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LGHL Buckeyes prepare for the first major visit weekend of the summer
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Buckeyes prepare for the first major visit weekend of the summer
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State has a big weekend ahead, hosting several top targets.
The Buckeyes currently have two linebackers committed to their 2025 class in Tarvos Alford and Eli Lee, but this staff is set on at least one more addition. After a 2024 haul of just one at the position, position coach James Laurinaitis knows depth is needed, and will use the many recruiting opportunities in June to hopefully cash in on adding another elite playmaker to the defensive side of the ball.
Visit season really starts this weekend, and the Buckeyes are thrilled to have Texas native linebacker Riley Pettijohn in town, among several other top targets. The No. 31 player nationally and fourth-best player at his position per the 247Sports Composite, Pettijohn picking Ohio State as his first summer visit expresses his interest in what the program has to offer, as well as the potential fit of playing for Laurinaitis.
The in-state Longhorns are the favorite on the Crystal Ball, but the Buckeyes won’t go down without a fight here knowing how impressive Pettijohn is. It helps seeing the current commits speaking out and doing some peer recruiting of their own to let Pettijohn know why Ohio State is the place to be. Getting him on campus is a major win, and odds are the staff will make him a priority all weekend during his stay.
There may not be another player in the 2025 cycle as important for Ohio State than Justin Hill. The No. 72 player nationally and seventh-best edge rusher in the class per the 247Sports Composite, Hill is a flat out football player in it’s purest form. From camp circuits to his overall film, the reps show what he’s made of. Being an Ohio native, it’s critical the Buckeyes are able to keep him at home for his next three to four years.
Schools such as Alabama and Oregon are trying to pitch that he won’t have a true position at Ohio State due to the lack of snaps the Jack role has been used, but the Buckeyes are pitching that they will deploy that spot if they’re able to land a guy like himself. Regardless, this recruitment needs to be won, and getting him back on campus this weekend is a big step towards doing just that.
Set to arrive later today, Ohio State will take extra time with Hill and ensure him all of the benefits of staying close to home. Set to decide on July 3, the staff is just about a month away and knows they need to keep fighting tooth and nail to make sure this ends up on their side. This weekend could be an important factor come decision day.
Ohio State’s 2025 offensive side of the ball has some work to be done. Yes, the players in the fold are what you’d want the Buckeyes to have, but more players need to be added with only four of the 12 current commits being on offense.
Another big-time player set to be in Columbus this weekend, offensive line prospect Kaden Strayhorn arrives later today, and will join several others in what is hard to keep track of in terms of players attending.
The No. 431 player nationally and the 27th best interior lineman in the class per the 247Sports Composite, the Buckeyes are no stranger to his recruitment, but don’t seem to have the advantage — at least right now. Schools such as Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Miami have stayed in it, but as it typically is on any Ohio State visit, the Buckeyes tend to impress and can leave a lasting impact on any recruit.
Position coach Justin Frye wants to add more guys to this class, and though there’s multiple names on the list he is still in good position for, it’s never a bad idea to cast a wider net.
The two five-stars were able to be around some impressive players, but it looks like a majority of the attention was paid their way as both were able to not only further express their Ohio State pledges, but also talk about guys they too are trying to add for their class.
A testament to both, Ohio State struck gold with these two and will continue to see the benefits of having the top two cornerbacks in the class not only on the field with their play, but also in the ways they’re able to attract fellow talent to Columbus.
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
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Ohio State has a big weekend ahead, hosting several top targets.
The Buckeyes currently have two linebackers committed to their 2025 class in Tarvos Alford and Eli Lee, but this staff is set on at least one more addition. After a 2024 haul of just one at the position, position coach James Laurinaitis knows depth is needed, and will use the many recruiting opportunities in June to hopefully cash in on adding another elite playmaker to the defensive side of the ball.
Visit season really starts this weekend, and the Buckeyes are thrilled to have Texas native linebacker Riley Pettijohn in town, among several other top targets. The No. 31 player nationally and fourth-best player at his position per the 247Sports Composite, Pettijohn picking Ohio State as his first summer visit expresses his interest in what the program has to offer, as well as the potential fit of playing for Laurinaitis.
The in-state Longhorns are the favorite on the Crystal Ball, but the Buckeyes won’t go down without a fight here knowing how impressive Pettijohn is. It helps seeing the current commits speaking out and doing some peer recruiting of their own to let Pettijohn know why Ohio State is the place to be. Getting him on campus is a major win, and odds are the staff will make him a priority all weekend during his stay.
