Blue White Illustrated

while, had 43 catches for 723 yards and six TDs as a slot receiver and is set to move outside this fall. Also back is tight end Jeremy Ruckert, who had #ve TD catches a year ago. Who will be on the other end of those passes in 2021? That's a tricky question to answer at this point, given that Fields was the only QB to at- tempt a pass for the Buckeyes last year. C.J. Stroud appears to be regarded by Ohio State watchers as the favorite. He had a strong spring game, throwing TD passes on two of his three #rst-half pos- sessions. But Jack Miller and early en- rollee Kyle McCord are also said to be in the mix. At running back, Teague is re- turning, but Trey Sermon has moved on a5er leading the team in rushing in his lone season in Columbus. Four-star 2021 signee TreVeyon Henderson could make an early impact. DEFENSE The last time we saw this unit, it was giving up 621 yards and 52 points to Alabama in the title game of the College Football Playo:. Nobody in the Big Ten can match the Crimson Tide's #repower, but Ohio State de#- nitely has some questions on this side of the ball coming o: a season in which it ranked 122nd in the Football Bowl Sub- division in pass defense. There weren't a lot of answers on display in the Buck- eyes' spring game. The overhauled line- backer corps was so depleted that Ohio State mostly used a 4-2-5 formation rather than its usual 4-3. Whether that was a sign of things to come remains to be seen. The secondary was also short- handed, as cornerbacks Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown were hurt and safety Marcus Hooker was suspended a5er being arrested in March for operat- ing a vehicle while impaired. One posi- tive note this spring was the quick de- velopment of true freshman defensive end Jack Sawyer. The #ve-star prospect from nearby Pickerington, Ohio, had three sacks in the spring game. SPECIAL TEAMS Ohio State needs a new place kicker and punter. Dominic DiMaccio mostly handled kicko:s last year, but he also went 1 of 2 on #eld goal attempts, hitting from 22 yards. The punting job may go to Jesse Mirco, a 23- year-old freshman from – you guessed it – Australia. He's a former Aussie rules football player who took up American punting in his homeland and was rated the No. 4 punter in the Class of 2021. SCHEDULE The Buckeyes aren't going TAKE FIVE Wilson has totaled 1,155 receiving yards and 11 touch- downs in his two seasons with the Buckeyes. He'll be moving from the slot to an outside re- ceiver position this coming sea- son. Photo by Bryan Fuller/ MGoBlog

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