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LGHL Ohio State opens up their new lacrosse stadium this weekend
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Ohio State opens up their new lacrosse stadium this weekend
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 Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
The men’s lacrosse team will be the first to play at the state-of-the-art facility.
On Saturday Ohio State will open up their new lacrosse stadium when the Buckeyes host Lafayette in a scrimmage. The new stadium will be located between the Covelli Center and the Ty Tucker Tennis Center. The Board of Trustees approved stadium construction in August 2021, with groundbreaking of the $24.9 million dollar facility coming in early November 2021.
The new lacrosse stadium will be able to seat 1,894 people, which includes standing-room only seats. 772 of those seats are grandstand seats, with 112 of those seats having seatbacks. Every seat has a clear line of sight, whether it be from the grandstand seatbacks, under the grandstand, or from the rooftop viewing section.
A huge addition to the new stadium is going to be heated artificial turf. The turf will have 24 heat sensors, and over 21 miles of piping which will be used to heat the surface. The heated surface will make some cold weather matches in February and March a lot easier to handle for players.
Student-athletes will also benefit from a number of other additions that will help them hone their skills. The lacrosse-specific training areas include a practice room, training room, and outdoor wall ball. The new stadium will not only feature two locker rooms, as there will also be a locker room for officials.
What stood out most to me in renderings of the new stadium was the rooftop viewing areas and concession areas that have clear line of sight to the field. Even though it had to be quite an experience to play lacrosse at Ohio Stadium from the student-athletes, the size of the legendary stadium had a very cavernous feel. This new stadium feels like it fits a lot better, and should give the Buckeyes more of a home-field advantage.
The first team to take the field was the men’s lacrosse team, who held their first practice at the new stadium on Jan. 9. The Buckeyes will have two scrimmages at the facility before kicking off their season. This Saturday, Ohio State will host Lafayette, followed by another scrimmage next Saturday against Robert Morris.
The first regular season game for the Buckeye men’s team will come on Feb. 4 against Air Force. Overall, Ohio State will have seven regular season games at their new stadium, with the first of two Big Ten contests in Columbus coming on March 26 against Rutgers. The most interesting home game on the schedule will certainly be the regular season home finale on Sunday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. against defending national champion Maryland.
Ohio State will be looking to make a deeper run in this year’s NCAA Tournament than they did last year, when they fell 15-8 at Cornell in the first round. With plenty of talent returning from last year’s team, expectations are high for the Buckeyes this year. Returning for another season is Jack Myers, who scored 38 goals and was credited with 45 assists last year.
Not only does Ohio State return eight of their top-ten scores from last year’s team, they also brought in a number of transfers who should add to an already talented team. The Buckeyes certainly have the pieces to make a deep run in this year’s tournament.
While the men’s team will get most of the headlines this year, don’t sleep on what the Ohio State’s women’s lacrosse team could do. The Buckeyes are coming off a 9-7 season in 2022, and will be looking to reach double digits in wins for the first time since the 2016 season.
The women’s team plays their first game at the new stadium on Feb. 10 when they host Robert Morris. Overall, the women’s team has nine games at the new stadium, with their final regular season home contest coming on April 15 against Northwestern.
Much like the men’s team, the women’s team has plenty of offense returning this year. Jamie Lasada scored 35 goals last year for Ohio State as a sophomore. Just behind Lasada was Nicole Ferrara, who is returning for her senior season after scoring 31 goals and recording 21 assists last year. Chloë Johnson and Jamie Level also cracked the 20-goal mark last season.
One area the Buckeyes shouldn’t have to worry about is in the net. Last year Regan Alexander started 15 of the 16 games for the Buckeyes, posting an 8-7 record with a 11.12 goals against average. With a year of starting experience already under her belt, the junior should be even better this year. If Alexander can find her groove early in the season in goal, it will go a long way in helping the Buckeyes possibly earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
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 Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
The men’s lacrosse team will be the first to play at the state-of-the-art facility.
On Saturday Ohio State will open up their new lacrosse stadium when the Buckeyes host Lafayette in a scrimmage. The new stadium will be located between the Covelli Center and the Ty Tucker Tennis Center. The Board of Trustees approved stadium construction in August 2021, with groundbreaking of the $24.9 million dollar facility coming in early November 2021.
The new lacrosse stadium will be able to seat 1,894 people, which includes standing-room only seats. 772 of those seats are grandstand seats, with 112 of those seats having seatbacks. Every seat has a clear line of sight, whether it be from the grandstand seatbacks, under the grandstand, or from the rooftop viewing section.
A huge addition to the new stadium is going to be heated artificial turf. The turf will have 24 heat sensors, and over 21 miles of piping which will be used to heat the surface. The heated surface will make some cold weather matches in February and March a lot easier to handle for players.
Student-athletes will also benefit from a number of other additions that will help them hone their skills. The lacrosse-specific training areas include a practice room, training room, and outdoor wall ball. The new stadium will not only feature two locker rooms, as there will also be a locker room for officials.
What stood out most to me in renderings of the new stadium was the rooftop viewing areas and concession areas that have clear line of sight to the field. Even though it had to be quite an experience to play lacrosse at Ohio Stadium from the student-athletes, the size of the legendary stadium had a very cavernous feel. This new stadium feels like it fits a lot better, and should give the Buckeyes more of a home-field advantage.
Men’s lacrosse outlook
The first team to take the field was the men’s lacrosse team, who held their first practice at the new stadium on Jan. 9. The Buckeyes will have two scrimmages at the facility before kicking off their season. This Saturday, Ohio State will host Lafayette, followed by another scrimmage next Saturday against Robert Morris.
The first regular season game for the Buckeye men’s team will come on Feb. 4 against Air Force. Overall, Ohio State will have seven regular season games at their new stadium, with the first of two Big Ten contests in Columbus coming on March 26 against Rutgers. The most interesting home game on the schedule will certainly be the regular season home finale on Sunday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. against defending national champion Maryland.
Ohio State will be looking to make a deeper run in this year’s NCAA Tournament than they did last year, when they fell 15-8 at Cornell in the first round. With plenty of talent returning from last year’s team, expectations are high for the Buckeyes this year. Returning for another season is Jack Myers, who scored 38 goals and was credited with 45 assists last year.
Not only does Ohio State return eight of their top-ten scores from last year’s team, they also brought in a number of transfers who should add to an already talented team. The Buckeyes certainly have the pieces to make a deep run in this year’s tournament.
Women’s lacrosse outlook
While the men’s team will get most of the headlines this year, don’t sleep on what the Ohio State’s women’s lacrosse team could do. The Buckeyes are coming off a 9-7 season in 2022, and will be looking to reach double digits in wins for the first time since the 2016 season.
The women’s team plays their first game at the new stadium on Feb. 10 when they host Robert Morris. Overall, the women’s team has nine games at the new stadium, with their final regular season home contest coming on April 15 against Northwestern.
Much like the men’s team, the women’s team has plenty of offense returning this year. Jamie Lasada scored 35 goals last year for Ohio State as a sophomore. Just behind Lasada was Nicole Ferrara, who is returning for her senior season after scoring 31 goals and recording 21 assists last year. Chloë Johnson and Jamie Level also cracked the 20-goal mark last season.
One area the Buckeyes shouldn’t have to worry about is in the net. Last year Regan Alexander started 15 of the 16 games for the Buckeyes, posting an 8-7 record with a 11.12 goals against average. With a year of starting experience already under her belt, the junior should be even better this year. If Alexander can find her groove early in the season in goal, it will go a long way in helping the Buckeyes possibly earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.
Continue reading...
LGHL Maybe 2023 will be the year Ryan Day finally lets the backups get some reps
- News
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Maybe 2023 will be the year Ryan Day finally lets the backups get some reps
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ohio State’s head coach has yet to learn from prior mistakes.
After Justin Fields departed for the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the 2020 season, Ohio State entered the offseason with a quarterback battle between two players that had not thrown a pass in a college football game in C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller. Stroud of course won the race for the starting job, with Miller transferring to Florida, but the California kid struggled at the beginning of his first year at the helm of the offense.
Whether due to a shoulder injury or lack of experience, Stroud’s first three games were solid, but not elite, culminating in a 15-of-25 passing day for 185 yards with just one touchdown and an interception against Tulsa. He would sit out the team’s following game against Akron, and whether the benching allowed him to get healthy or to get his head right, Stroud was dominant for the rest of his career with the Buckeyes.
It made sense, it would appear, for Ohio State to avoid that sort of scenario moving forward by getting the backup QBs some real passing reps in blowout games. However, that is not at all what happened this year, even though everyone knew this would be Stroud’s last collegiate year as he’s potentially QB1 in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Despite the Buckeyes winning 11 games in 2022 by double-digits, with six of those wins being by at least 30 points, backup QBs Kyle McCord and Devin Brown got next to no playing time.
Looking at the snap counts for Ohio State’s quarterbacks not named Stroud, McCord led the way with a whopping 67 total snaps in 2022 — according to the Eleven Warriors snap counts — with only two games of more than 10 snaps against Toledo (14) and Michigan State (16). In those 67 snaps, McCord attempted only 20 total passes, completing 16 of them for 190 yards and a touchdown.
Brown saw even less time, recording only 15 total snaps on the year (nine against Toledo and six against Rutgers) while not attempting a single pass.
Those numbers look somewhat similar to the ones from 2020, when Fields was the only quarterback on the roster to attempt a pass with Stroud and Miller combining for just 18 total snaps. Obviously things were different with the COVID-shortened season, but it still hampered the development of the backup quarterbacks, much in the same way the 2022 season did not prepare the room to have a new starter in 2023.
The lack of playing time for backups is an issue for Ohio State that isn’t exclusive to the quarterback position, either.
When the Buckeyes lost Marvin Harrison Jr. in the Peach Bowl against Georgia, the offense lost its way. Ohio State has a ridiculous amount of talent stocked up at the wide receiver position, but nobody behind Emeka Egbuka and Xavier Johnson was ready to step up in that moment because they simply have not seen the field at the collegiate level in a real game scenario.
There likely isn’t another guy out there to match what Harrison Jr. brings to the field as one of the most elite receivers in the game, but there is no reason to have all these other blue-chippers waiting in the wings if they aren’t able to contribute when they are needed.
Kojo Antwi, Jayden Ballard, Caleb Burton, Kaleb Brown and Kyion Grayes were all four-star prospects are higher coming out of high school. Ballard played the most snaps of the bunch with 101 on the season, but nobody else on that list saw the field more than 27 times outside of special teams duty. Of that group, there were only 10 combined receptions on the year — eight of which were by Ballard, including a long 72-yard touchdown.
None of these guys were expected to see 500+ snaps similar to that of Harrison Jr., Egbuka and Julian Fleming, but it wouldn’t have hurt to see what these guys could do in a game and potentially contribute in the event of an injury — like the one that sidelined Harrison Jr. in the final game of the year.
When you’re winning games 45-12 (Arkansas State), 77-21 (Toledo), 52-21 (Wisconsin), 49-10 (Rutgers), 54-10 (Iowa), 56-14 (Indiana) and so on, there is no discernable reason to not be getting your backups reps to help you down the line, whether that be in the current year or when those guys become starters in the future.
Ryan Day has made it a habit of leaving the starters in too long in blowouts. Most of the time, even when the second-stringers do get a chance to enter the game, the offense gets watered down to hand-offs only — good for guys like Dallan Hayden, who saw 214 snaps as a freshman this year, but bad for quarterbacks and receivers.
The same can be said on the defensive side of the ball, where we didn’t get to see much of either of Ohio State’s five-star freshmen in C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles this year, but these issues are more glaring on offense.
So now we enter the 2023 season with a quarterback battle between two guys with hardly any experience — something that was entirely preventable. McCord, of course, has the one start at Ohio State under his belt against Akron in 2021, but Day and the offensive staff did he and Brown no favors by not letting them get meaningful reps this year when there were ample opportunities to do so.
The receivers and running backs all coming back should make things a little easier for whoever earns the job as QB1, but it would behoove the Buckeyes’ coaches to let their talented underclassmen play a little here and there when you’re beating everyone by a million.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Ohio State’s head coach has yet to learn from prior mistakes.
After Justin Fields departed for the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the 2020 season, Ohio State entered the offseason with a quarterback battle between two players that had not thrown a pass in a college football game in C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller. Stroud of course won the race for the starting job, with Miller transferring to Florida, but the California kid struggled at the beginning of his first year at the helm of the offense.
Whether due to a shoulder injury or lack of experience, Stroud’s first three games were solid, but not elite, culminating in a 15-of-25 passing day for 185 yards with just one touchdown and an interception against Tulsa. He would sit out the team’s following game against Akron, and whether the benching allowed him to get healthy or to get his head right, Stroud was dominant for the rest of his career with the Buckeyes.
It made sense, it would appear, for Ohio State to avoid that sort of scenario moving forward by getting the backup QBs some real passing reps in blowout games. However, that is not at all what happened this year, even though everyone knew this would be Stroud’s last collegiate year as he’s potentially QB1 in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Despite the Buckeyes winning 11 games in 2022 by double-digits, with six of those wins being by at least 30 points, backup QBs Kyle McCord and Devin Brown got next to no playing time.
Looking at the snap counts for Ohio State’s quarterbacks not named Stroud, McCord led the way with a whopping 67 total snaps in 2022 — according to the Eleven Warriors snap counts — with only two games of more than 10 snaps against Toledo (14) and Michigan State (16). In those 67 snaps, McCord attempted only 20 total passes, completing 16 of them for 190 yards and a touchdown.
Brown saw even less time, recording only 15 total snaps on the year (nine against Toledo and six against Rutgers) while not attempting a single pass.
Those numbers look somewhat similar to the ones from 2020, when Fields was the only quarterback on the roster to attempt a pass with Stroud and Miller combining for just 18 total snaps. Obviously things were different with the COVID-shortened season, but it still hampered the development of the backup quarterbacks, much in the same way the 2022 season did not prepare the room to have a new starter in 2023.
The lack of playing time for backups is an issue for Ohio State that isn’t exclusive to the quarterback position, either.
When the Buckeyes lost Marvin Harrison Jr. in the Peach Bowl against Georgia, the offense lost its way. Ohio State has a ridiculous amount of talent stocked up at the wide receiver position, but nobody behind Emeka Egbuka and Xavier Johnson was ready to step up in that moment because they simply have not seen the field at the collegiate level in a real game scenario.
