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LGHL 2026 California WR sets Ohio State visit, top 2024 lineman continues to be on the staff’s mind
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2026 California WR sets Ohio State visit, top 2024 lineman continues to be on the staff’s mind
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
Mater Dei product Kayden Dixon-Wyatt will be in town over the weekend to see Ohio State.
It’s a little like the calm before the storm right now in regard to Ohio State recruiting. With spring break underway and a hiatus from the practice field as a result, the coaching staff has hit vacation mode a bit.
While the recruiting efforts never fully cease for the Buckeyes, they certainly can slow down here and there, and though this weekend it will pick back up, it’s been pretty quiet. That won’t last for long, as multiple big time recruiting weekends are in the works for the remainder of spring football practice. The staff will lean on these opportunities for continued momentum as the summer recruiting months quickly approach.
That said, there’s still visits being set by various high school targets, and a recent one has been locked in for a high profile freshman from California. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, a 6-foot-2, 180 pound receiver out of the prestigious Mater Dei, shared that he will be in town as soon as this weekend to check out Ohio State.
A class of 2026 prospect, Dixon-Wyatt’s visit will be on his own dime, and coming from the West Coast, certainly that shows how he feels about the Buckeyes. More than likely Brian Hartline and his ability to develop his position.
Already at double-digit offers to his name, Kayden’s 247Sports ranking when it becomes available will likely be atop of the charts for his position group. Schools such as Georgia, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Arizona, and several others have taken early notice to his talents, and surely more elite programs are on the way to do the same.
Knowing the caliber of talent he sees playing for Mater Dei is just further proof to his abilities, and when Hartline sees a guy he wants at his position, more times than not he comes away successful. This visit will get the ball rolling, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him walk away with an offer. But again, this unofficial visit really does show the interest is there for another national receiver.
Seeing coaches like and share certain posts may not be a huge deal, but there is something to it at least. Yesterday, Director of Player Personnel Mark Pantoni took to Twitter to retweet a big time offensive line target. Sharing his highlight tape, Pantoni was quick to give his stamp of approval to five-star lineman Justin Scott.
A 6-foot-4, 310 pound Chicago, Illinois native, Scott is currently the No. 14 player nationally, the fourth best defensive lineman, and the top player in Illinois all according to the 247Sports Composite grades for the 2024 class. A player the Buckeyes would love to have in the fold, there’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle as Notre Dame is the odds on favorite right now in his recruitment.
The efforts won’t go silent any time soon on the Ohio State front though, and when you see his film, it’s easy to see why he is so highly touted.
A 6-foot, 170 pound athlete, Saboor holds over 20 offers to his name, but doesn’t have a ton of the elite blue-bloods in his recruitment yet at least. Schools such as Missouri, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Kentucky round out some of the bigger programs to offer at the moment, but visits to Ohio State and others may have an impact on that.
Though he’s unranked on his 247Sports profile, Marqavious is clearly seeing enough attention to have that many offers under his belt. Ohio State will look to take at least two and maybe three safeties in the 2024 class with how the defensive scheme checks out and though Saboor is a new name maybe his visit will spark a relationship that keeps him in the news.
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
Mater Dei product Kayden Dixon-Wyatt will be in town over the weekend to see Ohio State.
High profile freshman sets Ohio State visit date
It’s a little like the calm before the storm right now in regard to Ohio State recruiting. With spring break underway and a hiatus from the practice field as a result, the coaching staff has hit vacation mode a bit.
While the recruiting efforts never fully cease for the Buckeyes, they certainly can slow down here and there, and though this weekend it will pick back up, it’s been pretty quiet. That won’t last for long, as multiple big time recruiting weekends are in the works for the remainder of spring football practice. The staff will lean on these opportunities for continued momentum as the summer recruiting months quickly approach.
That said, there’s still visits being set by various high school targets, and a recent one has been locked in for a high profile freshman from California. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, a 6-foot-2, 180 pound receiver out of the prestigious Mater Dei, shared that he will be in town as soon as this weekend to check out Ohio State.
A class of 2026 prospect, Dixon-Wyatt’s visit will be on his own dime, and coming from the West Coast, certainly that shows how he feels about the Buckeyes. More than likely Brian Hartline and his ability to develop his position.
Already at double-digit offers to his name, Kayden’s 247Sports ranking when it becomes available will likely be atop of the charts for his position group. Schools such as Georgia, Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Arizona, and several others have taken early notice to his talents, and surely more elite programs are on the way to do the same.
