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‘We brought him here to win games like this’ – Ryan Day didn’t hold back about Ohio State’s breakout player from Texas’ backyard​

Ryan Day isn’t slowing down the hype building around one new addition to Ohio State’s offense. The Buckeyes head coach didn’t hold back why Ohio State went to Texas and got a playmaker from the transfer portal.

Ryan Day sees a Chris Olave-type player in Devin McCuin​

McCuin came to Ohio State from UTSA, where he originally arrived out of Jacksonville, Texas. The Longhorns had notable interest in McCuin during the transfer portal window, but Ohio State secured his commitment before anything substantial developed. That recruiting win could pay off in a big way this weekend with McCuin heading into the Longhorns’ backyard as a Buckeye.

Day didn’t hold back when discussing what he sees in McCuin and why Ohio State pursued him.

“I sort of thought to myself, he could sort of be like a Chris Olave type,” Day said of McCuin. “That was sort of the comp, and that was sort of the one that I used. He has high end speed. He can change direction. He’s got really strong hands, good quickness. What I didn’t know about him was just his makeup, and he’s very intelligent. Really good route runner. You know, he has experience.”

He has toughness. He sticks it in there in the run game, and he’s been great. And I think he really turned it on this summer. I think the spring was solid, better than solid. He was good in the spring, but had a great summer with Nick [Marotti] in the weight room, and then it’s just taken off from there. So all the things that we talked about in the preseason, you got a chance to see. But we brought him here to win games like this, so you know this will be a great challenge for him. But I know he’ll be excited about it.”

That comparison carries weight. Day drawing that parallel shows just how much confidence he has in McCuin’s ability to produce at an elite level.

Ryan Day, Steve Sarkisian Explain Why Matchups Like Ohio State-Texas Define Elite Programs: “Everybody in the Country Will Be Watching”​

Ohio State and Texas Round 3 is set for Saturday.

All eyes were on both squads in the first two matchups — last year in Columbus, where the Buckeyes won 14-7, and the season before when Ohio State won 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl.

This time around, the heavyweight bout between a pair of top-five teams in the country will take place in the Lone Star State, and it will most certainly bring the fireworks once again.

"These are two great teams that are going to battle and going to compete against one another," Steve Sarkisian told reporters on Monday. "It's awesome for the university. It's awesome for the city of Austin. It's awesome for college football. I mean, this will be the most-watched regular-season game, arguably, of all time in the regular season. That's great for everybody else."

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Ryan Day was asked why the Buckeyes scheduled a game like Texas, and he replied that it gives a good assessment of what his team is capable of early in the year.

"It certainly gives you some early feedback on where you are, and I think it's great for college football. This is going to be an unbelievable atmosphere down there against a great opponent. Everybody in the country will be watching, so this is why you come to Ohio State. This is why you go to Texas to play in games like this," Day said Tuesday. Good thing is it'll give us a great data point on where we are and early feedback on things. But more importantly, the experience of playing in a game like this early in the season is, again, one of the reasons why you recruit great players to come here."

Welcome to the Buckeye Family, Luke!!

Julian Sayin, TJ Alford and Ja’Kobi Jackson Lead Pro Football Focus’ Highest-Graded Ohio State Players Against Ball State​

The Top Three​

1. QB Julian Sayin (93.1)​

Sayin was PFF’s highest-graded quarterback for the 2025 season with an overall grade of 92.9, yet he never had a single-game grade as high as he did in his 2026 season opener.

Sayin completed 21 passes for 320 yards and had as many touchdowns (three passing and one rushing) as incompletions. For that performance, his overall offensive grade of 93.1 was the highest of any Power Four quarterback in Week 1. Sayin also earned a 92.6 for passing, which was second in the nation for quarterbacks with at least 20 pass attempts.

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2. LB TJ Alford (91.8)​

Alford led all linebackers with 34 snaps and made the most of his playing time. Alford finished the game with a career-high in tackles (five) and his first collegiate interception. He was also the best on the team with a grade of 91.0 in coverage, a grade that was best in the Big Ten among linebackers.

3. RB Ja'Kobi Jackson (88.0)​

Ja'Kobi Jackson averaged 10.4 yards per carry against Ball State and finished the game tied with a team-high 83 rushing yards. His run grade (90.9) leads the team and is seventh-best in the nation through Week 1.

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He’s the first YAC guy we’ve had in a while, that is a #2. That’s what I loved when watching his UTSA tape….he was kind of an extension of their run game.

KY JELLY CATS

Snap Counts: 88 Buckeyes Play in Season Opener As Ohio State Uses Heavy Rotations vs. Ball State​

Offensive Linemen​

Ian Moore: 47
Luke Montgomery: 47
Carson Hinzman: 47
Austin Siereveld: 47
Gabe VanSickle: 43
Phillip Daniels: 32
Carter Lowe: 28
Jake Cook: 28
Joshua Padilla: 28
Deontae Armstrong: 28
Max Riley: Special teams only

Ohio State started the game with an offensive line of Moore at left tackle, Montgomery at left guard, Hinzman at center, Siereveld at right guard and Daniels at right tackle. After some early struggles by Daniels, Siereveld kicked out to right tackle for Ohio State’s third and fourth drives of the game, with VanSickle entering the lineup at right guard. Daniels returned for Ohio State’s fifth possession and stayed in for the rest of the snaps with the starters from that point forward, but Day said competition will continue along the offensive line.

