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Draymond Green's Rap Sheet
- Professional Basketball
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Draymond Green ejection history: A look at all 19 incidents, which have become more frequent for Warriors star
The Warriors forward was most recently tossed on Tuesday for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the head
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Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has played in 930 games between the regular season and playoffs during his 12 years in the NBA. He has been ejected from 19 of them, which is the most of any active player and the second-most all-time behind Rasheed Wallace (27).
His most recent one came on Tuesday night when he smacked Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face and received a Flagrant 2 foul. In the wake of yet another hostile act and early exit, here is a complete history of Green's ejections for various physical and verbal transgressions.
1. Nov. 23, 2013: Ejected for role in fight between Warriors and Blazers
Late in the third quarter of the Portland Trail Blazers' 113-101 win over the Warriors, Andrew Bogut and Joel Freeland got into it under the basket while battling for a rebound. Bogut took exception to Freeland's physicality and swung an elbow at the Brit, which kicked off a huge scrum full of pushing and shoving and the grabbing of jerseys.
Green, to little surprise, was right in the middle of the fray, but in his defense he didn't really do anything egregious. Yet for whatever reason, the refs decided he was an escalator and ejected him, along with Mo Williams and Wesley Matthews. It's perhaps a bit ironic that Green's first career ejection was unearned, as he'd certainly get his money's worth as his career went along.
2. Dec. 25, 2013: Ejected for elbowing Blake Griffin in the head
It would take Green just a few months to earn his second ejection. He was apparently not in the Christmas spirit when the Warriors hosted the Los Angeles Clippers in a marquee Christmas Day showdown between the then-rivals. Late in the third quarter, he threw an elbow Blake Griffin's way and connected with the big man's head.
Green was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul, which comes with an automatic ejection. Griffin, who received a technical for his reaction to Green's elbow, and was later ejected himself after picking up a second technical, accused Green and the Warriors of "cowardly" play
The NBA would later apologize to Griffin and admit his ejection was unwarranted. Green, on the other hand, was fined $15,000 for failing to leave the court in the timely manner.
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3. Feb. 15, 2017: Ejected for arguing a call in win over Kings
Green was involved in plenty of drama over the next three-plus years, most notably his suspension for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals, but he was not ejected from a contest during that span. It wasn't until the day after Valentine's Day in 2017 that he would get tossed again -- this time, for arguing a call in the Warriors' win over the Sacramento Kings.
Later in the third quarter, Green was called for a foul as DeMarcus Cousins converted a circus and-one. Green reacted angrily and was given two technicals in quick succession.
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"We love Draymond. He plays with an edge and we need that edge. In many ways, he represents our toughness and our energy. We struggle sometimes without him to bring the energy," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. "Draymond, he's always gonna play on that edge, and tonight he crossed the edge.
"We need him to walk that line. We don't want to take away that chip on his shoulder, but we need him on the floor, too."
4. Oct. 27, 2017: Ejected for scuffle with Bradley Beal
A few weeks into the season, Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards visited the Bay Area and were not too kind to their hosts. Late in the first half, Beal grabbed Green's jersey and hit the Warriors forward in the face. Green, understandably, took exception, and the two began scuffling along the baseline. At one point, Beal had Green in a headlock, and by the time Green emerged from the fracas his jersey had been shredded.
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Though Green was the victim this time, he was still involved in a fight that spilled into the stands, which is why was handed a technical -- his second of the game, which meant an ejection.
He was, understandably, not pleased. He yelled "they out to get me bro" as he ran off the court, then shared further thoughts after the game.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do if someone hits you twice," Green said. "Man, you're taught as a kid not to allow that. What was I supposed to do? There's history with me and the NBA. That's the only reason I can think of why I was ejected."
Green was later fined $25,000 for his role in the melee, which he wasn't happy about either.
"I don't know what else you're supposed to do at that point," Green said. "I didn't even grab him and slam him. I grabbed him and held my ground, and then they slammed me on top of him. What did they say? I continued, or I failed to disengage? How do you disengage at that point? That sounds like we got him, to me. I have never heard that before in my life.
"And out in the world, if somebody hits you, you're allowed to defend yourself. It's called self-defense. If somebody shoots you, you're allowed to shoot back. Self-defense. I got hit and didn't even hit back and got fined.
"And then for him to get fined only $50,000 and I get fined $25,000. Oubre came in throwing punches and he gets fined less than me? That just don't add up. I know [the league is] not the biggest fan of me, and that's fine, but don't be so obvious that you're not the biggest fan of me. That's just too obvious. So, I think at the end of the day, they're going to make out who they want to make out to be the bad guy. That's cool, but be fair across the board."
5. Dec. 30, 2017: Ejected for two soft technicals against the Grizzlies
A few months after his scrap with Beal, Green was again ejected in controversial circumstances. Early in the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies, Green was called for a foul and began what seemed like a fairly normal, if a bit loud, conversation with an official. That brought technical number one. Less than a minute later, Green was called for another foul and dismissively waved at the ref. That brought technical number two and ejection number five of his career.
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Green, wisely, chose not to comment after the game. "Nah, I'm going to save my money," Green said.
