Ohio State Football: The 5 Most Underappreciated Players in School History

Ohio State has had its share of outstanding talent throughout its storied history, but some have been quickly forgotten.

Whether it be because their roles were underappreciated or they played in the shadow of legends, there have been great Buckeyes that many fans don't quite remember as well as they should.

Each has left great marks on the program in a positive way.

So let's take a look at five different Buckeyes that seem to have been forgotten by most fans.

Pete Johnson, RB

Everyone remembers Archie Griffin as arguably the greatest running back in Ohio State history, but lots of people seem to forget the guy opening the holes for him from the fullback spot, Pete Johnson.

Johnson got his fair share of carries as well, and he made the most of them, rushing for more than 1,000 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns in 1975—the same year Griffin won his second Heisman Trophy.

He once held the school record for points at 348 that stood until Mike Nugent passed him in 2004 on his way to 356 points.

Griffin may be the first name people think about when they think Buckeye history, but he is not the record holder for career touchdowns—Pete Johnson is.

Robert Smith, RB

Robert Smith may go down as one of the more underrated players in recent Ohio State history, but mostly because fans only got two seasons of him and he was still a first-round draft pick.

Smith rushed for more than 1,100 yards in 1990, then left the team in 1991 because he felt his coaches were hindering his academic studies.

He came back to the team in 1992 and rushed for 819 yards and 10 touchdowns, which isn't too bad considering his one-year hiatus from the game.

The question with Smith becomes a "what if?" when it comes to that missing year of 1991. If he played that season, his legacy could be much more memorable than it is.

Bobby Hoying, QB

Ohio State had some decent quarterbacks in the 1980s and 1990s, and Bobby Hoying had one of the best seasons of any of them.

Hoying had a solid 1994, throwing for 2,335 yards and 19 touchdowns. He followed that up with a spectacular 1995 year, throwing for 3,269 yards and 29 touchdowns while dropping his interception total from 14 to 12 as well.

Those numbers helped put him at second in career passing totals behind Art Schlichter, and he finished 10 in the Heisman Trophy voting that season—his backfield mate Eddie George took home the hardware.

People remember George being dominant in 1995, as they absolutely should. Most, however, do forget they had a pretty good quarterback throwing the football as well. The tandem wasn't quite as good as Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush were at USC, but they could more than hold their own.

Bobby Carpenter, LB

A.J. Hawk is without a doubt one of the best linebackers Ohio State has had in the modern era, but he did have a pretty good sidekick in the relentless Bobby Carpenter.

He was pretty much a hammer in his long career as a Buckeye, starting 50 games and putting up 191 tackles from the strong side.

He missed out on the Fiesta Bowl in 2005 due to a broken fibula, but he finished his senior season with 49 tackles and eight sacks, earning him second-team All-Big Ten honors.

Carpenter may have been the second guy in the LB corps because of Hawk, but No. 42 was no slouch either.

Michael Jenkins, WR

We all remember the pass interference call in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl that helped Ohio State to the surprising national championship.

Some fans forget that before then, Ohio State had a 4th-and-14 in overtime where Craig Krenzel found Michael Jenkins to help keep the upset dreams alive.

He also reeled in a catch known simply as Holy Buckeye that helped Ohio State beat Purdue to stay perfect in that heart-stopping 2002 season.

Jenkins was more than just a clutch player also. He had at least one reception in 38 straight games and at one point held the record for career receiving yards, breaking David Boston's old record with 2,898 yards.

He added 16 touchdowns as he started all but one of his final 39 games as a Buckeye.

Jenkins may not be the most underappreciated player in Buckeye history, but people forget not only how good he was, but how good he was when they needed it.

Without Jenkins, there is no national championship for Ohio State in 2002.

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