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LGHL Ohio State’s road struggles continue, falling to Nebraska 83-69
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Ohio State’s road struggles continue, falling to Nebraska 83-69
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes started strong, but struggled to knock down shots and could not overcome a career game from Rienk Mast
On Tuesday night, the Ohio State Men’s Basketball (13-6, 3-5) team fell to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-5, 5-4) 83-69 in Lincoln. Rienk Mast recorded 34 points and nine rebounds as the Huskers went ahead late in the first half and never looked back. This is the best 20-game start for the Huskers since 1990-91.
Ohio State got off to a hot start, knocking down its first four field goals and taking a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout. The Buckeyes started hot from the field, going 8-for-14, 2-for-3. However, they missed eight of its next nine shots but still led 26-23 with six minutes left in the half.
Nebraska started connecting from behind the arc, with Rienk Mast knocking down 3-of-4 three-pointers and recording 13 first-half points. He was averaging 12.5 points per game.
At the half, Nebraska led Ohio State 43-35 after a Bruce Thornton jumper was followed up by a Brice Williams tip-in. Mast led Nebraska with 13 points, and Brice Williams added nine points for the Huskers.
For Ohio State, Bruce Thornton led the way with 11 points, and Evan Mahaffey had six points. Jamison Battle recorded five points and five rebounds.
Nebraska scored to start the second half to give them a 10-point lead, but back-to-back three-pointers from Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle cut the Husker lead to four.
After some back-and-forth basketball, the Buckeyes and Huskers got back-to-back three-pointers from C.J. Wilcher and Mast, and Nebraska led 57-47 with 12 minutes remaining.
After two free throws from Eli Rice, the Huskers took a 59-47 lead. Mast knocked down two more three-pointers, and the Huskers started to pull away, leading 65-49. The two three-pointers gave Mast six on the night, his previous high being four. He was 6-for-7 from three.
The Buckeye's struggles continued from the field, as they brought in Bowen Hardman, who has only played 12 minutes this season, to try and provide some spark off the bench. He did knock down two three-pointers on five attempts.
The Buckeyes fell 83-69 as they could never close the gap.
The difficulty the Buckeyes have had winning away from Columbus has been well-documented. The Buckeyes lost 12 straight road games entering this contest in Lincoln, and their last road win came on Jan. 1, 2023, at Northwestern, a game they won easily.
On the other hand, Nebraska has played its best basketball at home, earning wins over Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana, and Northwestern in conference play.
Evan Mahaffey, a sophomore transfer from Penn State, has been a starter all season for the Buckeyes, and while he has been great on defense, he has yet to really make an impact on the offense end. That changed Saturday against his former school on Saturday when he recorded 16 points and five rebounds and was the leading scorer in’ the Buckeyes' 79-67 win.
If Mahaffey can turn into an eight to ten-point scorer a game, that could be the scoring help they need from a fourth option.
The Buckeye's top freshman, Scotty Middleton, missed the Buckeye's win over Penn State due to a suspension for a violation of team rules. The suspension’s length was unknown at the time, but it ended up being just one game. Middleton is averaging 4.7 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game in 16.8 minutes per game.
Nebraska has shot the three-ball well all season, and this one was no different. The Huskers shot 5-for-9 from three during its 30-13 run in the first half. Through the first 30 minutes of the game, the Huskers shot 10-for-22 from three, while the Buckeyes were 4-for-13 from three-point range through the same time period.
Rienk Mast, a graduate senior transfer from Bradley, has had a great season for the Huskers, averaging 12.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. However, he had a career game against Ohio State, knocking down six three-pointers and scoring 28 points through the first 31 minutes of the game.
Sophomore guard Bowen Hardman, who has only played in six games this season for 12 minutes, entered the game with six minutes left and the Buckeyes down by 16. Hardman immediately shot five three-pointers, going 3-for-6 from the field and recording eight points.
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justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes started strong, but struggled to knock down shots and could not overcome a career game from Rienk Mast
On Tuesday night, the Ohio State Men’s Basketball (13-6, 3-5) team fell to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-5, 5-4) 83-69 in Lincoln. Rienk Mast recorded 34 points and nine rebounds as the Huskers went ahead late in the first half and never looked back. This is the best 20-game start for the Huskers since 1990-91.
Ohio State got off to a hot start, knocking down its first four field goals and taking a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout. The Buckeyes started hot from the field, going 8-for-14, 2-for-3. However, they missed eight of its next nine shots but still led 26-23 with six minutes left in the half.
Nebraska started connecting from behind the arc, with Rienk Mast knocking down 3-of-4 three-pointers and recording 13 first-half points. He was averaging 12.5 points per game.
At the half, Nebraska led Ohio State 43-35 after a Bruce Thornton jumper was followed up by a Brice Williams tip-in. Mast led Nebraska with 13 points, and Brice Williams added nine points for the Huskers.
For Ohio State, Bruce Thornton led the way with 11 points, and Evan Mahaffey had six points. Jamison Battle recorded five points and five rebounds.
Nebraska scored to start the second half to give them a 10-point lead, but back-to-back three-pointers from Bruce Thornton and Jamison Battle cut the Husker lead to four.
After some back-and-forth basketball, the Buckeyes and Huskers got back-to-back three-pointers from C.J. Wilcher and Mast, and Nebraska led 57-47 with 12 minutes remaining.
After two free throws from Eli Rice, the Huskers took a 59-47 lead. Mast knocked down two more three-pointers, and the Huskers started to pull away, leading 65-49. The two three-pointers gave Mast six on the night, his previous high being four. He was 6-for-7 from three.
The Buckeye's struggles continued from the field, as they brought in Bowen Hardman, who has only played 12 minutes this season, to try and provide some spark off the bench. He did knock down two three-pointers on five attempts.
The Buckeyes fell 83-69 as they could never close the gap.
Road Woes
The difficulty the Buckeyes have had winning away from Columbus has been well-documented. The Buckeyes lost 12 straight road games entering this contest in Lincoln, and their last road win came on Jan. 1, 2023, at Northwestern, a game they won easily.
On the other hand, Nebraska has played its best basketball at home, earning wins over Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana, and Northwestern in conference play.
Evan Mahaffey gets comfortable
Evan Mahaffey, a sophomore transfer from Penn State, has been a starter all season for the Buckeyes, and while he has been great on defense, he has yet to really make an impact on the offense end. That changed Saturday against his former school on Saturday when he recorded 16 points and five rebounds and was the leading scorer in’ the Buckeyes' 79-67 win.
If Mahaffey can turn into an eight to ten-point scorer a game, that could be the scoring help they need from a fourth option.
Scotty Middleton returns
The Buckeye's top freshman, Scotty Middleton, missed the Buckeye's win over Penn State due to a suspension for a violation of team rules. The suspension’s length was unknown at the time, but it ended up being just one game. Middleton is averaging 4.7 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per game in 16.8 minutes per game.
Hot shooting Huskers
Nebraska has shot the three-ball well all season, and this one was no different. The Huskers shot 5-for-9 from three during its 30-13 run in the first half. Through the first 30 minutes of the game, the Huskers shot 10-for-22 from three, while the Buckeyes were 4-for-13 from three-point range through the same time period.
Career game from Rienk Mast
Rienk Mast, a graduate senior transfer from Bradley, has had a great season for the Huskers, averaging 12.5 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game. However, he had a career game against Ohio State, knocking down six three-pointers and scoring 28 points through the first 31 minutes of the game.
Bowen Hardman sees the floor
Sophomore guard Bowen Hardman, who has only played in six games this season for 12 minutes, entered the game with six minutes left and the Buckeyes down by 16. Hardman immediately shot five three-pointers, going 3-for-6 from the field and recording eight points.
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LGHL How Julian Sayin’s commitment could impact the future of Ohio State’s quarterbacks room
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How Julian Sayin’s commitment could impact the future of Ohio State’s quarterbacks room
Michael Citro 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
The commitment of the top-rated quarterback in the 2024 class is sure to have some ripple effects.
The Buckeyes landed a huge commitment over the weekend with the transfer of quarterback Julian Sayin, who had originally signed to play at Alabama. With Nick Saban’s retirement, Sayin entered the transfer portal and will be a Buckeye.
The top-rated quarterback in the 2024 class, Sayin arrives to find his position group full of talent. He joins fourth-rated 2024 quarterback Air Noland, returners Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz, and Kansas State transfer Will Howard.
Ryan Day obviously wants to find the best quarterback to run his offense, and adding Sayin is sure to have at least a few ripple effects.
Howard seems likely to be the starter in 2024. He had options and chose to transfer to Ohio State, so that would indicate he’s the man to beat for the job, especially with his experience advantage.