Knowing the caliber of talent he sees playing for Mater Dei is just further proof to his abilities, and when Hartline sees a guy he wants at his position, more times than not he comes away successful. This visit will get the ball rolling, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him walk away with an offer. But again, this unofficial visit really does show the interest is there for another national receiver.
Quick Hits
- One of the many interesting aspects of social media is being able to see the activity others are having. Specifically, on Twitter, college coaches can retweet and like prospective recruits posts, and that gives some insight as to how that staff or individual coach feels about a certain player.
Seeing coaches like and share certain posts may not be a huge deal, but there is something to it at least. Yesterday, Director of Player Personnel Mark Pantoni took to Twitter to retweet a big time offensive line target. Sharing his highlight tape, Pantoni was quick to give his stamp of approval to five-star lineman Justin Scott.
A 6-foot-4, 310 pound Chicago, Illinois native, Scott is currently the No. 14 player nationally, the fourth best defensive lineman, and the top player in Illinois all according to the 247Sports Composite grades for the 2024 class. A player the Buckeyes would love to have in the fold, there’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle as Notre Dame is the odds on favorite right now in his recruitment.
The efforts won’t go silent any time soon on the Ohio State front though, and when you see his film, it’s easy to see why he is so highly touted.
- Back to talking visit plans, the Buckeyes will also host another Georgia native on the big April 1 recruiting weekend when 2024 safety prospect Marqavious Saboor is in town. Taking to Twitter to share his latest visit plans, Saboor will attend practice and see the vibes surrounding the Ohio State program.
A 6-foot, 170 pound athlete, Saboor holds over 20 offers to his name, but doesn’t have a ton of the elite blue-bloods in his recruitment yet at least. Schools such as Missouri, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Kentucky round out some of the bigger programs to offer at the moment, but visits to Ohio State and others may have an impact on that.
Though he’s unranked on his 247Sports profile, Marqavious is clearly seeing enough attention to have that many offers under his belt. Ohio State will look to take at least two and maybe three safeties in the 2024 class with how the defensive scheme checks out and though Saboor is a new name maybe his visit will spark a relationship that keeps him in the news.
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LGHL No. 3 Ohio State women vs. No. 14 James Madison: Game preview and prediction
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No. 3 Ohio State women vs. No. 14 James Madison: Game preview and prediction
1ThomasCostello 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
The Buckeyes and Dukes take to the court to start the NCAA Tournament’s First Round in Columbus
On the second day of the NCAA Tournament’s First Round, the Ohio State women’s basketball team returns to the court for the first time in two weeks. Following the Buckeyes’ Big Ten Tournament final defeat to the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Scarlet & Gray welcome the Sun Belt Conference tournament-winning James Madison Dukes.
No team coached by Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff has lost a First Round game. Saturday, the Buckeyes hope that trend continues against a team that thrives off low expectations by outsiders.
The Dukes of James Madison, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, joined the Sun Belt in 2022. After years of being the perennial powerhouse of the Colonial Athletic Association, James Madison was picked to finish sixth in their new, stronger, NCAA Division I conference. They ended up winning the regular season and conference tournament.
“This team of all the teams that I’ve coached, they actually, they used that disrespect for motivation,” said JMU head coach Sean O’Regan. “Whereas a lot of the teams that I’ve had, we always had the target on our back right from the beginning, and so this particular team likes — gets them going.”
James Madison is a team that despite the mid-major tag next to their name, is filled with talent. Talent in areas that are usually a problem for the Buckeyes. That’s in forward Kiki Jefferson and center Kseniia Kozlova. Jefferson especially is someone worth watching because of not only the ability to score, leading the Sun Belt averaging 18.7 points per game, but rebounding.
Jefferson’s 7.9 rebounds per game leads the Dukes, but she’s not alone either, sharing the paint with the 6-foot-4 Russian Kozlova. Jefferson will grab rebounds from anywhere on the court, but Kozlova will give Ohio State’s forwards, likely Eboni Walker, Taylor Thierry and Rebeka Mikulášiková a run for their money.
Kozlova is a quick big too. She can move fast in the paint, and smoothly, unlike some the center’s size. Even though the Buckeyes have played all season against forwards like all-American Mackenzie Holmes from the Indiana Hoosiers and Monika Czinano from the Iowa Hawkeyes, but Kozlova gives a different look, albeit a less offensive power than the Big Ten bigs.
Also, defensively, the Dukes will shake things up against Ohio State. James Madison will go from man coverage to zone and even institute a press at times. What’s not known is how Buckeyes’ guard Taylor Mikesell will be defended. For months, it’s been one player with their hand in the guard’s face constantly.
