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LGHL Player to Watch: Tommy Eichenberg eyeing historic season at linebacker

Player to Watch: Tommy Eichenberg eyeing historic season at linebacker
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: DEC 31 Semifinal Game Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Especially after getting snubbed for the Butkus Award...

Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Indiana.

While Tommy Eichenberg may not be much of a vocal leader, he certainly lets his play on the field do the talking. The fifth-year senior had a monstrous season leading the linebacker group last year, and is looking to dominate alongside Steele Chambers again this year. How high should the expectations be for him?

In my opinion, pretty dang high. In 2022, he was First Team Big Ten, Second Team All-American and a Butkus Award semifinalist. He was snubbed from winning the dang award for the nation’s best linebacker, much less not even being named a finalist! Iowa’s Jack Campbell took it home, but he had only eight more total tackles on the season than Eichenberg.

The Buckeye LB had 120 total tackles in 2022, with 77 solo tackles (Campbell had 60, but whatever), 12 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. In fact, the 77 solo stops are the most in nine seasons by a Buckeye since Ryan Shazier had 101 in 2013, and the second-most in the last 20 years. He is the heart and soul of this defense.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 26 Michigan at Ohio State
Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Eichenberg really broke out in 2021, when he was second on the team in tackles with 64. He actually set a Rose Bowl-record 17 tackles versus Utah, which included 11 solo stops. After looking at how much he improved last season, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be even better this year.

With an experienced defensive line and Jack Sawyer back at defensive end full-time, this should allow Eichenberg and Chambers to make a ton of stops. Additionally, with a year under Jim Knowles’ system, Eichenberg should be completely confident out there.

The linebacker also had the entire offseason to get healthy, as he played most of the 2022 season with two broken hands — yet he STILL managed to put up these kind of numbers. Imagine what kind of dominance he can inflict if he is 100 percent and not in pain on every single play he makes.

At the very least, my goals for Eichenberg this year are as follows...

One, he should be First Team All-Big Ten again (duh). I also believe he should be a First Team All-American, as his main competition in Campbell is now a Detriot Lion. My biggest hope for Eichenberg is that he wins the Butkus Award, not even just a finalist. He deserved it last season, and if he builds upon that, then there is no reason why he can’t be the best linebacker in America.

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Google BM5: Kurelic, Porter on recruiting trail moves | Who passed 'look test?' | Buckeyes to take over West Coast? - 247Sports

BM5: Kurelic, Porter on recruiting trail moves | Who passed 'look test?' | Buckeyes to take over West Coast? - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

BM5: Kurelic, Porter on recruiting trail moves | Who passed 'look test?' | Buckeyes to take over West Coast? 247Sports

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Google Skull Session: Four Buckeyes Rank in PFF’s Top 50 Players of 2023, Joel Klatt Picks Kyle McCord to Win Ohio - Eleven Warriors

Skull Session: Four Buckeyes Rank in PFF’s Top 50 Players of 2023, Joel Klatt Picks Kyle McCord to Win Ohio - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

Skull Session: Four Buckeyes Rank in PFF’s Top 50 Players of 2023, Joel Klatt Picks Kyle McCord to Win Ohio Eleven Warriors

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LGHL You’re Nuts: Which Big Ten addition are you most excited for?

You’re Nuts: Which Big Ten addition are you most excited for?
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - Tulane v USC

Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The B1G is set to add four new West Coast teams in 2024.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

This week’s topic: Which Big Ten addition are you most excited for?

Josh’s Take​


In today’s world of college football and college sports in general, there is only one constant: Change. Oh, and greed and stupidity, which I guess makes three constants. But change as the only one (constant) sounded a little better.

And because they are never ones to underachieve or fall behind, the Big Ten embraced all three last week when the conference added Oregon and Washington, two schools both located more than 2,200 miles from Indianapolis, where the B1G currently plays its conference championship game in football. Other B1G conference championships are held even farther away, but football (and money, but shhh) is the only thing that really matters to those in charge. So what’s the point in even bringing up or giving consideration to other varsity sports, right?