Howard posted similar numbers at Kansas State to what Kyle McCord produced at Ohio State last year, but the transfer will now have a much better supporting cast. Because Howard only has one year of eligibility, his arrival alone was not likely to send anyone into the transfer portal.
But Sayin’s arrival changes the future landscape of Day’s quarterback room. That’s not a reason not to gladly accept his commitment. After all, a great quarterback can elevate a team and help it reach greater heights. But with five quarterbacks now in the group, snaps for some of them will be hard to come by for a while.
The most obvious future ramification comes down to Sayin vs. Noland in terms of who can gain an advantage over the other incoming freshman. It’s unlikely both Sayin and Noland finish their careers at Ohio State. One of them will likely depart to become the leader somewhere else — assuming, of course, that both young signal callers adapt to the college game and excel.
That probably won’t happen this spring, and both will likely redshirt while Howard leads the Buckeyes in 2024.
Brown seems the likely candidate to become the primary backup in 2024, and the favorite to become QB1 in 2025, but there are no guarantees there. With the pedigrees that Sayin and Noland arrive with, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if both quickly rose up the depth chart and started pressing Brown and Kienholz.
While that may not happen during the upcoming spring, it will be interesting to see if both Brown and Kienholz stay in Columbus when the transfer portal opens again.
Day would no doubt like them both to return, giving him some coverage in case something happens to Howard (again, assuming he wins the starting job over Brown). Neither has much experience, but they’ve both been in the program and have a leg up on the freshmen. Both are likely to play in the second halves of blowout games, earning more experience in 2024 and getting chances to make their case for a post-Howard world.
But there is a possibility that Brown or Kienholz (or even both) will transfer out after the spring. The latter scenario would be less than ideal, leaving Ohio State with a pair of true freshmen backing up Howard. If Brown does transfer out, Howard had better stay healthy and Day must accelerate the learning curve of his freshmen. If Kienholz leaves, things look a little less bleak if something happens to the winner of the Howard/Brown battle.
Looking ahead a couple of years, after Howard has left the program, it seems unlikely that both Brown and Kienholz will be here, and even less likely that both Sayin and Noland will still be Buckeyes. This is the age of the portal, and the landscape can change quickly. That will require Ohio State to continue recruiting the position well, and perhaps Day will have to revisit the portal for depth.
Any way you look at it, it’s a great “problem” to have. Too much talent? There’s no such thing.
Continue reading...
Michael Citro 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
The commitment of the top-rated quarterback in the 2024 class is sure to have some ripple effects.
The Buckeyes landed a huge commitment over the weekend with the transfer of quarterback Julian Sayin, who had originally signed to play at Alabama. With Nick Saban’s retirement, Sayin entered the transfer portal and will be a Buckeye.
The top-rated quarterback in the 2024 class, Sayin arrives to find his position group full of talent. He joins fourth-rated 2024 quarterback Air Noland, returners Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz, and Kansas State transfer Will Howard.
Ryan Day obviously wants to find the best quarterback to run his offense, and adding Sayin is sure to have at least a few ripple effects.
Howard seems likely to be the starter in 2024. He had options and chose to transfer to Ohio State, so that would indicate he’s the man to beat for the job, especially with his experience advantage.
Howard posted similar numbers at Kansas State to what Kyle McCord produced at Ohio State last year, but the transfer will now have a much better supporting cast. Because Howard only has one year of eligibility, his arrival alone was not likely to send anyone into the transfer portal.
But Sayin’s arrival changes the future landscape of Day’s quarterback room. That’s not a reason not to gladly accept his commitment. After all, a great quarterback can elevate a team and help it reach greater heights. But with five quarterbacks now in the group, snaps for some of them will be hard to come by for a while.
The most obvious future ramification comes down to Sayin vs. Noland in terms of who can gain an advantage over the other incoming freshman. It’s unlikely both Sayin and Noland finish their careers at Ohio State. One of them will likely depart to become the leader somewhere else — assuming, of course, that both young signal callers adapt to the college game and excel.
That probably won’t happen this spring, and both will likely redshirt while Howard leads the Buckeyes in 2024.
Brown seems the likely candidate to become the primary backup in 2024, and the favorite to become QB1 in 2025, but there are no guarantees there. With the pedigrees that Sayin and Noland arrive with, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if both quickly rose up the depth chart and started pressing Brown and Kienholz.
While that may not happen during the upcoming spring, it will be interesting to see if both Brown and Kienholz stay in Columbus when the transfer portal opens again.
Day would no doubt like them both to return, giving him some coverage in case something happens to Howard (again, assuming he wins the starting job over Brown). Neither has much experience, but they’ve both been in the program and have a leg up on the freshmen. Both are likely to play in the second halves of blowout games, earning more experience in 2024 and getting chances to make their case for a post-Howard world.
But there is a possibility that Brown or Kienholz (or even both) will transfer out after the spring. The latter scenario would be less than ideal, leaving Ohio State with a pair of true freshmen backing up Howard. If Brown does transfer out, Howard had better stay healthy and Day must accelerate the learning curve of his freshmen. If Kienholz leaves, things look a little less bleak if something happens to the winner of the Howard/Brown battle.
Looking ahead a couple of years, after Howard has left the program, it seems unlikely that both Brown and Kienholz will be here, and even less likely that both Sayin and Noland will still be Buckeyes. This is the age of the portal, and the landscape can change quickly. That will require Ohio State to continue recruiting the position well, and perhaps Day will have to revisit the portal for depth.
Any way you look at it, it’s a great “problem” to have. Too much talent? There’s no such thing.
Continue reading...
LGHL You’re Nuts: Which college football player would be your dream transfer portal target for Ohio State?
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You’re Nuts: Which college football player would be your dream transfer portal target for Ohio State?
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 Matthew Holst/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
The introduction of the transfer portal has drastically changed college athletics. Just look at the last three weeks for Ryan Day. The Ohio State head coach felt his seat start to get warmer after the Buckeyes looked totally inept in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri. Then Day not only puts together a massive haul in the transfer portal, he also brings in Bill O’Brien to take over as offensive coordinator for Ohio State. Not that Day won’t have a ton of pressure on him in 2024, he has just been able to make a string of smart moves to try and stack the deck in his favor.
What a last couple weeks it has been for Ohio State football in the transfer portal. The Buckeyes found a replacement for quarterback Kyle McCord, bringing in Kansas State quarterback Will Howard. Then Ohio State made a splash just as Michigan was winning the national title last Monday by receiving the commitment of Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Just a few days later, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement, paving the way for safety Caleb Downs and five-star freshman quarterback Julian Sayin to decide their future would be brightest in Columbus.
Since it’s a long offseason, today we figured we’d have a bit of fun with the transfer portal. Because Ohio State has been killing it in the portal lately, why not get greedy? What if you had the power to bring any player in college football to Columbus via the transfer portal to play for the Buckeyes? Who would you take? Would it be a player for a position of need for Ohio State? Or would it be one of the most exciting players in the country at a position of strength for the Buckeyes?
Cade Stover was one of the best tight ends in school history, becoming just the only other tight end aside from John Frank to record at least 1,000 receiving yards during their Ohio State career. “Farmer Gronk” is now off to the NFL, leaving a big hole at tight end. With Emeka Egbuka injured for a chunk of the season, Stover was the second option in the passing game behind Marvin Harrison Jr. Stover finished the 2023 season with 41 catches for 576 yards and five touchdown receptions.
As if losing a receiver the caliber of Harrison isn’t going to be hard enough for Ohio State, the Buckeyes will also have to try and fill the void left by Stover. Unlike at wide receiver, where Ohio State already has talents like Carnell Tate and incoming freshman Jeremiah Smith to try and replace Harrison, the outlook isn’t quite as clear at tight end. That’s why in a perfect world where Ohio State could bring in any player they wanted, I have the perfect option for them in the transfer portal at tight end.
The 2023 season for Luke Lachey was one to forget. The Iowa tight end was injured three games into the season, finishing the year with just 10 catches for 131 yards. Lachey entered 2023 coming off a sophomore year that saw him haul in 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns. In the Hawkeye offense, 28 receptions might as well be 50-60 catches in a normal offense. Plus, Lachey will definitely have something to prove in 2024 after his junior season was cut short because of injury.
As if bringing in one of the top tight ends in the country wouldn’t be a huge get for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, another reason my dream transfer portal target this year for Ohio State would be Lachey is because it would be a tremendous story. The father of the Iowa tight end is former Buckeye offensive lineman Jim Lachey, who teams with Paul Keels on the school’s radio broadcasts of the game. The additions of Howard, Downs, Judkins, and others has been great, but if Ohio State found a way to bring in Lachey it would really hit a lot of fans in the feels.
