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LB CJ Sanna (Official Thread)
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Football
- 27 Replies
Better Know a Buckeye: CJ Sanna’s Rise In Just Two Years at Middle Linebacker Shows His Raw Ability and Potential
CJ Sanna only played two years as a middle linebacker in high school, but he quickly ascended to become a top-15 linebacker in the 2026 class in those two seasons.
Better Know a Buckeye: CJ Sanna’s Rise In Just Two Years at Middle Linebacker Shows His Raw Ability and Potential
Scouting Report
In the middle of the Olentangy defense, Sanna showcased his football IQ, awareness, and instincts. With his ability to run downhill, he excels as a QB spy and run stopper. He uses his eyes and elusiveness to avoid opposing blockers and make plays on the ball.Sanna made a habit of trucking opposing ballcarriers over with his strength and size in high school, but he must wrap them up more consistently as he goes against bigger and stronger players at the collegiate level.
With just two years of full-time linebacker play under his belt, Sanna has shown the ability to be a dominant playmaker in the middle of the defense while having plenty of room to learn and grow at Ohio State.
Depth Chart Outlook
Just like he was in the latter two years at Olentangy, Sanna is projected to be a Mike linebacker for Ohio State. With that, his first season as a Buckeye will certainly be a developmental one. Payton Pierce will lead the depth chart at Mike linebacker for Ohio State in 2026, while Riley Pettijohn, fellow freshman Cincere Johnson and rising sophomore Eli Lee are among the other Buckeyes who will likely be ahead of him on this year’s depth chart.
Sanna must develop well to become a future starter in the loaded linebacker room that James Laurinaitis has built, but playing for one of the best linebacker coaches in the country will give him a chance to maximize his potential and become a difference-maker for the Silver Bullets.
Player Comparison: Tommy Eichenberg
After redshirting his first season as a Buckeye in 2019, Eichenberg received very minimal playing time in his second season in Columbus, totaling just two tackles. But he started to make a name for himself in his third year at Ohio State and became a dominant linebacker as a redshirt junior in 2022.In his fourth season with the Buckeyes, Eichenberg notched 120 tackles (12 for loss), 2.5 sacks, an interception and three pass breakups. The 6-2, 235-pounder totaled 268 tackles (21 for loss), 2.5 sacks, two interceptions (one pick-six), five pass breakups, a forced fumble and one fumble recovery in his final three seasons at OSU. He was a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft following his fifth season with the Buckeyes.
Sanna, like Eichenberg, is an in-state linebacker prospect who was a four-star recruit. Also like Eichenberg, Sanna will likely need multiple years of development before he plays a major role for the Buckeyes. But if Sanna can continue to develop into a do-it-all middle linebacker after switching to the position before his junior season in high school, the 6-2, 230-pounder could follow a similar path as Eichenberg to eventually starring in the middle of Ohio State’s defense.
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Ugliest OSU Helmet I've Ever Seen
- By ScriptOhio
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 7 Replies
Just sayin': Here's the ugliest Ohio State helmet that I've ever seen...
www.elevenwarriors.com
Remember When: Ohio State, Not Michigan, Introduced Winged Helmets to College Football in the 1930s
Who was the first college football team to wear winged helmets? The answer might surprise you.
Nowadays, the idea of Ohio State wearing winged helmets would be considered blasphemy. Over the past 88 years, the winged helmet has become synonymous with Michigan, Ohio State’s hated rival. The only time you’ll ever see a Buckeye wear a winged helmet in modern times is during the practice week leading up to The Game, when Ohio State’s scout-teamers don maize and blue helmets and jerseys to help the Buckeyes prepare to play the team up north.
For five years in the 1930s, however, Ohio State was the team wearing winged helmets in The Game.
Sam Willaman’s Buckeyes were the first college football team to wear winged helmets when they adopted the design in 1930. Their version of the winged helmet, designed by Spalding, had more to do with safety than aesthetics; according to SpartanJerseys.com, the lighter-colored wing, placed on top of a dark-colored leather helmet, was put in place as extra padding to help protect players from collisions.
Ohio State wearing the winged helmets during a 27-0 win over Navy in 1930.
