Long-snapper-turned-place-holder John Ferlmann (43) gets the ball down in time for kicker Jayden Fielding (38) to complete the extra point. Fielding was good on the day, having a long field goal of 44 yards. Credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photographer.
By spring, the Ohio State football community is starved for anything resembling football. As a result, the Ohio State spring game draws an unusual amount of attention compared with other programs across the country.
Ohio State spring games have previously drawn more than 100,000 fans, creating early hype around players among the Buckeyes’ ravenous fanbase.
While the early glimpse can occasionally hint at future stars, more often than not, the spring game creates false hope about players who may never become impactful.
With Ohio State’s spring game set for Saturday, fans should take the results with a grain of salt.
In recent years, several “spring game stars” have gone on to play insignificant roles in Ohio State’s long-term plans.
In 2022, Kye Stokes became the first freshman to lose his black stripe, earning his official entry into the Ohio State brotherhood. Shortly after, he recorded two pass breakups and nine tackles in the spring game.
Stokes then received widespread praise from fans and pundits, despite most recruiting services labeling him a middling prospect. Some were quick to compare him to Denzel Burke, who became Ohio State’s No. 1 cornerback as a freshman.
Stokes went on to record 12 tackles in 11 games across two seasons before transferring to Cincinnati and later Utah State.
While Stokes represents one version of spring game disappointment, another archetype is just as frustrating: the spring game standout who becomes a late bloomer.
The issue with spring game hype is that it can lead fans to believe young players are more developed than they truly are.
New faces generate excitement, and after seeing the production of a freshman like Jeremiah Smith, fans can become impatient.
No example better illustrates this than Jack Sawyer. Unlike Stokes, Sawyer arrived at Ohio State as a highly touted recruit, ranked alongside former stars such as Joey and Nick Bosa and Chase Young.
The expectations were already high.
Those expectations grew after Sawyer starred in the 2021 spring game, recording three sacks in the first half.
Combined with strong praise from coaches and teammates, the performance elevated him to expectations of becoming Ohio State’s next premier defensive end almost immediately.
Instead, Sawyer spent his first two seasons as a solid rotational player, and his development was often viewed as a disappointment. In hindsight, his career will be remembered more positively, but early expectations fueled by the spring game led to unfair criticism.
The final reason to temper spring game hype has become more relevant in recent years.
In today’s college football landscape, with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness opportunities, there is no guarantee a spring game standout will remain at Ohio State.
From 2016 through 2018, Joe Burrow earned consistent praise for his spring game performances while competing for playing time behind J.T. Barrett and later for the starting job.
Burrow was widely respected by coaches and teammates, and each performance increased confidence in his potential as Ohio State’s future starter.
He never started for the Buckeyes.
Instead, Burrow transferred to LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy, a national championship and became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Situations like Burrow’s have contributed to some programs reevaluating the spring game format. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said he canceled the team’s spring game due to concerns about tampering following the program’s scrimmage the previous year.
In each case, the outcome is similar.
Whether it leads to misplaced expectations, delayed development narratives or player departures, spring game hype often creates more harm than clarity.
And in the end, the ones most affected are the fans who crowned those spring game stars in the first place.