Since this is ostensibly an exercise in greed, untethered to reality, I would love for the Buckeyes to secure the services of Miami Hurricane offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. The reasons are obvious; despite the incredible run in the transfer portal and retaining players from last year, the offensive line is still the one position with significant question marks. The Buckeyes added erstwhile Alabama starting center Seth McLaughlin, but otherwise, they have stood firm at o-line, having missed out on a homesick Kayden Proctor who left Tuscaloosa for his hometown Iowa Hawkeyes.
Bringing in Mauigoa would be an immediate line-changing move. Not only was the Bradenton, Florida native a top-10 player in the 2023 class, but he proved how good he could be by being named to numerous freshman All-America lists. He played right tackle for the Canes this season — Proctor was the LT on most freshman AA lists — so he could easily slide into that position for OSU, assuming Ryan Day, Bill O’Brien, Brian Hartline, and Justin Frye are comfortable leaving Josh Simmons on the left side; he started the season looking a little overwhelmed making the jump from San Diego State, but he finished the year as arguably the team’s best offensive lineman.
That would give you a starting offensive line of Simmons at LT, Donovan Jackson at left guard, McLaughlin at center, Josh Fryar at right guard, and Mauigoa at right tackle. While I still might have questions about some of those spots and wouldn’t mind further upgrades, bringing in another lock-down tackle would sure make me feel more comfortable about what Will Howard and the offense could do in 2024.
Of course, the added benefit of bringing in a player like Mauigoa is that you would have him for two seasons. Like Caleb Downs — another freshman All-American — he would almost certainly make an immediate impact, but would be on hand for two years. If he and Simmons didn’t flip sides in 2024, Mauigoa could easily move to the blindside for his junior campaign.
The Buckeyes are unlikely to add another offensive lineman from the transfer portal before the start of spring practice, but they could afterward — as they did last year. But they will assuredly give Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola a chance to solidify starting spots on the line before the team decides if they need to go into the portal once more before the season starts.
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 Matthew Holst/Getty Images
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
The introduction of the transfer portal has drastically changed college athletics. Just look at the last three weeks for Ryan Day. The Ohio State head coach felt his seat start to get warmer after the Buckeyes looked totally inept in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri. Then Day not only puts together a massive haul in the transfer portal, he also brings in Bill O’Brien to take over as offensive coordinator for Ohio State. Not that Day won’t have a ton of pressure on him in 2024, he has just been able to make a string of smart moves to try and stack the deck in his favor.
What a last couple weeks it has been for Ohio State football in the transfer portal. The Buckeyes found a replacement for quarterback Kyle McCord, bringing in Kansas State quarterback Will Howard. Then Ohio State made a splash just as Michigan was winning the national title last Monday by receiving the commitment of Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins. Just a few days later, Alabama head coach Nick Saban announced his retirement, paving the way for safety Caleb Downs and five-star freshman quarterback Julian Sayin to decide their future would be brightest in Columbus.
Since it’s a long offseason, today we figured we’d have a bit of fun with the transfer portal. Because Ohio State has been killing it in the portal lately, why not get greedy? What if you had the power to bring any player in college football to Columbus via the transfer portal to play for the Buckeyes? Who would you take? Would it be a player for a position of need for Ohio State? Or would it be one of the most exciting players in the country at a position of strength for the Buckeyes?
Today’s question: Which college football player would be your dream target for Ohio State in the transfer portal?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Luke Lachey
Cade Stover was one of the best tight ends in school history, becoming just the only other tight end aside from John Frank to record at least 1,000 receiving yards during their Ohio State career. “Farmer Gronk” is now off to the NFL, leaving a big hole at tight end. With Emeka Egbuka injured for a chunk of the season, Stover was the second option in the passing game behind Marvin Harrison Jr. Stover finished the 2023 season with 41 catches for 576 yards and five touchdown receptions.
As if losing a receiver the caliber of Harrison isn’t going to be hard enough for Ohio State, the Buckeyes will also have to try and fill the void left by Stover. Unlike at wide receiver, where Ohio State already has talents like Carnell Tate and incoming freshman Jeremiah Smith to try and replace Harrison, the outlook isn’t quite as clear at tight end. That’s why in a perfect world where Ohio State could bring in any player they wanted, I have the perfect option for them in the transfer portal at tight end.
The 2023 season for Luke Lachey was one to forget. The Iowa tight end was injured three games into the season, finishing the year with just 10 catches for 131 yards. Lachey entered 2023 coming off a sophomore year that saw him haul in 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns. In the Hawkeye offense, 28 receptions might as well be 50-60 catches in a normal offense. Plus, Lachey will definitely have something to prove in 2024 after his junior season was cut short because of injury.
As if bringing in one of the top tight ends in the country wouldn’t be a huge get for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, another reason my dream transfer portal target this year for Ohio State would be Lachey is because it would be a tremendous story. The father of the Iowa tight end is former Buckeye offensive lineman Jim Lachey, who teams with Paul Keels on the school’s radio broadcasts of the game. The additions of Howard, Downs, Judkins, and others has been great, but if Ohio State found a way to bring in Lachey it would really hit a lot of fans in the feels.
Matt’s answer: Francis Mauigoa
Since this is ostensibly an exercise in greed, untethered to reality, I would love for the Buckeyes to secure the services of Miami Hurricane offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa. The reasons are obvious; despite the incredible run in the transfer portal and retaining players from last year, the offensive line is still the one position with significant question marks. The Buckeyes added erstwhile Alabama starting center Seth McLaughlin, but otherwise, they have stood firm at o-line, having missed out on a homesick Kayden Proctor who left Tuscaloosa for his hometown Iowa Hawkeyes.
Bringing in Mauigoa would be an immediate line-changing move. Not only was the Bradenton, Florida native a top-10 player in the 2023 class, but he proved how good he could be by being named to numerous freshman All-America lists. He played right tackle for the Canes this season — Proctor was the LT on most freshman AA lists — so he could easily slide into that position for OSU, assuming Ryan Day, Bill O’Brien, Brian Hartline, and Justin Frye are comfortable leaving Josh Simmons on the left side; he started the season looking a little overwhelmed making the jump from San Diego State, but he finished the year as arguably the team’s best offensive lineman.
That would give you a starting offensive line of Simmons at LT, Donovan Jackson at left guard, McLaughlin at center, Josh Fryar at right guard, and Mauigoa at right tackle. While I still might have questions about some of those spots and wouldn’t mind further upgrades, bringing in another lock-down tackle would sure make me feel more comfortable about what Will Howard and the offense could do in 2024.
Of course, the added benefit of bringing in a player like Mauigoa is that you would have him for two seasons. Like Caleb Downs — another freshman All-American — he would almost certainly make an immediate impact, but would be on hand for two years. If he and Simmons didn’t flip sides in 2024, Mauigoa could easily move to the blindside for his junior campaign.
The Buckeyes are unlikely to add another offensive lineman from the transfer portal before the start of spring practice, but they could afterward — as they did last year. But they will assuredly give Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola a chance to solidify starting spots on the line before the team decides if they need to go into the portal once more before the season starts.
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LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball commit Jaloni Cambridge selected to McDonald’s All-American Team
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Ohio State women’s basketball commit Jaloni Cambridge selected to McDonald’s All-American Team
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo from Montverde Academy | MVASports.com
Verbal commit slated to be 14th Buckeye represented at the annual amateur basketball showcase
Tuesday, the annual roster for the McDonald’s All-American team features an upcoming Ohio State women’s basketball freshman. After three of the 2024 incoming class were nominated, guard Jaloni Cambridge made the cut for one of the final 24 spots, according to MaxPreps.
On Dec. 29, 2023, the Buckeyes earned the verbal commitment of the No. 1 point guard, and No. 3 overall ranked, of the 2024 recruiting class. Also, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame named Cambridge a part of its midseason girls team of the year. On top of all that, Cambridge is now set to be the 14th McDonald’s All-American in the scarlet and gray women’s program history.
Cambridge ends a five-year run of no Ohio State recruits represented in the annual basketball showcase, featuring the best amateur players in the country on one team before heading off to college. The last was in 2019, with Canton McKinley (Canton, Ohio) guard Kierstan Bell. The guard ultimately transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University after one season and currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.
Once Cambridge becomes a signed commit, she’ll follow Buckeyes legends whose names are littered throughout the Buckeyes’ history books who also played in the McDonald’s game. Players like guard Kelsey Mitchell, guard Samantha Prahalis and forward Jantel Lavender. Each leaving an impact in the program and at the professional level.
Included in the initial list of over 350 nominees were two signed 2024 commits: Forward Ella Hobbs of North Carolina and guard Ava Watson of Georgia.
