When Ohio State has rolled out its 4-3-3 looks on defense, it's been Payton Pierce at middle linebacker, where he projects as the starter and has been wearing the green dot. The favorite to start alongside him at either the Sam or the Will is going to be Wisconsin transfer Christian Alliegro, with TJ Alford and Riley Pettijohn in the mix for the third spot.

If it's a 4-2-5, it'll be Pierce and Alliegro who will be on the gridiron. In both packages, it'll be Devin Sanchez and Jeremaine Matthews Jr. on the outside, though Matthews did split reps with Kelly during the first practice. As for safeties, Jaylen McClain and Florida State transfer Earl Little Jr. seem to have those spots on lock.

But the biggest news regarding the 4-2-5 package is at the nickel, as five-star freshman Jay Timmons has commanded the majority of the work at the spot.

Different personnel looks​

Ryan Day said after practice Thursday that his team would "try a couple different" combinations on the offensive line.

The unit that was ushered out as the first team that day was Ian Moore at left tackle, Luke Montgomery at left guard, Carson Hinzman at center, Austin Siereveld at right guard and Philip Daniels at right tackle.

On Friday, it was Siereveld at left tackle, which is where he started in 2025, and Joshua Padilla at right guard. Moore split reps with Daniels at right tackle, while Montgomery and Hinzman remained at their spots.

For Saturday, both of these looks were on display. As Dan Hope wrote in his Friday practice observations, below are the following looks that Ohio State could roll out on the offensive line — as it stands right now, the first option looks like the favorite.

• LT Ian Moore, LG Luke Montgomery, C Carson Hinzman, RG Austin Siereveld, RT Phillip Daniels
• LT Austin Siereveld, LG Luke Montgomery, C Carson Hinzman, RG Joshua Padilla, RT Phillip Daniels
• LT Austin Siereveld, LG Luke Montgomery, C Carson Hinzman, RG Joshua Padilla, RT Ian Moore

"It's gonna be really good competition. Good news is we have some different options, but we gotta find the best five," Day said.

The RB conversation​

After a freshman year where he ran for 1,090 yards, Bo Jackson returned to Columbus hoping to improve on a strong first campaign as a Buckeye.

But it hasn't been smooth sailing for the tailback early, as he spent most of the first three practice sessions working with twos. Isaiah West, whom Day said had a "tremendous offseason," has been working with the starters and taking the first reps.

“He's very explosive. He'll be in the gap, then he'll pop out, and he's there, and then he's gone. He's super twitchy, and he had a heck of an offseason.”– Payton Pierce on Isaiah West

West has looked like the top tailback through three practices, and all the feedback has been positive. It'll be interesting to see if Jackson's role takes a step back with him seeing the majority of time with the twos, but given his role last year, it'd be hard to see that happening.

Jackson does already have a rapport fielding handoffs with Sayin, so this can give West more of an opportunity to do that. I think West will certainly see an uptick in snaps after playing third fiddle to Jackson and CJ Donaldson a year ago, but he was coming off a knee injury in high school. Though he ended up surpassing James Peoples in the depth chart by the end of the year.

The pair enter their second fall camp after being banged up in the spring, but the tandem appears healthy coming off shoulder injuries.


As far as guys behind them on the depth chart, Florida transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson saw steady work across all three practices with the top unit. He started his collegiate career at Coahoma Community College and Mississippi, playing three seasons there before spending three at Florida and then transferring to Ohio State in the winter for his seventh and final year of eligibility.

He worked primarily as a pass-catching back, fielding screen passes and then hauling in receptions in the flat as a check-down option, finding holes at times.

The other player who worked with the ones only did so for one day, as freshman Legend Bey did so after missing the first two days of fall camp due to a violation of team rules. It wasn't a full day for him with the starters, as he spent time between both the ones and twos.

There were highs ands lows for Bey in his return. He was told to do push-ups by running backs coach Carlos Locklyn after missing a pass block, and later in practice had to run a lap after losing a fumble. He did show flashes, though, as it's evident he has a burst with the ball in his hands. The offense had him lined up out wide at times while also having him motion into the backfield.

“Legend did some good things today. He's obviously a dangerous player with the ball in his hands.”– Julian Sayin on Legend Bey

Regardless of what we've seen, Bo and West will likely see a split role, regardless of who is trotted out there for the first snap in Week 1. Ja'Kobi Jackson could be thrust into a pass-catching role, but if Bey catches up to the college game quickly, it'll be hard to keep his explosiveness off of the field.

Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List: Ohio State Wide Receiver Jeremiah Smith, Walk-On Cornerback Brenten “Inky” Jones Ranked As Two of College Football’s Best Athletes​

By Dan Hope on August 10, 2026 at 9:38 am @dan_hope

• OSU Football

Email this ArticleShare on RedditShare on TwitterShare on Facebook
2 Comments
Ohio State has two of the freakiest athletes in college football.
Two Buckeyes made the top 30 of Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks” list for The Athletic, released Monday, which ranks the 101 most athletic players across college football.
As you might expect, one of those players is Jeremiah Smith. The superstar Buckeye wideout, who was ranked No. 1 on the list a year ago, dropped one spot to No. 2 this year behind South Carolina wide receiver Nyck Harbor, though Feldman noted that Smith is “the best player on this list and in the country.” Harbor has ranked No. 1 in three of the past four years of Feldman's Freaks List.
What you might not expect is just how absurd Smith’s offseason workout numbers were. According to Feldman, Smith ran a 6.84-second 3-cone drill – a drill that usually favors smaller players – which would have been the second-fastest time at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound wideout also led all Buckeyes this offseason with a 1.44-second 10-yard sprint. Additionally, he posted an 11-foot broad jump, 38.5-inch vertical jump and was clocked running 23.5 miles per hour on GPS.

