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LGHL Ohio State leapfrogs Michigan for No. 2 class in 2024 with pair of big Glenville commits
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Ohio State leapfrogs Michigan for No. 2 class in 2024 with pair of big Glenville commits
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2024 Ohio State commit Bryce West | 247Sports
The Buckeyes picked up two major BOOOOMs over the weekend.
What was already expected to be a massive recruiting weekend in Columbus got even larger on Saturday when the Buckeyes earned a pair of stellar commitments out of Cleveland Glenville. The Ohio high school pipeline that produced Ted Ginn Jr., Marshon Lattimore, Donte Whitner, Troy Smith, Cardale Jones and most recently 2023 linebacker Arvell Reese has once again provided Ohio State with some premiere talent at two positions of need.
First up, a move that had felt like a long time coming but was by no means a guarantee, the Buckeyes got a major boost to their defensive secondary with the commitment of cornerback Bryce West.
West immediately becomes the highest-rated defensive player in Ohio State’s 2024 class as the No. 4 CB and No. 49 overall player in the country per the 247Sports Composite. The No. 1 player in Ohio in this cycle, it was imperative that the Buckeyes beat out rival Michigan for his pledge, as West was highly considering the Wolverines in addition to schools like Oregon and Georgia also remaining in the mix, albeit less so than the two B1G programs.
Comparing his play to that of Darius Slay, a five-time NFL Pro-Bowl corner, here is what 247Sports’ Allen Trieu has to say of West’s abilities:
West was nothing short of a lockdown corner for the Tarblooders as a junior, not allowing a single touchdown in coverage and intercepting four passes for a team that finished 15-0 and won a state title. He was named a Junior All-American by MaxPreps for his efforts. Needless to say, he was an absolute must-have for Ohio State in this cycle, and landing him six months before signing day allows for Tim Walton and Perry Eliano to continue chasing their other top targets at the position in what will likely be a three or four corner class.
As previously mentioned, West is the highest-ranked defensive player in the Buckeyes’ 2024 group thus far and the fourth defensive player overall, joining linebackers Garrett Stover and Payton Pierce as well as safety Jaylen McCLain. As the top in-state player in the cycle, Ohio State now holds commitments from five of the top 12 prospects in Ohio, one of which we will get to in a moment. They will hope to make it six of the top 12 if they can seal the deal with corner Aaron Scott Jr., the No. 2 in-state player in the class.
The other big addition on Saturday came on offense, as Ohio State was able to land its second tight end pledge in 2024 with the commitment of Damarion Witten.
The 6-foot-4 Glenville product currently ranks as the No. 19 TE in the country and the No. 11 player in Ohio per the 247Sports Composite. He joins Max LeBlanc as the Buckeyes finally are able to put together a two tight end class — something Ohio State has not done since 2016, when they landed three tight ends. If both LeBlanc and Witten do end up officially signing with OSU, it will be the fifth time since 1996 the program has scored multiple tight ends in a single recruiting class.
Witten is a big get for new position coach Keenan Bailey as the top in-state target at the position. Former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was actually the one who offered Witten back in September, but Bailey made sure to keep the Cleveland native in high regard. Ultimately he was able to get the job done, beating out schools among the likes of Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and others for his services.
With Witten and West now in the fold, Ohio State has passed over Michigan for the No. 2 class in the country, even despite holding only 16 commitments to the Wolverines’ 23. The Buckeyes’ player average of 93.31 is nearly three points higher than TTUN’s (90.63), and is only 0.12 behind No. 1 Georgia’s (93.43). Off to a fantastic start, there is still a long way to go for Ryan Day and his staff as they look for their first defensive line commitment of the cycle as well as further additions in other key areas.
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
2024 Ohio State commit Bryce West | 247Sports
The Buckeyes picked up two major BOOOOMs over the weekend.
What was already expected to be a massive recruiting weekend in Columbus got even larger on Saturday when the Buckeyes earned a pair of stellar commitments out of Cleveland Glenville. The Ohio high school pipeline that produced Ted Ginn Jr., Marshon Lattimore, Donte Whitner, Troy Smith, Cardale Jones and most recently 2023 linebacker Arvell Reese has once again provided Ohio State with some premiere talent at two positions of need.
First up, a move that had felt like a long time coming but was by no means a guarantee, the Buckeyes got a major boost to their defensive secondary with the commitment of cornerback Bryce West.