This year's McDonald’s All-American Game airs April 2, 2024, live on ESPN2. Cambridge and the group of All-Americans play the 2024 edition of the showcase at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
At the event will be three-point shooting, slam dunk and team shooting events. While the 5-foot-7 Cambridge likely won’t be in the slam dunk contest, three women have won the event in the past, like Tennessee Volunteers and WNBA legend Candace Parker. The shooting event features girls and boys playing alongside past McDonald’s All-Americans.
The game is the feature event of the weekend. It pits the 24 girls against each other in an East vs. West format. At the end of the weekend, an MVP is named from the game.
Since the McDonald’s All-American event started, for boys in 1978 and girls in 2002, Columbus hosted once, in 2010. That was the lone year any Buckeye, man or woman, won a share of the MVP award. That was forward Jared Sullinger, who coincidentally enough won it in his hometown in 2010.
However, head coach Kevin McGuff’s Buckeyes have played against former MVP winners from the illustrious event. Former Columbus-area forward Jordan Horston won in 2019 before playing with the Tennessee Volunteers for four seasons. This year, Ohio State faced the 2023 Co-MVP in USC guard JuJu Watkins.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo from Montverde Academy | MVASports.com
Verbal commit slated to be 14th Buckeye represented at the annual amateur basketball showcase
Tuesday, the annual roster for the McDonald’s All-American team features an upcoming Ohio State women’s basketball freshman. After three of the 2024 incoming class were nominated, guard Jaloni Cambridge made the cut for one of the final 24 spots, according to MaxPreps.
On Dec. 29, 2023, the Buckeyes earned the verbal commitment of the No. 1 point guard, and No. 3 overall ranked, of the 2024 recruiting class. Also, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame named Cambridge a part of its midseason girls team of the year. On top of all that, Cambridge is now set to be the 14th McDonald’s All-American in the scarlet and gray women’s program history.
Cambridge ends a five-year run of no Ohio State recruits represented in the annual basketball showcase, featuring the best amateur players in the country on one team before heading off to college. The last was in 2019, with Canton McKinley (Canton, Ohio) guard Kierstan Bell. The guard ultimately transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University after one season and currently plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA.
Once Cambridge becomes a signed commit, she’ll follow Buckeyes legends whose names are littered throughout the Buckeyes’ history books who also played in the McDonald’s game. Players like guard Kelsey Mitchell, guard Samantha Prahalis and forward Jantel Lavender. Each leaving an impact in the program and at the professional level.
Included in the initial list of over 350 nominees were two signed 2024 commits: Forward Ella Hobbs of North Carolina and guard Ava Watson of Georgia.
This year's McDonald’s All-American Game airs April 2, 2024, live on ESPN2. Cambridge and the group of All-Americans play the 2024 edition of the showcase at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
At the event will be three-point shooting, slam dunk and team shooting events. While the 5-foot-7 Cambridge likely won’t be in the slam dunk contest, three women have won the event in the past, like Tennessee Volunteers and WNBA legend Candace Parker. The shooting event features girls and boys playing alongside past McDonald’s All-Americans.
The game is the feature event of the weekend. It pits the 24 girls against each other in an East vs. West format. At the end of the weekend, an MVP is named from the game.
Since the McDonald’s All-American event started, for boys in 1978 and girls in 2002, Columbus hosted once, in 2010. That was the lone year any Buckeye, man or woman, won a share of the MVP award. That was forward Jared Sullinger, who coincidentally enough won it in his hometown in 2010.
However, head coach Kevin McGuff’s Buckeyes have played against former MVP winners from the illustrious event. Former Columbus-area forward Jordan Horston won in 2019 before playing with the Tennessee Volunteers for four seasons. This year, Ohio State faced the 2023 Co-MVP in USC guard JuJu Watkins.
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LGHL For Ohio State men’s basketball, it’s time to conquer road woes or watch this season slip away
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For Ohio State men’s basketball, it’s time to conquer road woes or watch this season slip away
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
With three of their next four games on the road, the Buckeyes have two options: buck their road woes or miss the NCAA Tournament again.
Despite a win on Saturday afternoon against Penn State, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-5. 3-4) finds itself in a precarious position. 13-5 is a fine overall record, and 3-4 in the Big Ten isn’t great but is enough to keep the Buckeyes afloat.
But how about 0-3? That, of course, is Ohio State’s record in road games this year — making the Buckeyes one of just two Big Ten teams who have yet to win a game away from home this season (the other being Penn State). The Buckeyes have lost all three of its road games, falling to Penn State, Indiana, and Michigan. But their road woes extend beyond this season — Ohio State lost its last nine road games last season, too — which actually puts their losing streak on the road at an even dozen games. Ohio State has not won on the road since its Jan. 1, 2023 win at Northwestern.
Now, whether Chris Holtmann and his Buckeyes like it or not, they’ll be forced to buck their road struggles over the next two weeks or watch the season slip away right in front of their eyes. Following tonight’s game at Nebraska — where the Huskers have only lost once this season — Ohio State will then travel to Northwestern this weekend. After that, they’ll come home and square off with No. 10 Illinois, followed by another road trip to Iowa City — a place they haven’t won at since the 2020-21 season.
This upcoming four-game stretch is not for the faint of heart. Just to stay afloat and have a mathematical chance at making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years, Ohio State has to win at least one of those three road games. That means the Buckeyes will have to do something they haven’t done in over a full calendar year — knock off a solid team on their own court.
Another prickly part of the upcoming four-game stretch is that the only home game — one that we are assuming Ohio State wins here for our own hypothetical purposes — is against a top-10 team that’s looked better than Ohio State on both ends of the floor this season. If the Buckeyes don’t beat Illinois at home on January 30, they’ll need to win another one of those daunted road games to make up for it.
The math for this four-game stretch is simple. Ohio State is 3-4 right now in Big Ten play — a three-way tie for eighth place. If it wins its home game against Illinois and goes 1-2 in the three road games, that puts them at 5-6 in the B1G. Mathematically, they’d almost certainly be eliminated from winning the conference (if you’re still thinking about that kind of thing), but they would still be right there on the NCAA Tournament bubble with nine games to play. If they lose that game against Illinois, Ohio State probably needs to go 2-1 against Nebraska, Northwestern, and Iowa on the road — which seems pretty unlikely the way this team has performed away from Columbus.
I’m drawing a hard line in the sand at 2-2 in these next four games because to me anything less will put this team on life support. If Ohio State does the most likely thing based on their record so far (beat Illinois at home but lose all three road games), they would come out of this four-game stretch at 4-7 in Big Ten play. Knowing that it’ll take at least 10-11 B1G wins to make the tournament, that means the Buckeyes would have to go 6-3 or 7-2 down the stretch to sneak in.
It’s not impossible, but this team hasn’t shown the ability to win games at that level yet.... which means they would almost certainly miss the NCAA Tournament.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25243216/usa_today_20120747.jpg "Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch")
Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
After losing to Michigan last weekend, Chris Holtmann said that Ohio State’s story is “far from finished.” That may be true, but the tale of these Buckeyes could also come to a premature ending by the first week of February if they can’t buckle down in the next 10 days and find a way to do something they haven’t done in over a calendar year — win one road game.
After these next four, Ohio State will come home and the schedule flips, as they’ll get three out of four at the Schottenstein Center. Unfortunately, that won’t matter if the Buckeyes return home with a 3-8 or 4-7 record in Big Ten play. By that point, this team will be scratching and clawing for any kind of post-season bid — be that NCAA, NIT, CBI, or anything else.
So there you have it. There’s been a lot of talk from this team about how important Big Ten road wins are, and how they’ve let three slip out of their hands already this year. There’s been a lot of talk from this team about how last year’s experience is going to pay dividends this season since the core of this squad took beating after beating last year and learned from it. There’s been a lot of talk from this team about just needing shots to fall, and how the process is sound but the results just haven’t been there lately.
Enough talk. With three road games in the next 10 days, it’s time for the sound process and great preparation to turn into wins. If not, we’ll be having a very uncomfortable conversation in two weeks.
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
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
With three of their next four games on the road, the Buckeyes have two options: buck their road woes or miss the NCAA Tournament again.
Despite a win on Saturday afternoon against Penn State, the Ohio State men’s basketball team (13-5. 3-4) finds itself in a precarious position. 13-5 is a fine overall record, and 3-4 in the Big Ten isn’t great but is enough to keep the Buckeyes afloat.
But how about 0-3? That, of course, is Ohio State’s record in road games this year — making the Buckeyes one of just two Big Ten teams who have yet to win a game away from home this season (the other being Penn State). The Buckeyes have lost all three of its road games, falling to Penn State, Indiana, and Michigan. But their road woes extend beyond this season — Ohio State lost its last nine road games last season, too — which actually puts their losing streak on the road at an even dozen games. Ohio State has not won on the road since its Jan. 1, 2023 win at Northwestern.
