Ohio State finished 2022 with a strong 11-2 record. The team only lost to Michigan and Georgia while running through the rest of the Big Ten and Notre Dame. This was the second consecutive year falling short against Michigan. However, the Buckeyes brought Georgia to the final seconds of the game before losing 42-41. This year, FanDuel Sportsbook has opened the bidding on Ohio State’s win total at 10.5, with the over juiced to -115. The Buckeyes sits at +600 to win the National Championship, which ranks only behind Georgia. They are also the favorite to win the Big Ten at +165. Let’s get into Ohio State football predictions with a season preview and roster overview.
2023 Ohio State Football Predictions & Season Preview
Ohio State Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Ohio State enters the sixth season of the Ryan Day era. Day has a 45-6 record with the Buckeyes and has never lost more than two games in a single season. With Kevin Wilson moving on as offensive coordinator, Day promoted receivers coach Brian Hartline to the position. Hartline has been coaching receivers with the Buckeyes since 2018. The defense enters its second season under Jim Knowles. This group showed significant improvement in Year 1 under Knowles and will work towards another jump this season.
Ohio State Football 2023 Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
At quarterback Ohio State lost C.J. Stroud to the NFL, leaving Kyle McCord as the presumed starter. McCord completed 16 of 20 passes last year for 190 yards and one touchdown. He is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and a former 2021 5-star prospect. He was the 28th player in that class and the sixth overall quarterback. McCord does not look to have much rushing ability. Devin Brown should be the backup after coming into last year’s 2022 class as a 4-star prospect, the 43rd overall player and the sixth quarterback in that class. Ohio State also recruited Lincoln Kienholz in the 2023 class. He is not on campus yet, but he was a 4-star prospect, the 189th overall player and the 15th quarterback in this class. Oregon State backup Tristan Gebbia also transferred over for depth. Ohio State has been a plug-and-play system for quarterbacks recently, and the receiver talent projects to elevate the quarterback play regardless of who starts.
Running Back
Ohio State returns a running back room that rivals Michigan with TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams. Both battled injury last year, but they have been excellent when healthy. Williams is 5-foot-9, 225 pounds, rushing 209 times for 1,396 yards and 17 touchdowns. He caught five passes for 27 yards. Williams averaged 4.37 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 22.9% of his carries. Henderson is a former 5-star recruit and is 5-foot-10, 215 pounds. He rushed 107 times for 571 yards and caught four passes for 28 yards. Henderson averaged 2.72 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 13.1% of his attempts. It should be noted that Henderson played through a broken foot that he initially sustained in Week 2. As a freshman in 2021, he notched 1,248 yards on the ground. He also averaged an absurd 4.31 yards after contact and averaged a forced missed tackle on 27.3% of his attempts. Ohio State was so banged up at running back last year that Dallan Hayden ended up with 111 carries for 553 yards and four receptions for another 23 yards. He is 5-foot-10, 195 pounds, and came in as a 4-star freshman last year. Hayden finished with 3.24 yards after contact per attempt and forced a missed tackle on 17.1% of his attempts. This is another loaded running back room.
Wide Receiver
This wide receiver room is certainly the best in the Big Ten. Marvin Harrison highlights this group at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. Last year, he caught 77 passes for 1,263 yards, registering 3.18 yards per route. This ranked second in the Big Ten. He lined up primarily on the boundary. He will be joined by Emeka Egbuka who is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. Egbuka caught 74 passes for 1,1151 yards. His 2.98 yards per route ranked third in the Big Ten. Egbuka lined up in the slot on 67.8% of his routes. The final starter should be Julian Fleming at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. Fleming caught 34 passes for 533 yards. Even his 1.90 yards per route ranked 16th. He did cede a few snaps to Xavier Johnson, who returns here as well. Johnson is 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, and caught 12 passes for 269 yards last year. From there, Ohio state possesses some of the best depth in the country. Brandon Innis is an incoming 5-star and the 35th recruit in the country. Noah Rogers is an incoming 4-star and the 53rd recruit in the country. Carnell Tate is an incoming 4-star and the 58th recruit. Tate has drawn rave reviews this spring. Jayden Ballard is also back after catching 8 passes for 155 yards last year. The team also received a lower 4-star recruit in Bryson Rogers, who was the 355th player in this class. This group is full of elite talent and depth.
Tight End
At tight end, Ohio State returns 6-foot-4, 255-pound Cade Stover. Stover was the team’s fourth leading receiver, catching 36 passes for 406 yards. Stover posted solid blocking grades, making him a well-rounded player for the position. Behind him, Ohio State returns converted receiver Gee Scott, who is 6-foot-3, 240 pounds. He caught five passes for 28 yards last year and could function as more of a receiving specialist. It also landed incoming 4-star prospect Jelani Thurman at the position.