6. Feb. 6, 2018: Ejected for throwing the ball in an official's direction
Green was on a roll during the 2017-18 season, and early in February picked up his third ejection in four months. This one came in the fourth quarter of the Warriors' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and prompted some opportune taunting from Russell Westbrook.
Early in the fourth, Green, who had already received one technical foul in the game, was called for an illegal screen. Upset with the whistle, he tossed the ball toward the ref. It wasn't done with much force, but Green was not getting the benefit of the doubt at that point. Westbrook, who was on the bench at the time, got up and started pointing to the exit, telling Green where to go.
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Echoing his comments from the ejection against the Grizzlies, Green declined comment. "Nah, I'm going to save my money," he said.
As it turned out, he had to write another big check anyway. A few days later, the league fined him $50,000 for "directing inappropriate and offensive language toward a game official." Those in-game comments came when he received his first technical at the end of the second quarter.
7. Feb. 8, 2019: Ejected for two technical fouls in win over Suns
Almost exactly a year later, Green received his next ejection. Like many others over the course of his career, this one was the result of two technical fouls. In the first quarter of the Warriors' win over the Phoenix Suns, Green picked up a technical, which would come back to bite him.
In the waning seconds of the third quarter, Kelly Oubre Jr. nearly headbutted Green while celebrating a big dunk.
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After the quarter ended, Green walked the length of the court to seek out an official and share his frustration with Oubre's antics. DeMarcus Cousins and Jordan Bell tried to save him, but it was too late. Green was issued a second technical and his marching orders.
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8. Nov. 11, 2019: First player to be ejected from Chase Center
The Warriors moved into their new arena, Chase Center, at the start of the 2019 season. It took Green less than a month to become the first player to get ejected in the building. This was another case of Green picking up two technical fouls for arguing with the officials.
Early in the fourth quarter, Green tried to take a charge, but was called for a block instead. He immediately jumped to his feet and started yelling "How?" at an official, which earned him his first technical. As Bojan Bogdanovic was shooting the free throw, Green kept on complaining and was run from the game.
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"I disagreed with that call," Green said. "And I'm never going to be OK with another grown man telling me, 'Don't talk.' If you feel like you got the call wrong, or right, you don't tell me not to talk. I'm a grown man. I got my own kids. So that's what happened."
9. Jan. 4, 2020: Ejected after mocking referee's technical foul call
With Kevin Durant off to Brooklyn and Steph Curry and Klay Thompson sidelined due to long-term injuries, the 2019-20 season quickly turned into a disaster for the Warriors. To little surprise, the frustration got to Green at various points along the way, including in this early January game against the Pistons.
In the middle of the third quarter he was arguing a call when the ref hit him with a technical foul. Green mocked the ref's signal and was shortly thereafter hit with a second technical and sent packing.
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10. Feb. 27, 2020: Ejection gets Lakers bench laughing
Late in February, Green was ejected for the third time in the 2019-20 season. This one had LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers' bench laughing in amusement at Green's theatrics.
In the middle of the second quarter, Green fouled Dwight Howard, then dragged him to the ground. For some reason, he decided to argue that call and was hit with a technical foul. On the next possession, Green again got tangled up with Howard, and after getting knocked to the ground tried to trip the opposing big man. He was called for a personal foul and began berating the officials, which made the second technical a no-doubter.
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Not for the first time, nor the last, a frustrated Kerr lamented Green's inability to keep his cool.
"We needed him in the second half," Kerr said after the team's loss. "We missed him out there."
11. Feb. 20, 2021: Last-second ejection costs Warriors the game
One of the most consequential ejections of Green's career came in late February of 2021, when he was tossed in the waning seconds of the Warriors' loss to the Charlotte Hornets at the buzzer.
With 13.3 seconds to play, there was a jump ball at mid-court with the Warriors clinging to a two-point lead. The ball initially ricocheted around before Gordon Hayward grabbed ahold of it and asked for a timeout. Just as he did so, Green got his hands in there and wanted another jump ball. The refs decided to grant the Hornets the timeout, which infuriated Green. He started yelling at the officials, and soon earned himself two technicals and an ejection.
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Terry Rozier made both of the free throws to tie the game, then hit a jumper at the buzzer on the Hornets' ensuing possession to give them a wild win.
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After the game, Steve Kerr noted Green was apologetic, but still called him out.
"He crossed the line, that's the main thing," Kerr said. "We love his passion and his energy and we would not be the team we are without him. But that doesn't give him license to cross the line — and he knows that."
A few days later, a candid Green apologized for costing his team the game.
"As I sat and thought about the situation…I was dead ass wrong," Green said. "It bothered me more than being suspended from Game 5 of the NBA Finals in 2016. And the reason it bothered me more than that is because, you know, you can have your thoughts on the Game 5 situation… but this situation in particular I had complete control. And I let that control get away from me and, in turn, I let the game get away from myself and my teammates."
12. March 20, 2022: Ejected for directing profane language towards a referee
The Warriors would eventually go on to win the 2022 title, but late in that season they went into a tailspin in which they lost 14 of 20 games. One of the worst defeats came to the Boston Celtics on March 16, when they were outclassed and lost Steph Curry to a foot injury in the process.
