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LGHL Ohio State fans are concerned about offensive tackle as season nears
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Ohio State fans are concerned about offensive tackle as season nears
Matt Tamanini 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 Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Buckeye Nation, we are officially one week away from the start of the Ohio State football season. Even though OSU brings back a ton of production, there is seemingly a lot of unknowns still left to be answered for this team. The biggest question — as it has been since C.J. Stroud declared for the NFL Draft — is who will be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, but that is far from the only thing left to be determined as the team prepares for Week 1.
So, earlier this week, we asked you — the loyal, objective, honest, and insightful fans of The Ohio State University football program — a few questions about a handful of positional battles that either still need to be resolved, or we still just aren’t sure how they are going to go.
Take a look at what the Buckeye voting public had to say below.
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873955/OhioState_1_082323.png)
This to me is the obvious right answer. I think, by virtue of the talent on the field and in the coaching staff, the quarterbacks will be fine. Will they be Stround and Justin Fields-level productive? Probably not, but that’s an insanely high standard to meet, but I’m not worried about the QB position — but more on that in a minute.
The coaching staff seems somewhat surprised by how well Josh Simmons has acclimated to the rigors of being a Buckeye — seemingly claiming the left tackle job — and Mike Golic Jr. told me earlier this week that Josh Fryar staying on the right side where he was comfortable makes sense. So maybe this all works out and the offensive line proves to be a strength for this team.
Even if that proves to be true for the starters, I am still a bit apprehensive about the backups. The staff has talked up a lot of the young guys in that room, so maybe they are better than I think, but it usually takes three years for most offensive lineman to be ready to play at a high level, and beyond the starters, there’s not a lot of guys with much experience under their belts.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24873956/OhioState_2_082323.png)
About midway through the 2022 season, I told the staff here at LGHL that I didn’t think Kyle McCord would be on the Ohio State roster following the next spring practice. That wasn’t because I didn’t think that he was a good quarterback, or even that I thought Devin Brown was exceedingly better than him. Instead, it was because Ryan Day had admitted that he had made a mistake not getting Stroud more reps when he was backing up Fields, and yet McCord was given next to zero opportunities to do anything of value last season. Therefore, I reasoned, McCord must not be the guy that Day wants to entrust the offense to once Stroud departs.
However, that appears to have been more because Day didn’t learn his lesson, rather than McCord not being capable of claiming the starting spot, because here we are a week away from kickoff, and he is still in the mix — even if most people assumed he would have grabbed that brass ring by now.
I do not have a particular rooting interest in this race. I don’t think that I have seen enough from either McCord or Brown to really feel like I know what either is capable of. So, my only hope is that whoever Day and his staff pick is ready to go so that we don’t have to go a full season with QB1 looking over his shoulder.
I’m ok if it takes a couple weeks into the season to figure out who the right guy is, just figure it out and stick with it once you do.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24872682/_National_1_082323.png)
These results weren’t from our Ohio State-focused weekly poll, but rather from the national SB Nation Reacts survey, so I thought I’d pass them around. It feels like football fans are giving the Buckeyes more credit than most in the national media. I don’t think that it’s anything personal (I don’t believe there’s ever been a conspiracy against OSU), but I do think that the Buckeyes have been at the top for so long that any semblance of weakness leads some folks to assume the worst.
I hope that those people are painfully wrong this season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24872683/_National_2_082323.png)
Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy last season.
There has only ever been one two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
History has shown how difficult it is to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner.
Therefore, Marvin Harrison Jr. is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
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
Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.
Buckeye Nation, we are officially one week away from the start of the Ohio State football season. Even though OSU brings back a ton of production, there is seemingly a lot of unknowns still left to be answered for this team. The biggest question — as it has been since C.J. Stroud declared for the NFL Draft — is who will be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, but that is far from the only thing left to be determined as the team prepares for Week 1.
So, earlier this week, we asked you — the loyal, objective, honest, and insightful fans of The Ohio State University football program — a few questions about a handful of positional battles that either still need to be resolved, or we still just aren’t sure how they are going to go.
Take a look at what the Buckeye voting public had to say below.
Check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.
Question 1: Which Ohio State position battle are you most concerned about?
This to me is the obvious right answer. I think, by virtue of the talent on the field and in the coaching staff, the quarterbacks will be fine. Will they be Stround and Justin Fields-level productive? Probably not, but that’s an insanely high standard to meet, but I’m not worried about the QB position — but more on that in a minute.
The coaching staff seems somewhat surprised by how well Josh Simmons has acclimated to the rigors of being a Buckeye — seemingly claiming the left tackle job — and Mike Golic Jr. told me earlier this week that Josh Fryar staying on the right side where he was comfortable makes sense. So maybe this all works out and the offensive line proves to be a strength for this team.
