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LGHL Zed Key enters transfer portal after four years at Ohio State
- News
- 0 Replies
Zed Key enters transfer portal after four years at Ohio State
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 Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The senior from Long Island saw his minutes and production decrease as the 2023-2024 progressed.
Following a season where his minutes and opportunities disappeared down the stretch, plus the fact that Chris Holtmann was fired, it was announced today that Zed Key plans to enter the transfer portal and use his final eligibility somewhere other than Columbus. The news was first broken by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
Key played in 120 games over four seasons, scoring 890 career points and grabbing 599 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 senior from Long Island was honored on Ohio State’s Senior Day on March 3, despite having one year of eligibility left. Turnover was expected when Chris Holtmann was fired, but the amount of expected departures was tempered a bit when Jake Diebler was hired as head coach.
Key was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He was the No. 153 player in the country, the No. 23 center, and the fourth-highest-rated player in the state of New York that year. He was the lowest-rated commit in Ohio State’s 2020 class, with Meechie Johnson and Eugene Brown both rated as four-star prospects.
Despite not being highly recruited by many power five schools, Key was a highly effective and efficient post player for the Buckeyes when healthy. His best season was his junior year (2022-2023), when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 54.7% shooting, despite dealing with a gruesome and nagging shoulder injury for several games before eventually being shut down for the year in late February.
Key was a fan favorite, especially among younger fans. His finger guns celebration for and-one baskets and “raise the roof” gesture on dunks got Ohio State fans behind the baskets riled up at the Schottenstein Center every time he scored. He was almost always signing autographs before and after games for younger fans. By all accounts, Zed made the most of his four years at Ohio State.
But this past season Key lost playing time to sophomore center Felix Okpara, who established himself as one of the best shot blockers in the Big Ten. Okpara was the lob threat that Key never was, and made the offense run much smoother and faster than Key, whose skillset is more appropriate for a slow, deliberate half-court offense. As the season wound down and Holtmann was fired, Devin Royal also began eating into Key’s minutes.
The senior big man wound up playing the fewest minutes since his freshman year when he averaged 11.7 minutes per game. He finished this season with a final stat line of 6.7 points, 4.1 rebounds per game, and shot 51.6% overall in 15.5 minutes per game.
Key is the fourth member of the team to enter the transfer portal this off-season, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, and Bowen Hardman. With Zed’s departure, Ohio State now has three open scholarships for the 2024-2025 season.
It would not be surprising to see Key transfer somewhere on the East Coast, closer to home. Rutgers, Boston College, Buffalo, Providence, and Seton Hall all offered him out of high school, and could presumably kick around the idea of going after him once again with one year remaining. There’s always the possibility of him heading to DePaul to reunite with Holtmann, too.
Good luck to Zed, wherever he winds up!
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 Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The senior from Long Island saw his minutes and production decrease as the 2023-2024 progressed.
Following a season where his minutes and opportunities disappeared down the stretch, plus the fact that Chris Holtmann was fired, it was announced today that Zed Key plans to enter the transfer portal and use his final eligibility somewhere other than Columbus. The news was first broken by Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch.
Key played in 120 games over four seasons, scoring 890 career points and grabbing 599 rebounds. The 6-foot-8 senior from Long Island was honored on Ohio State’s Senior Day on March 3, despite having one year of eligibility left. Turnover was expected when Chris Holtmann was fired, but the amount of expected departures was tempered a bit when Jake Diebler was hired as head coach.
Key was a three-star recruit in the class of 2020. He was the No. 153 player in the country, the No. 23 center, and the fourth-highest-rated player in the state of New York that year. He was the lowest-rated commit in Ohio State’s 2020 class, with Meechie Johnson and Eugene Brown both rated as four-star prospects.
Despite not being highly recruited by many power five schools, Key was a highly effective and efficient post player for the Buckeyes when healthy. His best season was his junior year (2022-2023), when he averaged 10.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game on 54.7% shooting, despite dealing with a gruesome and nagging shoulder injury for several games before eventually being shut down for the year in late February.
Key was a fan favorite, especially among younger fans. His finger guns celebration for and-one baskets and “raise the roof” gesture on dunks got Ohio State fans behind the baskets riled up at the Schottenstein Center every time he scored. He was almost always signing autographs before and after games for younger fans. By all accounts, Zed made the most of his four years at Ohio State.