A few days later, Green was apparently still feeling some frustration, as he got himself ejected from their loss to the San Antonio Spurs. As per usual, he did not agree with a call an official made, and decided to let them know about it in demonstrative fashion. After getting one technical, he kept on yapping and was eventually ejected after telling the ref "that's terrible."
Green would later be fined $25,000 as a result of the altercation for "directing profane language" towards an official.
13. May 1, 2022: First career playoff ejection
In Game 1 of the Warriors' second-round matchup with the Grizzlies in 2022, Green received the first playoff ejection of his career for a hard foul on Brandon Clarke. Late in the first half, Clarke received a drop-off pass under the basket. Green swiped for the ball, but instead hit Clarke in the face with his right hand, then grabbed his jersey with his left hand and dragged him to the ground.
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The initial ruling was a common foul, but after the officials went to the monitor, they upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 for the "wind-up to the face, impact to the face, follow through to the jersey and the throw down to the ground."
While the play was under review, the Grizzlies crowd chanted "throw him out!" and when that verdict was confirmed, Green made a big show of the decision by running around the court and hyping up the fans even more.
After the Warriors hung on for a one-point win, Green recorded an episode of his podcast, during which he called it "very interesting" and "a reputation thing." These were his extended thoughts:
"A Flagrant 2. I mean -- unnecessary contact. I can't quite say it was unnecessary because I was trying to stop him from making a bucket and getting an and one. So I can't quite say it was unnecessary. Excessive -- I didn't even really make contact with the guy's body so excessive would be a bit extreme.
If a guy is flying off of one leg then maybe you say, 'alright, he was in an unsafe position, he couldn't protect himself, Flagrant 2.' A guy jumping off two feet straight up and down, who then sells a foul and dives to the floor -- can't quite say he was in an unsafe position.
So I guess me trying to explain this flagrant foul to you, your guess is just as good as mine. By definition, if we go through the definition of a Flagrant 2 foul, I'm not sure that play would quite be the definition of a flagrant foul. I'm not sure it would meet that criteria."
The league would not reduce Green's punishment.
14. Dec. 14, 2022: Ejected for arguing calls against the Pacers
In the middle of December, the Warriors made a Midwest swing that did not go to plan. On Dec. 13 in Milwaukee, Green had a fan ejected for allegedly threatening his life. The next night, Green himself was ejected from the Warriors' loss to the Pacers for yelling at the refs -- this, after Steph Curry had exited with a shoulder injury that would eventually keep him out for nearly a month.
Early in the fourth quarter, Green fouled Benedict Mathurin while he was shooting a 3-pointer. Instead of a four-point possession, it turned into a five-point trip for the Pacers after Green picked up a technical. Fourteen seconds later, during the next dead ball, Green continued to jaw with the refs and picked up his second tech.
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15. Jan. 4, 2023: Ejected for trying to play peacmaker
Green has complained time and again that he gets punished differently because of his reputation, and he certainly appeared to have a case in early January last season. Late in the fourth quarter he was ejected from the team's loss to the Detroit Pistons for picking up a second technical while trying to play peacemaker.
After Saddiq Bey made a 3-pointer, Green got tangled up with Isaiah Stewart, who yanked Green by the jersey. Green simply grabbed ahold of Stewart with a bear hug and prevented the incident from escalating. Still, the refs assessed double technicals, which meant Green, who already had one, was kicked out.
A dismayed Green expressed his feelings after the game:
"Make a choice, make a decision," Green said. "Make a decision. The one thing I can guarantee you is it wasn't a double tech, so just make a choice. That's it... I said, 'Chill out, bro. Chill out, bro. I'm on that type of time. Chill out, bro. Chill out.'
I'm gonna get suspended for a game anyway because of what's happened in the past with referees. So you stop talking to them and you still get techs. So I'm gonna get suspended anyways, it is what it is. There's not anything that I can do about it."
Kerr took his star's side as well.
"If it's earned, it's earned," Kerr said. "Maybe I'm totally wrong. If I'm wrong then that's my fault. But I don't really believe there should be double technicals that lead to an ejection for that."
16. April 17, 2023: Another playoff ejection for stomping on Domantas Sabonis
The Warriors' first-round playoff series with the Sacramento Kings became contentious immediately. Late in the Kings' Game 1 win, Green sat on top of Domantas Sabonis after the two got tangled up. Nothing would come of that incident, but a few nights later Green took it too far in the Kings' Game 2 win.
Early in the fourth quarter, Malik Monk missed a floater, and Sabonis was knocked to the ground in the fight for the rebound. For some reason, he decided to grab Green's leg, which obviously is not allowed. Green, however, escalated the situation by stomping on Sabonis' chest once his leg was free.
The refs went to the monitor to review the situation and settled on a technical foul for Sabonis and a Flagrant 2 for Green, which comes with an automatic ejection. Just as he did after his ejection in the playoffs in Memphis, Green egged on the Sacramento crowd as he left the floor.
Afterward, Green tried to explain himself.
"My leg got grabbed, second time in two nights," Green said. "Refrees just watch it. I gotta land my foot somewhere, and I'm not the most flexible person so it's not stretching that far. I can only step so far and pulling my leg away, so it is what it is.
"The explanation [from the officials for the ejection] was I stomped too hard."
Sabonis, for his part, didn't feed into the drama.
