Football is officially back in Athens as the Ohio football team returned to Peden Stadium for the first week of training camp that began on July 31st.
Fall camp started exactly one month before the Bobcats will travel north to play Syracuse in week one of their season. These next weeks will be extremely important for Ohio to figure out its roster ahead of the big week one matchup.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from week one of fall camp for Ohio.
Navarro brings leadership as QB
The loss of longtime quarterback Kurtis Rourke through the transfer portal was a massive blow to an Ohio team that had relied on his talent and stability for four years on offense. Rourke announced his decision to transfer before the team’s bowl game last year, opening the starting spot for former backup quarterback Parker Navarro.
Ohio saw another quarterback, CJ Harris, transfer in the offseason. After not adding any quarterbacks to compete with Navarro, it seemed clear that the Ohio coaching staff fully believed in him as the starter.
Ohio coach Tim Albin left no doubt in his belief in Navarro as the starter after the first week, citing his leadership as a key reason.
“He’ll do it verbally when he has to; he can be a rah-rah guy, he can be demanding, but he does it with his actions,” said Albin. “That’s what you’re after … being a leader is not getting more followers. It's about developing other leaders.”
In his final year of eligibility, Navarro’s leadership will be an important piece to the Bobcats’ season.
The standard of success remains
Ohio’s roster is almost unrecognizable from its 10-win season last year. Losses from both the transfer portal and players turning professional have left the team looking very different on both sides of the ball.
Despite the roster turnover, Albin is still confident in his squad and stressed that the standard of success at Ohio will remain.
“Every season is a new journey. And it's here … the staff has done a marvelous job on getting this team put together,” Albin said. “But the standard is the standard. And the staff is going to push these guys and try to raise the bar and going into the season.”
After back-to-back 10-win seasons, the standard for Albin and his Ohio program will continue to remain the same.
Revamped defensive front
The defense was arguably hit the hardest by departures this offseason for Ohio. Notable players like Bryce Houston, Rodney Matthews, Keye Thompson and Vonnie Watkins won’t be returning to Ohio to play football this season.
Due to all the departures on defense, and particularly on the front seven, there will need to be players that step up into big roles for Ohio in 2024, but Albin is confident in his new look defensive front.
“Bradley Weaver, he’s got to be (one of) the top returners in our league in (tackles for loss) and sacks … you throw in Kadin Schmitz, CJ Doggette, Bralen Henderson --- I’m excited about the talent,” Albin said.
Homegrown talent and talent acquired through the portal are primed to make a big impact for Ohio this season.
Receiving room brings excitement
Players like Sam Wiglusz and Miles Cross were huge aspects of Ohio’s passing game in previous years and gave Kurtis Rourke reliable and talented targets. Now that Cross and Wiglusz have departed, a new group of weapons are coming into the fray, and coach Albin is excited about their talent.
“I’m certain of this: this will be the fastest group of receivers we’ve ever had,” Albin said. “I’m excited about their ability to run and stretch the field … our eyes tell us that we’ve got a really good group.”
Transfers Eamonn Dennis from Michigan and Eian Pugh from Illinois headline the transfer additions at wide receiver, while homegrown talent like Chase Hendricks and Kaden Hurst will also make an impact on Saturdays this season.
