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LGHL You're Nuts: What kind of player should Ohio State men’s basketball target in the transfer portal?
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You're Nuts: What kind of player should Ohio State men’s basketball target in the transfer portal?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes have two open roster spots to fill.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
Just when we thought that the Ohio State men’s basketball roster was nearly set or complete, the transfer portal snatched up yet another Buckeye. Weeks after saying that he was 100% committed to OSU, Felix Okpara announced on Sunday morning that he had experienced a change of heart and was entering the portal, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, Zed Key, and Bowen Hardman as part of a Scarlet and Gray exodus.
Okpara’s exit opens another roster spot for Ohio State, and leaves just one member of the team’s acclaimed 2022 recruiting class. Bruce Thornton is the last man standing, as long as he sticks around in Columbus. But at this point nothing would surprise me. NCAA basketball is essentially just AAU now, and I for one hate it. I absolutely hate it with every fiber of my being. Great job, NCAA! You’ve kneecapped college sports and created a club environment/system with no rules... Sweet.
But since we’re here, let’s address the state of Jake Diebler’s roster. The Buckeyes now have two open spots. And fortunately, there are still plenty of quality players available (in the portal). However, not all of those players are a perfect fit with/for OSU.
Diebler’s team is loaded with guards, most of whom are of the undersized combo variety. Less than ideal, but that’s fine. I’m happy to ride with Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Taison Chatman, and incoming freshman Juni Mobley. On the wing, Devin Royal, Evan Mahaffey, and Micah Parrish offer scoring, defense, and glue guy-ness, respectively. And Aaron Bradshaw is a high-ceiling big man. But other than that, there are glaring weaknesses and very specific holes in/on the roster which Ohio State must look to fill.
So what are those weaknesses, and who exactly will fill these holes? Sorry, that became awkward... But anyway, I’m glad you asked. Because Gene and I are here to answer in today’s edition of You’re Nuts.
In my opinion, the Buckeyes really need a big who can also shoot. I’m not talking Kristaps Porzingis per se, but someone who can at least competently guard opposing forwards and/or centers, grab a handful of rebounds, and then knock down a shot or two outside of the paint. These guys don’t grow on trees – and Ohio State hasn’t had this archetype since arguably Kaleb Wesson – but they do exist. Even more so now, as modern basketball has continued to evolve into more of a pace and space game.
A big who can shoot would be a best of both worlds-type deal for OSU, offering not one, but two things the team is currently missing: Size and perimeter shooting, as if my archetype description was not obvious enough.
Bradshaw is the only “contributor” over 6-foot-6 for the Buckeyes, which screams rebounding margin — and not in a good way for our beloved Scarlet and Gray. This essentially locks him (Bradshaw) in at the center position, with Austin Parks as the only backup currently available. The latter was a coveted center recruit coming out of high school but played only 20 minutes as a freshman.
If both Bradshaw and Parks were to succumb to foul trouble or injury, who would Ohio State deploy at center? Mahaffey? Good luck with that against the next Zach Edey. So yeah, size is a big need. No pun intended.
As far as shooting goes, well, OSU just doesn’t have a lot of snipers on the current roster. Jamison Battle’s departure leaves Thornton as the team’s most “efficient” outside shooter, and he connected on (just) 33.3% of his three-point attempts last season. Johnson and Parrish can knock down a few treys here and there, but both are largely inefficient from distance. Soooo, where exactly does the perimeter shooting come from? This isn’t 1984, three or four three-point makes a game isn’t going to get it done.
Fortunately, there is at least one player out there who perfectly fits the “stretch four” description. And he recently visited Ohio State! His name is Sam Walters, and he would be THE ideal addition for Diebler and Co.
Walters was a top-100 player in the 2023 recruiting class, who committed to Alabama over Florida, LSU, and several other P5 programs. He then played in 37 games for the Tide, contributing 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in a shade over 12 minutes (played) per. Not bad for a true freshman playing on/for a Final Four team. But I fear that I am burying the lead here...
Not only did Walters play a role for Bama, but he is also 6-foot-10 with a sweet shooting stroke! Which means that he is exactly what the Buckeyes are and have been missing. And we have a real sample size to evaluate, too. Because Walters attempted 99 threes, draining 39 of them. That’s legit, folks. He also connected on 82.5% of his free throws, just for good measure.
Walters’ size and shooting prowess is/would be so, so perfect for OSU. He could seamlessly fit in at the four, flanked by Bradshaw and Royal, giving the Buckeyes one of the most talented front courts in the Big Ten. And that’s before we even get to the holy basketball triumvirate of Thornton, Johnson, and Chatman. I know I’m probably going a bit overboard there, but you get my point.
Ohio State lacks size and shooting, and Sam Walters checks both boxes. So make it happen, Diebs. I need to know that the Buckeyes will not go into next season with Evan Mahaffey as a backup big and Meechie Johnson as the team’s relied-upon sniper... No offense to either. But go get Sam I Am!
Without even knowing which direction Josh would be going in today’s edition of You’re Nuts, I had written in our LGHL Slack group last night that I was very intrigued by Walters after I saw that he was on campus this past weekend. A 6-foot-10 sharpshooter is definitely appealing, especially given that Ohio State has lost five of its top six three-point shooters from this past season and has just two scholarship players remaining listed at over 6-foot-6 — not including incoming Kentucky 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw.
