Tanner said:

That was just terribly designed play. Lining Jeremiah and Inniss up on one side and having Jeremiah be the blocker is hilarious

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Why? He has the physical advantage over literally anyone who they could possibly put out there on defense....He's a WR but he still has to make his blocks. Literally ANYONE in the program, but especially Smith himself would say the same thing too.

Frankly if he makes that block, no one touches Inniss and Cryami has to adjust for that formation if they show it again (and go over the top with the ball)....

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brodybuck21 said:

11W Forums

Jamesgandle 22 hours ago
Adam Gorney called his shot for Gaige Weddle to the Bucks with 50% confidence

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Ohio State football hit with prediction to add the son of a former NFL defensive great to Matt Patricia’s defense​

Ohio State is after a big time 2028 recruit with a father who starred in the NFL. The Buckeyes have now been predicted to land the four-star defender from California.

Weddle has already built a strong relationship with Ohio State​

Weddle has been on Ohio State’s campus multiple times this year, and his father has joined him on those visits. The pair have built what is already a strong relationship with Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerreri, and that connection appears to be paying dividends on the recruiting trail.

Gorney’s prediction has Weddle choosing the Buckeyes over schools like Utah, where his dad played, along with Georgia, Miami, Michigan, and Tennessee. It’s still early for the class of 2028, but players are beginning to come off the board at a faster rate. Weddle could be a player who wants to make a decision at some point this year, and Ohio State is in a good spot to make that happen when he does. Weddle take a game day visit to Ohio State this fall.

“He’s a Utes legacy and Weddle is warming up even more to them but Ohio State isn’t blowing it out of the water with 2027 safety recruiting, his connection to position coach Matt Guerrieri is like a respected friend and there’s no arguing about the development in Columbus,” Gorney wrote.

Ohio State hasn’t gone heavily after safeties in the class of 2027, where they hold two commitments at the position with four-star Eli Johnson and three-star Angelo Smith, the brother of Jeremiah Smith. Weddle is a higher-level prospect than both and is a player Ohio State is putting its focus on in 2028.

Weddle is a name to watch, and the prediction in favor of the Buckeyes here feels pretty good.

Ohio State football defender looks to be closing in on major playing time in 2026 after a strong summer development​

Whispers are coming about around an Ohio State defender who has had a strong summer and will be pushing for a key role on Matt Patricia’s defense in 2026.



The Ohio State Buckeyes are heading into 2026 with a defense that will look dramatically different from the unit that took the field last season. With as many as eight new starters set to step up, the linebacker room stands out as one of the biggest areas of need following the departures of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese to the NFL.

Ohio State has talented younger players ready to fill those voids, and one name generating early buzz is second-year linebacker Riley Pettijohn.

Riley Pettijohn is impressing after missing spring​

Pettijohn missed all of spring practice while recovering from an offseason procedure, which put him behind schedule entering a crucial year for Ohio State’s linebacking corps. However, the early returns from summer workouts have been encouraging.

“Pettijohn missed all of spring practice due to an offseason procedure,” Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook wrote. “But sources tell LR that he has impressed in a big way this summer after returning from the training room. He and Alford have both “stepped up big time” ahead of a critical second training camp in Columbus.”

That’s a strong development for a Buckeyes defense counting on young players to take major leaps. Pettijohn and TJ Alford are entering their second year in Columbus after playing as true freshmen last season. Pettijohn himself appeared in 13 games as a freshman, recording nine tackles, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, along with one pass breakup.

Ohio State has a big recruiting win ready to deliver​

Pettijohn was a big-time recruiting win for the Buckeyes out of Texas. The 6-foot-2, 231-pound linebacker is expected to push toward the top of Ohio State’s depth chart at the position this year, with players like Payton Pierce and Christian Alliegro, the Wisconsin transfer, also set to carry roles.

Missing spring practice hurts, there’s no way around it. But it sounds like Pettijohn is taking full advantage of Ohio State’s summer workouts and is in a great spot ahead of what will be his second season with the program.
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Unheralded Ohio State football transfer addition might be getting ready to steal a starting job during fall camp​

Ohio State Buckeyes are going to have a different-looking defensive line in 2026, and one transfer addition is inching toward a starting job.



