Spring practice is upon us as The Ohio State football team begins its 2022 campaign with sky-high expectations and vengeance on its mind.

The Ohio State football team can officially turn the page to Spring practice, which opened at 8:30 am this morning. The Buckeyes return a prolific offense and will have to restructure a young, talented defense that underperformed a year ago. 

CJ Stroud is the undoubted starting quarterback for the Buckeyes, with Kyle McCord checking in behind him on the depth chart. The California native is already among the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy, and he definitively has the potential to win the award in December. He threw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes last season. Get ready for his encore performance because 2022 is going to be record-breaking. 

Stroud will be paired with TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield as the two have their sights set on monstrous seasons. Ohio State tended to get pass-heavy at times last season and struggled to cash in for touchdowns in the red zone, so expect a more integrated ground attack in the Fall. The Buckeyes have Miyan Williams and Evan Pryor round out the RB room, so plenty of legs are available to bulldoze opposing defenses. 

Returning to the Ohio State Football Standard

Justin Frye will have an extremely talented group on the offensive line as well as Gee Scott Jr at tight end, so Stroud can expect a clean pocket to feed his arsenal of weapons on the perimeter. Despite the unfair talent advantage on the outside, Henderson can easily have a 1,500-yard season because he’s that good, and the Buckeyes draw a handful of powerhouse matchups where the running game will be vital. 

In the regular season finale against Michigan, as well as Oregon and Penn State, Ohio State struggled to find a rhythm on the ground. However, now that the younger Stroud and Henderson have the experience, there shouldn’t be any more hardships pounding the football or needing physical line play. 

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr, and Julian Fleming will be integral to the offense as wide receivers. Whether returning kicks or blazing down the sideline past the defenders, Emeka Egbuka will also play a significant role. Egbuka has Ted Ginn potential with hopes to finally end Ohio State’s kick (2010) and punt return (2014) streaks. 

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the high-octane Ohio State offense heading into spring ball, and for good reasons. If Jim Knowles can improve the defense to a B-grade, there’s a good chance you will see these Buckeyes playing for a National Championship next January. 

Image Credit: Ohio State Football