• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

LGHL BOOOM! Three-star offensive tackle Aaron Thomas commits to Ohio State

BOOOM! Three-star offensive tackle Aaron Thomas commits to 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


GuVQ_0BasAA3Xu5.0.jpeg

2026 three-star OT Aaron Thomas | via @AaronEliThomas on Twitter

The Buckeyes add a 17th commitment to their 2026 class.

With June’s recruiting opportunities now in the rearview mirror, it’s time for Ohio State’s staff to see how their efforts pay off. Commitment dates have been set for many prospects the Buckeyes were able to play host to the past few weeks, and the coaches are hoping their hard work made a real push for several of these top players.

Some good news coming in Ohio State’s favor last night, the successful month of June is evident. Keep it locked on the Buckeyes with commitment season officially here and kicking off with a bang.

BOO)M! Ohio State lands Arizona offensive line target​


Tyler Bowen has brought a bit of a new strategy to offensive line recruiting in his short tenure, as Ohio State is showing the willingness to cast a wider net and have more prospects on their recruiting board. In year’s past it’s been a method to zero in just a few top targets, and while that’s great when it works, many times Ohio State has been on the outside looking in.

In the current 2026 class, the Buckeyes are leaving no stone unturned in a cycle that really needs added depth up front — and it’s paying off.

Landing their fourth offensive line commitment of the class thus far on Wednesday, Arizona native Aaron Thomas took to social media to publicly announce his college decision. Choosing Ohio State, Thomas picked the Buckeyes over Florida State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Washington to round out his top five.


The No. 439 player nationally and the 36th best offensive tackle per the 247Sports Composite, Thomas may not an eye-popping recruiting profile, but at 6-foot-6, 300 pounds, he has all the size the Buckeyes want in their tackles.

Landing his Ohio State offer back in March, it wasn’t long after that Thomas made his official visit plans to see the Buckeyes again. Following another successful trip, Ohio State’s staff clearly did enough as momentum picked up in favor of the Buckeyes to land his eventual commitment. Bowen and Ohio State will keep hunting to further fill the trenches, but the fourth member is now officially in the fold.

Buckeye QB target sets commitment date​


Still a need for the 2026 class, Ryan Day and company have been searching high and low for their quarterback. The Buckeyes typically have their pick of player at the position, but with the 2025 and 2027 classes having elite guys locked in, it was a bit more difficult to navigate this current cycle.

Not a lot of quarterbacks in today’s landscape will sign up to be between two five-star caliber players, but every class needs a quarterback, and one could be coming soon.

California native Luke Fahey has been the talk around town as of late, and rightfully so. The No. 356 player nationally and 24th best quarterback per the 247Sports Composite, Fahey has been saying all of the right things regarding Ohio State. His stock quickly connected to the Buckeyes and their 2026 class after he finally received his offer last week.

Quoted as saying “It’s hard to say no to a school like Ohio State,” the Buckeyes have his interest, and that’s only been further supported with multiple predictions having him ending up in Columbus.

A wait that will soon be over, on Wednesday Fahey announced a commitment date for July 3. Set to decide within the next week, the Buckeyes will soon find out if they have their guy for the 2026 class, and all signs right now point toward that being the case.

Quick Hits​

  • A player Ohio State has long had on their radar, Illinois native Mack Sutter is ready and set to announce his commitment. Coming this evening, the Buckeyes join the likes of Alabama, Illinois, and Ole Miss as the finalists still involved.

The No. 80 player nationally and sixth best at his position per the 247Sports Composite, right now it looks as though Alabama has the inside track to win out in the end.


I will be announcing my commitment tomorrow night at 7:45 (CT)

— Mack Sutter (@M4ckSutter) June 25, 2025

Continue reading...

Google Denny Hamlin Gets Touching Gift From Ohio State Buckeyes to Celebrate His Newborn Son - Pro Football & Sports Network

Denny Hamlin Gets Touching Gift From Ohio State Buckeyes to Celebrate His Newborn Son - Pro Football & Sports Network
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Denny Hamlin Gets Touching Gift From Ohio State Buckeyes to Celebrate His Newborn Son Pro Football & Sports Network

Continue reading...

LGHL John Mobley, Bruce Thornton among Buckeyes who showed out at the Kingdom Summer League

John Mobley, Bruce Thornton among Buckeyes who showed out at the Kingdom Summer League
Connor Lemons
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 via Imagn Images

Brandon Noel and Ivan Njegovan both had big games as well at Columbus East High School.

Ohio State fans are hoping the trio of John Mobley Jr., Bruce Thornton, and Devin Royal will lead the Buckeye basketball program back to the promised land this season. In a world where rosters are always in flux and so few players stay in the same place for multiple years, bringing back their top three returning scorers was a big deal for Jake Diebler and his coaching staff.