Now, whether Chris Holtmann and his Buckeyes like it or not, they’ll be forced to buck their road struggles over the next two weeks or watch the season slip away right in front of their eyes. Following tonight’s game at Nebraska — where the Huskers have only lost once this season — Ohio State will then travel to Northwestern this weekend. After that, they’ll come home and square off with No. 10 Illinois, followed by another road trip to Iowa City — a place they haven’t won at since the 2020-21 season.
This upcoming four-game stretch is not for the faint of heart. Just to stay afloat and have a mathematical chance at making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years, Ohio State has to win at least one of those three road games. That means the Buckeyes will have to do something they haven’t done in over a full calendar year — knock off a solid team on their own court.
Another prickly part of the upcoming four-game stretch is that the only home game — one that we are assuming Ohio State wins here for our own hypothetical purposes — is against a top-10 team that’s looked better than Ohio State on both ends of the floor this season. If the Buckeyes don’t beat Illinois at home on January 30, they’ll need to win another one of those daunted road games to make up for it.
The math for this four-game stretch is simple. Ohio State is 3-4 right now in Big Ten play — a three-way tie for eighth place. If it wins its home game against Illinois and goes 1-2 in the three road games, that puts them at 5-6 in the B1G. Mathematically, they’d almost certainly be eliminated from winning the conference (if you’re still thinking about that kind of thing), but they would still be right there on the NCAA Tournament bubble with nine games to play. If they lose that game against Illinois, Ohio State probably needs to go 2-1 against Nebraska, Northwestern, and Iowa on the road — which seems pretty unlikely the way this team has performed away from Columbus.
I’m drawing a hard line in the sand at 2-2 in these next four games because to me anything less will put this team on life support. If Ohio State does the most likely thing based on their record so far (beat Illinois at home but lose all three road games), they would come out of this four-game stretch at 4-7 in Big Ten play. Knowing that it’ll take at least 10-11 B1G wins to make the tournament, that means the Buckeyes would have to go 6-3 or 7-2 down the stretch to sneak in.
It’s not impossible, but this team hasn’t shown the ability to win games at that level yet.... which means they would almost certainly miss the NCAA Tournament.
After losing to Michigan last weekend, Chris Holtmann said that Ohio State’s story is “far from finished.” That may be true, but the tale of these Buckeyes could also come to a premature ending by the first week of February if they can’t buckle down in the next 10 days and find a way to do something they haven’t done in over a calendar year — win one road game.
After these next four, Ohio State will come home and the schedule flips, as they’ll get three out of four at the Schottenstein Center. Unfortunately, that won’t matter if the Buckeyes return home with a 3-8 or 4-7 record in Big Ten play. By that point, this team will be scratching and clawing for any kind of post-season bid — be that NCAA, NIT, CBI, or anything else.
So there you have it. There’s been a lot of talk from this team about how important Big Ten road wins are, and how they’ve let three slip out of their hands already this year. There’s been a lot of talk from this team about how last year’s experience is going to pay dividends this season since the core of this squad took beating after beating last year and learned from it. There’s been a lot of talk from this team about just needing shots to fall, and how the process is sound but the results just haven’t been there lately.
Enough talk. With three road games in the next 10 days, it’s time for the sound process and great preparation to turn into wins. If not, we’ll be having a very uncomfortable conversation in two weeks.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State offensive lineman retires, Cotie McMahon is national player of the week
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Ohio State offensive lineman retires, Cotie McMahon is national player of the week
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joshua A. Bickel / USA TODAY NETWORK
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
Ohio State Offensive Lineman Trey Leroux Moving on From Football After Four Years With Buckeyes
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Former Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud donates to Buckeyes’ NIL collective
Austin Curtright, USA Today Network
How Julian Sayin’s commitment could impact the future of Ohio State’s quarterbacks room
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
Smith finishes No. 1, Sayin and Houston also lead way for Ohio State recruits in Final Top247 rankings
Bill Kurelic, Bucknuts
Buck-Eye In The Sky: Caleb Downs Transfer Evaluation (paywall)
Mark Porter, Bucknuts
Not Out of the Realm of Possibilities That Ohio State and Oregon Could Meet Three Times Next Season:
Buckeyes needed, getting more ruthless version of Ryan Day (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
You’re Nuts: After impressive run of transfer additions, what comes next for Ohio State
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
New Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien Has Track Record of Elevating College Quarterback Play
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
Cotie McMahon wins Naismith Player of the Week
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State women’s basketball moves to No. 12 in AP Poll
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
‘This game was very personal,’ Cotie McMahon on the victory over Iowa, a win a year in the making
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State’s Thrilling Win Over Iowa Can Be Springboard for Buckeye Women’s Basketball Both on the Court and in the Stands
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
DLo Has Always Been Insanely Smooth:
As teams plan to take Bruce Thornton away, can Ohio State adjust?
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Quick hitters from Chris Holtmann Nebraska preview press conference
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Ohio State’s Scotty Middleton to return at Nebraska after one-game suspension
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Men’s Volleyball: Buckeyes Move to No. 1 After Taking Down top-15 Teams in UCLA and USC
Sara Sharp, The Lantern
Women’s Ice Hockey: Thiele Named WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Ohio State Athletics
Rifle: Ohio State Sets New Program Aggregate Record vs. TCU
Ohio State Athletics
Not Sure That’s How Copyright Law Works, but I’m Here for the Drama!
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
Joshua A. Bickel / USA TODAY NETWORK
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
Ohio State Offensive Lineman Trey Leroux Moving on From Football After Four Years With Buckeyes
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
Former Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud donates to Buckeyes’ NIL collective
Austin Curtright, USA Today Network
How Julian Sayin’s commitment could impact the future of Ohio State’s quarterbacks room
Michael Citro, Land-Grant Holy Land
Smith finishes No. 1, Sayin and Houston also lead way for Ohio State recruits in Final Top247 rankings
Bill Kurelic, Bucknuts
Buck-Eye In The Sky: Caleb Downs Transfer Evaluation (paywall)
Mark Porter, Bucknuts
Not Out of the Realm of Possibilities That Ohio State and Oregon Could Meet Three Times Next Season:
Buckeyes needed, getting more ruthless version of Ryan Day (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
You’re Nuts: After impressive run of transfer additions, what comes next for Ohio State
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land
New Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Bill O’Brien Has Track Record of Elevating College Quarterback Play
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors
On the Hardwood
Cotie McMahon wins Naismith Player of the Week
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State women’s basketball moves to No. 12 in AP Poll
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
‘This game was very personal,’ Cotie McMahon on the victory over Iowa, a win a year in the making
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Ohio State’s Thrilling Win Over Iowa Can Be Springboard for Buckeye Women’s Basketball Both on the Court and in the Stands
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
DLo Has Always Been Insanely Smooth:
As teams plan to take Bruce Thornton away, can Ohio State adjust?
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Quick hitters from Chris Holtmann Nebraska preview press conference
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Ohio State’s Scotty Middleton to return at Nebraska after one-game suspension
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Men’s Volleyball: Buckeyes Move to No. 1 After Taking Down top-15 Teams in UCLA and USC
Sara Sharp, The Lantern
Women’s Ice Hockey: Thiele Named WCHA Goaltender of the Week
Ohio State Athletics
Rifle: Ohio State Sets New Program Aggregate Record vs. TCU
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
Not Sure That’s How Copyright Law Works, but I’m Here for the Drama!
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LGHL I-80 Football Show: Ohio State is all in for a Natty!
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I-80 Football Show: Ohio State is all in for a Natty!
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State is loading up to make a run at a national championship while Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan hanging.
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. This is the only Big Ten Podcast that’ll cover all 18 teams.
After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
After watching Michigan win the National Championship, Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are gearing up to win a natty in 2024. Day has fired multiple coaches and hired Bill O’Brien as a play-calling offensive coordinator and to work with the quarterbacks. He also has attacked the transfer portal in a way he never has, landing Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard, and superstar safety Caleb Downs.
With all the changes, Ohio State has to win the Big Ten and make the national championship game or the 2024 season will be disappointing.
On the other hand, following their national title Michigan is having a less than stellar offseason. Head coach Jim Harbaugh continues flirting with the NFL, scheduling second-round interviews with the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers. Dante and Jordan discuss the impact of Jim not actively working on Michigan’s behalf will have on their 2024 season.
In their weekly pitstops, Jordan believes that the NFL is making a mistake if it decides to change the rule for the offense fumbling out of the endzone. Dante thinks Josh Allen should be talked about the way Lamar Jackson is talked about. They play the same and Allen is less accomplished.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State is loading up to make a run at a national championship while Jim Harbaugh is leaving Michigan hanging.
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. This is the only Big Ten Podcast that’ll cover all 18 teams.
