We are still deep into the offseason in college football, but you know how it works. It’s a big business these days, and news, rumblings, rumors and even roster moves take place that we can all keep track of throughout the year.
Because of that, many in the media (us included) like to look ahead to the upcoming season as early as the day after the previous one ends (sometimes sooner). We’ve already seen many projections and predictions involving the 2023 season, and, yeah — Ohio State is expected to be one of the better teams this fall once again.
Correspondingly, you would expect several Buckeye players to be listed among the best in the country, and that should certainly be the case.
Pro Football Focus recently named the 10 best returning players at each position for the 2023 college football season, and several from Ohio State appeared on the list.
Here’s a look at each and where they rank at their respective positions according to PFF.
Miyan Williams, Running Back
Overall Ranking
No. 8
What PFF Says
TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene in 2021 as a true freshman at Ohio State, rushing for 1,248 yards and 15 touchdowns. While he missed five games this past season with a foot injury, Williams took the reins as the top back for the Buckeyes.
Among Power Five running backs, Williams ranked fourth in forced missed tackle rate (38%), yards after contact per attempt (4.4) and combined first down and touchdown rate (38.3%). It’s up in the air who’ll be Ohio State’s RB1 next season, but Williams earned his place here for his performance in 2022.
Complete Top 10
- Blake Corum, Michigan
- Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
- Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
- Bucky Irving, Oregon
- Braelon Allen, Wisconsin
- Trey Benson, Florida State
- Nicholas Singleton, Penn State
- Miyan Williams, Ohio State
- Donovan Edwards, Michigan
- Frank Gore Jr., Southern Miss
Marvin Harrison Jr., Wide Receiver
Overall Ranking
No. 1
What PFF Says
He may not have won the Biletnikoff Award, but Harrison was the best receiver in college football this past season.
Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison’s son was both the highest-graded and most valuable wide receiver in the country in 2022, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Against single coverage, the sophomore’s 878 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns led all FBS wide receivers.
Complete Top 10
Emeka Egbuka, Wide Receiver
Overall Ranking
No. 2
What PFF Says
It remains to be seen who will take over as Ohio State’s next quarterback after C.J. Stroud, but whoever it is will be throwing to the two best receivers in the nation.
Outside of Marvin Harrison Jr., Egbuka was the most valuable Power Five wide receiver last year, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Only Harrison tallied more receiving yards and receiving touchdowns last year than Egbuka among returning Power Five receivers. Egbuka’s 2.98 yards per route run ranked third in that same group, as well.
Complete Top 10
- Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
- Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
- Rome Odunze, Washington
- Xavier Worthy, Texas
- Malik Nabers, LSU
- Jalen McMillan, Washington
- Johnny Wilson, Florida State
- Dorian Singer, USC
- Ladd McConkey, Georgia
- Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
Cade Stover, Tight End
Overall Ranking
No. 7
What PFF Says
Unlike Yurosek, Stover has no such issues as a run blocker. He made five big-time blocks this past season (PFF’s highest-graded blocks), which was tied for fourth among Power Five tight ends.
Working against Stover as a receiver is the fact that he plays with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, the two best returning wide receivers in college football. He still impressed as a pass catcher, though, as his 110 receiving yards after contact ranked 11th among Power Five tight ends.
Complete Top 10
- Brock Bowers, Georgia
- Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
- Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas
- Jaheim Bell, Florida State
- Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
- Benjamin Yurosek, Stanford
- Cade Stover, Ohio State
- Jalin Conyers, Arizona State
- Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss
- Seydou Traore, Colorado
Donovan Jackson, Offensive Guard
Overall Ranking
No. 9
What PFF Says
Jackson was a top-15 recruit in the 2021 class according to On3 Sports’ consensus.
The sophomore began to live up to the hype this year in his first season as a starter. His 76.7 grade was a top-10 mark among Power Five guards this year while his nine big-time blocks were tied for sixth.
Complete Top 10
- Cooper Beebe, Kansas State
- Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
- Zak Zinter, Michigan
- Christian Haynes, UConn
- Justin Dedich, USC
- Drake Nugent, Michigan
- Tate Ratledge, Georgia
- Zach Frazier, West Virginia
- Donovan Jackson, Ohio State
- Christian Mahogany, Boston College
J.T. Tuimoloau, Edge Rusher
Overall Ranking
No. 6
What PFF Says
If you want to see what Tuimoloau is capable of, turn on his tape against Penn State.
In that contest, the sophomore earned a career-high 93.5 grade while recording two sacks, two interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown), a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a tackle for loss, a batted pass and three pressures. He’ll need to improve his consistency as a run-defender though, as the former top-five recruit only earned a 59.8 grade in that area.
Complete Top 10
Tommy Eichenberg, Linebacker
Overall Ranking
No. 6
What PFF Says
Eichenberg was a PFF first-team All-American this past season and is the most valuable returning linebacker according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
The redshirt junior is a dominant run-stuffer, as his 49 run-defense stops in 2022 ranked second among all linebackers in the country while his 20 tackles for loss/no-gain were tied for third.
Complete Top 10
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Clemson
- Harold Perkins Jr., LSU
- Tommy Eichenberg, Ohio State
- Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia
- Barrett Carter, Clemson
- Cedric Gray, North Carolina
- Jaylan Ford, Texas
- Abdul Carter, Penn State
- Maema Njongmeta, Wisconsin
- Ty’Ron Hopper, Minnesota