Even if that proves to be true for the starters, I am still a bit apprehensive about the backups. The staff has talked up a lot of the young guys in that room, so maybe they are better than I think, but it usually takes three years for most offensive lineman to be ready to play at a high level, and beyond the starters, there’s not a lot of guys with much experience under their belts.
Question 2: How do you feel about the quarterback battle at Ohio State?
About midway through the 2022 season, I told the staff here at LGHL that I didn’t think Kyle McCord would be on the Ohio State roster following the next spring practice. That wasn’t because I didn’t think that he was a good quarterback, or even that I thought Devin Brown was exceedingly better than him. Instead, it was because Ryan Day had admitted that he had made a mistake not getting Stroud more reps when he was backing up Fields, and yet McCord was given next to zero opportunities to do anything of value last season. Therefore, I reasoned, McCord must not be the guy that Day wants to entrust the offense to once Stroud departs.
However, that appears to have been more because Day didn’t learn his lesson, rather than McCord not being capable of claiming the starting spot, because here we are a week away from kickoff, and he is still in the mix — even if most people assumed he would have grabbed that brass ring by now.
I do not have a particular rooting interest in this race. I don’t think that I have seen enough from either McCord or Brown to really feel like I know what either is capable of. So, my only hope is that whoever Day and his staff pick is ready to go so that we don’t have to go a full season with QB1 looking over his shoulder.
I’m ok if it takes a couple weeks into the season to figure out who the right guy is, just figure it out and stick with it once you do.
Bonus Results:
These results weren’t from our Ohio State-focused weekly poll, but rather from the national SB Nation Reacts survey, so I thought I’d pass them around. It feels like football fans are giving the Buckeyes more credit than most in the national media. I don’t think that it’s anything personal (I don’t believe there’s ever been a conspiracy against OSU), but I do think that the Buckeyes have been at the top for so long that any semblance of weakness leads some folks to assume the worst.
I hope that those people are painfully wrong this season.
Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy last season.
There has only ever been one two-time Heisman Trophy winner.
History has shown how difficult it is to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner.
Therefore, Marvin Harrison Jr. is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.
Continue reading...
LGHL You’re Nuts: Which Big Ten junior will have the biggest impact this season?
- News
- 0 Replies
You’re Nuts: Which Big Ten junior will have the biggest impact this season?
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
These upperclassmen are poised to take a big step forward during their third year of college basketball.
Keeping with our theme of talking about certain classes in the Big Ten, we are now on the juniors in the Big Ten.
Last week, we discussed which Big Ten sophomore will have the biggest impact on his team this season. Connor talked about Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, and Justin talked about Purdue’s Braden Smith.
After the votes were tallied, Connor and Thornton won with 87 percent of the vote. Was he pandering to a certain fanbase? We may never know.
Here are the updated standings:
Connor- 49
And here is this week’s discussion.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24872381/1248584321.jpg "NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament - Second Round - Birmingham")
Photo by Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Juniors playing college basketball are an interesting group. They’ve played two years and weren’t quite good enough to get drafted, so they’ve returned for a third (and most likely fourth) year of college. But unlike the senior class above them, the junior class hasn’t necessarily scratched the surface of their potential. There’s still plenty of room for growth, improvement, and even a few breakout candidates. But the fact remains that the players with the most raw talent leave after one or two years and head to the league. This leaves a group of grindy, gritty juniors who are most likely destined for a full four years of college basketball, followed by a career overseas or in something other than basketball.
There’s an interesting batch of juniors in the Big Ten, but the one who I think could wind up having the biggest year is Maryland center Julian Reese. The younger brother of Angel Reese, who won the national championship at LSU this year on the women’s side, Julian was still a bit raw last season but was uber-efficient for Kevin Willard’s first team at Maryland. The Terrapins won 22 games, got as high as 13 in the AP Poll, and made the NCAA Tournament as well — and Reese was a big reason why.
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound center from Baltimore averaged 11.4 points per game and pulled down 7.2 rebounds per contest. He played just under 27 minutes per game and also averaged 3.3 fouls per game in those 27 minutes. The kicker with Reese is his efficiency — he shot 63.2% from the floor last year, which was the third-highest in the Big Ten, even higher than Zach Edey.
As Reese learns to play without fouling and earns more minutes, I think that both his point and rebound totals will increase this year. And unlike some of the other incoming juniors in the Big Ten, I think Reese could be the leading scorer/go-to guy on his team this year. I expect the Terrapins to be in the top third of the Big Ten this season. The Terrapins were No. 36 nationally in offensive efficiency last season, but were 10th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, at 44.8%. Perhaps if Maryland gives more shots to Reese and his 63% shooting percentage and fewer to Jahmir Young (41.5%) and Donta Scott (39.1%), Maryland will improve their offensive efficiency.
