The Ohio State Buckeyes lost a lot of talent this year, but plan on keeping their spot at the top of the Big Ten and college football. The Buckeyes have recruited well, but many of those players have limited playing time at the college level. The Buckeyes plan on making another run at the College Football playoff this season, but they'll need a few players to have breakout seasons for that to happen.
Breakout seasons happen every year in college football. Sometimes, the player in question shows flashed the previous season and takes the logical step forward. Sometimes, the player comes out of nowhere to make a massive impact. So who will be the Ohio State Football breakout players in 2016? We've put together four of the most likely candidates below, although there are a few other players who could end up breaking through this year.
DE Sam Hubbard
Hubbard was a 215-pound high school safety who originally played on playing lacrosse at Notre Dame. Now, he's a 265-pound DE who is primed for a massive season at Ohio State. With Joey Bosa gone, the Buckeyes will turn to Hubbard to take over as the team's dominant pass rushing threat. As a redshirt freshman last season, Hubbard had eight tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Hubbard has first round pick written all over him and could double those numbers this year.
RB Mike Weber
Someone needs to replace Ezekiel Elliott and it might end up being Weber. He was supposed to be backup Elliott last season, but an injured knee resulted in him taking a redshirt season. Now a redshirt freshman, the starting RB job is Weber's to lose. Weber is 5-foot-10, 220-pounds and has drawn comparisons to former OSU back Carlos Hyde. While Bri'onte Dunn will fight for the starting job as well, Weber should be the No. 1 back for the Buckeyes.
WR Austin Mack
Michael Thomas, Braxton Miller and Jalin Marshall are all gone. That leaves a massive opening at WR for Ohio State and the Buckeyes will need a few players to step up this year. While players like Torrance Gibson and fellow freshman Binjimen Victor, the hype around Mack is growing. Urban Meyer's praise of Mack has been glowing and Mack is benefitting from enrolling early. He could be the rare true freshman to a play a major role for Meyer and OSU.
S Malik Hooker
Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell are both gone, leaving both safety spots open. Hooker will like take one of them and he could have a massive impact if his two-pick spring game is any indication. Hooker was just a three-star recruit, but is a great athlete. He could be OSU's next great defensive back.
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