You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State player should be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame next?

Not only was Saturday night special because of Ohio State’s 33-24 victory over Penn State, during the game Keith Byars was honored by Ohio State because of his induction to the College Football Hall of Fame. Byars rushed for 3,200 yards and 46 rushing touchdowns during his time at Ohio State.

With Byars’ induction, Ohio State has now had 33 players and coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. Byars was the first Ohio State inductee since Tom Cousineau in 2016. The four years between the announcement of Cousineau’s induction in 2016 to the announcement of Byars’ induction with the class of 2020 was the longest gap for Ohio State inductees since the five years between Jim Stillwagon’s induction in 1991 to Bob Ferguson in 1996.

With the talent that has played in the scarlet and gray over the last 30 years, it shouldn’t be too long until we see another Buckeye added to the College Football Hall of Fame. Jim Tressel was inducted as a head coach in 2015, so it shouldn’t be too long until we see some of the players he recruited to come to Columbus joining the other Ohio State legends already enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

Today’s question: What Ohio State player should be inducted next into the College Football Hall of Fame?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: Mike Doss

I know there are probably some deserving players from before we entered the 21st century, I just don’t have much expertise on them since I was born in 1985 and lived in western New York until 2005. One player I was thinking of if I hadn’t gone with Antoine Winfield. While he was really good at Ohio State, I feel like a lot of why I would have been choosing was because I grew up as a Buffalo Bills fan, where Winfield made his first stop in the NFL.

A better candidate to be the next Buckeye in the College Football Hall of Fame is Mike Doss. The safety was a three-time first-team All-American, three-time first-team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2002. Doss was the heart of the Ohio State defense that would go on to shock Miami in the 2002 BCS National Championship Game.

Ohio State was already quick to honor Doss, adding him to the school’s Hall of Fame back in 2011. While the Buckeyes has had more than their fair share of impact defenders over the years, there might not be one that’s more important that Doss. It’s hard to imagine Ohio State getting through the 2002 season undefeated if they did have Doss in their starting lineup, especially considering how many close, defensive battles the Buckeyes were involved in.

Obviously the College Football Hall of Fame committee has to be judicious with their inductees since there are so many deserving players around the country. That is why you only see one Buckeye inducted into the hall of fame every other year. Doss is definitely deserving of become a part of the hall of fame in the near future because of how much he gave to the university, and how he was able to end his career.

Meredith’s pick: Ted Ginn, Jr.

This week was tough for me. There are lots of Ohio State players who were great in their time and who made a lasting impact during their time in Columbus, but who might not be recognized for that on the national scale. It is, as one can imagine, really hard to get into the College Football Hall of Fame.

That being said, it seemed that most Heisman winners eventually make it into this select group. Troy Smith, therefore, seems like he’ll be a lock eventually, but to keep it interesting, let’s look at one of the folks Smith used to throw to.

When it comes to Ohio State receivers, Ted Ginn Jr. seems like a good option. A three-time first team All-American, Ginn’s resume also benefits from a lengthy and successful NFL career. Ginn finished his three-year career at Ohio State with 135 receptions for 1,943 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns.

Of course, Ginn’s success goes beyond his capacity as a receiver, because he was also a prolific returner during his time at Ohio State and in the NFL. Ginn finished his career at Ohio State with six punt returns and two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

He also had that one passing touchdown in 2006.

Further, there are no receivers from Ohio State currently in the College Football Hall of Fame, and, while there is no shortage of options when it comes to former Ohio State receivers, Ginn brings a certain amount of explosiveness.