This past weekend at the Kingdom Summer League, fans got a sneak peak of what they might see from Ohio State’s starting backcourt, with both guards scoring more than 20 points at Columbus East High School.

Founded in 2014, the Kingdom Summer League is a men’s league that brings together the best basketball talent in the state of Ohio, focusing on central Ohio. Current, former, and even future Buckeyes have played and continue to play in “The Kingdom” each summer, with current players requiring approval from the coaching staff. Ohio State has typically allowed its players to compete, although Chris Holtmann went against precedent in 2023 and did not allow his players to compete. Jake Diebler has allowed the Buckeyes to play each of the past two summers.

While the competition is nowhere near what these Buckeyes will see during the season, dozens of current and former NBA players, including Trey Burke and Gary Trent Jr., have competed, as well as overseas pros, current college players, and D-I-bound high schoolers.

On Sunday afternoon, Thornton scored 23 points, grabbed five rebounds, and recorded six assists for Team 4 Deep. He also hit four three-pointers, and will look to improve on his career-high 42.4% three-point percentage from last season. Three of his six assists were on baskets scored by his Ohio State teammate, Ivan Njegovan.


Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Brandon Noel and Ivan Njegovan were balling at the Kingdom Summer League yesterday ️ @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/lXkW5tmEJh

— Zach Fleer (@ZachFleer270) June 23, 2025

Mobley Jr. scored 24 points, grabbed six rebounds, and had six assists for Team Focus Sports Ventures. He is ticketed for a huge role this season after starting 22 games and playing 27.8 minutes per game as a freshman last year.

Brandon Noel, who transferred to Ohio State from Wright State in April, had a huge game for Team Committed to My Craft. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 26 points, had three rebounds and recorded one assist. Included in those 26 points was a trio of three-pointers. Noel will likely start at power forward this season for Ohio State.

Sophomore big man Ivan Njegovan had a double-double playing with Thornton, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Three of his seven baskets came directly off feeds from Thornton, as well as multiple offensive putbacks. Njegovan could play a pivotal role for the Buckeyes this season as the main backup to Christoph Tilly, who himself has never played more than 22 minutes per game in a season.

Speaking of Tilly, the former Santa Clara Bronco-turned Buckeye scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds for Team Focus Sports Ventures, alongside Mobley. German guard Mathieu Grujicic scored three points and had two rebounds for Team New World Financial Group.

Other noteworthy performances from former and future Buckeyes:

Deshaun Thomas:
26 points, six rebounds, three assists

Alex Smith (2026 OSU commit): 13 points, five rebounds

Musa Jallow: 11 points, nine rebounds, two assists

The Kingdom Summer League plays every Sunday from June 22 to August 3 at various locations throughout central Ohio, but most often at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. This past weekend the games were played at Columbus East High School. Admission is free, but the Kingdom takes donations at the door.

Game times and locations can be found weekly at the Kingdom Summer League’s Facebook page.

Continue reading...

LGHL Unreasonable Expectations: Caleb Downs will win the Heisman Trophy this year

Unreasonable Expectations: Caleb Downs will win the Heisman Trophy this year
Brett Ludwiczak
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 10 CFP Semifinal Cotton Bowl Classic - Ohio State vs Texas

Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After being named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2024, Downs has a real shot at winning college football’s most prestigious award.

From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about our Unreasonable Expectations. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Unreasonable Expectations here.



Sometimes it is hard to believe that Caleb Downs is only entering his junior season. The safety has been spectacular in his first two seasons in college football.

After becoming the first freshman to lead Alabama in tackles, recording 107 stops for the Crimson Tide in 2023, Downs transferred to Ohio State following the retirement of Alabama head coach Nick Saban. In his first season in Columbus, Downs was part of a veteran defense that was one of the toughest to crack in the country last season.

Now with Lathan Ransom, Denzel Burke, and Jordan Hancock gone from the secondary, even more responsibility is going to land on the shoulders of Downs. If his first two years of college football are any indication, Downs shouldn’t have any problem rising to the moment.

Downs and Alabama nearly made the title game two years ago, losing to Michigan in overtime in the CFP semifinal at the Rose Bowl. Last season, Downs was able to take care of some unfinished business, as the Buckeyes rebounded from the loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season to go on an incredible four-game run in the expanded College Football Playoff, beating Notre Dame in the title game.

Michigan v Ohio State
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images

The list of accolades in Downs’ first two seasons of college football is pretty ridiculous. After earning First Team All-SEC honors and being named SEC Freshman of the Year in 2023, Downs was named First Team All-Big Ten, the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, and a unanimous All-American.