"It's playoff basketball," Sabonis said. "Look at the fans, this is it. We're here to fight. Every time we step on the floor we're gonna give everything for our teammates and the franchise. We're both fighting for the rebound. We fell on each other, stuff happens, it's basketball, we gotta move on, next play."
17: Nov. 11, 2023: Ejected for getting into it with Donovan Mitchell
In the middle of November, the Cleveland Cavaliers made their lone trip to the Bay Area, and things got chippy between Green and Donovan Mitchell in the third quarter. The sequence would eventually lead to Green's first ejection of the season.
With just under seven minutes to play in the frame, Green picked Mitchell's pocket and then drew a foul on the Cavaliers guard in the chase for the loose ball. On the ensuing possession, Steph Curry missed a 3-pointer, which started a fastbreak for the Cavaliers. As Mitchell ran the floor, Green shoved him into the first row of the crowd. Mitchell then got up, chased Green down and gave him a hard foul of his own.
Upon doing so, Mitchell told the refs to go look at what had happened before his foul. They took his advice and issued a second technical to Green for the push, which resulted in an ejection.
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"He pushed me, so I pushed him back," Mitchell said. "Simple tit for tat. Nothing outside of that. I just knew they had to look at that previous play. Gotta know the rulebook a little bit."
After the game, Green said he wasn't surprised that he got run.
"I am the same person that got suspended from the NBA Finals for flagrant fouls that were all called from after the game," Green said. Nothing surprises me."
Kerr, however, was confused about the ruling.
"I had never heard this rule, but apparently you can retroactively call a technical from two plays before upon review," Kerr said. "There's a lot of plays I'd like to go back to from three years ago. It was bizarre."
18. Nov. 15, 2023: Ejected for putting Rudy Gobert in a chokehold
It would take Green just four days to earn his second suspension of the new season due to one of the most egregious acts of his career.
Less than two minutes into the Warriors' matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Klay Thompson and Jaden McDaniels got tangled up. There was some pushing and shoving going on, and multiple players quickly arrived on the scene. Most of them were trying to break things up, but Green escalated the situation by jumping on Rudy Gobert and putting the Frenchman in a chokehold.
Green then dragged Gobert out of the mix and had to be settled down by multiple Warriors staffers. After a lengthy review, Thompson, McDaniels and Green were all ejected.
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A few days later, Green spoke to reporters about the incident for the first time and said he didn't regret his actions.
"I don't live my life with regrets," Green said. "I'll come to a teammate's defense any time that I'm in a position to come to a teammate's defense. ... What matters to me is how the people that I care about feel, first and foremost. How are the people that I care about affected? How are the people I care about, what do they have to deal with? That's it for me."
The NBA came down hard with a five-game suspension, the longest of Green's career. In a statement explaining the decision, NBA VP Joe Dumars said that the severity of the punishment was "based in part on Green's history of unsportsmanlike acts."
In response, Green complained about that stance.
"To continue mentioning, 'Oh, well, he did this in the past,' I paid for those," Green said. "I got suspended in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. You can't keep suspending me for those actions."
Gobert, who was deemed a peacemaker in the incident and received no punishment, later called out Green for "clown behavior. He also gave an interesting explanation for why Green's ejection didn't surprise him.
"It's kind of funny because before the game I was telling myself Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try to get ejected," Gobert said. "Every time Steph doesn't play, he doesn't want to play without his guy Steph, so he's doing anything to get ejected. It's all good.
"Just clown behavior. I'm proud of myself for being the bigger man, again and again. It doesn't even deserve me putting my hands on him. My team needed me tonight, so I wanted to keep my cool and not make the situation worse. I do hope the league is going to do what needs to be done, because that's just clown behavior. There's not much to say, it's clown behavior."
Gobert, as it turned out, had a point. From the start of the 2019 season through the Timberwolves incident, Green was ejected 11 times; seven of them came in games Curry didn't play. And that doesn't include his ejection on Dec. 14, 2022, which came almost immediately after Curry left with an injury.
19. Dec. 12, 2023: Ejected for hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face
Green apparently did not learn anything from the Gobert situation, as less than a month later he was ejected for yet another hostile act. This one, a swing at Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic, was his third of the season and the 19th of his career, which is the most among active players.
Early in the third quarter, the two big men were battling for position when Green suddenly wheeled around and clocked Nurkic in the face. Nurkic crumpled to the ground and the referees went to the monitor, where they rather quickly came to the conclusion that the foul would be upgraded to a Flagrant 2.
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Green claimed post-game that he was simply trying to sell a call and apologized to Nurkic.
"[Nurkic] was pulling my hip, and I was swinging away to sell the call and made contact with him," Green said. "As you know, I'm not one to apologize for things I meant to do, but I do apologize to Jusuf. I didn't intend to hit him.
"A replay is never gonna look good, but I know my intentions, and my intentions were to sell the call. I also don't think I'm an accurate enough puncher to do a full 360 and connect with someone. It's unfortunate."
Nurkic wasn't having it.
"What's going on with him?" Nurkic said. "I don't know. Personally, I feel like that brother needs help. I'm glad he didn't try to choke me. At the same time, it ain't nothing to do with basketball."
Kerr, meanwhile, once again cut a forlorn figure.