However, since the Buckeyes now have two spots to fill with Okpara now in the portal, for the purpose of this exercise I am going to pretend that Josh’s selection of Walters is taking one of the two spots. There is certainly no guarantee that the Alabama transfer will eventually choose Ohio State, but for my half of You're Nuts I will pretend Walters is in, filling both the need for three-point shooting as well as size.
With that in mind, it opens the door for me to go in a variety of directions to fill that one final roster spot. I really would like to go after another three-point shooter, even if Walters is in the mix, as Diebler’s group has lost virtually all of its ability to stretch the floor. This has been addressed somewhat with Micah Parrish, who shot over 35% from downtown in 2021 and 2022, but his three-point shooting took a dip down to 29.2% this past season. Respectable numbers, but definitely not the over 43% from beyond the arc of guys like Battle and Middleton.
Tucker Anderson and Kasean Pryor are two intriguing options still on the board, while Jalen Sullinger — son of JJ, nephew of Jared — is also still out there, but seemingly without much interest from Ohio State. There is also of course Trey Townsend, who at this point seems like the most likely candidate out of all remaining transfer portal players — Walters included.
Anderson, who spent his freshman campaign at Central Arkansas, averaged 14.5 points per game this past season while shooting over 38% from downtown. The 6-foot-9 forward was named the ASUN Freshman of the Year, led the Bears in scoring and has three years of eligibility remaining. Pryor, meanwhile, is coming off his junior season with South Florida after two years at Boise State. A 6-foot-9 forward, Pryor averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and shot over 35% from three-point land.
That being said, while the prospect of adding another prolific three-point shooter is enticing, I’m going with the top overall candidate on the board in my opinion: Oakland’s Trey Townsend.
What Townsend lacks in shooting prowess, he makes up for in nearly every other aspect of his game. The 6-foot-6 forward led the Grizzlies this past season in both points and rebounding with 17.1 and 8.1, respectively. Townsend also posted team-highs in assist (3.1 per game) and steals (1.3), all good enough to earn him the Horizon League Player of the Year. Townsend was even better when the lights were brightest, posting a double-double in each of Oakland’s NCAA Tournament games, including a 30-point, 13-rebound performance in a tough loss to NC State.
While Townsend doesn’t take a ton of three-pointers, he has made over 37% of his attempts in each of the last two seasons. What has perhaps been most impressive for the Oxford, Michigan native has been his consistency. Starting nearly 130 games over four seasons at Oakland, Townsend is a career 50% shooter from the floor and is averaging 14.1 points per game. He would bring a ton of experience and leadership to an Ohio State team that will be largely comprised of underclassmen.
Following an official visit to Ohio State this past weekend, there have been reports that Townsend has canceled his planned visit to Louisville. With both Diebler and his former teammate Parrish both pushing hard to bring Townsend to Columbus, it sounds like there is a pretty good chance the talented forward ends up in scarlet and gray.
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
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes have two open roster spots to fill.
Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.
In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.
This week’s topic: What kind of player should Ohio State men’s basketball target in the transfer portal?
Josh’s Take
Just when we thought that the Ohio State men’s basketball roster was nearly set or complete, the transfer portal snatched up yet another Buckeye. Weeks after saying that he was 100% committed to OSU, Felix Okpara announced on Sunday morning that he had experienced a change of heart and was entering the portal, joining Roddy Gayle, Scotty Middleton, Zed Key, and Bowen Hardman as part of a Scarlet and Gray exodus.
Okpara’s exit opens another roster spot for Ohio State, and leaves just one member of the team’s acclaimed 2022 recruiting class. Bruce Thornton is the last man standing, as long as he sticks around in Columbus. But at this point nothing would surprise me. NCAA basketball is essentially just AAU now, and I for one hate it. I absolutely hate it with every fiber of my being. Great job, NCAA! You’ve kneecapped college sports and created a club environment/system with no rules... Sweet.
But since we’re here, let’s address the state of Jake Diebler’s roster. The Buckeyes now have two open spots. And fortunately, there are still plenty of quality players available (in the portal). However, not all of those players are a perfect fit with/for OSU.
Diebler’s team is loaded with guards, most of whom are of the undersized combo variety. Less than ideal, but that’s fine. I’m happy to ride with Thornton, Meechie Johnson, Taison Chatman, and incoming freshman Juni Mobley. On the wing, Devin Royal, Evan Mahaffey, and Micah Parrish offer scoring, defense, and glue guy-ness, respectively. And Aaron Bradshaw is a high-ceiling big man. But other than that, there are glaring weaknesses and very specific holes in/on the roster which Ohio State must look to fill.
So what are those weaknesses, and who exactly will fill these holes? Sorry, that became awkward... But anyway, I’m glad you asked. Because Gene and I are here to answer in today’s edition of You’re Nuts.
In my opinion, the Buckeyes really need a big who can also shoot. I’m not talking Kristaps Porzingis per se, but someone who can at least competently guard opposing forwards and/or centers, grab a handful of rebounds, and then knock down a shot or two outside of the paint. These guys don’t grow on trees – and Ohio State hasn’t had this archetype since arguably Kaleb Wesson – but they do exist. Even more so now, as modern basketball has continued to evolve into more of a pace and space game.