Buckeyes hosting important in-state target
There may not be another player in the 2025 cycle as important for Ohio State than Justin Hill. The No. 72 player nationally and seventh-best edge rusher in the class per the 247Sports Composite, Hill is a flat out football player in it’s purest form. From camp circuits to his overall film, the reps show what he’s made of. Being an Ohio native, it’s critical the Buckeyes are able to keep him at home for his next three to four years.
Schools such as Alabama and Oregon are trying to pitch that he won’t have a true position at Ohio State due to the lack of snaps the Jack role has been used, but the Buckeyes are pitching that they will deploy that spot if they’re able to land a guy like himself. Regardless, this recruitment needs to be won, and getting him back on campus this weekend is a big step towards doing just that.
Set to arrive later today, Ohio State will take extra time with Hill and ensure him all of the benefits of staying close to home. Set to decide on July 3, the staff is just about a month away and knows they need to keep fighting tooth and nail to make sure this ends up on their side. This weekend could be an important factor come decision day.
Touching down in Columbus in less than 24hrs#GoBucks #The25 #OSU pic.twitter.com/ZwDy8jaDon
— Justin “J-Hill” Hill (@justinnn10k) May 30, 2024
IMG product making the trek north to see the Buckeyes
Ohio State’s 2025 offensive side of the ball has some work to be done. Yes, the players in the fold are what you’d want the Buckeyes to have, but more players need to be added with only four of the 12 current commits being on offense.
Another big-time player set to be in Columbus this weekend, offensive line prospect Kaden Strayhorn arrives later today, and will join several others in what is hard to keep track of in terms of players attending.
The No. 431 player nationally and the 27th best interior lineman in the class per the 247Sports Composite, the Buckeyes are no stranger to his recruitment, but don’t seem to have the advantage — at least right now. Schools such as Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Miami have stayed in it, but as it typically is on any Ohio State visit, the Buckeyes tend to impress and can leave a lasting impact on any recruit.
Position coach Justin Frye wants to add more guys to this class, and though there’s multiple names on the list he is still in good position for, it’s never a bad idea to cast a wider net.
Quick Hits
- The Buckeyes have some star-studded players in this 2025 class, and that was on full display with both Devin Sanchez and Na’eem Offord as they attended On3’s latest recruiting event.
The two five-stars were able to be around some impressive players, but it looks like a majority of the attention was paid their way as both were able to not only further express their Ohio State pledges, but also talk about guys they too are trying to add for their class.
A testament to both, Ohio State struck gold with these two and will continue to see the benefits of having the top two cornerbacks in the class not only on the field with their play, but also in the ways they’re able to attract fellow talent to Columbus.
Continue reading...
LGHL I-80 Football Show: I will not call this game by its name
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- 0 Replies
I-80 Football Show: I will not call this game by its name
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
In this episode, we talk College Football... video games!
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
Unless you care about court cases or early season television schedules, it’s been a slow week in the college football news space. Slow for everything, of course, not related to the new college football video game.
EA Sports allowed a bunch of journalists to play the new game, which led to massive drops in features, gameplay, sights and sounds.
First things first, EA College Football 25 is a horrible name. Like Twitter, we will stubbornly be calling this game by its old name. With all of the time and effort spent making the game, unfortunately, they won’t just pay for the ‘NCAA’ branding. Aside from calling it by its rightful name, we would accept another “Madden” where they name the game after one of the best coaches of all time. Saban ‘25 has a nice ring to it.
So far, EA Sports is winning the press conference. It’s naive to believe that this game is not going to be similar to Madden in any way, seeing that they are both built on the same Frostbite gaming engine, but if the reports are to be believed it is a unique product.
Despite the positive news, we still have questions. Namely: will there be any sort of cut scenes and replays like the old game? How will the crowd noise affect gameplay? Plus, will the actual gameplay suffer due to the focus on visuals?
If you care about the new video game — and even if you don’t — sit down with us as we walk through all the news and brainstorm the potential downfalls of trusting EA Sports to make a good game on the first try.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
In this episode, we talk College Football... video games!
Welcome to a new episode of Land-Grant Podcast Network’s I-80 Football Show. On this show, we travel down I-80 to talk all things Big Ten Football. After every week of action, we will catch you up on all the conference’s games and look ahead at the matchups, storylines, and players you should be paying attention to for the next week. My name is Jordan Williams, and I am joined by my co-host Dante Morgan.