When the Ohio State Buckeyes step on the field against Ball State in Week 1 of the college football season, they’ll have a much different looking team than a year ago. Ohio State lost 11 players to the NFL Draft and north of 30 players opted to enter the transfer portal, mostly depth pieces from the back end of the roster.

The Buckeyes’ defense specifically is going to look a lot different, and it’s why they had to hit the transfer portal this winter to land a few difference-makers for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit.

Ohio State’s defensive line is set to feature three new starters, and while Alabama transfer James Smith has generated most of the offseason buzz, it’s actually UCF transfer John Walker who might end up starting next to defensive tackle Eddrick Houston when the season opens.

John Walker’s path from UCF to Columbus​

Walker was a player the Buckeyes recruited out of high school in Florida in the class of 2023, but he opted to stay home and play for Central Florida. The now 6-foot-2, 324-pound defensive lineman missed the entire 2024 season with an injury, but in 12 games last year with UCF, he recorded 40 tackles and a sack. As a freshman in 2023, he had 24 tackles and a half sack to his name.

An interesting tidbit recently came from Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham.

“That’s why we think there’s a very good chance that it’ll actually be Walker—not James Smith—who is next to Eddrick Houston when the season opens,” Birmingham wrote. “The buzz around Walker is growing and it’ll pick up after fans and the media get to see him over these first three days of training camp.”

Why John Walker fills a specific need for Ohio State​

Walker is a big human at his listed size and could fill some of the run-stopping needs the Buckeyes have after losing Kayden McDonald to the NFL from last year’s team. Houston is more of a 3-tech who is going to get after the passer from the interior. Walker can be more of that run-stopping defensive tackle for Ohio State, and the two could complement each other well.
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OregonBuckeye said:

They also looked extremely underwhelming all season. Did not pass the eye test

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Multiple games all season where they were lucky. Shoot even in a bad non conference game they looked terrible.

A team can make the playoffs with 3 losses but it’d have to be to 3 top tier teams and by close. Hopefully we don’t have to find that out.

Their winning percentage the last 14 games makes their team batting average look great.

McClelland takes swipe at Indiana despite Hoosiers' recent national title​

Indiana won college football's national championship just a few months ago. Purdue hasn't won a national championship of any kind in 16 years. The facts didn't stop new Boilermakers athletic director Tommy McClelland from taking a shot at Purdue's instate rival.

"Every recruit, every current student athlete will hear this message repeatedly -- we are here to win championships," McClelland said Thursday during his introductory news conference. "If you don't want to win championships, go to Indiana."
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Purdue hasn't won an NCAA national championship in any sport since the women's golf team in 2010. It remains the school's only national championship this millennium.

"The future of Purdue athletics is incredibly bright," said McClelland, who previously was the athletic director at Rice. "I am ready to get to work."

Really high on West. Methinks he and Bo are going to be a powerful one-two punch.

Kid reminds me a lot of Christian Kirk. Would love to see him in the slot here.

pnuts34 said:

Word on the street is that he either: arrived late to practice OR he went on tik tok live and spoke like a young and dumb frosh and Coach Day had to let him know he was not bigger than the team. We'll all move on and hope he learns from the transgression

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Just sayin': First of all, I had no idea that you could go on Tik Tok live...... Regardless, at least (if the word on the street is correct) it was nothing major, i.e. DUI, arrest, sexual harassment charges, failed drug test, etc. Arriving late to practice and/or going on Tik Tok are easily corrected/fixed.

I just hope your street informant is as reliable as Huggy Bear:





Update: I saw on "X" where some others said it was the Tik Tok thing too. Anyway, this sure isn't the best start for him on his Ohio State football career, but there's still hope that this is just a minor blip on the radar.

Haven't posted in here in a while. Been in kind of a cooking rut and sorta decided to get out. Now, for those of you who have seen me post here, I don't try to do "Authentic" - I do the AKAK version of stuff. Anyway here's some jerk chicken I did, the marinade probably leans Cayman with lots of citrus and I used habaneros and jalapeños from my garden.


