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Ohio High School Football Coaches Association
- By ScriptOhio
- High School Football Updates
- 0 Replies
OHIO HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION PROPOSES HEALTH AND SAFETY CHANGES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
If Ohio high school football is played this fall, it's going to look quite different.
With the state still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association saw it fit to propose some changes to the upcoming high school football season in an effort to allow football to be played safely.
"With the uncertainty surrounding the State of Ohio during the Coronavirus pandemic, it has
become clear that there needs to be a voice from the Ohio High School Football Coaches
Association concerning the ability of the 709 schools in Ohio playing 11-man football to
compete in the fall of 2020," the OHSFCA said in a news release.
The proposed changes are primarily to allow for distancing whenever possible, to encourage sanitization and health awareness and to limit the amount of physical contact between participants.
The proposal made a point to address the CDC recommendation of less than 15 minutes of continuous contact. As a result, the OHSFCA plans for a two-minute break after every 6 minutes of game clock time, to eliminate that 15 minutes of continuous contact. The OHSFCA also estimated that even an offensive lineman – who sees the most contact during a game – will average a little over 5 minutes of continuous contact per game if they play every play on the offensive side of the ball.
Here are some of the biggest changes the OHSFCA is planning to implement this fall.
PRACTICE
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...h-and-safety-changes-amidst-covid-19-pandemic
If Ohio high school football is played this fall, it's going to look quite different.
With the state still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association saw it fit to propose some changes to the upcoming high school football season in an effort to allow football to be played safely.
"With the uncertainty surrounding the State of Ohio during the Coronavirus pandemic, it has
become clear that there needs to be a voice from the Ohio High School Football Coaches
Association concerning the ability of the 709 schools in Ohio playing 11-man football to
compete in the fall of 2020," the OHSFCA said in a news release.
The proposed changes are primarily to allow for distancing whenever possible, to encourage sanitization and health awareness and to limit the amount of physical contact between participants.
The proposal made a point to address the CDC recommendation of less than 15 minutes of continuous contact. As a result, the OHSFCA plans for a two-minute break after every 6 minutes of game clock time, to eliminate that 15 minutes of continuous contact. The OHSFCA also estimated that even an offensive lineman – who sees the most contact during a game – will average a little over 5 minutes of continuous contact per game if they play every play on the offensive side of the ball.
Here are some of the biggest changes the OHSFCA is planning to implement this fall.
PRACTICE
- Players will have a health check performed at arrival.
- Players will report with their own water bottle/container.
- All practice periods, including team periods, will be no longer than nine minutes in pods.
- Full contact practice sessions are limited to two nine-minute periods as opposed to two 12-minute periods.
- Single practice sessions will not exceed 3 hours during the preseason.
- No practice will exceed 2 hours and 15 minutes during the season.
- A running clock might be used during the first half if both coaches agree to it and the guidelines for the continuous clock are met.
- Six feet social distancing must be maintained on the sidelines.
- Coaches should wear masks on the sideline.
- 12-minute halftime (instead of 20).
- The team box will be from 10-yard line to 10-yard line instead of 20-yard line to 20-yard line.
- Temperature is taken for all attendees.
- Footballs must be sanitized throughout the game.
- A two-minute break after every 6 minutes of game clock time.
- During timeouts, coaches will meet players at the bottom of numbers on the field, with players socially distanced. Players must sanitize their hands during timeouts.
- No handshakes.
- Postgame meetings must be conducted on the field with social distancing protocols.
- Players are asked to exit the field immediately, not stopping to talk to family or friends, after the postgame meeting.
- Social distancing will be enforced on all bus trips – one player per seat, and everyone must wear masks.
- Players must wear masks in the locker room and keep socially distant.
- Avoid the use of the locker room during halftime if possible.
- Temperature is taken for all attendees.
- Six feet of social distancing must be maintained.
- Face coverings must be worn.
- Nobody will be permitted to stand on the fence line.
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...h-and-safety-changes-amidst-covid-19-pandemic
Tramp Stamp Barbie
- By exhawg
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 38 Replies
I was tempted to come up with one for Evangelical Barbie, but it would have been shit like this. Me making fun of Evangelicals is pretty much like Christians making fun of atheists except my jokes would be based on science rather than fairly tales.
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LGHL BOOOOM! Four-star shooting guard Malaki Branham commits to Ohio State
- News
- 0 Replies
BOOOOM! Four-star shooting guard Malaki Branham commits to Ohio State
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo courtesy of Jon Lopez | 247Sports
Branham is the Buckeyes’ highest-ranked commit since D’Angelo Russell in 2014.
Ryan Day isn’t the only Ohio State head coach that gets to have some fun on the recruiting trail! On Wednesday afternoon, four-star shooting guard Malaki Branham announced that he will stay in-state to play for Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes when the 2021 season rolls around.
New Beginnings
@TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/emJrq8892e
— Malaki Branham (@MalakiBranham) July 22, 2020
Branham, an Ohio native who plays at powerhouse St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard who Holtmann and his staff have been recruiting for over two years. He is the fifth-highest ranked shooting guard in the class of 2021 according to 247Sports, the No. 1 player in the state of Ohio, and with a strong senior season at SVSM, could potentially achieve five-star status.
247’s Director of Basketball Scouting Jerry Meyer called Branham a, “quality ball handler who can pass on the move,” as well as a “versatile defender who rebounds at a high level.” Meyer goes on to say that Branham’s specialty is his ability to get to the rim as a slashing type of guard, but that his outside shot is improving. It is early, but they project him as a potential NBA draftee when all is said and done. The last Ohio State player to get drafted was Keita Bates-Diop in 2018.
Below is a short clip of Branham playing in Columbus this past season against Sierra Canyon, which is also the school of LeBron James’ son Bronny James. Also noteworthy is the fact that Ohio State men’s basketball announcer Matt Leinenger called this game when it took place in downtown Columbus.
In just over a year, he’ll be calling Branham’s name once again, this time when he’s donning scarlet and gray rather than green and gold.
Branham (No. 27 overall) joins fellow four-star guard Meechie Johnson (No. 89) and four-star wing Kalen Etzler (No. 90). Whether it was by design or not, Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class is now comprised of the the top three players in the state of Ohio, without a single recruit coming from anywhere outside of the Buckeye state. The OSU basketball program is beginning to assert dominance recruiting within the state, which will certainly pay dividends in the years to come.
With the addition of Branham, Ohio State now has the second-ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle, just behind Baylor. The Buckeyes boast the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten as well.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Branham is the Buckeyes’ highest-ranked commit since D’Angelo Russell in 2014.
Ryan Day isn’t the only Ohio State head coach that gets to have some fun on the recruiting trail! On Wednesday afternoon, four-star shooting guard Malaki Branham announced that he will stay in-state to play for Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes when the 2021 season rolls around.
New Beginnings
@TiptonEdits pic.twitter.com/emJrq8892e— Malaki Branham (@MalakiBranham) July 22, 2020
Branham, an Ohio native who plays at powerhouse St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard who Holtmann and his staff have been recruiting for over two years. He is the fifth-highest ranked shooting guard in the class of 2021 according to 247Sports, the No. 1 player in the state of Ohio, and with a strong senior season at SVSM, could potentially achieve five-star status.
247’s Director of Basketball Scouting Jerry Meyer called Branham a, “quality ball handler who can pass on the move,” as well as a “versatile defender who rebounds at a high level.” Meyer goes on to say that Branham’s specialty is his ability to get to the rim as a slashing type of guard, but that his outside shot is improving. It is early, but they project him as a potential NBA draftee when all is said and done. The last Ohio State player to get drafted was Keita Bates-Diop in 2018.