A big who can shoot would be a best of both worlds-type deal for OSU, offering not one, but two things the team is currently missing: Size and perimeter shooting, as if my archetype description was not obvious enough.
Bradshaw is the only “contributor” over 6-foot-6 for the Buckeyes, which screams rebounding margin — and not in a good way for our beloved Scarlet and Gray. This essentially locks him (Bradshaw) in at the center position, with Austin Parks as the only backup currently available. The latter was a coveted center recruit coming out of high school but played only 20 minutes as a freshman.
If both Bradshaw and Parks were to succumb to foul trouble or injury, who would Ohio State deploy at center? Mahaffey? Good luck with that against the next Zach Edey. So yeah, size is a big need. No pun intended.
As far as shooting goes, well, OSU just doesn’t have a lot of snipers on the current roster. Jamison Battle’s departure leaves Thornton as the team’s most “efficient” outside shooter, and he connected on (just) 33.3% of his three-point attempts last season. Johnson and Parrish can knock down a few treys here and there, but both are largely inefficient from distance. Soooo, where exactly does the perimeter shooting come from? This isn’t 1984, three or four three-point makes a game isn’t going to get it done.
Fortunately, there is at least one player out there who perfectly fits the “stretch four” description. And he recently visited Ohio State! His name is Sam Walters, and he would be THE ideal addition for Diebler and Co.
Walters was a top-100 player in the 2023 recruiting class, who committed to Alabama over Florida, LSU, and several other P5 programs. He then played in 37 games for the Tide, contributing 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in a shade over 12 minutes (played) per. Not bad for a true freshman playing on/for a Final Four team. But I fear that I am burying the lead here...
Not only did Walters play a role for Bama, but he is also 6-foot-10 with a sweet shooting stroke! Which means that he is exactly what the Buckeyes are and have been missing. And we have a real sample size to evaluate, too. Because Walters attempted 99 threes, draining 39 of them. That’s legit, folks. He also connected on 82.5% of his free throws, just for good measure.
Walters’ size and shooting prowess is/would be so, so perfect for OSU. He could seamlessly fit in at the four, flanked by Bradshaw and Royal, giving the Buckeyes one of the most talented front courts in the Big Ten. And that’s before we even get to the holy basketball triumvirate of Thornton, Johnson, and Chatman. I know I’m probably going a bit overboard there, but you get my point.
Ohio State lacks size and shooting, and Sam Walters checks both boxes. So make it happen, Diebs. I need to know that the Buckeyes will not go into next season with Evan Mahaffey as a backup big and Meechie Johnson as the team’s relied-upon sniper... No offense to either. But go get Sam I Am!
Gene’s Take
Without even knowing which direction Josh would be going in today’s edition of You’re Nuts, I had written in our LGHL Slack group last night that I was very intrigued by Walters after I saw that he was on campus this past weekend. A 6-foot-10 sharpshooter is definitely appealing, especially given that Ohio State has lost five of its top six three-point shooters from this past season and has just two scholarship players remaining listed at over 6-foot-6 — not including incoming Kentucky 7-footer Aaron Bradshaw.
However, since the Buckeyes now have two spots to fill with Okpara now in the portal, for the purpose of this exercise I am going to pretend that Josh’s selection of Walters is taking one of the two spots. There is certainly no guarantee that the Alabama transfer will eventually choose Ohio State, but for my half of You're Nuts I will pretend Walters is in, filling both the need for three-point shooting as well as size.
With that in mind, it opens the door for me to go in a variety of directions to fill that one final roster spot. I really would like to go after another three-point shooter, even if Walters is in the mix, as Diebler’s group has lost virtually all of its ability to stretch the floor. This has been addressed somewhat with Micah Parrish, who shot over 35% from downtown in 2021 and 2022, but his three-point shooting took a dip down to 29.2% this past season. Respectable numbers, but definitely not the over 43% from beyond the arc of guys like Battle and Middleton.
Tucker Anderson and Kasean Pryor are two intriguing options still on the board, while Jalen Sullinger — son of JJ, nephew of Jared — is also still out there, but seemingly without much interest from Ohio State. There is also of course Trey Townsend, who at this point seems like the most likely candidate out of all remaining transfer portal players — Walters included.
Anderson, who spent his freshman campaign at Central Arkansas, averaged 14.5 points per game this past season while shooting over 38% from downtown. The 6-foot-9 forward was named the ASUN Freshman of the Year, led the Bears in scoring and has three years of eligibility remaining. Pryor, meanwhile, is coming off his junior season with South Florida after two years at Boise State. A 6-foot-9 forward, Pryor averaged 13 points and 7.9 rebounds per game and shot over 35% from three-point land.
That being said, while the prospect of adding another prolific three-point shooter is enticing, I’m going with the top overall candidate on the board in my opinion: Oakland’s Trey Townsend.
What Townsend lacks in shooting prowess, he makes up for in nearly every other aspect of his game. The 6-foot-6 forward led the Grizzlies this past season in both points and rebounding with 17.1 and 8.1, respectively. Townsend also posted team-highs in assist (3.1 per game) and steals (1.3), all good enough to earn him the Horizon League Player of the Year. Townsend was even better when the lights were brightest, posting a double-double in each of Oakland’s NCAA Tournament games, including a 30-point, 13-rebound performance in a tough loss to NC State.
