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LGHL Power Two Podcast: The Mavs did what? Plus 10 lessons from the 2024 season

Power Two Podcast: The Mavs did what? Plus 10 lessons from the 2024 season
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Miami v Syracuse

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

The Mavericks traded Luka Doncic, which may be the biggest trade in NBA history. DJ, a Mavs fan, breaks down the trade implications for Dallas.

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s Power Two Podcast. On this show, we talk about Big Ten and SEC football…and everyone else. This show is for the die-hard fans and the casual college football fans.

After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the major matchups of the previous weekend and look ahead at the games, 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 DaNaysia Jones. Lock in as we run a power sweep through the college football landscape.


Welcome to the first offseason episode of Power Two Podcast.

In the news segment, we open with the trade news that is currently breaking the internet: the Mavericks trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis. As our resident Mavericks fan, DJ weighs in on the potential fallout for both teams. Will this move yield success for both teams, or will it go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history?

In other news, Ohio State’s offensive line coach, Justin Frye is on his way to the Arizona Cardinals, and Chris Ash is headed to Notre Dame as their new defensive coordinator. Michigan has responded to the NCAA allegations, and DJ is not moved by the response.

In the two-minute drill, DJ and Jordan discuss the upcoming Super Bowl matchup between the Eagles and the Chiefs. They both share who they feel would win, and DJ gives her conspiracy theory on the three-peat.

There is yet another lawsuit being filed against FS1 for sexual harassment. Jordan sounds off on that issue and where it stands. DJ gives a comprehensive update on the truly wild WNBA free agency so far. There have been some blockbuster trades that involved multiple teams, players, and draft picks. The WNBA will look completely different this year.

In the power sweep, Jordan and DJ give us the 10 lessons they learned from the 2024 college football season. The lessons spanned over the playoffs, players’ ages, cultures, and biases. There was extensive conversation over the playoff break length and promotion for the casual fan.

In the two-minute warning, Jordan discusses the hit TV show, HOUSE. DJ congratulates A’ja Wilson on her jersey retirement.


If you like the show, please share it with friends and family and leave a five-star review. If you want to keep up with the show, subscribe to the Land-Grant Podcast Network Feed where new episodes drop every Monday.

You can also find Jordan’s article ‘B1G Thoughts’ on Land-Grant Holy Land.

Follow the show on YouTube: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @GetDefensiveSportsNetwork

Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and DJ:@dj_danaysia

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LGHL Ohio State makes top schools for nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle, No. 2 wide receiver

Ohio State makes top schools for nation’s No. 1 offensive tackle, No. 2 wide receiver
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

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2026 WR Cederian Morgan | Andrew Ivins, 247Sports

Lots to discuss in Buckeye Nation both on and off the recruiting trail.

Less than three weeks removed from winning the national title, it has already been a tremendously busy offseason for Ohio State. The Buckeyes, after losing defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Penn State, have since lost both offensive line coach Justin Frye (Arizona Cardinals) and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (Las Vegas Raiders) to NFL jobs in just the last few days. This is in addition to losing defensive line assistant LaAllan Clark to Texas.

Such is life for a group that showcased its excellence by hoisting a College Football Playoff National Championship trophy, and now Ryan Day is tasked with rebuilding his staff while also needing to rebuild a roster that loses a plethora of talented starters to the NFL ranks. Ohio State will be just fine, but the defending champs will look a heck of a lot different in 2025 — both on the field and on the sideline.

From a talent standpoint, the Buckeye brand will continue to recruit among the best programs in the country regardless of which coaches are in the building, and things have continued to trend in the right direction with a number of highly-touted prospects. On Sunday alone, Ohio State made the cut for a pair of the nation's best at their respective positions in the 2026 class.

Offensive line is a huge focus for Ohio State in this cycle, and there is no bigger name up front than five-star offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell. The Missouri native stands at 6-foot-7.5 and 300 pounds, ranking as the No. 1 OT and No. 1 overall player in the class per the 247Sports Composite. With an official offer sheet of at least 30 programs, Cantwell has now cut his list down to six remaining contenders, with Ohio State part of that group alongside Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Missouri and Oregon.


BREAKING Five-Star Plus+ OT Jackson Cantwell is down to Michigan, Missouri, Ohio State, Georgia, Miami and Oregon, he tells @Hayesfawcett3.

Cantwell is the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class.

