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LGHL Backcourt duo of Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson both knocking on the door of 1,000 career points
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Backcourt duo of Bruce Thornton, Meechie Johnson both knocking on the door of 1,000 career points
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
Ohio State’s dynamic backcourt duo should both join the 1,000-point club during the first few weeks of the season.
Not only are Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson going to comprise one of the better backcourt pairings in the Big Ten this season, they’re also going to hit a major benchmark together — scoring 1,000 points.
Johnson, who is entering his fifth and final year of college basketball, is currently sitting at 981 points. The first 136 of those came with the Buckeyes from 2020-22, when he was a backup guard for the last two Ohio State teams to make the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson graduated high school a semester early in 2019, and joined the Buckeyes in January of 2020 as a 17-year old freshman. He scored 21 points in 17 games during his first taste of college basketball, and would probably be at 1,000 points already had he played the full season that year, instead of just the second half.
The next 845 points for Johnson didn’t come in Columbus, they actually happened in Columbia — after he transferred to South Carolina. Johnson averaged 12.7 points per game two seasons ago and 14.1 points per game last season for South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks in scoring and taking the program back to NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
He now stands 19 points away from 1,000, and could realistically get there during the first game of the season when Ohio State takes on Texas in Las Vegas on Nov. 4. It would be a memorable return for Johnson, who is from Cleveland and has come full circle by returning to Columbus for his final collegiate season.
Johnson would not be added to the 1,000 point club in the Ohio State record book, however, because he (almost certainly) will not score 1,000 points specifically with Ohio State. The most recent player to join the club was E.J. Liddell in 2022, who finished with 1,298 points. To get to 1,000 points with just Ohio State, Johnson would need to score 864 points this upcoming season — which would be the second-best season in program history, if it happened. If the Buckeyes play 36 games this year just like last season, he would need to average 24 points per game and play in every game.
Thornton is entering his third season of college basketball, and has become the undisputed face of the Ohio State men’s basketball program. He started all but one game his freshman and sophomore seasons, missing just one game this past season with a migraine.
The 6-foot-2, bulldog point guard has scored 921 points thus far, putting him 79 points away from becoming the 61st member of the 1,000-point club at Ohio State. Not only is Thornton on track to hit 1,000 points, he’s currently tracking to do it in 76 games — a pace that only 28 other players have done in program history.
If Thornton simply keeps up his scoring pace from last season (15.7 points per game), he will hit 1,000 points by the sixth game of the season — the 76th game of his career. Only 28 other players in program history have gotten to 1,000 that quickly, with Jared Sullinger being the most recent in 2012 (he did it in 74 games).
Assuming health, Thornton could quickly climb the all-time scoring leaderboard this season and next, assuming he stays at Ohio State to finish his collegiate career. If Thornton keeps up that 15.7 PPG scoring pace (and plays in 35 games again) he could finish this season as high as 21st on the all-time scoring list in program history. If he replicates that again his senior season — again, assuming his scoring holds steady and does not improve — he would have a chance to break 2,000 points and get within Dennis Hopson’s school record of 2,096 career points.
While Thornton and Johnson are on pace to hit personal milestones this season, they also are on track to become the first 1,000-point starting guard duo at Ohio State since C.J. Jackson and Keyshawn Woods in 2019. That Ohio State team was an 11-seed and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This team, led by two explosive guards who are both on track to exceed 1,000 points within the first few weeks of the season, are hoping to do even better than that. Getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years is the first thing on the to-do list. Making it to the second weekend of the tournament will be next on the to-do list for Meechie and Bruce, once the first task is checked off.
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
Ohio State’s dynamic backcourt duo should both join the 1,000-point club during the first few weeks of the season.
Not only are Bruce Thornton and Meechie Johnson going to comprise one of the better backcourt pairings in the Big Ten this season, they’re also going to hit a major benchmark together — scoring 1,000 points.
Johnson, who is entering his fifth and final year of college basketball, is currently sitting at 981 points. The first 136 of those came with the Buckeyes from 2020-22, when he was a backup guard for the last two Ohio State teams to make the NCAA Tournament.
Johnson graduated high school a semester early in 2019, and joined the Buckeyes in January of 2020 as a 17-year old freshman. He scored 21 points in 17 games during his first taste of college basketball, and would probably be at 1,000 points already had he played the full season that year, instead of just the second half.
