Looking at the offensive changes, on a position by position basis:
QB - lose Rourke with one to play, gain Gundy with 2 to play. Probably a step down in 2024, but a gain for 2025
RB - lose Bangura, Allison, Kitrell, and Quinn, gain only freshman Brune - clearly a stop down, but Hunt is solid
WR - Lose Cross, Walton, Rhone, and Wilburn, plus Wiglusz to graduation. Gain Ross and Rodarte, plus three Freshmen (Hurst, Dorwart, Thompson). Also, Jones returns from injury. May be a step down, but WR is never a position that concerns me.
TE - Lose Foster, Burton and Kacmarek, but gain Bruno, plus Freshmen Segarra and Miller. Also, Williams returns from injury. Clearly a step down, but should be OK
OL - Lose Dannerker with 1 year left, gain Allen and Cisse, both with 2 years, plus three Freshmen (Erby, Parson, Anstead). Probably a positive trade.
As fpr Defense:
DE/DT - From the portal, lose Tristan Cox, gain McNaboe, Doggette. Clearly a huge step up from the portal, but also lose Watkins, Sutton, Bonner, and Matthews due to eligibility. Add Freshmen Arndt and Ehret. Position will be weaker, but not due to the portal.
LB - lose Thompson to the portal and Houston due to eligibility. Gain Leake, plus 3 freshmen (Startz, Bowman, Kelly). Position will be weaker, but Leake, Taylor, and Stevens are solid.
CB - lose Birchette to eligibility, gain Proche. Should be fine there
S - lose Reynods to eligibility and Johnson to the portal. Gain a different Johnson from the portal, and 3 Freshmen (Morton, Haskins, Mathis). Should be solid there, with Brawley, Williams, and Fleming back, plus the new Johnson looks very good.
Further discussion:
WR isn't really a concern to me because Ohio always had depth there. Hendricks and Jones make two solid starters, and for the third you can pick from newcomers Ross and Rodarte, or returning R. Harris, Hammer, Hilton, or Debrow.
RB, Ohio had a lot of depth, but losing four players seriously eats into that. Given that there hasn't been a huge effort to bring extra RB from the portal, I presume the coaches aren't too worried about it.
At TE, Ohio lost their top 3 players....but....Williams is solid, and Bruno will be capable, too. With some incoming Freshmen that look excellent, Ohio will hopefully be OK here.
The defensive turnover is mostly from the loss of eligibility (Houston, Birchette, Reynolds, Matthews, Watkins, Sutton, Bonner), rather than from the portal, so it will be pretty much like any other year where you lose a few starters and have to replace them.
Last Edited: 1/19/2024 1:28:32 PM by L.C.