West immediately becomes the highest-rated defensive player in Ohio State’s 2024 class as the No. 4 CB and No. 49 overall player in the country per the 247Sports Composite. The No. 1 player in Ohio in this cycle, it was imperative that the Buckeyes beat out rival Michigan for his pledge, as West was highly considering the Wolverines in addition to schools like Oregon and Georgia also remaining in the mix, albeit less so than the two B1G programs.
Comparing his play to that of Darius Slay, a five-time NFL Pro-Bowl corner, here is what 247Sports’ Allen Trieu has to say of West’s abilities:
West was nothing short of a lockdown corner for the Tarblooders as a junior, not allowing a single touchdown in coverage and intercepting four passes for a team that finished 15-0 and won a state title. He was named a Junior All-American by MaxPreps for his efforts. Needless to say, he was an absolute must-have for Ohio State in this cycle, and landing him six months before signing day allows for Tim Walton and Perry Eliano to continue chasing their other top targets at the position in what will likely be a three or four corner class.
As previously mentioned, West is the highest-ranked defensive player in the Buckeyes’ 2024 group thus far and the fourth defensive player overall, joining linebackers Garrett Stover and Payton Pierce as well as safety Jaylen McCLain. As the top in-state player in the cycle, Ohio State now holds commitments from five of the top 12 prospects in Ohio, one of which we will get to in a moment. They will hope to make it six of the top 12 if they can seal the deal with corner Aaron Scott Jr., the No. 2 in-state player in the class.
The other big addition on Saturday came on offense, as Ohio State was able to land its second tight end pledge in 2024 with the commitment of Damarion Witten.
The 6-foot-4 Glenville product currently ranks as the No. 19 TE in the country and the No. 11 player in Ohio per the 247Sports Composite. He joins Max LeBlanc as the Buckeyes finally are able to put together a two tight end class — something Ohio State has not done since 2016, when they landed three tight ends. If both LeBlanc and Witten do end up officially signing with OSU, it will be the fifth time since 1996 the program has scored multiple tight ends in a single recruiting class.
Witten is a big get for new position coach Keenan Bailey as the top in-state target at the position. Former offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson was actually the one who offered Witten back in September, but Bailey made sure to keep the Cleveland native in high regard. Ultimately he was able to get the job done, beating out schools among the likes of Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and others for his services.
With Witten and West now in the fold, Ohio State has passed over Michigan for the No. 2 class in the country, even despite holding only 16 commitments to the Wolverines’ 23. The Buckeyes’ player average of 93.31 is nearly three points higher than TTUN’s (90.63), and is only 0.12 behind No. 1 Georgia’s (93.43). Off to a fantastic start, there is still a long way to go for Ryan Day and his staff as they look for their first defensive line commitment of the cycle as well as further additions in other key areas.
Quick Hits
- Witten and West weren’t the only high-profile names on campus this past weekend. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Justin Scott, a pair of top-100 defenders, were also in Columbus on their official visits, and appear to have enjoyed what they saw during their trip. Scott, a five-star, is the No. 3 DL and No. 14 overall player in the 2024 class, while Viliamu-Asa is the No. 7 LB in the country, all per the 247Sports Composite.
- Of course, the other name to keep a close eye on from this past weekend was none other than Aaron Scott Jr., whom the Buckeyes would love to pair with West as the two top players in the state in this cycle. Ohio State continues to battle it out with Michigan for the nation’s No. 5 CB and No. 53 overall prospect, but seem to have the inside track as things currently stand with all three Crystal Ball predictions in favor of OSU.
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LGHL LGHL Asks: Troy Smith is Ohio State fans’ favorite 21st Century quarterback
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LGHL Asks: Troy Smith is Ohio State fans’ favorite 21st Century quarterback
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 G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about taking sides in head-to-head debates. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”This or That” articles here.
While this week, LGHL was focused on Burning Questions for our theme week, last week was all about picking “This” or “That.” So, for our weekly fan survey, we put a trio of questions to Ohio State fans to gauge their thoughts on recent Buckeye football history and their preferences for what’s next on the gridiron and hardwood.
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Man, I came up with this question, and even I can’t imagine picking just one. As you can see by the distribution of votes, a lot of guys got some love in this week’s survey. However, I want to call out a guy who fell into the “Other” category and that is the late, great Dwayne Haskins Jr.
Not only was Haskins an obviously gifted passer, but he ushered in a standard of quarterback play in Columbus. Obviously, he was not the first quarterback that Ryan Day worked with at Ohio State — that honor would go to J.T. Barrett in 2017 — but Simba certainly feels like the first Day Era QB, given his record-breaking performance in 2018.
