Not mad at this pickup....in the modern world of CFB, this is a perfect mix...

* Established starter
* Veteran backup with no vision of starting
* Talented underclassmen that looks like your potential future
* True freshman who will hopefully sit, learn and you see what you have after a year.

A former hockey player, he must be a tough SOB. And the fact that he also went to Northwestern and became all conference makes it all the better.

OHSportsFan said:

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Bowness, 70, most recently served as the head coach of the Winnipeg Jets from 2022-24, leading the club to a 98-57-9 record (.625 pct.) in 164 games and back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He spent the previous two-plus seasons with the Dallas Stars, compiling a 89-62-25 mark (.577) in 176 games from 2019-22. After being named interim head coach in December 2019, he led the club to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost a six-game series to the Tampa Bay Lightning. In his final season in Dallas, he led the Stars to a 46-30-6 mark in 2021-22.

“Rick Bowness is a tremendous coach with invaluable experience and knowledge, and he will bring a steadiness to our team at an important juncture in our season,” said Waddell. “He is a good communicator whose teams play with structure, are sound defensively and we believe he is the right person to bring out the best in our group.”

The Moncton, New Brunswick native has compiled a 310-408-48-37 record (W-L-T-OT) in 803 games as an NHL head coach or interim head coach with the Jets, Stars, Phoenix Coyotes, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins, including a 187-119-0-34 mark in 340 games between 2019-24. He began his coaching career as a player-coach of the American Hockey League’s Sherbrooke Jets in 1982-83 before joining Winnipeg as an assistant coach from 1984-87. He served as the head coach of the AHL’s Moncton Hawks from 1987-91 and had a 28-game stint as Winnipeg’s interim head coach during the 1988-89 campaign.

He spent the 1991-92 season as head coach of the Bruins, guiding the club to a 36-32-12 record and playoff berth before being named head coach of the expansion Senators in 1992. He led the club for three-plus seasons before joining the Islanders as associate coach in 1996. He was named head coach during that campaign and remained in the position through the 1997-98 season. He then spent six years with the Coyotes from 1999-06, including a stint as interim head coach in 2003-04. Over the next 15 seasons, he served on the coaching staffs of the Vancouver Canucks (2006-13), Lightning (2013-18) and Stars (2018-19).

“I appreciate the opportunity to come to Columbus because it is a good organization with good people and this is a team that I think I can help improve,” said Bowness. “I’m thankful to Don and (Blue Jackets President) Mike Priest and I’m really excited to work with our players and coaching staff to help get us where we want to go.”

Jaxbuck said:

7th year guy from what I read on 11W

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Yeah, it's his 7th year.....

A breakout hero: The story of Hunter Welcing’s six-year ascension​

Welcing has found his role this year, and he’s taking full advantage.

From one catch in four years to 23 catches in one year, Hunter Welcing has walked an arduous journey. But he’s emerged from it a Wildcat star.
After years of battling injuries and limited playing time, the graduate student tight end has suddenly blossomed into one of Northwestern’s most dynamic offensive weapons this season. With 23 catches for 268 yards, Welcing is now a key fixture of a Wildcat offense that just a couple months ago remained uncertain about the role tight ends would play in Zach Lujan’s playbook.

“It’s been kind of a long time coming,” Welcing said. “But I feel very grateful to get to this point and be able to showcase the player that I am.”
As the season began, Welcing ensured his name would be hard to overlook. His first career touchdown catch against Western Illinois signified him as an asset to quarterback Preston Stone. He’s maintained a high level of consistency, catching a pass in ten of the 11 games he’s played this season.

Welcing’s touchdown haul against Purdue earlier this season led to a more profound role. Two weeks ago against Michigan, Welcing unleashed a breakout performance — leading the ‘Cats offense with a career-high four catches for 81 yards against one of the best defenses in the country. Despite the loss, his effort earned him a place on PFF College’s Big Ten Team of the Week.

Then, this past weekend in a pivotal match against Minnesota, Welcing made arguably his greatest play as a Wildcat. With the game tied and the ‘Cats facing a 3rd-and-10 with under two minutes to play, quarterback Preston Stone fired a pass to the tight end. Although he caught the ball short of the sticks, Welcing used his physicality to fight his way for the first down, carrying multiple defenders with him.

It was a pivotal moment in the game, and a culmination of preparation that began years before that catch was made.
Welcing acknowledged the significance of these milestones and the emotion that comes from them. While he takes time to recognize his accomplishments, Welcing never stops looking for the next chance to make an impact.

