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2026 tOSU Special Teams Discussion

I have to say. I’d think FG and Punter is about as important as it gets.

FG- if you have a guy that’s like Ole Miss’ kicker who’s like 9 of 10 from 50+ yards that’s tough for a defense to know that if they give up 2 first downs they’re giving up points.

P- with our defense could you imagine a team having to start inside the 10 every time? Teams can’t go 30 yards against our defenses let alone 90.

Special teams need to stop being treated like a throw away. An elite FG kicker allows more margins in games and an elite Punter makes it impossible for teams to catch up.

I agree, but it’s also much more difficult to maintain elite ST performance than people are letting on. Tressel started out with an all time duo in Nugent and Groom, then slightly downgraded Sanders and then Huston. He had good Ps and Ks players after that, but no All Americans.

Here are the last 24 years of kickers:

Nugent (01-04) 82% (7-9 40-49, 5-6 50+) only found 04 splits, but he did have 8 career 50 yard FGs
Huston (05) 79% (5-8 40-49, 0-2 50+)
Pretorius (06-08) 77% (6-9 40-49, 3-5 50+)
Pettrey (06-09) 74% (12-13 40-49, 6-10 50+)
Barclay (09-10) 79% (4-7 40-49, 0-1 50+)
Basil (10-13) 78% (7-10 40-49, 1-5 50+)
Willoughby (15) 63% (0-3 40-49, 0-0 50+)
Durbin (16) - 77% (2-5 40-49, 0-0 50+)
Nuerenberger (14-18) 72% (6-15 40-49, 0-0 50+)
Haubeil (18-20) 80% (7-9 40-49, 1-1 50+)
Ruggles (21-22) 90% (11-11 40-49, 0-2 50+)
Fielding (23-25) 79% (15-20 40-49, 0-3 50+)

I was shocked to see Ruggles hit 100% from 40-49 and Fielding have more 40 yard FGs than everyone but, I assume, Nugent.

They can and should do better, but OSU has had 3 kickers that were >50% from 50+ in the last 25 years. If they find someone who hits >80% total and >65% from 50, it’d be the first time since Nugent, and probably only the 2nd time in school history. It’s not that they shouldn’t try, but this isn’t something that OSU had until recently and then stopped caring.

Also, this is still college. Tate Sandell won the Groza making 23-24 kicks, 8-9 from 50+, and 4 from 55+. The poor sob then went 1-3 against Bama, missing a 36 yarder and his first 50 yard miss of the season. It’s going to be hard to find a college kicker that’s a machine.
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CB Aaron Scott Jr. (National Champion, transfer to ???)

The portal has changed everything. I think the old plan OSU had to pay kids to stay maybe gone, because it was probably unsustainable. OSU may have to join the club.

Scott and West probably would command starter type money to get them to stay. You don't pay guys who maybe end up in line to be the 4th and 5th (at best 3rd and 4th) corners in 2026 starter money to stick around and wait another year, that just doesn't make any sense especially when you have bigger problems elsewhere to fill in
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CB Aaron Scott Jr. (National Champion, transfer to ???)

Remembering how everybody was super excited about Scott and West, and low and behold. Never got to seem them play. Sucks

It's best to not really have any real expectations for recruits anymore until they actually break into the starting lineup. If guys aren't making big moves on the depth chart in a year or two they are more than likely gonna start looking elsewhere
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Indiana Hoosiers (your shinebox, go f'n get it)

Can't find it now but someone did a breakdown of the amount of seasons each Indiana starter has played and it's pretty glaring how much older they are. It's like a carbon copy of the 22-23 ttun squads. Almost every guy is 23ish years old

Just sayin': I like the "Our Lads" depth charts. It doesn't give their specific age; however, it has almost everything else. including all the players eligibility status, who is a transfer, and some stats, etc.

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WR Coach Cortez Hankton (Official Thread)

Re: Cortez Hankton is an upgrade over Brian Hartline.

Just sayin': A likely home run hire YES; but, even though I seriously hope he is, I doubt that he is an upgrade over Hartline.
The internet even allows dipshits like me to post on sites so take all of that with a humongous grain of salt!
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CB Aaron Scott Jr. (National Champion, transfer to ???)

If you think logically and this means that they are retaining Matthews and bringing in a guy like Lee it's a no brainer move for both of them.

