BigWoof31 said:

Atlanta Falcons news and notes:

Bijan holding out for new contract

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ScriptOhio said:

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That's the play where they Throw Him The Goddamned Ball.

I like that play.

Tanner said:

That was just terribly designed play. Lining Jeremiah and Inniss up on one side and having Jeremiah be the blocker is hilarious

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Why? He has the physical advantage over literally anyone who they could possibly put out there on defense....He's a WR but he still has to make his blocks. Literally ANYONE in the program, but especially Smith himself would say the same thing too.

Frankly if he makes that block, no one touches Inniss and Cryami has to adjust for that formation if they show it again (and go over the top with the ball)....

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brodybuck21 said:

11W Forums

Jamesgandle 22 hours ago
Adam Gorney called his shot for Gaige Weddle to the Bucks with 50% confidence

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Ohio State football hit with prediction to add the son of a former NFL defensive great to Matt Patricia’s defense​

Ohio State is after a big time 2028 recruit with a father who starred in the NFL. The Buckeyes have now been predicted to land the four-star defender from California.

Weddle has already built a strong relationship with Ohio State​

Weddle has been on Ohio State’s campus multiple times this year, and his father has joined him on those visits. The pair have built what is already a strong relationship with Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerreri, and that connection appears to be paying dividends on the recruiting trail.

Gorney’s prediction has Weddle choosing the Buckeyes over schools like Utah, where his dad played, along with Georgia, Miami, Michigan, and Tennessee. It’s still early for the class of 2028, but players are beginning to come off the board at a faster rate. Weddle could be a player who wants to make a decision at some point this year, and Ohio State is in a good spot to make that happen when he does. Weddle take a game day visit to Ohio State this fall.

“He’s a Utes legacy and Weddle is warming up even more to them but Ohio State isn’t blowing it out of the water with 2027 safety recruiting, his connection to position coach Matt Guerrieri is like a respected friend and there’s no arguing about the development in Columbus,” Gorney wrote.

Ohio State hasn’t gone heavily after safeties in the class of 2027, where they hold two commitments at the position with four-star Eli Johnson and three-star Angelo Smith, the brother of Jeremiah Smith. Weddle is a higher-level prospect than both and is a player Ohio State is putting its focus on in 2028.

Weddle is a name to watch, and the prediction in favor of the Buckeyes here feels pretty good.

Ohio State football defender looks to be closing in on major playing time in 2026 after a strong summer development​

Whispers are coming about around an Ohio State defender who has had a strong summer and will be pushing for a key role on Matt Patricia’s defense in 2026.



The Ohio State Buckeyes are heading into 2026 with a defense that will look dramatically different from the unit that took the field last season. With as many as eight new starters set to step up, the linebacker room stands out as one of the biggest areas of need following the departures of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese to the NFL.

Ohio State has talented younger players ready to fill those voids, and one name generating early buzz is second-year linebacker Riley Pettijohn.

Riley Pettijohn is impressing after missing spring​

Pettijohn missed all of spring practice while recovering from an offseason procedure, which put him behind schedule entering a crucial year for Ohio State’s linebacking corps. However, the early returns from summer workouts have been encouraging.

“Pettijohn missed all of spring practice due to an offseason procedure,” Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook wrote. “But sources tell LR that he has impressed in a big way this summer after returning from the training room. He and Alford have both “stepped up big time” ahead of a critical second training camp in Columbus.”

That’s a strong development for a Buckeyes defense counting on young players to take major leaps. Pettijohn and TJ Alford are entering their second year in Columbus after playing as true freshmen last season. Pettijohn himself appeared in 13 games as a freshman, recording nine tackles, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, along with one pass breakup.

Ohio State has a big recruiting win ready to deliver​

Pettijohn was a big-time recruiting win for the Buckeyes out of Texas. The 6-foot-2, 231-pound linebacker is expected to push toward the top of Ohio State’s depth chart at the position this year, with players like Payton Pierce and Christian Alliegro, the Wisconsin transfer, also set to carry roles.

Missing spring practice hurts, there’s no way around it. But it sounds like Pettijohn is taking full advantage of Ohio State’s summer workouts and is in a great spot ahead of what will be his second season with the program.
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Unheralded Ohio State football transfer addition might be getting ready to steal a starting job during fall camp​

Ohio State Buckeyes are going to have a different-looking defensive line in 2026, and one transfer addition is inching toward a starting job.



When the Ohio State Buckeyes step on the field against Ball State in Week 1 of the college football season, they’ll have a much different looking team than a year ago. Ohio State lost 11 players to the NFL Draft and north of 30 players opted to enter the transfer portal, mostly depth pieces from the back end of the roster.

The Buckeyes’ defense specifically is going to look a lot different, and it’s why they had to hit the transfer portal this winter to land a few difference-makers for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit.

Ohio State’s defensive line is set to feature three new starters, and while Alabama transfer James Smith has generated most of the offseason buzz, it’s actually UCF transfer John Walker who might end up starting next to defensive tackle Eddrick Houston when the season opens.

