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LGHL Ohio State offers 2023 safety, former Notre Dame commit

Ohio State offers 2023 safety, former Notre Dame commit
Dan Hessler
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


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2023 four-star safety Brandyn Hillman via Brandon Huffman, 247Sports

Ohio State isn’t quite done with its 2023 class, as it offered a former Notre Dame safety commit on Monday.

Ohio State wrapped up its 2023 recruiting class a long time ago. National Signing Day was last month, but the Buckeyes didn’t see any fireworks as their entire class was signed during the early signing period. Because of this, it appeared that Ohio State was finished with recruiting the 2023 class, but this was not the case.

On Monday, Ohio State offered 2023 four-star safety and former Notre Dame signee, Brandyn Hillman (Portsmouth, VA / Churchland), after he was granted his release of his letter of intent with the Irish on Sunday.

⭕️hio State Offered @Coach_Eliano @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/PR8IjXI61g

— Brandyn Hillman (@dmv_b3) March 13, 2023

Hillman quickly became a hot-topic, as he received a handful of scholarship offers just 24 hours after his release was granted. His list of offers includes plenty of the nation’s top college football programs such as Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, LSU, Louisville, Virginia, Virginia Tech and UConn. This is on top of the offers he received prior to his release from programs like USC, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia.

Not much else is known regarding Hillman’s recruitment, other than that he has an impressive list of suitors. Expect the blue-chip safety to schedule some official visits soon and these visits will be telling in the direction his recruitment will go. Ohio State will do its best to obtain one of those visits.

Hillman is the No. 214 prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 5 recruit from Virginia.

2024 CB has Ohio State in top four


The Ohio State football program is in the middle of spring break and hopefully the coaching staff and the players will find time to relax before spring practices resume. However, the staff will likely use this time off to build upon its 2024 recruiting class.

The staff has put in a lot of hard work, already holding verbal commitments from four recruits, good enough for the No. 14 class. The Buckeyes will obviously continue to add to this haul and this past weekend they learned the program moved one step closer to securing a commitment from another blue-chip prospect.

2024 cornerback Zabien Brown (Santa Ana, CA / Mater Dei) released his top four schools on Sunday and Ohio State made the cut.


Alongside the Buckeyes, Brown included Oregon, USC and Alabama in his top four schools. The inclusion of Ohio State on his list is telling as the Buckeyes were late players in his recruitment, only offering him on Jan. 17.

Expect Brown to try and visit Ohio State at least once in the coming months for a spring practice or for one of its summer camps. If he finds his way to campus, Ohio State will likely remain a legitimate contender for earning his commitment for the remainder of his recruiting process.

Brown is the No. 73 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 8 CB. He is also the No. 10 prospect out of California.

Four-star TE has Ohio State in top schools​


Ohio State was listed on Brown’s top school list Sunday, and on Monday the team followed it up by being included in 2024 four-star tight end Brady Prieskorn’s (Rochester, MI / Adams) top eight schools.

BREAKING: Four-Star TE Brady Prieskorn is down to 8️⃣ Schools!

The 6’6 230 TE from Rochester, MI is ranked as a Top 70 Player in the ‘24 Class (No. 4 TE)

Where Should He Go? https://t.co/G4ywSMoUS2 pic.twitter.com/j4PPLr5qgv

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) March 13, 2023

Alongside Ohio State, Prieskorn included Michigan, Alabama, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Penn State, Georgia and Miami on his list.

Priesken enjoyed a successful junior season, being named First Team All-State after posting 24 catches for 648 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the No. 59 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and he is the No. 3 TE. He is also the No. 2 recruit from Michigan.

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LGHL Ohio State’s B1G Tournament run a bright spot in dismal hoops season

Ohio State’s B1G Tournament run a bright spot in dismal hoops season
Michael Citro
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Basketball: Big Ten Conference Tournament Semifinals Purdue vs. Ohio State

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t let a bad Buckeye basketball season distract you from a delightfully surprising and improbable tournament run.