The next 845 points for Johnson didn’t come in Columbus, they actually happened in Columbia — after he transferred to South Carolina. Johnson averaged 12.7 points per game two seasons ago and 14.1 points per game last season for South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks in scoring and taking the program back to NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
He now stands 19 points away from 1,000, and could realistically get there during the first game of the season when Ohio State takes on Texas in Las Vegas on Nov. 4. It would be a memorable return for Johnson, who is from Cleveland and has come full circle by returning to Columbus for his final collegiate season.
Johnson would not be added to the 1,000 point club in the Ohio State record book, however, because he (almost certainly) will not score 1,000 points specifically with Ohio State. The most recent player to join the club was E.J. Liddell in 2022, who finished with 1,298 points. To get to 1,000 points with just Ohio State, Johnson would need to score 864 points this upcoming season — which would be the second-best season in program history, if it happened. If the Buckeyes play 36 games this year just like last season, he would need to average 24 points per game and play in every game.
Thornton is entering his third season of college basketball, and has become the undisputed face of the Ohio State men’s basketball program. He started all but one game his freshman and sophomore seasons, missing just one game this past season with a migraine.
The 6-foot-2, bulldog point guard has scored 921 points thus far, putting him 79 points away from becoming the 61st member of the 1,000-point club at Ohio State. Not only is Thornton on track to hit 1,000 points, he’s currently tracking to do it in 76 games — a pace that only 28 other players have done in program history.
If Thornton simply keeps up his scoring pace from last season (15.7 points per game), he will hit 1,000 points by the sixth game of the season — the 76th game of his career. Only 28 other players in program history have gotten to 1,000 that quickly, with Jared Sullinger being the most recent in 2012 (he did it in 74 games).
Assuming health, Thornton could quickly climb the all-time scoring leaderboard this season and next, assuming he stays at Ohio State to finish his collegiate career. If Thornton keeps up that 15.7 PPG scoring pace (and plays in 35 games again) he could finish this season as high as 21st on the all-time scoring list in program history. If he replicates that again his senior season — again, assuming his scoring holds steady and does not improve — he would have a chance to break 2,000 points and get within Dennis Hopson’s school record of 2,096 career points.
While Thornton and Johnson are on pace to hit personal milestones this season, they also are on track to become the first 1,000-point starting guard duo at Ohio State since C.J. Jackson and Keyshawn Woods in 2019. That Ohio State team was an 11-seed and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This team, led by two explosive guards who are both on track to exceed 1,000 points within the first few weeks of the season, are hoping to do even better than that. Getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years is the first thing on the to-do list. Making it to the second weekend of the tournament will be next on the to-do list for Meechie and Bruce, once the first task is checked off.
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LGHL This or That: Which Alabama transfer to Ohio State will be more impactful?
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This or That: Which Alabama transfer to Ohio State will be more impactful?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images
Sorry Seth McLaughlin, this is between Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin.
Back on the first day of 2015, Ohio State was able to shock the world when they were not only able to beat Nick Saban and Alabama but did so with a quarterback who was third-string on the depth chart a few months prior to the start of the season. Nine years later the Buckeyes were not only celebrating the retirement of Saban, they were also the recipient of three transfers from Tuscaloosa who wanted a change of scenery after Saban decided to end his legendary coaching career.
Today we are going to focus on two of those transfers. Sorry Seth McLaughlin, it’s not that you’re not important; Buckeye Nation is just hoping not to hear your name called much during the season since if you are talking a lot about an offensive lineman, it likely means he isn’t living up to expectations.
Instead, we are going to focus on the impacts we could see from defensive back Caleb Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin.
Let’s start with the Alabama transfer who is going to make an instant impact. Downs burst onto the scene as a freshman last season, immediately inserting himself into the conversation as one of the best safeties in the country. Downs finished the season with 107 tackles and two interceptions. Not only was Downs named the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year, he was also a first-team All-American.
Even though Ohio State is bursting with talent in the secondary, as soon as Downs announced he was transferring to Ohio State, he was considered the best player on the Buckeye defense. Along with being a defensive standout, Downs is likely to return some kicks for Ohio State this year.
Head coach Ryan Day even made some noise earlier this week when it was revealed Downs has been doing some work at running back. While I’m not putting a bunch of stock in Downs seeing any carries this year, if he does make some plays on offense this year, then it would be hard to keep him out of the Heisman conversation.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25498211/usa_today_22206193.jpg "NCAA Football: Rose Bowl-Alabama at Michigan")
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
What makes the transfer of Downs to Ohio State even more important is he possibly could be here for the next two seasons since he is a true sophomore. Even though there is a chance Downs could return to Alabama without penalty after this season, it’s hard to imagine the star safety wanting to head back to Tuscaloosa since Ohio State is loaded beyond this year, while nobody knows how the first year of Kalen DeBoer at Alabama is going to go.
