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LGHL Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State cancels home-and-home, underrated staff hires, and spring depth chart projection

Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State cancels home-and-home, underrated staff hires, and spring depth chart projection
Chris Renne 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 Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Buckeyes have hurt the Pac-12’s feelings, and the guys are here to project the depth chart heading into the spring.

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 discuss Ohio State burying any remaining respect the Pac-12 had for itself.

We start the episode with our week’s ahead and some news around the sport. I get into a discussion about my new found career of wizarding, and Jordan discusses his weekend plans visiting friends. After that, we turn to Ohio State football to discuss the biggest news of the week.

Ohio State cancelled their home-and-home series with Washington in 2024 and 2025, and as you know Washington Huskies fans are not taking the news well. We discuss the reasoning behind this move, and how the changing landscape of college football will create more game cancellations like this one across the country.

After that, our discussion continues forward and we transition to talking about Ohio State’s staff hires not included in the 11 full-time coaches on staff. This includes Mark Pantoni’s recent recruiting staff hire, Gene Smith’s hire to his leadership program, and a certain transfer into the program who is basically a fifth graduate assistant.

To close out the show, we discuss our depth chart projections for the season ahead of spring practice. These will probably be 100 percent correct and not at all change as the season gets closer.


Connect with the Show:
Twitter: @BuckOffPod

Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB

Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330

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LGHL LGHL Uncut Podcast: Coach McGuff, Harris and McMahon discuss their 67-55 win over Penn State

LGHL Uncut Podcast: Coach McGuff, Harris and McMahon discuss their 67-55 win over Penn State
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

9512D0E9_AE0C_465C_BC3C_759F3AF59F01.0.jpeg

Ohio State University athletic department

A pair of Buckeyes top performers discuss a win that wasn’t the prettiest and more

Throughout the year, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conferences, but also from individual interview sessions.


The Ohio State women’s basketball team got back into the win column with a trip to State College, Pennsylvania. After the 67-55 Thursday night victory, head coach Kevin McGuff, guard Rikki Harris and forward Cotie McMahon spoke to the media.

In the latest Uncut Podcast, coach McGuff breaks down an all-around sloppy victory for the Buckeyes, including a fourth quarter where the Nittany Lions cut their 29-point deficit down to 12 points, thanks to 18 points by guard Makenna Marisa.

McGuff also discusses a big night for Harris, McMahon leading the charge for Ohio State and the strategy of guard Taylor Mikesell who defenses aren’t allowing to find any open space offensively.

Harris talks about getting back into a good shooting rhythm in only her fourth mulitple three-point shot game of the season, adjusting to Mikesell’s limited productivity and getting back into winning before the final week of the season.

McMahon finishes things up talking about her double-double, what went wrong defensively in the fourth quarter and where the Buckeyes go from here with games against the No. 12 Michigan Wolverines and No. 8 Maryland Terrapins in the last week of the regular season.

That and more in the latest Uncut podcast.

Connect with Thomas:

Twitter: @1ThomasCostello

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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LGHL Three questions about the 2023 Ohio State wide receivers

Three questions about the 2023 Ohio State wide receivers
CMinnich 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

Plenty of talent returning for the upcoming season in Columbus.

Mark Twain once said of spring, “In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” Perhaps Mark Twain spent time in the great state of Ohio in the spring months as he made that comment.

As it gets closer and closer to the official start of Ohio State spring football, I have decided to write a series of articles on a weekly basis to identify and rank the position groups, from least to most concerning, as they pertain to the upcoming 2023 season. Each week, I will point out questions I have about these position groups, and it is my hope that several, if not all, of these questions will be answered by the Ohio State Spring Game on April 15.


The Wide Receivers | Concern Ranking: 9th

  • Scholarship Players Lost From The 2022 Squad: Kamryn Babb, Jaxon Smith-Njigba
  • Scholarship Players Returning From The 2022 Squad: Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming, Jayden Ballard, Xavier Johnson, Caleb Burton, Kaleb Brown, Kojo Antwi, Kyion Grayes, Marvin Harrison, Jr.
  • Freshmen Players Participating In 2023 Spring Football: Bryson Rodgers, Noah Rogers, Carnell Tate

Reason For My Ranking: Looking at this position group, Ohio State has the luxury of all of their leading receivers from the 2022 season back for another year. Granted, Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming will not be participating in spring football after surgeries as a precautionary measure, and it is widely expected that Marvin Harrison Jr. will be participating, but on a limited “pitch count” to ensure his availability for fall camp.

Even without these players in the mix, this is the deepest and arguably most talented position group on Ohio State’s roster.


1. What role will Jayden Ballard have in 2023?

Ballard enters his third year in the program, and has an opportunity to establish himself as the team’s best deep threat option at the position. Listed at 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Ballard has caught nine passes in his two seasons, and averaged slightly better than 19 yards per reception. This spring may present a terrific chance for Ballard to showcase his talent.