Below is a short clip of Branham playing in Columbus this past season against Sierra Canyon, which is also the school of LeBron James’ son Bronny James. Also noteworthy is the fact that Ohio State men’s basketball announcer Matt Leinenger called this game when it took place in downtown Columbus.
In just over a year, he’ll be calling Branham’s name once again, this time when he’s donning scarlet and gray rather than green and gold.
Branham (No. 27 overall) joins fellow four-star guard Meechie Johnson (No. 89) and four-star wing Kalen Etzler (No. 90). Whether it was by design or not, Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class is now comprised of the the top three players in the state of Ohio, without a single recruit coming from anywhere outside of the Buckeye state. The OSU basketball program is beginning to assert dominance recruiting within the state, which will certainly pay dividends in the years to come.
With the addition of Branham, Ohio State now has the second-ranked recruiting class for the 2021 cycle, just behind Baylor. The Buckeyes boast the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big Ten as well.
Continue reading...
LGHL College Football Island: Could the NCAA make it happen?
- News
- 0 Replies
College Football Island: Could the NCAA make it happen?
George Eisner via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
National Sports Authority Bahamas
As the futures of many sports remain foggier than ever, only a March Madness-style tournament in paradise can save college football.
I hate how excited I am for college football to come back.
The second half of July is traditionally when fans start getting excited about the prospects of their team’s upcoming season. Even with the country and much of the world in a turbulent state, college football remains within a month of finally returning.
Typical fans are frothing with anticipation given the enormous hiatus of traditional American sports. For others, such as those of Big Ten and PAC-12 teams, the ongoing pandemic has already compromised the early season. Further cancellations could come from anywhere at any time.
It’s hard to remain hopeful that we will get to watch the efforts of so many student athletes play out this fall, and yet I find myself counting down the days to the first kick as I do every time this year.
This limbo that the college football world finds itself in only becomes more of a concerning uncertainty as the season draws closer and major conferences continue to find themselves not on the same page. With different states and areas of the country needing to address the pandemic in various ways, the likelihood that FBS schools are able to come up with a unified strategy to play games from September through the end of 2020 remains low.
Even when games do come back in a month or two, fan experience will be limited to potentially non-existent if cases of COVID-19 surge across the country again in the near or distant future. Right now, I am absolutely dreading the thought of an Ohio State-Michigan game with no fans in attendance.
So much of what defines this sport are the annual inter-conference meetings and rivalries, and the fans that generate game-day atmosphere are critical to that experience. How much pride can players take from a season where people are expressly forbidden from witnessing their glory in person? Who’s really going to feel good about Ohio State winning the Big Ten this year if none of the students or alumni are able to support the team directly for three months? Would a win this season over Michigan in an absent Ohio Stadium really provide the same level of gratification for Buckeye fans as it does when Columbus fills up the ‘Shoe?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20103459/osu_michigan_2006_1jpg_6ae171466d192c18.jpg)
Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer
Above all else, the most important objective of every college football season should be to crown a rightful champion, and that rings true now perhaps more than ever. The College Football Playoff has thankfully done so since its inception, and with bowl season starting five months from now, the NCAA would have plenty of time to implement a plan that upholds safety and fairness for all involved in a postseason of any kind.
Which leads me to the main point of this piece, a wild proposal to finish off a phenomenally wild start to this decade. Cancel the upcoming college football season, schedule a 65-team single-elimination tournament to start in December, and play every single game on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas.
To put it another way...
College Football Island:
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20098852/CFI.jpg)
There’s a lot to unpack here, and a lot of concerns to address if something of this scale is going to pan out successfully. First, lets go over rankings and choosing which schools get to play in this.
The Coaches Poll won’t release for another month assuming the season remains intact, which means slotting teams for a hypothetical tournament will rely heavily on estimation. I used ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 (unfortunately from February) to build out the top teams in each bracket. From there, I looked at all the teams that finished with winning records last season to fill out remaining spots, with the exception of Navy and Air Force. The military academies and mid-major independents can go play on their own football island.
These selections are not perfect, but they do reward schools across college football with recent success as opposed to favoring middling Power 5 members. Miami (FL) fans are likely enraged that Miami (OH) will be heading to the Bahamas instead of the nearby Hurricanes, but that’s the price to pay for getting shut out against Louisiana Tech to end last season. In a year when time is of the essence, college football only has room for winners.
The lone exception comes with a play-in game that begins the tournament. To determine the 64 seed that will face the #1 overall team in the first round, the two best Power 5 teams with losing records from the previous season will face off on December 5th.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20103462/playinzoom.jpg)
In this case, Florida State will take on TCU from Thomas Robinson Stadium in the Bahamian capital of Nassau. Had I stuck to the structure of only allowing teams with winning records, the play-in game would have been Charlotte vs. Arkansas State. With respective apologies to the Niners and Red Wolves, FSU/TCU figures to be a much more exciting game for welcoming back the sport.
The following week, the First Round will commence on Dec. 9 with the eight games in the Orange Bracket. The next day, the Fiesta Bracket will play its slate of games, and this will continue into the weekend with the remaining two brackets. The entire Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre that houses Thomas Robinson Stadium includes two fields suitable for American football games, allowing four games each day on each field. The map below provides a view of the entire QESC, with the two stadiums in question designated by the numbers five and six:
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20103464/sliders_nsa_11.jpg)
National Sports Authority Bahamas
The second round of College Football Island begins Dec. 16 and follows the same order of bracket play as the first round to allow each team an equal rest of one week. The Sweet Sixteen occurs a week later, but takes Christmas off to respectthe NBA the holiday, which results in the Cotton and Peach Brackets playing their remaining games on December 26th. This means for the first time in American history, people will look forward to the day after Christmas.
The Elite Eight begins on New Year’s Day, lasts through the following evening, and represents the four bowls not scheduled for rotation in this year’s College Football Playoff. This allows some of the oldest traditional bowl games in college football to continue their streak of taking place annually, even if the sites will not be the same. Additionally, each bracket’s name represents the bowl attached to its Elite Eight contest.
The Final Four takes place on Jan. 9 and consists of the Sugar and Rose Bowls, playing out exactly as the College Football Playoff would in a conventional season. A week from the following Monday, the National Championship game commences on Jan. 18.
That represents the basic framework for this tournament, and it sounds dreamy in theory. However, some key issues still require addressing if an event of this magnitude is to take place while the world continues to deal with the realities of COVID-19.
Doesn’t Thomas Robinson Stadium have a reputation for chaos when hosting American football games? How will the Bahamas accommodate an influx of nearly 7,000 football players in addition to coaches and miscellaneous school staff? And didn’t the Bahamas just ban travelers from the United States due to COVID-19 concerns?
A Quick History Lesson on the Bahamas Bowl
The Bahamas Bowl has always been something of an obscure game between Conference USA and MAC opponents since its inception in 2014. However, it wasn’t until about two and a half years ago that the event became a legend among dedicated college football fans.
Thanks to a hilarious thread on the College Football subreddit, the 2017 Bahamas Bowl lives on forever in the annals of the Internet. The Ohio Bobcats took on the UAB Blazers at Thomas Robinson Stadium back then, but none of the important parts of this bowl game happened on the football field. Instead, fans noted a lax security presence that allowed a series of extracurricular shenanigans to take place while the game went on.