There likely isn’t another guy out there to match what Harrison Jr. brings to the field as one of the most elite receivers in the game, but there is no reason to have all these other blue-chippers waiting in the wings if they aren’t able to contribute when they are needed.
Kojo Antwi, Jayden Ballard, Caleb Burton, Kaleb Brown and Kyion Grayes were all four-star prospects are higher coming out of high school. Ballard played the most snaps of the bunch with 101 on the season, but nobody else on that list saw the field more than 27 times outside of special teams duty. Of that group, there were only 10 combined receptions on the year — eight of which were by Ballard, including a long 72-yard touchdown.
None of these guys were expected to see 500+ snaps similar to that of Harrison Jr., Egbuka and Julian Fleming, but it wouldn’t have hurt to see what these guys could do in a game and potentially contribute in the event of an injury — like the one that sidelined Harrison Jr. in the final game of the year.
When you’re winning games 45-12 (Arkansas State), 77-21 (Toledo), 52-21 (Wisconsin), 49-10 (Rutgers), 54-10 (Iowa), 56-14 (Indiana) and so on, there is no discernable reason to not be getting your backups reps to help you down the line, whether that be in the current year or when those guys become starters in the future.
Ryan Day has made it a habit of leaving the starters in too long in blowouts. Most of the time, even when the second-stringers do get a chance to enter the game, the offense gets watered down to hand-offs only — good for guys like Dallan Hayden, who saw 214 snaps as a freshman this year, but bad for quarterbacks and receivers.
The same can be said on the defensive side of the ball, where we didn’t get to see much of either of Ohio State’s five-star freshmen in C.J. Hicks and Sonny Styles this year, but these issues are more glaring on offense.
So now we enter the 2023 season with a quarterback battle between two guys with hardly any experience — something that was entirely preventable. McCord, of course, has the one start at Ohio State under his belt against Akron in 2021, but Day and the offensive staff did he and Brown no favors by not letting them get meaningful reps this year when there were ample opportunities to do so.
The receivers and running backs all coming back should make things a little easier for whoever earns the job as QB1, but it would behoove the Buckeyes’ coaches to let their talented underclassmen play a little here and there when you’re beating everyone by a million.
Continue reading...
LGHL Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for January 19, 2023
- News
- 1 Replies
Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for January 19, 2023
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Ohio State picks up offensive line transfer from Louisiana Monroe
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
New O-line commit ready to get started, discusses decision to be a Buckeye and future at Ohio State
Bill Kurelic, Bucknuts
What adding OL transfer Victor Cutler means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
Welcome to the fam, Victor.
A larger coaching role should lead to a larger recruiting role for Brian Hartline and Ohio State
Caleb Houser, Land-Grant Holy Land
Five Questions for Buckeyes after NFL Draft deadline
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Making way-too-early projection for Buckeyes defensive depth chart next season (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
I mean, it’s only four; one is a placekicker and another is a long-snapper, but ok.
You’re Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?
Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Three takeaways from Ohio State’s painful loss on the road to Nebraska
Justin Golba, Land-Grant Holy Land
At Nebraska, Buckeyes suffer fifth straight single-digit Big Ten loss
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
B1G WBB Week 10: Indiana and Maryland battle, Ohio State shines in award predictions
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Column: The Urban Meyer NFL experiment was an even bigger disaster than we realized
Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Wrestling: Freshman Mendez Earns his Black Shirt
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Tennis: Bereznyak Recognized as B1G Athlete of the Week
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Quach, Campbell Claim B1G Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics
lolz
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
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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Ohio State picks up offensive line transfer from Louisiana Monroe
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
New O-line commit ready to get started, discusses decision to be a Buckeye and future at Ohio State
Bill Kurelic, Bucknuts
What adding OL transfer Victor Cutler means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
Welcome to the fam, Victor.
A larger coaching role should lead to a larger recruiting role for Brian Hartline and Ohio State
Caleb Houser, Land-Grant Holy Land
Five Questions for Buckeyes after NFL Draft deadline
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Making way-too-early projection for Buckeyes defensive depth chart next season (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
I mean, it’s only four; one is a placekicker and another is a long-snapper, but ok.
You’re Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?
Matt Tamanini and Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
On the Hardwood
Three takeaways from Ohio State’s painful loss on the road to Nebraska
Justin Golba, Land-Grant Holy Land
At Nebraska, Buckeyes suffer fifth straight single-digit Big Ten loss
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
B1G WBB Week 10: Indiana and Maryland battle, Ohio State shines in award predictions
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Column: The Urban Meyer NFL experiment was an even bigger disaster than we realized
Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Wrestling: Freshman Mendez Earns his Black Shirt
Ohio State Athletics
Women’s Tennis: Bereznyak Recognized as B1G Athlete of the Week
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Swimming and Diving: Quach, Campbell Claim B1G Weekly Awards
Ohio State Athletics
And now for something completely different...
lolz
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LGHL Tale of the Tape: Ohio State has a real quarterback competition on its hands
- News
- 0 Replies
Tale of the Tape: Ohio State has a real quarterback competition on its hands
Chris Renne 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
Both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown bring blue chip pedigree, but that won’t be enough to win the job
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud officially declared for the 2023 NFL Draft earlier this week. The Buckeyes now have a quarterback competition on their hands to find the next signal caller in the line of succession.
There are two likely candidates, the first of whom comes by way of the Philadelphia Catholic School League in now third-year QB Kyle McCord. McCord brings a five-star pedigree, two years of experience in Ryan Day’s system, and a relationship with Ohio State’s No. 1 receiving target Marvin Harrison Jr. that dates back to their days at St. Joseph’s (PA.) Preparatory Academy.
The second quarterback is Devin Brown, an early-enrollee just wrapping up his freshman season. Brown hails from Arizona, and originally played for Joe Germaine. After a tenuous end to his recruitment that changed on a dime with Clay Helton being fired from USC, Brown left his second high school in Corner Canyon (Utah) to push his chips into the middle of the table at Ohio State.
Both quarterbacks bring the arm-talent and competitive fire that is necessary when coming to play at a place like Ohio State. Neither quarterback wavered in their commitment to the school and the competition that would ensue after Stroud left. For the Buckeyes, they now have the Spring – and potentially summer – to decide on the player who will get the keys to the Ferrari come Week 1.
Ryan Day and Corey Dennis have been through this once together already. Just over two years ago, Justin Fields announced his decision to leave Ohio State for the NFL. The competition that ensued ended up being more talk than an actual competition, but this one already feels different. There is little gap between the talent levels of the McCord and Brown. McCord has an experience edge, but he has not played an otherworldly amount of snaps in relief duty.
Looking at the two side by side from their spring game performances and limited game action can give an initial look at the two players who will define the expectations of the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Kyle McCord’s skillset
McCord has one start under his belt. In that game against Akron in 2021, he flashed some tools that could translate to him being a serviceable starter. With Ryan Day keeping the harness on him for that game, there was no real look into the upside he potentially has, which takes us to the tools he has that makes him an interesting option at quarterback.
As a more pure pocket passer, McCord has enough athleticism to get out and throw on the move with designed rollouts. This keeps that dynamic in the Day offense, but that is not where McCord will make his money. McCord has shown a willingness to maneuver in the pocket in his limited opportunities, and has flashed excellent arm talent many quarterbacks couldn’t dream of.
Looking at the play below gives us a significant glimpse at what McCord is capable of as a passer. The timing shown here comes from understanding the concept, which starts with experience in the system. McCord looks off to the left at the start of the play, and knows if the safety stays in the middle there will be a huge window to hit the tight end up the field.
McCord uses his eyes to set up the safety, but makes a nuanced play in the pocket with his feet side stepping the rush. This allows him to stay on schedule and deliver a strike on time downfield with some mustard on the throw.
via GIPHY
The arm-talent was on display in the previous play. In the next one, McCord works the pocket and delivers another nice throw.
McCord reads through his progressions, and knows where the open receiver is going to be based on the coverage. In this play, McCord has to maneuver in the pocket, and the slight shuffle to the left gives him the breathing room to throw. This play shows the timing and pocket presence that McCord developed in his first year at Ohio State.
via GIPHY
The last Spring Game play here, McCord flashes the exact trait that made him such an appealing quarterback prospect. This throw wasn’t dropped into a bucket, but the ability to throw the ball 50 yards downfield with no wind up is impressive. McCord also throws this ball again with timing and delivers a strike.
via GIPHY
For McCord, his two significant advantages in the competition are having another year in the program and a start under his belt. In that start, McCord was a point guard responsible for getting the ball in his elite players hands. This resulted in a lot of screens and pop-completions on jet sweeps, but he made a few throws that stood out.
After getting off to a rough start on the first few series, Day and company found some creative ways to get the ball moving downfield. With a few successful drives, McCord’s confidence grew as his play time went on.
In the next play, we can see him starting to get into a rhythm. He goes through his progressions and the ball flies off his hand to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
via GIPHY
Last play on the day, the arm strength is really what separates McCord. From the pocket McCord can widen the field of play with his ability to throw sideline to sideline. The play below shows that even when the play takes forever to develop, he still has the arm to stretch the field and deliver throws. Sure, it was against Akron’s secondary, but that’s still a live opponent he completed passes against.
The Buckeyes used McCord in spot-duty this year, but never really allowed him to run the entire offense. Most throws he was tasked with were timing throws or quick game. He never really had an opportunity to stretch the field in 2022. That being said, he had moments of sharpness, but also had a few throws where it felt like he was pressing due to limited opportunity.
For McCord, showing he can move the chains and strike in key moments will be what separates him in the competition.
Devin Brown’s skillset
After committing to Ohio State, watching Devin Brown’s high school highlights gave me an immediate impression of a top-level starting quarterback. Moving to a more vertically inclined passing offense that has had its fair share of talented signal-callers make their way through, Brown showed an ability to layer the football few quarterbacks possess.
Adding to this is his ability to make plays off script and outside the pocket, which the Buckeyes did not get routinely with Stroud, and likely won’t get much of with McCord. If Day reels him in, the competition will come down to decision making, timing, and ability to distribute the ball effectively. If he doesn’t, then Brown has a skillset the Buckeyes might need with the offensive line questions.
The first play when looking at Brown was his throw on his first touchdown. This is a straight read. If the corner has leverage, the quarterback is going to throw it. With the coverage the defense was playing, the read was obvious, and Brown delivered the ball on time. This shows his arm strength and the raw ability that will be brought to the table.
via GIPHY
With the cards down, Brown showed a willingness to run the ball in the Spring Game and in his limited opportunity in live game action. Coach Day probably will not go against his habits, opting to not run his quarterback. Brown still has the ability and is comfortable in read option situations.
There is no doubt this can be a significant part of the offense with Brown if he wins the job, and this adds another dimension as well as provides another play type for the Buckeye offense to help the young quarterback.
via GIPHY
Brown’s best throw in the spring game was an incompletion later in the game. Brown takes his drop and scans the field until he finds a matchup with leverage. The receiver is able to beat the man guarding him and find space on the safety, and despite being in double coverage, Brown delivers a strike where only his receiver could catch it.
This is a tough catch which ends up not being made, but not many quarterbacks on the planet have the confidence – or arm talent – to make this throw.
via GIPHY
Now Brown had a number of throws that flashed his arm strength in the spring game, but none of that fully translates to a real game. For Brown, he has to earn enough trust in the coaching staff that the lack of game experience does not matter. The talent is there, and the ceiling for Brown due to his athleticism in my eyes is higher, but that won’t matter if the consistency doesn’t match the upside.
Like with Stroud, this competition will come down to the player who gives the team the most reliable ability to keep the offense moving. Whichever quarterback wins the job will have definitely earned it.
Why each quarterback can win the job?
Both quarterbacks ran head first into a loaded quarterback room, and that says a lot about the two guys this will likely come down to.
McCord has the experience edge, and has been living with the two best receivers in the country entering next season since he got to school. The reps behind the scenes have to have added up by this point. Entering the Spring, McCord was the definitive back up last season, and that goes a long way in how he enters the offseason. If he can maintain his standing and have a strong showing early, he can keep this thing at an arms length.
On the other side, Brown brings in an uncanny ability to throw off-platform. He does all the fun stuff you want from a quarterback as a fan with his arm strength outside the pocket and on the run. If the offensive line isn’t up to the task, Brown might be the best option due to his escapability. If he can harness the wow throws and the brazen style of play, his ceiling to me is greater.
In a way, this battle will come down to consistency, as both players have the ability to lead the offense. With the differing skillsets, the design of the offense can be entirely different depending on who wins the job. For the first time in a while there’s a real quarterback competition at Ohio State. Both honest suitors for the role come in with high pedigree.
The winner is a long way from being decided, but I’m not one to limit the debate. Devin Brown, Kyle McCord — the chips are on the table. Let the games begin.
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Chris Renne 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
Both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown bring blue chip pedigree, but that won’t be enough to win the job
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud officially declared for the 2023 NFL Draft earlier this week. The Buckeyes now have a quarterback competition on their hands to find the next signal caller in the line of succession.
There are two likely candidates, the first of whom comes by way of the Philadelphia Catholic School League in now third-year QB Kyle McCord. McCord brings a five-star pedigree, two years of experience in Ryan Day’s system, and a relationship with Ohio State’s No. 1 receiving target Marvin Harrison Jr. that dates back to their days at St. Joseph’s (PA.) Preparatory Academy.
The second quarterback is Devin Brown, an early-enrollee just wrapping up his freshman season. Brown hails from Arizona, and originally played for Joe Germaine. After a tenuous end to his recruitment that changed on a dime with Clay Helton being fired from USC, Brown left his second high school in Corner Canyon (Utah) to push his chips into the middle of the table at Ohio State.
Both quarterbacks bring the arm-talent and competitive fire that is necessary when coming to play at a place like Ohio State. Neither quarterback wavered in their commitment to the school and the competition that would ensue after Stroud left. For the Buckeyes, they now have the Spring – and potentially summer – to decide on the player who will get the keys to the Ferrari come Week 1.
Ryan Day and Corey Dennis have been through this once together already. Just over two years ago, Justin Fields announced his decision to leave Ohio State for the NFL. The competition that ensued ended up being more talk than an actual competition, but this one already feels different. There is little gap between the talent levels of the McCord and Brown. McCord has an experience edge, but he has not played an otherworldly amount of snaps in relief duty.
Looking at the two side by side from their spring game performances and limited game action can give an initial look at the two players who will define the expectations of the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes.
