Ohio State football: 5 questions the Buckeyes must answer in 2020

Ohio State football has questions to answer to get back to the College Football Playoff.

Calling Ryan Day’s first year as the head coach for Ohio State football anything other than a success would be an outright lie. The Buckeyes went unbeaten through the regular season, won the Big Ten Championship and earned a berth in the College Football Playoff. After falling short of the title game in a thrilling loss to Clemson, though, it’s time for Day’s follow-up act.

The good news for the head coach is that his Heisman-finalist quarterback, Justin Fields, is back for his second season starting at the position. That alone has Ohio State back in the National Championship conversation entering the 2020 season — but that does not mean it’s going to be a cakewalk.

Ohio State football still has several questions that they must answer if they’re to reach the heights many expect them to. These are the five biggest questions.

5. Ohio State football questions: How much will the defense miss Chase Young?

Defensive end Chase Young was a Heisman finalist in his own right last season, which just speaks to how dominant he was as a pass-rusher off of the edge. Despite missing time due to an NCAA violation, Young still finished the year with an incredible 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. That’s why he was the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, but that also means he’s no longer in Columbus.

However, the tough reality for the Buckeyes to swallow is that they aren’t just having to proceed without Young. They also saw defensive tackle Davon Hamilton — who was second on the team in sacks last season with six — and linebacker Malik Harrison — who was second on the team in tackles for loss with 11.

That means that the Ohio State defensive front has a lot of work to do if they’re to maintain their dominance. The Buckeyes were one of the best defenses in the country last year, so anything short of that could ultimately lead to them slipping. Subsequently, the new starters will have to produce at an extremely high level.

Baron Browning should be a natural replacement for Harrison but it remains to be seen who comes in at defensive tackle. Meanwhile, there is talent at defensive end but it’s difficult to believe any combination of Jonathon Cooper and his teammates can replicate what Young was able to do in 2019.