After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
After watching Michigan win the National Championship, Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are gearing up to win a natty in 2024. Day has fired multiple coaches and hired Bill O’Brien as a play-calling offensive coordinator and to work with the quarterbacks. He also has attacked the transfer portal in a way he never has, landing Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard, and superstar safety Caleb Downs.
With all the changes, Ohio State has to win the Big Ten and make the national championship game or the 2024 season will be disappointing.
On the other hand, following their national title Michigan is having a less than stellar offseason. Head coach Jim Harbaugh continues flirting with the NFL, scheduling second-round interviews with the Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers. Dante and Jordan discuss the impact of Jim not actively working on Michigan’s behalf will have on their 2024 season.
In their weekly pitstops, Jordan believes that the NFL is making a mistake if it decides to change the rule for the offense fumbling out of the endzone. Dante thinks Josh Allen should be talked about the way Lamar Jackson is talked about. They play the same and Allen is less accomplished.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Nebraska: Game preview and prediction
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Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Nebraska: Game preview and prediction
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes will look to build off of Saturday’s win over Penn State, hitting the road tonight to battle Nebraska.
After snapping their three-game losing streak with a 79-67 win over Penn State on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio State (13-5, 3-4) will hit the road for its next two games. The first of those contests takes place tonight in Lincoln, when the Buckeyes square off with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-5, 4-4), who also halted a losing streak with a win on Saturday. Nebraska had dropped two straight games before beating Northwestern 75-69.
Following annual January struggles under head coach Chris Holtmann, the start to Saturday’s game against Penn State was massive for the confidence of the Buckeyes. Ohio State began Saturday’s game by putting the Nittany Lions in a 16-0 hole, marking the second straight game the Buckeyes have reeled off a 16-0 run. After taking a 33-19 lead into the halftime break, Ohio State kept Penn State at bay over the final 20 minutes of the game, leading by double digits for pretty much the whole second half.
Powering the Buckeyes to victory was Evan Mahaffey, who was a thorn in the side of his former team on Saturday, finishing with a career-high 16 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Along with Mahaffey, Roddy Gayle Jr. was able to shake off some recent struggles, matching Mahaffey’s scoring total while adding five assists. Felix Okpara not only blocked at least one shot for the 24th straight game, he pulled down 14 rebounds, marking the fourth time this season he has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game.
Mahaffey wasn’t the only Ohio State transfer who had one of his better games in the scarlet and gray on Saturday. Dale Bonner scored seven points and had a season-high six rebounds. Lately the transfer from Baylor had been stuck on the bench, playing just 48 minutes in the previous four games.
Prior to Saturday’s contest, head coach Chris Holtmann announced Scotty Middleton was suspended due to a violation of team rules. With Middleton not part of the team’s rotation against the Nittany Lions, Bonner saw an uptick in time on the floor, playing 25 minutes in the game.
The performances from Mahaffey and Bonner were much needed on Saturday, not only because of the loss of Middleton to suspension. Starting guard Bruce Thornton had a game to forget against the Nittany Lions. Thornton hit just one of the nine shots he attempted, finishing with three points in the victory. Even with the low scoring output last time out, Thornton is still pacing the Buckeyes, averaging 16.0 points per game.
Sitting just behind Thornton in scoring are Jamison Battle and Gayle, with both recording at least 14 points per contest.
For the most part Ohio State has dominated the series with Nebraska, posting a 20-6 record against the Cornhuskers. Lately Fred Hoiberg’s team has shown a lot of fight against the Buckeyes, winning the last two meetings. Back in March 2022, Nebraska beat Ohio State 78-70 in Columbus, and last January the Cornhuskers won the lone meeting of the year between the schools 63-60 in Lincoln when Sean McNeill’s game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer didn’t fall.
Earlier in January, Nebraska shocked top-ranked Purdue 88-72 in Lincoln. Following the win over the Boilermakers, the Cornhuskers dropped their next two games on the road to Iowa and Rutgers before returning home to beat Northwestern on Saturday. With the victory over the Wildcats, the Cornhuskers secured their best start through 19 games since they started the 1995-96 season 15-4. Nebraska has been especially tough at home this season, posting a 12-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
With their solid start to the season, Nebraska is trying to put themselves in position to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014. The Cornhuskers are still looking for their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. One reason for the improved play from Nebraska this year has been their increased offensive output. So far this year the Cornhuskers are averaging 78.3 points per game, which is their highest scoring average since the 1995-96 season when they scored 80.2 points per game.
The scoring numbers from Nebraska this year has been helped by the frequency the Cornhuskers have been able to get to the free throw line this year. The +91 free throw difference Nebraska has over their opponents this year ranks fourth in the Big Ten. The 299 free throws the Cornhuskers have netted through 19 games is just five less than the 304 free throws Nebraska has allowed their opponents to attempt.
Powering the Nebraska offense are a quartet of scorers that are averaging at least 10 points per game this season. Fifth-year senior Keisei Tominaga is the team’s leading scorer, posting 14.5 points per game average. Brice Williams enters tonight’s game averaging 13.3 points per game, Bradley transfer Rienk Mast is scoring 12.5 points per game, while also averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. Juwan Gray is the final double-digit scorer, netting 11.7 points per contest — although the junior big man is questionable for this game with a calf strain. Senior forward Josiah Allick started in Gary’s place in Nebraska’s last game.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25242206/usa_today_22336441.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Northwestern at Nebraska")
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
Former Xavier transfer C.J. Wilcher has been thriving in his role of giving the Cornhuskers energy off the bench, averaging 8.5 points per game. In the win over Northwestern, Wilcher scored 10 points, marking the seventh time in the last ten games where he reached double figures in scoring.
To win tonight’s game, Ohio State is going to have to be tough both physically and mentally. Nebraska plays at a high level at home, as evidenced by their 12-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Buckeyes desperately need to win tonight’s game if they have any designs on making it back to the NCAA Tournament since their schedule the rest of the regular season is loaded with a bunch of tough games in the Big Ten.
With how hard it is to win on the road in the conference, a victory in Lincoln tonight would help to continue to shift some of Ohio State’s confidence after a tough start to January. What would go a long way in helping Ohio State to secure a second straight victory is the continued strong play of some of the bench players of the Buckeyes.
The unit took a hit with the suspension on Saturday of Scotty Middleton, but a number of players stepped up to help a short-handed bench. Not only did Evan Mahaffey and Dale Bonner have big performances in the victory over Penn State, freshman Devin Royal continued his recent strong play, as he has now scored a total of 15 points over the last two games.
Middleton will return to play tonight against the ‘Huskers, and he and the rest of Ohio State’s bench will need to continue to bring juice into the game if the Buckeyes are going to win one (or both) of this week’s road games.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25242211/usa_today_22335838.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Penn State at Ohio State")
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
The last three games between the schools have been decided by eight points or less, and it feels like that trend should continue tonight. The Cornhuskers are a different animal at home, so the Buckeyes are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to hand Nebraska their second loss in Lincoln this season. It’s not like the atmosphere should rattle Ohio State though, since they have played some very tough opponents this year in hostile environments.
Even though there is still more than a month left in the college basketball regular season, this has the feel of an NCAA Tournament game since both teams will be fighting to stay off the bubble.
ESPN BPI: Nebraska 61.0%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
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
Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes will look to build off of Saturday’s win over Penn State, hitting the road tonight to battle Nebraska.
After snapping their three-game losing streak with a 79-67 win over Penn State on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio State (13-5, 3-4) will hit the road for its next two games. The first of those contests takes place tonight in Lincoln, when the Buckeyes square off with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-5, 4-4), who also halted a losing streak with a win on Saturday. Nebraska had dropped two straight games before beating Northwestern 75-69.
Following annual January struggles under head coach Chris Holtmann, the start to Saturday’s game against Penn State was massive for the confidence of the Buckeyes. Ohio State began Saturday’s game by putting the Nittany Lions in a 16-0 hole, marking the second straight game the Buckeyes have reeled off a 16-0 run. After taking a 33-19 lead into the halftime break, Ohio State kept Penn State at bay over the final 20 minutes of the game, leading by double digits for pretty much the whole second half.
Powering the Buckeyes to victory was Evan Mahaffey, who was a thorn in the side of his former team on Saturday, finishing with a career-high 16 points, five rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Along with Mahaffey, Roddy Gayle Jr. was able to shake off some recent struggles, matching Mahaffey’s scoring total while adding five assists. Felix Okpara not only blocked at least one shot for the 24th straight game, he pulled down 14 rebounds, marking the fourth time this season he has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in a game.
Mahaffey wasn’t the only Ohio State transfer who had one of his better games in the scarlet and gray on Saturday. Dale Bonner scored seven points and had a season-high six rebounds. Lately the transfer from Baylor had been stuck on the bench, playing just 48 minutes in the previous four games.