Read: https://t.co/y9ok7Do4nn pic.twitter.com/lzJpGVz6Rt

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) February 2, 2025​
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Both Ryan Day and Justin Frye (before his departure) made it a point to visit Cantwell at Nixa High School shortly after wrapping up their national title celebrations, with the offensive lineman taking notice of it being Day’s first stop on the trail this offseason. Cantwell himself also made a trip up to Columbus in December while Ohio State was practicing for its home CFP matchup against Tennessee.

In breaking down each of his finalists with On3, Cantwell said of the Buckeyes:

“It’s hard to beat being a national champion- a winning culture and a fantastic offensive line group is appealing.”

However, Ohio State likely faces an uphill climb with Cantwell now that it is without an offensive line coach for the time being. The Buckeyes will certainly look to get its next hire acquainted with Cantwell — and quickly — but in a battle for the nation’s top overall recruit, it isn’t exactly an advantageous position to be in at this current juncture.

One position group Ohio State does have some continuity heading into next season is at wide receiver, where Brian Hartline continues to show why he is the sport’s very best at both recruiting and developing pass-catchers for the NFL. As a result, it comes as no surprise that the Buckeyes made the cut for the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2026 class.

Alabama native Cederian Morgan comes in as the No. 2 WR and No. 10 player overall per 247Sports’ rankings, with an impressive college-ready built at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds. On Sunday, Morgan cut his impressive offer sheet of nearly 30 schools down to a top-10, with Ohio State still in the mix alongside Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Oregon and others.


NEWS: Elite 2026 WR Cederian Morgan is down to 10 Schools, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’5 200 WR from Alexander City, AL is ranked as a Top 3 WR in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/8KE3AnZ94B pic.twitter.com/fTUJpjakwa

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 2, 2025​
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After signing zero players from Alabama out of high school since 1981, Ohio State is starting to make its presence felt in the region with Nick Saban no longer in the picture. The Buckeyes signed a pair of 2025 Alabama natives in four-star DE Zion Grady and four-star RB Anthony Rogers — in addition to adding guys like Quinshon Judkins and Seth McLaughlin via the transfer portal a year ago.

Hartline and OSU would love to keep that momentum going with Morgan, but it will be hard to pry him away from the in-state Crimson Tide and Auburn. The elite wideout most recently visited Columbus for a recruiting camp in June, when he first received his Ohio State offer. Morgan had great things to say about the program and Hartline, specifically, recognizing the school’s propensity at producing top-end players at the position.

“Yeah, it’s a very big school and a big name,” Morgan told Eleven Warriors. “Especially with coach Brian Hartline. It’s wide receiver U. What they’ve done with wide receivers is amazing. I feel like if you want to be a wide receiver and make it to the next level, Ohio State is the place to be.”

All three of the current Crystal Ball predictions for Morgan are in favor of the in-state schools (two for Auburn and one for Alabama) but all of those were cast last summer. There is still time for Ohio State in this recruitment, and nobody is more trustworthy than Hartline at hauling in the big fish. The Buckeyes, of course, already have five-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. in the fold in the 2026 class — the No. 1 player at the position.

Quick Hits​

  • In a bit of a surprise, high four-star Ohio cornerback Victor Singleton committed to Illinois over the weekend. The Toledo native ranks as the No. 6 CB and the No. 2 player in the state, per 247Sports’ rankings, and was previously Crystal Ball’d to Ohio State. There is a chance that early playing time with the Illini is a big factor here, but regardless expect Tim Walton and the Buckeyes to remain active in Singleton’s recruitment until pen meets paper.

BREAKING: Elite 2026 CB Victor Singleton has Committed to Illinois, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’0 165 CB from Toledo, OH chose the Fighting Illini over Texas A&M and Michigan

He is ranked as a Top 5 CB in the ‘26 Class (per On3)

“I’M HOME”https://t.co/j2Hbts1AHw pic.twitter.com/NqzsJ2GJ4W

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) February 1, 2025​
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  • Ohio State earned an expert prediction on Friday for four-star linebacker CJ Sanna. Sanna ranks as the No. 27 LB and the No. 20 player in Ohio in the 2026 class. While this RPM was courtesy of Steve Wiltfong, the Buckeyes also received a flurry of predictions in their favor from OSU insider Mick Walker, which included players among the likes of four-star linebackers Cincere Johnson and Storm Miller, four-star DL Deuce Geralds, and a trio of four-star offensive linemen in Adam Guthrie, Maxwell Riley and Sam Greer.