The dead body of Ohio State’s 2023 Big Ten men’s basketball tournament run was still warm when the fun police took to social media on Saturday to remind everyone that the Buckeyes had a terrible season.

Those of us old enough to remember the days before social media knew a few of those types of people — and took great care to avoid them. However, in the digital era, at a time when people might follow hundreds or even thousands of people on social media, they are more concentrated and even more annoying. Letting people enjoy life seems to be an issue for some.

Having enjoyed the tournament run that gave us a few days’ respite from the hellish 2022-2023 OSU men’s hoops season doesn’t mean we’re blind to the problems that this year’s team had.

Ohio State has had many average — and even awful — basketball seasons before. Some of us remember when they happened much more often. What that taught us as fans is to grab enjoyment where you can and savor the good moments like the Buckeyes’ run to the conference tournament semifinals this year, despite being a lowly 13th seed in a 14-team conference.

Back in the days when the team played all its home games in St. John Arena, there were joyful moments and games, even in the midst of mediocre or bad seasons. The whole point of sports is to have fun and enjoyment and I feel legitimately sorry for people who let an overall tough season spoil their tournament experience.

What the BasketBucks did in the 2023 B1G Tournament was as enjoyable as it was unlikely. After being deprived of starting pivot Zed Key due to a shoulder injury in the midst of the team’s worst season in a quarter century, there was little reason to think Ohio State had this kind of run up its sleeve — and that’s without even knowing the extent to how battered the team really was.

Head Coach Chris Holtmann alluded to it after Saturday’s loss to Purdue, stating that a postseason tournament invitation was not likely to be accepted due to a myriad of minor knocks, telling reporters after the game:

“We have some injuries beyond what’s public that make it difficult right now. We have to get some of our guys back. They’re not significant and they need to be tended to, so that might answer your question.”

#Buckeyes coach Chris Holtmann, on possible NIT: "We have some injuries beyond what’s public that make it difficult right now. We have to get some of our guys back. They’re not significant and they need to be tended to, so that might answer your question."

— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) March 11, 2023

The obvious one was to freshman Brice Sensabaugh, who had to leave the game late in the win over Iowa due to a knee problem. Despite his absence, Ohio State made history by beating Michigan State and becoming the first No. 13 seed to reach the tournament’s semifinals.

Had the dynamic scorer been available against Purdue, the Buckeyes may have played on Sunday, but we’ll never know.

The tournament run not only provided the opportunity to enjoy Ohio State basketball for a few days at the end of a difficult campaign, but it could have some long-lasting benefits for the team in the years ahead.

Roddy Gayle, Jr., in particular, might benefit from this year’s tournament. Prior to this week, Gayle’s play had been inconsistent, especially on offense, and he was often on the bench in key moments. Gayle reached double figures in scoring only once prior to the tournament — a 12-point effort against St. Francis (Pa.) way back on Dec. 3. His high in Big Ten play was a nine-point effort in the home blowout win over Iowa. But as the tournament wore on, Gayle became more important, setting a new career high with 15 points against Michigan State and besting that in the semifinals with 20 points against Purdue. He went 8-of-9 from the arc in those games.

Each game of the tournament, Gayle played more minutes than the last, contributed more points each time out, and generally looked more comfortable. It’s not difficult to imagine this tournament run serving as a springboard to the talented freshman having an outstanding career. At the very least, Holtmann now knows he can trust Gayle in critical moments.

The tournament should also prove to be beneficial to Felix Okpara’s growth as a player. Two of his seven top offensive performances came in the tournament, but more importantly the minutes should help both his confidence and his development.

Even without any added benefits to the team in the future, it was nice to experience hope again in what had become a completely hopeless season. The deeper the team got in the competition, the possibility of an NCAA tournament berth became less remote. Even though it’s the hope that kills you, the Buckeyes having something on the line again felt good.