"We need him," Kerr said. "We need Draymond. But he knows that, we've talked to him. He's got to find a way to keep his poise and be out there for his teammates... if we're gonna be a really good team, we need him."
It's currently unclear if Green will face any further punishment from the league for this one.
2026 GA TE Xavier Tiller (Verbal Offer)
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Class: 2026
Position: TE
School: Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 210lbs
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Class: 2026
Position: TE
School: Fairburn (GA) Langston Hughes
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 210lbs
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LGHL Column: Parker Fleming still being employed by Ohio State is coaching malpractice
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Column: Parker Fleming still being employed by Ohio State is coaching malpractice
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes are actively hamstringing themselves on the recruiting front by holding onto their dead weight special teams coordinator.
I can’t believe I have to write this on Dec. 13, now 18 full days removed from Ohio State’s third-straight loss to its biggest rival in the only game of the year that it absolutely has to win, but the fact that Parker Fleming has not yet been fired is a glaring reflection of Ryan Day’s shortcomings as a program builder, as a staff builder and as a decision maker.
I’m sure Fleming is a great dude, and by all accounts he is very well-liked within the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. That doesn’t exempt him from being terrible at his job, as the Buckeyes’ special teams unit has been one of the worst in the country over the past two seasons under Fleming’s watch. Day cannot afford to be Mr. Nice Guy as the functional GM of Ohio State football, one of the largest brands in the entirety of the sport. It is time to cut the rope.
There is absolutely no reason to have a full-time special teams coach at this level — for more reasons than one. The first and most obvious is that if you are going to do this, your special teams unit should be among the best in the nation, which Ohio State’s is abhorrently not. The Buckeyes repeatedly made incredibly frustrating and correctible mistakes in both the kicking and punting game, resulting in avoidable penalties and bad field position — See: the Michigan game.
Secondly, it is resulting in a lopsided coaching staff that is leaving Ohio State behind the eight-ball when it matters most. Because you are wasting one of your 11 full-time coaching spots (including the head coach) on special teams, that means you can now only have four coaches on one side of the football. Effectively, Ohio State has been playing with six offensive coaches (including Day) and only four defensive coaches. As a result of Fleming’s position, it has left the Buckeyes without a full-time linebackers coach. Would you like to guess which defensive position has been the biggest problem against the Wolverines of late?
What makes this staff alignment even more frustrating is that the obvious candidate for the full-time linebackers spot is already in the building, as James Laurinaitis was added as a graduate assistant prior to this season. It would certainly help out the position if a former two-time team captain, three-time All-American, Butkus and Bronko Nagurski winner and the all-time leading tackler for the St. Louis Rams could assist with linebacker play on game day, but it appears Ryan Day is happy to watch his team collect procedural special teams penalties, miss field goal attempts and fail fake punts instead.
You may be saying, “Well, Gene. They’re waiting until after the bowl game to make any changes to the staff.” That may be true! However, I'm going to tell you why that is incredibly stupid and an easy cop-out for Day to drag his feet on doing what needs to be done.
As a graduate assistant, Laurinaitis is unable to make in-home visits with recruits. He can be in contact with them and he can meet with them when they are on campus, but he cannot go on the road as a recruiter, where he would likely kill it as a successful former player and charismatic human. No disrespect to Morrow Evans, who I'm sure is a great player, but Fleming making in-home visits to Ohio State’s long snapper commit in 2024 doesn’t quite have the same effect as Laurinaitis being able to go out and flip Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — the No. 6 LB and No. 67 overall player in the country — from Notre Dame.
The early signing period opens on Dec. 20, nine days before Ohio State is set to take on Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Keeping Fleming on staff obviously does not improve anything about your game day preparations. In fact, it probably makes your special teams unit actively worse. On top of that, it is limiting your ability to go out and recruit impact players at a massive position of need, which will become even more in need with Tommy Eichenberg not returning next season. If you plan on making this coaching change — which, to be clear, is non-negotiable and must happen this offseason — you should have done it weeks ago.
While this is the most necessary coaching change Ryan Day must make this offseason, there are also other big decisions that have to be made, yet Day has shown no indication he will be willing to make them. Ohio State should probably go out and get a real quarterbacks coach to take some of the workload off its head coach’s plate, as the nepotism hire of Corey Dennis by Urban Meyer has proven ineffective. Day should also make changes to his strength and conditioning program, where Mickey Marotti’s outdated methods are negatively impacting both performance and injuries, as well as taking a long hard look at whether or not Larry Johnson is still the guy he once was as both a developer of talent on the defensive line and as a recruiter.
To be clear, while these other changes are maybe not as obvious or clear-cut as the Fleming firing and subsequent Laurinaitis hiring, they are still incredibly important to the Buckeyes’ success moving forward. Running it back next season with this same group of coaches who have failed in the biggest moments for two-straight years is not going to magically fix itself in 2024. The longer the Parker Fleming saga goes on, the less and less confidence I have in Ryan Day to make the necessary changes and return his program to national title contention in the years to come.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Buckeyes are actively hamstringing themselves on the recruiting front by holding onto their dead weight special teams coordinator.
