Hot 11: 2020 Preseason
The season is here and it is time to run one of our longest tenured pieces, the Hot 11. It has been a minute since we have done one of these with the Buckeyes out of "competition" since January 2020, almost 10 full months, if you can believe that.
A lot of key names are gone from that team but there are a lot of impact players coming back, and that list starts with Justin Fields but is not limited just to the offensive captain with key players on both sides of the ball coming back for "one more run".
And that final run was almost taken away from these players as the Big Ten decided to shut things down, before coming to their senses and getting a delayed start to the season.
So, normally by this point of the year, we would have run through seven or eight of these lists, but this one will serve as our baseline going into the season and then will be updated from here on out as Ohio State plays a eight plus one regular season with the hope of two more games after that in the CFP.
This is a feature that we run weekly and there is always movement on this list after each game is played. What we don't do is over-correct from game-to-game. If a player comes out of nowhere to have a big game, he won't move up to the top-four of the list and conversely, one bad game won't drop a player off the list entirely if he was ranked highly just a week before.
How did the most recent contest change our list? Take a look below and be sure to vote each week over in The Horseshoe Lounge to have your voice heard.
| Rank | Who | Why |
|---|---|---|
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1. |
Justin Fields |
We had Justin Fields put in at the No. 1 spot before we sent the first ballot out internally because this was the easiest pick of the whole piece. In case you were off the planet last year, Fields threw for 41 touchdowns against three picks and 3,273 yards in his first year with the Buckeyes. With fewer games this year, expect more dramatic numbers out of Fields as he makes a late assault at the Heisman Trophy. Last Week: NR |
|
2. |
Wyatt Davis |
Through all the years of doing this piece we have had one major criticism and that is we under-rank the offensive linemen. We hear you, loud and clear. Wyatt Davis had a foot out the door, two actually, as he had opted out but then quickly opted back in after the B1G came to its senses. Davis is an All-American and will be one again this year. He is that good and that important to this team. Last Week: NR |
|
3. |
Shaun Wade |
Wade, like Davis, opted out for a minute and came back and now has a chance to better his game and continue Ohio State's line of first-round defensive backs, corners in particular. Wade will now be 'the guy' at corner as he is the lone returner in the secondary and will be a focal point in Kerry Coombs' scheme. This could be a very, very big year for Wade and a ticket to the top portion of the first round in next year's draft. Last Week: NR |
|
4. |
Chris Olave |
Olave led the Buckeyes last season with 849 yards and 12 touchdowns and while he did not lead the team in receptions (KJ Hill) he was not far off the pace. He is a true No. 1 receiver and should be a mainstay of this list throughout the season as one of Justin Fields' favorite targets. Last Week: NR |
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5. |
Josh Myers |
A second offensive lineman in the top-five of this piece and two OL before we get to our first defensive lineman. This team is just stacked and so much of the talent is right on the offensive line and that is why hopes are so high for this team. Myers will be a finalist for the nation's top center and really could push Wyatt Davis for being the best offensive lineman on the team. This is the type of unit that could produce multiple All-Americans. Last Week: NR |
|
6. |
Garrett Wilson |
We really started to see Wilson scratch the surface last season and this year should be a colossal step forward as he will be called upon more. 30 receptions last year for five scores and 432 yards was just a preview of what is to come from this talented sophomore receiver. The one-two punch of Olave and Wilson is better than anything else in the Big Ten in our opinions and is right up there with some of the best duos in the nation and then when you throw that Justin Fields guy in... Last Week: NR |
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7. |
Zach Harrison |
Preseason and end of season will look very different once it comes to the defensive line in this Hot 11. We expect guys like Jonathon Cooper, Tommy Togiai and others to see stops on the list and may never leave. But at this point it is only Zach Harrison, who has a ceiling that goes sky-high. He will be called upon for a lot of production but has a lot of great pieces around him and won't have to try and be Chase Young all alone. Last Week: NR |
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8. |
Master Teague |
Master Teague had a great start to the season as the second back on the team and as JK Dobbins' change-of-pace. As the year went on, chances were lessened and Teague struggled when he did find the field. That should be a different story this year as he will be in a 1-1a situation with Trey Sermon (more on him in a second). Last year Teague rushed for 789 yards and four scores. With a nine-game regular season, even sharing carries, look for Teague to break the 1,000-yard mark. Last Week: NR |
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9. |
Thayer Munford |
Lineman No. 3 as Thayer Munford holds down the most visible spot in the eyes of fans, left tackle. Munford was not 100-precent for the entire season and you always have to be concerned how he will hold up, especially in a season where there are no lay-ups out of league and no open weeks. Munford has proven he has what it takes, now he just needs to be able to keep himself as healthy as possible for this sprint. Last Week: NR |
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10. |
Trey Sermon |
Sermon has not played a down for the Buckeyes but has three years of experience in major college football and we have seen enough to put him on this list at this point. Last year was a frustrating year with injury and only 54 carries but the year before that Sermon approached the 1,000-yard mark and came up just 53 yards short. It will be interesting to see what the splits of the carries will be but Ohio State still has the DNA of a running team, even with a generational talent at QB and there should be more than enough carries for both Sermon and Teague. Last Week: NR |
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11. |
Pete Werner |
Werner was No. 2 on the team in tackles with 64, had 5.5 tackles for loss, a couple of recovered fumbles and also found himself out in coverage from his position. He will have a little bit of a different role this year but will be no less important. He doesn't jump off the page when you look at Ohio State's roster but he is one of those types of players who just makes plays and you go to the stat sheet postgame and remember play after play that he was a part of. Last Week: NR |