Unless you care about court cases or early season television schedules, it’s been a slow week in the college football news space. Slow for everything, of course, not related to the new college football video game.
EA Sports allowed a bunch of journalists to play the new game, which led to massive drops in features, gameplay, sights and sounds.
First things first, EA College Football 25 is a horrible name. Like Twitter, we will stubbornly be calling this game by its old name. With all of the time and effort spent making the game, unfortunately, they won’t just pay for the ‘NCAA’ branding. Aside from calling it by its rightful name, we would accept another “Madden” where they name the game after one of the best coaches of all time. Saban ‘25 has a nice ring to it.
So far, EA Sports is winning the press conference. It’s naive to believe that this game is not going to be similar to Madden in any way, seeing that they are both built on the same Frostbite gaming engine, but if the reports are to be believed it is a unique product.
Despite the positive news, we still have questions. Namely: will there be any sort of cut scenes and replays like the old game? How will the crowd noise affect gameplay? Plus, will the actual gameplay suffer due to the focus on visuals?
If you care about the new video game — and even if you don’t — sit down with us as we walk through all the news and brainstorm the potential downfalls of trusting EA Sports to make a good game on the first try.
Follow the show on YouTube: @JordanW330
Follow the podcast on Instagram: @I80FootballShow
Connect with us on Twitter: Jordan: @JordanW330 and Dante: @DanteM10216
Continue reading...
LGHL Unpopular Opinions: A quartet of gripes about Ohio State and college football
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- 0 Replies
Unpopular Opinions: A quartet of gripes about Ohio State and college football
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 Michael Reaves/Getty Images
One of our writers will likely ruffle some feathers with four hot takes about college football and Ohio State.
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 unpopular opinions. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Unpopular Opinion” articles here.
One of the few things in life I am good at is having unpopular opinions. While I won’t turn 40 until next July, at this point I feel like I’m the Clint Eastwood GIF from Gran Torino where he is looking out from his porch with utter disgust.
Basically everything is awful, and more often than not I’m proven right. Luckily growing up as a Buffalo sports fan broke my brain at a young age, so I’ve come to accept and embrace my fate as an extreme pessimist. Now I’m just striving to be the best at being the worst.
At this point, you’re probably wondering where I’m going with all this. Today I’m going to dish out a few of my most unpopular opinions about college football and Ohio State. While you don’t have to like the opinions I’m about to give, there is going to come a time when you realize that I was right all along.
This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving and rooting for the Buckeyes, there just aren’t that many highs anymore.
Every year there are three objectives: Beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, and win a national title. The last three years have seen the Buckeyes fail to achieve the first objective, which has kept them from the second objective, and taken them out of the running for the third in two of the last three seasons. In the year they did make the College Football Playoff, Ohio State had eventual national champion Georgia on the ropes but blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Bulldogs.
Things could change this year with the introduction of the expanded playoff, as well as the expansion of the Big Ten. With the conference doing away with divisions, a loss to Michigan won’t necessarily eliminate the Buckeyes from competing for a Big Ten title. Who knows, we could actually get a rematch with the Wolverines the week after The Game if the rivals both sit on top of the Big Ten at the end of the regular season.
Even if Ohio State doesn’t make the Big Ten Championship Game, they’ll have more margin for error when it comes to making the playoff, since there will be 12 teams competing in the College Football Playoff.
What worries me is how the goalposts are moved with the expanded playoff. Is it a disappointment if Ohio State doesn’t earn a bye? Is the world ending if Ohio State can’t secure a home playoff game? What if they lose in a first-round game?
Imagine how prickly Christmas will be if Santa Claus delivers Ohio State fans a lump of coal before Dec. 25. Imagine how upset we were after the Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri and multiply that by eleventy bajillion.
Again, I’m not jumping ship and going to start rooting for another team, I’m just stating it can be rough at times to be a Buckeye fan because the bar is set so high. They say heavy is the head that lies the crown, it’s just Ohio State hasn’t been winning titles or beating Michigan enough lately for us to be living like the kings and queens we think we are.
So many Ohio State fans were elated when it was announced the Big Ten would be ending their partnership with ESPN. Be careful what you wish for.