The sophomore season for Downs should have included even more hardware since he was named a finalist for the Thorpe, Nagurski, and Lott IMPACT Awards. Although I’m sure Downs isn’t going to sweat not being named the winner of those national awards last year since Ohio State went on to win the national championship.

While the ultimate goal for Downs and the Buckeyes will be to repeat as national champions, the superstar safety has a great chance to be one of the few defensive players to win the Heisman Trophy. In the modern era, only two defensive players have won the award given annually to the top player in college football, and both of those players saw time on offense.

Last year, Travis Hunter lined up at both cornerback and wide receiver, while Charles Woodson primarily played cornerback in 1997, but did mix in some time at wide receiver to allow him to earn the upset victory over Tennessee’s Peyton Manning.

With Ohio State’s incredible talent and depth at the wide receiver position, don’t expect to see Downs lining up to catch passes from Julian Sayin this season. Last year Downs did practice at running back briefly, but he was never needed at the position since the Buckeyes already had Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson.

Maybe with Judkins and Henderson now in the NFL, Downs gets a few carries this season, although it’s hard to imagine that happening since Downs is too important to the defense to risk being injured by giving him a few carries to try and pad his Heisman resumé.

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Disp / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

So if Downs was going to supplement his defense stats by producing in another role, how would he do so? There’s an easy answer to that question! Downs has proven he can be an electric kick returner. In last year’s victory against Indiana, Downs notched Ohio State’s first punt return touchdown in 10 years when he took a punt by the Hoosiers back 79 yards for a score.

Overall, Downs returned six punts last year, averaging 16.3 yards per return. Despite Brandon Inniss possibly being the primary punt returner like he was last season, Downs will likely be called upon in big spots.

When it comes to the Buckeye who will likely be in contention for the Heisman Trophy this year, the smart money is on Jeremiah Smith. In a perfect world, Downs would win the golden stiffarm in 2025 and go on to be a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, while Smith follows up the triumph from Downs by winning the award in 2026.

If there was a year for a player who primarily lines up on defense to win, it would be this year since there is so much turnover when it comes to starting quarterbacks on the top teams around the country. Downs has already established himself as the top defensive player in the country, so he has a headstart on a lot of the field.

Is pushing for Downs a bit of a pipedream because of how defensive players have been treated over the years when it comes to the Heisman? It probably is, but if there was a player who could break through, Downs certainly has the talent to do so. It’s not often that safeties are looked at as top-10 NFL Draft picks, so that should tell you just how high the expectations for Downs are going forward.

If Downs is able to become the eighth Ohio State Buckeye to win the Heisman, there’s no question that he would have to be the best defensive player in school history.

Continue reading...

LGHL Jeremiah Smith is practically perfect, at least according to EA Sports

Jeremiah Smith is practically perfect, at least according to EA Sports
Matt Tamanini
via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


jeremiah_smith_ea.0.jpeg

Jeremiah Smith | EA 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 to the Land-Grant Podcast Network for all of your Ohio State needs
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio


On the Gridiron


Buckeyes Smith, Downs top rankings list in new EA game
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch


Jeremiah Smith is a 99 overall in College Football 26 pic.twitter.com/3cQIpE8aJK

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) June 24, 2025

How much is OSU paying new 2029 football nonconference opponents?
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

Unreasonable expectations: Jeremiah Smith will lead the country in receiving yards
Alex Frank, Land-Grant Holy Land

Three big questions for Buckeyes defensive tackles
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row


On the Hardwood


Ohio State safely included in Joe Lunardi’s latest March Madness update
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch


You'll know how good the dunk was based off of @battletime510's reaction pic.twitter.com/RWN6Br8Jnp

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) June 24, 2025

John Mobley Jr. will put lessons from last year into sophomore season with Buckeyes
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts

Devin Royal Eager to Show Expanded Game in Move From Power to Small Forward For Buckeyes
Andy Anders, Eleven Warriors


Outside the Shoe and Schott


Former Buckeye baseball star Dominic Canzone tearing it up for the Seattle Mariners
Connor Lemons, Land-Grant Holy Land

Michael Adedokun and Makenna Webster Named Ohio State Athletes of the Year
Ohio State Athletics


And now for something completely different...


Well, this is certainly something different.


@Samgreer70
Ohio State commit Sam Greer showing everyone what he can do at the Rivals 5 Star ⭐️. He dominated all day! pic.twitter.com/L4jqxqkO0B

— Cliff Hill (@Coachcliff904) June 24, 2025

Continue reading...

Filter

Back
Top