He still owns the single-season marks for passing yards (4,831) and passing touchdowns (50). He also holds the single-game, regular-season record for passing yards in a game with 499 against Northwestern.
After years of Barrett’s incredibly effective — but not exactly exciting — brand of QB play, seeing a guy who could seemingly sling it anywhere on the field was eye-opening and served as an excellent introduction to what Day could do with a uniquely talented athlete under center.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24736475/OhioState_2_061623.png)
The graphic is worded a little oddly, but the options were Michigan go 4-8 or Ohio State win the Big Ten, but not make the College Football playoff. If you would have asked me this anytime over the past two decades before late November 2021, I would have probably gone with adding another trophy to the case at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
But now that the Wolverines have won two straight rivalry games, I am going with the slight majority of fans on this one. Anything to see TTUN humiliated is fine with me, and besides, I’d prefer Michigan go 4-8 AND Ohio State win the B1G and make the CFP, but that wasn’t an option.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24736476/OhioState_3_061623.png)
The major knock against Chris Holtmann’s tenure as Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach has been his inability to get his team into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. So, we gave fans the option to pick whether they would prefer to see his squad make a run to the Final Four, but struggle for three years, or be competitive in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament, but never reaching true title contention.
What’s interesting is that almost 2⁄3 of respondents opted for the more perennially competitive team that doesn’t reach its highest heights. I could argue that — save 2022-23 — that’s effectively what they’ve gotten since Holtmann took over. Yes, the survey prompt probably assumed a slightly better showing in conference, but Holtmann’s teams have finished 2nd, 8th, 5th, 5th, and 4th in the B1G prior to last season. That’s not too bad.
If that was 2nd, 6th, 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd, I do wonder if the perception of Holtmann’s postseason shortcomings would be different than it is today.
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 G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about taking sides in head-to-head debates. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”This or That” articles here.
While this week, LGHL was focused on Burning Questions for our theme week, last week was all about picking “This” or “That.” So, for our weekly fan survey, we put a trio of questions to Ohio State fans to gauge their thoughts on recent Buckeye football history and their preferences for what’s next on the gridiron and hardwood.
Question 1: Who is your favorite 21st Century Ohio State quarterback?
Man, I came up with this question, and even I can’t imagine picking just one. As you can see by the distribution of votes, a lot of guys got some love in this week’s survey. However, I want to call out a guy who fell into the “Other” category and that is the late, great Dwayne Haskins Jr.
Not only was Haskins an obviously gifted passer, but he ushered in a standard of quarterback play in Columbus. Obviously, he was not the first quarterback that Ryan Day worked with at Ohio State — that honor would go to J.T. Barrett in 2017 — but Simba certainly feels like the first Day Era QB, given his record-breaking performance in 2018.
He still owns the single-season marks for passing yards (4,831) and passing touchdowns (50). He also holds the single-game, regular-season record for passing yards in a game with 499 against Northwestern.
After years of Barrett’s incredibly effective — but not exactly exciting — brand of QB play, seeing a guy who could seemingly sling it anywhere on the field was eye-opening and served as an excellent introduction to what Day could do with a uniquely talented athlete under center.
Question 2: Question 2: Would you rather (football edition)
The graphic is worded a little oddly, but the options were Michigan go 4-8 or Ohio State win the Big Ten, but not make the College Football playoff. If you would have asked me this anytime over the past two decades before late November 2021, I would have probably gone with adding another trophy to the case at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
But now that the Wolverines have won two straight rivalry games, I am going with the slight majority of fans on this one. Anything to see TTUN humiliated is fine with me, and besides, I’d prefer Michigan go 4-8 AND Ohio State win the B1G and make the CFP, but that wasn’t an option.
Question 3: Question 3: Would you rather (men’s basketball edition)
The major knock against Chris Holtmann’s tenure as Ohio State’s men’s basketball coach has been his inability to get his team into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. So, we gave fans the option to pick whether they would prefer to see his squad make a run to the Final Four, but struggle for three years, or be competitive in the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament, but never reaching true title contention.
What’s interesting is that almost 2⁄3 of respondents opted for the more perennially competitive team that doesn’t reach its highest heights. I could argue that — save 2022-23 — that’s effectively what they’ve gotten since Holtmann took over. Yes, the survey prompt probably assumed a slightly better showing in conference, but Holtmann’s teams have finished 2nd, 8th, 5th, 5th, and 4th in the B1G prior to last season. That’s not too bad.