Prior to Saturday’s contest, head coach Chris Holtmann announced Scotty Middleton was suspended due to a violation of team rules. With Middleton not part of the team’s rotation against the Nittany Lions, Bonner saw an uptick in time on the floor, playing 25 minutes in the game.
The performances from Mahaffey and Bonner were much needed on Saturday, not only because of the loss of Middleton to suspension. Starting guard Bruce Thornton had a game to forget against the Nittany Lions. Thornton hit just one of the nine shots he attempted, finishing with three points in the victory. Even with the low scoring output last time out, Thornton is still pacing the Buckeyes, averaging 16.0 points per game.
Sitting just behind Thornton in scoring are Jamison Battle and Gayle, with both recording at least 14 points per contest.
Preview
For the most part Ohio State has dominated the series with Nebraska, posting a 20-6 record against the Cornhuskers. Lately Fred Hoiberg’s team has shown a lot of fight against the Buckeyes, winning the last two meetings. Back in March 2022, Nebraska beat Ohio State 78-70 in Columbus, and last January the Cornhuskers won the lone meeting of the year between the schools 63-60 in Lincoln when Sean McNeill’s game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer didn’t fall.
Earlier in January, Nebraska shocked top-ranked Purdue 88-72 in Lincoln. Following the win over the Boilermakers, the Cornhuskers dropped their next two games on the road to Iowa and Rutgers before returning home to beat Northwestern on Saturday. With the victory over the Wildcats, the Cornhuskers secured their best start through 19 games since they started the 1995-96 season 15-4. Nebraska has been especially tough at home this season, posting a 12-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
With their solid start to the season, Nebraska is trying to put themselves in position to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014. The Cornhuskers are still looking for their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. One reason for the improved play from Nebraska this year has been their increased offensive output. So far this year the Cornhuskers are averaging 78.3 points per game, which is their highest scoring average since the 1995-96 season when they scored 80.2 points per game.
The scoring numbers from Nebraska this year has been helped by the frequency the Cornhuskers have been able to get to the free throw line this year. The +91 free throw difference Nebraska has over their opponents this year ranks fourth in the Big Ten. The 299 free throws the Cornhuskers have netted through 19 games is just five less than the 304 free throws Nebraska has allowed their opponents to attempt.
Powering the Nebraska offense are a quartet of scorers that are averaging at least 10 points per game this season. Fifth-year senior Keisei Tominaga is the team’s leading scorer, posting 14.5 points per game average. Brice Williams enters tonight’s game averaging 13.3 points per game, Bradley transfer Rienk Mast is scoring 12.5 points per game, while also averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. Juwan Gray is the final double-digit scorer, netting 11.7 points per contest — although the junior big man is questionable for this game with a calf strain. Senior forward Josiah Allick started in Gary’s place in Nebraska’s last game.
Former Xavier transfer C.J. Wilcher has been thriving in his role of giving the Cornhuskers energy off the bench, averaging 8.5 points per game. In the win over Northwestern, Wilcher scored 10 points, marking the seventh time in the last ten games where he reached double figures in scoring.
Prediction
To win tonight’s game, Ohio State is going to have to be tough both physically and mentally. Nebraska plays at a high level at home, as evidenced by their 12-1 record at Pinnacle Bank Arena. The Buckeyes desperately need to win tonight’s game if they have any designs on making it back to the NCAA Tournament since their schedule the rest of the regular season is loaded with a bunch of tough games in the Big Ten.
With how hard it is to win on the road in the conference, a victory in Lincoln tonight would help to continue to shift some of Ohio State’s confidence after a tough start to January. What would go a long way in helping Ohio State to secure a second straight victory is the continued strong play of some of the bench players of the Buckeyes.
The unit took a hit with the suspension on Saturday of Scotty Middleton, but a number of players stepped up to help a short-handed bench. Not only did Evan Mahaffey and Dale Bonner have big performances in the victory over Penn State, freshman Devin Royal continued his recent strong play, as he has now scored a total of 15 points over the last two games.
Middleton will return to play tonight against the ‘Huskers, and he and the rest of Ohio State’s bench will need to continue to bring juice into the game if the Buckeyes are going to win one (or both) of this week’s road games.
The last three games between the schools have been decided by eight points or less, and it feels like that trend should continue tonight. The Cornhuskers are a different animal at home, so the Buckeyes are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to hand Nebraska their second loss in Lincoln this season. It’s not like the atmosphere should rattle Ohio State though, since they have played some very tough opponents this year in hostile environments.
Even though there is still more than a month left in the college basketball regular season, this has the feel of an NCAA Tournament game since both teams will be fighting to stay off the bubble.
ESPN BPI: Nebraska 61.0%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Peacock
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 74, Nebraska 71
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LGHL Ohio State women’s basketball moves to No. 12 in AP Poll
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Ohio State women’s basketball moves to No. 12 in AP Poll
ThomasCostello 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
The Buckeyes upset of the then No. 2 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes moves Ohio State closer to preseason ranking
Since starting the regular season ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press’ weekly basketball poll, Ohio State women’s basketball’s done a yo-yo in the middle of the 25-team pack. After Sunday’s 100-92 overtime win over the then No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes are closer to a top 10 spot, moving to No. 12 in the Jan. 22 poll. The six spot swing is the largest improvement in the top 25.
The AP Poll, which is voted on by the media, is the metric used by the basketball world to determine the best teams in the nation and this season, Ohio State’s dropped because of losses. Albeit against top opponents.
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side fell out of the top 10 quickly, after dropping the first game of the season against the USC Trojans 83-74, behind 32 points in freshman guard Juju Watkins’ first NCAA game. Then, a week after falling to center Lauren Betts and the UCLA Bruins, the then No. 13 Buckeyes dropped further.
Despite both USC and UCLA sitting at No. 5 and 6 respectively in the latest poll, both teams sole loss being against each other, Ohio State moved down to No. 18, which didn’t last long with a Dec. 30 away defeat to the unranked Michigan Wolverines.
Since the calendar turn to 2024, the Buckeyes look like a new team. Sunday’s win is the fifth in a row for Ohio State. While a win over guard Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes is great, it’s icing on a cake featuring victories over a surprise Michigan State Spartans side and an away win against the Maryland Terrapins.
For Iowa, the defeat puts the Hawkeyes down to No. 5, one week after making it to the No. 2 spot. The only other Big Ten team in this week’s top 25 are the Indiana Hoosiers, moving up to No. 14.
Now, AP Poll rankings don’t mean specific placement in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, when the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes faced off on Jan. 23, Ohio State was No. 2 and Iowa was No. 10. With another full month of conference basketball remaining, a lot can shift competitively and in polling. However, wins over ranked teams, or teams receiving votes like the Spartans, show a team on the rise.
In Ohio State’s three wins over Iowa, Michigan State and Maryland, it wasn’t the Buckeyes’ full court press winning games but the half court defense. Against Iowa especially, the scarlet and gray were without two starters for much of the game, due to foul early foul trouble. Guards Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry played 24 and 29 minutes respectively. Far less than expected in a top 20 matchup.
A more accurate reading of a team’s strength, that doesn’t include voters determining places, is NET Rankings. Compiling strength of schedule, winning percentage, game venues and more, every NCAA Division I team is ranked based on their performance on the court.
Through Jan. 21, Ohio State sits at No. 14, following the win over the Hawkeyes. Iowa dropped from five to six and Indiana dropped from 10 to 11. Overall, the Big Ten has 7 teams in the top 30, tied with the SEC for the most teams in that stretch of rankings. The Minnesota Golden Gophers sit right outside of those top 30 teams at No. 31.
It shows the depth of the conference this season, and doesn’t include UCLA, USC or Washington State, who are all in the top 30 too, but still with the Pac-12.
Overall, the list shows a strong Big Ten getting stronger. With Ohio State still having games remaining against the Hoosiers, and an away game to the Hawkeyes to end the regular season, expect all of it to change. For now though, the Buckeyes are moving up in college rankings, and the work on the court is getting them there.
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ThomasCostello 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
The Buckeyes upset of the then No. 2 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes moves Ohio State closer to preseason ranking
Since starting the regular season ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press’ weekly basketball poll, Ohio State women’s basketball’s done a yo-yo in the middle of the 25-team pack. After Sunday’s 100-92 overtime win over the then No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes, the Buckeyes are closer to a top 10 spot, moving to No. 12 in the Jan. 22 poll. The six spot swing is the largest improvement in the top 25.
The AP Poll, which is voted on by the media, is the metric used by the basketball world to determine the best teams in the nation and this season, Ohio State’s dropped because of losses. Albeit against top opponents.
Head coach Kevin McGuff’s side fell out of the top 10 quickly, after dropping the first game of the season against the USC Trojans 83-74, behind 32 points in freshman guard Juju Watkins’ first NCAA game. Then, a week after falling to center Lauren Betts and the UCLA Bruins, the then No. 13 Buckeyes dropped further.
