Could Michigan and Penn State prevent Ohio State footballs 2023 roster from achieving Super Team status?
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio State football program is putting itself in a position to have a Super Team in 2023. It will be a roster headlined by a plethora of five-star talent, players considered the top players at their positions coming out of high school and plenty of depth behind them. Its a team that could dominate the college football landscape for six months then steal the show at the NFL Draft in the spring. Some version of this has been the description of Alabama and LSU as the last two national title games and could be the determining factor every year from now on. But even those teams face their challenge at some point in the year. For the Tigers in 2019, that was games against Texas and the Crimson Tide. For Sabans 2020 roster, it was Texas A&M and an SEC game against Florida. The Buckeyes wont be exempt from those challenges when its their time to be the clear favorite. Its early, very early. But the arms race toward that season has already started in the 2020 and 2021 recruiting cycles. Those kids will be third- and fourth-year players as the backbone of 2023 rosters. Then theres the 2022 class, who will be second-year players ready to be starters and contributors. Those three cycles have been bountiful for Ohio State, but other programs on its schedule have applaudable hauls. They may not be able to beat the Buckeyes, but they wont just roll over either. A fight with a Nittany Lion  Penn State dropped the ball in 2021, letting the country have a free-for-all in its state. That included OSU landing quarterback Kyle McCord and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., both from Philadelphia, but PSU has bounced back in 2022. The Nittany Lions are doing in the 2022 recruiting class what most Big Ten East teams should be trying to do by raiding the Buckeyes backyard within reason. OSU plans to take the best Ohio has to offer every cycle, but theres been an uptick in talent in recent years thats more than enough for everyone else to benefit from. Kaden Saunders is probably a Buckeye as early as five years ago. Hes the countrys No. 114 player and No. 15 wide receiver. His name wouldve been Demario McCall or Jaelen Gill as in-state talents tailor-made for the H-Back role. Except now, the Garrett Wilson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Caleb Burtons of the world fill that role. Every other team in the conference should be fighting over him, though, and the same can be said of Medina High Schools Drew Allar. If this were 2007, hes OSUs future starter. But when you are getting kids with perfect ratings, it means youre not taking the in-state top 150 quarterbacks. Allar is the countrys No. 142 player and No. 11 quarterback as Mike Yurcichs first successful recruitment as PSUs offensive coordinator and QB coach. Hes also part of the 2021 Elite 11 class alongside OSU commit Quinn Ewers, which means something. He went out the Los Angeles, competed in The Opening and continued to raise the worlds view of him. A rating bump may follow, even though hes already the highest-rated Penn State quarterback commit since Christian Hackenberg in 2013. The two Ohio kids headline a Penn State class thats currently third in the country and recently added a quality running back to its class in Nicholas Singleton. For a while, the No. 98 player and No. 6 running backs recruitment seemed to be a battle between staying home or coming to Columbus until OSU zeroed in on Dallan Hayden. Now hes James Franklins first top 100 running back since Devyn Ford in 2019 and Penn States sixth in the modern era. Penn States class wont hold that No. 3 ranking until Signing Day. Theres plenty of national powers like Alabama, Georgia and Clemson whove yet to have their run of commitments. But this is the type of class Nittany Lions fans should expect. Its a future roster capable of pushing Ohio State  even a super team  to the limit with a quarterback that can play spoiler. Five-stars in Ann Arbor  Michigan might officially be the biggest What if game in the Big Ten this season. Thats because J.J. McCarthy signed with the Wolverines as a five-star rated as the countrys No. 24 player and No. 4 quarterback. He also might be the quarterback Michigan needs to turn the tide in whats been a one-sided rivalry against Ohio State for the past 20 years. Hes not the biggest fan of the Buckeyes simply because Ryan Day chose McCord over him. At worst, hell be a two-year starter by the time that game is played on Nov. 25, which is plenty of experience. He also wont be alone. Michigan found its version of TreVeyon Henderson in in-state tailback Donovan Edwards. The nations No. 41 player and No. 4 running back was also once an OSU target and could be the Wolverines lone starter by the end of his freshman season. The 2022 class provides quality players in Year Two, such as five-star cornerback Will Johnson as a Michigan legacy who at least flirted with the idea of being a Buckeye at one point. Wide receiver Tyler Morris gives McCarthy a quality target as a top 100 recruit. Whether Jim Harbaugh is still in Ann Arbor or not, the projected 2023 Wolverine roster has upside. They also have a schedule that could allow them to be undefeated headed into the final week of the regular season. Then theyll have the benefit of being at home. The idea that Michigan will eventually get back to being a team Ohio State should fear has been stated time and time again with no actual sign that there should be belief in that. In three games with Ryan Day as a play-caller, the Buckeyes have outscored the Wolverines 149-86, and 2020s edition wouldve been just as lopsided had it been played. But with a quarterback with plenty of potentials and some quality players at game-changing positions, this could be the game when things finally change. Or at the very least be a way to take some shine out of OSUs season. If youve never listened to Buckeye Talk, try it now. And subscribe to Buckeye Talk on any of these podcast platforms or wherever you listen to podcasts. Buckeyes best opponents, No. 15  How two trips to Columbus validated Kyion Grayes Ohio State football commitment: Buckeyes Recruiting  Rutgers Olakunle Fatukasi, the Big Tens top returning tackler, out to disrupt Ohio States offense: Buckeyes best opponents, No. 16  Buy Buckeyes gear: Fanatics, Nike, Amazon, Lids  -  Fields Bears jersey: Ohio State football fans can purchase Justin Fields new Chicago Bears jersey here. Its available in white, blue and orange  and in mens, womens and youth sizes. Theres also a cheaper T-shirt option.