“She’s so multifaceted. So even if you do really high-hand and run at her, she’s got floater game in there,” said O’Regan. “She can score in there. We just have to do our thing and have the same kind of wherewithal with where she is and what she’s doing whether we are in zone, whether we are in man.”
There’s also the added incentive for Ohio State to make up for their last time out on the court, against the Hawkeyes. In both the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes went down big, needing a historic comeback against the Hoosiers. Saturday, the Scarlet & Gray can’t afford to do the same.
Fortunately for coach McGuff’s side, guard Jacy Sheldon is likely to have more minutes, according to the coach. Although she only averaged 15 minutes across three games off the bench in the Big Ten Tournament, the guard’s impact was felt.
“I think we missed more so than anything her leadership and just her experience on the court,” said Mikesell. “Her game speaks for itself and all her accolades, but we really missed having her as far as a leader and just her experience.”
The Buckeyes have a weakness in rebounding, sure, but the overall talent of Ohio State will push them through the challenge brought by JMU. Mikesell especially will have big game, without someone on James Madison with the same defensive acumen as a Chloe Moore-McNeil of the Hoosiers.
Ohio State will have a stronger first half than their first two games, but Jefferson will have a strong game against the Buckeyes defense. The Scarlet & Gray win their first game of the NCAA Tournament.
Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN App
The Buckeyes enter March Madness after three days of games already played. So far, the Big Ten hasn’t shown up across the board.
For the Illinois Fighting Illini and Purdue Boilermakers, neither team technically made the 64-team tournament after both sides fell in First Four match-ups. The Illini lost to Mississippi State convincingly, and the Boilermakers had their troubles in the third quarter against the St. John’s Red Storm, but lost by two points in Thursday night’s game in Columbus.
However, the conference bounced back on Friday, with all three teams moving ahead with big wins. No. 2 seeds in the Hawkeyes and Maryland Terrapins won their games by 52 and 32 points, respectively, with the Michigan Wolverines beating UNLV by 12 points.
Saturday, the Buckeyes are the second of two Big Ten games. The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers face No. 16 Tennessee Tech. Both games featuring conference teams should end in Big Ten wins, but it’s not called March Calmness.
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
Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Buckeyes and Dukes take to the court to start the NCAA Tournament’s First Round in Columbus
On the second day of the NCAA Tournament’s First Round, the Ohio State women’s basketball team returns to the court for the first time in two weeks. Following the Buckeyes’ Big Ten Tournament final defeat to the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Scarlet & Gray welcome the Sun Belt Conference tournament-winning James Madison Dukes.
No team coached by Ohio State head coach Kevin McGuff has lost a First Round game. Saturday, the Buckeyes hope that trend continues against a team that thrives off low expectations by outsiders.
Preview
The Dukes of James Madison, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, joined the Sun Belt in 2022. After years of being the perennial powerhouse of the Colonial Athletic Association, James Madison was picked to finish sixth in their new, stronger, NCAA Division I conference. They ended up winning the regular season and conference tournament.
“This team of all the teams that I’ve coached, they actually, they used that disrespect for motivation,” said JMU head coach Sean O’Regan. “Whereas a lot of the teams that I’ve had, we always had the target on our back right from the beginning, and so this particular team likes — gets them going.”
James Madison is a team that despite the mid-major tag next to their name, is filled with talent. Talent in areas that are usually a problem for the Buckeyes. That’s in forward Kiki Jefferson and center Kseniia Kozlova. Jefferson especially is someone worth watching because of not only the ability to score, leading the Sun Belt averaging 18.7 points per game, but rebounding.
Jefferson’s 7.9 rebounds per game leads the Dukes, but she’s not alone either, sharing the paint with the 6-foot-4 Russian Kozlova. Jefferson will grab rebounds from anywhere on the court, but Kozlova will give Ohio State’s forwards, likely Eboni Walker, Taylor Thierry and Rebeka Mikulášiková a run for their money.
Kozlova is a quick big too. She can move fast in the paint, and smoothly, unlike some the center’s size. Even though the Buckeyes have played all season against forwards like all-American Mackenzie Holmes from the Indiana Hoosiers and Monika Czinano from the Iowa Hawkeyes, but Kozlova gives a different look, albeit a less offensive power than the Big Ten bigs.
Also, defensively, the Dukes will shake things up against Ohio State. James Madison will go from man coverage to zone and even institute a press at times. What’s not known is how Buckeyes’ guard Taylor Mikesell will be defended. For months, it’s been one player with their hand in the guard’s face constantly.