Despite both USC and UCLA sitting at No. 5 and 6 respectively in the latest poll, both teams sole loss being against each other, Ohio State moved down to No. 18, which didn’t last long with a Dec. 30 away defeat to the unranked Michigan Wolverines.
Since the calendar turn to 2024, the Buckeyes look like a new team. Sunday’s win is the fifth in a row for Ohio State. While a win over guard Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes is great, it’s icing on a cake featuring victories over a surprise Michigan State Spartans side and an away win against the Maryland Terrapins.
For Iowa, the defeat puts the Hawkeyes down to No. 5, one week after making it to the No. 2 spot. The only other Big Ten team in this week’s top 25 are the Indiana Hoosiers, moving up to No. 14.
Now, AP Poll rankings don’t mean specific placement in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, when the Buckeyes and Hawkeyes faced off on Jan. 23, Ohio State was No. 2 and Iowa was No. 10. With another full month of conference basketball remaining, a lot can shift competitively and in polling. However, wins over ranked teams, or teams receiving votes like the Spartans, show a team on the rise.
In Ohio State’s three wins over Iowa, Michigan State and Maryland, it wasn’t the Buckeyes’ full court press winning games but the half court defense. Against Iowa especially, the scarlet and gray were without two starters for much of the game, due to foul early foul trouble. Guards Celeste Taylor and Taylor Thierry played 24 and 29 minutes respectively. Far less than expected in a top 20 matchup.
A more accurate reading of a team’s strength, that doesn’t include voters determining places, is NET Rankings. Compiling strength of schedule, winning percentage, game venues and more, every NCAA Division I team is ranked based on their performance on the court.
Through Jan. 21, Ohio State sits at No. 14, following the win over the Hawkeyes. Iowa dropped from five to six and Indiana dropped from 10 to 11. Overall, the Big Ten has 7 teams in the top 30, tied with the SEC for the most teams in that stretch of rankings. The Minnesota Golden Gophers sit right outside of those top 30 teams at No. 31.
It shows the depth of the conference this season, and doesn’t include UCLA, USC or Washington State, who are all in the top 30 too, but still with the Pac-12.
Overall, the list shows a strong Big Ten getting stronger. With Ohio State still having games remaining against the Hoosiers, and an away game to the Hawkeyes to end the regular season, expect all of it to change. For now though, the Buckeyes are moving up in college rankings, and the work on the court is getting them there.
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LGHL Ohio State trending for four-star OT set to commit this week
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Ohio State trending for four-star OT set to commit this week
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2025 four-star OT Carter Lowe via Bill Kurelic, 247Sports, USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes are trending for a priority in-state four-star offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class — and he commits later this week.
Ohio State is absolutely crushing the college football recruiting headlines as of late. After securing a commitment from former Alabama five-star safety Caleb Downs via the transfer portal, Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff may have pulled off one of the biggest recruiting weekends in recent memory.
The Buckeyes also flipped 2024 four-star defensive lineman Dominic Kirks, and then saw 2024 five-star quarterback Julian Sayin transfer to them via the portal following the retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The stellar additions moved Ohio State’s recruiting class up to No. 2 in the country in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
With such a successful and busy start to the month, it would be reasonable to expect things to cool down for the Buckeyes on the recruiting front. However, the streak of Ohio State making the recruiting headlines continued on Monday, as the Buckeyes learned they may not be finished adding recruits this month.
It was announced Monday that Ohio State 2025 four-star offensive lineman target Carter Lowe (Toledo, OH / Whitmer) has a final five schools of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State and Michigan. Additionally, it was announced that he will be committing this Saturday.
Ryan Day has placed a major focus on recruiting in-state recruits, and this has been the case with the Buckeyes and Lowe. In fact, Lowe visited Columbus last weekend and has visited with the Buckeyes more than any other school in his recruitment.
Shortly following the announcement of his commitment, a flurry of 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were cast in favor of Ohio State for Lowe. The Buckeyes now hold all five predictions for Lowe, and while these are not a guarantee, they are a great insight into how a recruit is feeling. Regardless, the Buckeyes are the runaway favorites to land Lowe, and the Ohio State coaching staff has to love where it sits with him.
If Lowe were to pick the Buckeyes as expected, he would become the seventh member of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class and the third from Ohio. He would also be the first offensive lineman in the Buckeyes’ class next year.
Lowe is the No. 9 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 85 overall prospect. He is also the No. 3 recruit from Ohio.
Ohio State continued to offer more of the country’s top talents on Monday as 2025 four-star tight end Brock Schott (Leo, IN / Leo HS) now holds an offer from the Buckeyes. Ohio State has made tight end a position of focus in next year’s class, and Schott becomes the coaching staff’s newest target. Schott attended the Ohio State versus Penn State game last season, and now he holds an offer from the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is not alone in its pursuit of Schott, as he holds offers from programs like Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, Louisville, Miami, Stanford, Texas A&M, etc. Ohio State appears to be well in the running for Schott, but Miami and Iowa have also made him a priority recruit. Ohio State will need to likely get Schott on campus this summer and/or spring for a recruiting camp and for another in-game visit to remain a contender.
Schott is the No. 10 TE in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 203 overall prospect in the 2025 class. He is also the No. 3 recruit out of Indiana.
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Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
2025 four-star OT Carter Lowe via Bill Kurelic, 247Sports, USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes are trending for a priority in-state four-star offensive tackle in the 2025 recruiting class — and he commits later this week.
Ohio State is absolutely crushing the college football recruiting headlines as of late. After securing a commitment from former Alabama five-star safety Caleb Downs via the transfer portal, Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff may have pulled off one of the biggest recruiting weekends in recent memory.
The Buckeyes also flipped 2024 four-star defensive lineman Dominic Kirks, and then saw 2024 five-star quarterback Julian Sayin transfer to them via the portal following the retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban. The stellar additions moved Ohio State’s recruiting class up to No. 2 in the country in the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
With such a successful and busy start to the month, it would be reasonable to expect things to cool down for the Buckeyes on the recruiting front. However, the streak of Ohio State making the recruiting headlines continued on Monday, as the Buckeyes learned they may not be finished adding recruits this month.
It was announced Monday that Ohio State 2025 four-star offensive lineman target Carter Lowe (Toledo, OH / Whitmer) has a final five schools of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio State and Michigan. Additionally, it was announced that he will be committing this Saturday.
Ryan Day has placed a major focus on recruiting in-state recruits, and this has been the case with the Buckeyes and Lowe. In fact, Lowe visited Columbus last weekend and has visited with the Buckeyes more than any other school in his recruitment.
Shortly following the announcement of his commitment, a flurry of 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions were cast in favor of Ohio State for Lowe. The Buckeyes now hold all five predictions for Lowe, and while these are not a guarantee, they are a great insight into how a recruit is feeling. Regardless, the Buckeyes are the runaway favorites to land Lowe, and the Ohio State coaching staff has to love where it sits with him.
If Lowe were to pick the Buckeyes as expected, he would become the seventh member of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class and the third from Ohio. He would also be the first offensive lineman in the Buckeyes’ class next year.
Lowe is the No. 9 OT in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 85 overall prospect. He is also the No. 3 recruit from Ohio.
Ohio State offers 2025 four-star TE
Ohio State continued to offer more of the country’s top talents on Monday as 2025 four-star tight end Brock Schott (Leo, IN / Leo HS) now holds an offer from the Buckeyes. Ohio State has made tight end a position of focus in next year’s class, and Schott becomes the coaching staff’s newest target. Schott attended the Ohio State versus Penn State game last season, and now he holds an offer from the Buckeyes.
Ohio State is not alone in its pursuit of Schott, as he holds offers from programs like Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, Louisville, Miami, Stanford, Texas A&M, etc. Ohio State appears to be well in the running for Schott, but Miami and Iowa have also made him a priority recruit. Ohio State will need to likely get Schott on campus this summer and/or spring for a recruiting camp and for another in-game visit to remain a contender.
Schott is the No. 10 TE in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 203 overall prospect in the 2025 class. He is also the No. 3 recruit out of Indiana.
Quick Hits
- 247Sports released it final rankings for the 2024 recruiting class on Monday. The Buckeyes finished with 13 recruits in the Top247, including wide receiver Jeremiah Smith who was named the No. 1 overall prospect in the class. Ohio State’s newest commitment, five-star QB Julian Sayin, was the second-highest rated Buckeye at 21 and five-star defensive end Eddrick Houston finished at No. 33. Cornerback Aaron Scott, wide receiver Myles Graham and QB Air Noland rounded out Ohio State commits in the top 100 at No. 51, No. 59 and No. 61, respectively.
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