Kyle McCord’s skillset
McCord has one start under his belt. In that game against Akron in 2021, he flashed some tools that could translate to him being a serviceable starter. With Ryan Day keeping the harness on him for that game, there was no real look into the upside he potentially has, which takes us to the tools he has that makes him an interesting option at quarterback.
As a more pure pocket passer, McCord has enough athleticism to get out and throw on the move with designed rollouts. This keeps that dynamic in the Day offense, but that is not where McCord will make his money. McCord has shown a willingness to maneuver in the pocket in his limited opportunities, and has flashed excellent arm talent many quarterbacks couldn’t dream of.
Looking at the play below gives us a significant glimpse at what McCord is capable of as a passer. The timing shown here comes from understanding the concept, which starts with experience in the system. McCord looks off to the left at the start of the play, and knows if the safety stays in the middle there will be a huge window to hit the tight end up the field.
McCord uses his eyes to set up the safety, but makes a nuanced play in the pocket with his feet side stepping the rush. This allows him to stay on schedule and deliver a strike on time downfield with some mustard on the throw.
via GIPHY
The arm-talent was on display in the previous play. In the next one, McCord works the pocket and delivers another nice throw.
McCord reads through his progressions, and knows where the open receiver is going to be based on the coverage. In this play, McCord has to maneuver in the pocket, and the slight shuffle to the left gives him the breathing room to throw. This play shows the timing and pocket presence that McCord developed in his first year at Ohio State.
via GIPHY
The last Spring Game play here, McCord flashes the exact trait that made him such an appealing quarterback prospect. This throw wasn’t dropped into a bucket, but the ability to throw the ball 50 yards downfield with no wind up is impressive. McCord also throws this ball again with timing and delivers a strike.
via GIPHY
For McCord, his two significant advantages in the competition are having another year in the program and a start under his belt. In that start, McCord was a point guard responsible for getting the ball in his elite players hands. This resulted in a lot of screens and pop-completions on jet sweeps, but he made a few throws that stood out.
After getting off to a rough start on the first few series, Day and company found some creative ways to get the ball moving downfield. With a few successful drives, McCord’s confidence grew as his play time went on.
In the next play, we can see him starting to get into a rhythm. He goes through his progressions and the ball flies off his hand to Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
via GIPHY
Last play on the day, the arm strength is really what separates McCord. From the pocket McCord can widen the field of play with his ability to throw sideline to sideline. The play below shows that even when the play takes forever to develop, he still has the arm to stretch the field and deliver throws. Sure, it was against Akron’s secondary, but that’s still a live opponent he completed passes against.
The Buckeyes used McCord in spot-duty this year, but never really allowed him to run the entire offense. Most throws he was tasked with were timing throws or quick game. He never really had an opportunity to stretch the field in 2022. That being said, he had moments of sharpness, but also had a few throws where it felt like he was pressing due to limited opportunity.
For McCord, showing he can move the chains and strike in key moments will be what separates him in the competition.
Devin Brown’s skillset
After committing to Ohio State, watching Devin Brown’s high school highlights gave me an immediate impression of a top-level starting quarterback. Moving to a more vertically inclined passing offense that has had its fair share of talented signal-callers make their way through, Brown showed an ability to layer the football few quarterbacks possess.
Adding to this is his ability to make plays off script and outside the pocket, which the Buckeyes did not get routinely with Stroud, and likely won’t get much of with McCord. If Day reels him in, the competition will come down to decision making, timing, and ability to distribute the ball effectively. If he doesn’t, then Brown has a skillset the Buckeyes might need with the offensive line questions.
The first play when looking at Brown was his throw on his first touchdown. This is a straight read. If the corner has leverage, the quarterback is going to throw it. With the coverage the defense was playing, the read was obvious, and Brown delivered the ball on time. This shows his arm strength and the raw ability that will be brought to the table.
via GIPHY
With the cards down, Brown showed a willingness to run the ball in the Spring Game and in his limited opportunity in live game action. Coach Day probably will not go against his habits, opting to not run his quarterback. Brown still has the ability and is comfortable in read option situations.
There is no doubt this can be a significant part of the offense with Brown if he wins the job, and this adds another dimension as well as provides another play type for the Buckeye offense to help the young quarterback.
via GIPHY
Brown’s best throw in the spring game was an incompletion later in the game. Brown takes his drop and scans the field until he finds a matchup with leverage. The receiver is able to beat the man guarding him and find space on the safety, and despite being in double coverage, Brown delivers a strike where only his receiver could catch it.
This is a tough catch which ends up not being made, but not many quarterbacks on the planet have the confidence – or arm talent – to make this throw.
via GIPHY
Now Brown had a number of throws that flashed his arm strength in the spring game, but none of that fully translates to a real game. For Brown, he has to earn enough trust in the coaching staff that the lack of game experience does not matter. The talent is there, and the ceiling for Brown due to his athleticism in my eyes is higher, but that won’t matter if the consistency doesn’t match the upside.
Like with Stroud, this competition will come down to the player who gives the team the most reliable ability to keep the offense moving. Whichever quarterback wins the job will have definitely earned it.
Why each quarterback can win the job?
Both quarterbacks ran head first into a loaded quarterback room, and that says a lot about the two guys this will likely come down to.
McCord has the experience edge, and has been living with the two best receivers in the country entering next season since he got to school. The reps behind the scenes have to have added up by this point. Entering the Spring, McCord was the definitive back up last season, and that goes a long way in how he enters the offseason. If he can maintain his standing and have a strong showing early, he can keep this thing at an arms length.
On the other side, Brown brings in an uncanny ability to throw off-platform. He does all the fun stuff you want from a quarterback as a fan with his arm strength outside the pocket and on the run. If the offensive line isn’t up to the task, Brown might be the best option due to his escapability. If he can harness the wow throws and the brazen style of play, his ceiling to me is greater.
In a way, this battle will come down to consistency, as both players have the ability to lead the offense. With the differing skillsets, the design of the offense can be entirely different depending on who wins the job. For the first time in a while there’s a real quarterback competition at Ohio State. Both honest suitors for the role come in with high pedigree.
The winner is a long way from being decided, but I’m not one to limit the debate. Devin Brown, Kyle McCord — the chips are on the table. Let the games begin.
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The 2023 Spring Game, Sat. 4/15, 12pm EST, BTN
- By ScriptOhio
- 2023 Football Season Capsule
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Ohio State to host annual Spring Game on April 15; tickets on sale Feb. 10
The exhibition will be the first chance to fans to see quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown compete in 2023.
www.10tv.com
Ohio State football will host the program’s annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 15 at noon in Ohio Stadium.
Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 10 at this link. General admission tickets are $7, plus there will be a limited number of reserved seating options available at $15 and $30.
The Spring Game exhibition will be the first chance to fans to see quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown compete in 2023. The two are the frontrunners to replace C.J. Stroud, who declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.
LGHL Game Preview: No. 2 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Northwestern
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Game Preview: No. 2 Ohio State women’s basketball vs. Northwestern
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Twitter | @NUWBBall
The Buckeyes return home to wrap up their regular season series against the Wildcats.
As the Big Ten season is heating up for the Ohio State women’s basketball team, Thursday night welcomes the Northwestern Wildcats to the Schottenstein Center. The Wildcats bring their blizzard defense, hoping to cool down the streak of the Buckeyes before next week’s games against the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers.
It’s also the first game of the season against a repeat opponent. Ohio State versus Northwestern Pt. 2 features the teams on the top and bottom of the standings, but anything can happen in the Big Ten.
On Dec. 28, the Buckeyes traveled to Evanston, Illinois and grabbed a convincing 81-48 against the Wildcats, but Thursday might not be the same team from December.
Sure, Northwestern isn’t doing fantastic. They haven’t won any of their seven conference games this season, but in the Buckeyes’ previous meeting with Northwestern, the Wildcats struggled to keep role players on the court.
Forwards Paige Mott and Caileigh Walsh, who average a combined 18.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, got into foul trouble early. The two forwards played 13 and 15 minutes respectively, and Walsh was especially a tough miss for coach Joe McKeown’s side. The forward averaged 13.4 before the meeting with Ohio State but scored seven points.
Thursday, the venue changes, and Northwestern hopes that comes with less whistles.
Northwestern is a dangerous team for a few reasons. The first is added motivation. McKeown’s Wildcats won the regular season Big Ten title in 2019-20. Now, they’re in the cellar of the conference.
Another is having a dominant forward. Walsh is only a sophomore, but has the ability to do what other bigs have done against Ohio State this season. If Northwestern finds Walsh in the paint, if the Buckeyes aren’t ready the Wildcats will keep the game close. See the previous home game against Illinois Fighting Illini’s forward Kendall Bostic for proof, putting up 27 points and 15 rebounds on the Scarlet & Gray.
The third is their defense. Northwestern plays a zone called the “blizzard.” It’s the equivalent of the Buckeyes full court press but shrunk down into a half court defense. The Wildcats will double-team and charge at any ball carrier in the half court. Ohio State’s passing side-to-side should break it up like it did in December, but the Buckeyes have moments where their play isn’t there.
Fewer of those moments for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side and a win seems likely. However, with the Hawkeyes looming four days later, eyes might not be too focused on Northwestern.
“You know how it is, you get ranked No. 2 and win 18 games and everyone’s telling you how good you are,” said McGuff. “So I try to really hammer home every single day that the goal for us right now is to continue to get better, get prepared for the next game on the schedule and that’s where we really put our emphasis and focus.”
Ohio State’s overcome everything that has come their way this season, so Northwestern shouldn’t surprise the Buckeyes.
The Scarlet & Gray will feed off the home crowd, and continue working on improving their half court defense against Northwestern. It won’t likely be the constant full court press that fans are used to, so the game will be closer than expected at times.
Even so, the home team wins this game in the end. Thierry will get her first double-double of her career, but certainly not her last.
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: Big Ten Network
Stream: Fox Sports with a Big Ten Network subscription
While high school athletes are setting out their college hats on a table and streaming their decisions across social media, the Buckeyes have been quiet. The Buckeyes signed two players earlier in the season, but none of the top 2023 names have chosen Ohio State.
Wednesday, coach McGuff shared that there are a few players the Buckeyes are in contact with, but their recruiting overall has changed.
“It’s making sure we continue to find the right kids that fit our program because I think that’s a big part of our success right now,” said McGuff. “We’ve got outstanding kids that they really fit Ohio State and our culture and our program overall.”
The formula’s worked last season and this year, so it might not be going for the top-10 recruits, but finding the mid-level recruits who fit what McGuff and Ohio State is building.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Twitter | @NUWBBall
The Buckeyes return home to wrap up their regular season series against the Wildcats.
As the Big Ten season is heating up for the Ohio State women’s basketball team, Thursday night welcomes the Northwestern Wildcats to the Schottenstein Center. The Wildcats bring their blizzard defense, hoping to cool down the streak of the Buckeyes before next week’s games against the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes and No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers.
It’s also the first game of the season against a repeat opponent. Ohio State versus Northwestern Pt. 2 features the teams on the top and bottom of the standings, but anything can happen in the Big Ten.
Preview
On Dec. 28, the Buckeyes traveled to Evanston, Illinois and grabbed a convincing 81-48 against the Wildcats, but Thursday might not be the same team from December.
Sure, Northwestern isn’t doing fantastic. They haven’t won any of their seven conference games this season, but in the Buckeyes’ previous meeting with Northwestern, the Wildcats struggled to keep role players on the court.
Forwards Paige Mott and Caileigh Walsh, who average a combined 18.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, got into foul trouble early. The two forwards played 13 and 15 minutes respectively, and Walsh was especially a tough miss for coach Joe McKeown’s side. The forward averaged 13.4 before the meeting with Ohio State but scored seven points.
Thursday, the venue changes, and Northwestern hopes that comes with less whistles.
Northwestern is a dangerous team for a few reasons. The first is added motivation. McKeown’s Wildcats won the regular season Big Ten title in 2019-20. Now, they’re in the cellar of the conference.
Another is having a dominant forward. Walsh is only a sophomore, but has the ability to do what other bigs have done against Ohio State this season. If Northwestern finds Walsh in the paint, if the Buckeyes aren’t ready the Wildcats will keep the game close. See the previous home game against Illinois Fighting Illini’s forward Kendall Bostic for proof, putting up 27 points and 15 rebounds on the Scarlet & Gray.
The third is their defense. Northwestern plays a zone called the “blizzard.” It’s the equivalent of the Buckeyes full court press but shrunk down into a half court defense. The Wildcats will double-team and charge at any ball carrier in the half court. Ohio State’s passing side-to-side should break it up like it did in December, but the Buckeyes have moments where their play isn’t there.
Fewer of those moments for head coach Kevin McGuff’s side and a win seems likely. However, with the Hawkeyes looming four days later, eyes might not be too focused on Northwestern.
“You know how it is, you get ranked No. 2 and win 18 games and everyone’s telling you how good you are,” said McGuff. “So I try to really hammer home every single day that the goal for us right now is to continue to get better, get prepared for the next game on the schedule and that’s where we really put our emphasis and focus.”
Projected Lineups
Lineup Notes
- Forward Taylor Thierry was perfect from the field against Nebraska on Saturday, hitting all seven of her shot attempts.
- Freshman forward Cotie McMahon led Ohio State in scoring the last time they faced Northwestern, scoring 24 points and grabbing four rebounds.
- Three Buckeyes were a shot or rebound or two away from a double-double for the away trip against Northwestern. Guard Taylor Mikesell, Rikki Harris and Thierry were each a possession away from the feat.
Lineup Notes
- Walsh enters Columbus scoring 32 points in the last two games, with 22 points coming against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
- Guard Jillian Brown and forward Courtney Shaw led Northwestern against Ohio State, both coming in off the bench, with 13 and 12 points, respectively
- Guard Sydney Wood is second in the Big Ten in steals and steals per game, totalling 43 for 2.5 steals per game.
Prediction
Ohio State’s overcome everything that has come their way this season, so Northwestern shouldn’t surprise the Buckeyes.
The Scarlet & Gray will feed off the home crowd, and continue working on improving their half court defense against Northwestern. It won’t likely be the constant full court press that fans are used to, so the game will be closer than expected at times.
Even so, the home team wins this game in the end. Thierry will get her first double-double of her career, but certainly not her last.