Ohio State wore the winged helmets through Francis Schmidt’s first season in 1934 – when the Buckeyes earned their first of four straight shutout wins over Michigan under Schmidt – before switching back to solid-colored helmets in 1935.
The Buckeyes weren’t the only team to wear winged helmets before the Wolverines. Indiana, Georgetown and Michigan’s other rival, Michigan State, also wore versions of the winged helmet in the early 1930s. Indiana’s winged helmet design looked similar to Michigan’s, with three white stripes running across the top of the helmet from front to back, but the direct inspiration for Michigan’s helmet design came from Princeton.
Princeton began wearing its winged helmets, with three orange stripes on a black base, during its undefeated national championship season of 1935. The Wolverines began wearing winged helmets three years later, in 1938, when Michigan hired Fritz Crisler away from Princeton to be its new head coach. Nearly nine decades later, the blue helmets with maize wings remain a staple of the Wolverines’ uniforms.
Ohio State never wore winged helmets again after the 1934 season, but the modern-day Ohio State helmets that now rank among college football’s iconic designs weren’t introduced until 1968. After Woody Hayes and athletic trainer Ernie Biggs introduced the concept of awarding Buckeye Leaf helmet stickers to players in 1967, Ohio State switched to silver helmets with a scarlet, white and black stripe in the center for the following season. The “Super Sophomores” led the 1968 Buckeyes to a 10-0 season and a national championship, and Ohio State’s now-emblematic helmet design remains nearly unchanged 58 years later.
Remember When: Ohio State, Not Michigan, Introduced Winged Helmets to College Football in the 1930s
Before they became a symbol of Michigan football, Ohio State was the first college football team to wear winged helmets, sporting the design from 1930-34.
Who was the first college football team to wear winged helmets? The answer might surprise you.
Nowadays, the idea of Ohio State wearing winged helmets would be considered blasphemy. Over the past 88 years, the winged helmet has become synonymous with Michigan, Ohio State’s hated rival. The only time you’ll ever see a Buckeye wear a winged helmet in modern times is during the practice week leading up to The Game, when Ohio State’s scout-teamers don maize and blue helmets and jerseys to help the Buckeyes prepare to play the team up north.
For five years in the 1930s, however, Ohio State was the team wearing winged helmets in The Game.
Sam Willaman’s Buckeyes were the first college football team to wear winged helmets when they adopted the design in 1930. Their version of the winged helmet, designed by Spalding, had more to do with safety than aesthetics; according to SpartanJerseys.com, the lighter-colored wing, placed on top of a dark-colored leather helmet, was put in place as extra padding to help protect players from collisions.
Ohio State wearing the winged helmets during a 27-0 win over Navy in 1930.
Ohio State wore the winged helmets through Francis Schmidt’s first season in 1934 – when the Buckeyes earned their first of four straight shutout wins over Michigan under Schmidt – before switching back to solid-colored helmets in 1935.
The Buckeyes weren’t the only team to wear winged helmets before the Wolverines. Indiana, Georgetown and Michigan’s other rival, Michigan State, also wore versions of the winged helmet in the early 1930s. Indiana’s winged helmet design looked similar to Michigan’s, with three white stripes running across the top of the helmet from front to back, but the direct inspiration for Michigan’s helmet design came from Princeton.
Princeton began wearing its winged helmets, with three orange stripes on a black base, during its undefeated national championship season of 1935. The Wolverines began wearing winged helmets three years later, in 1938, when Michigan hired Fritz Crisler away from Princeton to be its new head coach. Nearly nine decades later, the blue helmets with maize wings remain a staple of the Wolverines’ uniforms.
Ohio State never wore winged helmets again after the 1934 season, but the modern-day Ohio State helmets that now rank among college football’s iconic designs weren’t introduced until 1968. After Woody Hayes and athletic trainer Ernie Biggs introduced the concept of awarding Buckeye Leaf helmet stickers to players in 1967, Ohio State switched to silver helmets with a scarlet, white and black stripe in the center for the following season. The “Super Sophomores” led the 1968 Buckeyes to a 10-0 season and a national championship, and Ohio State’s now-emblematic helmet design remains nearly unchanged 58 years later.
