As Ohio State evaluates its new crop of freshmen this summer, one of the biggest considerations for each new Buckeye will be whether they should be thrust into immediate playing time or whether they should take a redshirt year.
Thanks to the rule change adopted by the NCAA last summer that allows players to participate in up to four games and still redshirt, Ohio State doesn’t need to make those decisions before the season.
Even so, it’s likely that those conversations have already started among Ohio State’s coaching staff, and will ramp up in preseason camp, as the Buckeyes determine which new players can make an immediate impact for them this season and which players could make a bigger impact long-term with more time to develop.