But this past season Key lost playing time to sophomore center Felix Okpara, who established himself as one of the best shot blockers in the Big Ten. Okpara was the lob threat that Key never was, and made the offense run much smoother and faster than Key, whose skillset is more appropriate for a slow, deliberate half-court offense. As the season wound down and Holtmann was fired, Devin Royal also began eating into Key’s minutes.
The senior big man wound up playing the fewest minutes since his freshman year when he averaged 11.7 minutes per game. He finished this season with a final stat line of 6.7 points, 4.1 rebounds per game, and shot 51.6% overall in 15.5 minutes per game.
Key is the fourth member of the team to enter the transfer portal this off-season, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, and Bowen Hardman. With Zed’s departure, Ohio State now has three open scholarships for the 2024-2025 season.
It would not be surprising to see Key transfer somewhere on the East Coast, closer to home. Rutgers, Boston College, Buffalo, Providence, and Seton Hall all offered him out of high school, and could presumably kick around the idea of going after him once again with one year remaining. There’s always the possibility of him heading to DePaul to reunite with Holtmann, too.
Good luck to Zed, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...
LGHL Dallan Hayden still working to be in OSU’s rotation, women’s basketball WNBA draft entrants
- News
- 0 Replies
Dallan Hayden still working to be in OSU’s rotation, women’s basketball WNBA draft entrants
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Four Buckeyes building momentum for final week of spring camp (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Always a step ahead, Caleb Downs’ preparation is what makes him special (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Marvin Harrison Jr. is WR1 in the 2024 NFL Draft; don’t overthink it
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
‘Confident’ Dallan Hayden is staying positive, putting in the work to be in Ohio State’s rotation in 2024
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Josh Simmons looking for big steps forward in Year 2 at Ohio State (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
‘On the rise’ Jayden Bonsu becoming intriguing option at safety for Buckeyes (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Nice to be a college football player and have a Major League Baseball team pay you:
B1G Thoughts: Should the Big Ten be concerned about USC?
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land
James Laurinaitis seeing depth developing at linebacker: ‘I think it’s got to be that iron sharpens iron’
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Four Ohio State women’s basketball players declare for WNBA Draft
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Looking ahead to the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball team
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Last night at the college three-point competition:
Meechie Johnson Brings Offensive Skill Set Distinct From Roddy Gayle Jr.’s Adjusts Ohio State’s Portal Strategy Moving Forward
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Ohio State baseball hits the road this weekend for three games at Nebraska
Brett Ludwiczak, Land-Grant Holy Land
Women’s Gymnastics: Ohio State Advances to Regional Final, Scores a 196.975
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Volleyball: No. 10 Ohio State Comes Back to Win 3-2 Over McKendree
Ohio State Athletics
I can’t wait for this one:
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
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.
Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.
Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.
You’re welcome!
For your Earholes...
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Four Buckeyes building momentum for final week of spring camp (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Always a step ahead, Caleb Downs’ preparation is what makes him special (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Marvin Harrison Jr. is WR1 in the 2024 NFL Draft; don’t overthink it
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
‘Confident’ Dallan Hayden is staying positive, putting in the work to be in Ohio State’s rotation in 2024
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Josh Simmons looking for big steps forward in Year 2 at Ohio State (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
‘On the rise’ Jayden Bonsu becoming intriguing option at safety for Buckeyes (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Nice to be a college football player and have a Major League Baseball team pay you:
B1G Thoughts: Should the Big Ten be concerned about USC?
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land
James Laurinaitis seeing depth developing at linebacker: ‘I think it’s got to be that iron sharpens iron’
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
On the Hardwood
Four Ohio State women’s basketball players declare for WNBA Draft
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Looking ahead to the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball team
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Last night at the college three-point competition:
Jamison is moving on to round
after finishing round one of the 3-Point Championship with a score of 23 pic.twitter.com/2cFI8SdnQT
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) April 5, 2024
Meechie Johnson Brings Offensive Skill Set Distinct From Roddy Gayle Jr.’s Adjusts Ohio State’s Portal Strategy Moving Forward
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Ohio State baseball hits the road this weekend for three games at Nebraska
Brett Ludwiczak, Land-Grant Holy Land
Women’s Gymnastics: Ohio State Advances to Regional Final, Scores a 196.975
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Volleyball: No. 10 Ohio State Comes Back to Win 3-2 Over McKendree
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
I can’t wait for this one:
Continue reading...