Wiod is mulberry from my property. This is more a small scale practice before I run it on my offset with either whole or half chickens. I'm not gonna lie, it was crazy good.

brodybuck21 said:

boys are starting to heat up! which means the Nats will sweep them this weekend

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LOL! Exactly.

11W Forums

305Buck 2 hours ago
https://247sports.com/player/karon-eugene-46155620/
New safety recruit that Ohio State has been in contact with. Could we land another safety from Louisiana two classes in a row? LSU and Texas A&M are also recruiting him.

KYBuck4858 31 minutes ago
We’ve been on him for awhile. He was thought to be a lock to LSU at one point.
The reason he fell off the map for the past 6-9 months, was that he had severe grade issues. Schools were waiting to see spring and summer school transcripts was the word. I was hoping that LSU would not want to wait for him and fill up, but I think they still have an opening.

305Buck 23 minutes ago
Yeah he’s planning visits to all 3 schools this season.

According to QB warmups at practice #1, he’s repping at #2 center right now.

Julian Sayin has to become Ohio State’s CEO, not just its quarterback​

Julian Sayin has already proven he can win games with his arm. Entering his second season as Ohio State’s starter, the Buckeyes now need him to command the huddle, own the line of scrimmage, and become the unquestioned leader of a championship-caliber program.



When people talk about Julian Sayin entering the 2026 season, the conversation almost always begins with statistics. It makes sense. After all, there is plenty to talk about.

In his first season as Ohio State’s starter, Sayin threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing a remarkable 77 percent of his passes, leading the nation in completion percentage and finishing second nationally in passer rating.

Sayin was a Heisman finalist, earned Freshman of the Year honors, and became one of college football’s brightest young stars.

But statistics are no longer the most important part of his development in my opinion. Leadership is. Because entering his third collegiate season and second year as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Sayin isn’t simply expected to run Ryan Day’s offense anymore. He is expected to run the entire football team.

That may sound like a small distinction, but inside championship programs, it is often the difference between very good quarterbacks and unforgettable ones.

Quarterbacks don’t just call plays. They command rooms. They settle teammates after mistakes. They challenge veterans in practice. They communicate with coaches on the sideline. They identify protections and coverages before the snap. They become the face everyone naturally follows when pressure reaches its highest point.

Ohio State already knows Julian Sayin can play quarterback at a high level. Now they have to find out whether he can become the true CEO of one of college football’s biggest programs.

Running the offense starts long before the ball is snapped​

The easiest part of quarterbacking is often what fans actually see. The throw. The difficult part begins before the snap ever arrives. Ryan Day has long placed enormous responsibility on his quarterbacks at the line of scrimmage.

Identifying defensive fronts, adjusting protections, changing run calls, recognizing disguised blitzes, communicating with the offensive line and ensuring every skill player understands the assignment all happen within a matter of seconds.

That responsibility only grows during a quarterback’s second season. There are no more freshman or first year starter excuses. There is no longer uncertainty about the offense. Everything should feel and be automatic.

Sayin himself acknowledged at Big Ten Media Days that the game has slowed down considerably entering Year Two, pointing to increased comfort, improved communication and a stronger understanding of the offense after a full season as the starter.

Ryan Day echoed that confidence, highlighting Sayin’s physical and mental growth throughout the offseason.

That growth matters because Ohio State’s offense is changing drastically around him. Arthur Smith’s influence continues expanding after joining the program a few months ago. Several new transfer additions must be integrated into the program. Young receivers will be asked to contribute in larger roles. The offensive line returns significant experience, but that experience still requires direction.

The quarterback becomes the common denominator tying every piece together, and that responsibility extends beyond just making throws for Julian Sayin. It means understanding exactly where every player should be before the coaches ever have to correct it.

The best quarterbacks don’t simply execute the offense. They become extensions of the coaching staff.

The next step happens inside the locker room​

Will Howard’s greatest contribution to Ohio State wasn’t necessarily a throw. It was belief. Teammates trusted him. Coaches trusted him. When difficult moments arrived, nobody questioned who would speak first inside the huddle.
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