With the departure of “WWE SmackDown!” on Friday nights, FOX is going to expand their college football coverage and start broadcasting Friday night games. Following the Sept. 13 game between Arizona and Kansas State, the next nine Friday night games on FOX’s schedule are Big Ten conference games.
This year, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State weren’t included in the Friday night schedule, but you know it’s only a matter of time before the Buckeyes are told to play on Friday night.
Don’t like it? Too damn bad. Just look at the NFL, which is playing on every day of the week except Tuesday this season. You can argue how it is different since the NFL is a professional sports league, but college football isn’t far off. The players are getting paid and the television contracts are massive. It’s good business for FOX to capitalize on their investment and broadcast content they know people will watch.
It’s not like Ohio State hasn’t already played in a Friday night game, as they destroyed Northwestern on a Friday night in Evanston a few years ago. Some will argue that Friday night should be for high school football and if you are playing on Friday night you are at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting. Maybe 20-30 years ago that might be the case but not these days since everything is available on the internet.
If I had to guess, I’d say the Buckeyes will be asked to play a Friday game once every other year. I know it’s hard to imagine right now but we will all find a way to survive when Ohio State is forced to strap on the pads on a Friday night.
I always get a laugh when I see somebody freaking out when it is announced that an Ohio State event is on Peacock. In a way, this goes back to the joy Buckeye fans had when the Big Ten was able to free themselves from the evil that is ESPN. Be careful what you wish for because you might have actually had it better than you thought.
Prior to last season I already had been subscribed to Peacock for a number of years. As a fan of WWE and the English Premier League, Peacock was a great value to me. Not only could I watch events like the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania for six dollars a month, but I also had access to tons of soccer. While I know the price will be increasing by a couple of bucks a month soon, it’s still less than $100 a year, so it’s not like you’re having to break the bank for it.
Really the only people I feel sad for when it comes to Ohio State events being on Peacock are bar and restaurant owners, since it could take away from some of their business as they don’t have a cost-effective option to air streaming games on multiple televisions. For everybody else, at least it could possibly give you a chance to talk to your parents more since you’ll have to walk them through how to get the Buckeye game on their television.
If we’re being honest, I’d much rather just kick Northwestern out of the Big Ten. But since we can’t do that, we are stuck with them playing at temporary stadiums while they rebuild Ryan Field.
On Nov. 16, Ohio State will travel to Chicago and take on the Wildcats at Wrigley Field. I know there are some people that love the idea of the Buckeyes playing at the home of the Chicago Cubs. I’m not one of those people.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25469975/1775202919.jpg "Iowa v Northwestern")
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
So why do I hate that this is happening? When we saw Northwestern and Iowa play there last season, the field was awful and both teams were on the same sidelines. It’s all fun and games until someone gets injured for the rest of the season because of how bad the footing is.
Even though an injury because of the field could happen at any venue, there is more of a possibility of it happening at a stadium that isn’t really designated for football. Save shenanigans like this for bowl season like they do at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.
On the bright side, at least they figured out the dimensions so they can use both end zones!
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 Michael Reaves/Getty Images
One of our writers will likely ruffle some feathers with four hot takes about college football and Ohio State.
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 unpopular opinions. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Unpopular Opinion” articles here.
One of the few things in life I am good at is having unpopular opinions. While I won’t turn 40 until next July, at this point I feel like I’m the Clint Eastwood GIF from Gran Torino where he is looking out from his porch with utter disgust.
Basically everything is awful, and more often than not I’m proven right. Luckily growing up as a Buffalo sports fan broke my brain at a young age, so I’ve come to accept and embrace my fate as an extreme pessimist. Now I’m just striving to be the best at being the worst.
At this point, you’re probably wondering where I’m going with all this. Today I’m going to dish out a few of my most unpopular opinions about college football and Ohio State. While you don’t have to like the opinions I’m about to give, there is going to come a time when you realize that I was right all along.
There’s not much joy in being an Ohio State football fan these days
This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving and rooting for the Buckeyes, there just aren’t that many highs anymore.
Every year there are three objectives: Beat Michigan, win the Big Ten, and win a national title. The last three years have seen the Buckeyes fail to achieve the first objective, which has kept them from the second objective, and taken them out of the running for the third in two of the last three seasons. In the year they did make the College Football Playoff, Ohio State had eventual national champion Georgia on the ropes but blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Bulldogs.