LGHL I-80 Football Show: March is for women’s basketball
- News
- 0 Replies
I-80 Football Show: March is for women’s basketball
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Women’s March Madness continues to deliver! It gave us two classic games on Monday.
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
If you, like 12 million other people, were in front of your TV watching the Women’s NCAA Tournament, you witnessed two great games. In this episode of the I-80 Football Show, we break down the two games, including LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s questionable game plan against Caitlin Clark.
Clark is a generational talent, and Mulkey was content to let her do whatever she wanted, refusing to make adjustments even when star center Angel Reeses re-aggravated an ankle injury and point guard Hailey Van Lith struggled to slow Clark down. Ultimately, Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes avenged their loss from last year’s national championship game and head to the Final Four to play UConn.
In the other game, we saw what it looked like when a coach had respect for an opposing team's player. UConn was intent on making it hard on USC star freshman JuJu Smith, throwing every type of defensive look at her. Smith still ended up having a good game, but the UConn pressure was too much to overcome, especially with Paige Bueckers playing an amazing game in her first tournament back from injury.
Lastly, the guys discuss the impact these players have had on college basketball and the positives and negatives of the social media debates around Monday’s games. Stay tuned, as the tournament isn’t over. Two of the best players in the 2020 recruiting class will face off, while undefeated South Carolina is looking to spoil NC State's magical run en route to another championship appearance.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Women’s March Madness continues to deliver! It gave us two classic games on Monday.
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
If you, like 12 million other people, were in front of your TV watching the Women’s NCAA Tournament, you witnessed two great games. In this episode of the I-80 Football Show, we break down the two games, including LSU head coach Kim Mulkey’s questionable game plan against Caitlin Clark.
Clark is a generational talent, and Mulkey was content to let her do whatever she wanted, refusing to make adjustments even when star center Angel Reeses re-aggravated an ankle injury and point guard Hailey Van Lith struggled to slow Clark down. Ultimately, Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes avenged their loss from last year’s national championship game and head to the Final Four to play UConn.
In the other game, we saw what it looked like when a coach had respect for an opposing team's player. UConn was intent on making it hard on USC star freshman JuJu Smith, throwing every type of defensive look at her. Smith still ended up having a good game, but the UConn pressure was too much to overcome, especially with Paige Bueckers playing an amazing game in her first tournament back from injury.
Lastly, the guys discuss the impact these players have had on college basketball and the positives and negatives of the social media debates around Monday’s games. Stay tuned, as the tournament isn’t over. Two of the best players in the 2020 recruiting class will face off, while undefeated South Carolina is looking to spoil NC State's magical run en route to another championship appearance.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
LGHL Marvin Harrison Jr. is WR1 in the 2024 NFL Draft; don’t overthink it
- News
- 0 Replies
Marvin Harrison Jr. is WR1 in the 2024 NFL Draft; don’t overthink it
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
After two plus years atop the WR rankings, Maserati Marv is now being viewed as a consolation prize by some... All because he didn’t run in shorts and/or sit down for a couple interviews? Get real, people. Ball don’t lie.
Heading into the 2022 Rose Bowl, Marvin Harrison Jr. was a relative unknown, albeit one with a very famous name in football circles. Then/there, with a single three-touchdown performance – his first but certainly not his last – he established himself as a burgeoning star and presumptive WR1 in the 2024 or 2025 NFL Draft. There was really no argument to the contrary. At the time, at least. Harrison Jr. (MHJ) became predestined if that’s even possible.
The following season, when Jaxon Smith-Njigba went down with history’s worst hamstring injury, MHJ went out and confirmed or solidified said WR1 status. The latter was simply unguardable in 2022, even with the lion’s share of opponents’ attention focused solely on him. Seriously, just go back and watch the Penn State game, when MHJ was the only “thing” really working for Ohio State’s offense — and he still beat Joey Porter Jr. (repeatedly) like a drum. Or the 2022 Peach Bowl, when Georgia’s vaunted defense had no answers for MHJ... Until a questionable (clearly illegal) hit knocked him out of the game.
In 2023 we saw more of the same. Despite being saddled with average quarterback play, MHJ still dominated on a weekly basis. His stats weren’t quite as good, but he single-handedly won games for OSU. He also caught at least one TD in 10/12 games played and put up 100+ receiving yards eight times.