“She’s so multifaceted. So even if you do really high-hand and run at her, she’s got floater game in there,” said O’Regan. “She can score in there. We just have to do our thing and have the same kind of wherewithal with where she is and what she’s doing whether we are in zone, whether we are in man.”
There’s also the added incentive for Ohio State to make up for their last time out on the court, against the Hawkeyes. In both the semifinals and final of the Big Ten Tournament, the Buckeyes went down big, needing a historic comeback against the Hoosiers. Saturday, the Scarlet & Gray can’t afford to do the same.
Fortunately for coach McGuff’s side, guard Jacy Sheldon is likely to have more minutes, according to the coach. Although she only averaged 15 minutes across three games off the bench in the Big Ten Tournament, the guard’s impact was felt.
“I think we missed more so than anything her leadership and just her experience on the court,” said Mikesell. “Her game speaks for itself and all her accolades, but we really missed having her as far as a leader and just her experience.”
Projected Lineup
Lineup Notes
- McMahon averaged 21 points and 11 rebounds per game in the Big Ten Tournament.
- Guard/forward Taylor Thierry leads the Buckeyes with 6.8 rebounds per game.
- Of Thierry’s 216 rebounds, 101 are offensive boards.
Lineup Notes
- Guard Peyton McDaniel leads the Dukes in three-point shooting, hitting 39.2% attempts, hitting 74 shots from deep.
- Point Guard Caroline Germond leads the Dukes with 116 assists.
Prediction
The Buckeyes have a weakness in rebounding, sure, but the overall talent of Ohio State will push them through the challenge brought by JMU. Mikesell especially will have big game, without someone on James Madison with the same defensive acumen as a Chloe Moore-McNeil of the Hoosiers.
Ohio State will have a stronger first half than their first two games, but Jefferson will have a strong game against the Buckeyes defense. The Scarlet & Gray win their first game of the NCAA Tournament.
How to Watch
Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
Television: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN App
LGHL Score Prediction: 92-70 Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Big Ten Struggles Early in the Tournament
The Buckeyes enter March Madness after three days of games already played. So far, the Big Ten hasn’t shown up across the board.
For the Illinois Fighting Illini and Purdue Boilermakers, neither team technically made the 64-team tournament after both sides fell in First Four match-ups. The Illini lost to Mississippi State convincingly, and the Boilermakers had their troubles in the third quarter against the St. John’s Red Storm, but lost by two points in Thursday night’s game in Columbus.
However, the conference bounced back on Friday, with all three teams moving ahead with big wins. No. 2 seeds in the Hawkeyes and Maryland Terrapins won their games by 52 and 32 points, respectively, with the Michigan Wolverines beating UNLV by 12 points.
Saturday, the Buckeyes are the second of two Big Ten games. The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers face No. 16 Tennessee Tech. Both games featuring conference teams should end in Big Ten wins, but it’s not called March Calmness.
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LGHL Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State coaches getting paid, biggest storylines from spring practice, and free agents
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Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State coaches getting paid, biggest storylines from spring practice, and free agents
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The yearly coaching raises are here and the guys discuss that along with the other big storylines from the Buckeyes.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I’m joined by Jordan Williams to to talk about the pay increases for the Ohio State coaching staff, along with some other spring practice storylines.
We start the episode with a discussion about the pay raises for the Ohio State football staff. There are some interesting raises, including Tim Walton, who is now the defensive passing game coordinator, and Parker Fleming is in the exact same role with higher pay. We get into what each raise means, and how crazy the amount assistant coaches are making is.
After that, our discussion turns to the chatter coming out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. I can’t hold back my excitement about a certain group of receivers, and we discuss why the linebacker room is in the best place it has been in years. This talk leads to a lot of bullish energy on the two rooms over the next few years.
We start the second half of the show with a talking about the two transfer defensive backs, and why the excitement should be contained with the Ole Miss Transfer Davison Igbinosun. The corner room under Walton might be in its best place since 2019.
After that we get into out last major discussion talking about the Buckeyes in the NFL during their free agency. This conversation gets into the current situations, who got paid, and who might not get paid.
To close out the show, we discuss other news around the country including a conversation about conference pro days.
Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod
Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB
Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330
Continue reading...
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The yearly coaching raises are here and the guys discuss that along with the other big storylines from the Buckeyes.
Listen to the episode and subscribe:
Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio
On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I’m joined by Jordan Williams to to talk about the pay increases for the Ohio State coaching staff, along with some other spring practice storylines.