Things could change this year with the introduction of the expanded playoff, as well as the expansion of the Big Ten. With the conference doing away with divisions, a loss to Michigan won’t necessarily eliminate the Buckeyes from competing for a Big Ten title. Who knows, we could actually get a rematch with the Wolverines the week after The Game if the rivals both sit on top of the Big Ten at the end of the regular season.
Even if Ohio State doesn’t make the Big Ten Championship Game, they’ll have more margin for error when it comes to making the playoff, since there will be 12 teams competing in the College Football Playoff.
What worries me is how the goalposts are moved with the expanded playoff. Is it a disappointment if Ohio State doesn’t earn a bye? Is the world ending if Ohio State can’t secure a home playoff game? What if they lose in a first-round game?
Imagine how prickly Christmas will be if Santa Claus delivers Ohio State fans a lump of coal before Dec. 25. Imagine how upset we were after the Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri and multiply that by eleventy bajillion.
Again, I’m not jumping ship and going to start rooting for another team, I’m just stating it can be rough at times to be a Buckeye fan because the bar is set so high. They say heavy is the head that lies the crown, it’s just Ohio State hasn’t been winning titles or beating Michigan enough lately for us to be living like the kings and queens we think we are.
Ohio State possibly playing in a Friday night game isn’t as terrible as everyone is making it out to be
So many Ohio State fans were elated when it was announced the Big Ten would be ending their partnership with ESPN. Be careful what you wish for.
With the departure of “WWE SmackDown!” on Friday nights, FOX is going to expand their college football coverage and start broadcasting Friday night games. Following the Sept. 13 game between Arizona and Kansas State, the next nine Friday night games on FOX’s schedule are Big Ten conference games.
This year, Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State weren’t included in the Friday night schedule, but you know it’s only a matter of time before the Buckeyes are told to play on Friday night.
Don’t like it? Too damn bad. Just look at the NFL, which is playing on every day of the week except Tuesday this season. You can argue how it is different since the NFL is a professional sports league, but college football isn’t far off. The players are getting paid and the television contracts are massive. It’s good business for FOX to capitalize on their investment and broadcast content they know people will watch.
It’s not like Ohio State hasn’t already played in a Friday night game, as they destroyed Northwestern on a Friday night in Evanston a few years ago. Some will argue that Friday night should be for high school football and if you are playing on Friday night you are at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting. Maybe 20-30 years ago that might be the case but not these days since everything is available on the internet.
If I had to guess, I’d say the Buckeyes will be asked to play a Friday game once every other year. I know it’s hard to imagine right now but we will all find a way to survive when Ohio State is forced to strap on the pads on a Friday night.
Peacock is actually fine
I always get a laugh when I see somebody freaking out when it is announced that an Ohio State event is on Peacock. In a way, this goes back to the joy Buckeye fans had when the Big Ten was able to free themselves from the evil that is ESPN. Be careful what you wish for because you might have actually had it better than you thought.
Prior to last season I already had been subscribed to Peacock for a number of years. As a fan of WWE and the English Premier League, Peacock was a great value to me. Not only could I watch events like the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania for six dollars a month, but I also had access to tons of soccer. While I know the price will be increasing by a couple of bucks a month soon, it’s still less than $100 a year, so it’s not like you’re having to break the bank for it.
Really the only people I feel sad for when it comes to Ohio State events being on Peacock are bar and restaurant owners, since it could take away from some of their business as they don’t have a cost-effective option to air streaming games on multiple televisions. For everybody else, at least it could possibly give you a chance to talk to your parents more since you’ll have to walk them through how to get the Buckeye game on their television.
I’m not a fan of Ohio State playing at Wrigley Field
If we’re being honest, I’d much rather just kick Northwestern out of the Big Ten. But since we can’t do that, we are stuck with them playing at temporary stadiums while they rebuild Ryan Field.
On Nov. 16, Ohio State will travel to Chicago and take on the Wildcats at Wrigley Field. I know there are some people that love the idea of the Buckeyes playing at the home of the Chicago Cubs. I’m not one of those people.
So why do I hate that this is happening? When we saw Northwestern and Iowa play there last season, the field was awful and both teams were on the same sidelines. It’s all fun and games until someone gets injured for the rest of the season because of how bad the footing is.
Even though an injury because of the field could happen at any venue, there is more of a possibility of it happening at a stadium that isn’t really designated for football. Save shenanigans like this for bowl season like they do at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.
On the bright side, at least they figured out the dimensions so they can use both end zones!
Continue reading...