based on what we saw last year, look for Gunnar Hoak to get the first crack at the backup job. He’ll be pushed though by incoming freshman C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller.

Running Back

1. Master Teague
2. marcus crowley

Teague still looks like the likely heir apparent to the dynamic Dobbins that’s off to the NFL. Look for Crowley to push for playing time and ultimately grab the backup role. Steele Chambers could also grab the backup spot in and open competition.

Next … the pass catchers

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Chris Olave to change his jersey number for 2020

Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave will be wearing a new number in 2020. Gone is No. 17, but what number will we see him in for 2020?

Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave is expected to do some pretty big things next year. He will apparently be doing it in a different jersey number than what we’ve been accustomed to through his first two seasons in Columbus.

We all recognize the No. 17 making big plays down the field (and so too does Michigan), but according to a tease on Twitter by Olave himself, that is coming to an end. No, not the playmaking or super-wedgies he continues to give Michigan, but the jersey number.

In a series of three Tweets to his Twitter feed, Olave first said goodbye to the number we’ve been seen him wearing.

He then, let the world know what number we’ll see him in next year. It is the same number he wore in high school — No. 2.

Lastly, he had some help from the Buckeye Edits to show what he’ll look like in the new number. See the below retweet from Olave after it was shared.

While the number may be changing for 2020, you can expect the same type of threat, route-running and hands making highlights in a stadium near you in the fall.

ESPN picks Ohio State football’s instant impact freshman for 2020

ESPN has identified Ohio State football’s instant impact freshman for 2020, and it’s someone that many are excited about.

It’s still almost seven excruciating months until Ohio State football is officially back, but we try to give you some content to bridge the gap on an almost daily basis. ESPN continues to project ahead too, and it has published a piece outlining each of its early top 25 programs’ impact freshman for 2020.

In the case of Ohio State — who is ranked No. 2 by ESPN by the way — there are plenty of kids to choose from. The wide-receiver room is going to have a ton of talent with a bunch of four and five-star recruits already practicing at the Woody, offensive lineman Paris Johnson, Jr is a beat and could make an immediate impact, and others could jump up and surprise. The class is loaded and some already making development strides in practice as early enrollees.

So which way did ESPN go? How about picking one of the top recruits in the entire country no matter what recruiting service you look at. Every program wanted Julian Fleming, but he chose Ohio State over Penn State and others. He was the consensus top-rated wide receiver coming out in the 2020 class and there’s good reason why.

At 6-2, 200 lbs., Fleming has the size and physicality to get off the line and make catches in traffic, but he’s got underrated speed too — almost winning the fastest man contest at The Opening.

Here is what Tom VanHaaren says about Fleming:

The Buckeyes are losing receivers K.J. Hill, Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack from the roster and have an opportunity for a receiver such as Fleming to come in and contribute early. There are other receivers on the roster, but as Garrett Wilson showed last season, coach Ryan Day isn’t afraid to let a freshman play often if he’s the best option. Fleming is a bigger-bodied receiver, at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, and has a lot of physical tools that should help him assimilate to the college game quickly. Wide receivers JaxonSmith-Njigba and Gee Scott Jr. will also have an opportunity to help the offense, but Fleming seems to be a step ahead.

Can you imagine if Fleming does flash his potential and play a lot in 2020? Combine him with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, and it’ll be hard for opposing defenses to game plan against the weapons quarterback Justin Fields will be able to throw too.

One thing is for sure — it should be a lot of fun again in 2020 around and on the banks of the Olentangy.