The Future Is Now for Ohio State and Michigan Freshman Classes
At the football cathedral that is Ohio Stadium, names aren't hard to come by.
Look to the northwest corner, and you'll find those of past Heisman Trophy winners serving as a barrier between the upper and lower decks. Smith. Horvath. George. Janowicz. Cassady. Griffin.
Look into the stands, and you'll find the names of more recent Buckeyes stars attached to the backs of replica jerseys. Elliott. Miller. Bosa. Jones.
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But when it came to the players who were actually on the field in Ohio State's 2016 debut on Saturday, fans inside The Horseshoe may have needed to review the roster inside their programs more than they've become accustomed to.
With just six starters from last year's team returning to the Buckeyes' starting lineup, a total of 26 Ohio State scholarship players made their college debuts Saturday, including nine of the true freshmen who helped make up the program's 2016 class.
"Careers are made here, and legends are born. I tell the players that all the time," Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer said after his team's 77-10 victory over Bowling Green. "Ohio State is different, man. You start making plays, and all of a sudden, people know who you are."
Approximately 200 miles north in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Buckeyes' rivals were sharing a similar sentiment.
In fact, if anything, Jim Harbaugh was even more willing to turn to his younger players on this first Saturday of the 2016 season, playing 17 true freshmen in Michigan's 63-3 win over Hawaii. That's good for the most first-year players the Wolverines have ever played in not just a single game, but also a single season in their storied history, per Kyle Rowland of the Toledo Blade.
"There's a meritocracy in who plays," Harbaugh said of the abundance of young players who played Saturday. "By your effort and by your talent, you will be known. Positions on the depth chart, when you go in the game, what the roles are, are based on that."
For both Meyer and Harbaugh, there's some roster management involved in playing their respective prized prospects so soon, and it's easier to rotate so many players into games in which the outcomes never appeared in doubt. But regardless of their motivations, it's worth taking note that the Big Ten's two highest-ranked teams—Ohio State is No. 4, and Michigan is No. 5 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25—also appear to be in the midst of youth movements.
And given the gap that already appears to exist between the Buckeyes and Wolverines and the rest of their league—at least in the polls—that could spell trouble for their conference rivals.
"I see this more as two powers that are going to be sort of balanced," Rivals.com director of recruiting Mike Farrell told Bleacher Report of the future of the two rivals. "As Ohio State continues to recruit, and Michigan continues to recruit and gets a little bit younger, and they're Harbaugh [recruits], you're going to see it even out."
In the case of the Buckeyes, Saturday's showcase of newcomers came predominately out of necessity.
Having lost 16 starters from a year ago and with just four scholarship seniors on this season's team, the Buckeyes roster is bottom-heavy when it comes to age and experience. Nearly half (42) of Ohio State's 85 scholarship slots are occupied by redshirt or true freshmen, making it nearly impossible for Meyer to heavily rely on upperclassmen, as he has in recent years.
As a result, freshmen had key roles in Ohio State's win. Michael Jordan became the first Ohio State freshman offensive lineman to start in a season opener since Orlando Pace did so in 1994, wideout K.J. Hill caught the first touchdown of the Buckeyes' 2016 campaign, running back Michael Weber led the team with 136 rushing yards, Nick Bosa recorded his first career sack, and quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Demario McCall and cornerback Rodjay Burns each shined in backup duty.
Yes, it was just one game against an undermanned opponent from the MAC. But it was hard to walk away from Ohio Stadium feeling like the Buckeyes hadn't missed a beat, despite losing 12 draft picks, including five first-rounders, to the NFL this past spring.
"There are certain programs that recruit and certain programs that reload, and the ones that reload are very very rare, and Ohio State's in that reloading category right now," Farrell said. "I have no doubt looking up and down this roster, there are stud playmakers at every position. They're just not as experienced as they were last year."
As for Michigan, Harbaugh's decision to put his first-year players on the field isn't as cut-and-dried.
Like the Buckeyes, the Wolverines too have holes to fill, as evidenced by true freshman Ben Bredeson starting at left guard against the Rainbow Warriors. But with 31 combined fourth- and fifth-year scholarship players and 14 returning starters comprising this year's team, Michigan's abundance of experience could have caused its 2016 class to only be called upon to provide depth when necessary.
It may just be a one-game sample size, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Becoming just the third player in Wolverines history to rush for at least 100 yards in his debut, freshman all-purpose back Chris Evans stole the show in Ann Arbor on Saturday, totaling 112 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. Even with all the experience that has returned around him, Evans appears to possess a permanent place in Harbaugh's plans, adding versatility as both a rusher and receiver that no other player on the Michigan offense currently has.
"I knew Chris Evans was special," Harbaugh said in his postgame press conference. "What you saw today was what we've been seeing in practice for the last month. He's a special football player. And you didn't really get to see everything that he can do."
If Saturday was any indication, Evans' full repertoire should be on display—for all to see—soon.
Evans wasn't alone in making an impact, with the nation's top-ranked recruit in the 2016 class, Rashan Gary, showing promise as a pass-rusher as he rotated in on an already talented Wolverines defensive line. Lineman Michael Onwenu played on both sides of the ball, and wideout Eddie McDoom caught the first two passes of his college career, while the defense swapped in the likes of Devin Bush Jr., Michael Dwumfour, David Long and Lavert Hill throughout the afternoon.
"Many players played and played well. Tremendous for morale," Harbaugh said of the newfound depth on his roster. "Guys that worked extremely hard all along just got to contribute, so it was good for our team."
While both the Buckeyes and Wolverines have been more hesitant to put their true freshmen on the field in recent years—Ohio State played just four all of last season, while Michigan played five—this appears to be the new normal for the Big Ten's two most storied programs. Whereas Harbaugh has stuck by his motto of using a "meritocracy" to determine playing time, Meyer's philosophy has seemingly evolved over his first four years in Columbus.
"When Pete Carroll was at USC, I read an article that they don't recruit a guy to redshirt them. There's too many good guys that want to come to a Top Five-type school," Meyer said Monday, echoing a line of logic he's shared before. "We're recruiting a player to play immediately."
Yet when nine underclassmen opted to leave Ohio State for the NFL this past winter, five did so having previously redshirted at some point during their careers in Columbus. In essence, those were wasted seasons for players who weren't ever going to be Buckeyes for a full five years in the first place, which caused Meyer to rethink his strategy about keeping his younger players on the sideline.
That's why, with the game out of hand against the Falcons, the Ohio Stadium field soon flooded with names unfamiliar to those in attendance who don't follow the year-round recruiting cycle. Meyer knew Keandre Jones, Malik Barrow and Jonathon Cooper were either going to be too good to be around for five years or not good enough for him to want them to be, so why not see what the young kids can do while they're here?
As for the new names Meyer will be relying more on this season, so far, so good.
That shouldn't come as a surprise; in college football, the rich often get richer.
And based on what we saw Saturday, neither the Buckeyes nor the Wolverines will be spreading their wealth across the Big Ten anytime soon.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod.
Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruiting and class ratings courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings.
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