Throughout the entire process... the entirety of the last two football seasons... MHJ remained WR1. At times he was even being talked about as the potential first overall pick. Yet here we are in April of 2024, just a few weeks before the NFL Draft, and all of a sudden MHJ’s candidacy, standing, or status as WR1 is being questioned.
Thanks to a highly productive 2023 season and a phenomenal pro day, Malik Nabers has now entered that conversation. And don’t get me wrong, Nabers is an electric athlete with tremendous potential. But what are we doing here, folks!? Why are NFL people and talent evaluators overthinking this?
I’ll tell you why: Because as is typically the case, the months preceding this year’s NFL Draft have once again devolved into #sillyszn. There are no games being played, causing many coaches, GMs, and front-office folks to fall into the trap of becoming enamored with curated highlight tapes and drills ran against air.
But Nabers has not been playing football at a higher level than MHJ. The former has not been cooking defensive backs off the line and/or making contested catches in pads, with defenders draped all over him. Nobody has! Unless we’re talking about spring practice (college) or the UFL. But even then, my point remains: No WR is or has been outperforming MHJ on a football field... Other than maybe Jeremiah Smith (insert smiley wink face).
Regardless, the narrative seems to have changed. It’s almost as if one of the story’s main characters has been written out or demoted in some way, despite being essential to the plot! It’s like Nabers is the newly minted Batman (WR1), while MHJ has been relegated to a Robin-esque supporting role. Which is absolute blasphemy. So I am here to remind people (as if he needs my help) that nothing has actually changed... MHJ is still Batman!
MHJ is still 6-foot-4, 205ish pounds, with elite footwork, vise-like hands, and the body control of a Cirque du Soleil performer. He also works his tail off and has an NFL Hall of Fame father in his ear/corner at all times. In other words, he is the total package. The same total package that earned him WR1 recognition in the first place! Just take NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang’s word for it, from December of 2023:
Ultimately, Harrison is a rare blue-chip talent because of his physical talent, Hall of Fame pedigree and walk-on’s work ethic. He appears to be as sure of an NFL superstar as it gets and therefore well worthy of a top-5 selection. Any of the teams selecting that early (which as of today project as Chicago, the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and New York Giants) would be lucky to add him, with the latter two especially intriguing fits due to their relative dearth of receiving talent.
Oddly enough, it seems that MHJ’s refusal to thoroughly participate in the pre-draft dog and pony show has (potentially) negatively impacted his draft stock the most, not his performance on the field. But if anything, MHJ should be commended for focusing on football and not a 40-yard dash in shorts, which he will never do/run in an NFL game. Putting too much stock in combine testing just ensures that you’ll end up with a guy like this:
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25370591/usa_today_14055548.jpg)
Sam Greene, The Northwestern via Imagn Content Services, LLC
And as for those pesky combine interviews, what do teams need to know? Every answer given in that type of environment is prepared and/or scripted ahead of time. If you want to find out what makes MHJ tick, just ask his coaches and teammates, all of whom have done nothing but praise the guy since he was a coveted high school recruit.
As the saying goes, “Keep it simple, stupid.” And I would encourage NFL decision-makers to do exactly that if they are targeting a WR in the top 5 of this year’s draft. If MHJ was the guy a year ago and a month(ish) ago, why deviate from the plan now? Because some other guy ran real fast and made a few sick catches (thrown by his teammate of two years and a top-5 pick in his own right) in a near-empty fieldhouse?
Get outta here. Marvin Harrison Jr. is still WR1 because another saying rings true, and it always will: “Ball don’t lie.”
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
After two plus years atop the WR rankings, Maserati Marv is now being viewed as a consolation prize by some... All because he didn’t run in shorts and/or sit down for a couple interviews? Get real, people. Ball don’t lie.
Heading into the 2022 Rose Bowl, Marvin Harrison Jr. was a relative unknown, albeit one with a very famous name in football circles. Then/there, with a single three-touchdown performance – his first but certainly not his last – he established himself as a burgeoning star and presumptive WR1 in the 2024 or 2025 NFL Draft. There was really no argument to the contrary. At the time, at least. Harrison Jr. (MHJ) became predestined if that’s even possible.