Even though Downs didn’t commit to Ohio State out of high school, he still has a chance to go down as one of the greatest safeties in Buckeye history if he is able to build on the outstanding freshman season he had with the Crimson Tide. It’s evident just how electric Downs can be on the field since the coaching staff is working on different ways to get him on the field to impact the game.
Unlike Downs, Sayin has yet to take a snap in college football. In fact, Sayin was playing high school football in 2023 and was only at Alabama for a handful of weeks after enrolling earlier at the school. Once Saban announced his retirement, Sayin decided to hit the transfer portal and head to Columbus.
This isn’t the first time in recent memory that one of the top quarterback recruits in the country decided to become a Buckeye. Quinn Ewers also came to Ohio State and was back in Texas a few months later. With the loaded quarterback room, Ryan Day has assembled, it’s not a given that Sayin is with the Buckeyes in 2025.
There are differences between Sayin’s situation and what we saw from Ewers. The Texas quarterback threw off Ohio State’s plans when he reclassified to take advantage of NIL. Sayin completed his high school career so there wasn’t quite the rush to get on campus as we saw from Ewers. Also, Ewers didn’t feel like waiting behind C.J. Stroud, while Sayin knows he is going to be competing for snaps with some talented quarterbacks.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25498208/2147786589.jpg "COLLEGE FOOTBALL: APR 13 Ohio State Spring Game")
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
How college football teams manage quarterbacks has changed over the past couple of decades. Before, quarterbacks often sat for a couple of years before taking over as the starter. Now high-profile recruits are seeing time in the first year on campus, or at the latest their second season. It almost feels like what Texas did with Arch Manning is a bit of an anomaly, since he didn’t even see much mop-up duty.
Sayin likely won’t see a ton of playing time this year. It feels like Will Howard and Devin Brown will battle it out to be the starter. Not to say Sayin won’t put up a fight to earn some snaps this year, it just feels like in what is going to be the longest college football season we have ever seen, Day wants Howard to start since he does bring a ton of experience to Columbus. If there is an injury or Howard is ineffective, maybe you see Day and Chip Kelly give Sayin a shot to inject some life into the offense if he has shown the coaches enough in practice.
When it comes to 2025, that’s likely when you’ll see Sayin’s breakout campaign. With his passing ability and the loaded wide receiver room, Sayin should be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. The combination of Sayin and Jeremiah Smith could be lethal. What will be fun to watch is to see if Sayin can match the numbers C.J. Stroud put up in his two seasons at starting quarterback, since if he lives up to expectations, Sayin will be entering the 2027 NFL Draft.
I’m not saying (no pun intended) Air Noland and the others in this year's and next year’s quarterback room are going to roll over and just give Sayin the quarterback job, it just feels like the line of succession for Ohio State at quarterback has him at the head of the line for 2025 and 2026. Iron sharpens iron and all these tremendous quarterbacks are going to make each other better.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images
Sorry Seth McLaughlin, this is between Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin.
Back on the first day of 2015, Ohio State was able to shock the world when they were not only able to beat Nick Saban and Alabama but did so with a quarterback who was third-string on the depth chart a few months prior to the start of the season. Nine years later the Buckeyes were not only celebrating the retirement of Saban, they were also the recipient of three transfers from Tuscaloosa who wanted a change of scenery after Saban decided to end his legendary coaching career.
Today we are going to focus on two of those transfers. Sorry Seth McLaughlin, it’s not that you’re not important; Buckeye Nation is just hoping not to hear your name called much during the season since if you are talking a lot about an offensive lineman, it likely means he isn’t living up to expectations.
Instead, we are going to focus on the impacts we could see from defensive back Caleb Downs and quarterback Julian Sayin.
Caleb Downs
Let’s start with the Alabama transfer who is going to make an instant impact. Downs burst onto the scene as a freshman last season, immediately inserting himself into the conversation as one of the best safeties in the country. Downs finished the season with 107 tackles and two interceptions. Not only was Downs named the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year, he was also a first-team All-American.
