Five BIG Questions Ohio State Must Answer in 2009

Drew Thurman (1:51 pm)

Just a season ago, the direction of the Buckeye program seemed pretty clear and reassuring. There were a bevy of seniors returning after a national championship game appearance, and things looked exciting for the 2008 season.

Now just a year later, there are more questions surrounding the Ohio State program than lies Rich Rodriguez has told his recruits while at Michigan.  

So, I decided to take a look at some of the biggest questions and issues that Jim Tressel and the players have to answer in 2009. Here are five of the biggest questions that need answering.

1) Who is leaving early for the NFL draft or transfers?

Rumors are flying around about guys like Hartline, Russell, D. Washington, Coleman, Cordle, T. Washington, and Bauserman. Obviously some of these guys will be more devastating to lose than others, but the Buckeyes cannot afford a mass exodus. The team will be hard pressed for leadership and experience next year, and one has to hope they will choose that opportunity over being middle to late round picks.

This is especially the case for the guys in the secondary. If Coleman, Russell, and Donald Washington leave, the Buckeyes could really be hurting next season! 

2) What recruits do Tressel and the staff nab to cap off the 2009 recruiting class?

The 2009 class is already loaded with potential talent, but there are few huge catches still left out there. The big names to watch for are Tajh Boyd, Marcus Hall, Marlon Brown, and Corey Adams. All of these guys have the ability to come in and make a statement from day one, and that is huge for a team that just lost a valuable senior class.

Grabbing one or more of these guys would be icing on the cake for the 2009 class, just as Pryor was at the end of the 2008 class.

3) Will Tressel make any changes to his staff?

Anyone who is objective at all can tell you that some of Tressel's assistants are not pulling their own weight. Of course, the two that take the biggest amount of criticism from fans are defensive coordinator Jim Heacock and offensive line coach/offensive coordinator Jim Bollman.

It is easy to make arguments for why either one of these men should be replaced, but I would much rather see Bollman go than Heacock. Unlike Heacock, Bollman's unit didn't really improve as the season progressed, and Tressel had to take the reins of the offensive line. I would really love if Tressel would bring in a true offensive coordinator, but I would settle for Bollman's duties with the offensive line to be replaced.

4) Can the offensive line get better while getting younger?

This year's offensive line was maybe the most disappointing unit for the Buckeyes. Even Alex Boone, who has the intangibles to be an NFL starter, looked mediocre for most of the season. So I say without reservations that I am excited to see some of the talented youngsters take over the offensive line next season.

Brewster and Browning will be back (and Cordle if he stays) and should be joined by sophomores J.B. Shugarts and Mike Adams. The other addition that many forget about is Justin Boren, the transfer from Michigan, who will be playing guard. These guys will probably prevail to start on the line, and their success or failure could determine where the team goes in 2009.

5) Who in fact will fill the back seven?

The Buckeyes' back seven this season was probably the second-best unit in the country behind USC. Unfortunately, now the Buckeyes get ready to part with guys like James Laurinaitis, Malcolm Jenkins, and Marcus Freeman. On top of that, as number one described, Washington, Russell, and Coleman could potentially be out the door.

What exactly this unit looks like will determine how good the 2009 defense will be. The linebacking corps, though inexperienced for the most part, is deep and should be pretty solid. Still though, no one really knows overall.

Add that to all the questions with the secondary, and it is easy to see that this is one of the biggest questions for the success of the 2009 team.   

What other questions do you have? Any we left out?