In the Rose Bowl, the Ohio State Buckeyes were able to rally from a 14 point deficit to defeat the Utah Utes. All signs from the first half pointed to a shoot-out between the two teams, yet Utah’s offense stalled in the second half, which was something that Ohio State took complete advantage of. Despite not having their top-two and consensus projected first-round pick wide receivers, the Buckeyes still found their way to a victory. 

     Obviously, Ohio State is losing their top two wide receivers in Chris Olave and Garret Wilson, but with spectacular performances from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., there is still plenty of talent on this team. 

     Senior Nate Weidner, an Ohio State fan, spoke on the potential and future of this receiving core. 

     “Marvin Harrison Jr. had an outstanding game with three touchdowns and I’m really looking forward to seeing him play next year. And then you had players like CJ Stroud and Jackson Smith-Njigba that obviously played out of their mind with Jackson Smith-Njigba breaking the all-time record for yards by a receiver in a bowl game which was really exciting to see.”

     Along with this, Running Back TreVeyon Henderson Showed huge potential in the game with 83 yards rushing on 17 carries. This will just be another weapon for the Buckeyes to utilize to their advantage in the upcoming season. With the usage of Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr., this helped well in the rushing game, which will allow for there to be plenty of options in the offense to take advantage of the defenses in the next season

     With there being a lot of talent and weapons in this high-powered offense you need a great quarterback to put it all together, which is where CJ Stroud comes into play. He showed great potential over this past season, especially in the last game by putting up some ridiculous numbers. He finished the game with 573 yards passing and 6 touchdown passes, showing how he can pick apart defenses and possibly lead this high-powered Buckeyes offense to a national title next season.

     Winning a prestigious bowl game, such as the Rose Bowl, is a huge accomplishment for any team, specifically in recruiting. According to 247 Sports, Ohio State currently has the Number  4 recruiting class in the country and the best in the Big Ten conference. 

     Winning a game like this and putting up big numbers as the Buckeyes did is intriguing to young high school and college players, and can reassure them that they made the right choice by going to Ohio State or can convince undecided individuals to join them in these victories. Add that with the rich football history of the program, and it makes it hard for other teams to draw players away from Ohio State.

     Ohio State alumni and Highlands High School English teacher Megan McCormack can’t wait to see the new recruits.

     “I am excited to see the players coming in. I think Coach Day always does a great job bringing in players we need as older players leave.”

     Obviously, teams like Ohio State and the other prestigious football programs are always in the mix for the championship pre-season, but this year feels different for the Buckeyes. They showed a lot of potential in the Rose Bowl and barring any significant injuries, they could be hoisting the trophy in Houston next year.