For example, only half of the twenty entrances to the stadium had active patrol on watch, which not only meant almost anybody could wander into the stadium, but nearly anyone that wanted to could bring in alcohol. Fans responded by walking out onto the circular track while the game was going on, drinking heavily, and high-fiving the security staff.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20103866/VVrC9PJ.jpg)
u/supermav27
By the way, the security staff in question was the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. The country’s military personnel were allowing fans to chug beer on the track, hi-five players during the game, and enter Ohio’s locker room. Yet, with the exception of four-year-olds practicing archery outside of the stadium as part of the game-day festivities, the lax security did not result in an uptick of violence or mayhem.
But the infrastructure of the stadium itself had its own problems as well. The venue only had one working scoreboard at the time, and the game clock it displayed for the contest was actually just the ESPN feed. This meant fans and officials alike had issues viewing the stadium clock in the bottom right corner of the screen for the length of the game.
Additionally, fans reported one of the funnier sports-related stadium soundboard mishaps in recent memory. The person in charge of the music apparently played Sandstorm by Darude three times in a row at varying volumes to start the game before finally giving up and abandoning music for the event entirely. Since that fateful day in December 2017, Popeyes ditched their sponsorship of the bowl, and Elk Grove Village, IL assumed their place before declining to renew for the upcoming season.
Given where I’ve proposed College Football Island to take place, I felt the need to bring up this colorful and obscure tale from recent college football memory. However, I do believe the NCAA would be able to resolve most of Thomas Robinson Stadium’s issues with little effort or resources.
The fact that these games will go on without anyone in attendance other than staff and security personnel will thankfully mitigate most of the issues surrounding fan behavior. As for locals, there will surely be interest among the Bahamian populace as there has been at every Bahamas Bowl. Even so, with a national directive in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, one has to imagine the RBDF will do a much better job of turning people away three years following their turnstile performance in 2017.
As for infrastructure issues, there’s nothing too extreme that the NCAA and its resources wouldn’t be able to account for. Functioning field clocks for officials are an easy solution for faulty scoreboards, and a stadium sound system isn’t totally necessary unless referees feel the need to announce penalties to the press box and viewing audience at home.
But something that needs outfitting more than Thomas Robinson Stadium would be the nearby practice field that hosts a second game in tandem with the main venue. While the track & field stadium did host the inaugural Bahamas Bowl as well as the HBCUX Classic in 2014, it has not hosted an American football event since. Event organizers would need to ensure all the resources are in place to host, play, and broadcast games on a field with far less sophistication than its Thomas Robinson Stadium counterpart.
Alright, so the Bahamas can play this thing out, but New Providence has a population just short of a quarter million people. This leaves not much room for 65 FBS player rosters along with coaches and staffs on an island with roughly the same square miles of land as Toledo. How does the Bahamas host these teams?
The answer is it doesn’t.
How College Football Island Works Around COVID-19
Putting roughly 7,000 football players on the same island in the Atlantic Ocean likely isn’t going to pan out well for anyone involved, especially when there’s a pandemic afoot. But if all the players aren’t able to reside in Nassau at the same time, how will the tournament deliver 32 college football games in the four days of the First Round?
If only there were another massive landmass reasonably close by with the hospitality support to handle massive influxes of people during cold months of the year. But where in the world can one find such a pl—
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20103425/FLtoBAHAMAS.jpg)
Oh, Florida.
The flight from the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area to Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas lasts roughly 45 minutes. From there, it’s a less than 15 minute drive to Thomas Robinson Stadium. With enough logistical personnel and parameters in place, teams could conceivably fly to the Bahamas in the morning for their games, with some returning to their hotels in the United States before sundown.
This sounds like a great deal of unnecessary effort to uphold the idea of playing a college football tournament on an island, but in the context of keeping all involved safe from the ongoing pandemic, it makes more sense.
A plan should be in place to have all student-athletes of schools invited to College Football Island done with semester coursework prior to Thanksgiving, or at least grant them the ability to take finals digitally. The following week, teams can start making their way to their respectful hotels along the southeast coast of Florida prior to the inaugural game on Dec. 5.
Teams stay in their bubbles until their respective game-days, travel to New Providence in the morning, play their football, and come home later in the evening. Winners reside in their bubbles for another week while eliminated teams get to return home for winter break immediately. The southeast coast bubble system remains intact until the Elite Eight, when the Bahamas can create new unique bubbles for each team at their local resorts/hotels.
Installing a bubble of roughly 10,000 people along the coastline of a state that’s had as controversial an experience dealing with COVID-19 as any probably sounds ludicrous to many. But there are a few ongoing factors to consider that make this a much more plausible strategy than one would initially believe it to be.
For one, there would not be a singular college football bubble consisting of thousands of people. There are roughly 58,000 hotel rooms in the Miami area alone, which gives teams more than enough vacancy to set up their own bubbles on a school-by-school basis that consist of roughly 150 people each. That’s a far easier total to manage and puts significantly less pressure on those in charge with preserving the health of participants.
Furthermore, a 150-person bubble wouldn’t even match half the total of the most impressive sports-related one in the state of Florida this year. Earlier this week, the NBA announced it tested 346 players alone for COVID-19 with zero confirmed cases after finding two such positives in their previous round of testing. If the NBA can preserve the health of its players as it seeks to finish its season at the Disney campus in Orlando, that would provide a significant vote of confidence towards the Floridian elements of the previously laid out strategy for executing College Football Island.
As for the Bahamas’ recent banning of U.S. travelers, it’s highly unlikely this hold lasts to the point that it would jeopardize College Football Island in December. Even as commercial flights to the country prepare for suspension, private travelers from the U.S. remain allowed to enter. In addition, the Bahamas will still allow commercial travel from Canada, the U.K. and E.U. countries. There is absolutely no way that a country reliant on tourism to fund 60% of its economy and employ half of its population is going to shut out America forever.
Finally, given the impact the pandemic has had on global travel, it’s hard to imagine the Bahamas would turn down the eyeballs and promotion that come with hosting an event of such unprecedented scope in American sports. The most significant sporting event Thomas Robinson Stadium has hosted was the IAAF World Relays in 2017, so this would be a significant step-up with respect to establishing a prominent sports complex in a country dearly dedicated to attracting visitors.
There are certainly other factors that need ironing out for College Football Island to take place, but hopefully the above information provides a glimpse into how such an event could become a reality should the motivation exist to do so. Of course, some optimism remains that the college football season will take place in the fall on American soil, and with many professional sports set to return in the coming days and weeks, that hopefully will be the case.
But as nearly everyone on the planet navigates the insane unpredictability and tempestuousness of 2020, it’s best to start considering alternatives now if retaining college football is a must. Assuming the infrastructure, resources, and health statuses are all in place, would you really say “no” to ending this hell of a year with a viewing of what would be the most highly anticipated event in the history of college sports?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/20103457/CFI.jpg)
Continue reading...
George Eisner via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
As the futures of many sports remain foggier than ever, only a March Madness-style tournament in paradise can save college football.
I hate how excited I am for college football to come back.
The second half of July is traditionally when fans start getting excited about the prospects of their team’s upcoming season. Even with the country and much of the world in a turbulent state, college football remains within a month of finally returning.
Typical fans are frothing with anticipation given the enormous hiatus of traditional American sports. For others, such as those of Big Ten and PAC-12 teams, the ongoing pandemic has already compromised the early season. Further cancellations could come from anywhere at any time.
It’s hard to remain hopeful that we will get to watch the efforts of so many student athletes play out this fall, and yet I find myself counting down the days to the first kick as I do every time this year.
