5 Ohio State players to watch against Iowa football in 2024

IOWA CITY — Ohio State has no shortage of players suiting up every Saturday who could soon suit up every Sunday.

The third-ranked Buckeyes have at least one of ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 10 draft prospects at every position except fullback, tight end, linebacker and kicker/punter. They have two of the top 10 prospects at defensive end, cornerback and running backs.

Ohio State has 10 of the top 80 draft prospects on Pro Football Focus’ 2025 Big Board. (That’s more than Alabama and Georgia combined.)

That level of talent will pose a major challenge for Iowa, which is a 20.5-point underdog ahead of its trip to Ohio Stadium on Saturday.

QB Will Howard

Will Howard is new to Ohio State this year, but he is not new to playing high-level football.

The 6-foot-4 quarterback transferred to Ohio State after playing 34 games for Kansas State from 2020-23. He set the school record for career touchdown passes and led the 2022 Wildcats to their first outright Big 12 title in almost two decades.

Now a Buckeye, Howard has completed 68.6 percent of his passes while throwing eight touchdown passes versus two interceptions in 2024. He has rushed for a touchdown as well in each of Ohio State’s last three games.

DB Caleb Downs

Ohio State made perhaps the biggest splash of the 2023-24 transfer portal cycle when ex-Alabama safety Caleb Downs chose the Buckeyes.

The former five-star recruit was the SEC Freshman of the Year and became the first Alabama freshman in program history to lead the team in tackles (with 107). The Associated Press and Sporting News both named him a second-team All-American.

Downs has 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss through his first four games at Ohio State. He has allowed three receptions for 15 yards on five targets, according to PFF.

WRs Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka

Emeka Egbuka alone has enough talent to give opposing secondaries a headache.

He had 1,151 receiving yards in 2022 and 515 receiving yards in 2023. His high productivity in both seasons was despite sharing opportunities with 2024 NFL first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr.

When Ohio State last played Iowa — a 54-10 Buckeye win in 2022 — Egbuka almost single-handedly outperformed Iowa’s receiving corps. He finished with 80 yards versus Iowa’s combined 81 receiving yards.

Add freshman standout Jeremiah Smith to the equation, and Ohio State’s receiving corps is even more dangerous. Smith has 19 receptions for a team-high 364 yards. He is averaging 19.2 — yes, 19.2 — yards per reception and he has caught 79.2 percent of passes targeted for him, per PFF.

RBs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson

Quinshon Judkins has been another high-impact newcomer on this 2024 Ohio State team.

The 6-foot running back transferred to Ohio State after an impressive first two seasons at Ole Miss. Judkins was a Doak Walker Award semifinalist in 2022 as he rushed for 1,567 yards and averaged 5.7 yards per carry. He had another 1,000-plus-yard season in 2023 and was an all-SEC first-team selection for the second consecutive season.

Judkins has a team-high 390 rushing yards on 47 carries so far this season. He is not Ohio State’s only threat in the backfield, though.

TreVeyon Henderson received first-team all-Big Ten honors in 2023 after rushing for 926 yards while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Henderson has 276 rushing yards in 2024 and is averaging an astronomical 8.9 yards per carry.

DL J.T. Tuimoloau

J.T. Tuimoloau has been a menace on the Ohio State defensive line since stepping foot on campus in 2021.

Tuimoloau, a senior, has yet to miss a game in his collegiate career and has started Ohio State’s last 29 games (dating back to the start of the 2022 season).

He was a first-team all-Big Ten honoree and a second-team AFCA All-American in 2023 after recording five sacks and seven tackles for loss. So far in 2024, Tuimoloau has 3.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 2.5 sacks.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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