Even though Ohio State is bursting with talent in the secondary, as soon as Downs announced he was transferring to Ohio State, he was considered the best player on the Buckeye defense. Along with being a defensive standout, Downs is likely to return some kicks for Ohio State this year.
Head coach Ryan Day even made some noise earlier this week when it was revealed Downs has been doing some work at running back. While I’m not putting a bunch of stock in Downs seeing any carries this year, if he does make some plays on offense this year, then it would be hard to keep him out of the Heisman conversation.
What makes the transfer of Downs to Ohio State even more important is he possibly could be here for the next two seasons since he is a true sophomore. Even though there is a chance Downs could return to Alabama without penalty after this season, it’s hard to imagine the star safety wanting to head back to Tuscaloosa since Ohio State is loaded beyond this year, while nobody knows how the first year of Kalen DeBoer at Alabama is going to go.
Even though Downs didn’t commit to Ohio State out of high school, he still has a chance to go down as one of the greatest safeties in Buckeye history if he is able to build on the outstanding freshman season he had with the Crimson Tide. It’s evident just how electric Downs can be on the field since the coaching staff is working on different ways to get him on the field to impact the game.
Julian Sayin
Unlike Downs, Sayin has yet to take a snap in college football. In fact, Sayin was playing high school football in 2023 and was only at Alabama for a handful of weeks after enrolling earlier at the school. Once Saban announced his retirement, Sayin decided to hit the transfer portal and head to Columbus.
This isn’t the first time in recent memory that one of the top quarterback recruits in the country decided to become a Buckeye. Quinn Ewers also came to Ohio State and was back in Texas a few months later. With the loaded quarterback room, Ryan Day has assembled, it’s not a given that Sayin is with the Buckeyes in 2025.
There are differences between Sayin’s situation and what we saw from Ewers. The Texas quarterback threw off Ohio State’s plans when he reclassified to take advantage of NIL. Sayin completed his high school career so there wasn’t quite the rush to get on campus as we saw from Ewers. Also, Ewers didn’t feel like waiting behind C.J. Stroud, while Sayin knows he is going to be competing for snaps with some talented quarterbacks.
How college football teams manage quarterbacks has changed over the past couple of decades. Before, quarterbacks often sat for a couple of years before taking over as the starter. Now high-profile recruits are seeing time in the first year on campus, or at the latest their second season. It almost feels like what Texas did with Arch Manning is a bit of an anomaly, since he didn’t even see much mop-up duty.
Sayin likely won’t see a ton of playing time this year. It feels like Will Howard and Devin Brown will battle it out to be the starter. Not to say Sayin won’t put up a fight to earn some snaps this year, it just feels like in what is going to be the longest college football season we have ever seen, Day wants Howard to start since he does bring a ton of experience to Columbus. If there is an injury or Howard is ineffective, maybe you see Day and Chip Kelly give Sayin a shot to inject some life into the offense if he has shown the coaches enough in practice.
When it comes to 2025, that’s likely when you’ll see Sayin’s breakout campaign. With his passing ability and the loaded wide receiver room, Sayin should be one of the top quarterbacks in the country. The combination of Sayin and Jeremiah Smith could be lethal. What will be fun to watch is to see if Sayin can match the numbers C.J. Stroud put up in his two seasons at starting quarterback, since if he lives up to expectations, Sayin will be entering the 2027 NFL Draft.
I’m not saying (no pun intended) Air Noland and the others in this year's and next year’s quarterback room are going to roll over and just give Sayin the quarterback job, it just feels like the line of succession for Ohio State at quarterback has him at the head of the line for 2025 and 2026. Iron sharpens iron and all these tremendous quarterbacks are going to make each other better.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ryan Day provides mid-summer update, men’s basketball loses Taison Chatman for year
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Ryan Day provides mid-summer update, men’s basketball loses Taison Chatman for year
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
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
Day embraces immense pressure as Ohio State football season approaches
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Key Takeaways from midsummer Ryan Day update on Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Breaking down Ryan Day’s remaining questions for Ohio State in 2024 (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Defensive line isn’t the only place OSU is No. 1 on this list:
This or That: Which is more important to the success of Ohio State’s offense in 2024, ground game or passing attack?
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
Urban Meyer says OSU has one of most talented rosters ‘maybe ever’
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Buckeyes offensive line chemistry should come easier with continuity in lineup (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State Lands Seven Players on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Teams
Garrick Hodge, Eleven Warriors
This Seems Promising for OSU’s Future...
