Ryan Day and Ohio State are poised for a deep CFP run in 2024 with a loaded roster of returning starters and transfer portal additions.
Champions are defined by how they respond. The offseason between the 2023 and 2024 seasons is the most pivotal in recent memory for Ohio State. It is unquestionably the biggest of Ryan Day’s tenure.
Ohio State suffered a third straight defeat to arch-rival Michigan, watched Maize and Blue confetti rain down in Indianapolis, and Jim Harbaugh hoist the National Championship Trophy in Houston.
Michigan returned many of its starters from 2022 and boasted 44 seniors, which is unheard of in today’s college football climate. Meanwhile, back in Columbus, the 2021 recruiting class feels business still needs to be completed. They think they haven’t won anything during their time at Ohio State. And they’re right. Zero gold pants, zero Big Ten titles, and zero National Championships.
Would the 2023 Buckeyes continue the pipeline to the NFL, or would they decide that dawning the Scarlet and Gray means more than a logo or a throughway to success in the league? The answer is yes, a resounding yes. Life and football are measured by how you respond. In fact, that’s how champions are made.
Ohio State’s returning starters and transfer portal additions:
QB Will Howard
RB TreVeyon Henderson
RB Quinshon Judkins
WR Emeka Egbuka
WR Bryson Rodgers
TE Will Kacmarek
OL Donovan Jackson
OL Seth McLaughlin
DL Tyleik Williams
DL Jack Sawyer
DL Ty Hamilton
CB Jordan Hancock
CB Denzel Burke
S Lathan Ransom
Failure is inevitable, but what happens as a result of those shortcomings is where something special happens. Ryan Day and Ohio State responded with a unique opportunity to “Reload the Clip” in 2024 with a fully veteran, de facto all-star team to stand on business in hopes of accomplishing their three goals.
- Beat “That Team Up North”
- Win the Big Ten Conference
- Win the National Championship
There is no question with the current roster makeup; due to returning starters, transfer portal additions, and coaching changes, the Buckeyes will be one of the favorites to win the National Championship. But they still have to go out on the field and earn it.
The 2021-2023 seasons all came up short and are classified as failures. In 2024, if the Ohio State Buckeyes want to be champions, it will directly result from responding to the losses and noise.
Blake Biscardi, a native of Pickerington, Ohio, is The Silver Bulletin’s Senior Editor and Host of the Saturday Cadence podcast, a national college football show. As a trusted voice on Ohio State, the Big Ten, and College Football Playoff since 2016, Blake has worked multiple ventures, namely FanSided (2018-2021) before TSB. Blake is a proud member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a two-time Graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia.