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LGHL You’re Nuts: Who should Jake Diebler hire to replace Talor Battle?
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You’re Nuts: Who should Jake Diebler hire to replace Talor Battle?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Jardy/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
There’s an open spot on the coaching staff, but Diebler isn’t going to rush to fill it.
Welcome back to the 199th edition of You’re Nuts, where two of Land-Grant Holy Land’s college basketball writers debate a variety of hotly contested topics that (usually) fall under the subject of college hoops.
We’re officially in the off-season now, with the Florida Gators being crowned champions on Monday night, nearly a full month after Ohio State’s season ended. The Buckeyes are nearly done working in the transfer portal, having added former Santa Clara center Christoph Tilly, former Wright State forward Brandon Noel, and former Indiana guard Gabe Cupps. They may add another player at some point as well to add a bit of shooting to the perimeter.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated if Bruce Thornton, who is expected to return to Ohio State for his senior year — per Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler — will beat the program’s all-time scoring record, currently held by Dennis Hopson. Thornton is currently 610 points away, and has never scored 600 points in one season before.
By a pretty strong margin, the readers sided with Justin, who said that no, Thornton will not pass Hopson’s record. 68% of the people agreed with him, while the remaining 32% were on Connor’s side.
Connor- 89
While Ohio State has a mostly full roster, there is a clear vacancy on the coaching staff. Former Penn State legend Talor Battle was offered a spot on Mike Rhoades’ staff, so the program’s all-time leading scorer packed his bags and headed back to Happy Valley.
At some point, Diebler will fill that spot with another assistant coach, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the priority at this point in the off-season. There are several directions he could go, but here are two of our guesses.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25948555/usa_today_17820454.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Seth Towns would be, in my opinion, a great person to have on staff at Ohio State. Since Battle was the least experienced coach on staff last year — and not the highest compensated — I do not think Diebler will necessarily go after some well-known associate head coach or top assistant with decades of experience.
Battle was responsible for opponent scouting each week, as well as in-game assignments and adjustments. Battle was the main assistant coach who compiled film and statistics on the opposing team and helped prepare during video sessions and practice. He helped on the floor, too, but his main responsibility was game preparation.
Towns holds degrees from Harvard and Ohio State, and began working on a PhD at Howard. He’s one of the brightest guys to come through the program in many years, and would be an asset to Diebler and his staff. Towns is also from Columbus, is very familiar with Ohio High School basketball, and could grow into a solid recruiter with experience.
It's not meant to be a knock on Seth, but I also anticipate Diebler seeking out a young coach who does not need to be compensated as much as (or more than at least) Battle was. That takes many experienced coaches out of contention but gives Diebler the opportunity to bring a younger, up-and-coming coach into the mix.
Towns just finished his first year on staff at Harvard under Tommy Amaker. He’s a former Ivy League Player of the Year, and it could come down to the question of how much Towns values Howard vs how much he would value coming home to Columbus to coach at his other alma mater.
I am taking the same route as Connor with a former Buckeye player, but I am going with a guard.
Former Ohio State point guard CJ Walker.
Walker played his collegiate career with Florida State and Ohio State. He played two seasons at Florida State, where he was the starting point guard for an Elite Eight run. He then transferred to Ohio State, where he averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.4 assists in his senior year. He played for Ohio State for two seasons after sitting out one year due to NCAA transfer rules.
Walker played one season professionally overseas and then decided to take his talents to the coaching world.
He was an assistant coach and video coordinator for Saint Mary of the Woods College from October 2023 to March 2025, where they accumulated a record of 53-15 and an NAIA Sweet 16 appearance.
He obtained his Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and is currently on track to earn his master’s in teaching at Marian University by 2026.
Talor Battle was a young coach and former collegiate guard who was towards the end of the bench in the coaching rotation. What better way to replace him than with the same type of player/coach? And a former Buckeye who understands what it takes to win as a starter in the Elite Eight.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Jardy/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
There’s an open spot on the coaching staff, but Diebler isn’t going to rush to fill it.
Welcome back to the 199th edition of You’re Nuts, where two of Land-Grant Holy Land’s college basketball writers debate a variety of hotly contested topics that (usually) fall under the subject of college hoops.
