I like the idea of poaching Michigan linemen.

With the season now complete, it’s back to the recruiting grind for Ohio State’s coaching staff​

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Landing Jacobs this week was huge for the 2027 class, but the only thing better than one elite defensive line target out of Georgia for the Buckeyes would of course be another, and so far so good when it comes to Justin Weeks.

The No. 179 player nationally and the 22nd best edge rusher in the class per the 247Sports Composite, Weeks has well over 20 offers to his name, but has made it clear Georgia and Ohio State are the schools that at least currently are sticking out the most for him and his recruitment.

pnuts34 said:

I think one big knock on the defense, that I'm also jealous of because OSU didn't utilize it, is the QB run on broken plays or you know just throwing the ball away to avoid sacks. Beck was able to extend multiple drives due to almost just "wanting it more" and taking off. Sayin had at 2 3rd downs I can remember where he could've run for less than 5yds and got a 1st down. There were also countless times I was screaming at my TV for Sayin to just throw the ball away and not get sacked. I think the experience gap between the QBs was on display. Beck kept his offense ahead, and not having to make hero throws to get 1st downs.

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I so agree with this post. Miami just seemed to want it more top to bottom. The energy and individual efforts by Miami players was different.
Lots to digest. I come away with more questions than answers.
I do not like the way they do the playoffs with such a long layoff and I also feel like with such a long layoff other things off the field come into play more due to player movement and coaching chances. The product of the actual football game is suffering due to the current structure of the playoffs and current state of NIL and transfer portal.

I am now convince the 1st 2 rounds should be home games for the higher seeds and the semis and finals should be the only bowl games. This weekend should be the semis IMO.

Imagine if HS football to a 3-4 week break between the last game and playoffs.

Portal

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“Almost business as usual” for Bailey despite added responsibilities​

Ryan Day isn’t the only one taking on additional responsibilities with Ohio State’s offense during the College Football Playoff due to Brian Hartline’s impending departure for South Florida.

While Day is taking over offensive play calling duties from Hartline, he’s said multiple times that co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey is also “very much involved” in the offensive operation for the CFP. Bailey will take Hartline’s place as the eye in the sky for the offense in the Cotton Bowl, as he’ll coach from the press box while Hartline will coach from the sideline in a reversal of roles from the regular season and Big Ten Championship Game.

Bailey, who regularly coaches Ohio State’s tight ends, also spent time coaching Ohio State’s wide receivers during the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl preparations as Hartline spent some time in Tampa preparing for his first season as USF’s head coach before returning to Columbus for Ohio State’s CFP run.

The extra work hasn’t felt like a big change for Bailey, though, because of how collaborative Ohio State’s coaching staff already was.

“Has it been different for me? Yeah, I've had to do some different things. Not roles that I haven't done in the past, but however I could help make it easier for (Hartline), for the players, for Coach Day, I will do anything for those guys,” Bailey told Eleven Warriors. “We've been so collaborative over the last decade – myself, Hart, Coach Day, even (quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler) has been here for quite some time – we have such a great chemistry that it's not that much different, right? Now ultimately with Coach Hart's deal, Coach Day, everything goes through him. But from a day-to-day standpoint, it's been almost business as usual.”


Bailey, who could be a candidate to replace Hartline as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach next season – if not to replace Hartline as offensive coordinator – said he enjoyed spending more time with the wide receivers because of the role he played in recruiting many of them, specifically starters Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss and Jeremiah Smith.

“To step back in there and coach them, it was kind of refreshing,” Bailey said.

Day has trusted Bailey to take on additional responsibilities for the CFP because of the consistent work Bailey has put in throughout his tenure at Ohio State, where he’s worked his way up from joining the staff as an offensive intern in 2016.

“He means a lot to us on offense. He does a lot of the heavy lifting. He's kind of the guy behind the scenes who does all the dirty work for us in terms of like the preparation, the cut-ups, the motivation,” Day said Wednesday. “He's the first guy in the building, the last guy to leave. He's a hard worker, and he knows what we want to get done. And that has a tremendous amount of value to our offense.”

Moved a few posts speculating about JTB as OC over to the coaching vacancies thread.

Records vs ranked teams: 24-39 (.381).

11W Forums

KYBuck4858 2 hours ago
Long time CB target, Larry Moon, tells Fong that he's looking to visit OSU, Miami, and Oregon in the spring. This is the kid that used to live in Pittsburgh and has visited us like 15x, but things kinda got sidetracked when he transferred down to IMG last year. Glad to see his name pop back up.

Simon makes 15 tackles​

It was a mostly bad day for the Arizona Cardinals’ defense in their 37-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but Cody Simon was a bright spot.

The rookie linebacker from Ohio State made a whopping 15 tackles, the second-most among NFL players in Week 17, including his first career sack as he took down Joe Burrow on an explosive blitz to the quarterback.


Simon, who made his seventh consecutive start for the Cardinals on Sunday, has now recorded 68 total tackles in his rookie season after he was selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Eichenberg lays the boom on special teams​

Another former Ohio State linebacker also made a big impression in Week 17 as Tommy Eichenberg laid one of the week’s biggest hits in the Las Vegas Raiders’ loss to the New York Giants.

On a punt return by Gunner Olszewski early in the third quarter, Eichenberg barreled into the Giants receiver at full speed, knocking him backward with a thundering collision that could be heard on TV.


Eichenberg also recorded a tackle on the game’s opening kickoff and another tackle on an Olszewski punt return, bringing him to 21 special teams tackles for the season, the third-most in the NFL this year.


Eichenberg also recorded two tackles on defense in the Raiders’ 34-10 loss to the Giants, which dropped Las Vegas to 2-14 on the season and put the Raiders in position to have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

*sigh* called it lost in the semi's fuck you JaXon Dart .... walked to 3rd place ....

gmen6981 said:

That could be interesting.

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They may never lose to Ped State again!

Don’t doubt the Big Dutchman from west Michigan. They grow the big out there.

LovelandBuckeye said:

Oh for fuck's sake! Those cockbags up north can cheat for years and steal a natty and get nothing. But this kid gets donations to pay for a D3 school and the NCAA says fuck him.

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And he's paying to run D3 Cross Country at that!