Hey mods, can we get one of these threads for the 2026 defense, please?

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SEREbuckeye said:

Locked in for ‘26

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Silly tenneseee thouught he would transfer there cause of Knowles

ScripOhio's Film Study:

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Just sayin': I don't think that pick six is 100% on Julian Sayin, stop the video at the 2 second mark. Keionte Scott runs right by both Jeremiah Smith and Max Klaire to intercept the pass. I'll bet the play was drawn up for (and Sayin' expected) one of those 2 to block Scott; and if that happened it looked like Brandon Inniss was in for a long gain. Yeah, I know there were a few other individual plays where a missed assignment and/or a player's failure to execute significantly affected the outcome of the game too.

pnuts34 said:

I think OSU has been in the club. They’ll pay guys competitively based on how much they play and how they’ve excelled. But they won’t be strong armed. We’ve hardly seen any starters leave, the guys leaving are mainly in year 3 or later and haven’t really contributed.

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It's a testament to their approach and culture that this is the one of (if not the) first true portal losses, and at that, probably one they weren't willing to back down on.

Even for schools with deep war chests, there's only so much you can keep upping the ante, particularly for backups who might become starters but have not proven that yet.

Locked in for ‘26

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pnuts34 said:

I think OSU has been in the club. They’ll pay guys competitively based on how much they play and how they’ve excelled. But they won’t be strong armed. We’ve hardly seen any starters leave, the guys leaving are mainly in year 3 or later and haven’t really contributed.

No you don’t, especially when neither garnered a ton of PT last year and it was said that their consistency was a constant issue.

I think the staff may have told them that they were looking at transfers at CB and he and West wouldn’t guaranteed starters by the staff. No longer can guys think they wait their turn and are automatic starters. Those days are gone

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osuvictory1 said:

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.

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I think OSU has been in the club. They’ll pay guys competitively based on how much they play and how they’ve excelled. But they won’t be strong armed. We’ve hardly seen any starters leave, the guys leaving are mainly in year 3 or later and haven’t really contributed.

buckeyemania11 said:

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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No you don’t, especially when neither garnered a ton of PT last year and it was said that their consistency was a constant issue.

CMic said:

This one surprises me. Thought he was staged for big playing time next year - maybe even starter - with Sanchez and Matthews.

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I think the staff may have told them that they were looking at transfers at CB and he and West wouldn’t guaranteed starters by the staff. No longer can guys think they wait their turn and are automatic starters. Those days are gone

Sounds like we need to spend more on the lines be it recruits or proven players that's up to them though I'd like a good mix of each

This one surprises me. Thought he was staged for big playing time next year - maybe even starter - with Sanchez and Matthews.

Just sayin':

1. He's been a solid lineman and has improved his play each year he has been here. I don't know what his ceiling is; however, I'll wager a guess that he could significantly improve his draft position by coming back and having another solid year, etc. He's an outstanding student who has already graduated with a degree in "sport industry". Unless he going for a Masters Degree; his only reason to return would be his love of football and to try to improve his position in the NFL draft, etc. With that being sad, I do hope he returns; quite frankly the team needs his services on the OL in 2026.

Bestbuck36 said:

Likely waiting on a pro evaluation also.

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2. Surprisingly, This site doesn't have him all that high:

TampaBuckeyes said:

Sounds like he’s just wanted to get his check figured out to stay.

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3. Here's an interesting comment reportedly made by Carson Hinzman (a year ago) on NIL money at Ohio State:

Ohio State Football Player Admits To Lacking NIL Money With Bold Claims About Miami’s Shady Recruiting​

He says that the Buckeyes don’t spend a lot of NIL money. Especially not on offensive linemen.

Ohio State doesn’t really like to pay guys a whole lot […]
Compared to other schools, that’s probably why we don’t really get those kind of recruits. But at the same time, we don’t really want those recruits that are just in it for the money.
— Carson Hinzman, via the B&B Podcast

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