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

3. Ohio State football questions: Will the secondary reload or rebuild?

No matter what else happened this offseason, Ohio State football would have to prove themselves as a defensive back factory after losing two great ones. Both Jeffrey Okudah and Damon Arnette were first-round picks in April’s draft, which means they left first-round-sized holes in Columbus. Things, however, got worse for the Buckeyes after Okudah and Arnette were already heading for the professional ranks.

OSU was already losing one veteran safety in Jordan Fuller but then the program was forced to dismiss both Amir Riep and Jahsen Wint as they were charged with rape and kidnapping in February. Now the Buckeyes are tasked with replacing essentially their entire secondary, which could be problematic.

If there’s an ace in the hole for Ohio State, it’s the fact that Shaun Wade didn’t join Okudah and Arnette in the draft. A potential future first-round pick in his own right, he will be the anchor of the cornerback group and secondary as a whole. But even then, Wade can only cover one player on any given snap, which leaves holes.

New defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs has made a living out of developing top-tier defensive backs, particularly at Ohio State in his previous stop. He might need to do his best work yet, though, for this group to come close to what they were in 2019 — especially if the front seven is worse off as well.