We’re officially in the off-season now, with the Florida Gators being crowned champions on Monday night, nearly a full month after Ohio State’s season ended. The Buckeyes are nearly done working in the transfer portal, having added former Santa Clara center Christoph Tilly, former Wright State forward Brandon Noel, and former Indiana guard Gabe Cupps. They may add another player at some point as well to add a bit of shooting to the perimeter.
Last week, Connor and Justin debated if Bruce Thornton, who is expected to return to Ohio State for his senior year — per Ohio State head coach Jake Diebler — will beat the program’s all-time scoring record, currently held by Dennis Hopson. Thornton is currently 610 points away, and has never scored 600 points in one season before.
By a pretty strong margin, the readers sided with Justin, who said that no, Thornton will not pass Hopson’s record. 68% of the people agreed with him, while the remaining 32% were on Connor’s side.
After 199 weeks:
Connor- 89
Justin- 85
Other- 19
(There have been six ties)
While Ohio State has a mostly full roster, there is a clear vacancy on the coaching staff. Former Penn State legend Talor Battle was offered a spot on Mike Rhoades’ staff, so the program’s all-time leading scorer packed his bags and headed back to Happy Valley.
At some point, Diebler will fill that spot with another assistant coach, but it doesn’t sound like that’s the priority at this point in the off-season. There are several directions he could go, but here are two of our guesses.
This week’s question: Who should Jake Diebler hire to replace Talor Battle?
Connor: Seth Towns
Seth Towns would be, in my opinion, a great person to have on staff at Ohio State. Since Battle was the least experienced coach on staff last year — and not the highest compensated — I do not think Diebler will necessarily go after some well-known associate head coach or top assistant with decades of experience.
Battle was responsible for opponent scouting each week, as well as in-game assignments and adjustments. Battle was the main assistant coach who compiled film and statistics on the opposing team and helped prepare during video sessions and practice. He helped on the floor, too, but his main responsibility was game preparation.
Towns holds degrees from Harvard and Ohio State, and began working on a PhD at Howard. He’s one of the brightest guys to come through the program in many years, and would be an asset to Diebler and his staff. Towns is also from Columbus, is very familiar with Ohio High School basketball, and could grow into a solid recruiter with experience.
It's not meant to be a knock on Seth, but I also anticipate Diebler seeking out a young coach who does not need to be compensated as much as (or more than at least) Battle was. That takes many experienced coaches out of contention but gives Diebler the opportunity to bring a younger, up-and-coming coach into the mix.
Towns just finished his first year on staff at Harvard under Tommy Amaker. He’s a former Ivy League Player of the Year, and it could come down to the question of how much Towns values Howard vs how much he would value coming home to Columbus to coach at his other alma mater.
Justin: CJ Walker
I am taking the same route as Connor with a former Buckeye player, but I am going with a guard.
Former Ohio State point guard CJ Walker.
Walker played his collegiate career with Florida State and Ohio State. He played two seasons at Florida State, where he was the starting point guard for an Elite Eight run. He then transferred to Ohio State, where he averaged 9.5 points per game and 4.4 assists in his senior year. He played for Ohio State for two seasons after sitting out one year due to NCAA transfer rules.
Walker played one season professionally overseas and then decided to take his talents to the coaching world.
He was an assistant coach and video coordinator for Saint Mary of the Woods College from October 2023 to March 2025, where they accumulated a record of 53-15 and an NAIA Sweet 16 appearance.
He obtained his Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and is currently on track to earn his master’s in teaching at Marian University by 2026.
Talor Battle was a young coach and former collegiate guard who was towards the end of the bench in the coaching rotation. What better way to replace him than with the same type of player/coach? And a former Buckeye who understands what it takes to win as a starter in the Elite Eight.
Continue reading...
LGHL Who do college hoops fans think will win the 2026 national championship?
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Who do college hoops fans think will win the 2026 national championship?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Wait, who has the third best odds to win it all next year?
This past week, the men’s college basketball season wrapped up with a thrilling national championship game. But since we are a “what have you done for me lately” society, we are already looking toward the 2025-26 season.
So, this week, our friends at SB Nation Reacts surveyed college hoops fans about who they think will be cutting down the nets a year from now. We are going to take a look at the results and compare them to what the Vegas bookmakers have to say.
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Even though Matt Painter’s squad lost in the Sweet 16 to the eventual runners-up, the Purdue Boilermakers are the favorites in the SBN Reacts poll, albeit by the slimmest of margins. The Choo-Choos are followed closely by two Final 4 participants, the Duke Blue Devils and Houston Cougars.
Likely not coincidentally, those are three of the top four teams in the current FanDuel Sportsbook odds to take home the title next year. However, Purdue is tied for third in those rankings at +1400 — who are they tied with, you ask? More on that in a second.
Duke is in first place at +1000, and Houston is in second at +1200. But right alongside Purdue at +1400 are the BYU Cougars, who, like the Boilermakers, lost in the Sweet 16, getting demolished by the Arizona Wildcats 113-88.
Now, it would make sense that people — fans and bookmakers alike — have faith in Purdue as they are a consistently high-quality team, capable of winning a title just about every year. However, you might be wondering why a team that has never been particularly relevant on the national stage is getting the same benefit of the doubt after being beaten by 25 points in the tournament.
The answer is likely that folks are excited about what first-year head coach Kevin Young was able to do in his first season in Provo. With eight seasons as an NBA assistant first with the Philadelphia 76ers and then the Phoenix Suns (where he was eventually the associate head coach), Young has the experience and expertise to lead a team looking to take the next step forward, but also to convince talented players to come to Utah and play at a school with an honor code.
BYU fans are already talking about the 2025-26 roster perhaps being the best in program history, and if any of them want to break the honor code and put some money on that, they can make $1,400 with just a $100 bet if the Cougars win the national title next April.
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Wait, who has the third best odds to win it all next year?
This past week, the men’s college basketball season wrapped up with a thrilling national championship game. But since we are a “what have you done for me lately” society, we are already looking toward the 2025-26 season.
So, this week, our friends at SB Nation Reacts surveyed college hoops fans about who they think will be cutting down the nets a year from now. We are going to take a look at the results and compare them to what the Vegas bookmakers have to say.
Even though Matt Painter’s squad lost in the Sweet 16 to the eventual runners-up, the Purdue Boilermakers are the favorites in the SBN Reacts poll, albeit by the slimmest of margins. The Choo-Choos are followed closely by two Final 4 participants, the Duke Blue Devils and Houston Cougars.
Likely not coincidentally, those are three of the top four teams in the current FanDuel Sportsbook odds to take home the title next year. However, Purdue is tied for third in those rankings at +1400 — who are they tied with, you ask? More on that in a second.
Duke is in first place at +1000, and Houston is in second at +1200. But right alongside Purdue at +1400 are the BYU Cougars, who, like the Boilermakers, lost in the Sweet 16, getting demolished by the Arizona Wildcats 113-88.
Now, it would make sense that people — fans and bookmakers alike — have faith in Purdue as they are a consistently high-quality team, capable of winning a title just about every year. However, you might be wondering why a team that has never been particularly relevant on the national stage is getting the same benefit of the doubt after being beaten by 25 points in the tournament.
The answer is likely that folks are excited about what first-year head coach Kevin Young was able to do in his first season in Provo. With eight seasons as an NBA assistant first with the Philadelphia 76ers and then the Phoenix Suns (where he was eventually the associate head coach), Young has the experience and expertise to lead a team looking to take the next step forward, but also to convince talented players to come to Utah and play at a school with an honor code.
BYU fans are already talking about the 2025-26 roster perhaps being the best in program history, and if any of them want to break the honor code and put some money on that, they can make $1,400 with just a $100 bet if the Cougars win the national title next April.
Continue reading...
LGHL You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State football record is next to be broken?
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You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State football record is next to be broken?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Last Sunday afternoon, Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal against the New York Islanders, but this wasn’t just any old goal, though. Ovechkin potted his 895th career goal, passing Wayne Gretzky for most goals scored in NHL history. Even more incredible is that Gretzky scored his 894 goals in 1,487 games, while Ovechkin’s 895th goal came in his 1,487th career game. At one time, Gretzky’s record felt like it was untouchable, and then Ovechkin came along and passed The Great One’s record in the exact same number of games.
Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s record made us curious about what Ohio State football records could be under attack. The expansion of the College Football Playoff has left us wondering how records are going to be treated these days. Teams are playing more games these days, making some records a little easier to break these days, but then again, there are more players utilizing the transfer portal, so there aren’t quite as many players sticking around for four years at the same school to threaten some career school records.
Today, we want to know what Ohio State record you think will be broken next? Maybe you think a Buckeye is going to have a monster season statistically and break a single-season record. Then again, you might think there is a player who is looking to hang around Columbus for a number of years and is a threat to break a school’s career record. Right or wrong, it’s never too early to start envisioning future success for the football program!
Currently, the Ohio State single-season record for receptions by a tight end is the 55 catches Billy Anders made all the way back in 1966. After years of tight ends not being featured all that much in Ohio State’s passing attack, lately there has been an uptick in targets for the tight ends. Cade Stover hauled in 41 passes in 2023, while last season, Gee Scott Jr. made some big catches during the Buckeye playoff run.
The newest tight end on the Ohio State roster is Max Klare, who transferred into the program from Purdue following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season of the Boilermakers. On a Purdue team that was dreadful last season, Klare was one of the few bright spots, catching 51 passes. It’ll be interesting to see how Klare plays when surrounded by a functioning offense. Opponents of the Boilermakers last year didn’t have much to prepare for aside from slowing down Klare, and he still was able to record more than 50 receptions.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25943849/2183607258.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 09 Purdue at Ohio State")
Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I’m high on Klare having a big 2025 season for a couple of reasons. Obviously, the top target for Ohio State in the passing game is going to be Jeremiah Smith. If teams decide to do what Texas did in the Cotton Bowl to try and shut Smith down, there are going to be other quality options for whoever is starting at quarterback for the Buckeyes. Another reason is that the new Ohio State quarterback could find comfort with a target like Klare early on, with the tight end establishing himself as a trusted safety valve early on.
Maybe I’m being a little too optimistic about the effect Klare is going to have as a receiving threat, since he could have just been a big fish in a small pond in West Lafayette. Klare is going to have to fight off Jelani Thurman and Will Kacmarek as tight end options in the passing game, as both had a few moments last season. If I’m wrong, it definitely won’t be the first time. I just have a good feeling about what Klare is going to bring to an offense that will have a lot of new pieces in important spots.
Brett said it right there in his response, “Obviously, the top target for Ohio State in the passing game is going to be Jeremiah Smith.”
Brett knows it, I know it, you know, every defensive coach and player in the country knows it, every NFL scout knows it, and yet none of that makes one single, solitary bit of difference. As his cousin, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said, Jeremiah has the ability to be the best wide receiver of all time; not best Ohio State receiver of all time, not best college receiver of all time, but actual, legitimate GOAT wide receiver.
While J.J. will clearly get massive levels of attention from opposing defenses this fall, with Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and the rest of Brian Hartline’s room, defensive coordinators will have to pick their poison. So, I fully anticipate Jeremiah getting his fair share of catches.
Last season, he hauled in 76, which is 19 behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba record-setting 95 from 2021. But what’s funny about Smith’s 2024 total is that he wasn’t even No. 1 on the team last year; that was Emeka Egbuka with 81.
Although you can’t count on a national championship run every year, the expanded playoff gives Jeremiah so many more opportunities to rack up receptions. Ohio State could play a total of 17 games in a season, but let’s give ourselves some wiggle room and say they don’t make the Big Ten Championship Game, or they do make it and then get the First Round bye. In either of those cases, it would give them 16 games.
For J.J. to hit 96 receptions over a 16-game season, he would only have to average six catches per game. Last season, as a true freshman, he put up 4.75. It seems well within the realm of possibilities for Smith to take 1.25 catches per game away from Egbuka’s total.
And, not for nothing, but if he does hit 96 this season, that would put Jeremiah Smith at 172 career catches, just 33 behind Emeka’s recently set program career record, so after the single-season total, that might be the next record to fall.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Last Sunday afternoon, Alexander Ovechkin scored a goal against the New York Islanders, but this wasn’t just any old goal, though. Ovechkin potted his 895th career goal, passing Wayne Gretzky for most goals scored in NHL history. Even more incredible is that Gretzky scored his 894 goals in 1,487 games, while Ovechkin’s 895th goal came in his 1,487th career game. At one time, Gretzky’s record felt like it was untouchable, and then Ovechkin came along and passed The Great One’s record in the exact same number of games.