We start the episode with a discussion about the pay raises for the Ohio State football staff. There are some interesting raises, including Tim Walton, who is now the defensive passing game coordinator, and Parker Fleming is in the exact same role with higher pay. We get into what each raise means, and how crazy the amount assistant coaches are making is.
After that, our discussion turns to the chatter coming out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. I can’t hold back my excitement about a certain group of receivers, and we discuss why the linebacker room is in the best place it has been in years. This talk leads to a lot of bullish energy on the two rooms over the next few years.
We start the second half of the show with a talking about the two transfer defensive backs, and why the excitement should be contained with the Ole Miss Transfer Davison Igbinosun. The corner room under Walton might be in its best place since 2019.
After that we get into out last major discussion talking about the Buckeyes in the NFL during their free agency. This conversation gets into the current situations, who got paid, and who might not get paid.
To close out the show, we discuss other news around the country including a conversation about conference pro days.
Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod
Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB
Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330
Continue reading...
LGHL Freshman Cotie McMahon enters first March Madness playing upperclassmen basketball
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Freshman Cotie McMahon enters first March Madness playing upperclassmen basketball
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 Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
Ohio State’s relied on McMahon this season and will continue to do so in the freshman’s first NCAA Tournament
Ohio State transfer guard Taylor Mikesell’s no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. In five seasons, the Massillon, Ohio native has nine tournament games under her belt, three of which donning scarlet and gray. Saturday pushes the guard into double-digits in the final season of her career. It’s the beginning of the end of the journey for Mikesell in the NCAA. Freshman forward Cotie McMahon just pulled onto the road.
McMahon enrolled in Ohio State in January of 2022, a full 11 months before the forward would see any action on the court for head coach Scarlet & Gray. That didn’t mean it took year to stand out.
“The one thing you never really know until they get on campus is how hard they’re going to work. From Day 1, she’s worked incredibly hard,” said coach Kevin McGuff before Saturday’s NCAA Tournament clash against James Madison University. “That’s sort of rare for a freshman. It’s usually a big adjustment, but for her, her intensity and her competitive character was evident from Day 1.”
That hard work mentality meant that once McMahon did see the court, she was in the starting lineup.
McMahon started her NCAA career scoring 10 points against the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers, which is no small feat in a collegiate debut. Those points included steals, fast breaks and the energy and intensity that’s become synonymous with McMahon over the past four months.
Ohio State won that game and 18 more before a defeat popped up in the loss column. In those 19 victories, McMahon’s growth was on display but it took some time. Then, after one game all things seemed to change.
In the first six games of the season, McMahon had 13 rebounds and seven assists total. On Nov. 30, on a trip to face the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals, McMahon only played six minutes, earning two fouls in limited minutes.
It wasn’t an injury that sidelined her, but the high intensity play of someone Coach McGuff calls “the most exciting five seconds in college basketball” didn’t come with the complete game that playing in a power five conference requires.
“In the beginning she was kind of mowing people down around the basket,” said McGuff. “She’s a little more under control and a little more measured, and her vision is a little better about where she’s going.”
Following that Buckeyes comeback victory in Louisville, McMahon was different. The forward still showed those blistering runs that made her so dangerous, but the game began slowing down.
Instead of having a laser eye on the rim, McMahon looked around for options if a clear path, or a higher percentage look was on the court. Rebounding-wise, the forward got into the scrap more often, using her athleticism and vision to be in the right place to grab rebounds.
Only three games after that benching, McMahon grabbed 10 rebounds against a Michigan State Spartans team that took the Buckeyes to the wire. McMahon’s first double-digit rebounding game, but not her last. The freshman also had eight points that day, a possession shy of her first collegiate double-double.
After that Big Ten home victory, and a month after the Louisville benching, McMahon became the reason Ohio State was winning. On Dec. 20, taking on the USF Bulls, McMahon hit another level. The forward scored 30 points and also the game-winning assist in overtime, off a block by forward Eboni Walker.
The performance came in a game where the Buckeyes went down 18 points in the first half and lost point guard Madison Greene in the fourth quarter to a season-ending knee injury.
McMahon’s performance against USF and increasing distribution and court awareness won her a B1G Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 2. Since then, McMahon’s won five more, tying former Buckeye Kelsey Mitchell for the most in program history.
“I mean, it’s kind of crazy to think that she’s only a freshman,” said Mikesell. “She’s going to be sitting up here three years from now, and you’re going to be asking her all the questions about where she was three years ago.”