Ohio State’s Taison Chatman to miss season with torn ACL
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Taison Chatman injury will test Ohio State’s youth, backcourt depth
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State alumni embrace brotherhood, return for ‘Vet Week’ camp
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Women’s Basketball’s Jacy Sheldon wins Ohio State Athlete of the Year honor
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Men’s Swim & Dive: Armstrong Qualifies for Second Olympic Games
Ohio State Athletics
Field Hockey: Five Buckeyes are Headed to Senior Nexus Championships in July
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Gymnastics: Alec Yoder to be Inducted into Indiana Gymnastics Hall of Fame
Ohio State Athletics
Was just listening to “Good Vibrations” in the car this morning. Happy birthday, sir.
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
Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images
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
Day embraces immense pressure as Ohio State football season approaches
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch
Key Takeaways from midsummer Ryan Day update on Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Breaking down Ryan Day’s remaining questions for Ohio State in 2024 (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Defensive line isn’t the only place OSU is No. 1 on this list:
Best Offensive Line: Alabama
Best Defensive Line: Ohio State
Top 10 Positional Units at EVERY Position in College Footballhttps://t.co/PmUxHwc48C
— PFF College (@PFF_College) June 20, 2024
This or That: Which is more important to the success of Ohio State’s offense in 2024, ground game or passing attack?
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
Urban Meyer says OSU has one of most talented rosters ‘maybe ever’
Colin Gay, The Columbus Dispatch
Buckeyes offensive line chemistry should come easier with continuity in lineup (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State Lands Seven Players on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-American Teams
Garrick Hodge, Eleven Warriors
This Seems Promising for OSU’s Future...
Ranking the Top 11 QBs after the @Elite11 Finals Day 1 workout
5️ @OhioStateFB commit Tavien St. Clair takes Alpha Dog status after Day 1 in Los Angeles @Andrew_Ivins
https://t.co/D9QrZtABAs pic.twitter.com/Y2Xw1pfYAy
— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 19, 2024
On the Hardwood
Ohio State’s Taison Chatman to miss season with torn ACL
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Taison Chatman injury will test Ohio State’s youth, backcourt depth
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State alumni embrace brotherhood, return for ‘Vet Week’ camp
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Women’s Basketball’s Jacy Sheldon wins Ohio State Athlete of the Year honor
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Men’s Swim & Dive: Armstrong Qualifies for Second Olympic Games
Ohio State Athletics
Field Hockey: Five Buckeyes are Headed to Senior Nexus Championships in July
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Gymnastics: Alec Yoder to be Inducted into Indiana Gymnastics Hall of Fame
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
Was just listening to “Good Vibrations” in the car this morning. Happy birthday, sir.
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LGHL Ohio State set to host biggest recruiting weekend of the year
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Ohio State set to host biggest recruiting weekend of the year
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes start arguably their biggest recruiting weekend of the year on Friday with plenty of top targets in attendance.
Arguably the biggest official visit weekend of the summer for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are hosting an incredible amount of talent on campus over the next couple of days. Bringing in their current commits to help peer recruit the top remaining guys on their board, it’s all on hands on deck as this staff tries to make sure this is a memorable weekend that cements this recruiting class as one of the best during Ryan Day’s tenure.
Buckle up. There should be plenty of news this weekend to keep you busy with all things Ohio State recruiting.
Make no mistake about it, though Ohio State has several key players coming in this weekend, there’s none more important than David Sanders Jr. The No. 2 player nationally and top offensive tackle in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite, this is a recruitment that can really make the class.
Already the top-ranked group in the country, the importance of landing Sanders can’t be overstated, considering the continued need to try and land the national offensive tackle target that has eluded this program the last several years. Justin Frye and the rest of the coaching staff will be all over this one until he heads for home.
Fortunately, Ohio State really has put themselves in a solid position, and it just might be this visit that takes them over the top as they not only show him why Columbus is the best fit, but also the rest of his family. Jeremy Birmingham of The Podcast reported that Paris Johnson Jr. could potentially make his way to campus, which would be a major win. The two have really created a strong bond, which only improves Ohio State’s chances of winning his pledge.
There’s plenty of attention that will go around this weekend to a number of players, but likely more than anyone else the red carpet needs to be rolled out for Sanders Jr., who would be the best offensive tackle recruit the Buckeyes have landed in years.
The majority of the focus of course will be on the 2025 recruiting targets this weekend, but Ohio State has some impressive 2026 players on hand as well that are sure to turn some heads.