While Townsend doesn’t take a ton of three-pointers, he has made over 37% of his attempts in each of the last two seasons. What has perhaps been most impressive for the Oxford, Michigan native has been his consistency. Starting nearly 130 games over four seasons at Oakland, Townsend is a career 50% shooter from the floor and is averaging 14.1 points per game. He would bring a ton of experience and leadership to an Ohio State team that will be largely comprised of underclassmen.
Following an official visit to Ohio State this past weekend, there have been reports that Townsend has canceled his planned visit to Louisville. With both Diebler and his former teammate Parrish both pushing hard to bring Townsend to Columbus, it sounds like there is a pretty good chance the talented forward ends up in scarlet and gray.
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LGHL Ohio State offers five-star TE, makes short list for a top Florida LB
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Ohio State offers five-star TE, makes short list for a top Florida LB
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2025 LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng | Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports
Plus, Buckeyes QB commit Tavien St. Clair earns his spot at the Elite 11 Finals.
After last weekend’s festivities surrounding the annual Ohio State spring game, this past weekend was much quieter on the recruiting front. Still, the Buckeyes remained active on the trail over the past few days in both the 2025 and 2026 classes as they extended a new offer to one of the nation’s premier tight ends, while also making the top schools list for a top-70 national linebacker.
A little over a week ago, Ohio State landed a commitment from four-star 2025 tight end Nate Roberts, the No. 5 player at his position in the cycle. As the leader of the room, Buckeye assistant Keenan Bailey is wasting no time in looking for the next big name to add to his group, and made the first step towards building a strong relationship with a premier talent on Sunday when he extended an offer to 2026 tight end, Brock Harris.
A native of Utah, Harris currently ranks as the No. 2 TE and No. 21 overall prospect in the 2026 class, per the 247Sports Composite. A five-star prospect, the 6-foot-6 tight end holds over 30 offers at this early stage in the process, with Ohio State joining the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and many others. Harris is looking to become the first five-star prospect out of Utah since Kingsley Suamataia in 2021, and the first four-star-or-higher TE from the Beehive State since 2015.
Harris is coming off a big 2023 season at Pine View, hauling in 55 receptions for 665 yards and eight touchdowns. Having been the top performer at the Under Armour Camp Series in Salt Lake City over the summer, Harris earned an invite to the 2026 All-American Bowl. He was also selected to the 2025 Polynesian Bowl, where he will get a chance to play against some of the best players in the 2025 recruiting class as well.
Harris has not yet visited Columbus, but listed the Buckeyes among the teams he plans to visit with this summer in talking to Sports Illustrated.
“Hopefully, I will be getting to Texas and Baylor in April, as well as Georgia in May. Then this summer I plan on doing several visits including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and several SEC schools,” Harris said.
In addition to dishing out a new offer, Ohio State also learned over the weekend that it made the cut for one of the top linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class when Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng released his top-13 schools.
A four-star prospect out of IMG Academy in Florida, Owusu-Boateng currently sits as the No. 4 LB and No. 45 player nationally per 247Sports’ rankings. The 6-foot, 205-pound defender began his playing career at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, the same high school that produced Chase Young. His younger half-brother, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, played for Notre Dame from 2017-20, and currently plays for the Cleveland Browns, so Owusu-Boateng has no shortage of ties to Big Ten country.
Owusu-Boateng cut his list down from over 41 offers to now 13 final schools, and it is worth noting that Ohio State was among the first to offer the talented linebacker all the way back in April of 2022. That long relationship has paid off, at least for now, as the Buckeyes are among a now-smaller pool of candidates for Owusu-Boateng that also includes Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Miami and others.
Here is some of what 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins had to say in his scouting report of the DMV area native:
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2025 LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng | Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports
Plus, Buckeyes QB commit Tavien St. Clair earns his spot at the Elite 11 Finals.
After last weekend’s festivities surrounding the annual Ohio State spring game, this past weekend was much quieter on the recruiting front. Still, the Buckeyes remained active on the trail over the past few days in both the 2025 and 2026 classes as they extended a new offer to one of the nation’s premier tight ends, while also making the top schools list for a top-70 national linebacker.
A little over a week ago, Ohio State landed a commitment from four-star 2025 tight end Nate Roberts, the No. 5 player at his position in the cycle. As the leader of the room, Buckeye assistant Keenan Bailey is wasting no time in looking for the next big name to add to his group, and made the first step towards building a strong relationship with a premier talent on Sunday when he extended an offer to 2026 tight end, Brock Harris.
A native of Utah, Harris currently ranks as the No. 2 TE and No. 21 overall prospect in the 2026 class, per the 247Sports Composite. A five-star prospect, the 6-foot-6 tight end holds over 30 offers at this early stage in the process, with Ohio State joining the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oregon and many others. Harris is looking to become the first five-star prospect out of Utah since Kingsley Suamataia in 2021, and the first four-star-or-higher TE from the Beehive State since 2015.