Look, I’m the first to admit that I’m a grumpy old Buckeye. But even I know how to find enjoyment in a rough season. This team’s postseason tournament run brought a lot of enjoyment to me and to many other OSU hoops fans.

Only a truly miserable bastard would try to sour that experience for others.

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LGHL I-70 Football Podcast: The waiting game continues

I-70 Football Podcast: The waiting game continues
JordanW330
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


NCAA Football: Northwestern at Purdue

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

The guys are back, but it’s been a slow news cycle. We’re still waiting for the big news to break.

Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s I-70 Podcast. On this show, we talk about all things Big Ten football and basketball. After every week of action, we will get you caught up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players that you should be paying attention to in the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:



Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

After a brief hiatus, the guys are back, but the football gods did not bless them with a heavy news cycle. Instead, the Big Ten has been relatively quiet the past few weeks.

With multiple significant decisions still to be made, the conference has gone dark. There has yet to be any news on the search for the new commissioner, and there is still much to be decided on regarding the structure of the television deal — namely which games will be on which network this fall. We’re waiting for news on the new scheduling model and the permanent opponents for each team.

In other news, Maryland hired former Michigan and Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis to the same role. Gattis will be tasked with creating a similar potent offense to what he had at Michigan. After failing at Miami, there are many questions on whether Gattis or Sherrone Moore should be credited for Michigan’s success.

In the NFL, the Bears have traded the No. 1 pick to the Panthers for picks No. 9 and No. 61 in this year’s draft, a first-round pick in 2024, and a second-round pick in 2025, and wide receiver DJ Moore. While the Bears are building around former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, Jordan thinks this trade happened so the Panthers could draft Field’s successor at OSU, C.J. Stroud.

In their last segment, Jordan makes his case for why it’s time for Northwestern to move on from head coach Pat Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald has been the head coach since 2006. He has a career record of 110-101, barely above a 50 percent winning percentage. Fitzgerald has led the wildcats to two Big Ten West Division titles, one if you remove the pandemic year.

In his last three full-length seasons, Northwestern is 7-29, 3-24 in the Big Ten. Despite his lack of recent success, the boosters have paid for a new football facility on the lake and have committed $800 million for a new football stadium. Northwestern is not the easiest or most attractive job, but they are better than what has been accepted the past three full-length seasons.

If Fitzgerald doesn’t turn it around this season, which is unlikely, Northwestern needs to be realistic and move on from the greatest linebacker in school history.



Connect with us on Twitter:

Jordan:
@JordanW330

Dante: @DanteM10216

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LGHL Join the Land-Grant March Madness Women’s Basketball Tournament Challenge

Join the Land-Grant March Madness Women’s Basketball Tournament Challenge
1ThomasCostello
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

You know, the one that lets you choose the Buckeyes!

Welcome to March. It’s the month where Ohio starts to bloom, Whoppers Easter eggs are finally on the shelves and people try to get into baseball again. It’s also the best time of the year for fans of the only sport that started out with a peach basket.

Welcome to March Madness!

Ohio State knows who they’re playing, facing the James Madison Dukes on Saturday at the Schottenstein Center. They aren’t the only folks who can compete. We want YOU to join in the action for both the men and women’s tournaments.

This season, your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are holding two different Tournament Challenge competitions. Both feature fields of 68 teams playing in dramatic fashion over a few weeks of absolute magic.

In this edition, the Big Ten has the chance to flex their muscle. Entering the 2023 tournament, there are three conference in the AP Top 25, two of the top three all hail from Big Ten country.

Wyatt Crosher, friend of Land-Grant and guest on multiple site podcasts puts it best.


So, maybe you’re saying to yourself “self, I haven’t watched any NCAA women’s basketball this year because I follow a traditional sports upbringing and girls scare me.” That’s ok! Anyone can join. The wannabe bracketologists, the diehard Buckeye fans and the folks whose NCAA women’s basketball knowledge doesn’t stretch beyond knowing that Caitlin Clark exists.