How to Watch
Date: Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: Big Ten Network
Stream: Fox Sports with a Big Ten Network subscription
LGHL Prediction: 78-55 Ohio State Buckeyes
Recruiting Update
While high school athletes are setting out their college hats on a table and streaming their decisions across social media, the Buckeyes have been quiet. The Buckeyes signed two players earlier in the season, but none of the top 2023 names have chosen Ohio State.
Wednesday, coach McGuff shared that there are a few players the Buckeyes are in contact with, but their recruiting overall has changed.
“It’s making sure we continue to find the right kids that fit our program because I think that’s a big part of our success right now,” said McGuff. “We’ve got outstanding kids that they really fit Ohio State and our culture and our program overall.”
The formula’s worked last season and this year, so it might not be going for the top-10 recruits, but finding the mid-level recruits who fit what McGuff and Ohio State is building.
Continue reading...
LGHL Buckeyes keep busy on the recruiting trail with latest group of offers
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Buckeyes keep busy on the recruiting trail with latest group of offers
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The offseason continues to mean one major theme for the Buckeyes: recruiting.
With the offseason allowing Ohio State’s coaching staff to really focus on recruiting efforts, Ryan Day and his crew have been taking every opportunity. On the road constantly, this group is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding elite talent.
Both with the prep prospects in various recruiting cycles and transfer portal targets, the Buckeyes are hoping these efforts pay off in the end. The only way to be sure of that is to continue what they’ve been doing. Fortunately, recruiting success is no stranger in Columbus.
Back in familiar territory on Wednesday, the Buckeyes made one pretty important stop, considering their latest offer went out to a current high school freshman in the 2026 class. Offers have been going out often the last week or two, but yesterday’s latest development came at a prep Florida powerhouse that has been good to Ohio State over the years.
Making their presence known at St. Thomas Aquinas, the Buckeyes offered 6-foot, 165 pound athlete Justice Fitzpatrick. The same program that produced the Bosa brothers, the Buckeyes always have their eye on the fertile recruiting ground at STA, and look to be getting back into the mix with Fitzpatrick being next in line.
Even as a freshman, Fitzpatrick is already seeing his recruiting process start to take off, as Miami, Florida State, Arkansas, Indiana, and West Virginia have all offered in addition to Ohio State now being in the fold.
Unranked for now by 247Sports because of his class status, it’s not a stretch to believe that Fitzpatrick will be one of the more highly touted recruits not only at his position, but nationally as well. Having the talent in his lineage, Fitzpatrick is the younger brother of Minkah Fitzpatrick, who of course was a first round NFL Fraft pick out of Alabama in 2018.
Getting in on this recruitment early is clearly Ohio State’s goal, and with how well they’ve faired both in Florida as a whole and specifically at St. Thomas Aquinas, odds are this is a name that followers will hear for some time.
While most of the recruiting work is being done out on the road by the coaches, on-campus recruiting efforts are soon also going to be heavily in the mix — especially once spring football arrives.
Getting top targets on campus is always the goal for Ohio State, and though majority of the bigger recruiting visit opportunities are in the weeks to come, this January is still seeing some activity. On Wednesday, an in-state 2025 product shared his plans for getting to Columbus this coming weekend.
Cincinnati native Jai’mier Scott took to Twitter to announce his visit plans coming this Saturday, and it’s a chance for the Buckeyes to take a closer look at another Ohio product that is really seeing his recruitment take off. Schools such as Wisconsin, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Purdue, and Penn State have all offered in the last couple of months, and while Ohio State has yet to pull the trigger, this upcoming visit could be just what’s needed to really get the ball rolling.
The Mt. Healthy product is unranked right now due to his class status. Playing both sides of the ball for his prep team, Scott most likely checks out to be a defensive back at the next level, and with that position always needing some attention, it would be great to have another top player right in their own backyard with Ohio State interest. This weekend will give a glimpse into Scott’s relationship with the program moving forward.
As he continues his efforts on the road, yesterday Bailey was back in Missouri. A state that has been kind over the years to the Buckeyes, it’s no surprise to see the staff continuing to tap in on their resources. With heavy ties in the St. Louis area, it’s more than likely that was one of his key stops.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The offseason continues to mean one major theme for the Buckeyes: recruiting.
With the offseason allowing Ohio State’s coaching staff to really focus on recruiting efforts, Ryan Day and his crew have been taking every opportunity. On the road constantly, this group is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding elite talent.
Both with the prep prospects in various recruiting cycles and transfer portal targets, the Buckeyes are hoping these efforts pay off in the end. The only way to be sure of that is to continue what they’ve been doing. Fortunately, recruiting success is no stranger in Columbus.
Back in familiar territory on Wednesday, the Buckeyes made one pretty important stop, considering their latest offer went out to a current high school freshman in the 2026 class. Offers have been going out often the last week or two, but yesterday’s latest development came at a prep Florida powerhouse that has been good to Ohio State over the years.
Making their presence known at St. Thomas Aquinas, the Buckeyes offered 6-foot, 165 pound athlete Justice Fitzpatrick. The same program that produced the Bosa brothers, the Buckeyes always have their eye on the fertile recruiting ground at STA, and look to be getting back into the mix with Fitzpatrick being next in line.
Even as a freshman, Fitzpatrick is already seeing his recruiting process start to take off, as Miami, Florida State, Arkansas, Indiana, and West Virginia have all offered in addition to Ohio State now being in the fold.
Unranked for now by 247Sports because of his class status, it’s not a stretch to believe that Fitzpatrick will be one of the more highly touted recruits not only at his position, but nationally as well. Having the talent in his lineage, Fitzpatrick is the younger brother of Minkah Fitzpatrick, who of course was a first round NFL Fraft pick out of Alabama in 2018.
Getting in on this recruitment early is clearly Ohio State’s goal, and with how well they’ve faired both in Florida as a whole and specifically at St. Thomas Aquinas, odds are this is a name that followers will hear for some time.
In-state athlete ready to visit Ohio State
While most of the recruiting work is being done out on the road by the coaches, on-campus recruiting efforts are soon also going to be heavily in the mix — especially once spring football arrives.
Getting top targets on campus is always the goal for Ohio State, and though majority of the bigger recruiting visit opportunities are in the weeks to come, this January is still seeing some activity. On Wednesday, an in-state 2025 product shared his plans for getting to Columbus this coming weekend.
Cincinnati native Jai’mier Scott took to Twitter to announce his visit plans coming this Saturday, and it’s a chance for the Buckeyes to take a closer look at another Ohio product that is really seeing his recruitment take off. Schools such as Wisconsin, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Purdue, and Penn State have all offered in the last couple of months, and while Ohio State has yet to pull the trigger, this upcoming visit could be just what’s needed to really get the ball rolling.
The Mt. Healthy product is unranked right now due to his class status. Playing both sides of the ball for his prep team, Scott most likely checks out to be a defensive back at the next level, and with that position always needing some attention, it would be great to have another top player right in their own backyard with Ohio State interest. This weekend will give a glimpse into Scott’s relationship with the program moving forward.
I will be at The Ohio State University on Saturday January 21st ! #GoBucks #WANTMORE #FEGO @CoachJMStevens @bzdebski @CoachTimWalton @OhioStateFB @OhioPrepsRivals @etwill21 @CoachJFryepic.twitter.com/50lNBBgC9L
— jaimier scott (@JaimierScott) January 18, 2023
Quick Hits
- Recently named tight end coach Keenan Bailey is wasting no time getting after the job as he looks to bring in top players. Known already for his recruiting abilities, that is part of the reason Ohio State made him one of the full-time position coaches.
As he continues his efforts on the road, yesterday Bailey was back in Missouri. A state that has been kind over the years to the Buckeyes, it’s no surprise to see the staff continuing to tap in on their resources. With heavy ties in the St. Louis area, it’s more than likely that was one of his key stops.
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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
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes head to Lincoln tonight to try and snap a four-game losing streak.
On Sunday we saw Ohio State (10-7, 2-4) drop another close game, with the 68-64 loss in overtime at Rutgers extending the losing streak of the Buckeyes to four games. Ohio State has a chance to get back in the win column tonight when they travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-9, 2-5), who sit just below the Buckeyes in the Big Ten standings.
Sunday’s game was a tough watch at times. The first basket of the game wasn’t scored until four minutes in by Caleb McConnell of Rutgers. The Buckeyes found a bit of rhythm shortly after, building a 15-4 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the first half. Ohio State would again go cold from the field to close out the first half, scoring just eight points the rest of the period, and just three points in the final eight minutes, heading into halftime with a 23-20 lead.
Much like their first meeting with Rutgers in December, Sunday’s game was tight throughout the second half, with the biggest lead being 44-38 by the Buckeyes with 10:45 left. The lead changed hands numerous times in the second half, with most of the period seeing the score separated by no more than three points.
The game eventually went to overtime. The Buckeyes gained a 61-60 lead with a little less than two minutes left after two free throws from Brice Sensabaugh, whose 20 points led the Buckeyes. Rutgers responded 16 seconds later with a layup from Cliff Omoruyi, which gave the Scarlet Knights the lead for good. Mawot Mag added a little bit of cushion to the lead when he hit a three-pointer with 38 seconds left to give the Scarlet Knights a 65-61 lead. Rutgers would go on to earn a 68-64 victory over the Buckeyes, splitting the regular season series between the schools.
There was a bit of a surprise in Ohio State’s starting lineup on Sunday when Brice Sensabaugh wasn’t included in the starting five. Sensabaugh still had a huge impact on the game, scoring a team-high 20 points in 29 minutes. The freshman also secured 11 rebounds in the loss, recording a double-double for the second straight game. Sensabaugh is currently leading the Buckeyes with 16.9 points per game.
Also coming off the pine in the game was Zed Key, who is still dealing with a shoulder injury that he suffered in the loss to Purdue nearly two weeks ago. After missing the Maryland game, Key returned for the Minnesota, and has now come off the bench in each of the last two games. Key played 28 minutes, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Ohio State needed every point they could get from Sensabaugh and Key since the starters contributed very little scoring. Sean McNeil was the only Buckeye starter to reach double figures in the loss to the Scarlet Knights, shooting 3-of-12 from the field and finishing with 11 points. Justice Sueing was 3-of-10 with his field goal attempts, while Issac Likekele missed all five of his shot attempts.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24368189/usa_today_19784773.jpg "Syndication: Journal-Courier")
Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State has dominated the series with Nebraska, holding a 20-5 record over the Cornhuskers. That doesn’t mean that tonight’s game will be an automatic win for the Buckeyes, since Nebraska has played them tough recently. Last year the Cornhuskers took Ohio State to overtime in Lincoln before Malaki Branham led the Buckeyes to victory. The win was the fifth-straight road victory over Nebraska by the Buckeyes.
The return game in Columbus is one Ohio State will want to forget. The game was originally supposed to be on Jan. 22, but was postponed and rescheduled for March 1. The game was squeezed into an already busy section of the schedule for Ohio State, and it was clear the Buckeyes didn’t have the energy needed to win the game. The 78-70 win by Nebraska was Fred Hoiberg’s first win over a ranked team as head coach of the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska enters tonight’s game with a 2-5 record in Big Ten play. The Cornhuskers have lost their last two conference games, with the most recent being a 73-55 setback at Purdue on Friday night. Fred Hoiberg’s team was shorthanded against the Boilermakers, playing without Sam Griesel and Juwan Gray. Nebraska never led in the game, and never really threatened Purdue. Zach Edey pulled down 13 rebounds in the victory, which was just six fewer rebounds than the Cornhuskers had as a team.
Derrick Walker paced Nebraska with 19 points, and the Tennessee transfer is leading the team with 14.1 points per game. Walker also is averaging 7.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, making him one of 12 players in the country averaging at least 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists per game.
Sam Griesel is the only other Cornhusker averaging double figures in scoring, with the guard netting 11.1 points per game. The North Dakota State transfer missed Nebraska’s last game, but Hoiberg is expecting the senior guard to be available to play tonight against the Buckeyes. Prior to the injury, Griesel had scored at least 10 points in each of his last five games.
While Griesel is expected to be able to play, the outlook for Juwan Gary isn’t nearly as good. The Alabama transfer was averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game before he suffered a shoulder injury against Illinois that limited him to 16 minutes in the 76-50 loss last Tuesday. With Gary injured, Wilhelm Breidenbach made the first start of his career on Friday night against Purdue.
A couple other transfers have played a key role for Nebraska this season. Emmanuel Bandoumel came to Lincoln as a grad transfer from SMU. Over the last two seasons, Bandoumel averaged double digits in scoring for the Mustangs, putting home 10.2 points per game in the 2020-21 season, and 10.6 points per game last year. This year, Bandoumel’s scoring has dipped a bit, as he is averaging 8.9 points, but he is averaging a career-high 5.1 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard C.J. Wilcher started his career at Xavier, appearing in 15 games for the Musketeers in the 2020-21 season before transferring to Nebraska. After starting just two of the 32 games he played in last year, Wilcher has started all 18 contests for the Cornhuskers this year, and is averaging 8.7 points per game. While Wilcher has struggled of late, failing to reach double figures in scoring in seven of his last eight games, he can go off at any time.
Wilcher scored 21 points earlier this year in a win over Omaha, and last month he scored 22 points in a loss to Indiana in Bloomington.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24368191/usa_today_17449886.jpg "NCAA Basketball: Ohio State at Nebraska")
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Even though it’s never easy to go on the road and win in the Big Ten, Ohio State has already done so in 2023, easily handling Northwestern 73-57 on the first evening of the year. It’s hard to imagine the Buckeyes having a ton of trouble with the Cornhuskers tonight, especially with Nebraska expected to be without Gary. While Griesel will return to the lineup, it is unknown if there will be any limitations when it comes to the amount of time he will be available to play.
One thing Ohio State has to do in this game is have some urgency. If the Buckeyes happen to slip tonight, it could be a few weeks before Chris Holtmann’s team gets another win. The schedule for Ohio State coming up is pretty brutal, with Iowa coming to Columbus on Saturday, followed by trips to Illinois and Indiana next week. The Buckeyes desperately need a win here to try and get some momentum headed in the right direction after a number of close losses lately.
Sensabaugh is playing at a high level right now, but he needs some help. Key has been gutting it out of late off the bench as he has dealt with a shoulder injury. While Sueing has been fine up until last game, McNeil and Likekele need to step up a little more than what we saw against Rutgers. The performance from Likekele was especially concerning because Holtmann reinserted him into the starting lineup to try and spark his play some, but the Oklahoma State transfer gave the team very little on the floor offensively.
