Alright, so I spent some time recently trying to figure out who the starters might be for Ohio State football this upcoming 2024 season. It’s always a bit of a guessing game this far out, but hey, it’s fun to try and piece things together based on what little info leaks out.
First thing I did was just kind of poke around the usual places online. You know, checking out the main sports news sites, seeing if there were any early depth chart predictions floating around. Naturally, a lot of it was just speculation, especially right after spring ball wrapped up. Lots of opinions, but not much concrete stuff just yet.
So, I figured I needed to dig a bit deeper. I started paying more attention to the beat writers, the folks who are actually there watching practices day in and day out. They often drop little hints or observations about who’s getting reps with the first team, who looks sharp, that sort of thing. I spent a good bit of time reading through their reports and Twitter feeds from spring practices.
Then there’s the whole transfer portal situation. Man, that really shook things up this year, didn’t it? You had some big names coming in, like Will Howard at QB, Caleb Downs in the secondary, and Quinshon Judkins at running back. So, a big part of my process was trying to slot these guys in. It seemed pretty obvious some of them were brought in to start immediately, but you still gotta consider how they fit with the existing guys.
Putting Pieces Together
I started focusing on specific position groups where things seemed less settled. The offensive line, for instance. They lost a couple of key guys, brought in a transfer center. I tried looking for reports specifically mentioning who was lining up where during the spring game and practices. It involved reading between the lines a lot, seeing comments about consistency or who was taking leadership roles.
Same thing on defense. With a new coordinator, you wonder if things might change. But with guys like Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau coming back, plus Downs joining the secondary, some spots felt pretty locked down. Still, I looked for notes on linebacker rotations or who was stepping up at corner opposite Denzel Burke.
I basically gathered all these little tidbits – practice reports, coach quotes (though they’re always cagey), transfer impacts, and returning player statuses. I didn’t make a fancy spreadsheet or anything, more just kept a running mental list, sometimes jotting down names on a notepad if I really wanted to compare things.
Forming the Picture
After going through all that, I started to get a clearer picture in my head. For quarterback, Howard seemed like the likely guy given his experience and why he transferred in. Running back looked like a potential thunder-and-lightning situation with Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. The receiving corps felt pretty set with Emeka Egbuka leading the way, though the exact order behind him is always fun to debate.
Defensively, the line felt strong with returning vets. Linebacker had some experience, and the secondary looked absolutely loaded, especially with Downs arriving. It felt like less guesswork on that side of the ball compared to figuring out the O-line configuration.
Of course, this is all just my educated guess based on the breadcrumbs available now. Injuries happen, guys emerge during fall camp, freshmen impress – things can change fast. But going through the process, reading the reports, and trying to connect the dots was a good way to get hyped for the season.
So, that’s basically how I spent an afternoon or two – just diving into the info stream and trying to assemble my own projected starting lineup for the Buckeyes. We’ll see how close I get when they actually take the field in late August!
