Early 2025 season thoughts / how to beat tOSU game 1

[Quinncent McManning, Jr.]

We're still licking our wounds, but Sark needs to quickly refocus and reload on the portal and convince enough kids to come back for 1 more year, as possible.  We lost tonights game due to having the tOSU DL beat our OL.  Not scoring from 1st and goal from the 1 pretty much is emblematic of this issue.  Well we play tOSU again in game 1 with new faces on both sides.  I don't know the tOSU roster well enough, but I assume they will start with the young Sayin at QB, and still have tons of talent (Smith, Downs, etc..).  How will we stack up?  Offense scored 14 points but we will need to rebuild quickly as there are tons of questions on offense.

QB - Arch hopefully will be ready for prime time

RB - pray for Baxter's knee healing.  Love what Blue did tonight and even if he comes back he is not a back that should be getting a lot of carries as a traditional RB.  Gibson and Simon as larger RBs?  Lots of question marks at this position to feel that we can actually run the ball next game against what should be another stout tOSU line

WR - depends on if anyone is coming back that is draft eligible.  Golden is the one to throw money at but he is likely gone.  What a stud this year.  Wingo, Moore, and who else will step up?  The freshmen group is great but will be green.  Another position with questions, but would assume Sark will figure this one out.

OL - the biggest problem IMHO.  No Banks, Major, Connor, and presumably Williams.  We couldn't run it against tOSU with this group.  Williams wasn't 100% of course.. would love to someone get him back but unlikely.  Goosby will be great at pass pro but run?  Hutson and Campbell should be okay, but no idea about Neto or Baker at this point.  I see why we would look at the USC LG.

TE - Hope Washington is ready.  I have no faith that Niblack will be the guy, if even even chooses to come back.  

DE - Should be great with Collins the best player on the team potentially

DT - still in the middle of the portal rebuild.. need 2 more guys for depth, but at best will probably be a push to this year at best.

LB - another group that will be better, with an older Hill and Lefau, as well as Smith.

CB and S - lots of losses here..  Don't think we hold Jeremiah Smith to 3 yards after losing Barron, Mukuba and Taafe.  Still feel we need some portal depth.

K/P - Need a portal K to compete with stone and bert if they are back.. lucky it wasn't an issue tonight.  will be set at P with the Utah transfer

Hopefully tOSU loses 15 players to the draft and they will be looking at similar questions, as I want to beat those guys for revenge in C-bus.

[thatdude2]

A lot of life to live between now and then. So many world catastrophes could happen that sports are no longer a thing. Rams won’t even play a playoff home game in California. 

[robertcook91]

OSU's RB's, Sawyer, Egbuka, and JTT will all be in the NFL.  That will help.  We were a few plays away tonight.  

[Toriel Pearl]

Retention will be big, getting some guys back instead of NFL will be big, and polish up the roster.