Even though you can’t count Nebraska out, especially with how tough they’ve played Ohio State lately, it is going to take a huge effort from Derrick Walker and the rest of the Cornhuskers to win their second straight game against the Buckeyes. If Ohio State gets back to basics and plays fundamental basketball, they should be able to breathe easy in the second half, which is something they haven’t been able to do lately.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 76.3%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
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Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
The Buckeyes head to Lincoln tonight to try and snap a four-game losing streak.
On Sunday we saw Ohio State (10-7, 2-4) drop another close game, with the 68-64 loss in overtime at Rutgers extending the losing streak of the Buckeyes to four games. Ohio State has a chance to get back in the win column tonight when they travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-9, 2-5), who sit just below the Buckeyes in the Big Ten standings.
Sunday’s game was a tough watch at times. The first basket of the game wasn’t scored until four minutes in by Caleb McConnell of Rutgers. The Buckeyes found a bit of rhythm shortly after, building a 15-4 lead with just over 11 minutes left in the first half. Ohio State would again go cold from the field to close out the first half, scoring just eight points the rest of the period, and just three points in the final eight minutes, heading into halftime with a 23-20 lead.
Much like their first meeting with Rutgers in December, Sunday’s game was tight throughout the second half, with the biggest lead being 44-38 by the Buckeyes with 10:45 left. The lead changed hands numerous times in the second half, with most of the period seeing the score separated by no more than three points.
The game eventually went to overtime. The Buckeyes gained a 61-60 lead with a little less than two minutes left after two free throws from Brice Sensabaugh, whose 20 points led the Buckeyes. Rutgers responded 16 seconds later with a layup from Cliff Omoruyi, which gave the Scarlet Knights the lead for good. Mawot Mag added a little bit of cushion to the lead when he hit a three-pointer with 38 seconds left to give the Scarlet Knights a 65-61 lead. Rutgers would go on to earn a 68-64 victory over the Buckeyes, splitting the regular season series between the schools.
There was a bit of a surprise in Ohio State’s starting lineup on Sunday when Brice Sensabaugh wasn’t included in the starting five. Sensabaugh still had a huge impact on the game, scoring a team-high 20 points in 29 minutes. The freshman also secured 11 rebounds in the loss, recording a double-double for the second straight game. Sensabaugh is currently leading the Buckeyes with 16.9 points per game.
Also coming off the pine in the game was Zed Key, who is still dealing with a shoulder injury that he suffered in the loss to Purdue nearly two weeks ago. After missing the Maryland game, Key returned for the Minnesota, and has now come off the bench in each of the last two games. Key played 28 minutes, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Ohio State needed every point they could get from Sensabaugh and Key since the starters contributed very little scoring. Sean McNeil was the only Buckeye starter to reach double figures in the loss to the Scarlet Knights, shooting 3-of-12 from the field and finishing with 11 points. Justice Sueing was 3-of-10 with his field goal attempts, while Issac Likekele missed all five of his shot attempts.
Preview
Ohio State has dominated the series with Nebraska, holding a 20-5 record over the Cornhuskers. That doesn’t mean that tonight’s game will be an automatic win for the Buckeyes, since Nebraska has played them tough recently. Last year the Cornhuskers took Ohio State to overtime in Lincoln before Malaki Branham led the Buckeyes to victory. The win was the fifth-straight road victory over Nebraska by the Buckeyes.
The return game in Columbus is one Ohio State will want to forget. The game was originally supposed to be on Jan. 22, but was postponed and rescheduled for March 1. The game was squeezed into an already busy section of the schedule for Ohio State, and it was clear the Buckeyes didn’t have the energy needed to win the game. The 78-70 win by Nebraska was Fred Hoiberg’s first win over a ranked team as head coach of the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska enters tonight’s game with a 2-5 record in Big Ten play. The Cornhuskers have lost their last two conference games, with the most recent being a 73-55 setback at Purdue on Friday night. Fred Hoiberg’s team was shorthanded against the Boilermakers, playing without Sam Griesel and Juwan Gray. Nebraska never led in the game, and never really threatened Purdue. Zach Edey pulled down 13 rebounds in the victory, which was just six fewer rebounds than the Cornhuskers had as a team.
Derrick Walker paced Nebraska with 19 points, and the Tennessee transfer is leading the team with 14.1 points per game. Walker also is averaging 7.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, making him one of 12 players in the country averaging at least 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists per game.
Sam Griesel is the only other Cornhusker averaging double figures in scoring, with the guard netting 11.1 points per game. The North Dakota State transfer missed Nebraska’s last game, but Hoiberg is expecting the senior guard to be available to play tonight against the Buckeyes. Prior to the injury, Griesel had scored at least 10 points in each of his last five games.
While Griesel is expected to be able to play, the outlook for Juwan Gary isn’t nearly as good. The Alabama transfer was averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game before he suffered a shoulder injury against Illinois that limited him to 16 minutes in the 76-50 loss last Tuesday. With Gary injured, Wilhelm Breidenbach made the first start of his career on Friday night against Purdue.
A couple other transfers have played a key role for Nebraska this season. Emmanuel Bandoumel came to Lincoln as a grad transfer from SMU. Over the last two seasons, Bandoumel averaged double digits in scoring for the Mustangs, putting home 10.2 points per game in the 2020-21 season, and 10.6 points per game last year. This year, Bandoumel’s scoring has dipped a bit, as he is averaging 8.9 points, but he is averaging a career-high 5.1 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard C.J. Wilcher started his career at Xavier, appearing in 15 games for the Musketeers in the 2020-21 season before transferring to Nebraska. After starting just two of the 32 games he played in last year, Wilcher has started all 18 contests for the Cornhuskers this year, and is averaging 8.7 points per game. While Wilcher has struggled of late, failing to reach double figures in scoring in seven of his last eight games, he can go off at any time.
Wilcher scored 21 points earlier this year in a win over Omaha, and last month he scored 22 points in a loss to Indiana in Bloomington.
Prediction
Even though it’s never easy to go on the road and win in the Big Ten, Ohio State has already done so in 2023, easily handling Northwestern 73-57 on the first evening of the year. It’s hard to imagine the Buckeyes having a ton of trouble with the Cornhuskers tonight, especially with Nebraska expected to be without Gary. While Griesel will return to the lineup, it is unknown if there will be any limitations when it comes to the amount of time he will be available to play.
One thing Ohio State has to do in this game is have some urgency. If the Buckeyes happen to slip tonight, it could be a few weeks before Chris Holtmann’s team gets another win. The schedule for Ohio State coming up is pretty brutal, with Iowa coming to Columbus on Saturday, followed by trips to Illinois and Indiana next week. The Buckeyes desperately need a win here to try and get some momentum headed in the right direction after a number of close losses lately.
Sensabaugh is playing at a high level right now, but he needs some help. Key has been gutting it out of late off the bench as he has dealt with a shoulder injury. While Sueing has been fine up until last game, McNeil and Likekele need to step up a little more than what we saw against Rutgers. The performance from Likekele was especially concerning because Holtmann reinserted him into the starting lineup to try and spark his play some, but the Oklahoma State transfer gave the team very little on the floor offensively.
Even though you can’t count Nebraska out, especially with how tough they’ve played Ohio State lately, it is going to take a huge effort from Derrick Walker and the rest of the Cornhuskers to win their second straight game against the Buckeyes. If Ohio State gets back to basics and plays fundamental basketball, they should be able to breathe easy in the second half, which is something they haven’t been able to do lately.
ESPN BPI: Ohio State 76.3%
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
LGHL score prediction: Ohio State 71, Nebraska 58
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LGHL Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for January 18, 2023
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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for January 18, 2023
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
Buckeyes WR Kamryn Babb won’t return for extra season of eligibility
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Good luck with whatever your next chapter is, 0.
Former Oregon State Quarterback Tristan Gebbia Transferring to Ohio State
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
What adding transfer Tristan Gebbia means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Making sense of Ohio State adding transfer portal quarterback Tristan Gebbia (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
What addition of transfer quarterback Tristan Gebbia means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State in the transfer portal — the hits, misses and what’s to come (paywall)
Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic
I’m ready for a full season of healthy Trey and Miyan!
Ohio State roster reset: How the scholarship numbers look at each position (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
Making way-too-early projection for Buckeyes offensive depth chart next season (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Looking To 2023: Where do pundits have Ohio State pegged for next year’s playoff race
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
What Lathan Ransom’s return means for Ohio State football’s safeties in 2023
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com
Did you know that Sam was once committed to play lacrosse at Notre Dam until Urban Meyer saw him playing dodgeball in gym class?
Column: Harbaugh’s return is good for the Buckeyes
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Former Ohio State Wide Receivers Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson Finalists for NFL Rookie of the Year
Garrick Hodge, Eleven Warriors
Remembering five great Buckeye moments in recent years
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land
Buckeyes hope smarter paint decisions can reignite offense
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Five stats to know about four-game Buckeyes losing streak (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Ohio State in Desperate Need of Win on the Road at Nebraska with Buckeyes at Risk of Dropping Five Straight
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors
Who says Ohio State basketball is having a down year?
Women’s Basketball: Mikulášiková Named to Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll
Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State’s big men open up big lead, help shorthanded wrestling squad take down Rutgers
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
Men’s Lacrosse: Inaugural Season in Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Set For Buckeye Lacrosse Programs
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Tennis: JJ Wolf Wins Open Round Match at Australian Open
Ohio State Athletics
You’re Nuts: Who are your favorite Ohio State sports siblings?
Brett Ludwiczak and Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land
I generally think gender reveals are douchey and dumb, as a former prolific backyard professional wrestler, I can get behind ones like this!
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
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
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 | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On the Gridiron
Buckeyes WR Kamryn Babb won’t return for extra season of eligibility
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch
Good luck with whatever your next chapter is, 0.
Former Oregon State Quarterback Tristan Gebbia Transferring to Ohio State
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors
What adding transfer Tristan Gebbia means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes
Making sense of Ohio State adding transfer portal quarterback Tristan Gebbia (paywall)
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts
What addition of transfer quarterback Tristan Gebbia means for Buckeyes (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Ohio State in the transfer portal — the hits, misses and what’s to come (paywall)
Cameron Teague Robinson, The Athletic
I’m ready for a full season of healthy Trey and Miyan!
Ohio State roster reset: How the scholarship numbers look at each position (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes
Making way-too-early projection for Buckeyes offensive depth chart next season (paywall)
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row
Looking To 2023: Where do pundits have Ohio State pegged for next year’s playoff race
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts
What Lathan Ransom’s return means for Ohio State football’s safeties in 2023
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com
Did you know that Sam was once committed to play lacrosse at Notre Dam until Urban Meyer saw him playing dodgeball in gym class?
Column: Harbaugh’s return is good for the Buckeyes
Jami Jurich, Land-Grant Holy Land
Former Ohio State Wide Receivers Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson Finalists for NFL Rookie of the Year
Garrick Hodge, Eleven Warriors
Remembering five great Buckeye moments in recent years
Megan Husslein, Land-Grant Holy Land
On the Hardwood
Buckeyes hope smarter paint decisions can reignite offense
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch
Five stats to know about four-game Buckeyes losing streak (paywall)
Andy Backstrom, Lettermen Row
Ohio State in Desperate Need of Win on the Road at Nebraska with Buckeyes at Risk of Dropping Five Straight
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors
Who says Ohio State basketball is having a down year?
Women’s Basketball: Mikulášiková Named to Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll
Ohio State Athletics
Outside the Shoe and Schott
Ohio State’s big men open up big lead, help shorthanded wrestling squad take down Rutgers
Josh Dooley, Land-Grant Holy Land
Men’s Lacrosse: Inaugural Season in Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium Set For Buckeye Lacrosse Programs
Ohio State Athletics
Men’s Tennis: JJ Wolf Wins Open Round Match at Australian Open
Ohio State Athletics
You’re Nuts: Who are your favorite Ohio State sports siblings?
Brett Ludwiczak and Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land
And now for something completely different...
I generally think gender reveals are douchey and dumb, as a former prolific backyard professional wrestler, I can get behind ones like this!
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LGHL Three takeaways from Ohio State’s painful loss on the road to Nebraska
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Three takeaways from Ohio State’s painful loss on the road to Nebraska
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
The Buckeyes losing streak is extended to five.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-8, 2-5) lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-9, 3-5) 63-60 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, extending the Buckeyes losing streak to five games.
The Buckeyes were slow to start, scoring just nine points through the first 12 minutes and trailing 12-9 heading into the under-8 media timeout in the first half.
However, despite all of the offensive struggles, the Buckeyes took a 22-21 lead into the halftime period. The Buckeyes have led at the half in two of their last three games, but have been unable to secure wins.
The Buckeyes were led by freshman Brice Sensabaugh, who recorded seven points and six rebounds, but he was just 2-for-11 from the field and the freshman uncharacteristically missed some open mid-range looks.
In the second half, the Buckeyes went on an almost six-minute scoring drought that allowed Nebraska to take a 55-48 lead. After some back-and-forth basketball, the Buckeyes cut the lead to 61-58 after a Brice Sensabaugh three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining, but Nebraska was able to get a couple of defensive stops and hit their free throws late and win the game and won 63-60.
Sam Griesel led the Cornhuskers with 14 points and Brice Sensabaugh led the way for the Buckeyes with 18.
Here are three things we took away from Wednesday night’s contest in Lincoln.
Offense is fun and guys like Brice Sensabaugh, Zed Key, and Sean McNeil can provide it in a hurry. However, when their offense is struggling, it can take a toll on their defensive effort and it led to breakdowns on both ends.
Junior Eugene Brown and freshman Roddy Gayle are not as great of options on the offensive side, but they have shown top-tier defense at times and most importantly during a losing streak, bringing a fresh set of energy and a spark off the bench.
Also, Gayle was a 27-point-per-game scorer his sophomore year in high school (his junior and senior seasons he dealt with injuries) and is a more-than-capable scorer, he is just young and still finding his footing. And Eugene Brown is a solid shooter who showed flashes of his three-and-D game his freshman season.
These guys can help provide a spark off the team while also working on their own individual offensive games which will be helpful in February and March as every team’s depth gets tested.
We put a lot of weight into starting lineups and who we see on the floor at the opening tip. However, at this rate, the Buckeyes might be best off bringing their star freshman scorer off the bench.
To be clear, in every game this would involve him coming off the bench and onto the floor at the under-16 media timeout. This is not him sitting out for more than the first four-five minutes of the game.
