Ohio Bobcats Preview 2024
The transfer portal isn’t supposed to be a zero-sum game.
Everyone is losing players, but that’s okay, you just go get others to fill in the gaps. But it’s not quite that simple if you’re a MAC program, especially if you’re a good one like Ohio.
You don’t just replace Giambi and Damon.
It stinks to dive into the Ohio Bobcat college football season by complaining about what’s not there, but Power Four programs roared into Athens and left with a slew of good players - 12 important Bobcats left for bigger and better things.
That sapped Ohio’s starting 22, much less the depth. But head coach Tim Albin has proven he can coach with two ten-win seasons in a row on his resumé, and yes, Ohio did bring in a few options from the portal to help fill in the gaps.
It might take a month or so to get rolling, but call Ohio a test case for how the new world of college football is going to work. If Albin can pull out a big season with so many changes, he’ll prove it’s possible to adapt in a hurry.
Ohio Preview 2024: Offense
- The transfer portal hit Ohio hard in all areas, and on the plus side for the offense after losing seven key parts/starters and a few good backups, it’s not as bad as it is for the defense. The attack that was fine, and it controlled the clock, but could’ve been better. Right away the running game has to work because …
- Around C Parker Titsworth, the offensive front should be a strength early on. There’s not a lot of depth, and it’ll take all fall camp to come up with the right combination, but this part should be okay for Northwestern transfer RB Anthony Tyus and little-used junior back Nolan McCormick.
- Losing QB Kurtis Rourke to Indiana was bad, and key backup CJ Harris leaving for Cal didn’t help. It might be sink-or-swim with Parker Navarro, a veteran baller who started out at UCF, and will now get the first look.
Pretty much everyone who caught a pass is gone. Chase Hendricks is the top returning receiver catching 11 passes last year, and after him it’ll be trial by fire.
Ohio Preview 2024: Defense
- Yeah, the defense got hammered by the portal, too. The offense was fine. It was effective enough to work within the overall system, but it was the defense that rocked finishing sixth in the nation and first in the MAC in scoring D, seventh in the nation against the run, and fourth in total defense. The pass rush was great, the big plays were there, and …
- The team needs to find tacklers. Start with a linebacking corps that has to replace 220 tackles from Bryce Houston and Keye Thompson (Baylor), and keep on going with a relatively untested bunch with no proven depth. It’s not much better up front - losing DT Rayyan Buell to Colorado stings - but there’s some help coming in from the transfer portal.
- The secondary that was such a rock gets some parts back. Top corner Torrie Cox is off to Illinois, but the safety tandem of Austin Brawley and Adonis Williams are back after tying for fourth on the team in tackles. There are options at corner, but the pass rush from last year has to emerge with new players stepping up and shining.
Ohio Key To The Season
Start scoring and keep scoring.
With all of the personnel losses on both sides of the ball, the Bobcats almost certainly have to be ready to crank up the offense to keep up. That wasn’t a problem throughout last season, but when they didn’t get the O going, that’s when the losses came.
The three losses came when they failed to get to 17 points - the one outlier the stunning 10-7 win over Iowa State. Since 2016 they’re 1-11 when they don’t score 17.
Ohio Key Player
Kadin Schmitz, DE Soph.
There are several ways to go with this, but let’s start here - Ohio needs to recreate the pass rush.
The D came up with 36 sacks last season coming from all sides - seven players had two or more sacks - and now the production has emerge. The 6-1, 223-pound Schmitz had one sack on the season - and one tackle - and now he’ll likely be thrown into a key role on the outside.
Ohio Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: RB Anthony Tyus
The Bobcats lost leading rusher Sieh Bangura to Minnesota, and O’Shaan Allison is done. The 6-1, 225-pound Tyus comes in from Northwestern with plenty of tread on the tires after being used sparingly over the last three seasons.
Top Transfer Out: QB Kurtis Rourke
One of the best all-around quarterbacks most haven’t seen, he has next-level potential with a great combination of size, accuracy, and mobility. A great get for Indiana, he’s about to get a bigger audience.
Ohio Key Game
at Central Michigan, Oct. 12
How fast can the Bobcats put the pieces back together? They should be able to win the MAC home opener against Akron - there’s a BIG problem if they don’t - and then there’s a week off before dealing with three road games in the next four dates. With a trip to Miami University to follow, they can’t whiff against the Chippewas.
Ohio 10 Best Players
1. Parker Titsworth, C Sr.
2. Adonis Williams, S Jr.
3. Austin Brawley, S Jr.
4. Parker Navarro, QB Sr.
5. Christophe Atkinson, OG Sr.
6. Anthony Tyus, RB Sr.
7. Bralen Henderson, DT Jr.
8. Gianni Spetic, PK Soph.
9. Roman Parodie, CB Sr.
10. Jack Wilson, P Sr.
Ohio 2023 Fun Stats
- 1st Quarter Scoring: Ohio 58 - Opponents 10
- Sacks: Ohio 36 for 202 yards - Opponents 15 for 96 yards
- Fumbles: Opponents 15 (lost 7) - Ohio 8 (lost 4)
Ohio 2024 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Yeah, Ohio lost a ton of talent through the transfer portal, and yeah, it’s not going to be the same team of the last several seasons, but that’s not anything crazy for MAC programs. The systems will have to keep working, and the time of possession will matters.
And Ohio will have to win almost all of the 50/50 battles.
It’ll be in for a rough start with trips to Syracuse and Kentucky, but it has the potential to be 2-2 if it can beat South Alabama. Getting to the MAC Championship will be a bear, though, with road games at Miami University, Toledo, and against an improved Central Michigan.
For all of the doom and gloom, though, six wins are there to be had. It’ll be a bowl season, but it’ll take something magical with the depleted lineup to do much more, at least without getting hot late.
Set The Ohio Win Total At … 6
Likely Wins: Akron, Buffalo, at Kent State, Morgan State
50/50 Games: Ball State, at Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, at Miami University, South Alabama
Likely Losses: at Kentucky, at Syracuse, at Toledo
- CFN 2024 College Football Preview
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