This limbo that the college football world finds itself in only becomes more of a concerning uncertainty as the season draws closer and major conferences continue to find themselves not on the same page. With different states and areas of the country needing to address the pandemic in various ways, the likelihood that FBS schools are able to come up with a unified strategy to play games from September through the end of 2020 remains low.
Even when games do come back in a month or two, fan experience will be limited to potentially non-existent if cases of COVID-19 surge across the country again in the near or distant future. Right now, I am absolutely dreading the thought of an Ohio State-Michigan game with no fans in attendance.
So much of what defines this sport are the annual inter-conference meetings and rivalries, and the fans that generate game-day atmosphere are critical to that experience. How much pride can players take from a season where people are expressly forbidden from witnessing their glory in person? Who’s really going to feel good about Ohio State winning the Big Ten this year if none of the students or alumni are able to support the team directly for three months? Would a win this season over Michigan in an absent Ohio Stadium really provide the same level of gratification for Buckeye fans as it does when Columbus fills up the ‘Shoe?
Above all else, the most important objective of every college football season should be to crown a rightful champion, and that rings true now perhaps more than ever. The College Football Playoff has thankfully done so since its inception, and with bowl season starting five months from now, the NCAA would have plenty of time to implement a plan that upholds safety and fairness for all involved in a postseason of any kind.
Which leads me to the main point of this piece, a wild proposal to finish off a phenomenally wild start to this decade. Cancel the upcoming college football season, schedule a 65-team single-elimination tournament to start in December, and play every single game on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas.
To put it another way...
College Football Island:
There’s a lot to unpack here, and a lot of concerns to address if something of this scale is going to pan out successfully. First, lets go over rankings and choosing which schools get to play in this.
The Coaches Poll won’t release for another month assuming the season remains intact, which means slotting teams for a hypothetical tournament will rely heavily on estimation. I used ESPN’s latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 (unfortunately from February) to build out the top teams in each bracket. From there, I looked at all the teams that finished with winning records last season to fill out remaining spots, with the exception of Navy and Air Force. The military academies and mid-major independents can go play on their own football island.
These selections are not perfect, but they do reward schools across college football with recent success as opposed to favoring middling Power 5 members. Miami (FL) fans are likely enraged that Miami (OH) will be heading to the Bahamas instead of the nearby Hurricanes, but that’s the price to pay for getting shut out against Louisiana Tech to end last season. In a year when time is of the essence, college football only has room for winners.
The lone exception comes with a play-in game that begins the tournament. To determine the 64 seed that will face the #1 overall team in the first round, the two best Power 5 teams with losing records from the previous season will face off on December 5th.
In this case, Florida State will take on TCU from Thomas Robinson Stadium in the Bahamian capital of Nassau. Had I stuck to the structure of only allowing teams with winning records, the play-in game would have been Charlotte vs. Arkansas State. With respective apologies to the Niners and Red Wolves, FSU/TCU figures to be a much more exciting game for welcoming back the sport.
The following week, the First Round will commence on Dec. 9 with the eight games in the Orange Bracket. The next day, the Fiesta Bracket will play its slate of games, and this will continue into the weekend with the remaining two brackets. The entire Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre that houses Thomas Robinson Stadium includes two fields suitable for American football games, allowing four games each day on each field. The map below provides a view of the entire QESC, with the two stadiums in question designated by the numbers five and six:
The second round of College Football Island begins Dec. 16 and follows the same order of bracket play as the first round to allow each team an equal rest of one week. The Sweet Sixteen occurs a week later, but takes Christmas off to respect
The Elite Eight begins on New Year’s Day, lasts through the following evening, and represents the four bowls not scheduled for rotation in this year’s College Football Playoff. This allows some of the oldest traditional bowl games in college football to continue their streak of taking place annually, even if the sites will not be the same. Additionally, each bracket’s name represents the bowl attached to its Elite Eight contest.
The Final Four takes place on Jan. 9 and consists of the Sugar and Rose Bowls, playing out exactly as the College Football Playoff would in a conventional season. A week from the following Monday, the National Championship game commences on Jan. 18.
That represents the basic framework for this tournament, and it sounds dreamy in theory. However, some key issues still require addressing if an event of this magnitude is to take place while the world continues to deal with the realities of COVID-19.
Doesn’t Thomas Robinson Stadium have a reputation for chaos when hosting American football games? How will the Bahamas accommodate an influx of nearly 7,000 football players in addition to coaches and miscellaneous school staff? And didn’t the Bahamas just ban travelers from the United States due to COVID-19 concerns?
A Quick History Lesson on the Bahamas Bowl
The Bahamas Bowl has always been something of an obscure game between Conference USA and MAC opponents since its inception in 2014. However, it wasn’t until about two and a half years ago that the event became a legend among dedicated college football fans.
Thanks to a hilarious thread on the College Football subreddit, the 2017 Bahamas Bowl lives on forever in the annals of the Internet. The Ohio Bobcats took on the UAB Blazers at Thomas Robinson Stadium back then, but none of the important parts of this bowl game happened on the football field. Instead, fans noted a lax security presence that allowed a series of extracurricular shenanigans to take place while the game went on.
For example, only half of the twenty entrances to the stadium had active patrol on watch, which not only meant almost anybody could wander into the stadium, but nearly anyone that wanted to could bring in alcohol. Fans responded by walking out onto the circular track while the game was going on, drinking heavily, and high-fiving the security staff.
By the way, the security staff in question was the Royal Bahamas Defense Force. The country’s military personnel were allowing fans to chug beer on the track, hi-five players during the game, and enter Ohio’s locker room. Yet, with the exception of four-year-olds practicing archery outside of the stadium as part of the game-day festivities, the lax security did not result in an uptick of violence or mayhem.
But the infrastructure of the stadium itself had its own problems as well. The venue only had one working scoreboard at the time, and the game clock it displayed for the contest was actually just the ESPN feed. This meant fans and officials alike had issues viewing the stadium clock in the bottom right corner of the screen for the length of the game.
Additionally, fans reported one of the funnier sports-related stadium soundboard mishaps in recent memory. The person in charge of the music apparently played Sandstorm by Darude three times in a row at varying volumes to start the game before finally giving up and abandoning music for the event entirely. Since that fateful day in December 2017, Popeyes ditched their sponsorship of the bowl, and Elk Grove Village, IL assumed their place before declining to renew for the upcoming season.
Given where I’ve proposed College Football Island to take place, I felt the need to bring up this colorful and obscure tale from recent college football memory. However, I do believe the NCAA would be able to resolve most of Thomas Robinson Stadium’s issues with little effort or resources.
The fact that these games will go on without anyone in attendance other than staff and security personnel will thankfully mitigate most of the issues surrounding fan behavior. As for locals, there will surely be interest among the Bahamian populace as there has been at every Bahamas Bowl. Even so, with a national directive in place to limit the spread of COVID-19, one has to imagine the RBDF will do a much better job of turning people away three years following their turnstile performance in 2017.
As for infrastructure issues, there’s nothing too extreme that the NCAA and its resources wouldn’t be able to account for. Functioning field clocks for officials are an easy solution for faulty scoreboards, and a stadium sound system isn’t totally necessary unless referees feel the need to announce penalties to the press box and viewing audience at home.
But something that needs outfitting more than Thomas Robinson Stadium would be the nearby practice field that hosts a second game in tandem with the main venue. While the track & field stadium did host the inaugural Bahamas Bowl as well as the HBCUX Classic in 2014, it has not hosted an American football event since. Event organizers would need to ensure all the resources are in place to host, play, and broadcast games on a field with far less sophistication than its Thomas Robinson Stadium counterpart.
