Tag: J.K. Dobbins

Ohio State football’s top ten players of the decade

As we embark on a new decade of Ohio State football, here’s a look at the ten best Buckeye players from the last one.

It was quite the decade for Ohio State football. One that saw the end of the Jim Tressel and the beginning and end of the Urban Meyer tenure in Columbus. The last year was one that saw a new man perhaps joining the coaching superstar ranks with Ryan Day now wearing the headset.

The ten years saw a total of four Big Ten Championships, a national title, and three College Football Playoffs. Oh, and there’s the dominance of That Team Up North as well — with OSU winning nine of ten games.

At a place like Ohio State, there are so many great players that walk through the tunnel, and it was no different from 2010-2019. As the decade has now come to a close, we look back on the top ten players of a memorable decade.

Of course opinions vary on this, so feel free to get in on the action by visiting our Facebook Page, Twitter, or our fan forum that recently launched.

Next … No. 10

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Ohio State has two of first three overall picks in latest USA TODAY NFL Mock Draft

Ohio State has two players appearing in the first three picks of the USA TODAY 2020 mock NFL Draft.

Now that the college football season is over, a lot of folks are turning their attention to the 2020 NFL Draft. Ohio State always has its fair share of talent eligible for the draft, and this year is no different. There are mock drafts popping up all over the place, and one in particular we are fond of is the USA TODAY Mock Draft.

The latest was just released and it goes through the first round. Like many other mocks, it of course has Ohio State defensive end Chase Young as the No. 2 pick to the Washington Redskins, but it also has cornerback Jeff Okudah going as the overall third overall pick to the Detroit Lions.

That would be the first time OSU has had two players go in the top five since the 2016 NFL Draft when Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott went 3rd and 4th.

For now, that’s all Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has going in the first round for the Buckeyes. We’ll have to wait and see though because running back J.K. Dobbins has a first-round grade in a lot of mocks as well. From there, OSU should get plenty more picks throughout the seven-round affair in Las Vegas.

Ohio State running back J.K Dobbins wins Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has been named the winner of the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award for 2019.

You had a feeling it would happen, and now it’s official. Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has been named the winner of the Tyler Rose Early Campbell Award, given from the best player from Texas annually.

Dobbins, from La Grange, Texas committed to Ohio State without even stepping on campus. He suffered a pretty severe ankle injury his senior year of high school, but became a force from the time he arrived in Columbus through his last game in the Fiesta Bowl.

He is now off to the NFL, having declared for the draft after his junior year, and leaves Ohio State as its second-leading rusher of all-time, and single-season program rushing record-holder.

If there’s one thing we know, those boys from Texas take a lot of pride in football played in the Lone Star state, so this has to be a proud moment for Dobbins and his friends and family. The award was presented to Dobbins by Earl Campbell himself at an awards banquet on Wednesday.

“I’m honored to present the award to J.K. Dobbins,” Earl Campbell said. “All of these players had an amazing season. They all deserved their place as a finalist.”

Dobbins beat out other finalists, Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer, SMU quarterback Shane Buechele, and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.

This is obviously a well-deserved honor for one of the best to ever suit up in the scarlet and gray.

 

Five questions that need answered for Ohio State football in 2020

Now that Ohio State’s season is over, we can look ahead to 2020. Here are five questions that need to be answered for next year.

It’s going to feel like an eternity until Ohio State kicks off the next college football season, especially with how things seemed to end so abruptly against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. As with any college football team, there are always holes to fill and questions that present themselves in the offseason that will need to be answered.

Here are five questions Ryan Day and the rest of the coaching staff will need to address heading through winter workouts, spring ball, and ultimately the fall.

No. 1 – Who steps up in the secondary?

It’s probably the biggest issue that needs addressed going into next season. The Buckeyes lose three of four starters in the back-end of the defense, and those are huge hole to fill. Gone are starters Jordan Fuller at safety, and Damon Arnette and Jeff Okudah at the corner spots. Who will be the next man up at each spot?