Sensabaugh is a part of the Buckeyes' best lineup so far, in terms of plus/minus, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy.
To be clear, in every game this would involve him coming off the bench and onto the floor at the under-16 media timeout. This is not him sitting out for more than the first four-five minutes of the game.
What this does is it brings your best scorer off the bench after the starters have played a hard four to five minutes to open the game when the adrenaline is pumping and are tired. Now, Sensabaugh can attack immediately and take advantage of some tired bodies and force some coaches to go to their bench earlier than they might want to, especially teams with less depth than others.
The Buckeyes’ four-game losing streak makes it feel like the sky is falling and in this conference, it can be. Every game is a battle and when you go two weeks without a win, it makes it hard to bounce back. The Buckeyes have gone from a solid 5 or 6 seed in the tournament to being on the bubble.
Ohio State’s next four games are at home against Iowa, at Illinois, at Indiana, and at home against Wisconsin. This is a difficult stretch that involves playing at two of the toughest venues in the conference.
It is still just January and there are a lot of games to be played. If Ohio State wants to get back on track, they have to take each individual game at a time and attempt to stack up some wins. This is a good enough team to win games, they just cannot look forward and have to try to take each game in a vacuum.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images
The Buckeyes losing streak is extended to five.
The Ohio State Buckeyes (10-8, 2-5) lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-9, 3-5) 63-60 at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, extending the Buckeyes losing streak to five games.
The Buckeyes were slow to start, scoring just nine points through the first 12 minutes and trailing 12-9 heading into the under-8 media timeout in the first half.
However, despite all of the offensive struggles, the Buckeyes took a 22-21 lead into the halftime period. The Buckeyes have led at the half in two of their last three games, but have been unable to secure wins.
The Buckeyes were led by freshman Brice Sensabaugh, who recorded seven points and six rebounds, but he was just 2-for-11 from the field and the freshman uncharacteristically missed some open mid-range looks.
In the second half, the Buckeyes went on an almost six-minute scoring drought that allowed Nebraska to take a 55-48 lead. After some back-and-forth basketball, the Buckeyes cut the lead to 61-58 after a Brice Sensabaugh three-pointer with 38 seconds remaining, but Nebraska was able to get a couple of defensive stops and hit their free throws late and win the game and won 63-60.
Sam Griesel led the Cornhuskers with 14 points and Brice Sensabaugh led the way for the Buckeyes with 18.
Here are three things we took away from Wednesday night’s contest in Lincoln.
More Roddy Gayle and Eugene Brown
Offense is fun and guys like Brice Sensabaugh, Zed Key, and Sean McNeil can provide it in a hurry. However, when their offense is struggling, it can take a toll on their defensive effort and it led to breakdowns on both ends.
Junior Eugene Brown and freshman Roddy Gayle are not as great of options on the offensive side, but they have shown top-tier defense at times and most importantly during a losing streak, bringing a fresh set of energy and a spark off the bench.
Also, Gayle was a 27-point-per-game scorer his sophomore year in high school (his junior and senior seasons he dealt with injuries) and is a more-than-capable scorer, he is just young and still finding his footing. And Eugene Brown is a solid shooter who showed flashes of his three-and-D game his freshman season.
These guys can help provide a spark off the team while also working on their own individual offensive games which will be helpful in February and March as every team’s depth gets tested.
Brice Sensabaugh should come off the bench
We put a lot of weight into starting lineups and who we see on the floor at the opening tip. However, at this rate, the Buckeyes might be best off bringing their star freshman scorer off the bench.
To be clear, in every game this would involve him coming off the bench and onto the floor at the under-16 media timeout. This is not him sitting out for more than the first four-five minutes of the game.
Sensabaugh is a part of the Buckeyes' best lineup so far, in terms of plus/minus, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s Adam Jardy.
To be clear, in every game this would involve him coming off the bench and onto the floor at the under-16 media timeout. This is not him sitting out for more than the first four-five minutes of the game.
What this does is it brings your best scorer off the bench after the starters have played a hard four to five minutes to open the game when the adrenaline is pumping and are tired. Now, Sensabaugh can attack immediately and take advantage of some tired bodies and force some coaches to go to their bench earlier than they might want to, especially teams with less depth than others.
One game at a time
The Buckeyes’ four-game losing streak makes it feel like the sky is falling and in this conference, it can be. Every game is a battle and when you go two weeks without a win, it makes it hard to bounce back. The Buckeyes have gone from a solid 5 or 6 seed in the tournament to being on the bubble.
Ohio State’s next four games are at home against Iowa, at Illinois, at Indiana, and at home against Wisconsin. This is a difficult stretch that involves playing at two of the toughest venues in the conference.
It is still just January and there are a lot of games to be played. If Ohio State wants to get back on track, they have to take each individual game at a time and attempt to stack up some wins. This is a good enough team to win games, they just cannot look forward and have to try to take each game in a vacuum.
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LGHL Column: The Urban Meyer NFL experiment was an even bigger disaster than we realized
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Column: The Urban Meyer NFL experiment was an even bigger disaster than we realized
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Sorry, Jacksonville.
Like many watching Saturday night’s Wild Card matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers, I tuned out at halftime, feeling confident that the beatdown we’d witnessed in the first 30 minutes would lead to a W for the Chargers and an early playoff exit for the Jags on their home turf.
But then the improbable happened. After throwing four first-half interceptions, Trevor Lawrence turned it on in the second half (and at the end of the first) with four touchdowns in the last 31 minutes of play. The Jacksonville defense stepped up, allowing just three points in the final two quarters. Jacksonville emerged with a one-point win.
After this game, we learned three things that we’ve probably suspected throughout this season:
Turnarounds happen. They’re meant to happen. It’s the reason the NFL Draft is structured the way it is, so the worst teams in the league can have a shot at redemption. And yet, we don’t often see turnarounds from teams being the worst in the league to winning a playoff game in a single season. That’s why we have to give credit to Doug Pederson and the effort he’s made in Jacksonville.
But it’s not all on the head coach. Of course it makes sense that a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence would show some improvement during his sophomore season in the league since it’s hard to have a sophomore slump when there’s nowhere to go but up after the freshman season.
And credit the $175.3 million Jacksonville doled out in free agency this year to secure players like Christian Kirk and Brandon Scherff.
The thing is, though, teams don’t simply go from 0 to 60 in a single year. There was clearly untapped talent that Pederson was able to put to work in 2022 in ways that weren’t possible in 2021. In business we might call it “building operational efficiencies” — because coaching an NFL team is, after all, like running a business.
So why did this talent not thrive in 2021? Why did these efficiencies remain untapped? For all the reasons Urban Meyer had success at Ohio State, they led to abject failure in Jacksonville.
There’s no doubt that Meyer was a phenomenal college coach because he was good at the things that were required of him as a college coach. And the thing you need to be successful at in college is, uncompromisingly, recruiting. For Meyer, that meant bringing to life a winning culture and then convincing 17 and 18-year-olds to join the program because of that winning tradition — and he was really good at it. When Meyer was still at Ohio State, it was easy to point to the mutually reinforcing recruiting, championship and NFL Draft pick machines that were all but unstoppable. The “developed here” mantra was real when recruits could see guys a few years their senior being taken in the first round with a handful of Big Ten titles under their belts.
In college, even scheming doesn’t need to be all that brilliant (consider the service academies which send one or two teams to bowl games every season running the triple option). Here, recruiting once again played a role. Meyer was able to take his athletes who, because they were four- and five-star recruits, were generally better at their positions than most of the athletes on the other side of the field, and draw up schemes that made his teams look like dynamite.
Unfortunately, there’s really no such thing as recruiting in the NFL and you can’t scheme when your athletes are just as good as those on the other team. And the latter point, unfortunately for Meyer, is what matters in the pros.
Every player Meyer coached at Jacksonville was one of the top players on their teams in college, which is why they’re in the NFL. Trying to overpower opposing NFL teams simply doesn’t work; there’s more nuance to it. That’s why NFL point spreads are usually less than two touchdowns while college spreads are much, much higher. There is simply greater parity as teams are more evenly matched.
Individual game strategy matters much more in the NFL than it does in college football. That’s why even the worst teams in the league generally win a few games every season. Meyer learned the hard way that he simply cannot rely on talent mismatches to win games.
To the first point on recruiting, Meyer’s plan in the NFL revolved around the idea, so successful in college, that building a culture would lead to championships. There’s a reason we hear the Meyer-coached players on Sunday Night Football announce they went to “THE Ohio State University,” while Ryan Day-coached players (as we’ve seen throughout this season) fall back on “Ohio State.” Having come from the NFL, Day seems to approach Ohio State as a business manager.
Meyer’s culture-centric program doesn’t work with adults who are earning a paycheck and who, if given the opportunity, could earn a paycheck elsewhere. His methods of treating them like he did a complete college team seem absurd in retrospect.
Unfortunately, when culture building didn’t work, the culture in Jacksonville got so severely toxic that we couldn’t go a whole week without another wild story from the locker room. We don’t need to get into the allegations of verbal and even physical abuse that clouded the short-lived experiment in Jacksonville.
In business and football, the danger is not learning from the lessons we’ve seen. It’s one more data point of why some college coaches don’t make good NFL coaches. Sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better, but especially with the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that things got much, much worse than they had to in Jacksonville under Meyer’s tenure.
Continue reading...
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Sorry, Jacksonville.
Like many watching Saturday night’s Wild Card matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers, I tuned out at halftime, feeling confident that the beatdown we’d witnessed in the first 30 minutes would lead to a W for the Chargers and an early playoff exit for the Jags on their home turf.
But then the improbable happened. After throwing four first-half interceptions, Trevor Lawrence turned it on in the second half (and at the end of the first) with four touchdowns in the last 31 minutes of play. The Jacksonville defense stepped up, allowing just three points in the final two quarters. Jacksonville emerged with a one-point win.
After this game, we learned three things that we’ve probably suspected throughout this season:
- Doug Pederson is a better coach than we realized
- Trevor Lawrence is a quarterback with a bright future
- The Urban Meyer experiment in Jacksonville was even worse than we realized
Turnarounds happen. They’re meant to happen. It’s the reason the NFL Draft is structured the way it is, so the worst teams in the league can have a shot at redemption. And yet, we don’t often see turnarounds from teams being the worst in the league to winning a playoff game in a single season. That’s why we have to give credit to Doug Pederson and the effort he’s made in Jacksonville.
But it’s not all on the head coach. Of course it makes sense that a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence would show some improvement during his sophomore season in the league since it’s hard to have a sophomore slump when there’s nowhere to go but up after the freshman season.
And credit the $175.3 million Jacksonville doled out in free agency this year to secure players like Christian Kirk and Brandon Scherff.
The thing is, though, teams don’t simply go from 0 to 60 in a single year. There was clearly untapped talent that Pederson was able to put to work in 2022 in ways that weren’t possible in 2021. In business we might call it “building operational efficiencies” — because coaching an NFL team is, after all, like running a business.
So why did this talent not thrive in 2021? Why did these efficiencies remain untapped? For all the reasons Urban Meyer had success at Ohio State, they led to abject failure in Jacksonville.
There’s no doubt that Meyer was a phenomenal college coach because he was good at the things that were required of him as a college coach. And the thing you need to be successful at in college is, uncompromisingly, recruiting. For Meyer, that meant bringing to life a winning culture and then convincing 17 and 18-year-olds to join the program because of that winning tradition — and he was really good at it. When Meyer was still at Ohio State, it was easy to point to the mutually reinforcing recruiting, championship and NFL Draft pick machines that were all but unstoppable. The “developed here” mantra was real when recruits could see guys a few years their senior being taken in the first round with a handful of Big Ten titles under their belts.
In college, even scheming doesn’t need to be all that brilliant (consider the service academies which send one or two teams to bowl games every season running the triple option). Here, recruiting once again played a role. Meyer was able to take his athletes who, because they were four- and five-star recruits, were generally better at their positions than most of the athletes on the other side of the field, and draw up schemes that made his teams look like dynamite.
Unfortunately, there’s really no such thing as recruiting in the NFL and you can’t scheme when your athletes are just as good as those on the other team. And the latter point, unfortunately for Meyer, is what matters in the pros.
Every player Meyer coached at Jacksonville was one of the top players on their teams in college, which is why they’re in the NFL. Trying to overpower opposing NFL teams simply doesn’t work; there’s more nuance to it. That’s why NFL point spreads are usually less than two touchdowns while college spreads are much, much higher. There is simply greater parity as teams are more evenly matched.
Individual game strategy matters much more in the NFL than it does in college football. That’s why even the worst teams in the league generally win a few games every season. Meyer learned the hard way that he simply cannot rely on talent mismatches to win games.
To the first point on recruiting, Meyer’s plan in the NFL revolved around the idea, so successful in college, that building a culture would lead to championships. There’s a reason we hear the Meyer-coached players on Sunday Night Football announce they went to “THE Ohio State University,” while Ryan Day-coached players (as we’ve seen throughout this season) fall back on “Ohio State.” Having come from the NFL, Day seems to approach Ohio State as a business manager.
Meyer’s culture-centric program doesn’t work with adults who are earning a paycheck and who, if given the opportunity, could earn a paycheck elsewhere. His methods of treating them like he did a complete college team seem absurd in retrospect.
Unfortunately, when culture building didn’t work, the culture in Jacksonville got so severely toxic that we couldn’t go a whole week without another wild story from the locker room. We don’t need to get into the allegations of verbal and even physical abuse that clouded the short-lived experiment in Jacksonville.
In business and football, the danger is not learning from the lessons we’ve seen. It’s one more data point of why some college coaches don’t make good NFL coaches. Sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better, but especially with the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that things got much, much worse than they had to in Jacksonville under Meyer’s tenure.
Continue reading...
LGHL B1G WBB Week 10: Indiana and Maryland battle, Ohio State shines in award predictions
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B1G WBB Week 10: Indiana and Maryland battle, Ohio State shines in award predictions
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The non-Buckeyes news you need from across Big Ten women’s basketball
It’s easy to get into an Ohio State bubble but there’s a lot going on around the Big Ten, especially this season in women’s basketball. The conference has the most teams in the AP Top-25 poll and features a wide array of talented seniors who are destined for the professional level.
Last week, two teams with those types of players were on display. Also, with the end of the season approaching, it’s time to predict some awards.
