Complete list of Ohio State opt-outs for Rose Bowl vs. Utah
By John Buhler
Ohio State will be without 24 scholarship players due to injuries and opt-outs for the Rose Bowl Game vs. Utah.
Even though Lee Corso picked Ohio State to beat Utah in the Rose Bowl with his headgear selection, this Buckeyes team will be a far depleted one more than most people realize.
Bill Landis of The Athletic pointed out that Ohio State will be down 24 scholarship players vs. Utah. This includes four NFL Draft opt-outs, a myriad of players who suffered injuries throughout the season, as well as those who have transferred since the regular season ended. Meanwhile, this stands as the biggest game in Utah football history. Will Ohio State be able to hold them back?
It will take an impressive coaching job by Ryan Day and his staff to beat Utah in the Rose Bowl.
Ohio State will be without 24 scholarship players in today’s Rose Bowl vs. Utah. That’s a combination of season-long injuries, more recent injuries or illness, opt-outs and players who have transferred since the end of the regular season.
— Bill Landis (@BillLandis25) January 1, 2022
Ohio State football: List of opt-outs for Rose Bowl Game vs. Utah
- DT Haskell Garrett
- WR Chris Olave
- OT Nicholas Petit-Frere
- WR Garrett Wilson
The dynamic wide receiver tandem of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will be sorely missed. While Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a proven commodity in the Ohio State receiving corps at this point, some of his teammates will have to step up big time on New Year’s Day. Defensive tackle Haskell Garrett and offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere are the two other Buckeyes players who are opting out.
While Olave and Wilson are sure-fire first-round NFL Draft picks, Garrett and Petit-Frere project as day-two picks. Either way, all four of these former Buckeyes standouts should be coming off the board in the first 100 selections of next spring’s draft. Keep in mind that Utah clobbered an Oregon Ducks team (twice) that went into The Horseshoe and pushed around the Buckeyes in September.
The stars are aligning for Utah to beat Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, who will be without their stars.
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