Mach Madness is great because anything can happen. Look at last season, the No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes lost to the No. 10 Creighton Blue Jays in the second round on their home court, or the No. 12 seed Belmont Bears beating the No. 5 Oregon Ducks in Oregon. Madness, I tell you.

For absolutely no cost to you, you can join the challenge with the chance to win a prize. Yep, a prize. If you’re the lucky soul who ends the challenge on the top of the leaderboards, you’ll get a special Land-Grant podcast episode just for you! We won’t publish it for the world to hear. In that episode will be a cut of every joke made by head coach Kevin McGuff across press conferences from the 22-23 season. They’re good too!

Also, as a bonus, if the Land-Grant Holy Land Women’s Tournament Challenge gets more participants than the men’s version of the challenge, the top three people can also ask a question to an Ohio State women’s basketball guest on an upcoming podcast (with host and guest approval of said question, be nice).

Here’s how you join:

Bracket Steps

  1. Join the Land-Grant Holy Land Women’s Tournament Challenge
  2. Make your selections before the March 17, 2023 cutoff date
  3. Select one of your entries to join the group, no multiple entries please
  4. If we find out you used multiple accounts to have multiple entries, first: Why? Second, you won’t win the grand prize
  5. Read up on the rules over at ESPN, because this challenge will adhere to all of them

Share, Share, Share


Make sure to tell all your family, friends and enemies to sign up for the Land-Grant Holy Land Women’s Tournament Challenge. It costs nothing to you. Challenge someone who doesn’t watch women’s basketball. Take that same friend out to a sports bar and demand they put all the games from the ESPN family of networks on their televisions.

Good luck to all who enter!

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LGHL Ohio State will not use a “Jack” in the spring, and it should stay that way in the fall

Ohio State will not use a “Jack” in the spring, and it should stay that way in the fall
Chris Renne
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 26 Michigan at Ohio State

Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Jack position provided little benefit in 2022 because there was not a player on the roster fit for the role. That won’t change in 2023 for a long list of reasons.

Over the past three defensive coordinator transitions, the Ohio State Buckeyes have hinted at a future of hybrid defensive positions. For multiple offseasons, the term “Bullet” was thrown around like the position was part of this holy text, when in reality it glorified a position that few teams should deploy unless they have a player in the mold of Isaiah Simmons, Jabrill Peppers, etc.

Now, the story about the Jack linebacker has sunk its teeth into Buckeye Nation, much like the “Bullet” position craze before it. For anyone interested, the Jack never became the illustrious “Leo” position that Knowles was so in favor of at Oklahoma State. The offseason had Mitchell Melton penciled into the role, but a knee injury derailed that plan. This led to Jack Sawyer taking on the mantle, despite hesitancy from defensive line coach Larry Johnson.

This offseason, Knowles has said that there will be no Jack linebacker practiced in spring as they move to work on their base 4-2-5. This comes on the heels of the announcement Jack Sawyer is not playing the Jack positions this year, instead focusing on becoming a more complete traditional defensive end.

When asked earlier in the spring, Johnson seemed hesitant about some of his players playing the hybrid. But looking back at those words now, there is definitely a part of Johnson who wants to see more of it. Just not now, and not with the current players he’s recruited.

“If that means Jack or playing regular defensive end, I think we got to make that decision and go for it. I think we’ll do a little bit in the spring, just try to get him a home and let him go play,” Johnson said about Sawyer.

Sawyer is playing defensive end this year, and that is home. This will give Ohio State the most talented pair of defensive ends in years, preparing to have a season the Buckeyes have been needing from the edge. Johnson went even further and claimed that second year player Caden Curry is defensive end No. 3 behind the two starters.