Thursday, Jan. 12, it was a top-10 showdown between the No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 9 Maryland Terrapins. It was Indiana’s dynamic duo of center Mackenzie Holmes and guard Grace Berger versus soon-to-be WNBA lottery pick in Maryland’s star guard Diamond Miller.
Played at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, the Hoosiers’ fans witnessed a physical game. In Maryland’s starting five, four players picked up at least three fouls with three starters grabbing four apiece.
The Terrapins picked up 20 overall. Miraculously, nobody fouled out and Maryland kept it a close game for three of four quarters.
Indiana’s halfcourt defense held Maryland to 61 points, but the quarter that hurt the Terrapins the most was the second. The Hoosiers held Miller and her side to 27.3% from the field, compared to the best shooting quarter of the game for either team by Indiana, shooting 63.6%.
Leading Indiana in that category was Indiana native and Oregon Ducks transfer Sydney Parrish. The guard notched a team-high 18 points for Indiana. That performance plus freshman Yarden Garzon going 3-for-5 from deep was the difference in the 68-61 victory.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24368444/1246195457.jpg "Indiana Hoosiers guard Sydney Parrish (33) plays against...")
Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Maryland guard Diamond Miller (left) guarding Sydney Parrish (right) in a physical game on Thursday, Jan. 12.
On Maryland’s side, Miller still played an impressive game, scoring 19 points and six rebounds. Unfortunately for the Terrapins, only one of her teammates, substitute guard Brinae Alexander, contributed more than 10 points and they couldn’t match an even scoring day for the Hoosiers in the 68-61 Indiana victory.
Unfortunately for fans of the conference, the two sides don’t meet again in the regular season. Hopefully, there’s a Big Ten tournament rematch between the two sides with even more on the line.
Land-Grant Holy Land doesn’t have a media vote in any of the postseason awards, so consider this a draft of what we could potentially send to the Big Ten come season’s end. There’s still time for players to make an impact but with 10 weeks of the season down, it’s a good time to take a guess at the individual awards.
Duh. Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is having the best scoring season of her career, which is saying a lot. It’s not in the total points per game, that’s slightly down, but the Naismith Player of the Year contender is shooting 1.5% higher than last season, shooting 46.7%. With South Carolina Gamecocks center Aaliyah Boston getting more attention on defense and playing under her normal game-shattering impact, Clark is a good pick to win not only B1G Player of the Year but the Naismith award too.
This one is a close between McMahon, Minnesota Guard Mara Braun, Indiana’s Garzon, and Rutgers guard Kaylene Smikle but McMahon edges them out. The freshman forward might not have the same scoring numbers as Braun, but in-game impact McMahon’s becoming a key piece of the No. 2 team in the country, which says a lot.
Now that Northwestern Wildcat forward Veronica Burton is out of college, it’s someone else’s turn to win Defensive Player of the Year. Miller’s ability to cover the best player on the court, steal, block, and rebound are unmatched. With Clark the surefire pick for Player of the Year, it seems fair that Miller wins the Defensive Player of the Year Award for her incredible play.
Sixth player is normally the player who consistently comes off the bench first for a team and impacts the game. Now, Harris has started due to injuries, but the guard’s ability to play four out of five positions on the court, and even the move to starting point guard, shows versatility. The Indiana native’s part of the reason the Buckeyes are undefeated. If guard Jacy Sheldon returns, Harris moves back to that traditional sixth player but starting shouldn’t punish the redshirt junior for her accolades in the Big Ten.
We know, we know. Buckeyes’ head coach Kevin McGuff is leading a surprise Ohio State side to their best season ever. That’s great, and in any other year he’s a lock for Coach of the Year, but what Green’s done is incomparable in the Big Ten.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24368435/1243889618.jpg "2022 Big Ten Basketball Media Days")
Illinois Fighting Illini coach Shauna Green at Big Ten media day on Oct. 11, 2022.
The former Dayton Flyers coach came to a seven-win Illinois team who returned only five players. Through a combination of former Dayton players, other transfers, and impact players within those five returners, the Illini are playing their best season in program history. Illinois already doubled their wins from last season and are back in the top-25 AP poll for the first time since 2000.
If you have your own picks, share them on the Land-Grant Holy Land Twitter page or in the comments below.
The same six teams represent the Big Ten in the most recent AP poll, but the Hawkeyes jump the Terrapins for a spot in the top 10.
2 - Ohio State (+1)
6 - Indiana (NC)
10 - Iowa (+2)
11 - Maryland (-2)
14 - Michigan (+3)
21 - Illinois (+3)
Here’s what the rest of the conference schedule looks like in week 11, plus the first day of Week 12 because, just look at it.
Thursday, Jan. 19
Monday, Jan. 24
There are 39 days until the Big Ten regular season ends. Week 11, and the spillover into Week 12, shows how the schedule was put together with a purpose. The top teams are starting to play.
While this week won’t decide who wins the conference, Indiana’s two ranked opponents and Iowa’s trip to Columbus on Monday will start to separate teams or bring the pack even closer together.
Continue reading...
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
The non-Buckeyes news you need from across Big Ten women’s basketball
It’s easy to get into an Ohio State bubble but there’s a lot going on around the Big Ten, especially this season in women’s basketball. The conference has the most teams in the AP Top-25 poll and features a wide array of talented seniors who are destined for the professional level.
Last week, two teams with those types of players were on display. Also, with the end of the season approaching, it’s time to predict some awards.
Indiana and Maryland Battle
Thursday, Jan. 12, it was a top-10 showdown between the No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 9 Maryland Terrapins. It was Indiana’s dynamic duo of center Mackenzie Holmes and guard Grace Berger versus soon-to-be WNBA lottery pick in Maryland’s star guard Diamond Miller.
Played at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana, the Hoosiers’ fans witnessed a physical game. In Maryland’s starting five, four players picked up at least three fouls with three starters grabbing four apiece.
The Terrapins picked up 20 overall. Miraculously, nobody fouled out and Maryland kept it a close game for three of four quarters.
Indiana’s halfcourt defense held Maryland to 61 points, but the quarter that hurt the Terrapins the most was the second. The Hoosiers held Miller and her side to 27.3% from the field, compared to the best shooting quarter of the game for either team by Indiana, shooting 63.6%.
Leading Indiana in that category was Indiana native and Oregon Ducks transfer Sydney Parrish. The guard notched a team-high 18 points for Indiana. That performance plus freshman Yarden Garzon going 3-for-5 from deep was the difference in the 68-61 victory.
Maryland guard Diamond Miller (left) guarding Sydney Parrish (right) in a physical game on Thursday, Jan. 12.
On Maryland’s side, Miller still played an impressive game, scoring 19 points and six rebounds. Unfortunately for the Terrapins, only one of her teammates, substitute guard Brinae Alexander, contributed more than 10 points and they couldn’t match an even scoring day for the Hoosiers in the 68-61 Indiana victory.
Unfortunately for fans of the conference, the two sides don’t meet again in the regular season. Hopefully, there’s a Big Ten tournament rematch between the two sides with even more on the line.
Predicting Conference Awards
Land-Grant Holy Land doesn’t have a media vote in any of the postseason awards, so consider this a draft of what we could potentially send to the Big Ten come season’s end. There’s still time for players to make an impact but with 10 weeks of the season down, it’s a good time to take a guess at the individual awards.
Player of the Year: Caitlin Clark, Iowa Hawkeyes
Duh. Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is having the best scoring season of her career, which is saying a lot. It’s not in the total points per game, that’s slightly down, but the Naismith Player of the Year contender is shooting 1.5% higher than last season, shooting 46.7%. With South Carolina Gamecocks center Aaliyah Boston getting more attention on defense and playing under her normal game-shattering impact, Clark is a good pick to win not only B1G Player of the Year but the Naismith award too.
Freshman of the Year: Cotie McMahon, Ohio State Buckeyes
This one is a close between McMahon, Minnesota Guard Mara Braun, Indiana’s Garzon, and Rutgers guard Kaylene Smikle but McMahon edges them out. The freshman forward might not have the same scoring numbers as Braun, but in-game impact McMahon’s becoming a key piece of the No. 2 team in the country, which says a lot.
Defensive Player of the Year: Diamond Miller, Maryland Terrapins
Now that Northwestern Wildcat forward Veronica Burton is out of college, it’s someone else’s turn to win Defensive Player of the Year. Miller’s ability to cover the best player on the court, steal, block, and rebound are unmatched. With Clark the surefire pick for Player of the Year, it seems fair that Miller wins the Defensive Player of the Year Award for her incredible play.
Sixth Player of the Year: Rikki Harris, Ohio State Buckeyes
Sixth player is normally the player who consistently comes off the bench first for a team and impacts the game. Now, Harris has started due to injuries, but the guard’s ability to play four out of five positions on the court, and even the move to starting point guard, shows versatility. The Indiana native’s part of the reason the Buckeyes are undefeated. If guard Jacy Sheldon returns, Harris moves back to that traditional sixth player but starting shouldn’t punish the redshirt junior for her accolades in the Big Ten.
Coach of the Year: Shauna Green, Illinois Fighting Illini
We know, we know. Buckeyes’ head coach Kevin McGuff is leading a surprise Ohio State side to their best season ever. That’s great, and in any other year he’s a lock for Coach of the Year, but what Green’s done is incomparable in the Big Ten.
Illinois Fighting Illini coach Shauna Green at Big Ten media day on Oct. 11, 2022.
The former Dayton Flyers coach came to a seven-win Illinois team who returned only five players. Through a combination of former Dayton players, other transfers, and impact players within those five returners, the Illini are playing their best season in program history. Illinois already doubled their wins from last season and are back in the top-25 AP poll for the first time since 2000.
If you have your own picks, share them on the Land-Grant Holy Land Twitter page or in the comments below.
Elsewhere Around the B1G
- The Michigan Wolverines had a week showing they’re not out of the running yet, beating the Purdue Boilermakers convincingly and a 15-point win over in-state rivals, the Michigan State Spartans. Maize & Blue is still a team to watch in the Big Ten.
- Clark and the Hawkeyes showed no mercy against the Penn State Nittany Lions. Iowa beat the visitors 108-67, with Clark playing well into the fourth quarter.
- Still no conference wins for the Northwestern Wildcats, losing to Purdue and Iowa.
- Wisconsin’s comeback from a tough start to the season to win two conference games in a row, with an overtime win over the Spartans, led by forward Serah Williams who had 31 points and 13 rebounds.
Conference Standings
AP Poll
The same six teams represent the Big Ten in the most recent AP poll, but the Hawkeyes jump the Terrapins for a spot in the top 10.
2 - Ohio State (+1)
6 - Indiana (NC)
10 - Iowa (+2)
11 - Maryland (-2)
14 - Michigan (+3)
21 - Illinois (+3)
Conference Schedule
Here’s what the rest of the conference schedule looks like in week 11, plus the first day of Week 12 because, just look at it.
Wednesday, Jan. 18
- No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes at Michigan State Spartans - 7:00 p.m. ET
- Nebraska Cornhuskers at Purdue Boilermakers - 7:00 p.m. ET
- Minnesota Golden Gophers at Penn State Nittany Lions - 7:00 p.m. ET
- No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini - 8:00 p.m ET
Thursday, Jan. 19
- Northwestern Wildcats at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes - 6:30 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Maryland Terrapins at Wisconsin Badgers - 7:30 p.m. ET
- No. 14 Michigan Wolverines at Rutgers Scarlet Knights - 8:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Jan 22
- Minnesota Golden Gophers at Purdue Boilermakers - 2:00 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 23
- No. 11 Maryland Terrapins at Nebraska Cornhuskers - 2:00 p.m. ET
- No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini at Northwestern Wildcats - 3:00 p.m. ET
- Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Michigan State Spartans - 3:00 p.m. ET
- Wisconsin Badgers at Penn State Nittany Lions - 5:00 p.m. ET
Monday, Jan. 24
- No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes at No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes - 7:00 p.m. ET
- No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 14 Michigan Wolverines - 8:00 p.m. ET
Home Stretch
There are 39 days until the Big Ten regular season ends. Week 11, and the spillover into Week 12, shows how the schedule was put together with a purpose. The top teams are starting to play.
While this week won’t decide who wins the conference, Indiana’s two ranked opponents and Iowa’s trip to Columbus on Monday will start to separate teams or bring the pack even closer together.
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LGHL You’re Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?
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You’re Nuts: Who will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
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.
When C.J. Stroud declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday, the Buckeyes’ first battle for next season became choosing QB1.
Stroud’s shoes won’t be easy to fill. A team leader who threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns in his time as a Buckeye, Stroud set 16 Ohio State records for passing or offense, three Big Ten records, and he was the first quarterback in conference history to have back-to-back seasons with 30+ touchdown passes. These stats led him to be named a two-time Big Ten Conference offensive player of the year and quarterback of the year, along with being the only two-time Heisman finalist in Ohio State history (Finalists weren’t named prior to 1982).
For Kyle McCord, the wait to compete for the starting job has been particularly grueling. Now, his time has come to show Buckeye Nation what he is truly capable of.
McCord came into the program a five-star recruit with the 2021 class with a stronger recruiting profile than Stroud. But stats aren’t everything, as Stroud won the starting spot over McCord when it came time to choose Justin Fields’ replacement.
But McCord isn’t completely without experience at the collegiate level – he is currently the most experienced quarterback on the Buckeyes’ roster. And experience can be a game-changer when it comes to high-stakes games.
McCord, by his own admission, is still working on his leadership skills, so that’s not to say his experience will be enough to win him the starting job, but it should certainly be a factor, especially considering he is the only quarterback to have started in place of Stroud during Stroud’s time as QB1.
McCord made his debut as a true freshman (one of only four in program history to do so) in 2021 with a 59-7 victory over Akron when Stroud was battling a shoulder injury. While he was a little shaky to start, he did eventually settle in, throwing for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
Now listen, I’m not delusional enough to state with certainty that one starting win against Akron of all teams qualifies someone to follow Stroud as the starter. McCord wasn’t perfect in that game by any means, even ending his night with an interception. He has a tendency to throw off his back foot, which could interfere with his accuracy. And though McCord has taken snaps in other games, we haven’t really seen the breadth of what he can do when captaining the ship against ranked opponents like Michigan.
There is a plus side to that win though – his messy moments were fixable, and the coaches were able to start working on them back in 2021.
So this gives McCord the advantage of far more reps than his competition Devin Brown. In fact, it makes McCord more experienced than Stroud was when he was named the starter.