On3’s @SWiltfong_ has logged an expert prediction for Ohio State to land 2026 4-star LB CJ Sanna https://t.co/jacv2Say1m pic.twitter.com/6IvYgrBPeE

— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 31, 2025​
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Google Chip Kelly leaves Ohio State for Raiders: Buckeyes facing significant staff overhaul after national title win - CBS Sports

Chip Kelly leaves Ohio State for Raiders: Buckeyes facing significant staff overhaul after national title win - CBS Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Chip Kelly leaves Ohio State for Raiders: Buckeyes facing significant staff overhaul after national title win CBS Sports

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Google Jeremiah Smith has strong reaction to Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State to join Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff - AtoZ Sports

Jeremiah Smith has strong reaction to Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State to join Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff - AtoZ Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Jeremiah Smith has strong reaction to Chip Kelly leaving Ohio State to join Las Vegas Raiders coaching staff AtoZ Sports

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Google How to watch Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Live stream, TV channel, start time for Sunday's NCAA Basketball game - CBS Sports

How to watch Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Live stream, TV channel, start time for Sunday's NCAA Basketball game - CBS Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

How to watch Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Ohio State Buckeyes: Live stream, TV channel, start time for Sunday's NCAA Basketball game CBS Sports

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LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 18 Illinois: Game preview and prediction

Ohio State men’s basketball vs. No. 18 Illinois: Game preview and prediction
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Tennessee v Illinois

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

Ohio State hopes their strong close to January carries over to February when they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini this afternoon.

Following a tough start to January, Ohio State closed the month out on a three-game winning streak. The latest of those victories came on Thursday night, a 83-64 triumph over Penn State in State College.

The Buckeyes were in control for the majority of the game, taking a 7-4 lead on a John Mobley Jr. three-pointer just over three minutes into the game, and not relinquishing the lead the rest of the way. After taking a 43-33 lead into the halftime break, Ohio State extended their lead in the second half, earning their second straight win by at least 17 points after beating Iowa 82-65 in Columbus on Monday night.

NCAA Basketball: Ohio State at Penn State
Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

Mobley had the best performance of his young college career, scoring a team-high 19 points, dishing out eight assists, and pulling down five rebounds against the Nittany Lions. The freshman is just the fourth Buckeye in the last 35 years to record 19/8/5 in a road game.

Bruce Thornton added 17 points, hitting five of the seven three-pointers he attempted. Thornton and Mobley were the only Ohio State players to hit from behind the arc against Penn State, going 8-of-15 from distance. Devin Royal and Micah Parrish also finished in double figures on Thursday night. Royal nearly recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing nine rebounds, while Parrish scored 12 points.

With his scoring output against the Nittany Lions, Thornton now sits 35th in Ohio State history with 1,277 career points. This afternoon Thornton could move up a couple more spots. Sitting just ahead of Thornton are Jared Sullinger with 1,282 points, the 1,285 career points Clark Kellogg scored, and if he scores 22 points Thornton will move past E.J. Liddell. Along with the scoring marks he could hit, the guard needs just three more assists to record 350 dimes in his career in Columbus.

Jake Diebler’s team really got after it on the boards against Penn State, finishing the game with a 41-23 edge over the Nittany Lions on the glass. Even more impressive is the Buckeyes were able to grab 13 offensive rebounds, which led to an 18-4 edge in second chance points in the game. Complimenting what Royal was able to do rebounding the basketball, three other Ohio State players had at least five rebounds in the game, including Ivan Njegovan, who finished with a season-high six rebounds in just 13 minutes on the floor.

Preview​


Ohio State’s opponent today also played on the road on Thursday night, but didn’t find as much success as the Buckeyes. Illinois fell 80-74 in overtime at Nebraska, suffering their third loss in the last four games. The 18th-ranked Fighting Illini were short-handed in the game, as big man Tomislav Ivisic missed his second straight game as he deals with a bad case of mono. On Saturday, Brad Underwood said that Ivisic is “questionable” for Sunday but that he’s barely been able to do anything at practice this week and is sleeping 16 hours per day.

Despite battling back from a 40-31 halftime deficit to tie the game on a Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn three-pointer with 46 seconds left in the second half, Illinois wasn’t able to keep pace with the Cornhuskers in the extra session.

