By Kacie Back
After a devastating loss against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl Classic, the Buckeyes are shaping up to come back for an impressive 2024 season. With new adds from the transfer portal, returning seniors, and an adjusted coaching staff, Ohio State football fans are patiently waiting for what’s to come. It seems like the program is picking up pace and gearing up to have what we hope will be a winning season.
Changes in Coaching Staff
Following a tough season, Ryan Day has stepped into to make the tough decisions that will better his team.
This year, his first change began with Perry Eliano, Ohio State’s now former safeties coach. In replacement, the Buckeyes have picked up Matt Guerrieri, a young coach with a history at Duke Unviersity, Indiana University, The University of Tulsa, and conveniently, The Ohio State University. In his previous positions, Matt mainly served as a safeties coach, along with defensive coordinator positions, laying the framework for him to have a significant impact at Ohio State.
Additionally, Ryan Day has asked former quarterbacks coach, Corey Dennis, to step down from his position. To fill his spot, Chip Kelly has found his way to Columbus, Ohio. Acting as our quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Chip is taking on some major responsibilities this season. With experience as an offensive coordinator at Oregon and head coach at UCLA, the Buckeyes are hopeful that Coach Kelly will bring back some fight in the offense.
Returning Seniors
While Ohio State didn’t have much luck with an efficient offense this past season, our defense was absolutely dominant for the first time in many years. Thanks to Jim Knowles, our defense had been brought to tip-top shape, ready to take on any opponents. Fortunately, it seems the Buckeyes will be able to bring back the tough defense the fans love, thanks to many returning seniors. Some notable names returning for the 2024 season are Jack Sawyer (DE), Denzel Burke (CB), Mike Hall (DT), JT Tuimoloau (DE), Ty Hamilton (DT), Tyleik Williams (DT), and Lathan Ransom (SAF).
Also, let’s not forget the return of two of our best offensive players, TreVeyon Henderson (RB) and Emeka Egbuka (WR).
Thanks to our returning players, the Buckeyes have what I would call a veteran team and these veterans are hungry for a National Championship.
The Transfer Portal
Thanks to the transfer portal, the Buckeyes have built quite the roster. Losing their starting quarterback, Kyle McCord, to the transfer portal once regular season games ended, Ohio State went in search for a replacement; someone who is experienced, fits well with the offensive scheme, and is ready to be a Buckeye.
That’s where Will Howard comes in, a transfer from Kansas State University. As of January 4th, Will Howard has started his journey in Columbus, seemingly ready to prepare for an exciting season ahead. However, Will isn’t the only addition the Buckeyes made this off-season. In fact, Ohio State has made a name for itself, grabbing two of the most hot commodities in the transfer portal, Caleb Downs (SAF) and Julian Sayin (QB), both coming out of Alabama.
After Nick Saban announced his unexpected retirement, Alabama players were left with two options:
- Stay at Alabama and play for the new head coach, Kalen DeBoer (former Washington HC).
- Leave Alabama and find a new team to start over with.
Well, Julian Sayin and Caleb Downs both chose the latter, and lucky for us, they’re the newest additions to the Ohio State Football roster. To say these are good players would be an understatement. Rather, they are incredible; both are 5-star players with impressive statistics, making their commitment to Ohio State a significant and important moment.
In addition to these two recent transfer portal grabs, Ryan Day also obtained star running back, Quinshon Judkins, out of Ole Miss. While the Buckeyes still have Tre Veyon Henderson, adding another running back to split reps is an efficient offensive strategy and will hopefully assist the team in winning it all.
Lastly, Ryan Day made a couple more low-scale adds to the team: Seth McLaughlin (Alabama, OL), Dominic Kirks (Washington, DE), and Will Kacmarek (Ohio University, TE). Just because these guys didn’t get as much recognition, does not mean they will make less of an impact.
Overall, January has clearly been packed and busy for Ryan Day. From new coaches to new players from the transfer portal, Coach Day has been making major changes to benefit the Buckeyes. With this being said, fans can expect a great season, but only time will tell. Let’s count down the days until the Buckeyes are back in-season!