Starting with the No. 9 player nationally and top linebacker in the next cycle per the 247Sports Composite, Georgia native Tyler Atkinson will be at Ohio State this weekend to see the Buckeyes on an unofficial visit.
A 6-foot-2, 205 pound athlete, Atkinson is the perfect mold at linebacker, and it’s not hard to see how impressive he is against some of the top talent the state has to offer. Getting back to Columbus this weekend is a great win for the staff, as there’s plenty of energy that Atkinson will be able to see. Surely getting to be with position coach James Laurinaitis will be at the top of the list.
Nearly 50 offers to his name and from every top program in the country, Atkinson will be a crown jewel for any class that he ends up in. Though Georgia is the early favorite to land their in-state stud, the Buckeyes will push here and look to stay in the mix for the long haul. Laurinaitis is no slouch on the recruiting trail, and he’s got another big opportunity this weekend to show why.
Getting in on this prospect before the SEC powers come calling certainly doesn’t hurt Ohio State, and now the relationship building can start.
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
The Buckeyes start arguably their biggest recruiting weekend of the year on Friday with plenty of top targets in attendance.
Arguably the biggest official visit weekend of the summer for Ohio State, the Buckeyes are hosting an incredible amount of talent on campus over the next couple of days. Bringing in their current commits to help peer recruit the top remaining guys on their board, it’s all on hands on deck as this staff tries to make sure this is a memorable weekend that cements this recruiting class as one of the best during Ryan Day’s tenure.
Buckle up. There should be plenty of news this weekend to keep you busy with all things Ohio State recruiting.
The top priority of this weekend is on the offensive line
Make no mistake about it, though Ohio State has several key players coming in this weekend, there’s none more important than David Sanders Jr. The No. 2 player nationally and top offensive tackle in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite, this is a recruitment that can really make the class.
Already the top-ranked group in the country, the importance of landing Sanders can’t be overstated, considering the continued need to try and land the national offensive tackle target that has eluded this program the last several years. Justin Frye and the rest of the coaching staff will be all over this one until he heads for home.
Fortunately, Ohio State really has put themselves in a solid position, and it just might be this visit that takes them over the top as they not only show him why Columbus is the best fit, but also the rest of his family. Jeremy Birmingham of The Podcast reported that Paris Johnson Jr. could potentially make his way to campus, which would be a major win. The two have really created a strong bond, which only improves Ohio State’s chances of winning his pledge.
There’s plenty of attention that will go around this weekend to a number of players, but likely more than anyone else the red carpet needs to be rolled out for Sanders Jr., who would be the best offensive tackle recruit the Buckeyes have landed in years.
BUCKEYE NATIONI am extremely excited for my OFFICIAL VISIT this weekend
— David Sanders Jr. (@DavidLSandersJr) June 21, 2024
Top 2026 linebacker set to see Ohio State
The majority of the focus of course will be on the 2025 recruiting targets this weekend, but Ohio State has some impressive 2026 players on hand as well that are sure to turn some heads.
Starting with the No. 9 player nationally and top linebacker in the next cycle per the 247Sports Composite, Georgia native Tyler Atkinson will be at Ohio State this weekend to see the Buckeyes on an unofficial visit.
A 6-foot-2, 205 pound athlete, Atkinson is the perfect mold at linebacker, and it’s not hard to see how impressive he is against some of the top talent the state has to offer. Getting back to Columbus this weekend is a great win for the staff, as there’s plenty of energy that Atkinson will be able to see. Surely getting to be with position coach James Laurinaitis will be at the top of the list.
Nearly 50 offers to his name and from every top program in the country, Atkinson will be a crown jewel for any class that he ends up in. Though Georgia is the early favorite to land their in-state stud, the Buckeyes will push here and look to stay in the mix for the long haul. Laurinaitis is no slouch on the recruiting trail, and he’s got another big opportunity this weekend to show why.
Quick Hits
- The Buckeyes dished out an offer to edge rusher T.K. Cunningham (Grayson/Loganville, Georgia) after his impressive camp performance on Wednesday. A 6-foot-5, 230 pound athlete in the 2027 class, Cunningham is not yet ranked on 247Sports, but has nearly 30 offers to his name from the likes of LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, USC and now Ohio State.
Getting in on this prospect before the SEC powers come calling certainly doesn’t hurt Ohio State, and now the relationship building can start.
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