The following season, when Jaxon Smith-Njigba went down with history’s worst hamstring injury, MHJ went out and confirmed or solidified said WR1 status. The latter was simply unguardable in 2022, even with the lion’s share of opponents’ attention focused solely on him. Seriously, just go back and watch the Penn State game, when MHJ was the only “thing” really working for Ohio State’s offense — and he still beat Joey Porter Jr. (repeatedly) like a drum. Or the 2022 Peach Bowl, when Georgia’s vaunted defense had no answers for MHJ... Until a questionable (clearly illegal) hit knocked him out of the game.
In 2023 we saw more of the same. Despite being saddled with average quarterback play, MHJ still dominated on a weekly basis. His stats weren’t quite as good, but he single-handedly won games for OSU. He also caught at least one TD in 10/12 games played and put up 100+ receiving yards eight times.
Throughout the entire process... the entirety of the last two football seasons... MHJ remained WR1. At times he was even being talked about as the potential first overall pick. Yet here we are in April of 2024, just a few weeks before the NFL Draft, and all of a sudden MHJ’s candidacy, standing, or status as WR1 is being questioned.
Thanks to a highly productive 2023 season and a phenomenal pro day, Malik Nabers has now entered that conversation. And don’t get me wrong, Nabers is an electric athlete with tremendous potential. But what are we doing here, folks!? Why are NFL people and talent evaluators overthinking this?
I’ll tell you why: Because as is typically the case, the months preceding this year’s NFL Draft have once again devolved into #sillyszn. There are no games being played, causing many coaches, GMs, and front-office folks to fall into the trap of becoming enamored with curated highlight tapes and drills ran against air.
But Nabers has not been playing football at a higher level than MHJ. The former has not been cooking defensive backs off the line and/or making contested catches in pads, with defenders draped all over him. Nobody has! Unless we’re talking about spring practice (college) or the UFL. But even then, my point remains: No WR is or has been outperforming MHJ on a football field... Other than maybe Jeremiah Smith (insert smiley wink face).
Regardless, the narrative seems to have changed. It’s almost as if one of the story’s main characters has been written out or demoted in some way, despite being essential to the plot! It’s like Nabers is the newly minted Batman (WR1), while MHJ has been relegated to a Robin-esque supporting role. Which is absolute blasphemy. So I am here to remind people (as if he needs my help) that nothing has actually changed... MHJ is still Batman!
MHJ is still 6-foot-4, 205ish pounds, with elite footwork, vise-like hands, and the body control of a Cirque du Soleil performer. He also works his tail off and has an NFL Hall of Fame father in his ear/corner at all times. In other words, he is the total package. The same total package that earned him WR1 recognition in the first place! Just take NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang’s word for it, from December of 2023:
Ultimately, Harrison is a rare blue-chip talent because of his physical talent, Hall of Fame pedigree and walk-on’s work ethic. He appears to be as sure of an NFL superstar as it gets and therefore well worthy of a top-5 selection. Any of the teams selecting that early (which as of today project as Chicago, the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and New York Giants) would be lucky to add him, with the latter two especially intriguing fits due to their relative dearth of receiving talent.
Oddly enough, it seems that MHJ’s refusal to thoroughly participate in the pre-draft dog and pony show has (potentially) negatively impacted his draft stock the most, not his performance on the field. But if anything, MHJ should be commended for focusing on football and not a 40-yard dash in shorts, which he will never do/run in an NFL game. Putting too much stock in combine testing just ensures that you’ll end up with a guy like this:
And as for those pesky combine interviews, what do teams need to know? Every answer given in that type of environment is prepared and/or scripted ahead of time. If you want to find out what makes MHJ tick, just ask his coaches and teammates, all of whom have done nothing but praise the guy since he was a coveted high school recruit.
As the saying goes, “Keep it simple, stupid.” And I would encourage NFL decision-makers to do exactly that if they are targeting a WR in the top 5 of this year’s draft. If MHJ was the guy a year ago and a month(ish) ago, why deviate from the plan now? Because some other guy ran real fast and made a few sick catches (thrown by his teammate of two years and a top-5 pick in his own right) in a near-empty fieldhouse?
Get outta here. Marvin Harrison Jr. is still WR1 because another saying rings true, and it always will: “Ball don’t lie.”
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State offers 2025 RB, five-star 2026 safety to visit on Friday
- News
- 0 Replies
Ohio State offers 2025 RB, five-star 2026 safety to visit on Friday
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 five-star safety Zelus Hicks | USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes remain super active on the recruiting trail both in the current cycle and beyond.