Harris is coming off a big 2023 season at Pine View, hauling in 55 receptions for 665 yards and eight touchdowns. Having been the top performer at the Under Armour Camp Series in Salt Lake City over the summer, Harris earned an invite to the 2026 All-American Bowl. He was also selected to the 2025 Polynesian Bowl, where he will get a chance to play against some of the best players in the 2025 recruiting class as well.
Harris has not yet visited Columbus, but listed the Buckeyes among the teams he plans to visit with this summer in talking to Sports Illustrated.
“Hopefully, I will be getting to Texas and Baylor in April, as well as Georgia in May. Then this summer I plan on doing several visits including Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and several SEC schools,” Harris said.
In addition to dishing out a new offer, Ohio State also learned over the weekend that it made the cut for one of the top linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class when Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng released his top-13 schools.
NEWS: Four-Star LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng has narrowed his list toSchools, he tells me for @on3recruits
The 6’2 210 LB from Manassas, VA is ranked as the No. 4 LB in ‘25 (per On3 Industry)
Where Should He Go?https://t.co/sjwUNpwgVB pic.twitter.com/qfQpNTbhUe
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 21, 2024
A four-star prospect out of IMG Academy in Florida, Owusu-Boateng currently sits as the No. 4 LB and No. 45 player nationally per 247Sports’ rankings. The 6-foot, 205-pound defender began his playing career at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland, the same high school that produced Chase Young. His younger half-brother, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, played for Notre Dame from 2017-20, and currently plays for the Cleveland Browns, so Owusu-Boateng has no shortage of ties to Big Ten country.
Owusu-Boateng cut his list down from over 41 offers to now 13 final schools, and it is worth noting that Ohio State was among the first to offer the talented linebacker all the way back in April of 2022. That long relationship has paid off, at least for now, as the Buckeyes are among a now-smaller pool of candidates for Owusu-Boateng that also includes Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Miami and others.
Here is some of what 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins had to say in his scouting report of the DMV area native:
Quick Hits
- Ohio State 2025 quarterback commit Tavien St. Clair earned a spot at the Elite 11 Finals over the weekend after showing out at the Columbus regional. St. Clair will look to join the likes of former Buckeye QBs Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud as well as current Buckeye Julian Sayin as Ohio State players to take home Elite 11 MVP honors. A five-star prospect, St. Clair is the No. 4 QB and No. 17 player overall in the 2025 class per the 247Sports Composite.
- With the announcement on Sunday that Ohio State center Felix Okpara would be entering the transfer portal, new head coach Jake Diebler now has two open roster spots to fill heading into the 2024-25 season. The Buckeyes would love for one of those to be taken by Oakland’s Trey Townsend, a 6-foot-6 forward who averaged 17.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this past season for the Grizzlies. Townsend and Ohio State’s latest transfer portal addition, Micah Parrish, previously spend two years together at Oakland in 2020-22.
- Speaking of the college basketball transfer portal, Ohio State received a visit on Saturday from former Alabama forward Sam Walters. Playing in a reserve role with the Tide as a freshman this past season, averaging a little over 12 minutes per game, Walters shot just under 40% from beyond the arc on nearly 100 attempts. A big man at 6-foot-10, Walters averaged 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest.
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LGHL Predicting Ohio State’s 2024 rushing statistics
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Predicting Ohio State’s 2024 rushing statistics
Michael Citro 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/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With a pair of stud co-starting running backs and a new offensive coordinator, 2024 will be an interesting year for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.
Trying to predict a college football team’s statistics in April is a fool’s errand, so with that in mind: challenge accepted.
Ohio State has its best one-two punch at tailback since J.K. Dobbins split time with Mike Weber (and, later, Master Teague), and this year’s tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins could be much better than either of those other pairings.
Both have already managed to be featured, 1,000-yard backs. Injuries and snap management prevented Henderson from doing it multiple times, but he set a career mark in 2021 with 1,255 yards on 184 carries across 13 games, scoring 15 touchdowns.
Judkins is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but he’s been a lot more involved in the offense at Mississippi than Henderson has been in Columbus. On 274 carries, Judkins ran for 1,565 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2022 across 13 games. In 2023, Judkins carried 271 times in 13 tames for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns.
In order to make any predictions, I’m going to have to start with some assumptions. The first of those is that the backfield stays healthy enough to get a normal number of snaps. The second is that the running game will get a boost for two main reasons: the ability to go to two different top-notch running threats, and the presence of Chip Kelly, who should help the running back room with a combination of inside and outside zone runs
The Buckeyes will also benefit from additional concepts that can be used a bit more sparingly, and, more than likely, a quarterback who can be included in the base run game. That might not happen if Julian Sayin wins the job, but another assumption I’m going to make is that either Will Howard or Devin Brown will claim the job. I think it will be Howard.
Expanded playoffs may also play a role, but it’s best not to get too far into the weeds. Knowing how much Ryan Day likes to throw the football, take shots, and have his quarterback be the focal point of the offense, I’ll stick with a number of carries that is comparable over the course of the season.
The Buckeyes’ leading ball carrier under Ryan Day has averaged 164 attempts. Admittedly, this is not strictly true, because I am doing two unorthodox things. First, I’m throwing out the outlier of 301 carries by Dobbins in 2019, because that was the only season under Day where there was a clear workhorse back dominating the carries. Secondly, I had to extrapolate a season mark of 188 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season (the high mark for carries was 116, but in only eight games).