Alright, so the Bahamas can play this thing out, but New Providence has a population just short of a quarter million people. This leaves not much room for 65 FBS player rosters along with coaches and staffs on an island with roughly the same square miles of land as Toledo. How does the Bahamas host these teams?
The answer is it doesn’t.
How College Football Island Works Around COVID-19
Putting roughly 7,000 football players on the same island in the Atlantic Ocean likely isn’t going to pan out well for anyone involved, especially when there’s a pandemic afoot. But if all the players aren’t able to reside in Nassau at the same time, how will the tournament deliver 32 college football games in the four days of the First Round?
If only there were another massive landmass reasonably close by with the hospitality support to handle massive influxes of people during cold months of the year. But where in the world can one find such a pl—
Oh, Florida.
The flight from the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area to Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas lasts roughly 45 minutes. From there, it’s a less than 15 minute drive to Thomas Robinson Stadium. With enough logistical personnel and parameters in place, teams could conceivably fly to the Bahamas in the morning for their games, with some returning to their hotels in the United States before sundown.
This sounds like a great deal of unnecessary effort to uphold the idea of playing a college football tournament on an island, but in the context of keeping all involved safe from the ongoing pandemic, it makes more sense.
A plan should be in place to have all student-athletes of schools invited to College Football Island done with semester coursework prior to Thanksgiving, or at least grant them the ability to take finals digitally. The following week, teams can start making their way to their respectful hotels along the southeast coast of Florida prior to the inaugural game on Dec. 5.
Teams stay in their bubbles until their respective game-days, travel to New Providence in the morning, play their football, and come home later in the evening. Winners reside in their bubbles for another week while eliminated teams get to return home for winter break immediately. The southeast coast bubble system remains intact until the Elite Eight, when the Bahamas can create new unique bubbles for each team at their local resorts/hotels.
Installing a bubble of roughly 10,000 people along the coastline of a state that’s had as controversial an experience dealing with COVID-19 as any probably sounds ludicrous to many. But there are a few ongoing factors to consider that make this a much more plausible strategy than one would initially believe it to be.
For one, there would not be a singular college football bubble consisting of thousands of people. There are roughly 58,000 hotel rooms in the Miami area alone, which gives teams more than enough vacancy to set up their own bubbles on a school-by-school basis that consist of roughly 150 people each. That’s a far easier total to manage and puts significantly less pressure on those in charge with preserving the health of participants.
Furthermore, a 150-person bubble wouldn’t even match half the total of the most impressive sports-related one in the state of Florida this year. Earlier this week, the NBA announced it tested 346 players alone for COVID-19 with zero confirmed cases after finding two such positives in their previous round of testing. If the NBA can preserve the health of its players as it seeks to finish its season at the Disney campus in Orlando, that would provide a significant vote of confidence towards the Floridian elements of the previously laid out strategy for executing College Football Island.
As for the Bahamas’ recent banning of U.S. travelers, it’s highly unlikely this hold lasts to the point that it would jeopardize College Football Island in December. Even as commercial flights to the country prepare for suspension, private travelers from the U.S. remain allowed to enter. In addition, the Bahamas will still allow commercial travel from Canada, the U.K. and E.U. countries. There is absolutely no way that a country reliant on tourism to fund 60% of its economy and employ half of its population is going to shut out America forever.
Finally, given the impact the pandemic has had on global travel, it’s hard to imagine the Bahamas would turn down the eyeballs and promotion that come with hosting an event of such unprecedented scope in American sports. The most significant sporting event Thomas Robinson Stadium has hosted was the IAAF World Relays in 2017, so this would be a significant step-up with respect to establishing a prominent sports complex in a country dearly dedicated to attracting visitors.
There are certainly other factors that need ironing out for College Football Island to take place, but hopefully the above information provides a glimpse into how such an event could become a reality should the motivation exist to do so. Of course, some optimism remains that the college football season will take place in the fall on American soil, and with many professional sports set to return in the coming days and weeks, that hopefully will be the case.
But as nearly everyone on the planet navigates the insane unpredictability and tempestuousness of 2020, it’s best to start considering alternatives now if retaining college football is a must. Assuming the infrastructure, resources, and health statuses are all in place, would you really say “no” to ending this hell of a year with a viewing of what would be the most highly anticipated event in the history of college sports?
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LGHL Which former Ohio State quarterback would you want back in Columbus?
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Which former Ohio State quarterback would you want back in Columbus?
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
And no, I'm not allowing you to choose Justin Fields.
Now, obviously, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Justin Fields. After just one season at Ohio State, the Georgia transfer has already solidified himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in program history. However, for this exercise to work, I need you just to humor me for a bit. So let’s just pretend that for arguments sake, Justin Fields does not exist. Abducted by aliens, decided to quit football, an angry Michigan fan figured out time travel to make sure he was never born — whatever it takes to get you there.
With that being the case, the Buckeyes now need a quarterback to come fill in and play alongside the rest of the 2020 squad. They are allowed to go back into the archives and select one of their former QBs to help try and lead the team to a National Championship this season. The only question: which one do you choose? You obviously want to pick a guy who is incredibly talented, but also one that will fit well into Ryan Day’s current system and mesh with players on this year’s roster.
There are no shortage of options for this question, but let’s begin with the one of the most prolific signal-callers in recent OSU history: Terrelle Pryor.
Pryor is probably the most similar QB to Fields in terms of play style over the last decade plus. Throwing for nearly 6,200 yards and rushing for almost 2,200 yards during his three seasons at the helm, Pryor featured a great mix of both arm talent and the ability to make plays with his legs. Things may not have ended in spectacular fashion for the dynamic athlete as a result of the infamous Tattoo Gate, but Pryor put together a fantastic career at Ohio State, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2008 and being named the Rose Bowl MVP in 2010.
Braxton Miller is a potentially good option. Miller was just like that kid in high school who was simply more athletic than everyone else on the team, so the coaches threw him at quarterback to make sure the ball was in his hands as much as possible. While the arm talent left a bit to be desired at times, Miller was an absolute freak of an athlete. His incredibly high football IQ as well as video game-like speed and agility made for an explosive QB that became a two-time Big Ten Most Valuable Player.
Another interesting choice would be J.T. Barrett, who would likely be the most polarizing option for Buckeye Nation. There are many — myself included — who criticized Barrett’s abilities during his career at Ohio State, but it is hard to argue with the results. In addition to leading the team to the first ever College Football Playoff, the four-year starter filled up the trophy case. The recipient of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football in 2016, Barrett was named to the First Team All-Big Ten three times and also thrice won the Grise-Brees QB of the Year award. Say what you want about his skillset, but if nothing else, Barrett was a winner.
While Barrett got the Buckeyes to the CFP in 2014, they don't end that season with a National Championship without Cardale Jones. Thrust into action following Barrett’s injury, Jones rattled off three-straight wins against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, wherein he threw for 742 yards with six total TDs to just two interceptions. He had a rocky 2015 season as the coaching staff botched the QB battle between he and Barrett, but there was no denying Jones’ cannon of an arm and his ability to win games on the biggest stage.
Which brings us finally to my personal choice: Dwayne Haskins. In a Justin Fields-less world, I think the perfect quarterback who could come in and lead this year’s Ohio State team to a national title would be the man that was let down by his defense in 2018.
Haskins was nothing short of dominant as a rare pro-style passer in the Buckeye offense, throwing for over 4,800 yards with 50 touchdowns and just eight picks in his one season as a starter. Shattering multiple single-season program records, Haskins was selected First Team All-Big Ten, earning the Chicago Tribune Silver Football and being named the MVP of the 2018 B1G Championship and the 2019 Rose Bowl. He was robbed of getting to show his stuff in the CFP thanks mainly to a terribly scheme on the other side of the ball (thanks, Bill Davis), but nonetheless was one of the greatest quarterbacks in Ohio State history.
