When last we left Ohio State, both of Ryan Day's predecessors were giving the Buckeyes' rabid fan base permission to blame him if the 2024 outfit did not win a national championship.
"As of now this is one of the most talented rosters in the last decade, maybe ever," Urban Meyer said. "I mean, that's a big statement. They've got to play. But you look at the quality of athlete at every position, I've never seen anything like it."
Meyer hyperbolizes like he breathes, but the notoriously conservative Jim Tressel agreed.
"I don't know if I've ever seen that many great players in that building all at once -- every position, every place you turn," Tressel added.
Now, Ohio State's presumptive starting quarterback agreed.
“For us, it’s natty or bust,” Will Howard said this week at the Manning Passing Academy. “I mean, there’s no doubt in my mind.”
A graduate transfer via Kansas State, Howard heads a quarterback room where he'll have to beat out junior Devin Brown (the No. 5 QB in the class of 2022), sophomore Lincoln Kienholz (No. 11 in 2023), and true freshman Julian Sayin and Air Noland, both top 60 players in the class of 2024.
At running back, Howard (or whomever beats him out) will hand to the best 1-2 running back punch in the country in TreVeyon Henderson and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins, and throw to the most stacked wide receiver unit in the game: Brian Hartline's unit boasts seven top-100 recruits and three 5-stars, led by No. 1 overall recruit Jeremiah Smith.
Calling plays will be the most over-qualified offensive coordinator in college football in Chip Kelly.
And then there's the defense, led by all-world safety Caleb Downs and a defensive line that could've put multiple players in the NFL if not for, ahem, reasons.
“We have all the talent. We have all the intangibles,” Howard said. “Now, we’ve just got to go do it. I ’m tired of hearing how talented we are and how good our team is. It’s about the work ethic and how we go to work every single day, and I think we’re doing the things that we need to to put ourselves in that position to be there at the end of the year and now we’ve just got to go do it.”
Howard isn't saying anything outrageous or egregious. If anything, the outrageous thing would be to argue that Ohio State does not have one of the greatest collections of college football talent we've ever seen.
But his quarterback coming to a logical conclusion simply adds another voice to the choir of people agreeing Ryan Day needs to come through in 2024 or... bust.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.