Ohio State Football 2024 Preview Offense: Chip Kelly and the Return to an Explosive Buckeye O

Ohio State Football Preview 2024: Offense

2024 Ohio State Football Preview
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- The offense was very, very good. It wasn’t nearly as explosive or as dominant as previous versions, but it was No. 1 in the Big Ten in total offense, it moved the chains well, and …

It scored 17 points against Notre Dame and needed a late score to survive. It only put up 24 against Wisconsin, 24 against Michigan, and 20 on Penn State. Talking out the short 2020 season, the 397 points were the fewest scored since the 2011 6-7 bridge-gap year under Luke Fickell.

Enter Chip Kelly.

The man left the life of being the UCLA head coach to run the Buckeye offense - along with Brian Hartline - and now … look out.

It won’t go 1,000 miles per hour like his old Oregon teams, but it’ll will run with a decent pace. UCLA started to get more physical over his time in Westwood, and this year’s bunch starts with …

Ohio State Offensive Line: The parts are there, but the production has to come.

- The offensive line has to do more to blast away. It was fine in pass protection - for the most part - but the ground game that regularly averaged over five yards per carry over the last several years struggled to get to over four yards per pop.

The talent isn’t a problem.

Former San Diego State transfer Josh Simmons has next-level ability at left tackle, but the consistent production has to match the tools. He’s a good one, though, and the right side might be figured out on the fly. Josh Fryar was the starting tackle throughout last season but might be better suited for a guard job.

The interior might have a few new parts in the rotation, but it’s hardly a big concern.

Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin will be a rock at center, Donovan Jackson is a 320-pound next-level guard on the left side, and the right guard gig will be more than fine with versatile Carson Hinzman, Tegra Tshabola, and Luke Montgomery fighting it out in fall camp.

Ohio State Running Backs: If the Buckeye backs aren’t the best in America, they’re close.

- The running backs are there to shine as long as the O line gives them some room. Banger Chip Trayanum is gone to Kentucky, and Miyan Williams is trying to find a spot in the NFL. The Buckeyes are more than okay.

Leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson is back after averaging close to six yards per carry with 926 yards and 11 scores. The veteran returns for one more run with over 2,700 yards with 32 touchdowns on the resumé. He’s the No. 1 back, but Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins is 1B.

One of the biggest and best transfers in the cycle, Judkins ran for 2,725 yards in Oxford - 20 fewer than Henderson in his three seasons - with 31 touchdowns and three receiving scores. He’s not massive, but he’s got a great combination of slippery and tough.

Behind those two come the freshmen. Sam Williams-Dixon and James Peoples will be the new wave after Henderson and Judkins are in the NFL.

Ohio State Quarterbacks: Very deep, and very, very good ... eventually

- Kyle McCord was just fine. The new Syracuse Orange starter hit 66% of his throws, threw for 3,170 yards, and connected on 24 touchdown passes with just six picks. He was good. He wasn’t CJ Stroud, Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins, or JT Barrett, but he wasn’t the reason Ohio State didn’t win the national title.

Ohio State could’ve had any quarterback in the portal running its attack, and it got a seasoned veteran to take over. Kansas State transfer Will Howard threw for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns in his four seasons, and he ran for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns.

The 6-4, 235-pound size is there, the experience and winning ability are great, but Howard has to be fantastic right out of the gate with a very, VERY deep stable of options waiting to bust out.

So why didn’t Ohio State get a quarterback with more star power? Devin Brown might be the one who takes over the gig. He was supposed to make his big debut in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, but he got hurt right away.

There’s a great shot Brown pushes for the starting job, but former Alabama super-recruit Julian Sayin, 2022 backup Lincoln Keinholz, and next-level new recruit Air Noland will all be in a fight for the pecking order.

Ohio State Wide Receivers: It might not be loaded with experience, but …

- It’s Ohio State. The wide receivers are fantastic - they just need a little time. There’s no Marvin Harrison Jr. around to be the main man, and that’s where Emeka Egbuka needs to step in. He has No. 1 ability and NFL starting skills, but he has to stay healthy and take over games after catching 41 passes for 515 yards and four scores.

Jeremiah Smith is the next superstar up. The 6-3, 215-pound true freshman will be an instant deep threat on the outside, and fellow newbie Mylan Graham will matter somewhere in a slot role.

Carnell Tate got his feet wet last with 18 grabs, and former top recruit Brandon Inniss should be a bigger part of the equation.

Cade Stover was a nice safety valve, but now the former starting tight end is a Houston Texan. Gee Scott and Jelani Thurman will form a rotation - Scott caught ten passes last season and Thurman made two grabs - and Ohio transfer Will Kacmarek can catch with 42 grabs over the last two years.

2024 Ohio State Football Preview
Ohio State Preview | Defense
Win Total, Predictions, Season Keys
CFN 2024 Preview: All 134 Teams