This seems about right, because I expect Henderson and Judkins to get a similar number of carries, with perhaps Judkins finishing with slightly more due to the likelihood that he’ll be the short-yardage and goal-line option, while also getting more of the fourth quarter carries to see out games and, let’s be honest, to better protect Henderson.
I think the first-half snaps for the running backs will be somewhat evenly distributed, including some sets with both Henderson and Judkins on the field together. Having both in the formation would help disguise whether the run is more likely to be inside or outside, although I expect Kelly to keep defenses honest by giving Henderson some inside runs and getting Judkins out on the edge at times.
Where things might get interesting is that I don’t see the third and fourth backs getting quite as many carries in 2024 unless there are some injuries. I would not have predicted that had Dallan Hayden decided to stay in Columbus, but here we are.
Based on all of the above, here is how I see the numbers shaking out by the end of the 2024 season:
I also think he’ll score about a dozen rushing touchdowns.
I’ll predict about 145 attempts for Henderson this fall, but I expect him to maximize those and break several long runs. I’ll look for an average of about 6.8yards per carry because of some of those explosion plays which will put him at 986 rushing yards. Of course, if the coaching staff sees Henderson approaching 1,000 yards, they might give him a few extra attempts late in the season.
As far as touchdowns, I’ll give Henderson the same 11 that he had in 2023. He’ll have to get in from further out, because Judkins seems more likely to get the nod in the red zone.
Howard doesn’t have Fields’ wheels, but he’s a smart runner and he has a knack for knowing when to take off and get a key first down. Kelly will use quarterback designed runs and RPOs, with the former keeping the defense honest. Additionally, Howard will scramble at times. I don’t expect him to rack up the 137 carries Fields had in 2019 — which was second most on the team that year — but I expect him to at least double the 32 attempts Kyle McCord had in 2023.
I’m going to predict about 72 carries for Howard. Sacks will affect his yardage, of course, but I still think he finishes third on the team in rushing yards for the season. Because I expect more designed quarterback runs in 2024 and for Howard to be more likely to take off when a pass play breaks down, I’m going to give him more than the 2.3 yards per carry average that C.J. Stroud had in 2022. I will also put Howard’s yards per carry below Fields’ numbers in 2019 and 2020, which were 3.53 and 4.72, respectively.
I will go with a solid 3.1 yards per carry (when figuring in sacks), for a 2024 season total of 223 yards. He’ll probably chip in a few rushing touchdowns as well.
After the top three, I would expect James Peoples, Sam Williams-Dixon, and TC Caffey to get most of the remaining carries, along with whoever is the backup quarterback, followed by Emeka Egbuka, who will get his usual jet sweep opportunities. Peoples seems the likely third choice at this point, but that may still be yet to be decided.
I’ll say this trio of running backs will end up in the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots in the final rushing charts, The leader of those three will approach Howard’s numbers, and finish with around 215 yards, with the next running back around 200 yards, and the third with 178.
That’s how I see the split in playing time, the distribution of the carries, the averages per carry, and the final totals for the 2024 season playing out. Feel free to tell me where you agree/disagree in the comments below.
Speculation is fun!
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Michael Citro 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/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With a pair of stud co-starting running backs and a new offensive coordinator, 2024 will be an interesting year for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.
Trying to predict a college football team’s statistics in April is a fool’s errand, so with that in mind: challenge accepted.
Ohio State has its best one-two punch at tailback since J.K. Dobbins split time with Mike Weber (and, later, Master Teague), and this year’s tandem of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins could be much better than either of those other pairings.
Both have already managed to be featured, 1,000-yard backs. Injuries and snap management prevented Henderson from doing it multiple times, but he set a career mark in 2021 with 1,255 yards on 184 carries across 13 games, scoring 15 touchdowns.
Judkins is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but he’s been a lot more involved in the offense at Mississippi than Henderson has been in Columbus. On 274 carries, Judkins ran for 1,565 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2022 across 13 games. In 2023, Judkins carried 271 times in 13 tames for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns.
In order to make any predictions, I’m going to have to start with some assumptions. The first of those is that the backfield stays healthy enough to get a normal number of snaps. The second is that the running game will get a boost for two main reasons: the ability to go to two different top-notch running threats, and the presence of Chip Kelly, who should help the running back room with a combination of inside and outside zone runs
The Buckeyes will also benefit from additional concepts that can be used a bit more sparingly, and, more than likely, a quarterback who can be included in the base run game. That might not happen if Julian Sayin wins the job, but another assumption I’m going to make is that either Will Howard or Devin Brown will claim the job. I think it will be Howard.
Expanded playoffs may also play a role, but it’s best not to get too far into the weeds. Knowing how much Ryan Day likes to throw the football, take shots, and have his quarterback be the focal point of the offense, I’ll stick with a number of carries that is comparable over the course of the season.
The Buckeyes’ leading ball carrier under Ryan Day has averaged 164 attempts. Admittedly, this is not strictly true, because I am doing two unorthodox things. First, I’m throwing out the outlier of 301 carries by Dobbins in 2019, because that was the only season under Day where there was a clear workhorse back dominating the carries. Secondly, I had to extrapolate a season mark of 188 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season (the high mark for carries was 116, but in only eight games).
