5 early bold predictions for Ohio State football in 2022
By John Buhler
4. The Jim Knowles hiring may be what gets the Buckeyes over the top this year
No doubt about it, Ohio State’s undoing from a season ago was its porous defense. It allowed the Buckeyes to get upset at home in September to Oregon, as well as fall to arch-rival Michigan in The Big House. Though they put up so many points on the Utes in their shootout, Ohio State is not winning a championship until the Buckeyes get their defense right. They may have done just that.
By hiring defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from Oklahoma State, the Buckeyes will now have the scheme to put their best defensive players in positions to win. It may take a few weeks, but by the time Ohio State comes off its mid-season bye, the Buckeyes will be humming on Knowles’ side of the ball. If the defense catches up to the offense, this team is going to be so hard to beat.
An elite defense might be a year away, but an on-the-rise one may be enough to get over the top.
3. Ohio State will have the best receiving corps in the country by a country mile
Even if the Buckeyes lost elite downfield playmakers like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson to the NFL, they have a chance to be as good, if not even better next year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be featured in a primary role with the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka stepping up to the plate. All the while, they will have a Heisman Trophy finalist throwing the ball in C.J. Stroud.
While losing Olave and Wilson would be crushing to most receiving corps, did you watch the Rose Bowl? That dynamic duo did not play in that New Year’s Six game, yet Stroud and the Buckeyes receivers put on an absolute clinic vs. a playoff contender for this season in Utah. It may be the year of Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but Harrison and Egbuka will certainly have their days in the sun, too.
The Buckeyes will be must-see television most weekends because of their deep receiving corps.