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Football, Futbol, Soccer, etc. (Official Thread)
- By ScriptOhio
- Other OSU and Professional Sports
- 1103 Replies
PSG beat Arsenal on penalties to retain Champions League title
Paris Saint-Germain became just the second team to win back-to-back Champions League titles after rallying to beat Arsenal following a penalty shootout in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday.
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães smashed the decisive penalty over the crossbar to give PSG a 4-3 win in the shootout after the teams finished level at 1-1 following the end of extra time at the Puskas Arena.
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It was the first final to go to a penalty shootout since Madrid beat neighbors Atlético Madrid 10 years ago to win the first of those three titles.
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The next target for PSG will be to emulate Madrid's three in a row under Zidane. And with a starting lineup in Budapest with an average age of less than 24, Luis Enrique has built a team that has the potential to dominate for years.
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WR Coach Cortez Hankton (Official Thread)
- By ScriptOhio
- Buckeye Football
- 72 Replies
Matt Patricia Becomes College Football’s Highest-Paid Coordinator With $3.75 Million Salary, Arthur Smith to Make $1.5 Million in 2026
Matt Patricia becomes college football’s highest-paid assistant coach with a $3.75 million salary while Arthur Smith will make $1.5 million in his first year at Ohio State.
Matt Patricia Becomes College Football’s Highest-Paid Coordinator With $3.75 Million Salary, Arthur Smith to Make $1.5 Million in 2026
March 10, 2026Matt Patricia is now the highest-paid assistant coach in college football.
After leading the nation’s top defense in his first year with the Buckeyes in 2025, Ohio State’s defensive coordinator will make $3.75 million in 2026 as part of a new three-year contract. His salary will increase to $3.85 million in 2027 and 2028, per the terms of his contract, which was obtained by Eleven Warriors on Tuesday through a public records request.
Patricia’s new contract comes after he received offers from NFL teams that were interested in hiring him as their defensive coordinator. Ultimately, Patricia decided to stay at Ohio State, and Ohio State made sure he was compensated accordingly.
“Did he have options? Yes. But I think he found a lot of joy in making an impact on these guys' lives at a different point in their lives than what he was used to in the NFL. And so we were able to work something out to keep him here,” Ryan Day said Tuesday.
“We knew that was important. The guys really enjoy working with him and learning from him.”
OHIO STATE'S 2026 ASSISTANT COACH SALARIES
| COACH | TITLE | 2026 SALARY | 2025 SALARY | CHANGE | CONTRACT END |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MATT PATRICIA | DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR | $3,750,000 | $2,500,000 | +$1,250,000 | 2029 |
| TIM WALTON | ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/CO-DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR/SECONDARY COACH | $1,800,000 | $1,800,000 | $0 | 2028 |
| LARRY JOHNSON | ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH | $1,600,000 | $1,400,000 | +$200,000 | 2027 |
| ARTHUR SMITH | OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR | $1,500,000 | N/A* | N/A | 2028 |
| KEENAN BAILEY | CO-OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/TIGHT ENDS COACH | $1,000,000 | $650,000 | +$350,000 | 2028 |
| TYLER BOWEN | OFFENSIVE LINE COACH/RUN GAME COORDINATOR | $1,000,000 | $900,000 | +$100,000 | 2028 |
| MATT GUERRIERI | PASSING GAME COORDINATOR/SAFETIES COACH | $1,000,000 | $900,000 | +$100,000 | 2028 |
| CORTEZ HANKTON | WIDE RECEIVERS COACH | $900,000 | $1,000,000* | -$100,000 | 2028 |
| JAMES LAURINAITIS | LINEBACKERS COACH | $900,000 | $500,000 | +$400,000 | 2028 |
| BILLY FESSLER | PASSING GAME COORDINATOR/QUARTERBACKS COACH | $750,000 | $475,000 | +$275,000 | 2028 |
| CARLOS LOCKLYN | RUNNING BACKS COACH | $700,000 | $650,000 | +$50,000 | 2028 |
| ROBBY DISCHER | SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR | $400,000 | $400,000* | $0 | 2028 |
| *Hankton coached at LSU and Discher coached at Illinois in 2025. Arthur Smith was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator in 2025, but his NFL contract was not subject to public record. |
New Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will make $1.5 million in 2026 and $2 million in 2027 on a two-year contract. Wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton will make $900,000 in 2026 and $1 million in 2027 on a two-year contract. New special teams coordinator Robby Discher will make $400,000 in 2026 and $450,000 in 2027 on a two-year contract.
