Ohio State
older than last year.
Experience on the OL will depend on Alabama senior transfer Seth McLaughlin supplanting third-year sophomore Carson Hinzman at center and who ends up replacing right guard Matt Jones, who graduated.
What seems certain is the other starters will be fourthyear junior Josh Simmons, true senior Donovan Jackson and fifth-year senior Josh Fryar.
The battle for the fifth spot figures to be wide open, but it could go to the loser of the center competition (McLaughlin or Hinzman), third-year sophomore Tegra Tshabola or true sophomore Luke Montgomery.
While tight end could go from one fifth-year senior (Cade Stover) to another (Gee Scott Jr.), one group that will be younger than last year is the receivers.
Then again, that might not matter much given the way Brian Hartline has recruited that position.
He has also done well even with youngsters playing primary roles, as was the case in 2022 when he started two sophomores and a junior. If sophomores Brandon Inniss and Carnell Tate slide into the startling lineup along with senior
Emeka Egbuka, this group will be older than that one but younger than last season.
On defense, seniors figure to start across the front line (ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau and tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton).
That has not happened since at least 2001.
With fifth-year senior Cody Simon at one linebacker spot, the front seven projects to be the oldest since 2020 when three of four linemen were seniors, as were all three starting linebackers.
That is regardless of who becomes Simon’s running mate in Ohio State’s 4-2-5 defense, though the top candidates are all juniors — C.J. Hicks, Gabe Powers or maybe Sonny Styles, who was a regular at safety last season but is built like a modern linebacker.
Coach Tim Walton has a few options for configuring his secondary.
Fifth-year senior Lathan Ransom will be one starter at safety while senior Denzel Ward and junior Davison Igbinosun return at outside cornerback.
There are three versatile players for the other two spots — Styles, senior Jordan
Hancock and sophomore Caleb Downs, a transfer from Alabama who started every game for the Crimson Tide last season and led the team in tackles.
Of course, age is not a prerequisite to winning, and youth is far from disqualifying.
Tressel’s 2002 national championship team came in right at the average age score of 70, but the ’03 squad that was his oldest ended up being the only one he coached to not beat Michigan and one of only three not to win at least a share of the Big Ten.
Urban Meyer’s 2014 team started several second-year players and scored just 63.5, making it the second-youngest Ohio State starting lineup of the last 23 years, but that group ended up winning the first College Football Playoff (then falling short of a repeat despite being older in ’15).
Tressel’s second-youngest team also played for a national title in 2007 while his youngest went 8-4 in 2004.
Day’s oldest team so far was also his best. The 2019 campaign started 13-0 with wins over Michigan to end the regular season and Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game, but it ended with a heart-breaking loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.