Buckeyes Now

Ohio State Lands in Top Five of Pre-Spring Top 25

Despite losing some key talent, RJ Young has a lot of faith in how good this Buckeyes team can be.

Connor Zimmerlee

In this story:

When the Ohio State Buckeyes take the field for the first time next season, there will be a definite difference - especially on the offensive side of the ball. 

Gone will be a trio of likely first-round talents in quarterback C.J. Stroud, receiver Jaxon-Smith Njigba and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., all of which are commonly placed in the first round of mock drafts. 

While replacing a quarterback as good as Stroud is easier said than done, analyst RJ Young still believes in the Buckeyes and lists them at No. 3 in his pre-spring top 25.

Joining the Buckeyes in Young's top four is the Georgia Bulldogs at No. 1, the Michigan Wolverines at No. 2 and the USC Trojans rounding out at No.4. Of course, preseason polls and rankings are not a reflection of what things will look like come December. 

That being said, if these were the four College Football Playoff teams no one would be too surprised. 

For the Buckeyes, while replacing such talented players is never easy, they do have guys returning that will make life easier. Headlined by receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the Buckeyes offense will look to not miss a beat in 2023. 

Between now and the start of Ohio State's season against the Indiana Hoosiers on Sept. 2, a lot will be revealed about what the Buckeyes will look. 

While it may be too early to predict who will be where when the season rolls around, don't be surprised if the mix of returning talent and an elite 2023 recruiting class once again have the Buckeyes as one of the best teams in college football. 

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

Be sure to stay locked into BuckeyesNow all the time!

Join the BuckeyesNow community!

Subscribe to the BuckeyesNow YouTube channel

Follow BuckeyesNow on Twitter: @BuckeyesNow_FN

Follow BuckeyesNow on Instagram: @BuckeyesNow_FN

Like and follow BuckeyesNow on Facebook!

Published
Connor Zimmerlee
CONNOR ZIMMERLEE

Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media. 

Home/Football