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In total, Ohio State will pay its assistant coaches $15.3 million in 2026, its largest assistant coach salary pool ever, after expanding its full-time coaching staff from 10 coaches to 12. That’s an increase of more than $3.5 million from 2025, when Ohio State paid its assistant coaches $11.775 million in salary, not including bonuses.
That’s in addition to the $12.5 million Ohio State will pay Day, who’s in the second year of a seven-year contract that he signed with Ohio State last year.
Ryan Day, Ohio State Agree On a New Seven-Year Contract Valued at $12.5 Million Per Year
Ohio State and national champion head coach Ryan Day have agreed in principle to a new seven-year contract with a total annual compensation of $12.5 million.
Ryan Day, Ohio State Agree On a New Seven-Year Contract Valued at $12.5 Million Per Year
February 6, 2025Ryan Day has a new contract.
Ohio State announced Thursday that Day and the school's athletic department have agreed in principle to a new seven-year contract, worth $12.5 million in total annual compensation, that will keep the head football coach in Columbus through the 2031 season. Terms of the contract, which add three years to his current agreement.
In addition to his base pay, Day will also remain eligible for a multitude of bonuses based on his team’s performance, as listed below:
- $50,000 for a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, which increases to $100,000 if GPA is 3.3+ and $150,000 if GPA is 3.5+
- $50,000 for a Big Ten Championship Game appearance, which increases to $250,000 for a Big Ten Championship Game win
- $100,000 for a College Football Playoff appearance, which increases to $250,000 for a quarterfinal appearance, $300,000 if Ohio State earns a first-round bye into the quarterfinals, $350,000 for a semifinal appearance, $500,000 for a national championship game appearance and $1 million for a national championship game win
- $50,000 for a Big Ten Coach of the Year award
- $100,000 for a national coach of the year award
Day would owe Ohio State a $6 million buyout if he left Ohio State before Jan. 31, 2026. That buyout decreases to $4 million on Feb. 1, 2026 and by $500,000 for every subsequent year thereafter, down to $2 million if he leaves Ohio State after Feb. 1, 2030 and no buyout if he leaves Ohio State after Feb. 1, 2031.
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New York Mets (2x World Series Champions)
- By ScriptOhio
- Professional Baseball
- 108 Replies
Ex-Mets manager Bobby Valentine dons famous disguise again
Bobby Valentine was just trying to keep things loose -- and perhaps save his job -- when he donned a makeshift disguise and returned to the New York Mets' dugout after being ejected from a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 9, 1999.
It turned into a defining moment, maybe the most memorable of his 40-plus years in baseball.
On the eve of his induction into the Mets Hall of Fame, Valentine reveled in that clandestine act Friday night when the former manager again wore sunglasses and a fake mustache while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to a similarly disguised Mr. Met.
Valentine, 76, who will be honored Saturday alongside former Mets teammate Lee Mazzilli, emerged from the New York dugout and received a warm hand from a Citi Field crowd that included fans already adorned in the ballpark giveaway -- sunglasses and a fake mustache.
He moved a few steps in front of the mound and tossed a pitch to the team mascot, whose hat read: Not Mr. Met.
On the eve of his induction into the Mets Hall of Fame, former manager Bobby Valentine again wore his famous sunglasses and fake mustache disguise while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch Friday night at Citi Field.
Moments later, local children from John Lewis Childs grammar school on Long Island sang the national anthem -- with several of them wearing fake mustaches. Another group of kids in disguise pushed a button to activate the Home Run Apple beyond the center-field fence.
"Great memories for me," Valentine said through vice president of alumni public relations and team historian Jay Horwitz. "At the time I did the mustache, we were struggling and I wanted to let the guys know I was behind them."
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