Former Ohio State Buckeyes national championship-winning head coach Urban Meyer had strong words regarding the roster the Buckeyes plan to field in 2024.
Meyer, who hasn’t coached at the collegiate level since 2018, was in command when Ohio State won their most recent national championship in 2014.
Urban Meyer has high praise for the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes roster
In an article from On3, Meyer had extremely high praises for the roster that Ohio State plans to field in 2024. So much so, that Meyer even went as far as to say it is the best roster he’s seen in the last decade.
“I talked to Jim Tressel about this,” Meyer told Mark Ingram on The Triple Option. “I’ve read about them, I’ve watched them. This might be the best roster in college football in the last decade – as far as NFL talent, as far as depth.”
“The second string running back, whoever it is, is probably gonna be probably a first-round draft pick,” Meyer said. “I mean, they are loaded. They’ve got Will Howard, who’s gonna be a big question mark. But I think the combination of him and Chip Kelly, the new offensive coordinator, they’re married for each other.
“He’s an athletic quarterback, he’s surprisingly fast. I was told he ran 22 miles an hour in practice. You’re sub 4.5. That’s fast-fast. And he’s a big dude. He’s a big dude. I think he’s the perfect fit.”
“This might be the best roster in college football in the last decade.” 🌰@CoachUrbanMeyer & @MarkIngramII know @OhioStateFB are all in on bringing a national title back to Columbus pic.twitter.com/UmVCu9DYgq
— The Triple Option (@3xOptionShow) August 21, 2024
Coincidentally, the last time Meyer won a championship with the Buckeyes was exactly a decade ago. Meyer led running back Ezekiel Elliot and third-string quarterback Cardale Jones to a victory over the Oregon Ducks in the first-ever College Football Playoffs.
The 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes have a ridiculous amount of talent
The Buckeyes and current head coach Ryan Day didn’t just acquire a ton of elite talent, but they managed to keep a wide array of guys on the team for one more year before they head off to the NFL.
Acquisitions of players like defensive back Caleb Downs, running back Quinshon Judkins and quarterback Will Howard will define their effort to make a run, but the core of what has made them elite in the past few years has stuck around.
NFL-ready guys like running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and pass rushers Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau were convinced to give it another go and try to make history repeat itself by being a part of the first team to win the 12-team College Football Playoff format.
Are they better than the 2019 LSU Tigers?
If the Buckeyes want to make the claim that they are the best team of the last decade at the end of the 2024 season, they will have some stiff competition to go up against.
The team that is unanimously considered the best team in recent memory is the 2019 LSU Tigers. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow was throwing to wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, who have now solidified themselves as two of the best receivers in the NFL.
The team cruised to a national championship victory, beating the Clemson Tigers and quarterback Trevor Lawrence by multiple scores.
LSU tied an NFL draft record with 14 players selected in the next year’s NFL Draft. The Michigan Wolverines, who just barely eeked out a win over the Buckeyes in 2023, had 13 players selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.
If the Buckeyes, who did lose some valuable players like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., did improve in the offseason they could easily find themselves in a situation where a double-digit number of players getting drafted in 2025. If paired with a national championship victory, Meyer’s bold statement could be proven right.
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