This seems about right, because I expect Henderson and Judkins to get a similar number of carries, with perhaps Judkins finishing with slightly more due to the likelihood that he’ll be the short-yardage and goal-line option, while also getting more of the fourth quarter carries to see out games and, let’s be honest, to better protect Henderson.
I think the first-half snaps for the running backs will be somewhat evenly distributed, including some sets with both Henderson and Judkins on the field together. Having both in the formation would help disguise whether the run is more likely to be inside or outside, although I expect Kelly to keep defenses honest by giving Henderson some inside runs and getting Judkins out on the edge at times.
Where things might get interesting is that I don’t see the third and fourth backs getting quite as many carries in 2024 unless there are some injuries. I would not have predicted that had Dallan Hayden decided to stay in Columbus, but here we are.
Based on all of the above, here is how I see the numbers shaking out by the end of the 2024 season:
- Judkins — I think the bulk of the carries in 2024 will go to Judkins, but he’ll still be far below his average of 270+ attempts in each of the last two years. I expect Judkins to get around 185 carries, and average around 5.5 yards per attempt. That would place Judkins at the top of the yardage leaderboard with about 1,017 yards.
I also think he’ll score about a dozen rushing touchdowns.
- Henderson — Having Judkins as a stable mate will keep Henderson’s legs fresh in 2024, and having Kelly running a wider variety of inside and outside runs, combined with some misdirection, will help Henderson have a big year. That said, I think he falls a little shy of giving Ohio State two 1,000-yard rushers in 2024.
I’ll predict about 145 attempts for Henderson this fall, but I expect him to maximize those and break several long runs. I’ll look for an average of about 6.8yards per carry because of some of those explosion plays which will put him at 986 rushing yards. Of course, if the coaching staff sees Henderson approaching 1,000 yards, they might give him a few extra attempts late in the season.
As far as touchdowns, I’ll give Henderson the same 11 that he had in 2023. He’ll have to get in from further out, because Judkins seems more likely to get the nod in the red zone.
- Howard — The quarterback hasn’t been asked to run a lot in Day’s tenure at Ohio State, although Justin Fields surpassed 350 yards twice in that span, including the shortened COVID season of 2020.
Howard doesn’t have Fields’ wheels, but he’s a smart runner and he has a knack for knowing when to take off and get a key first down. Kelly will use quarterback designed runs and RPOs, with the former keeping the defense honest. Additionally, Howard will scramble at times. I don’t expect him to rack up the 137 carries Fields had in 2019 — which was second most on the team that year — but I expect him to at least double the 32 attempts Kyle McCord had in 2023.
I’m going to predict about 72 carries for Howard. Sacks will affect his yardage, of course, but I still think he finishes third on the team in rushing yards for the season. Because I expect more designed quarterback runs in 2024 and for Howard to be more likely to take off when a pass play breaks down, I’m going to give him more than the 2.3 yards per carry average that C.J. Stroud had in 2022. I will also put Howard’s yards per carry below Fields’ numbers in 2019 and 2020, which were 3.53 and 4.72, respectively.
I will go with a solid 3.1 yards per carry (when figuring in sacks), for a 2024 season total of 223 yards. He’ll probably chip in a few rushing touchdowns as well.
After the top three, I would expect James Peoples, Sam Williams-Dixon, and TC Caffey to get most of the remaining carries, along with whoever is the backup quarterback, followed by Emeka Egbuka, who will get his usual jet sweep opportunities. Peoples seems the likely third choice at this point, but that may still be yet to be decided.
I’ll say this trio of running backs will end up in the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots in the final rushing charts, The leader of those three will approach Howard’s numbers, and finish with around 215 yards, with the next running back around 200 yards, and the third with 178.
That’s how I see the split in playing time, the distribution of the carries, the averages per carry, and the final totals for the 2024 season playing out. Feel free to tell me where you agree/disagree in the comments below.
Speculation is fun!
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State sophomore center Felix Okpara enters transfer portal after two seasons in Columbus
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Ohio State sophomore center Felix Okpara enters transfer portal after two seasons in Columbus
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
The 6-foot-11 sophomore ended the season by scoring in double-digit in all three NIT games.
Following two seasons in Columbus, starting center Felix Okpara has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, ending his Buckeye career and instantly changing the outlook of the 2024-2025 Ohio State men’s basketball season.
Okpara — a 6-foot-11 sophomore originally from Lagos, Nigera — appeared in 70 games for Ohio State in two seasons. He started 34 of 35 games as sophomore, supplanting Zed Key — who was two years his senior — in the starting lineup. Okpara carried momentum from the end of his freshman season into the summer, where he earned that starting center spot when the Buckeyes took on Oakland in the season-opener.
In two seasons, Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Astonishingly, he shot basically the same percentage his freshman (58.7%) and sophomore (58.6%) seasons. He was not one of Ohio State’s top options on offense, but was a lob threat at all times, especially in transition. Okpara looked increasingly confident on the block as the season went on, but he was particularly effective in the NIT, scoring in double-digits in each of Ohio State’s final three games — the first time he had done that in his career.