Ovechkin breaking Gretzky’s record made us curious about what Ohio State football records could be under attack. The expansion of the College Football Playoff has left us wondering how records are going to be treated these days. Teams are playing more games these days, making some records a little easier to break these days, but then again, there are more players utilizing the transfer portal, so there aren’t quite as many players sticking around for four years at the same school to threaten some career school records.
Today, we want to know what Ohio State record you think will be broken next? Maybe you think a Buckeye is going to have a monster season statistically and break a single-season record. Then again, you might think there is a player who is looking to hang around Columbus for a number of years and is a threat to break a school’s career record. Right or wrong, it’s never too early to start envisioning future success for the football program!
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: Max Klare will break the single-season tight end receptions record
Currently, the Ohio State single-season record for receptions by a tight end is the 55 catches Billy Anders made all the way back in 1966. After years of tight ends not being featured all that much in Ohio State’s passing attack, lately there has been an uptick in targets for the tight ends. Cade Stover hauled in 41 passes in 2023, while last season, Gee Scott Jr. made some big catches during the Buckeye playoff run.
The newest tight end on the Ohio State roster is Max Klare, who transferred into the program from Purdue following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season of the Boilermakers. On a Purdue team that was dreadful last season, Klare was one of the few bright spots, catching 51 passes. It’ll be interesting to see how Klare plays when surrounded by a functioning offense. Opponents of the Boilermakers last year didn’t have much to prepare for aside from slowing down Klare, and he still was able to record more than 50 receptions.
I’m high on Klare having a big 2025 season for a couple of reasons. Obviously, the top target for Ohio State in the passing game is going to be Jeremiah Smith. If teams decide to do what Texas did in the Cotton Bowl to try and shut Smith down, there are going to be other quality options for whoever is starting at quarterback for the Buckeyes. Another reason is that the new Ohio State quarterback could find comfort with a target like Klare early on, with the tight end establishing himself as a trusted safety valve early on.
Maybe I’m being a little too optimistic about the effect Klare is going to have as a receiving threat, since he could have just been a big fish in a small pond in West Lafayette. Klare is going to have to fight off Jelani Thurman and Will Kacmarek as tight end options in the passing game, as both had a few moments last season. If I’m wrong, it definitely won’t be the first time. I just have a good feeling about what Klare is going to bring to an offense that will have a lot of new pieces in important spots.
Matt’s answer: Jeremiah Smith will break the single-season receptions record
Brett said it right there in his response, “Obviously, the top target for Ohio State in the passing game is going to be Jeremiah Smith.”
Brett knows it, I know it, you know, every defensive coach and player in the country knows it, every NFL scout knows it, and yet none of that makes one single, solitary bit of difference. As his cousin, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith said, Jeremiah has the ability to be the best wide receiver of all time; not best Ohio State receiver of all time, not best college receiver of all time, but actual, legitimate GOAT wide receiver.
While J.J. will clearly get massive levels of attention from opposing defenses this fall, with Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and the rest of Brian Hartline’s room, defensive coordinators will have to pick their poison. So, I fully anticipate Jeremiah getting his fair share of catches.
Last season, he hauled in 76, which is 19 behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba record-setting 95 from 2021. But what’s funny about Smith’s 2024 total is that he wasn’t even No. 1 on the team last year; that was Emeka Egbuka with 81.
Although you can’t count on a national championship run every year, the expanded playoff gives Jeremiah so many more opportunities to rack up receptions. Ohio State could play a total of 17 games in a season, but let’s give ourselves some wiggle room and say they don’t make the Big Ten Championship Game, or they do make it and then get the First Round bye. In either of those cases, it would give them 16 games.
For J.J. to hit 96 receptions over a 16-game season, he would only have to average six catches per game. Last season, as a true freshman, he put up 4.75. It seems well within the realm of possibilities for Smith to take 1.25 catches per game away from Egbuka’s total.
And, not for nothing, but if he does hit 96 this season, that would put Jeremiah Smith at 172 career catches, just 33 behind Emeka’s recently set program career record, so after the single-season total, that might be the next record to fall.
Continue reading...