At least Shaun Wade coming back will help out for the No. 1 corner spot, but there’s going to be one whale of a competition for the rest. Josh Proctor will get first crack at the safety spot, then you have Marcus Williamson, Sevyn Banks, Marcus Hooker, Amir Riep and others that will have to not only grab the other three, but play well in the spotlight.

Next … No Chase Young? Then who?

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Ohio State football 2019 departure tracker

We’ve got your tracker of what players Ohio State is losing this year to graduation and early departures, and who decided to come back.

Ohio States’s football season is over, but that just means we’re starting to turn the page on who will return, who graduates, but most importantly, which players who are eligible for the draft after three years will come back and be a Buckeye or decide to head to the NFL.

At this point we’ve heard from everyone that had that decision to make, so we know what the coaching staff will be working with next year. So you can keep track of it all in one spot, here’s who’s leaving because of graduation, who’s coming back, and who has decided to forgo another year and enter the NFL Draft.

We’re just going with key players to, not deep into the depth chart. So here we go.

Lost to Graduation:

Binjimen Victor – Wide-Receiver
K.J. Hill – Wide-Receiver
Austin Mack – Wide-Receiver
Jonah Jackson – Offensive Line
Robert Landers – Defensive Line
DaVon Hamilton – Defensive Line
Malik Harrison – Linebacker
Jordan Fuller – Safety
Damon Arnette – Cornerback

Early Departure Staying:

Josh Myers – Center
Wyatt Davis – Right Guard
Thayer Munford – Left Tackle
Drue Chrisman – Punter
Shaun Wade – Cornerback

Early Departure Leaving:

Jeff Okudah – Cornerback
Chase Young – Defensive Back
J.K. Dobbins – Running Back

That’s it for the key players from the 2019 season. The early departures were expected, while some of the ones that were coin-flips resulted in Ohio State getting some much needed experience and talent back.

All in all, it’s a win for Ohio State heading into next year. Getting three guys back on one of the best offensive lines in the country, as well as having Shaun Wade for another year should make this team one of the best in the country again next year.

Re-visiting our five preseason bold predictions for Ohio State in 2019

We made five preseason bold predictions for the 2019 Ohio State football season. Here’s a look at how we did when all the dust settled.

Sadly, the 2019 football season for Ohio State has come to an end. It is one that started with some pretty modest expectations — at least from the national media. In the end, it was one for the ages, but one that feels like it finished before it should have in a College Football Playoff semifinal loss.

We started the year banging out five preseason bold predictions for this team and we figured it would be worth re-visiting now that the season is over. We did the same thing at mid-season, and now we can look back and see exactly how we did.

So here it is — we are holding ourselves accountable by time re-visiting our five bold predictions for 2019. As you’ll see though, we did pretty good. Tell your friends because it’s unlikely we are this spot on like this ever again.

Next … Prediction No. 1

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Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins declares for NFL Draft

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has made the decision to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

Ohio State junior running back J.K. Dobbins has announced his intentions to forego his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He announced his decision through his Twitter account Monday.

Dobbins came to Ohio State in the 2016 recruiting class. As the story goes, he committed without even visiting the campus because he knew it was the place for him. Buckeye fans, players, and coaches are happy he did.

He first made his presence known in the first game of his freshman season, filling in for an injured Mike Weber against Indiana. He announced his talent to the world on national television by rushing for 181 yards. He never looked back.

After a sophomore season that saw Dobbins split carries with Mike Weber, he took off this year more to have arguably the greatest season a running back ever has at Ohio State. His 2,003 on the ground in 2019 will leave him as the program’s all-time single-season rushing leader.

More than that though is the way that Dobbins carried himself in Columbus. He was always gracious in the post game, always quick to credit others above himself, and had a love for Ohio State.

Of course the way that he announced his decision was heartfelt and as classy as can be.