Okpara became one of the best interior defenders in the Big Ten as a sophomore, ranking second in blocks per game, with 2.3. Even after games where Okpara didn’t score much, Diebler went out of his way to praise Okpara for his “phenomenal” defense on an almost daily basis.
The sophomore’s decision to explore other options comes six days after Aaron Bradshaw, a former McDonald’s All-American, top-five recruit and Kentucky Wildcat, announced he would be transferring to Ohio State. Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes were reportedly scheming up ways to play both big men together, but starting the two together was not a guarantee. Ultimately, Okpara decided it was in his best interest to continue elsewhere.
While Okpara didn’t develop as quickly on the offensive end as some of the other players in his recruiting class like Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh, he seemed to be hitting his stride at the tail end of the season, and expectations were high for his junior season. That season will happen somewhere, but it won’t be at Ohio State.
Okpara was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He was the No. 66 overall player in the class, the No. 14 center in the class, and the fourth-highest rated player in the state of Missouri. He was the third-highest rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2022 class, behind Gayle and Thornton but in front of Sensabaugh and Hardman.
Like most of the current roster, Diebler was Okpara’s main recruiter. The two have a close relationship, and the hope was that one benefit of hiring Diebler was that the main core of the team would resist the portal and remain in Columbus. After Ohio State’s win over Virginia Tech in the NIT (Ohio State’s final win of the year), Okpara said one motivator to keep winning was to “keep this family going.” Okpara is the fifth Buckeye to enter the transfer portal since the season ended.
Okpara was also heavily recruited by SEC schools such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Texas, and Kentucky, as well as Nebraska, Wake Forest, and others.
Diebler’s first off-season has seen Ohio State attack the transfer portal differently than his predecessor, Chris Holtmann did. While Holtmann often sought out complimentary pieces to round out a roster, Diebler is clearly pursuing players he believes can make a substantial impact right away. The result so far is a higher turnover rate than was expected from returning players, but at the end of the day, Diebler was hired to raise the standard and win.
Good luck to Felix, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Brooke LaValley / USA TODAY NETWORK
The 6-foot-11 sophomore ended the season by scoring in double-digit in all three NIT games.
Following two seasons in Columbus, starting center Felix Okpara has decided to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, ending his Buckeye career and instantly changing the outlook of the 2024-2025 Ohio State men’s basketball season.
Okpara — a 6-foot-11 sophomore originally from Lagos, Nigera — appeared in 70 games for Ohio State in two seasons. He started 34 of 35 games as sophomore, supplanting Zed Key — who was two years his senior — in the starting lineup. Okpara carried momentum from the end of his freshman season into the summer, where he earned that starting center spot when the Buckeyes took on Oakland in the season-opener.
In two seasons, Okpara averaged 5.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. Astonishingly, he shot basically the same percentage his freshman (58.7%) and sophomore (58.6%) seasons. He was not one of Ohio State’s top options on offense, but was a lob threat at all times, especially in transition. Okpara looked increasingly confident on the block as the season went on, but he was particularly effective in the NIT, scoring in double-digits in each of Ohio State’s final three games — the first time he had done that in his career.
Okpara became one of the best interior defenders in the Big Ten as a sophomore, ranking second in blocks per game, with 2.3. Even after games where Okpara didn’t score much, Diebler went out of his way to praise Okpara for his “phenomenal” defense on an almost daily basis.
The sophomore’s decision to explore other options comes six days after Aaron Bradshaw, a former McDonald’s All-American, top-five recruit and Kentucky Wildcat, announced he would be transferring to Ohio State. Jake Diebler and the Buckeyes were reportedly scheming up ways to play both big men together, but starting the two together was not a guarantee. Ultimately, Okpara decided it was in his best interest to continue elsewhere.
While Okpara didn’t develop as quickly on the offensive end as some of the other players in his recruiting class like Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Brice Sensabaugh, he seemed to be hitting his stride at the tail end of the season, and expectations were high for his junior season. That season will happen somewhere, but it won’t be at Ohio State.
Okpara was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He was the No. 66 overall player in the class, the No. 14 center in the class, and the fourth-highest rated player in the state of Missouri. He was the third-highest rated recruit in Ohio State’s 2022 class, behind Gayle and Thornton but in front of Sensabaugh and Hardman.
Like most of the current roster, Diebler was Okpara’s main recruiter. The two have a close relationship, and the hope was that one benefit of hiring Diebler was that the main core of the team would resist the portal and remain in Columbus. After Ohio State’s win over Virginia Tech in the NIT (Ohio State’s final win of the year), Okpara said one motivator to keep winning was to “keep this family going.” Okpara is the fifth Buckeye to enter the transfer portal since the season ended.
Okpara was also heavily recruited by SEC schools such as Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Texas, and Kentucky, as well as Nebraska, Wake Forest, and others.
Diebler’s first off-season has seen Ohio State attack the transfer portal differently than his predecessor, Chris Holtmann did. While Holtmann often sought out complimentary pieces to round out a roster, Diebler is clearly pursuing players he believes can make a substantial impact right away. The result so far is a higher turnover rate than was expected from returning players, but at the end of the day, Diebler was hired to raise the standard and win.
Good luck to Felix, wherever he winds up!
Continue reading...