If that was 2nd, 6th, 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd, I do wonder if the perception of Holtmann’s postseason shortcomings would be different than it is today.
Continue reading...
LGHL Burning Questions: How will Ohio State’s non-conference schedule look after CFP, Big Ten expansion?
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Burning Questions: How will Ohio State’s non-conference schedule look after CFP, Big Ten expansion?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Big changes are coming to college football in 2024, and likely the way teams schedule changes with the times.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the most important questions yet unanswered for the season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Burning Questions” articles here.
Next year, the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams. Along with conference expansion in the Big Ten and SEC going into effect, as both conferences will add two teams, college football’s non-conference scheduling is going to start looking a lot different. So what does that mean for Ohio State?
One nice thing about being a Buckeye fan is athletic director Gene Smith hasn’t been scared to schedule intriguing non-conference matchups early in the season. Since college football non-conference games are scheduled so far in advance, it’s hard to predict how good some of your opponents might be nearly a dozen years down the road. Just look at the matchups against Cal a decade ago. When they were scheduled, Cal was one of the top teams in the Pac-12, and by the time the meetings rolled around, the Golden Bears were one of the worst teams in the conference.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24750689/81435835.jpg "Ohio State A.J. Hawk")
SetNumber: X74179 TK1
Currently, Ohio State has one really big non-conference game per season over the next 10 years. While 2024’s non-conference schedule is ugly, 2025 and 2026 picks up with a home-and-home with Texas, and in 2027 and 2028 the Buckeyes will square off with Alabama. Currently, there is a bit of a breather in 2029, as games with Nevada and Charlotte are the only non-conference games on the schedule, but that will obviously have to change. Things pick back up again in the following four years with home-and-home games currently scheduled against Georgia in 2030 and 2031 and Oregon in 2032 and 2033.
Now the big question, is how will these games actually happen? Currently, the SEC has a requirement for the 2024 season that will see each team play eight conference games, along with one game against an opponent from the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12. Pac-12, or a major independent team. This might not extend beyond 2024, as the SEC has to figure out what it wants to do with its conference schedule beyond the first year that Oklahoma and Texas are officially members of the conference.
Ohio State’s marquee non-conference games against Texas, Alabama, and Georgia could be salvaged if the SEC decides to keep their conference schedule at eight games. However, if the SEC goes to a nine-game conference schedule, it’s hard to see teams from the conference wanting to play such a tough conference schedule, and then have a marquee game against the Buckeyes, or really against any other top-tier college football team.
Honestly, it’d be hard to fault those SEC teams if they decided to cancel their future games against the Buckeyes. What would Ohio State and those tough non-conference opponents have to gain by playing these contests? With a four-team playoff, a win in a marquee non-conference game could be the difference in making the playoff. With the playoff expanding to 12 teams, however, teams won’t have to take as many risks to secure a spot in the playoff. The only thing a tough non-conference game might be good for is it could be the difference in a debate when it comes to seeding.
While it has been fun to start off the college football season with some big non-conference games, now we might have to get used to some of those big non-conference games happening at the end of the season instead of the beginning. Starting next year, instead of three playoff games, we’ll instead have 11 CFP games, with four of those contests coming on campus. In the grand scheme of things, we might soon forget about those early non-conference games that we used to love, since those playoff games are going to mean so much more, but it will certainly change the dynamics of the first month of the season.
It’s not like I’m saying that all of those exciting non-conference early-season contests are going to go away. There will be Power 5 schools that are going to still want to challenge themselves and use a game like that to prepare for a tough playoff game later in the season. I’m also sure that television networks are going to try and push schools to schedule a little tougher so they can get as much as they can out of those giant television contracts.
Also, perhaps the pendulum swings the other way, and instead of minimizing risks because they are deemed unnecessary in the expanded-playoff era, maybe coaches and ADs decide that they have a wider margin for error because it is easier to get into the CFP and they decide to schedule more marquee matchups. I don’t think that is likely, but it could always land in the middle with the current status quo.
Maybe I’m wrong about all of this and Ohio State’s future non-conference schedule stays unchanged and they add quality in some of the lean years. It’s just hard to see things staying the same with so much around college football changing. There’s going to be more travel for the Buckeyes now that UCLA and USC are joining the Big Ten. There’s also a possibility that Ohio State could be playing a couple more games each year, depending on if they are in the Big Ten Championship Game, and where they are seeded for any playoff appearances.
