Five Buckeyes with something to prove in Cotton Bowl practice

COLUMBUS — This isn’t what Ohio State wanted to be preparing for. The Buckeyes expected to be in the College Football Playoff, preparing to win a national title.

The consolation bowl, er, Cotton Bowl, certainly isn’t where this program wanted to be heading to, but that’s what happened once Ohio State fell to Michigan a couple of weeks ago.

The Buckeyes will have some opt outs of the Cotton Bowl, and they’ll get a good look at plenty of young players in the coming weeks as the preparation for the bowl game heats up. Bowl practices will be quite revealing for young players.

Lettermen Row is taking a look at five of the Buckeyes youngsters who could prove they need to be a part of the future of the program, in the near term and long-term sense. Let’s break it all down.

WR Carnell Tate

As the season went on, especially in October, Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate saw an uptick in playing time. He became a regular part of the rotation that included stars Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, as well as starter Julian Fleming. Of course, Harrison will most likely be off to the NFL. Fleming is already in the transfer portal. And Egbuka has a major decision to make, meaning the Buckeyes will be replacing at least two of their top three wide receivers from this season. Tate is expected to be the next up in the long line of star pass-catchers for the Buckeyes. He’ll have bowl prep and the upcoming offseason to prove he can be just that for this offense. A good month of practice will be huge in how Tate adapts to a new, expanded role out wide.

LB C.J. Hicks

The Buckeyes will need to replace Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers at the top of the defensive depth chart next year. And former five-star prospect C.J. Hicks will be the first in line to replace the lost production. Hicks has long been expected to fill in and become a star for the Buckeyes defense, and this month will prove to be another step toward his status as one of the top players on that defense. Given what the Buckeyes are losing on defense this offseason, it’ll be imperative for Hicks to showcase what the next wave looks like at linebacker. Year 3 can be special for the in-state linebacker. It all starts with a good set of bowl practices this month.

C Carson Hinzman

Ohio State was highly impressed with Carson Hinzman during bowl practice last season, so much so that he catapulted from a freshman who did not play a snap in Year 1 into the Buckeyes starting center by training camp in August. He used those bowl practices to get a head start on a push that led to him starting all 12 games for Ohio State this season. But he also went through his share of struggles in his first year as a full-time starter on the offensive line. Another set of bowl practices could serve as another springboard for Hinzman, this time from first-year starter to anchor and strong point of the offensive line. Hinzman’s progress in the next three weeks will be critical to his development and the future of the Ohio State offensive line.

DB Malik Hartford

After an impressive few months of winter workouts and spring practice, Malik Hartford entered training camp with plenty of buzz. He followed it up by immediately cracking the two-deep on the defensive depth chart by September. He even started a pair of games for Ohio State during his freshman campaign, setting him up for a promising rest of his career. The former top-200 prospect will have another full offseason of development to keep adding weight and earning reps in the system, but that certainly begins this month with bowl practice. Hartford will be part of a Buckeyes secondary that, as impressive as it was in 2023, has a chance to be even better next season. He’ll get a good look at what this defense can be next fall in bowl prep. Expect Hartford to play a big role in the Cotton Bowl in a few weeks, too.

WR Brandon Inniss

As we discussed above about Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes could very well be losing their top three receivers. But even if Emeka Egbuka returns, Ohio State will be restocking at receiver, and Brandon Inniss needs to be a major part of the reloading process. Inniss didn’t enroll at Ohio State until June, slowing down his freshman season compared to that of Tate, who enrolled in January and had a full offseason with the Buckeyes before taking the field. Inniss flashed incredible potential when he did see the field this season, and he could even be an impact player in the Cotton Bowl if Egbuka and Harrison decide against playing in Dallas in a few weeks.