Though spring football is starting to wind down with just over a week left, Ohio State is set to bring in more of its top targets on the recruiting trail. Rarely seeing any down time in this program, the coaching staff — now fully set in place — is hard at work and looking to continue building this impressive 2025 class.
Now that Ohio State has its running back coach, there are new names that are being offered. Guys that were on Carlos Locklyn’s radar while at Oregon may not have been on Ohio State’s big board, but the picture is starting to get more clear with him finally in Columbus.
No, that doesn’t mean that the Buckeyes are going to stray from their top targeted recruits at the position, but it does mean that newer names could join the likes of the others to hear from this coaching staff. Thursday being another example of new names being introduced, Ohio State sent out another offer in the 2025 class to the newest running back prospect.
Making their way into Illinois, Dierre Hill is now the recipient of an Ohio State offer. The No. 104 player nationally and the ninth-best at his position, Hill is also the No. 3 prospect in Illinois per the 247Sports Composite. A 5-foot-11, 180-pound four-star, nearly 20 schools have thrown their name into the mix, with Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oregon being some of the bigger programs to take notice.
The Buckeyes have recruited well in Illinois as of late, and a new position coach brings excitement to what Ohio State is building. As it’s been touched on several times already, the staff has offered a handful of top running backs in this current class, with their own in-state players being among the top priorities.
Though some names may be higher on the pecking board, like the Jordan Davisons and Bo Jacksons of the world, it’s important to keep options open, and Ohio State is doing just that. Look for Locklyn to get Hill on campus before the spring is over, and if so, things get a little bit more serious with the talented running back as a potential candidate.
With well over 20 offers to his name, the Buckeyes join the likes of Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, USC, and many others to offer this early on. Ohio State’s 2025 safety class is starting to come together, and the Buckeyes are hoping two more will seal the deal. If that happens in the near future, even more time can be devoted to the 2026 class, where Ohio State will again look to bring in the top players the country has to offer.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2026 five-star safety Zelus Hicks | USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes remain super active on the recruiting trail both in the current cycle and beyond.
Though spring football is starting to wind down with just over a week left, Ohio State is set to bring in more of its top targets on the recruiting trail. Rarely seeing any down time in this program, the coaching staff — now fully set in place — is hard at work and looking to continue building this impressive 2025 class.
Buckeyes offer new 2025 running back
Now that Ohio State has its running back coach, there are new names that are being offered. Guys that were on Carlos Locklyn’s radar while at Oregon may not have been on Ohio State’s big board, but the picture is starting to get more clear with him finally in Columbus.
No, that doesn’t mean that the Buckeyes are going to stray from their top targeted recruits at the position, but it does mean that newer names could join the likes of the others to hear from this coaching staff. Thursday being another example of new names being introduced, Ohio State sent out another offer in the 2025 class to the newest running back prospect.
Making their way into Illinois, Dierre Hill is now the recipient of an Ohio State offer. The No. 104 player nationally and the ninth-best at his position, Hill is also the No. 3 prospect in Illinois per the 247Sports Composite. A 5-foot-11, 180-pound four-star, nearly 20 schools have thrown their name into the mix, with Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oregon being some of the bigger programs to take notice.
The Buckeyes have recruited well in Illinois as of late, and a new position coach brings excitement to what Ohio State is building. As it’s been touched on several times already, the staff has offered a handful of top running backs in this current class, with their own in-state players being among the top priorities.
Though some names may be higher on the pecking board, like the Jordan Davisons and Bo Jacksons of the world, it’s important to keep options open, and Ohio State is doing just that. Look for Locklyn to get Hill on campus before the spring is over, and if so, things get a little bit more serious with the talented running back as a potential candidate.
Quick Hits
- Expecting more of the nation’s top players this weekend, it gets started later today with Georgia native, Zelus Hicks. A 6-foot-2, 180 pound safety, Hicks is the No. 12 player nationally and the second-best safety in the 2026 class, per the 247Sports Composite.
With well over 20 offers to his name, the Buckeyes join the likes of Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, USC, and many others to offer this early on. Ohio State’s 2025 safety class is starting to come together, and the Buckeyes are hoping two more will seal the deal. If that happens in the near future, even more time can be devoted to the 2026 class, where Ohio State will again look to bring in the top players the country has to offer.
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