2. Will any of the WR signed in 2022 make a move on the depth chart?

Ohio State signed Kojo Antwi, Kaleb Brown, Caleb Burton, and Kyion Grayes in their 2022 recruiting class. Both Brown and Grayes had one reception in limited playing time. Brown played in four games, while Grayes played in two. If ever there was a time for these four players to try to establish themselves in the eyes of the coaching staff, these upcoming spring sessions will be crucial, as...

3. Can any true freshmen WR make an impact on the depth chart?

Ohio State offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brian Hartline continues to recruit and sign tremendously talented players for the wide receiver group, with Bryson Rodgers, Noah Rogers, and Carnell Tate signed and on campus for the spring. Brandon Innis will be arriving on campus this summer, as well.

All were heavily recruited, and could possibly move up the depth chart with impressive performances. It is more than likely that these players will not play considerably in 2023, with Egbuka, Fleming, and Harrison still on the roster, but this spring could set them all up for consideration for significant playing time in the 2024 season.

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LGHL You’re Nuts: Who should Carmen’s Crew add to this year’s TBT roster?

You’re Nuts: Who should Carmen’s Crew add to this year’s TBT roster?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Second Round-Ohio State vs Gonzaga

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

After a one-year hiatus, the men in scarlet and gray are returning to TBT this summer.

Carmen’s Crew, formerly Scarlet and Gray, reached a crossroads last season and ultimately chose not to participate in the 2022 TBT. The old guard — Aaron Craft, Jon Diebler, William Buford, etc. — have either moved on from basketball or have families, and want to spend their off-season time doing something other than basketball.

Meanwhile, many of the Chris-Holtmann-era guys are either still in the NBA, G-League, or don’t have deep ties to Ohio State. Last year, Carmen’s Crew decided to take a year and regroup. But they’re back for 2023.


Last week, we debated which Ohio State team was our personal favorite. Justin went with the 2010-2011 team. Connor went with the 2017-2018 team. Justin earned 34% of the vote, Connor got 3% of the vote, and “other” picked up a whopping 61% — so neither of us won.

After 88 weeks:​

Justin- 39
Connor- 35
Other- 10​

(There have been four ties)​


As previously stated, Carmen’s Crew announced this week that they are back for 2023, and are transitioning to a group of mostly younger Buckeyes, most of whom played for Chris Holtmann. Andre Wesson, Kaleb Wesson, Trevor Thompson, CJ Jackson, CJ Walker, and Keyshawn Woods. But six players does not a roster make, and they’ll need to keep adding throughout the spring and summer.

This week, we’re picking players we’d like to see Carmen’s Crew add for this year’s team.

Today’s question: Who should Carmen’s Crew add to this year’s TBT roster?​

Connor: Kam Williams ​

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-First Round-South Dakota State vs Ohio State
Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports

For starters, give me credit for choosing a player who A) played all four years at Ohio State and B) hasn’t already been rumored to be on the roster already.

Chris Holtmann has been at Ohio State for six seasons and has had five recruiting classes, which means the available player pool of guys who played four years for Holtmann at Ohio State is not huge. That means Carmen’s Crew will probably wind up with one or two older guys who played for Matta, one or two guys who only played for Holtmann for a year or two, and maybe even a player or two who didn’t even play for Ohio State.

However, Kam William’s game could fit really well with TBT and the Elam Ending style of play, and he played with the Wesson brothers his final few seasons at Ohio State. Williams most recently played overseas in Denmark. He was a 1,000-point scorer at Ohio State as well as a 40.3% three-point shooter — one of the best Ohio State shooters of the past 20 years.

TBT tends to speed up and run a bit more like an AAU game than a college game, but also relies heavily on guys being able to hit jump shots when the Elam Ending target score is implemented at the end of games. Adding Williams as a perimeter threat would be a wise move by Carmen’s Crew general manager Jared Sullinger if he does indeed add both Thompson and Kaleb Wesson to the team.

Both of the aforementioned big men will likely draw double teams, and having Williams lurking on the perimeter would be a big bonus for Carmen’s Crew, which will try to advance deep into TBT after getting bounced by The Money Team two years ago early in the tournament (In Columbus, no less).

If you want evidence of Williams’ ability to take over a game, look no further than Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament victory over the Mike Daum-led South Dakota State Jackrabbits in 2018.

Williams was not Ohio State’s leading scorer that day — that was Keita Bates-Diop, who had 24 — but he did score 22 points, including a crucial stretch late in the second half that arguably won the game for Ohio State and avoided a 12-5 upset. In a tie game with 1:36 remaining, Williams was fouled shooting a three by then-SDSU guard (now Purdue guard) David Jenkins Jr. Williams hit the shot, knocked down the free throw, and gave the Buckeyes a 74-70 lead. This was on the heels of a 10-0 Jackrabbits run, with all the momentum seemingly riding with the 12-seed.

March 15, 2018

Kam Williams hits the 3 and draws the foul with just over a minute to go in Ohio State's 81-73 first round win over Mike Daum and SDSU in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/VUOENw6OrY

— Connor Lemons (@lemons_connor) March 15, 2020
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32 seconds later, with Ohio State still up 74-70, Williams was fouled by Brandon Key shooting a three — although he did not make the shot this time. Williams calmly knocked down all three free throws to put the Buckeyes up a touchdown, 77-70, and they would go on to win, 81-73. Williams scored seven of Ohio State’s final 11 points, and finished with a season-high 22.