McCord’s experience with Buckeye playmakers actually extends beyond his collegiate career. He and Marvin Harrison Jr. played together in high school, giving him the added benefit of established chemistry with one of the Buckeyes’ star receivers.
When you consider the elements that create a star turn for quarterbacks, it goes beyond the Xs and Os. An accurate arm is just part of what it takes to excel with an elite program (which is to say nothing of excelling in the pros), and McCord has proven his patience and work ethic over the last two seasons, in addition to having the technical skills.
For example, McCord could bring some added rushing ability to the quarterback position, a nice change of pace after Stroud’s two years of being mostly a pocket player. McCord has shown that he is capable of throwing accurately on the run or rushing to pick up a few extra yards, both elements the Buckeyes have been lacking in the last two years.
After keeping his head down and biding his time, McCord’s patience and experience should pay off come this fall.
If I’m being honest, I recognize that McCord is the most likely candidate to take over behind center for the Buckeyes in the fall. He has more time in the program, he was a five-star prospect, he has the longstanding relationship with Marvin Harrison Jr. and everything else that Jami talked about above.
But here’s the thing that has me hung up, despite starting a game in 2021 while Stroud was dealing with a shoulder injury, he only threw a total of 20 passes in 2022. Now, I know that Ryan Day is frustratingly hesitant to let his offensive backups cook late in games for fear of embarrassing his opponents. I also know that he essentially did the same thing to C.J. when he was the heir apparent behind Justin Fields, but that was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and Day said he regretted how he handled that situation.
Of course, that very well could just be coach speak, because Day basically didn’t change a damn thing in what he had to assume would be Stroud’s final season in Columbus (despite the fact that he waited to declare until nearly the last possible second). So either Day didn’t follow his own advice in handling his backup QB this season, lied about regretting it in the first place, or he wasn’t comfortable with running McCord out there.
Kyle’s numbers were good — 16 for 20 (80%), 9.5 yards per attempt, 1 touchdown — but he was mostly doing check downs and almost never got a chance to run anything even resembling the actual Ohio State offense, and that makes me curious. It could just be Day’s fear of rubbing it in, or it could be that he doesn’t think McCord is ready.
So, if Kyle wasn’t ready in Year 2, is it better to run him out there in Year 3, or give the younger player the chance to start in his sophomore season? Brown was also a top-50 prospect, but he seemingly has something that McCord doesn’t, but Buckeye fans have been dying to see more of... elite running ability. While he doesn’t have Terrelle Pryor or Justin Fields athleticism, reports from Buckeye practices this season have made it sound like Brown might have an extra gear that could come in handy for a first-time starter playing behind a rebuilt offensive line.
We know that under Day, Buckeye quarterbacks have been hesitant to run the ball, but this fall could be the perfect opportunity to change that narrative with a willing runner who might be scrambling for his life more than other recent OSU QBs.
I imagine that Ryan Day will play this out as long as possible in an effort to maintain his roster and not give either quarterback reason to leave before the season (for the record, if McCord is the starter, I don’t expect Brown to transfer), but given the fact that Day actively avoided getting McCord any actual experience this past season and the athletic advantages that Brown can bring to the offense, I would not be shocked if he ended up being the guy when the Buckeyes opened the season in Bloomington, Ind.
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Matt Tamanini 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
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
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.
Today’s Question: Who will replace C.J. Stroud as Ohio State’s quarterback?
Jami’s Take: Kyle McCord
When C.J. Stroud declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday, the Buckeyes’ first battle for next season became choosing QB1.
Stroud’s shoes won’t be easy to fill. A team leader who threw for 8,123 yards and 85 touchdowns in his time as a Buckeye, Stroud set 16 Ohio State records for passing or offense, three Big Ten records, and he was the first quarterback in conference history to have back-to-back seasons with 30+ touchdown passes. These stats led him to be named a two-time Big Ten Conference offensive player of the year and quarterback of the year, along with being the only two-time Heisman finalist in Ohio State history (Finalists weren’t named prior to 1982).
For Kyle McCord, the wait to compete for the starting job has been particularly grueling. Now, his time has come to show Buckeye Nation what he is truly capable of.
McCord came into the program a five-star recruit with the 2021 class with a stronger recruiting profile than Stroud. But stats aren’t everything, as Stroud won the starting spot over McCord when it came time to choose Justin Fields’ replacement.
But McCord isn’t completely without experience at the collegiate level – he is currently the most experienced quarterback on the Buckeyes’ roster. And experience can be a game-changer when it comes to high-stakes games.
McCord, by his own admission, is still working on his leadership skills, so that’s not to say his experience will be enough to win him the starting job, but it should certainly be a factor, especially considering he is the only quarterback to have started in place of Stroud during Stroud’s time as QB1.
McCord made his debut as a true freshman (one of only four in program history to do so) in 2021 with a 59-7 victory over Akron when Stroud was battling a shoulder injury. While he was a little shaky to start, he did eventually settle in, throwing for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
Now listen, I’m not delusional enough to state with certainty that one starting win against Akron of all teams qualifies someone to follow Stroud as the starter. McCord wasn’t perfect in that game by any means, even ending his night with an interception. He has a tendency to throw off his back foot, which could interfere with his accuracy. And though McCord has taken snaps in other games, we haven’t really seen the breadth of what he can do when captaining the ship against ranked opponents like Michigan.
There is a plus side to that win though – his messy moments were fixable, and the coaches were able to start working on them back in 2021.
So this gives McCord the advantage of far more reps than his competition Devin Brown. In fact, it makes McCord more experienced than Stroud was when he was named the starter.
McCord’s experience with Buckeye playmakers actually extends beyond his collegiate career. He and Marvin Harrison Jr. played together in high school, giving him the added benefit of established chemistry with one of the Buckeyes’ star receivers.
When you consider the elements that create a star turn for quarterbacks, it goes beyond the Xs and Os. An accurate arm is just part of what it takes to excel with an elite program (which is to say nothing of excelling in the pros), and McCord has proven his patience and work ethic over the last two seasons, in addition to having the technical skills.
For example, McCord could bring some added rushing ability to the quarterback position, a nice change of pace after Stroud’s two years of being mostly a pocket player. McCord has shown that he is capable of throwing accurately on the run or rushing to pick up a few extra yards, both elements the Buckeyes have been lacking in the last two years.
After keeping his head down and biding his time, McCord’s patience and experience should pay off come this fall.
Matt’s Take: Devin Brown
If I’m being honest, I recognize that McCord is the most likely candidate to take over behind center for the Buckeyes in the fall. He has more time in the program, he was a five-star prospect, he has the longstanding relationship with Marvin Harrison Jr. and everything else that Jami talked about above.
But here’s the thing that has me hung up, despite starting a game in 2021 while Stroud was dealing with a shoulder injury, he only threw a total of 20 passes in 2022. Now, I know that Ryan Day is frustratingly hesitant to let his offensive backups cook late in games for fear of embarrassing his opponents. I also know that he essentially did the same thing to C.J. when he was the heir apparent behind Justin Fields, but that was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and Day said he regretted how he handled that situation.
Of course, that very well could just be coach speak, because Day basically didn’t change a damn thing in what he had to assume would be Stroud’s final season in Columbus (despite the fact that he waited to declare until nearly the last possible second). So either Day didn’t follow his own advice in handling his backup QB this season, lied about regretting it in the first place, or he wasn’t comfortable with running McCord out there.
Kyle’s numbers were good — 16 for 20 (80%), 9.5 yards per attempt, 1 touchdown — but he was mostly doing check downs and almost never got a chance to run anything even resembling the actual Ohio State offense, and that makes me curious. It could just be Day’s fear of rubbing it in, or it could be that he doesn’t think McCord is ready.
So, if Kyle wasn’t ready in Year 2, is it better to run him out there in Year 3, or give the younger player the chance to start in his sophomore season? Brown was also a top-50 prospect, but he seemingly has something that McCord doesn’t, but Buckeye fans have been dying to see more of... elite running ability. While he doesn’t have Terrelle Pryor or Justin Fields athleticism, reports from Buckeye practices this season have made it sound like Brown might have an extra gear that could come in handy for a first-time starter playing behind a rebuilt offensive line.
We know that under Day, Buckeye quarterbacks have been hesitant to run the ball, but this fall could be the perfect opportunity to change that narrative with a willing runner who might be scrambling for his life more than other recent OSU QBs.
I imagine that Ryan Day will play this out as long as possible in an effort to maintain his roster and not give either quarterback reason to leave before the season (for the record, if McCord is the starter, I don’t expect Brown to transfer), but given the fact that Day actively avoided getting McCord any actual experience this past season and the athletic advantages that Brown can bring to the offense, I would not be shocked if he ended up being the guy when the Buckeyes opened the season in Bloomington, Ind.
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LGHL A larger coaching role should lead to a larger recruiting role for Brian Hartline and Ohio State
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A larger coaching role should lead to a larger recruiting role for Brian Hartline and Ohio State
Caleb Houser 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
Brian Hartline is an incredible recruiter. This new role should only expand his recruiting responsibilities.
It’s no secret how valuable Brian Hartline is to Ohio State’s football program. An alum, NFL veteran, and dynamic position coach ever since he stepped foot on campus, everything Hartline has put his hands on has seen success. Whether it be the on-field numbers his players have put up in their careers or the NFL success his guys are having each year, Hartline quickly cemented himself as the top receivers coach in the country.
Arguably Ryan Day’s most important position coach on offense, what Hartline has done as a receivers coach alone is worthy of continued praise, and is one of the main reasons Day has worked so hard to keep him over the last couple years. That has included pay raises, new titles, and now of course his latest promotion as the offensive coordinator.
Looking specifically at the job he’s done with his position, the receiver production has never been higher at Ohio State. Hartline has raised the level to an all-time high, and that’s seen at both the collegiate and professional levels when you look at this season of Marvin Harrison Jr. and in the NFL with rookies like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. Hartline is incredible at development, and virtually everything else he’s tasked with on a daily basis as an Ohio State coach.
With an increased role as the team’s new offensive coordinator, there should also be an increased role in his recruiting responsibilities that stem beyond just his immediate position group. Hartline has basically focused solely on receivers when it comes to recruiting, but seeing how successful he’s been when it comes to landing elite playmakers and building relationships, surely him helping with other position groups would be beneficial for the program as a whole.
Seemingly every cycle Hartline is getting who he wants when it comes to landing players for his position room. Likewise, landing the top receiver in the country has happened more times than not since he’s been at the helm. Ehile Day has crushed it with quarterback recruiting, seeing Hartline help in other areas such as offensive line or even with running backs is reasonable, as he will in large part be calling a lot of the shots from here on with Day overseeing the operation.
Looking at offensive line, Justin Frye is only entering year two with Ohio State, and as he saw his title grow to run game coordinator this coming season, offensive line recruiting is where it all starts. The best college football programs are elite up front, and the Buckeyes have been very good, but there’s always room for improvement. Who better to help land elite players along the offensive trenches than Hartline?
He has experience recruiting in every corner of the country, and his track record alone would give him a foot in the door. Additionally, when you look at where he’s pulling these top players, many times it’s those same regions that are also producing the best offensive linemen — and even other skill positions.
It’s easier said than done, but it also doesn’t really seem that Hartline would be spread too thin in multiple areas rather than just his lone position group. Having a bigger role with the offense is something that he’s earned, and while he’s never done it before, his success everywhere else gives reason to believe that this too will go in Ohio State’s favor.
The 2024 cycle is already off and running, and recruiting efforts are being put to work daily. If the Buckeyes really want to continue being atop of the college football landscape when it comes to both recruiting and on-field success, Hartline needs to have an extended role on the trail where he’s seen so much success already.
Continue reading...
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Brian Hartline is an incredible recruiter. This new role should only expand his recruiting responsibilities.
It’s no secret how valuable Brian Hartline is to Ohio State’s football program. An alum, NFL veteran, and dynamic position coach ever since he stepped foot on campus, everything Hartline has put his hands on has seen success. Whether it be the on-field numbers his players have put up in their careers or the NFL success his guys are having each year, Hartline quickly cemented himself as the top receivers coach in the country.
Arguably Ryan Day’s most important position coach on offense, what Hartline has done as a receivers coach alone is worthy of continued praise, and is one of the main reasons Day has worked so hard to keep him over the last couple years. That has included pay raises, new titles, and now of course his latest promotion as the offensive coordinator.
Looking specifically at the job he’s done with his position, the receiver production has never been higher at Ohio State. Hartline has raised the level to an all-time high, and that’s seen at both the collegiate and professional levels when you look at this season of Marvin Harrison Jr. and in the NFL with rookies like Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. Hartline is incredible at development, and virtually everything else he’s tasked with on a daily basis as an Ohio State coach.
With an increased role as the team’s new offensive coordinator, there should also be an increased role in his recruiting responsibilities that stem beyond just his immediate position group. Hartline has basically focused solely on receivers when it comes to recruiting, but seeing how successful he’s been when it comes to landing elite playmakers and building relationships, surely him helping with other position groups would be beneficial for the program as a whole.
Seemingly every cycle Hartline is getting who he wants when it comes to landing players for his position room. Likewise, landing the top receiver in the country has happened more times than not since he’s been at the helm. Ehile Day has crushed it with quarterback recruiting, seeing Hartline help in other areas such as offensive line or even with running backs is reasonable, as he will in large part be calling a lot of the shots from here on with Day overseeing the operation.
Looking at offensive line, Justin Frye is only entering year two with Ohio State, and as he saw his title grow to run game coordinator this coming season, offensive line recruiting is where it all starts. The best college football programs are elite up front, and the Buckeyes have been very good, but there’s always room for improvement. Who better to help land elite players along the offensive trenches than Hartline?
He has experience recruiting in every corner of the country, and his track record alone would give him a foot in the door. Additionally, when you look at where he’s pulling these top players, many times it’s those same regions that are also producing the best offensive linemen — and even other skill positions.
It’s easier said than done, but it also doesn’t really seem that Hartline would be spread too thin in multiple areas rather than just his lone position group. Having a bigger role with the offense is something that he’s earned, and while he’s never done it before, his success everywhere else gives reason to believe that this too will go in Ohio State’s favor.
The 2024 cycle is already off and running, and recruiting efforts are being put to work daily. If the Buckeyes really want to continue being atop of the college football landscape when it comes to both recruiting and on-field success, Hartline needs to have an extended role on the trail where he’s seen so much success already.
Continue reading...
