National Champions!! What started off as what could have been a disaster of a season after Braxton Miller went down days before the Navy game and a 2 touchdown loss to Virginia Tech at home on September 6 has now ended with the Buckeyes being the Undisputed Number One team in the land. Wow. So now that this season is in the books (football is over- this sucks) it is time to take a look at which players and coaches were the best for at Ohio State this season.
Newcomer of the Year- Defense: Darron Lee
Darron Lee came out of nowhere this season and transformed into one of the leaders on that Silver Bullets defense. He was highly praised by his teammates during camp and lived up to that hype starting off with a fumble return for a touchdown in the opening game against Navy. He had the tall task of replacing Ryan Shazier (who is good enough to be a starter on the Steelers in his rookie season) and yet that defense didn’t skip a beat. An MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl shows the incredible potential the young man has in Columbus.
Newcomer of the Year- Offense: Ezekiel Elliott
ZEEEEEEEEEEEKE!! I cannot say enough for how well Ezekiel Elliott played this season. He rushed for the second most yards in a season in Ohio State history, trailing only the 1995 Heisman winner Eddie George. Number 15 ran for over 200 yards in his last 3 games while also going for 4 touchdowns in the title game against Oregon. He also turned Saban’s vaunted defense into rubble. I almost gave this to J.T. Barrett but he may or may not be getting a different award.
Play of the Year
Cardale takes the snap, flips it to Jalin Marshall who tosses it to Evan Spencer. Spencer sets up and throws it into the endzone to Michael Thomas for 6! This closed the gap to one in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama and changed the momentum of the game completely headed into the second half. My runner up would be Joey Bosa throwing Penn State’s running back into Christian Hackenberg to seal an overtime win in Happy Valley.
Buckeye in the NFL Rookie of the Year: Corey Linsley, Packers
A lot of the rookie Buckeyes in the NFL had a great year (seven started) but none meant more to their team than Corey Linsley did for the Packers. Being a center in the National Football League is tough enough but doing it as a rookie on a playoff team is unprecedented. Their first game of the season was against the defending champion Seahawks and he held his own (despite being taunted most of the game). Linsley has anchored that Packer line and has created a great relationship with Aaron Rodgers. He is now on his way to the NFC Championship game for a rematch with Seattle.
Coach of the Year: Ed Warinner, Offensive Line
This award could have gone to anyone (Tom Herman and Chris Ash were just as deserving) but Ed Warinner’s development of a young O-line takes the cake. All we heard at the start of the season was how the Buckeyes had to replace 4 out of 5 starters on the offensive line. Then after the Virginia Tech debacle we heard it even more that they were a work in progress. By season’s end (especially in the National Championship) the offense rode them to a dominating rushing attack by Zeke Elliott. What started as a weakness, ended in a strength and all the credit in the world goes to Ed Warinner.
Team MVP: Joe Thomas Barrett IV
After Braxton Miller went down, most of the country wrote off Ohio State as national and even Big Ten contenders. In stepped J.T. Barrett, a redshirt freshman from Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas. He became a Heisman Trophy contender after racking up 45 total touchdowns while breaking Ohio State and Big Ten records on the way (records held by Miller, Heisman Trophy Winner Troy Smith and Super Bowl Champion Drew Brees fell this season to Barrett). If it wasn’t for an ankle injury during the Michigan game, Barrett would have found himself in New York City for the Heisman presentation. But as the confetti fell to the turf of AT&T Stadium after the Buckeyes brought home Number Eight, make no mistake about it, it wouldn’t have been possible without the man wearing number 16 for the Scarlet and Gray. Scary thing is, he’s just getting started.
And will the award for quickest path to the NFL go to Cardale Jones?