The ‘new’ Big TEN will boast 18 schools – makes sense – spanning from Parsippany, NJ to Eugene, OR. Nevermind the total absence of representation from Omaha to Los Angeles, the B1G is going to be a national brand/conference, baby! The first of its kind in college football. Rumor has it that the B1G braintrust is also looking to add University of Alaska Fairbanks and Universidad Ana G. Mendez in Puerto Rico to expand the conference’s footprint even further. In that scenario, I can’t wait for the first matchup between UAGM and Maryland lacrosse, to be held on a random Tuesday evening in San Juan. Sounds like a logistical treat.

But you know what, Gene!? At least the B1G is going to have exciting football games. And be able to foster new rivalries and traditions, that much I am sure of. In five or so years, the battle between the Spartans (Michigan State) and the Trojans (USC) is going to be an absolute bloodbath... Uhh, again. Alright, maybe that one checks out. My sarcastic point is/was that nobody is going to care about Indiana vs. UCLA on a Saturday night in November.

However, there will be teams, games, and matchups that people are interested in, and that is what Gene and I chose to debate. So the question we came up with was: Which current and soon-to-be former Pac-12 team are you most excited to see in the Big Ten?

Well partner, my answer is pretty simple and straightforward. I am not excited about any of the future members. Frankly, I just want to say f*ck conference realignment, expansion, the NCAA, and the horse they all rode in on. I think this whole thing is sad and gross. And it feels like the B1G is now the one holding the biggest axe being used to dismember, cut up, and bury under concrete all that was good about college football and college sports as a whole. History, pageantry, and tradition are all dead, never to be dug up again. They are six feet under and covered in lye. Pretty sweet, right?

I am old enough to remember when conference pride meant something. Actually, forget pride. I am old enough to remember when conferences just made geographical f*cking sense! Now they are just random, loose alliances with no background, history, or story. Gene, you are a baseball fan... What if the NL East suddenly added the Kansas City Royals and Oakland A’s? You would be like “WTF are we doing here!?” And that is how I feel about all of this conference realignment. It’s dumb and I will not partake.

But if I had to, my answer would be Washington. Because their jerseys are sick. That’s all you’re getting out of me. RIP to college sports. We had a good run, and I will miss you dearly.

Gene’s Take​


As you can tell, Josh is very excited about the new teams joining the Big Ten! All jokes aside, I do understand where he is coming from. College football is such a regionally dependent sport, and with things now seemingly headed towards a two-conference league comprised of all the good teams joining either the B1G or SEC in the not-so-distant future, a ton of that will be lost. It stinks, but there is nothing you or I can do to combat it, so we might as well embrace it all.

I think what I’m most excited for is an introduction of some parity to the conference. It is no secret that the Big Ten as currently constructed is a two-team league, as it would be virtually impossible for any team not named Ohio State or Michigan to emerge the victor of the B1G. Teams like Penn State, Wisconsin and occasionally Michigan State or Iowa — on super good years — can challenge these teams on an individual game basis, but the Buckeyes and Wolverines are pretty much guaranteed to win 11 games in any given year.

All four teams that are joining the Big Ten by way of the PAC-12 will become legitimate threats to upset the balance of power in the conference. Are Ohio State and Michigan still more talented than those West Coast schools? Yes, but all of them add at least another one or two more losable games to the calendar than previously existed before, which could create a different result when the dust settles at year’s end. An extra loss could prove massive, especially with the B1G getting rid of divisions.

My counterpart sort of chose Washington, reluctantly, which I am also weirdly excited for. The Huskies are a solid enough football team to make some games interesting, and as Josh said their color scheme/jerseys are aesthetically pleasing. I think I'm pretty equally excited for all four teams for the reasons I talked about above, but If I had to pick one of the four, I guess I have to go with USC.

For one, the Buckeyes are Trojans are two very similar teams. Both feature explosive, dynamic offenses with strong quarterback play and the ability to take the top off of defenses. Speaking of defenses, both programs have seen their defense hold the rest of the team back over the past few seasons — albeit USC’s Alex Grinch led defense is FAR worse than Ohio State’s. Ryan Day and Lincoln Riley have also been compared to each other throughout their coaching careers, so that just adds another layer of intrigue to future matchups.