Simply put, if the Maryland Terrapins want to take a step forward this year, it means more of a featured role for Reese. And if that happens, he’ll certainly be the best junior in the Big Ten this season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24872546/usa_today_20247833.jpg "NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-Auburn vs Iowa")
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
I am going a little out of the box with this one, but to people who have paid attention to the Big Ten know what Sandfort is capable of. And on a now-depleted Iowa team, they may need Sandfort to be really, really good.
Sandfort was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year last season and really was able to find his stride throughout the conference season.
He averaged 10.3 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore for the Hawkeyes. With Kris Murray, Connor McCaffery, and Filip Rebraca taking on the brunt of the scoring load, Sandfort was a nice spark off the bench and surprised some teams with his ability to score on multiple levels.
Now, along with Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins, Sandfort will be relied on to be one of the leading scorers for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa has a lot of new faces (including Payton’s younger brother, Pryce who is an incoming freshman), so Sandfort will have to be one of the familiar faces that Fran McCaffery and the coaching staff rely on.
The 6’7 forward can pose multiple challenges for defenses since he is a knockdown shooter and can put the ball on the floor and create for himself. He will have to do that this season as one of the focal points.
Continue reading...
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
These upperclassmen are poised to take a big step forward during their third year of college basketball.
Keeping with our theme of talking about certain classes in the Big Ten, we are now on the juniors in the Big Ten.
Last week, we discussed which Big Ten sophomore will have the biggest impact on his team this season. Connor talked about Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, and Justin talked about Purdue’s Braden Smith.
After the votes were tallied, Connor and Thornton won with 87 percent of the vote. Was he pandering to a certain fanbase? We may never know.
Here are the updated standings:
After 114 weeks:
Connor- 49
Justin- 48
Other- 13
(There have been four ties)
And here is this week’s discussion.
Today’s Question: Which Big Ten junior will have the biggest impact this season?
Connor: Julian Reese
Juniors playing college basketball are an interesting group. They’ve played two years and weren’t quite good enough to get drafted, so they’ve returned for a third (and most likely fourth) year of college. But unlike the senior class above them, the junior class hasn’t necessarily scratched the surface of their potential. There’s still plenty of room for growth, improvement, and even a few breakout candidates. But the fact remains that the players with the most raw talent leave after one or two years and head to the league. This leaves a group of grindy, gritty juniors who are most likely destined for a full four years of college basketball, followed by a career overseas or in something other than basketball.
There’s an interesting batch of juniors in the Big Ten, but the one who I think could wind up having the biggest year is Maryland center Julian Reese. The younger brother of Angel Reese, who won the national championship at LSU this year on the women’s side, Julian was still a bit raw last season but was uber-efficient for Kevin Willard’s first team at Maryland. The Terrapins won 22 games, got as high as 13 in the AP Poll, and made the NCAA Tournament as well — and Reese was a big reason why.
The 6-foot-9, 230-pound center from Baltimore averaged 11.4 points per game and pulled down 7.2 rebounds per contest. He played just under 27 minutes per game and also averaged 3.3 fouls per game in those 27 minutes. The kicker with Reese is his efficiency — he shot 63.2% from the floor last year, which was the third-highest in the Big Ten, even higher than Zach Edey.
As Reese learns to play without fouling and earns more minutes, I think that both his point and rebound totals will increase this year. And unlike some of the other incoming juniors in the Big Ten, I think Reese could be the leading scorer/go-to guy on his team this year. I expect the Terrapins to be in the top third of the Big Ten this season. The Terrapins were No. 36 nationally in offensive efficiency last season, but were 10th in the Big Ten in field goal percentage, at 44.8%. Perhaps if Maryland gives more shots to Reese and his 63% shooting percentage and fewer to Jahmir Young (41.5%) and Donta Scott (39.1%), Maryland will improve their offensive efficiency.
Simply put, if the Maryland Terrapins want to take a step forward this year, it means more of a featured role for Reese. And if that happens, he’ll certainly be the best junior in the Big Ten this season.
Justin: Payton Sandfort
I am going a little out of the box with this one, but to people who have paid attention to the Big Ten know what Sandfort is capable of. And on a now-depleted Iowa team, they may need Sandfort to be really, really good.
Sandfort was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year last season and really was able to find his stride throughout the conference season.
He averaged 10.3 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game last season as a sophomore for the Hawkeyes. With Kris Murray, Connor McCaffery, and Filip Rebraca taking on the brunt of the scoring load, Sandfort was a nice spark off the bench and surprised some teams with his ability to score on multiple levels.
Now, along with Patrick McCaffery and Tony Perkins, Sandfort will be relied on to be one of the leading scorers for the Hawkeyes.
Iowa has a lot of new faces (including Payton’s younger brother, Pryce who is an incoming freshman), so Sandfort will have to be one of the familiar faces that Fran McCaffery and the coaching staff rely on.
The 6’7 forward can pose multiple challenges for defenses since he is a knockdown shooter and can put the ball on the floor and create for himself. He will have to do that this season as one of the focal points.
Continue reading...