Kasparas Jakucionis did all he could to try and will the Fighting Illini to victory, finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists on Thursday night. Jakucionis has been one of the most impressive players in the country in his first season at Illinois, averaging 16.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. The Lithuanian now has four double-doubles on the season. Earlier this season Jakucionis had a stretch where he scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games.

The Fighting Illini received a lot of production from their bench against the Cornhuskers. Not only did Will Riley score 16 points off the bench, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 15 points off the pine. Riley is a forward from Canada who had a strong start to his college basketball career, scoring at least 10 points in five of the first six games this year.

Despite struggling to find the bottom of the net in Big Ten play, the freshman is averaging 10.4 points per game this season. Gibbs-Lawhorn is in his second season with the Fighting Illini, averaging 8.0 points per game in 17.7 minutes per contest after seeing just 7.1 minutes per game as a freshman.

Penn State v Illinois
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

To counter the youth of guys like Jakucionis, Riley, and Gibbs-Lawhorn, Illinois brought in Arizona guard Kylan Boswell in the transfer portal. Boswell started 35 games for the Wildcats last year, averaging 9.6 points per game. This year Boswell has not only increased his scoring to 12.0 points per game, he is also averaging 5.4 rebounds per contest, which is three more than he averaged last year in Tucson.

Along with Boswell, Brad Underwood added former USC and Louisville guard Tre White to the roster in the offseason. Against Nebraska, White finished with eight points and 13 rebounds, and is averaging 10.2 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game this season.

With or without Ivisic in the lineup, Illinois is one of the most ferocious rebounding teams in the country. In the loss to Nebraska, the Fighting Illini outrebounded the Cornhuskers 58-42, and for the season Illinois is averaging 45.6 rebounds per game. Ivisic is the team’s leading rebounder this year, averaging 8.5 boards per game, but as they showed on Thursday night, they can still get it done on the glass without the seven-footer from Croatia.

When fully healthy, Illinois is a threat to make it to the Final Four. Not only did the Fighting Illini push Tennessee to the wire earlier this season, they have quality wins over Wisconsin, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oregon. Last year Brad Underwood’s team made it to the Elite Eight, marking the first time he took Illinois past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament since taking over in Champaign prior to the 2017-18 season.

In each of the last five seasons, Illinois has won at least 20 games, and is well on their way to hitting that mark this year with 14 wins entering today’s contest.

Prediction​


Not that Ohio State can’t go on the road and win in a tough environment, as evidenced by their win in West Lafayette over Purdue last month, but they are going to have their hands full with Illinois this afternoon. At least the Buckeyes are catching the Fighting Illini at the right time, since Ivisic has missed the last two games and Illinois has lost three of their last four contests.

Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, they aren’t at full strength either, with Meechie Johnson Jr. still not playing due to personal reasons, as well as Colin White not having played since the Purdue game. Ohio State is going to need as many bodies as possible with the physicality Illinois will throw at them.

One key for the Buckeyes this afternoon is to stay out of foul trouble. Even though it didn’t hurt them on Thursday night, both Sean Stewart and Aaron Bradshaw fouled out against the Nittany Lions, with both big men only playing 13 minutes. Ivan Njegovan almost joined them on the disqualification list, committing four fouls in 13 minutes.

As a team, Illinois is shooting 75 percent from the free throw line this year, so giving them an opportunity to get some easy points at the foul line is not a recipe for success, especially at their place.

At least if this game is close, Ohio State can lean on their experience in close games this season. Even though they haven’t always ended in victory, the Buckeyes know how to play with their backs against the wall in crunch time. Between a near comeback in the second half at Wisconsin, the comeback at Purdue, and a number of other tight Big Ten games, Ohio State at least has some experience when the game is close late, and hopefully have learned from some of the mistakes they have made against Michigan State, Indiana, and Oregon.

Despite the recent roll they’ve been on, this feels like a game where Ohio State is going to fall just short. With the likes of Jakucionis, Boswell, and Riley, the Fighting Illini have just a little too much offensive punch for the Buckeyes to handle on the road. Brad Underwood has likely laid into his team over the past few days since they have lost three of four games, which could be bad news for Ohio State since they’ll be squaring off with a motivated Illinois squad in their barn.


ESPN BPI: Illinois 72.6%
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS

LGHL score prediction: Illinois 81, Ohio State 76​


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