This year’s roster is perfectly set up for Haskins to succeed. He would be surrounded by a litany of incredibly talented wide receivers, with an offensive line that could give him days in the pocket. The quarterback position evolved under Ryan Day, and Haskins is the one who helped build that initial mold. He would also enjoy the fact that this year’s defense should be worlds better than the one he was given in 2018, thanks to a complete overhaul of the coaching staff since that season.
If I had to pick one former Ohio State quarterback to return to Columbus, Haskins is my guy.
Who would you choose to don the Scarlet and Gray once more and lead the Buckeyes to victory? Let us know in the comments!
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
And no, I'm not allowing you to choose Justin Fields.
Now, obviously, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Justin Fields. After just one season at Ohio State, the Georgia transfer has already solidified himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in program history. However, for this exercise to work, I need you just to humor me for a bit. So let’s just pretend that for arguments sake, Justin Fields does not exist. Abducted by aliens, decided to quit football, an angry Michigan fan figured out time travel to make sure he was never born — whatever it takes to get you there.
With that being the case, the Buckeyes now need a quarterback to come fill in and play alongside the rest of the 2020 squad. They are allowed to go back into the archives and select one of their former QBs to help try and lead the team to a National Championship this season. The only question: which one do you choose? You obviously want to pick a guy who is incredibly talented, but also one that will fit well into Ryan Day’s current system and mesh with players on this year’s roster.
There are no shortage of options for this question, but let’s begin with the one of the most prolific signal-callers in recent OSU history: Terrelle Pryor.
Pryor is probably the most similar QB to Fields in terms of play style over the last decade plus. Throwing for nearly 6,200 yards and rushing for almost 2,200 yards during his three seasons at the helm, Pryor featured a great mix of both arm talent and the ability to make plays with his legs. Things may not have ended in spectacular fashion for the dynamic athlete as a result of the infamous Tattoo Gate, but Pryor put together a fantastic career at Ohio State, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2008 and being named the Rose Bowl MVP in 2010.
Braxton Miller is a potentially good option. Miller was just like that kid in high school who was simply more athletic than everyone else on the team, so the coaches threw him at quarterback to make sure the ball was in his hands as much as possible. While the arm talent left a bit to be desired at times, Miller was an absolute freak of an athlete. His incredibly high football IQ as well as video game-like speed and agility made for an explosive QB that became a two-time Big Ten Most Valuable Player.
Another interesting choice would be J.T. Barrett, who would likely be the most polarizing option for Buckeye Nation. There are many — myself included — who criticized Barrett’s abilities during his career at Ohio State, but it is hard to argue with the results. In addition to leading the team to the first ever College Football Playoff, the four-year starter filled up the trophy case. The recipient of the Chicago Tribune Silver Football in 2016, Barrett was named to the First Team All-Big Ten three times and also thrice won the Grise-Brees QB of the Year award. Say what you want about his skillset, but if nothing else, Barrett was a winner.
While Barrett got the Buckeyes to the CFP in 2014, they don't end that season with a National Championship without Cardale Jones. Thrust into action following Barrett’s injury, Jones rattled off three-straight wins against Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon, wherein he threw for 742 yards with six total TDs to just two interceptions. He had a rocky 2015 season as the coaching staff botched the QB battle between he and Barrett, but there was no denying Jones’ cannon of an arm and his ability to win games on the biggest stage.
Which brings us finally to my personal choice: Dwayne Haskins. In a Justin Fields-less world, I think the perfect quarterback who could come in and lead this year’s Ohio State team to a national title would be the man that was let down by his defense in 2018.
Haskins was nothing short of dominant as a rare pro-style passer in the Buckeye offense, throwing for over 4,800 yards with 50 touchdowns and just eight picks in his one season as a starter. Shattering multiple single-season program records, Haskins was selected First Team All-Big Ten, earning the Chicago Tribune Silver Football and being named the MVP of the 2018 B1G Championship and the 2019 Rose Bowl. He was robbed of getting to show his stuff in the CFP thanks mainly to a terribly scheme on the other side of the ball (thanks, Bill Davis), but nonetheless was one of the greatest quarterbacks in Ohio State history.
This year’s roster is perfectly set up for Haskins to succeed. He would be surrounded by a litany of incredibly talented wide receivers, with an offensive line that could give him days in the pocket. The quarterback position evolved under Ryan Day, and Haskins is the one who helped build that initial mold. He would also enjoy the fact that this year’s defense should be worlds better than the one he was given in 2018, thanks to a complete overhaul of the coaching staff since that season.
If I had to pick one former Ohio State quarterback to return to Columbus, Haskins is my guy.
Who would you choose to don the Scarlet and Gray once more and lead the Buckeyes to victory? Let us know in the comments!
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LGHL An update on one of Ohio State’s top remaining targets in 2021
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An update on one of Ohio State’s top remaining targets in 2021
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Five-star Eastside Catholic DE J.T. Tuimoloau | Brandon Huffman, 247Sports
The Buckeyes are still trying to fill out their No. 1-rated class.
The commitment of Jordan Hancock was just the latest addition to Ohio State’s stellar 2021 class — one that ranks No. 1 in the nation by a large margin. With still a handful of five-star prospects on the Buckeyes’ radar, Ryan Day’s group has a chance to truly be one for the record books. Already having a stellar 19 commits in hand, Day and his staff can now go out and try to finish things off with some of most talented players in the country.
One of the guys at the top of that list is J.T. Tuimoloau, a five-star defensive end who has been linked to Ohio State for quite some time. Tuimoloau is the No. 2 player in the country overall, the No. 2 strong-side DE and the No. 1 player in his home state of Washington, and is obviously a player position coach Larry Johnson would love to add to his long list of talented defensive line pupils.
Luckily for Day and Johnson, there seems to be a good amount of mutual interest between the two parties. While Tuimoloau has played his recruitment a lot closer to the vest than most other highly-touted prospects, the Buckeyes appear to be at the top of his list, with currently four of the five 247Sports Crystal Balls in favor of OSU (the lone outlier in favor of Washington all the way back in April 2019).
If not for a global pandemic shutting down recruiting visits nationwide, there’s a good chance Tuimoloau would already be committed. However, like most players in his position, the COVID-19 shutdown has slowed down the process. Still waiting to see if he will be able to make any of his official visits at some point before signing day, Eastside Catholic head coach Dominic Daste gave Cleveland.com a glimpse into Tuimoloau’s current mindset.
“He obviously wants to have an outstanding football career and maximize his athletic ability, but he also wants to be a businessman and wants to do some things whenever football’s done,” Daste said. “He’s trying to figure out which place is best for him in terms of that.”
If he does wind up at Ohio State, the talented defensive end would be joining two fellow edge rushers in five-star Jack Sawyer and high four-star Tunmise Adeleye. It would be quite the haul for one class of defensive linemen, but for now it appears Tuimoloau is comfortable taking things slow. Things currently seem to be leaning in the Buckeyes’ favor, but only time will tell.
Quick Hits
Blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University
pic.twitter.com/V6UMKNrZvB
— De'Ante Green (@DeAnteGreen35) July 21, 2020
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes are still trying to fill out their No. 1-rated class.