“Knowing the road was so long to get to this point, it makes those moments a little bit bigger and more emotional,” Welcing said. “In the moment they’re obviously big, but I’m also focusing on the next play. Getting that next play is one of the biggest things to look forward to.”

Welcing committed to Northwestern on March 9, 2019 as a 17-year-old, dubbed by scouts as one of the best high school tight ends in Illinois.
But football wasn’t always Welcing’s dream job. From the time he was four years old, he hoped to be a professional hockey player, with aspirations of earning a college scholarship and eventually making the NHL.

As Welcing got older, his dreams shifted from the ice to the turf. In his sophomore year at Lake Zurich High School, a friend encouraged him to try out for the football team.

It wasn’t long before he fell in love with the game. A summer of conditioning and weeks devoted to building muscle pushed him from drive to execution. He soon became a team standout and three-star college recruit.

Welcing’s high school success also came with its share of adversity, however. Just three weeks after committing to NU, he tore his ACL during a spring seven-on-seven tournament, causing him to miss the first half of his senior season.

“There’s definitely a lot of life lessons in there, kind of going to the injury history and whatnot,” Welcing said. “But I feel like a lot of the injuries kind of made me more grateful, and ultimately my hard work got me to this point.”

Welcing entered college in 2020, amid a crowded Wildcats tight end room where crafting a niche proved formidable.
He appeared in just four games in 2021 as a redshirt before an injury knocked him out for nearly all of 2022. Welcing carved out a special teams role in 2023, playing 53 snaps across eight games. He found consistent playing time as a junior last season, where he appeared in all 12 games and recorded his first-career reception with a 20-yard catch.

Even in those small moments, head coach David Braun noticed something special in Welcing. The coach’s offseason evaluations reinforced to him that Welcing deserved a bigger role in the offense this year.

“I think there was this moment where we thought we could have found ways to utilize him more last year,” Braun said. “And to his credit, Hunter has had quite a journey, a lot of things to overcome, including injury. His consistency over the course of the last year-and-a-half, in terms of his practice habits, he’s given us no choice but to position him for not only more opportunities to be on the field but more opportunities in the passing game.”

Those opportunities were fought hard for, and Welcing is doing his work justice.
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OHSportsFan said:

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Had to happen.

The talent to be a playoff team is there but there's an element missing. If they don't think it's talent, then it's coaching. Given the number of 3rd period blown leads and the sometimes completely lost look they have on defense, firing Evason and McCarthy makes sense. McCarthy has needed to go for a while.

I thought Evason was on a good track but it's clear there's a disconnect so it was time to restart.

The CBJ aren't quite in win now mode, but next year for certain is playoffs or bust. You have Fantilli being an RFA this year, but the big one is Marchenko coming due after the 26-27 season and then Werenski the following year. If they aren't a perennial contender by the end of 2027-2028, there's no way Werenski re-signs in Columbus.

Jaxbuck said:

That's my point of disagreement. It wasn't dirty no matter who did it back then. It was just football.

I think it's disingenuous to look at yesterday though today's lens in any aspect of life.

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I'm not looking at it through today's lense. I'm looking at it from a "did you really need to try and decapitate that player?" lense. I hate that it was allowed then as much as now. It's grotesque.

ScriptOhio said:

Over the years Ohio State has had success with the kids of former NFL players: Bosa, Bosa, Heyward, Springs, Harrison, White, Cassidy, Johnson, Styles, and Styles.

Anybody think of any others?

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Cris Carters kid has a nice little run with OSU

On second thought my memory was quite fuzzy about him. He just had a what if year

Login to view embedded media Can't help but love this pick. Hoping hes back to 100%

OregonBuckeye said:

How old is he?

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7th year guy from what I read on 11W

Some info updates to make you feel happy about Jacobs:

DJ Jacobs told Blair Angulo at the Polynesian bowl that he’s not going to take visits to other schools anymore.

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“First was head coaching stability,” Jacobs said. “Ryan Day isn’t going anywhere and he was great with me. Next was stability with my position coach and Larry Johnson will be at Ohio State for a long time.

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(Ojo got paid, and he’s been abused at every major camp, I guess good for him. Hopefully there’s no takebacks from Tech)

Jaxbuck said:

He's older than @BB73

I hope his hip holds up

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How old is he?