Now, McMahon is on the cusp of McMahon’s first NCAA game. As the stage has grown this season, so have the individual performances. Although Ohio State lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in the regular season, the Crimson had no answer for her for half of the Jan. 26 game in Bloomington, Indiana. McMahon took on two to three defenders, spinning through making acrobatic layups, something now common place for the freshman.
Overall, McMahon shifted a beginning of the year averaging 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1 assist in the seven games to 16.52 points, 6.24 rebounds and 3 assists in the final 25. That includes three double-doubles, two coming in the first pair of Big Ten Tournament games two weeks ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In that same 25-game span, McMahon is second on the team in average points, behind only Mikesell and second in rebounds, behind sophomore and fellow standout Taylor Thierry. It’s not normal freshman behavior.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” said McMahon, with a laugh. “Yeah, at the beginning of the season I wasn’t very confident. I was very passive. I feel like I’m still obviously passive, but I feel like I kind of have more confidence in myself to be able to score and stuff like that.”
Now, the attention is laser focused on March Madness and, for a player who didn’t get as much national attention entering the season, that focus has a big focus on the freshman McMahon.
Defenses can’t seem to stop her and she’s improving by the week. McMahon looks to continue that trajectory against the James Madison Dukes, but an increasing confidence and improved performances doesn’t change everything for the student athlete.
“Yeah. Yeah, I still feel like a freshman,” said McMahon, laughing. “I feel like a freshman as far as, you know, all these old heads on the team.”
We’ll see what McMahon has to say in three years.
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 Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images
Ohio State’s relied on McMahon this season and will continue to do so in the freshman’s first NCAA Tournament
Ohio State transfer guard Taylor Mikesell’s no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. In five seasons, the Massillon, Ohio native has nine tournament games under her belt, three of which donning scarlet and gray. Saturday pushes the guard into double-digits in the final season of her career. It’s the beginning of the end of the journey for Mikesell in the NCAA. Freshman forward Cotie McMahon just pulled onto the road.
McMahon enrolled in Ohio State in January of 2022, a full 11 months before the forward would see any action on the court for head coach Scarlet & Gray. That didn’t mean it took year to stand out.
“The one thing you never really know until they get on campus is how hard they’re going to work. From Day 1, she’s worked incredibly hard,” said coach Kevin McGuff before Saturday’s NCAA Tournament clash against James Madison University. “That’s sort of rare for a freshman. It’s usually a big adjustment, but for her, her intensity and her competitive character was evident from Day 1.”
That hard work mentality meant that once McMahon did see the court, she was in the starting lineup.
McMahon started her NCAA career scoring 10 points against the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers, which is no small feat in a collegiate debut. Those points included steals, fast breaks and the energy and intensity that’s become synonymous with McMahon over the past four months.
Ohio State won that game and 18 more before a defeat popped up in the loss column. In those 19 victories, McMahon’s growth was on display but it took some time. Then, after one game all things seemed to change.
In the first six games of the season, McMahon had 13 rebounds and seven assists total. On Nov. 30, on a trip to face the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals, McMahon only played six minutes, earning two fouls in limited minutes.
It wasn’t an injury that sidelined her, but the high intensity play of someone Coach McGuff calls “the most exciting five seconds in college basketball” didn’t come with the complete game that playing in a power five conference requires.
“In the beginning she was kind of mowing people down around the basket,” said McGuff. “She’s a little more under control and a little more measured, and her vision is a little better about where she’s going.”
Following that Buckeyes comeback victory in Louisville, McMahon was different. The forward still showed those blistering runs that made her so dangerous, but the game began slowing down.
Instead of having a laser eye on the rim, McMahon looked around for options if a clear path, or a higher percentage look was on the court. Rebounding-wise, the forward got into the scrap more often, using her athleticism and vision to be in the right place to grab rebounds.
Only three games after that benching, McMahon grabbed 10 rebounds against a Michigan State Spartans team that took the Buckeyes to the wire. McMahon’s first double-digit rebounding game, but not her last. The freshman also had eight points that day, a possession shy of her first collegiate double-double.
After that Big Ten home victory, and a month after the Louisville benching, McMahon became the reason Ohio State was winning. On Dec. 20, taking on the USF Bulls, McMahon hit another level. The forward scored 30 points and also the game-winning assist in overtime, off a block by forward Eboni Walker.
The performance came in a game where the Buckeyes went down 18 points in the first half and lost point guard Madison Greene in the fourth quarter to a season-ending knee injury.