You can read his entire letter to Ohio State and its fans, coaches, and training staff by clicking on the below Tweet from Dobbins himself.

Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins declares for 2020 NFL draft

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins is leaving school early to enter the 2020 NFL draft.

One of the top running back prospects in college football is making the early jump to the pro ranks.

Following their loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State junior J.K. Dobbins will be declaring for the 2020 NFL draft. He took to social media to make the announcement Monday.

Dobbins finishes his Buckeyes career as the second-leading rusher in school history. He also holds the single season rushing record for Ohio State. He will now shift his focus on becoming a NFL running back, where he will likely be one of the top backs selected.

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Kirk Herbstreit gives high praise to Ohio State RB J.K. Dobbins

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins had an amazing game in the Fiesta Bowl and did so on a bum ankle. Kirk Herbstreit took notice.

If we didn’t know already, the stats now confirm it. Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins will go down as one of the best ball carriers to ever put on the scarlet and gray. After the 174 yards on the ground in the Fiesta Bowl, Dobbins is now the first OSU back to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.

That of course also means he is the all-time single-season rushing leader for the program — one that has had more than its fair share of explosive and dynamic backs.

But we saw something else from Dobbins on the field Saturday night. He tore up the Clemson defense early on the ground, but he then sustained an injury to his ankle that limited his effectiveness some what through the second-half. He had a noticeable limp, and came on-and-off the field attempting to get his ankle taped up enough to finish things out.

And he did. He was a warrior and a beast. He gave all he had for his Ohio State teammates and coaches in what could have been his swan song for his career in Columbus. He in fact had some huge plays to put OSU in position to win on the last drive.

It didn’t go unnoticed by one prominent former Ohio State player either. Former Buckeye quarterback and lead ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit took note and made the time to praise Dobbins in a Tweet directed at the OSU back.

In responding to a thank you tweet from Dobbins to Buckeye Nation, Herbstreit recognized the greatness of what No. 2 had done.

“You are an unbelievably gifted player w/ a rare & special approach to the game. JK your humility-hardwork-& passion are so appreciated. Thank YOU for YOU & wearing the scarlet & gray w/ such class. Your performance & GUTS last night will always be remembered- Love ya buddy”

Herbstreit is often (unjustly) criticized for not wearing his Ohio State allegiances on his sleeve at all times, but there’s no doubt he is a proud alum, and this only re-confirms that.

Dobbins took note of the nod his way as well and passed the OSU love right back to Herbie.

We love Ohio State bromances, and this is one that we absolutely agree with. Both are, or will be great OSU ambassadors now and into the future.

 

Ohio State loses to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl: 5 things we learned

Ohio State battled through adversity but came up a little short in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl. Here’s five things we learned in heartbreaking fashion.

It was right there for the taking. Ohio State jumped out to an early lead and punched Clemson in the mouth. Then a few things went the wrong way, like controversial calls, second-chances and big plays from Clemson. Just like that, the ball game was on, and it stayed tight right through the end.

The Buckeyes got one last chance to wrestle redemption from despair at the end of the game, but a break down in communication resulted in an interception in the end zone that sealed the deal.

A fantastic season is now over, and it feels so premature for this team. As is customary, here’s five things we learned after the heartbreak in the desert.

The best team doesn’t always win

I’ll probably get hate mail from sweet tea and grits country on this one, but the better team didn’t win tonight. Give all the credit in the world to Clemson for making one more play than Ohio State did, but if you watched the game I did, the Buckeyes were more talented and probably should be the one playing in New Orleans instead of Clemson.

OSU got more yardage, more rushing yards, more passing yards, more first downs and won the time of possession yet still somehow lost this game. It seemed like every big call and every break went the way of the Tigers, and then when they needed to make something happen to win this thing, they did.

I’ll go to the grave though believing this is one that should have been in the win column.

Next … J.K. Dobbins is a warrior

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