After Sayin and the starters came out of the game, the offensive line for the rest of the second half consisted of Lowe at left tackle, Cook at left guard, Padilla at center, VanSickle at right guard and Armstrong at right tackle.

Linebackers​

TJ Alford: 34
Riley Pettijohn: 30
Christian Alliegro: 29
Payton Pierce: 26
Garrett Stover: 12
Ty Howard: 5
Braxton Rembert: 3
Alec DelSignore: 2
Zach Hayes: 2
Eli Riggs: 1
CJ Sanna: 1

Alford was a surprise starter for the Buckeyes as Ohio State opened the game in a 4-3 defense, and he ended up playing the most snaps among linebackers, earning Ohio State’s defensive player of the game award with five tackles and an interception. Alliegro and Pierce started alongside Alford, but Pettijohn also rotated in with the starters and ended up playing the second-most snaps among linebackers, recording a team-high six tackles, as Alford and Pettijohn played into the fourth quarter with the second-team defense.

Seven other linebackers, led by Stover, saw playing time late in the game as James Laurinaitis played deep into his bench. The only linebackers who didn’t get on the field in the season opener were five-star freshman Cincere Johnson, sophomore Eli Lee and walk-on freshman Na’il Diggs Jr.

Arizona

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Stop breaking the rules, assholes.

gracelhink said:

JJ Tracy and partner Cabral won their 2nd round match to advance to 16s. Will have a huge challenge vs the #1 seed today at 6:30.
Filin and Carpico will play Ram and Salisbury today at 4 pm.
As you watch the highlights on the official x account, you can id Carpico (right handed) and Filin (lefty).

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Tracy/Cabral lost 4-6, 4-6 to the #1 guys.

JCOSU86 said:

It's bullshit. LSU is being singled out because their new coach is perceived as being abrasive. "After 93 years of enabling its rule-breakers, the SEC has finally found religion with LSU." - I couldn't have said it better myself.

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I think it's part of something bigger. It has to be. You are talking real money here, not the kind of money that cares what a child like Lane Kiffin says or does (not really).

I see this as proof the new super league is coming and the SEC/B1G know it and are maneuvering.

Think about an NFL owner telling the shield to go fuck themselves. Retribution would be coming and right swift. I think that is what this is.

It's kind of like Vegas being run by the mob and having all these great quirky stories and personalities, then the suits take over and that's all she wrote. CFB is now in that end game as the suits kick out the mob.

Steve19 said:

I was part of the last intake (summer 72) when he was President. He definitely looked like a very tired man who had had enough hippie nonsense to last his remaining years.

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Yeah, I was there during the Spring of 1970 during the Vietnam protests, riots, national guard on campus, tear gas, and eventual campus shutdown. I guess (at least) it wasn't as bad a Kent State. My personnel observation was that it got a lot worse after Kent State though; I have always thought that after the shootings at Kent State the outside agitators there just came down to Columbus to cause more chaos at Ohio State, etc. I can see how 1970 could have really took a toll on him.

brodybuck21 said:

11W Forums

Attack51 2 hours ago
Tight End Luke Sohyda Fong'd to Ohio State this morning. Got offered at the 7 on 7 Camp over the summer.
https://247sports.com/player/luke-sohyda-46167278/

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Super cool move to steal the moment, leach

Welcome to Buckeyes Nation Luke!!!

Best Buckeye said:

Will McCuin finish 2026 in second place in receiving yards and catches? There are those who say Yes!

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OSU's #2 receiver, yes. Stock is going up by the week.

ScriptOhio said:

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Just sayin': Luckily, I got in under the old standard, i.e. just a high school degree. I remember sitting in St. John Arena during Freshman orientation. Novice Fawcett (the OSU President) said "look at the person to the right of you, look at the person to the left of you, look at the person in front of you, and look at the person behind you; three of those people won't graduate". They accepted anybody and flunked 75% of those out. The primary flunk out Freshman courses were math, chemistry, and English; and I was taking all three.

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My first quarter, so I guess I actually made a cut, although that first toe dip into the pool of selectivity wasn’t close to what the standard is today. And, thankfully, I didn’t get in anywhere else.

$3.95 for regular (87) and $4.65 for premium (91) at Denver Costco.

Pure gold…

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scarletngray said:

And let's not forget last year with the "breakdown" in the helmet com's during The Game. There ALL in on it from players, coaches, time keepers, telecommunications, etc. Cheaters. The whole lot of them.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again. Raze the whole place and salt the earth so nothing ever grows there again!