Honestly, looking back at the 2023 Ohio State football roster, it feels like a fever dream. We were all sitting there in August, arguing over whether Kyle McCord could actually replace C.J. Stroud or if the defense was finally going to stop "bending and breaking." It was a weird year. It was a year of elite, generational talent mixed with some serious question marks in the trenches that, frankly, ended up defining the season more than the flashy highlights did.
You’ve got to start with the obvious. Marvin Harrison Jr. basically carried the passing game on his back. But a roster is more than just one superstar. It's about the depth chart battles that nobody talked about until a starter went down, or the transfer portal additions that actually worked out—looking at you, Davison Igbinosun.
The Quarterback Room: A Nervous Transition
Basically, the biggest story of the 2023 season was the battle for the QB1 spot. It felt like it dragged on forever. Ryan Day didn't even name a starter until right before the Indiana opener, and even then, it wasn't exactly a "this is our guy" moment.
Kyle McCord ended up taking the bulk of the snaps. He put up decent numbers—3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns—but he was always under the microscope. You could tell he was trying to fill massive shoes. Behind him, Devin Brown was the athletic alternative everyone wanted to see more of, but injuries kind of derailed his chances to really push for the job. And then there was the freshman, Lincoln Kienholz, who mostly watched from the sidelines until the Cotton Bowl disaster happened.
It's sort of wild to think about now, but that QB room was actually pretty thin on experience. If McCord hadn't stayed healthy for most of the regular season, things could have gone south way faster.
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The Playmakers: Marv and Everyone Else
If you weren't watching Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2023, you weren't watching college football. 67 catches for over 1,200 yards. He was just different. But the rest of the wide receiver room on the 2023 Ohio State football roster was actually pretty stacked, even if they didn't all get the same shine.
- Emeka Egbuka: He dealt with some nagging injuries but still hauled in 515 yards. When he was on, he was the perfect possession complement to Marv’s deep threats.
- Julian Fleming: The veteran presence. He didn't have the "WR1" stats people expected when he was recruited, but his blocking and leadership were massive.
- Carnell Tate: A true freshman who looked like a future superstar from day one. He only had 18 catches, but you could tell he was going to be the next "big thing" in Columbus.
Then you have Cade Stover at tight end. "Farmer Cade" was arguably the most reliable target McCord had when things got messy. He finished with 576 yards and five touchdowns, proving that the Buckeyes actually could use the tight end effectively if they wanted to.
The Defensive Shift: Jim Knowles' Vision Takes Shape
Remember how bad the defense was in 2021? Yeah, that felt like a lifetime ago by the time 2023 rolled around. This was the year the defense actually became the backbone of the team.
The defensive line was anchored by J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer. These guys were supposed to be the best pass-rushing duo in the country. While they didn't always put up video game sack numbers, they were incredibly disruptive. Tyleik Williams also had a massive breakout year on the interior, basically becoming unblockable at times.
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The secondary was the biggest surprise. Denzel Burke returned to his "lockdown corner" form, and getting Davison Igbinosun from Ole Miss was a masterstroke. He played more snaps than almost anyone on the defense. He brought a level of "edge" and physicality that the room had been missing for a while.
The Trenches: Where the Season Was Won (and Lost)
If you want to know why the 2023 Ohio State football roster didn't win a national title, you have to look at the offensive line. It was a struggle.
Losing Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones to the NFL left huge holes at tackle. Josh Simmons (the San Diego State transfer) and Josh Fryar stepped in. They weren't terrible, but they weren't elite. There were too many games where the run game just... stalled. TreVeyon Henderson still managed nearly 1,000 yards because he's a freak athlete, but he had to work way too hard for every yard.
Carson Hinzman at center was another experiment. A redshirt freshman starting at center for Ohio State is always a gamble. He had some growing pains, especially with snaps and communication. By the time the bowl game rolled around, they were still shuffling guys like Tegra Tshabola in to find a combination that worked.
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What Most People Get Wrong About This Roster
A lot of fans look back at 2023 and think it was a "down year." Honestly? That’s kind of a reach. They went 11-1 in the regular season. Their only loss was a one-score game against the eventual national champions on the road.
The "roster problem" wasn't a lack of talent. It was a lack of cohesion in a few specific spots. They had 28 new scholarship players—about a third of the roster. That’s a lot of new faces to integrate while trying to win a championship.
The Impact of the Transfer Portal
Ryan Day was way more aggressive in the portal for 2023 than he ever was before.
- Davison Igbinosun (CB): Instant starter, played nearly 700 snaps.
- Josh Simmons (OT): Started every game at left tackle.
- Ja'Had Carter (S): Expected to be a star, but injuries and the rise of Sonny Styles kept him on the bench.
- Tristan Gebbia (QB): Brought in strictly for veteran leadership in the QB room.
Actionable Insights for Buckeye Fans
If you're still obsessing over the 2023 stats, here’s how you should actually view that roster's legacy:
- Appreciate the Transition: 2023 was the bridge year between the C.J. Stroud era and the massive roster overhaul we saw in 2024 and 2025.
- Watch the Development: Look at players like Sonny Styles and Jordan Hancock. 2023 was the year they proved they could play multiple positions (Safety/Nickel), which changed how Jim Knowles calls a game.
- Trenches Matter Most: The 2023 roster proved that you can have all the 5-star wide receivers in the world, but if your offensive line is just "okay," your ceiling is limited.
The 2023 squad was a group of elite individuals that were just one or two pieces away from being a legendary team. They weren't perfect, but they were a lot better than the "The Game" result suggests.
For the next step, take a look at the snap counts for the 2023 season—it reveals exactly which players the coaching staff trusted when the game was on the line, and you might be surprised by how much the young guys like Malik Hartford were already contributing.