After spending the entire 2023 season ranked in the AP top-10, Ohio State is expected to contend for both a conference title and a national championship after head coach Ryan Day reloaded the roster with talent from the transfer portal.
College Football Network recently released its preseason All-American honors for the 2024 season, with 10 Buckeyes receiving national attention, the most of any team in the country.
Which standouts from the Big Ten frontrunner were singled out for significant praise ahead of the 2024 college football campaign? Let’s find out!
Which Ohio State Players Earned CFN All-American Honors?
Each of the last two football seasons at Ohio State appears to look eerily similar to one another.
- Begin the year in the top-3 of the AP Preseason Poll;
- Win 11 straight to start the season by an average margin of over 24 points per game;
- Lose to Michigan, missing out on the Big Ten Championship Game;
- Lose bowl game to an SEC team, finishing with an 11-2 record
With expectations as high as they have ever been in Columbus, Ryan Day attacked the transfer portal to replenish an already talent-laden roster and impressive freshman recruiting class.
With CFN Impact Freshman of the Year Jeremiah Smith at WR an early enrollee, the Buckeyes also brought in immediate impact players in CFN First-Team All-American safety Caleb Downs from Alabama and CFN Second-Team All-American running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss.
Here’s what CFN Executive Director Cam Mellor had to say about Ohio State’s All-American honorees.
Caleb Downs, Strong Safety (First-Team All-American)
As mentioned, there is arguably no better safety transitioning from one team to another than Downs. In fact, there may be no better safety in the country than Downs, and his transfer to Ohio State gave the Buckeyes a clear-cut lead in our secondary rankings immediately.
Downs has a unique set of skills that allows him to come downhill like a linebacker and cover like a sticky cornerback. It’s that rare ability that few have possessed and fortunately for college football fans, we get him for at least two more seasons in Columbus.
Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver (Impact Freshman of the Year)
To have your black stripe taken away as early as Jeremiah Smith did really sums up how talented the top freshman receiver is. He’s set up to have the biggest impact not only on the field, but because of the incredibly talented wide receiver room he’s set to battle through in order to see the field.
Word out of Columbus is simple: Smith is special. And he’s about to put on a show in 2024. Look for his special abilities to be on display early and often through OSU’s early-season schedule.
Ohio State (Secondary of the Year)
Even before the addition of Caleb Downs, the Ohio State secondary had its sights set on being the top unit in the country. Downs’ entrance into the lineup secured the title and made it nearly impossible for anyone else (on paper) to come close to catching up with them.
Downs is arguably the best sophomore in all of college football, regardless of position, as his talent at Alabama a season ago came through as early as Week 1. The rest of the Buckeyes, however, are no slouches.
Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun combined for over a dozen plays on the ball last season while doing an incredible job of limiting even the most basic completions into their coverage. Burke enjoyed a career resurgence in 2023 and looks to be back to the same form that had some penciling him in as a first-round NFL Draft pick.
Elsewhere, Lathan Ransom, Jordan Hancock, Ja’Had Carter, and Lorenzo Styles make up an incredibly deep room of talented and ever-evolving talent in the Ohio State secondary. Considering each of those four would likely be a starter at the majority of other FBS schools across the country, the Ohio State secondary is beyond reproach in 2024.
Full List of Ohio State Players Earning CFN All-American Honors
- Secondary of the Year
- Jeremiah Smith, WR (Impact Freshman of the Year)
- Caleb Downs, S (First-Team All-American)
- Quinshon Judkins, RB (Second-Team All-American)
- Donovan Jackson, G (Second-Team All-American)
- Emeka Egbuka, WR (Third-Team All-American)
- Sonny Styles, LB (Third-Team All-American)
- Josh Fryar, OT (Honorable Mention All-American)
- Tre’Veyon Henderson, RB (Honorable Mention All-American)
- Tyleik Williams, DT (Honorable Mention All-American)
- Denzel Burke, CB (Honorable Mention All-American)
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