John Walker’s path from UCF to Columbus​

Walker was a player the Buckeyes recruited out of high school in Florida in the class of 2023, but he opted to stay home and play for Central Florida. The now 6-foot-2, 324-pound defensive lineman missed the entire 2024 season with an injury, but in 12 games last year with UCF, he recorded 40 tackles and a sack. As a freshman in 2023, he had 24 tackles and a half sack to his name.

An interesting tidbit recently came from Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham.

“That’s why we think there’s a very good chance that it’ll actually be Walker—not James Smith—who is next to Eddrick Houston when the season opens,” Birmingham wrote. “The buzz around Walker is growing and it’ll pick up after fans and the media get to see him over these first three days of training camp.”

Why John Walker fills a specific need for Ohio State​

Walker is a big human at his listed size and could fill some of the run-stopping needs the Buckeyes have after losing Kayden McDonald to the NFL from last year’s team. Houston is more of a 3-tech who is going to get after the passer from the interior. Walker can be more of that run-stopping defensive tackle for Ohio State, and the two could complement each other well.
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Mike80 said:

that's what the screen was designed to do....and it wasn't blocked properly....

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That was just terribly designed play. Lining Jeremiah and Inniss up on one side and having Jeremiah be the blocker is hilarious

knuckifyoubuck said:

If we are talking about the worst games and no adjustments, the Urban game w Tuf Borland covering wide receivers has been blocked out of my memories

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1. It wasn't Urban coaching in the game.

2. Tuf was playing zone. He was NOT covering wide receivers in any type of man to man scheme.

3. The moment Sermon went out with the popped collarbone it was over. The only way Ohio State was winning that game was with ball control.

Tanner said:

Disagree. Not like it's the first football game ever where the d line was beating the o line. Lets start doing some quick passing etc

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that's what the screen was designed to do....and it wasn't blocked properly....

restless said:

Miami deserves credit. But without that int TD, buckeyes were in ok position. And that play was not on coaches. Either JJ or Klare should have at least slowed Keionte Scott.

Miami won that game on the back of their dline, I’m not sure how much in game adjustments Day could’ve done.

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Disagree. Not like it's the first football game ever where the d line was beating the o line. Lets start doing some quick passing etc

OregonBuckeye said:

They also looked extremely underwhelming all season. Did not pass the eye test

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Multiple games all season where they were lucky. Shoot even in a bad non conference game they looked terrible.

A team can make the playoffs with 3 losses but it’d have to be to 3 top tier teams and by close. Hopefully we don’t have to find that out.

What Vikings fans were overheard saying at training camp as ‘terrible’ J.J. McCarthy struggles​

Minnesota Vikings fans have not been left impressed with what they have seen from J.J. McCarthy during the early stages of training camp.

A battle for the starting quarterback spot with the Vikings was expected this offseason, but it looks as if there will be a clear winner.

Kyler Murray was brought in from the Arizona Cardinals as he sought a fresh start following his own struggles in Glendale.

The 28-year-old QB is going up against McCarthy at camp, with Vikings fans left rueing their organization’s decision to let Sam Darnold leave for the Seattle Seahawks.

However, with Murray and McCarthy left as their best two options at QB, there is already a clear winner as fans attending camp have been heard lambasting what they’ve seen from McCarthy.
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Fans are finding it difficult to cut him much slack, though, with footage emerging from training camp of some errant throws from ‘nine’.

“Sacked. And he overthrows it. Terrible. Just terrible,” one fan was heard saying after McCarthy overthrew a pass to a wide-open receiver.

It must also be noted that in the relevant clip, McCarthy would have been sacked by the defender if it had not been a practice session.

There were numerous examples of McCarthy failing to find any accuracy with his throws, which was in stark contrast to Murray.

The offseason addition, Murray, appeared to have a much more impressive day than McCarthy based off the footage provided.

Buckeye86 said:

Texas didn’t make the playoffs because they lost to 4-8 Florida, not because they lost to Ohio State.

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They also looked extremely underwhelming all season. Did not pass the eye test

Their winning percentage the last 14 games makes their team batting average look great.

McClelland takes swipe at Indiana despite Hoosiers' recent national title​

Indiana won college football's national championship just a few months ago. Purdue hasn't won a national championship of any kind in 16 years. The facts didn't stop new Boilermakers athletic director Tommy McClelland from taking a shot at Purdue's instate rival.

"Every recruit, every current student athlete will hear this message repeatedly -- we are here to win championships," McClelland said Thursday during his introductory news conference. "If you don't want to win championships, go to Indiana."
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Purdue hasn't won an NCAA national championship in any sport since the women's golf team in 2010. It remains the school's only national championship this millennium.

"The future of Purdue athletics is incredibly bright," said McClelland, who previously was the athletic director at Rice. "I am ready to get to work."

Kid reminds me a lot of Christian Kirk. Would love to see him in the slot here.