One of the signs I always pointed to for college football to be rounding the corner towards the home stretch of a season was when the preseason college football magazines came out. And while there are surely fewer paper copies being sold now than when I was running through the grocery store to pick them up, there’s still a following for the magazines both in hand and online.
That’s where Athlon Sports comes in. It has been a part of the annual parade to the grocery store for me for years, and it’s that time of the year yet again — though as mentioned — I get a lot of the information online now.
We’ve already discussed where Ohio State falls in its preseason top 25 rankings, but Athlon also published a list of 35 breakout players heading into the 2020 college football season. So what two players does the annual preseason publication have in the listing?
Let’s go through it.
Next … a breakout defensive end
Zach Harrison, Sophomore Defensive End
What Athlon says
“Ohio State accumulated 54 sacks in 2019 but players responsible for over half of the production (32.5) won’t return next fall. The biggest departure up front is Chase Young (16.5 sacks), and it’s no secret he won’t be easy to replace. Harrison – a five-star recruit in the 2019 signing class – played in all 14 games last season and flashed potential with 3.5 sacks and 24 tackles (five for a loss). The Buckeyes will be counting on the Ohio native to take on an even bigger role in the trenches in 2020.”
Next … taking the next step at wide receiver
Garrett Wilson, Sophomore Wide Receiver
What Athlon says
“Ohio State’s receiving corps is still in good shape despite losing K.J. Hill and Binjimen Victor. Chris Olave (49 catches) is back, but quarterback Justin Fields should look for Wilson more in 2020. As a true freshman last season, Wilson recorded 30 catches for 432 yards and five scores. Additionally, the Texas native already made his mark in Ohio State’s biggest rivalry, as his first 100-yard game in his Buckeye career came against Michigan (three catches for 118 yards).”
What do you think? Would you target anyone else that could be a break-out player for Ohio State in 2020? What about Trey Sermon, Master Teague, or Julian Fleming? Follow us at the below social media accounts and message boardvand get in on the conversation.