If anything, I think we could see more conference games added to the schedule. I wouldn’t hate it if the Big Ten went to a 10-game conference schedule, then made a game against a Power 5 team mandatory, and the 12th game of the schedule be against a Group of Five team. Who knows, if the Big Ten added another conference game, maybe Penn State can finally get that rival that they have been waiting so patiently for.
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
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Big changes are coming to college football in 2024, and likely the way teams schedule changes with the times.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the most important questions yet unanswered for the season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Burning Questions” articles here.
Next year, the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams. Along with conference expansion in the Big Ten and SEC going into effect, as both conferences will add two teams, college football’s non-conference scheduling is going to start looking a lot different. So what does that mean for Ohio State?
One nice thing about being a Buckeye fan is athletic director Gene Smith hasn’t been scared to schedule intriguing non-conference matchups early in the season. Since college football non-conference games are scheduled so far in advance, it’s hard to predict how good some of your opponents might be nearly a dozen years down the road. Just look at the matchups against Cal a decade ago. When they were scheduled, Cal was one of the top teams in the Pac-12, and by the time the meetings rolled around, the Golden Bears were one of the worst teams in the conference.
Currently, Ohio State has one really big non-conference game per season over the next 10 years. While 2024’s non-conference schedule is ugly, 2025 and 2026 picks up with a home-and-home with Texas, and in 2027 and 2028 the Buckeyes will square off with Alabama. Currently, there is a bit of a breather in 2029, as games with Nevada and Charlotte are the only non-conference games on the schedule, but that will obviously have to change. Things pick back up again in the following four years with home-and-home games currently scheduled against Georgia in 2030 and 2031 and Oregon in 2032 and 2033.
Now the big question, is how will these games actually happen? Currently, the SEC has a requirement for the 2024 season that will see each team play eight conference games, along with one game against an opponent from the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12. Pac-12, or a major independent team. This might not extend beyond 2024, as the SEC has to figure out what it wants to do with its conference schedule beyond the first year that Oklahoma and Texas are officially members of the conference.
Ohio State’s marquee non-conference games against Texas, Alabama, and Georgia could be salvaged if the SEC decides to keep their conference schedule at eight games. However, if the SEC goes to a nine-game conference schedule, it’s hard to see teams from the conference wanting to play such a tough conference schedule, and then have a marquee game against the Buckeyes, or really against any other top-tier college football team.
Honestly, it’d be hard to fault those SEC teams if they decided to cancel their future games against the Buckeyes. What would Ohio State and those tough non-conference opponents have to gain by playing these contests? With a four-team playoff, a win in a marquee non-conference game could be the difference in making the playoff. With the playoff expanding to 12 teams, however, teams won’t have to take as many risks to secure a spot in the playoff. The only thing a tough non-conference game might be good for is it could be the difference in a debate when it comes to seeding.
While it has been fun to start off the college football season with some big non-conference games, now we might have to get used to some of those big non-conference games happening at the end of the season instead of the beginning. Starting next year, instead of three playoff games, we’ll instead have 11 CFP games, with four of those contests coming on campus. In the grand scheme of things, we might soon forget about those early non-conference games that we used to love, since those playoff games are going to mean so much more, but it will certainly change the dynamics of the first month of the season.
It’s not like I’m saying that all of those exciting non-conference early-season contests are going to go away. There will be Power 5 schools that are going to still want to challenge themselves and use a game like that to prepare for a tough playoff game later in the season. I’m also sure that television networks are going to try and push schools to schedule a little tougher so they can get as much as they can out of those giant television contracts.
Also, perhaps the pendulum swings the other way, and instead of minimizing risks because they are deemed unnecessary in the expanded-playoff era, maybe coaches and ADs decide that they have a wider margin for error because it is easier to get into the CFP and they decide to schedule more marquee matchups. I don’t think that is likely, but it could always land in the middle with the current status quo.
Maybe I’m wrong about all of this and Ohio State’s future non-conference schedule stays unchanged and they add quality in some of the lean years. It’s just hard to see things staying the same with so much around college football changing. There’s going to be more travel for the Buckeyes now that UCLA and USC are joining the Big Ten. There’s also a possibility that Ohio State could be playing a couple more games each year, depending on if they are in the Big Ten Championship Game, and where they are seeded for any playoff appearances.
If anything, I think we could see more conference games added to the schedule. I wouldn’t hate it if the Big Ten went to a 10-game conference schedule, then made a game against a Power 5 team mandatory, and the 12th game of the schedule be against a Group of Five team. Who knows, if the Big Ten added another conference game, maybe Penn State can finally get that rival that they have been waiting so patiently for.
Continue reading...