On top of the actual on-field product, USC jerseys are a classic college football look, and LA Memorial Coliseum is a very cool and aesthetically pleasing venue. It will be fun to see these two historic programs go head-to-head at both home stadiums. The jersey matchups will be fantastic, and the atmospheres in both locations will be electric.

While there are obviously a lot of negatives to college football expansion, it is also going to create a lot of fun, exciting matchups between top tier programs. All we can really do is try to enjoy the best parts of the sport that remain, and hopefully the on-field product helps us to do just that.

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Google Practice Report: Buckeyes take the field for the first day of camp - 247Sports

Practice Report: Buckeyes take the field for the first day of camp - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".

  1. Practice Report: Buckeyes take the field for the first day of camp 247Sports
  2. Ohio State Buckeyes Live: Realignment running rampant; first practice thoughts 247Sports
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes' Ryan Day Focused On Having 'Best' QB Room Sports Illustrated

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LGHL Player to Watch: It’s time for Jack Sawyer to dominate for Ohio State

Player to Watch: It’s time for Jack Sawyer to dominate for Ohio State
Michael Citro 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

After showing flashes of what he can do over the past couple of years, Sawyer is poised to make the leap for the Buckeyes.

Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Indiana.


Big expectations have followed Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer ever since he committed to becoming a Buckeye over the likes of Michigan, Penn State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame. The Pickerington North product played tight end, defensive end, and even quarterback while in high school, sitting out the 2020 COVID season as a prep senior.

Sawyer arrived as a five-star recruit and was considered the top overall player in the state of Ohio, while being rated the No. 4 player nationally at any position and the nation’s No. 3-ranked defensive end.

He saw the field early as a freshman and appeared in 13 games during his first season in Columbus. He’s been a part of the defensive rotation since the beginning and has played in 25 games across his first two years as a Buckeye, compiling 19 solo tackles, 18 assists, 9.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, two passes defended, and one forced fumble.

Sawyer has shown flashes of greatness since the beginning of his collegiate career, but has yet to fully unlock the promise he showed as a high school star. Now, a couple of things might unlock Sawyer’s potential in 2023.

In 2022, Sawyer filled the “Jack” role on the Ohio State defense. He was still one of the best defensive players on the field for the Buckeyes, but learning that role may have distracted him and limited his effectiveness in what he does well — getting after the quarterback. Despite being in an unfamiliar role, Sawyer still managed to tie Mike Hall Jr. for the team lead in sacks last year — with 4.5 — but more is expected from an Ohio State starting defensive end.

These are highly rated recruits being coached by one of the best position coaches to ever teach the game at a collegiate level — Larry Johnson. While it’s understandable that they won’t all put up numbers like Joey/Nick Bosa or Chase Young, they should be more of a threat to the opposing quarterback than Ohio State’s have been over the last couple of years.

The Jack requires doing things beyond just setting the edge or rushing the passer. If Sawyer is unburdened by other responsibilities, it stands to reason he can do the things a typical defensive end would be expected to do, simplifying his reads and allowing him to flourish with the things he does best.

Sawyer being excused from Jack responsibilities may ultimately depend on Mitchell Melton’s health. Melton, a senior linebacker, was reportedly flourishing as the Buckeyes’ Jack player in spring ball last year until suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2022 OSU Spring Game.

Football, especially on defense, is a team game. Sawyer has come close to sacks a number of times, only to see a quarterback get rid of the ball just before his arrival. Much of that has been on the OSU secondary over the last two seasons. If Ohio State’s secondary can keep tighter coverage for just one to two additional seconds, Sawyer’s near misses should become sacks in 2023.

I expect Ohio State’s secondary to be improved in 2023 after taking a step forward last year. If that happens, and if Sawyer is free of his Jack responsibilities, it is reasonable to expect his quarterback pressures and sacks to rise during his junior season.

With his high motor, strength, and quickness, Sawyer has the talent to reach double-digit sack totals. Whether he does that during the upcoming season or not depends largely on how he is used and how the defensive backfield performs behind him.

However the part that he can’t control goes, Sawyer will certainly be a player to watch for Ohio State this upcoming season.

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