Offensive Line
Along the offensive line Ohio State lost Luke Wypler, Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones. However, it returns both of its guards. Donovan Jackson returns after playing 827 snaps last year. He was a much better run blocker than pass blocker. Matthew Jones is also back at the other guard spot after 728 snaps. He is in a similar position with a stronger run game skillset. At center, Jakob James has missed the spring, allowing Carson Hinzman to grab the job (for now). Hinzman was a 4-star prospect in the 2022 class and the 177th player overall in his class. He has no experience, but he continues to draw rave reviews this spring. The tackles look like Zen Michalski and Josh Fryar (for now). Fryar played 231 snaps last year and played up and down on them. Michalski only received 79 snaps. Fryar is going into his fourth year, while Michalski is a former 4-star from the 2021 class. Ryan Day had been vocal about adding another transfer if one of both of these players do not work out this spring. He did just that by grabbing San Diego State tackle Josh Simmons. Simmons did not exactly play well last year, but he still logged 799 snaps. Victor Cutler Jr. also comes in from Louisiana-Monroe, where he played 715 and 432 snaps over the last two seasons. This is the biggest question on the Ohio State offense.
Ohio State Football 2023 Season Preview: Defense
Ohio State ranked seventh on defense in 2022. This included the 12th-ranked run defense, seventh-ranked pass rush and 20th-ranked secondary. Ohio State did lose Zach Harrison on the edge, but many of its departing starters did not get drafted. The team recruited ten players of 4-star pedigree or higher, along with adding four high profile transfers on this side of the ball.
Defensive Line
Despite losing Harrison, the edge group should be in pretty good hands. J.T. Tuimoloau returns after 504 snaps last year. The former 5-star recruit notched 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last year. The other starter should be Ty Hamilton after 317 snaps. Hamilton did not play as much, but he flashed on a small sample last year.
On the interior Ohio State lost Taron Vincent, but it returns rotational players in Michael Hall Jr. and Tyleik Williams. The pair accounted for 266 and 251 snaps with the Buckeyes in 2022. Hall played particularly well with 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. This group will also be bolstered by Ole Miss transfer Tywone Malone. Malone only played 97 snaps last year, but the multi-sport athlete has been applauded for his versatility to his point.
Linebacker
At linebacker Ohio State returns its two primary starters in Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers. Both starters logged 759 snaps and Eichenberg led the team with 120 tackles. He also notched 12 tackles for loss and three passes defended, making him a strong returner at the position. Chambers ranked second in tackles and should excel in another year starting here.
Defensive Back
The secondary was the biggest concern last year, but a number of starters departed. This group includes safety Ronnie Hickman and corners Tanner McCalister, JK Johnson and Cameron Brown. At corner Ohio State hit the portal, bringing in Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun. He broke up five passes with the Rebels last year and should compete for a starting job. The other corner should be Denzel Burke after playing 614 snaps with Ohio State last year. Burke also broke up five passes, which was tied for second last year. Finally, Jyaire Brown has received some hype after playing 195 snaps at the position last year.
At safety, Ohio State will typically use three players, prioritizing versatility. Ja’Had Carter logged 543 snaps and Lathan Ransom played 614 at the position. Ransom logged 74 tackles and broke up three passes. Carter played with Syracuse last year, but he intercepted three passes and broke up another three. The final projected starter is Sonny Styles after drawing much hype this offseason. The team also added Notre Dame transfer Lorenzo Styles, who has reportedly been making a position change to the defensive side of the ball. Finally, Josh Proctor returns for his sixth season after playing 193 snaps last year.
2023 Ohio State Football Schedule & Predictions
Ohio State Football 2023 Schedule
Ohio State plays a non-conference schedule consisting of Youngstown State, Western Kentucky and Notre Dame. The Irish gave Ohio State a little bit of a scare in the first half last year, before Ohio State pulled away. Its crossover consists of a trip to Wisconsin and Purdue, while Minnesota travels to them. It also plays at Michigan but draws Penn State at home. This looks like a tougher schedule compared to some of its previous years.
Ohio State Football Futures Bet & Prediction
Right away, Ohio State will be favored in every game outside of a potentially tight spread at Michigan. This makes its win total difficult to bet, but its postseason odds could yield a better payout. Interestingly, Ohio State is +105 to make the College Football Playoff, but +165 to win the Big Ten. With that likely coming down to the Michigan game, taking the plus money here makes the most sense.
Best Ohio State Football Futures Bet: Big Ten Winner +165 at FanDuel
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Baylor Season Preview & Predictions
- Florida Season Preview & Predictions
- Georgia Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
- Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
- Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
- Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
- South Carolina Season Preview & Predictions
- TCU Season Preview & Predictions
- Tennessee Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Tech Season Preview & Predictions
- Vanderbilt Season Preview & Predictions
- West Virginia Season Preview & Predictions
