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The big name returning on offense in 2015 is running back Ezekiel Elliott. The sophomore went from a relatively unknown ball carrier to an absolute world-beating monster over the last three games of the season. In postseason wins over Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, Elliott rushed for a ridiculous 696 yards and eight touchdowns on 76 carries. That’s an absurd 9.2 yards per carry. He finished the year with a whopping 1,878 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. There is little doubt the 19-year-old will head into the 2015 season as one of the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy.
Ohio State also has a huge name returning on the other side of the ball, as All-American defensive end Joey Bosa will be back for his junior season. Bosa led the Buckeyes with 13.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in 2014 and is poised to be even better next year. With guys like Randy Gregory, Shane Ray and Leonard Williams moving on to the NFL, Bosa will likely be regarded as the nation’s best defensive player entering the 2015 season. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound sophomore is a beast on the defensive line and deserves all the hype he will get heading into next year.
While the roster is in great shape, that’s not the key that will bring this all together. Love him or hate him (and a lot of people fit into that latter group) there is zero doubting that Urban Meyer is one of the few elite coaches in college football. The guy just knows how to coach and to say otherwise at this point would be foolish.
