The Ohio State Buckeyes will have some real experience at the cornerback position. Kendall Sheffield will look to on a good season last year, but not the season most expected the former 5-star, Alabama transfer to have.  Sheffield is looking to be the next first-round pick out of Ohio State at the cornerback position.  I expect him to have the breakout season he wants to achieve. I am going to the guess the Junior will have at least 3 interceptions this year.

On the other side of the field will most likely be Damon Arnette.  Arnette started last year, so this is a no surprise he will be the starter this year.  Splitting carries is Jeffrey Okudauh.  Okudah got the starting job for the Cotton Bowl last year after Denzel Ward chose not to play in the risk of injury before the 2018 NFL Draft.  The coaching staff is high on Okudah and I’m expecting him to have a  huge season.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Okudah didn’t get the starting job at some point in the season, but I’m giving the job to Sheffield and Arnette do to their experience already.  The next in line player is Shaun Wade.  Another 5-star player.  Wade will be a big key for the Buckeyes, especially if one of our other cornerbacks go down with an injury.  Ohio State shouldn’t miss a beat though.  Wade has been committed to being a Buckeye since 2015, and is ready to show Buckeye Nation what he can do.

Jordan Fuller should return as one of the starting safeties. Fuller had a good year last year, and I’m expecting him to have another good year this year.  The big question mark for the Buckeye Secondary is the other safety.  I’m expecting it to be Isiah Pryor who had playing time last year, but not in any real meaningful time.  The safety position is the only real place where the Buckeyes don’t have real depth.  Josh Proctor is coming in this year, but he will be a true freshman.  They also have Brendon White who has only played in 1 game against Rutgers, where the Buckeyes won 56-0.  Shaun Wade may move to the safety position if need be this year since the Buckeyes have 3 reliable corners, but hopefully Fuller and Proctor can stay healthy throughout the year.

The Buckeyes will also miss hype-man Kerry Combs, who left the program to become the secondary coach for the Tennessee Titans.  the Buckeyes are bringing back Taver Johnson who coached the Buckeyes in 2007-2011 with Jim Tressel.  Johnson has coached talent before including Malcolm Jenkins and Kurt Coleman.  I expect the Buckeyes secondary to be the same secondary that has been sending cornerbacks and safeties to the NFL year after year.

With the 2018-2019 quickly approaching, the excitement steadily builds within the fanbase as we inch closer to opening day.  As the excitement builds, the expectations become unrealistic and it could potentially depart from reality quicker than someone could conjure it up in their head.

Dreams of an undefeated season en-route to another championship is surely attainable, but it will not be an easy road.  Then there is the possibility of securing the top ranking in the recruiting game.  It is surely doable, but it would also be difficult to achieve.  Then there is the worst kept secret with our coaching staff, namely with Coach Schiano returning after being forced out by the Tennessee fanbase.

These are all juicy subjects but let us look at the potential for the Buckeyes to go undefeated this season.

Are We Going Undefeated?

With the season coming up, we all would LOVE to see our Buckeyes go undefeated throughout the season and win the entire CFB Playoff, but as I previously stated, it will not be that easy.  When going over this seasons schedule, the Buckeyes will be tested early and often right from the get-go.

First, in week 3, Ohio State will travel to Arlington, Texas to face a nasty TCU defense that will bless have a new quarterback leading the offense that will give the Silver Bullets an early test.  TCU has recently come on as of late, and I am willing to bet that they are still angry at the fact that they were left out of the first CFB Playoff.  This will be a measuring stick game for the Buckeyes (Haskins and offense) and for TCU as they attempt to get their signature win over a CFB Blueblood program.  All eyes will be looking at this early season matchup between Top 10 teams, will the Buckeyes sink or swim out the gates?

During week 5, the Buckeyes will travel to Happy Valley for another hostile “whiteout” situation where the last time they arrived in these conditions, they fell to the home team via blocked FG that resulted in a TD.  It will be another dogfight minus, Barkley and Gesicki, but Trace McSorley is a magician and he will give the defense fits with his ability to pass and run.  Add the fact that this is an East Division and a rivalry game and that former Buckeye target Micah Parsons is there?!  It’ll be tough sledding for sure, but hopefully, the Buckeyes can do enough to silence the crowd.

Then you have a couple of trap games lined up in consecutive weeks that could lead to trouble for the Buckeyes playoff hopes.  In week 10, a home game against a Nebraska team that is now led by the former head coach of the undefeated UCF “National Championship” team.

