It was quite the decade for Ohio State football. One that saw the end of the Jim Tressel and the beginning and end of the Urban Meyer tenure in Columbus. The last year was one that saw a new man perhaps joining the coaching superstar ranks with Ryan Day now wearing the headset.
The ten years saw a total of four Big Ten Championships, a national title, and three College Football Playoffs. Oh, and there’s the dominance of That Team Up North as well — with OSU winning nine of ten games.
At a place like Ohio State, there are so many great players that walk through the tunnel, and it was no different from 2010-2019. As the decade has now come to a close, we look back on the top ten players of a memorable decade.
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Next … No. 10
No. 10 – Devin Smith, wide-receiver (2011-2014)
Smith was a big-play threat on the outside. For his career, he finished in the top five in program history for total receiving yards (2,503), touchdown receptions (30), and average yards per catch (20.7). He’s statistically one of the best wide-receivers in Buckeye history and helped Ohio State lay claim to a national title at the end of the 2014 season.
Next … No. 9
No. 9 – Nick Bosa, defensive-end (2016-2018)
Had it not been for the injury bug, the younger Bosa may have been higher up this list. He played in all thirteen games as a freshman in 2016, but was still recovering from a leg injury that didn’t allow him to be the force he ultimately became. He was named to the All-Big Ten First team in 2017 and also took home honors as the Defensive Lineman of the Year in the conference.
Bosa started out the 2018 season on a rampage but then sustained a hard-luck core-muscle injury that took him out for the remainder of the campaign. He’s now tearing it up in the NFL as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Next … No. 8
No. 8 – Joey Bosa, defensive-end (2013-2015)
It’s too bad there are no more Bosas coming through the ranks. The older Bosa hit the ground running at Ohio State. He was a force immediately as a freshman, but really broke out in 2014 and 2015.
He was a two-time consensus All-American, All-Big Ten First Team (2014-15), Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year (2014-15), and won the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2015. He was drafted No. 3 overall by the Chargers and is also creating havoc currently in the NFL.
Next … No. 7
No. 7 – Justin Fields, quarterback (2019)
Yeah, Fields has only been under center in Columbus for one-year, but he’s already showing that he’s one of the best quarterbacks to come through the program. He threw a slew of touchdowns to just three interceptions last season, guided the team to an undefeated regular season, Big Ten championship, and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
He also went to New York as Heisman finalist. Oh, he also took home the Big Ten’s Quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year as an All-Big Ten First Team selection. That’s in one year folks.
Next … No. 6
No. 6 – Braxton Miller, quarterback/wr (2011-2015)
Miller might be the most electric player to ever suit it up for Ohio State. Though he transitioned to wide-receiver his senior year, he’s more known for what he did under center. The first quarterback to play for Urban Meyer in Columbus, Miller was could turn a three-yard run into a highlight.
He was recognized as the Big Ten’s MVP twice, the conference’s Quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013, was an All-Big Ten First Team selection twice, and was also a member of the 2014 national title-winning team. He had a good spin move.
Next … No. 5
No. 5 – J.K. Dobbins, running back (2017-2019)
Dobbins took advantage of his opportunities early at Ohio State. He set the single-season freshman rushing record in 2017 while taking the baton for an injured Mike Weber and never looked back. He had a bit of a year in purgatory in 2018 splitting time with Weber, but boy did he break out in a big way this past season.
Dobbins leaves Columbus as the program’s second all-time leading rusher, record holder for the most rushing yards in a single season, and was a First Team All Big-Ten and All-American selection.
Next … No. 4
No. 4 – Chase Young, defensive-end (2017-2019)
Lean and strong, Young has always had the potential to be a break-out star. Injuries and playing second-fiddle to Nick Bosa hampered his impact and development just a wee-bit his first two seasons, but he was one of the biggest stars of the 2019 season.
Young made it to New York as a Heisman finalist this past season, set the single-season sack record at Ohio State, was a consensus First Team All-American, and won too many other national and Big Ten awards to list. All of it while having to sit out two games because of a suspension stemming from a loan that was paid back. He’s an all-timer at Ohio State. He’s likely to be an all-timer in the NFL.
Next … No. 3
No. 3 – Ezekiel Elliott, running back (2013-2015)
You know this guy. Elliott was slowed a bit early in his career at Ohio State because of a broken hand, but once he got cooking, there was no looking back. He had one of the greatest post-season performances in college football history, running for over 200 yards in three-straight games during the national title run of 2014.
He parlayed that into another fantastic 2015 season before declaring for the NFL Draft. He wracked up the awards in his junior season. He was named the Big Ten’s MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and Running Back of the Year as a First Team All-Big Ten performer. He’s arguably the best running back in the NFL currently.
Next … No. 2
No. 2 – J.T. Barrett, quarterback
Barrett’s career had an interesting curve to it. He started the 2014 season as the third-string quarterback behind Braxton Miller, but won the backup role just prior to the season. Miller went down and all of a sudden he was thrust into the chaos. His toughness and leadership helped jump-start the national-title run in 2014 as he re-wrote the Ohio State and Big Ten passing records throughout his career.
He too won several accolades, taking home the Big Ten’s Quarterback of the year three times, and garnering All Big-Ten First-Team three times as well. He still holds countless program and conference career passing records.
Next … No. 1
No. 1 – Dwayne Haskins, quarterback (2016-2018)
Haskins was a one-year wonder, but what a year it was. He set the single-season Ohio State and Big Ten passing records for yardage and touchdowns in 2018. He picked up the offense extremely quickly after the program lost J.T. Barrett and made OSU a team that was as dangerous as any team in the country through the air.
He finished the season as the Big Ten’s Quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year, made the All Big-Ten First Team and went to New York as one of three Heisman Finalists. He was taken in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. Simply put, he had the single most impressive year of any Ohio State player during the decade, and more.
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