I can’t believe I have to write this on Dec. 13, now 18 full days removed from Ohio State’s third-straight loss to its biggest rival in the only game of the year that it absolutely has to win, but the fact that Parker Fleming has not yet been fired is a glaring reflection of Ryan Day’s shortcomings as a program builder, as a staff builder and as a decision maker.
I’m sure Fleming is a great dude, and by all accounts he is very well-liked within the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. That doesn’t exempt him from being terrible at his job, as the Buckeyes’ special teams unit has been one of the worst in the country over the past two seasons under Fleming’s watch. Day cannot afford to be Mr. Nice Guy as the functional GM of Ohio State football, one of the largest brands in the entirety of the sport. It is time to cut the rope.
There is absolutely no reason to have a full-time special teams coach at this level — for more reasons than one. The first and most obvious is that if you are going to do this, your special teams unit should be among the best in the nation, which Ohio State’s is abhorrently not. The Buckeyes repeatedly made incredibly frustrating and correctible mistakes in both the kicking and punting game, resulting in avoidable penalties and bad field position — See: the Michigan game.
Secondly, it is resulting in a lopsided coaching staff that is leaving Ohio State behind the eight-ball when it matters most. Because you are wasting one of your 11 full-time coaching spots (including the head coach) on special teams, that means you can now only have four coaches on one side of the football. Effectively, Ohio State has been playing with six offensive coaches (including Day) and only four defensive coaches. As a result of Fleming’s position, it has left the Buckeyes without a full-time linebackers coach. Would you like to guess which defensive position has been the biggest problem against the Wolverines of late?
What makes this staff alignment even more frustrating is that the obvious candidate for the full-time linebackers spot is already in the building, as James Laurinaitis was added as a graduate assistant prior to this season. It would certainly help out the position if a former two-time team captain, three-time All-American, Butkus and Bronko Nagurski winner and the all-time leading tackler for the St. Louis Rams could assist with linebacker play on game day, but it appears Ryan Day is happy to watch his team collect procedural special teams penalties, miss field goal attempts and fail fake punts instead.
You may be saying, “Well, Gene. They’re waiting until after the bowl game to make any changes to the staff.” That may be true! However, I'm going to tell you why that is incredibly stupid and an easy cop-out for Day to drag his feet on doing what needs to be done.
As a graduate assistant, Laurinaitis is unable to make in-home visits with recruits. He can be in contact with them and he can meet with them when they are on campus, but he cannot go on the road as a recruiter, where he would likely kill it as a successful former player and charismatic human. No disrespect to Morrow Evans, who I'm sure is a great player, but Fleming making in-home visits to Ohio State’s long snapper commit in 2024 doesn’t quite have the same effect as Laurinaitis being able to go out and flip Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa — the No. 6 LB and No. 67 overall player in the country — from Notre Dame.
The early signing period opens on Dec. 20, nine days before Ohio State is set to take on Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Keeping Fleming on staff obviously does not improve anything about your game day preparations. In fact, it probably makes your special teams unit actively worse. On top of that, it is limiting your ability to go out and recruit impact players at a massive position of need, which will become even more in need with Tommy Eichenberg not returning next season. If you plan on making this coaching change — which, to be clear, is non-negotiable and must happen this offseason — you should have done it weeks ago.
While this is the most necessary coaching change Ryan Day must make this offseason, there are also other big decisions that have to be made, yet Day has shown no indication he will be willing to make them. Ohio State should probably go out and get a real quarterbacks coach to take some of the workload off its head coach’s plate, as the nepotism hire of Corey Dennis by Urban Meyer has proven ineffective. Day should also make changes to his strength and conditioning program, where Mickey Marotti’s outdated methods are negatively impacting both performance and injuries, as well as taking a long hard look at whether or not Larry Johnson is still the guy he once was as both a developer of talent on the defensive line and as a recruiter.
To be clear, while these other changes are maybe not as obvious or clear-cut as the Fleming firing and subsequent Laurinaitis hiring, they are still incredibly important to the Buckeyes’ success moving forward. Running it back next season with this same group of coaches who have failed in the biggest moments for two-straight years is not going to magically fix itself in 2024. The longer the Parker Fleming saga goes on, the less and less confidence I have in Ryan Day to make the necessary changes and return his program to national title contention in the years to come.
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LGHL B1G Thoughts: The Grinch stole Minnesota’s defensive coordinator
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B1G Thoughts: The Grinch stole Minnesota’s defensive coordinator
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 David Berding/Getty Images
Minnesota must replace its defensive coordinator, and a look at the Big Ten’s All-Americans
Every week after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 this article will also include the newest members, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
It’s All-American season, and three of the five outlets have announced their selections. It is an honor to be named All-American by any of the seemingly growing list of outlets that release teams, but five still hold the most weight. Those five are the Associated Press, Football Writers of America Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, and American Football Coaches Association.
A player named to three of the five teams is considered a consensus All-American, while being named to all five is the biggest honor given to a few top athletes each year. With the AP, Walter Camp, and FWAA teams being announced, the Big Ten already has four consensus all-Americans — Marvin Harrison Jr., Zak Zinter, Cooper DeJean and Tory Taylor.
If those four players are voted as 1st team All-Americans for AFCA and TSN, then the Big Ten is in line to have four unanimous all-Americans and six consensus All-Americans, as long as Olu Fashanu and Jer’Zhan Newton each receive one more nomination for the two remaining teams.