The Buckeyes have demolished the previous two Cornhusker teams, but this year might bring a different kind of energy and focus to the game.  With a seemingly rejuvenated team, with a bright young mind leading the charge, this game might be harder this year.  And if some of you forgot, there was also the Tate Martell versus Tyjon Lindsey beef that might resurface.

In week 11, the Buckeyes will travel to East Lansing to face Sparty and this has the potential for another air guitar letdown for the Buckeyes.  It still haunts me and hurts my soul, but it’ll be a slugfest between two Eastern Division rivals vying for a berth in the Conference Championship Game.  This game will be intense.

Brian Lewerke returns as the starter, but you cannot discount the potential impact of the Spartan back-ups because they have had some success against the Buckeyes.  They used DeWeaver as a runner, and I could see the same issue this year.

Then there is something called The Game, that will pit Ohio State against Michigan.  I do not have to put effort into how important this game is, especially for the Buckeyes.  There have been many times when either team was undefeated up until this game, then poof–dream is gone.  If the Buckeyes take care of business up until this game, this game will have a lot at stake.

If they remain undefeated during the regular season and they secure the East Division berth in the Conference Championship Game, there is another obstacle in the way, the West Division representative.  It will be either Wisconsin or Iowa, two teams that always remain in the way of Ohio State related goals.  Last year it was Iowa’s demolishing of the Buckeyes at home that ousted the Buckeyes playoff hopes and Wisconsin always finds a way to do the same in the postseason.

So, to be clear, I am not assuming that they will remain undefeated and that they will breeze by opponents because what’s not to say that another Iowa game happens.  It won’t be an easy season, but I have enough faith in the team that they will not disappoint.

The Ohio State linebackers had some up and down moments during last season.  The highlight of last season was the Michigan State game.  The low point, sadly, was the game before against the Iowa Hawkeyes who absolutely torched us, and cost us a spot in the College Football Playoffs. A topic I could go on and on about because a certain team played Mercer last year, but I digress.

The 2018 season will feature players that had quite the roll in last season as backups, but played more and more as the season went along.  Tuf Borland will most likely be the starting middle linebacker, as he is the best player for the job. However, he is coming off an Achilles injury where he missed all of spring ball.  Hopefully, he comes back the same player, or even better than last year because this kid has talent.  In the MSU game, he had 11 total tackles with 8 of them being solo and 1 sack.

If Borland can’t go or just loses the starting job, look for Baron Browning to be the next guy up. Browning was the No. 1 linebacker in the 2017 class, and was on the field during special teams last season. I expect Borland and Browning to play a lot this season back and forth, and having two guys with same level of skills is never a bad thing. Browning can also play outside linebacker, so if Borland does come back healthy, expect Browning to be on the field at both middle and outside linebackers.

Justin Hilliard, who lost his starting position to Borland last year, is the older player, but he has dealt with lingering injuries.  If Borland or Browning can’t go Hilliard is looking to improve from last season, and the Buckeyes will need him to be his former 5-star self.

Malik Harrison is expected to be the starting Strongside Linebacker.  Harrison got in games last year in garbage time, and to give the other guys some rest for a play or two, but he did show what he can do, especially in the MSU game.  Dante Booker will most likely be the backup even though he chose to comeback, and forego the NFL Draft.  Booker didn’t have the best of season last year, and that wasn’t entirely his fault.  He has been injured almost his whole career at Ohio State.  He wants to come back and show everyone, including the scouts, what he really can do.

Weakside Linebacker is the big question mark for the Buckeyes.  Replacing 3rd round draft pick Jerome Baker is no easy task.  But expect Keandre Jones to be the starting linebacker with Pete Werner to back up. Both players have seen plenty of time on special teams, but not much action at the linebacker position.  Jones is the the older player which is why I’m giving him the starting job, but Werner and Browning will be coming for the spot.

After the Iowa game, Urban and Greg Schiano made some linebacker changes for the Michigan State, and they payed off big time.  Putting in the young guys really helped the Buckeyes defense come alive.  I expect this season to be much better at the linebacker position, and they will help get the Buckeyes off the field on the 3rd down plays.  The Buckeyes have a history of great linebackers, and this season should be no exception.  With 4 and 5 star players all over the field the Buckeyes should have plenty of depth and talents to keep the NFL linebacker talent alive.