That leaves few names that can play the position that come into the year healthy. A big reason for that is the positives from the role were slim. Sawyer had 4.5 sacks, with the majority coming from him with his hand in the ground. The other player Javontae Jean-Baptiste had only four sacks. At best in year one, the Jack position created a distraction for offenses. Is that worth the effort in year 2 when there is not a definitive Jack healthy?

If Mitchell Melton comes into fall camp healthy, there is a possibility this ends up in a package, but dedicating a position to one player seems like a little too much from a resource stand point. Moving C.J. Hicks there in the fall seems like an ideal way to get him on the field, but the trouble with cross-training players is they’re not giving their whole to developing at one position.

The other few players on the roster with Jack potential are Arvell Reese, Joshua Mickens, and Gabe Powers, among a few others. But outside of Mickens, they run into the same problem that Jack Sawyer would in the fact their future is best served focusing on one role.

That is why this position should be shelved moving forward until recruiting finds the guy – or Leo.

There are players who change the way teams play football, and for years Knowles relied on that player as his Leo in the Big 12. Getting a do-it-all defender in advantageous positions is important when the roster is more limited. That was the case for Knowles at Cornell, Duke, and Oklahoma State, but at Ohio State there is not one player cut from that cloth.

That is why in 2023 the focus should be on maximizing the players recruited at the positions they were recruited for. After a few classes, where the focus is there or when Melton is full healthy, there can be a conversation about Jack packages. Until those moments, the goal should be creating versatility through structure, and through the positions that suit the current roster best.

J.T. Tuimoloau is dangerous in a variety of ways. They can utilize him in advantageous positions through twists, stunts, and dropping back into coverage. Sawyer from a hand in the ground sense could still do similar things, but when it comes down to his role on a down-to-down basis, he has a defined sense of purpose.

The success Ohio State had from bringing players from the second level in pressure and from the secondary was high. That is a big reason they were 35th in team sacks with the leading edge rusher having 4.5 on the year. With a hopefully improved secondary, the Buckeyes could get even more dangerous rushing the passer. That is why they don’t need to get fancy.

This position’s future is still on the horizon. There are players across the country who have the skillset and Ohio State will be recruiting them. The reason I bring this up is because there was a time where Ohio State kept recruiting tweeners who didn’t have a position, but were great athletes. There is no reason to dive into names, a few have been mentioned already, but the idea of recruiting a player and finding a place later is far gone.

Unless the player is Sonny Styles, who can do too many things, there is no player who should not be recruited without a plan. Now that there is a sense of stability on the defensive side of the ball, this can begin. Over the next few years, each recruiting class should feature a player with the skillset to play the Jack position if it is to be use effectively.

This has already started with the 2023 recruit Joshua Mickens. As the 2024 class progresses, there will be a player identified with this skillset who will become a priority target. As a three deep turns into a four deep at the position, the plan and impact of the idea can grow. Knowles will have his Leo, but it won’t be this year. His fun will happen with Styles off the ball, but don’t expect the Jack position to be forgotten around the program – it took years for people to get over the bullet.

At the end of the day, there are more important aspects to the defense than moving a defensive lineman around to gain an advantage on a certain play. If Ohio State can create confusion lining up in their base defense by mixing coverages, blitzes, and line movements, the defense will be more dangerous. There will be no keying in on a certain player, and if Knowles feels a need to get spicy he has plenty of athletes who can do that on a play-to-play basis from a traditional alignment.

There is no question Knowles will still get wild, but this past season some of the biggest plays against the Buckeyes came from the gambling nature. That is why getting the easy stuff right needs to take priority, and positional versatility can come as the defense continue being established. The Jack position is shelved for now, and in the near future it should remain there.

Once the turnover on the roster occurs, and the Buckeyes have the depth to dedicate a position to it, there is no reason it won’t reappear. But as of now, Ohio State is not better because of it, and the players on the roster are best served playing in the roles that suit them most. That means a traditional defensive end on both sides, getting after the passer.

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