These six players were among the best in the Big Ten this season. The biggest surprise is that Fashanu isn’t in line to be a consensus All-American as well. Fashanu may be the first offensive tackle off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft. That just shows how hard it is to accomplish the status of unanimous All-American.
On Christmas Eve the Grinch stole Christmas, but ultimately he had a change of heart. In college football, there are no changes of heart, and you can’t give back what you stole. In this case, new Michigan State head coach Jonathon Smith is doing the stealing by hiring Minnesota defensive coordinator Joe Rossi to the same position on his staff.
In my opinion, this is a shrewd move by Smith. Rossi is one of the best defensive coaches in the country, and he is familiar with the Big Ten, which is always helpful for an outsider like Smith. It’s clear that Smith isn’t playing around, having already cleared the Michigan State quarterback room and bringing in highly qualified coaches.
Michigan State is one of the few jobs in the Big Ten that can consistently aim for a spot in the 12-team playoff and occasionally make a run at the Big Ten title. Mel Tucker tanked the program, and it will need to be stripped to its studs, but so far Smith is headed in the right direction. It’s going to be a fun offseason in East Lansing.
Since Lincoln Riley was handed the head coaching job at Oklahoma from his predecessor Bob Stoops, he has been considered one of the brightest offensive head coaches in the sport. In that same period, he has yet to field an above-average defense, leading to disappointing finishes and unexpected losses.
That all came to a head this season, when Riley and the USC Trojan wasted Caleb Williams’ final collegiate campaign with an abysmal defense. Riley finally fired Alex Grinch and replaced him with cross-town rival UCLA’s defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. While I’m not sure if Lynn is a homerun hire, it shows that Riley is trying to improve on that side of the ball.
More improvements are coming, as Riley hired two-time FCS National Champion Matt Entz of North Dakota State to coach linebackers and serve as the assistant head coach for defense. It’s too early to tell if the hires were smart, but Riley at least deserves credit for the effort — albeit a few years too late.
If I was writing this last year, the thought of Kyle McCord and five-star quarterback Dylan Railoa being teammates wouldn’t be a shock; Instead it would be the expectation. This time last year, Raiola was committed to Ohio State, and McCord was getting ready to compete to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback after CJ Stroud left for the NFL. Oh, how a year changes things.
Now it is a shock that these two quarterbacks may end up as teammates, and even more shocking for whom. After an up-and-down season as the starter for the Buckeyes, McCord entered the portal and is being heavily pursued by Nebraska. It’s too early to say if he will commit to the Cornhuskers, but all the signs seem to point in that direction.
On the Raiola front, Dylan decommitted from Ohio State and has been committed to Georgia for most of 2023. It seems as though he is considering a change of heart, and may follow in his father’s footsteps by bringing his talents to Lincoln. If Nebraska can land McCord and Raiola, their future will at quarterback will be the brightest it has maybe ever been. Matt Rhule has been busy, can he land two five-star quarterbacks before the end of the year?
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
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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 David Berding/Getty Images
Minnesota must replace its defensive coordinator, and a look at the Big Ten’s All-Americans
Every week after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke. With the Big Ten expanding from 14 teams to 18 teams in 2024 this article will also include the newest members, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Check out the I-80 Football Show for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.
How many unanimous All-Americans will the Big Ten have?
It’s All-American season, and three of the five outlets have announced their selections. It is an honor to be named All-American by any of the seemingly growing list of outlets that release teams, but five still hold the most weight. Those five are the Associated Press, Football Writers of America Association, Walter Camp Foundation, The Sporting News, and American Football Coaches Association.
A player named to three of the five teams is considered a consensus All-American, while being named to all five is the biggest honor given to a few top athletes each year. With the AP, Walter Camp, and FWAA teams being announced, the Big Ten already has four consensus all-Americans — Marvin Harrison Jr., Zak Zinter, Cooper DeJean and Tory Taylor.
If those four players are voted as 1st team All-Americans for AFCA and TSN, then the Big Ten is in line to have four unanimous all-Americans and six consensus All-Americans, as long as Olu Fashanu and Jer’Zhan Newton each receive one more nomination for the two remaining teams.
These six players were among the best in the Big Ten this season. The biggest surprise is that Fashanu isn’t in line to be a consensus All-American as well. Fashanu may be the first offensive tackle off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft. That just shows how hard it is to accomplish the status of unanimous All-American.
Jonathan Smith pulls his best Grinch impression, robbing Minnesota before the holidays
On Christmas Eve the Grinch stole Christmas, but ultimately he had a change of heart. In college football, there are no changes of heart, and you can’t give back what you stole. In this case, new Michigan State head coach Jonathon Smith is doing the stealing by hiring Minnesota defensive coordinator Joe Rossi to the same position on his staff.
In my opinion, this is a shrewd move by Smith. Rossi is one of the best defensive coaches in the country, and he is familiar with the Big Ten, which is always helpful for an outsider like Smith. It’s clear that Smith isn’t playing around, having already cleared the Michigan State quarterback room and bringing in highly qualified coaches.