Justin: C.J. Walker​

Syndication: Marion
George Fleiner/For USA Today Network-Ohio, Marion Star via Imagn Content Services, LLC

To be honest, I was almost going to pick Duane Washington. As of right now, he is not signed to an NBA contract after he was released from his 10-day contract from the Phoenix Suns recently.

However, I think he played well enough and showed enough to NBA teams to find his way onto another team by the end of the season, or to at least earn a chance to play in Summer league, which would make him ineligible to play in TBT. I am putting my faith in his future.

So instead, I will go with one of his old teammates: C.J. Walker.

Walker was the Buckeyes starting point guard from 2019-2021 and helped lead the Buckeyes to a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. No need to mention how it ended.

Walker averaged 9.5 points, 4.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game during his final season with the Buckeyes.

Walker has been overseas playing professional basketball in Germany for the Phoenix Hagen for the last two seasons and playing well. Also, he has already played in TBT when he played for the Dayton alumni team Red Scare last summer. So he has the experience playing in TBT and knows what it is like.

Shannon Scott will likely be back for Carmen’s Crew, but Aaron Craft is 99.9 percent done playing (have to say 99.9 just in case but it is likely 100 percent), so they will need someone to run the point with Scott.

We know Jared Sullinger and the team are looking for guys from this era of Ohio State basketball and the Chris Holtmann era to get some younger guys involved that can carry the torch when all of the older guys are done. Walker just graduated in 2021 and is still playing at a high level and has many years of pro basketball ahead of him, so between that and him already playing in TBT, this addition makes too much sense.


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LGHL The addition of James Laurinaitis is already off to a great start on the recruiting trail

The addition of James Laurinaitis is already off to a great start on the recruiting trail
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

NCAA Football: Notre Dame at Ohio State

Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

The former Ohio State is showing what he has when it comes to recruiting efforts.

One of the more exciting aspects to happen to Ohio State so far this offseason has been the addition and homecoming of James Laurinaitis. A star during his playing days, Laurinaitis got his start in coaching last season when he was at Notre Dame, but the opportunity to come back home presented itself, and it’s safe to say the Buckeyes are going to love all that he brings.

Not a full-time position coach, Laurinaitis will be in an assistant role, but being able to coach on-field and also recruit on campus are the two biggest areas he’s sure to help Ohio State with. Having a linebacker coach at heart for a defensive coordinator, Jim Knowles knows exactly what he wants in that position, but the benefits to having James on staff is sure to increase the level of play for one, but also in the efforts of when the top targeted linebackers on campus.

As seen with Brian Hartline, having a former player who had a ton of success in the NFL now on staff really appeals to recruits, and the Buckeyes are hoping they have that once again with Laurinaitis in the fold. As the spring gets closer, more and more recruits are going to be heading to Columbus, and that’s where Laurinaitis can really start his efforts in pitching Ohio State when it comes to priority linebackers.

On Thursday, 2024 linebacker Qua Birdsong set his visit plans to see the Buckeyes in the near future, and he certainly won’t be the only one to step foot onto campus during the spring football practice season.

The No. 146 player nationally, Birdsong is also the 14th best linebacker in the country per the 247Sports Composite. A Georgia native, Birdsong may not have a long list of offers yet, but his plans to visit schools around the country this spring may have an impact on that list.

Still, with programs such as Notre Dame, USC, Ole Miss, NC State, and others in the mix already, the four-star ranking checks out. At any rate, these March visit plans may have Qua leaving Ohio State with more than just interest in mind, and especially after he’s visited with the new defensive staff additions who know his spot well.

Cali native LB wants to see Ohio State up close and personal​


Sticking with the trend, the linebacker position and specifically the work Laurinaitis is already doing is showing it’s worth. Ohio State goes back to the well time and time again when it comes to recruiting players from the same prep program regardless of year. When top high schools are producing elite players at a high rate, it only makes sense to spend time recruiting the schools where there’s already been previous success, and that looks to be the same in the 2024 class as well.

California’s St. John Bosco is one of the top prep powers every year, and Ohio State has been able to land a few players from there as well. In the current cycle, it looks as if the Buckeyes are hoping to get back into the Bosco program with linebacker target, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa.

One of the best players in the state, Viliamu-Asa is currently the No. 80 player nationally and the eighth best linebacker in the country per the 247Sports Composite. With over 20 offers to his name and from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Notre Dame, Miami, and plenty of others, it’s easy to see why Ohio State and so many others are in on him.

Fortunately, Ohio State is doing enough already to have Kyngstonn wanting to plan an official visit to Columbus. One of the key reasons as to why though is a great sign for Ohio State — because of Laurinaitis and his ability to build a relationship. This was a great hire and a no brainer, but seeing him work this hard this early on for his alma mater shows how important he will be to this defensive staff as a whole.

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