McMahon’s performance against USF and increasing distribution and court awareness won her a B1G Freshman of the Week honor on Jan. 2. Since then, McMahon’s won five more, tying former Buckeye Kelsey Mitchell for the most in program history.
“I mean, it’s kind of crazy to think that she’s only a freshman,” said Mikesell. “She’s going to be sitting up here three years from now, and you’re going to be asking her all the questions about where she was three years ago.”
Now, McMahon is on the cusp of McMahon’s first NCAA game. As the stage has grown this season, so have the individual performances. Although Ohio State lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in the regular season, the Crimson had no answer for her for half of the Jan. 26 game in Bloomington, Indiana. McMahon took on two to three defenders, spinning through making acrobatic layups, something now common place for the freshman.
Overall, McMahon shifted a beginning of the year averaging 8.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1 assist in the seven games to 16.52 points, 6.24 rebounds and 3 assists in the final 25. That includes three double-doubles, two coming in the first pair of Big Ten Tournament games two weeks ago in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In that same 25-game span, McMahon is second on the team in average points, behind only Mikesell and second in rebounds, behind sophomore and fellow standout Taylor Thierry. It’s not normal freshman behavior.
“I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” said McMahon, with a laugh. “Yeah, at the beginning of the season I wasn’t very confident. I was very passive. I feel like I’m still obviously passive, but I feel like I kind of have more confidence in myself to be able to score and stuff like that.”
Now, the attention is laser focused on March Madness and, for a player who didn’t get as much national attention entering the season, that focus has a big focus on the freshman McMahon.
Defenses can’t seem to stop her and she’s improving by the week. McMahon looks to continue that trajectory against the James Madison Dukes, but an increasing confidence and improved performances doesn’t change everything for the student athlete.
“Yeah. Yeah, I still feel like a freshman,” said McMahon, laughing. “I feel like a freshman as far as, you know, all these old heads on the team.”
We’ll see what McMahon has to say in three years.
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LGHL That’s Nuts! New study says that Brutus is the most popular college mascot in the country!
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That’s Nuts! New study says that Brutus is the most popular college mascot in the country!
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
Duh! Have you seen that lovable, moderately poisonous nut?
When your name is on the masthead of a website next to the word “Editor,” and you make the mistake of including your email address, you get a lot of unsolicited emails. For some reason, there are tons of people who are suddenly really concerned about your Google rankings and willing to help you fix them and even more people who want to actually pay you to publish a sponsored post that they write. I’ve never actually taken any of these “people” up on their offers, so I don’t exactly know what their angle is, but I have been on the internet long enough to know that it is some sort of scam that probably involves a Nigerian prince of some sort.
There is one other category of random email that you get when you’re the editor of a website, random press releases that have a very slight connection to the content you cover. In the case of Land-Grant Holy Land, I get a lot of emails about things like “The Most Popular Off-Brand Candy in the State of Ohio,” “The Most Deadly Intersection in the State of Ohio,” and “The Most Viewed TikToks Involving Children Under the Age of Five and Live Animals in the State of Ohio.” Again, generally I ignore these types of press releases, because all they usually are are other websites trying to use LGHL’s Google standing to boost their own algorithmic stature with linkbacks.
Again, in 99.9% of the cases, I ignore these emails because 1) they generally have nothing to do with Ohio State sports, 2) they are usually from super shady websites that I’m afraid will end up giving my computer a virus if I simply read the email, and 3) I don’t care.
However, you wanna know how to hook me? Send me a study that says that Brutus Buckeye is the bestest, most popular mascot in all of college sports. That I 100% care about and will publish pretty much every time, and so I am.
A website I was heretofore unfamiliar with called Betway (which I am sure has nothing to do with sports gambling and is therefore in no way in competition with SB Nation’s official sports betting partner DraftKings) crunched the numbers on social media interactions for college mascots and, unsurprisingly to all of us in Buckeye Nation, the beloved, moderately poisonous, nut ranks at the top of the list.
In terms of positive sentiment, Brutus has a 3.5% advantage over second-place Billiken from Saint Louis University (coincidentally, my aunt is a professor at SLU). Brutus also had the second highest views on TikTok per year, behind only Michigan State’s Sparty. However, by the looks of the latter’s numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was juicing those, just like he was juicing his biceps.
I’m a little surprised that Iowa’s Herky was the next Big Ten school on the list in fifth, followed by Wisconsin’s Bucky the Badger in 14th, Maryland’s Testudo in 20th, and the aforementioned Sparty in 21st.
Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher ranks 28th, and is the last B1G mascot on the list. Notice there was no mention of TTUN in the top 41 presented by Betway (which is a really weird number to finish a list with). That’s because those pretentious Michigan Men believe that having a mascot is beneath them.
As I have spent way too much time discussing in the hallowed pages of Land-Grant Holy Land over the years, Brutus is the best mascot in all of college sports, but beyond him, the Stanford Tree is unquestionably at the top of the list.
So, to have it down at No. 27 puts Betway’s list in an unbecoming light. But also, how is the Oregon Duck not on this list at all? And UC Santa Cruz’s Sammy the Slug is No. 24? Alabama’s adorable elephant Big Al isn’t included? Let alone the inflatable Lil’ Red from Nebraska?
Look, I’m not one to call out others’ scientific endeavors, because I got through the bare minimum of math and science classes in high school and college thanks to sheer charm and luck, but besides Brutus, this list is absurd.
Anyway, stick with LGHL for all of your absolutely correct mascot hot takes and DraftKings for your sports betting needs.
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
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Duh! Have you seen that lovable, moderately poisonous nut?
When your name is on the masthead of a website next to the word “Editor,” and you make the mistake of including your email address, you get a lot of unsolicited emails. For some reason, there are tons of people who are suddenly really concerned about your Google rankings and willing to help you fix them and even more people who want to actually pay you to publish a sponsored post that they write. I’ve never actually taken any of these “people” up on their offers, so I don’t exactly know what their angle is, but I have been on the internet long enough to know that it is some sort of scam that probably involves a Nigerian prince of some sort.
There is one other category of random email that you get when you’re the editor of a website, random press releases that have a very slight connection to the content you cover. In the case of Land-Grant Holy Land, I get a lot of emails about things like “The Most Popular Off-Brand Candy in the State of Ohio,” “The Most Deadly Intersection in the State of Ohio,” and “The Most Viewed TikToks Involving Children Under the Age of Five and Live Animals in the State of Ohio.” Again, generally I ignore these types of press releases, because all they usually are are other websites trying to use LGHL’s Google standing to boost their own algorithmic stature with linkbacks.
Again, in 99.9% of the cases, I ignore these emails because 1) they generally have nothing to do with Ohio State sports, 2) they are usually from super shady websites that I’m afraid will end up giving my computer a virus if I simply read the email, and 3) I don’t care.
However, you wanna know how to hook me? Send me a study that says that Brutus Buckeye is the bestest, most popular mascot in all of college sports. That I 100% care about and will publish pretty much every time, and so I am.
A website I was heretofore unfamiliar with called Betway (which I am sure has nothing to do with sports gambling and is therefore in no way in competition with SB Nation’s official sports betting partner DraftKings) crunched the numbers on social media interactions for college mascots and, unsurprisingly to all of us in Buckeye Nation, the beloved, moderately poisonous, nut ranks at the top of the list.
In terms of positive sentiment, Brutus has a 3.5% advantage over second-place Billiken from Saint Louis University (coincidentally, my aunt is a professor at SLU). Brutus also had the second highest views on TikTok per year, behind only Michigan State’s Sparty. However, by the looks of the latter’s numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was juicing those, just like he was juicing his biceps.
I’m a little surprised that Iowa’s Herky was the next Big Ten school on the list in fifth, followed by Wisconsin’s Bucky the Badger in 14th, Maryland’s Testudo in 20th, and the aforementioned Sparty in 21st.
Minnesota’s Goldy Gopher ranks 28th, and is the last B1G mascot on the list. Notice there was no mention of TTUN in the top 41 presented by Betway (which is a really weird number to finish a list with). That’s because those pretentious Michigan Men believe that having a mascot is beneath them.
As I have spent way too much time discussing in the hallowed pages of Land-Grant Holy Land over the years, Brutus is the best mascot in all of college sports, but beyond him, the Stanford Tree is unquestionably at the top of the list.
So, to have it down at No. 27 puts Betway’s list in an unbecoming light. But also, how is the Oregon Duck not on this list at all? And UC Santa Cruz’s Sammy the Slug is No. 24? Alabama’s adorable elephant Big Al isn’t included? Let alone the inflatable Lil’ Red from Nebraska?
Look, I’m not one to call out others’ scientific endeavors, because I got through the bare minimum of math and science classes in high school and college thanks to sheer charm and luck, but besides Brutus, this list is absurd.
Anyway, stick with LGHL for all of your absolutely correct mascot hot takes and DraftKings for your sports betting needs.
Continue reading...