Michigan State is one of the few jobs in the Big Ten that can consistently aim for a spot in the 12-team playoff and occasionally make a run at the Big Ten title. Mel Tucker tanked the program, and it will need to be stripped to its studs, but so far Smith is headed in the right direction. It’s going to be a fun offseason in East Lansing.
Is Lincoln Riley finally taking defense seriously?
Since Lincoln Riley was handed the head coaching job at Oklahoma from his predecessor Bob Stoops, he has been considered one of the brightest offensive head coaches in the sport. In that same period, he has yet to field an above-average defense, leading to disappointing finishes and unexpected losses.
That all came to a head this season, when Riley and the USC Trojan wasted Caleb Williams’ final collegiate campaign with an abysmal defense. Riley finally fired Alex Grinch and replaced him with cross-town rival UCLA’s defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. While I’m not sure if Lynn is a homerun hire, it shows that Riley is trying to improve on that side of the ball.
More improvements are coming, as Riley hired two-time FCS National Champion Matt Entz of North Dakota State to coach linebackers and serve as the assistant head coach for defense. It’s too early to tell if the hires were smart, but Riley at least deserves credit for the effort — albeit a few years too late.
Kyle McCord and Dylan Raiola… At Nebraska?
If I was writing this last year, the thought of Kyle McCord and five-star quarterback Dylan Railoa being teammates wouldn’t be a shock; Instead it would be the expectation. This time last year, Raiola was committed to Ohio State, and McCord was getting ready to compete to be Ohio State’s starting quarterback after CJ Stroud left for the NFL. Oh, how a year changes things.
Now it is a shock that these two quarterbacks may end up as teammates, and even more shocking for whom. After an up-and-down season as the starter for the Buckeyes, McCord entered the portal and is being heavily pursued by Nebraska. It’s too early to say if he will commit to the Cornhuskers, but all the signs seem to point in that direction.
On the Raiola front, Dylan decommitted from Ohio State and has been committed to Georgia for most of 2023. It seems as though he is considering a change of heart, and may follow in his father’s footsteps by bringing his talents to Lincoln. If Nebraska can land McCord and Raiola, their future will at quarterback will be the brightest it has maybe ever been. Matt Rhule has been busy, can he land two five-star quarterbacks before the end of the year?
Follow The I-80 Football Show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Subscribe to the podcast: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Connect with me on Twitter: @JordanW330
Follow I-80 Football Show on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Continue reading...
LGHL Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Breaking News — LGHL and OSU football have the same number of 2024 transfer commits!
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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Breaking News — LGHL and OSU football have the same number of 2024 transfer commits!
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Plus, Cotton Bowl talk, portal needs, and men’s basketball blunders.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck try their best not to overreact... to Ohio State’s epic meltdown on the hardwood, as well as the Buckeyes’ apparent refusal to (really) weaponize the CFB transfer portal.
First up is OSU men’s basketball... Woof. At least for one night, Chris Holtmann’s squad reverted back to a team without a clue on the defensive end. After building an 18-point lead with just 15 minutes to go against Penn State, the Buckeyes folded like a cheap chair, resulting in a twice-in-a-decade loss.
The hosts are willing to believe that Saturday night’s performance was just a blip on the radar, but after last season, the benefit of the doubt will not linger for long.
As for Ohio State football... Well, a lot of players are leaving the program, that’s for sure. But no need to panic. Yet. Because the Buckeyes were due for a roster purge.
Now it is up to Ryan Day and Co. to use the transfer portal to their advantage, by bringing in proven players at multiple positions of need. Otherwise, Ohio State risks falling behind more aggressive top-tier teams.
Also in this episode: The Hangout Boys hand out some awards and discuss good news regarding the Cotton Bowl!
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
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
Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Plus, Cotton Bowl talk, portal needs, and men’s basketball blunders.
The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast is here! Join LGHL’s Josh Dooley and Chuck Holmes as they discuss Ohio State football, recruiting, and much, much more! Come for the hot takes, stay for the warm ones.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On this episode of “Hangout in the Holy Land,” Josh and Chuck try their best not to overreact... to Ohio State’s epic meltdown on the hardwood, as well as the Buckeyes’ apparent refusal to (really) weaponize the CFB transfer portal.
First up is OSU men’s basketball... Woof. At least for one night, Chris Holtmann’s squad reverted back to a team without a clue on the defensive end. After building an 18-point lead with just 15 minutes to go against Penn State, the Buckeyes folded like a cheap chair, resulting in a twice-in-a-decade loss.
The hosts are willing to believe that Saturday night’s performance was just a blip on the radar, but after last season, the benefit of the doubt will not linger for long.
As for Ohio State football... Well, a lot of players are leaving the program, that’s for sure. But no need to panic. Yet. Because the Buckeyes were due for a roster purge.
Now it is up to Ryan Day and Co. to use the transfer portal to their advantage, by bringing in proven players at multiple positions of need. Otherwise, Ohio State risks falling behind more aggressive top-tier teams.
Also in this episode: The Hangout Boys hand out some awards and discuss good news regarding the Cotton Bowl!
Please make sure to like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast! And as always, Go Bucks!
Connect with the pod
Twitter: @HolyLandPod
Connect with Josh Dooley
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye
Connect with Chuck Holmes
Twitter: @ctholmes3
Continue reading...