The commitment of Jordan Hancock was just the latest addition to Ohio State’s stellar 2021 class — one that ranks No. 1 in the nation by a large margin. With still a handful of five-star prospects on the Buckeyes’ radar, Ryan Day’s group has a chance to truly be one for the record books. Already having a stellar 19 commits in hand, Day and his staff can now go out and try to finish things off with some of most talented players in the country.
One of the guys at the top of that list is J.T. Tuimoloau, a five-star defensive end who has been linked to Ohio State for quite some time. Tuimoloau is the No. 2 player in the country overall, the No. 2 strong-side DE and the No. 1 player in his home state of Washington, and is obviously a player position coach Larry Johnson would love to add to his long list of talented defensive line pupils.
Luckily for Day and Johnson, there seems to be a good amount of mutual interest between the two parties. While Tuimoloau has played his recruitment a lot closer to the vest than most other highly-touted prospects, the Buckeyes appear to be at the top of his list, with currently four of the five 247Sports Crystal Balls in favor of OSU (the lone outlier in favor of Washington all the way back in April 2019).
If not for a global pandemic shutting down recruiting visits nationwide, there’s a good chance Tuimoloau would already be committed. However, like most players in his position, the COVID-19 shutdown has slowed down the process. Still waiting to see if he will be able to make any of his official visits at some point before signing day, Eastside Catholic head coach Dominic Daste gave Cleveland.com a glimpse into Tuimoloau’s current mindset.
“He obviously wants to have an outstanding football career and maximize his athletic ability, but he also wants to be a businessman and wants to do some things whenever football’s done,” Daste said. “He’s trying to figure out which place is best for him in terms of that.”
If he does wind up at Ohio State, the talented defensive end would be joining two fellow edge rushers in five-star Jack Sawyer and high four-star Tunmise Adeleye. It would be quite the haul for one class of defensive linemen, but for now it appears Tuimoloau is comfortable taking things slow. Things currently seem to be leaning in the Buckeyes’ favor, but only time will tell.
Quick Hits
- According to Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts, four-star linebacker Harold Perkins is the latest 2022 prospect to land on Ohio State’s radar. The No. 16 OLB in the class and the No. 201 player overall, Perkins put on quite the performance at the Elite Underclassmen Showcase in Durant, OK on Sunday, and earned himself an invite to the 2022 Under Armour All-American Game. Kurelic says that Ohio State is one of Perkins’ “dream schools,” and that he expects position coach Al Washington to continue building a relationship with the Texas native.
- On Tuesday, Ohio State offered 2022 power forward De’Ante Green, according to Green’s own personal Twitter account. The No. 11 PF and No. 73 player in the country, the 6-foot-9 prospect already holds a whopping 23 offers, including the likes of Auburn, Kansas, Louisville, Penn State and Xavier. According to 247Sports, Green is the 11th early offer for Chris Holtmann and his staff in the 2022 class, with already one commitment in the group from three-star shooting guard Bowen Hardman.
Blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State University
pic.twitter.com/V6UMKNrZvB— De'Ante Green (@DeAnteGreen35) July 21, 2020
- Also on Tuesday, Ohio State cornerback commit Jyaire Brown received an offer from Michigan. Brown, the No. 14 corner and No. 113 player overall in the 2022 class, has been committed to the Buckeyes since the end of April as one of three early pledges in the cycle for Ryan Day and company. The Wolverines aren't the first Big Ten foe to offer Brown since his OSU commitment, as Penn State did the same back in May. 2021 RB commit TreVeyon Henderson voiced his displeasure of this latest offer on Twitter.
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LGHL Buckeye Bits: Ohio State has one of the country’s top QB rooms, more Buckeyes on national...
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Buckeye Bits: Ohio State has one of the country’s top QB rooms, more Buckeyes on national award watch lists, more
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.
Good afternoon, Buckeye Nation. It’s been a hot one out here on the East Coast, and I'm sure it’s similar over in the great state of Ohio. Hopefully you are enjoying the weather and partaking in some nice outdoor socially distant activities like the beach or the golf course. As usual, I implore you all to make sure you’re wearing a mask in times when you must be out in public so that we get a college football season this fall, and the efforts of these talented student-athletes don't go to waste.
Working to get better, one day at a time.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ygECB6YM6A
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 18, 2020
Ohio State football, from what we can tell, seems to be back in full swing preparing for what is left of the regular season, and if we as a society can get a handle on the Coronavirus sooner rather than later, the Big Ten-only schedule will be a welcomed distraction in all of our lives. Now that my daily plea is over, let’s get to the headlines!
From around Land-Grant Holy Land...
Malaki Branham, the No. 1 basketball recruit in Ohio and the No. 27 prospect in the country overall, will be making his college decision on Wednesday, and the Buckeyes appear to be the leading candidate for his services. The four-star shooting guard hails out of St. Vincent-St. Mary, a program you likely know because of a little old alum named Lebron James. Chris Holtmann and staff were able to host Branham on an unofficial visit before things went under with the virus, and have since had at least one virtual meeting with the talented hooper.
Kicking off our latest ongoing series here at LGHL, we are going to be looking position by position at former Ohio State players to find the guys who would fit in best with this year’s roster. Today, Tia started with the running backs. If you could bring back one Buckeye RB of the past to line up in the backfield alongside Justin Fields behind what should be one of the program’s most dominant offensive lines ever, who would you choose? I think I'm partial to the guy who rocked a crop top and won a national title.
This season is going to be weird no matter how you slice it, as at the very best we will only be seeing Big Ten opponents this season. As I had suggested back when I drew up a new Ohio State schedule, Matt dives into the logistics of kicking off the campaign with The Game. While the purists won’t love it, it actually makes a lot of sense. You don't know what is going to happen between now and November, so why not play the most important game of the year right off the bat to make sure the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is preserved in 2020?
From around the gridiron...
The quarterback position at Ohio State has completely transformed under Ryan Day even before he took over the role as head coach. Beginning with his tutelage of Dwayne Haskins, the Buckeyes’ headman has quickly built a reputation as a QB whisperer, and as a result has been able to secure some top-tier talent through both the transfer market — Justin Fields, ever heard of him? — and in the recruiting game. After the position was incredibly thin in 2019, Day has addressed those issues by bringing in C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller. Alongside grad transfer Gunnar Hoak, Ohio State now has one of the bets QB rooms in the country.
ANOTHA ONE
@shaunwade24 on the @NagurskiTrophy preseason list.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/qJaMLn940K
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 21, 2020
Count ‘em.@TMunford75@josh_myers71@wyattdavis53
All
on the @outlandtrophy preseason list.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/g65jtzJgTQ
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 21, 2020
With Wade moving to the outside as the obvious No. 1 guy in the secondary, Kerry Coombs will have some options in regards to who will take over his slot corner position. Sevyn Banks and Cam Brown are the two other guys expected to be at the top of the depth chart among the corners on the roster, but without much of a spring camp its tough to say which player will fill in which role. Brown seems to fit the bill for the slot job, as he is one of the fastest players in college football, but we will really have to just wait and see what Coombs decides to do with his guys this season.
From around the hardwood...
A shorter, much different summer but it’s been great being around our guys these last few weeks.
Many thanks to all of our OSU Medical professionals for all of the safety protocols in place. pic.twitter.com/UDbdIqBytw
— Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) July 21, 2020
Feels good to be back in the gym
️#Team122 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ed0Msk6w0p
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) July 21, 2020From everywhere else...