Guys don't have to sit around and "wait their turn" anymore. In that scenario West/Scott are likely the #4 Corner at best, you really expect them to sit and be a rotational sub for another year? Not happening in any world now
Reese waited his turn. Cha-Ching.
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CB Aaron Scott Jr. (National Champion, transfer to ???)

Remembering how everybody was super excited about Scott and West, and low and behold. Never got to seem them play. Sucks

WTF.... has to be about money. Maybe OSU is telling these kids that the signs don't look good and the money is going to the portal instead.

If you think logically and this means that they are retaining Matthews and bringing in a guy like Lee it's a no brainer move for both of them.

Guys don't have to sit around and "wait their turn" anymore. In that scenario West/Scott are likely the #4 Corner at best, you really expect them to sit and be a rotational sub for another year? Not happening in any world now
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CB Aaron Scott Jr. (National Champion, transfer to ???)

I’d imagine that means Matthews is back and that they’re going to see what the portal has.

Sucks but maybe he didn’t quite have the level to play here.
That’s what’s being said
WTF.... has to be about money. Maybe OSU is telling these kids that the signs don't look good and the money is going to the portal instead.
What I’ve heard is that with Sanchez passing him, Matthew's also could return. And don’t think that he was as consistent as coaches would’ve wanted and I believe he like West expected to start, and also expected to start. You can’t demand that in this climate unless you starred in the prior year
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2025-2026 College Basketball General Discussion

That was a shit foul call. During the shot guy wasn't even touched didn't look like. Should have thrown his chair at the guy like Bobby Knight
It was a bullshit foul, and it certainly affected the end of regulation. That being said, college coaches shouldn't be acting like babies - that includes Bob Knight.
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CB Aaron Scott Jr. (National Champion, transfer to ???)

Definitely sucks but generally players who transfer out never really seem to bite OSU. The only transfer that ever hurt was Jamo and he left because the current favorite for NFL Offensive Player of the Year took his spot. Day has faults but I never doubt for a minute he isn't playing the best players.

Edit: Forgot about Joe Burrow but no way he was starting over Haskins so eh.
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Auburn Tigers (official thread)

Sources: South Florida QB Byrum Brown schedules Auburn visit

South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown has entered the transfer portal and is scheduled to visit Auburn this weekend, where he could join former Bulls coach Alex Golesh, sources confirmed to ESPN on Saturday.

Sources told ESPN that Auburn is Brown's likely destination, providing a much-needed jolt to one of the worst Power 4 conference offenses this season.

Brown, a senior from Raleigh, North Carolina, has one season of eligibility remaining. On3 first reported that he would be visiting Auburn.
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2026 tOSU Offense Discussion

So I went back one more year and looked at OC Ryan Day in 2018:

Year FEI Offense rank plays per game points per game DFEI rank
2018​
0.56​
4​
82.4​
42.4​
0.23​
44​
2019​
0.91​
3​
78.6​
46.9​
0.78​
2​
2020​
0.82​
4​
73.9​
41​
0.16​
45​
2021​
0.92​
1​
71.7​
45.7​
0.27​
33​
2022​
0.8​
4​
68.3​
44.2​
0.53​
12​
2023​
0.37​
14​
66​
30.2​
0.83​
2​
2024​
0.81​
1​
62.8​
35.7​
0.83​
1​
2025​
0.65​
9​
64​
30.6​
1.06​
1​
My opinion is that Day saw his defense suck royal ass for his first 4 years of being the sole play caller/OC. Now the question is did he go that fast because he had to?

Regardless, I see a guy who, after losing The Game 2021 and almost the Rose Bowl to Utah, said screw this and changed. Nothing happens in a vacuum, he changed coordinators but he also slowed the offense down.

I see 2022 on as 4 years of his new approach with 4 different QB's.

Two are really good, one is really bad, one is bad by OSU standards.
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Game Thread Ball State at tOSU, Sat. Sept. 5th, TBA

The Buckeyes open by hosting the Ball State Cardinals, a team they have never faced before.

Ball State was 4-8 in 2025. They finished the shortened 2020 season at 7-1 after achieving their first and only bowl victory that year over San Jose State, and actually finished at #23 in the AP poll. Since then they have had 5 straight losing seasons.

In 2008 they were 12-2 under Brady Hoke, who then went to San Diego State for 2 seasons before getting the head job for TTUN.

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