The entire “Friends” squad was supposed to get back together to shoot in March. But the public health emergency shut down production on all film and TV projects. https://t.co/m75VXgaasC
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 21, 2020
#breaking from @ragajus: @utaustin will only allow stands at DKR to be 50% full when @TexasFootball starts up this fall https://t.co/ta3hEelHfP #txlege #coronavirus
— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) July 21, 2020
Members of the @SFGiants kneel during the National Anthem. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/QbvAvCZiEs
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2020
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Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.
Good afternoon, Buckeye Nation. It’s been a hot one out here on the East Coast, and I'm sure it’s similar over in the great state of Ohio. Hopefully you are enjoying the weather and partaking in some nice outdoor socially distant activities like the beach or the golf course. As usual, I implore you all to make sure you’re wearing a mask in times when you must be out in public so that we get a college football season this fall, and the efforts of these talented student-athletes don't go to waste.
Working to get better, one day at a time.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ygECB6YM6A
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 18, 2020
Ohio State football, from what we can tell, seems to be back in full swing preparing for what is left of the regular season, and if we as a society can get a handle on the Coronavirus sooner rather than later, the Big Ten-only schedule will be a welcomed distraction in all of our lives. Now that my daily plea is over, let’s get to the headlines!
From around Land-Grant Holy Land...
- Basketball Buckeyes hoping for a BOOM of their own
(Dan Hessler, LGHL)
Malaki Branham, the No. 1 basketball recruit in Ohio and the No. 27 prospect in the country overall, will be making his college decision on Wednesday, and the Buckeyes appear to be the leading candidate for his services. The four-star shooting guard hails out of St. Vincent-St. Mary, a program you likely know because of a little old alum named Lebron James. Chris Holtmann and staff were able to host Branham on an unofficial visit before things went under with the virus, and have since had at least one virtual meeting with the talented hooper.
- Which former Ohio State running back would you want back in Columbus?
(Tia Johnston, LGHL)
Kicking off our latest ongoing series here at LGHL, we are going to be looking position by position at former Ohio State players to find the guys who would fit in best with this year’s roster. Today, Tia started with the running backs. If you could bring back one Buckeye RB of the past to line up in the backfield alongside Justin Fields behind what should be one of the program’s most dominant offensive lines ever, who would you choose? I think I'm partial to the guy who rocked a crop top and won a national title.
- Column: Ohio State should open the season against Michigan
(Matt Tamanini, LGHL)
This season is going to be weird no matter how you slice it, as at the very best we will only be seeing Big Ten opponents this season. As I had suggested back when I drew up a new Ohio State schedule, Matt dives into the logistics of kicking off the campaign with The Game. While the purists won’t love it, it actually makes a lot of sense. You don't know what is going to happen between now and November, so why not play the most important game of the year right off the bat to make sure the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry is preserved in 2020?
From around the gridiron...
- Ranking college football’s best QB rooms
(Barton Simmons, 247Sports)
The quarterback position at Ohio State has completely transformed under Ryan Day even before he took over the role as head coach. Beginning with his tutelage of Dwayne Haskins, the Buckeyes’ headman has quickly built a reputation as a QB whisperer, and as a result has been able to secure some top-tier talent through both the transfer market — Justin Fields, ever heard of him? — and in the recruiting game. After the position was incredibly thin in 2019, Day has addressed those issues by bringing in C.J. Stroud and Jack Miller. Alongside grad transfer Gunnar Hoak, Ohio State now has one of the bets QB rooms in the country.
- Another day, another Buckeye finding himself on a national award watch list. This time, it is Shaun Wade, a man now on more than a few of these preseason lists, who was named a player to watch for the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Award annually to the best defensive player in college football, there are clearly some massive expectations for Wade this season, as it is now the fourth national award watch list for the talented DB. Previously, he made the watch lists for the Lott IMPACT Trophy, the Bednarik Award and the Thorpe Award. With another year under his belt, Wade could easily become the latest Ohio State corner to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
ANOTHA ONE
@shaunwade24 on the @NagurskiTrophy preseason list.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/qJaMLn940K— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 21, 2020
- The national recognition for Ohio State players on Tuesday did not stop there, however. A trio of guys along the offensive line, which included Wyatt Davis, Thayer Munford and Josh Myers, were named to the Outland Trophy watch list, awarded annually to college football’s top interior lineman. The three returning starters from last years unit, which was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award, are all expected to be studs up front in 2020, keeping Justin Fields clean in the pocket and creating big holes for whichever running back winds up with the starting job come September.
Count ‘em.@TMunford75@josh_myers71@wyattdavis53
All
on the @outlandtrophy preseason list.#GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/g65jtzJgTQ— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 21, 2020
- Who fits best for Buckeyes in slot cornerback role?
(Austin Ward, Lettermen Row)
With Wade moving to the outside as the obvious No. 1 guy in the secondary, Kerry Coombs will have some options in regards to who will take over his slot corner position. Sevyn Banks and Cam Brown are the two other guys expected to be at the top of the depth chart among the corners on the roster, but without much of a spring camp its tough to say which player will fill in which role. Brown seems to fit the bill for the slot job, as he is one of the fastest players in college football, but we will really have to just wait and see what Coombs decides to do with his guys this season.
From around the hardwood...
- The football team isn’t the only Ohio State squad getting back at it these days. Chris Holtmann’s boys are back in the gym this July as they prepare for next season — hopefully one that will actually feature an NCAA Tournament. The last time we saw the Buckeyes, they were preparing for a Big Ten Tournament matchup with Purdue, one that they never got the opportunity to play. This year’s unit will look a heck of a lot different, as the offseason has seen no shortage of transfers both in and out of the program.
A shorter, much different summer but it’s been great being around our guys these last few weeks.
Many thanks to all of our OSU Medical professionals for all of the safety protocols in place. pic.twitter.com/UDbdIqBytw
— Chris Holtmann (@ChrisHoltmann) July 21, 2020
Feels good to be back in the gym
️#Team122 #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/ed0Msk6w0p— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) July 21, 2020
- This pandemic has stolen from us the entire NCAA Tournament, the ends of the NBA and NHL seasons (which are resuming soon), most of the MLB season, and now Friends!?
The entire “Friends” squad was supposed to get back together to shoot in March. But the public health emergency shut down production on all film and TV projects. https://t.co/m75VXgaasC
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 21, 2020
- I’m all for optimistic thinking in regards to the return of sports into our lives, but having fans in college football stadiums in any capacity seems not only incredibly unlikely but also a super unnecessary risk with the way things are currently going in regards to the virus.
#breaking from @ragajus: @utaustin will only allow stands at DKR to be 50% full when @TexasFootball starts up this fall https://t.co/ta3hEelHfP #txlege #coronavirus
— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) July 21, 2020
- The MLB has joined the fight for social justice and the Black Lives Matter movement, with players on the San Francisco Giants showing their support on Monday night. If you want to see evidence of hate and bigotry in this country, just check the replies to this tweet!
Members of the @SFGiants kneel during the National Anthem. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/QbvAvCZiEs
— MLB (@MLB) July 21, 2020
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Woody Hayes: If you're a M*ch*gan fan...you'll be home for the holidays.
- By Jake
- Buckeye Football
- 3 Replies
This thread deserves a bump. For the first time in 65 years two unbeaten, untied teams played for the B1G title.
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At the 6:50 mark is the greatest kickoff return ever.
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At the 6:50 mark is the greatest kickoff return ever.
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When washing your hands....
- By ScriptOhio
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 23 Replies
Soap before applying water or after?
Before.....
Before.....
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Godspeed, John Glenn (R.I.P.)
- By Steve19
- Open Discussion (Work-safe)
- 20 Replies
And there she was. rocking her scarlet and gray. Through and through.
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