Please let him be a YAC receiver!

The 51 freshmen poised to make an impact on the 2026 college football season​

Legend Bey, RB, Ohio State: Bo Jackson cracked the 1,000-yard plateau a year ago for Ohio State and emerged as the unquestioned lead back. Bey lacks the every-down qualities of Jackson but has better speed, posting a blazing wind-aided 10.23 100-meter dash in 2025. Expect Bey to take some of the load off Jackson this year in Arthur Smith's offense. A former high school quarterback, Bey is a dynamic athlete who could plug in all over the offense, from the backfield to the slot, and give the Buckeyes a versatile chess piece to move around the board.

Get this kid outta AZ and let him prosper…..

Dude doesn't get the credit he deserves. May have not been the ideal NFL QB but his redshirt freshman season was unbelievable and not for his injury may have been a heisman finalist that year, and laid the groundwork to get us in the playoffs. 2016 and 17 may not have been the best finishes but he made a lot of great plays. That Penn State comeback is still legendary.

Anybody ever heard of Dueling Axes?

Popular sports bar chain closes all locations, no bankruptcy​

Sports bars, brewpubs, and craft breweries have struggled for a variety of reasons since the Covid-19 pandemic, including declining foot traffic and rising costs of products and labor, driven by inflation.

In some cases, an establishment closes for a mysterious, undisclosed reason.

Axe-throwing sports bar chain Dueling Axes has closed all of its locations as a result of circumstances outside of the company's control, according to WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio.



Dueling Axes closes all locations

The company did not indicate what circumstances caused it to shut down all five locations as of July 31.

A spokesperson for Dueling Axes was no immediately available for comment.

"The closures resulted from circumstances outside our control and we are deeply saddened that our eight-year journey has ended this way," Dueling Axes said in a statement. "For now, founders Paul and Jess are focused on responsibly wrapping up the company's operations and moving forward into their next chapter."

The Columbus-based axe-throwing sports bar chain has not filed for bankruptcy at last check, and the owners have not revealed their future plans.

Axe-throwing bar opened in 2018​

Dueling Axes was founded in 2018 by co-owners Jess Hellmich and Paul Sherry in Downtown Columbus. The sports bar consisted of axe-throwing lanes with targets, separated by netted barriers to protect participants, a full bar, and plenty of, mounted large format television screens for sports fans to watch their games.

The axe-throwing sports bar also opened locations in New Albany, Ohio, and Las Vegas in December 2020, Grove City, Ohio in July 2025 and Cincinnati in August 2025, according to WCMH.

The Downtown Columbus location didn't sell food, but allowed outside food to be brought in. Other locations had kitchens, such as the Cincinnati Dueling Axes, which offered axe-throwing deals with a food menu that included flatbread pizzas, Cuban sandwiches, Paninis, and appetizers such as nachos and tots, according to its website.

Farewell messages from owners​

The Dueling Axes New Albany webpage posted a closing message for customers:

"This location has permanently closed. After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to close our New Albany/Hamilton Quarter location," the message read.

"We are incredibly grateful to every guest, team member, neighbor, and partner who supported this location over the years. Thank you for choosing us for your nights out, celebrations, team events, birthdays, date nights, and everything in between.

Login to view embedded media
Just sayin': He had a great run at Ohio State, played 11 seasons in the NFL, and made over $25M in just his NFL contracts.


However, what I mostly remember mostly about him is his mother. His mother Anne Apple led an advocacy effort in January 2015 helping parents of Ohio State players secure travel stipends from the College Football Playoff to attend the national championship game.

Background on the Travel Stipend Fight

• • High Costs: Families spent thousands of dollars out of pocket to travel and watch the team play deep into the postseason.
  • The Push: Annie Apple and other football parents spoke out publicly and pressured organizers regarding the financial burden.
  • The Result: The College Football Playoff and NCAA eventually provided a travel stipend (around $1,250 per parent) to help families offset travel and lodging expenses.

Needless to say, that was years before the start of NIL......

Login to view embedded media
Just sayin': Click on the link to see he graduated today.

Login to view embedded media
......

He shot a disappointing 72 (+2) on his last round.
69-67-69-72 = 277 (-3) and T67; earned just $17,595.

Crazy that it's been 17 years since Carroll was at USC.

Login to view embedded media

This week’s question: Which players had the most noteworthy performances for Ohio State in Puerto Rico?​

Connor: Anthony Thompson​

Based on Adam Jardy’s reporting from San Juan and some of the clips Ohio State tweeted out this week, Anthony Thompson completely balled out in the Buckeyes’ two games.

Acknowledging that it was against inferior competition, Thompson looked like the type of player that could elevate Ohio State from a middle of the Big Ten type of team to a legitimate Big Ten contender.

In two games, Thompson averaged 13.5 points on 61% shooting overall and was 4-for-10 from three-point range. He also grabbed 13 rebounds in the two games combined, and had two steals in Ohio State’s second win of the week.

Thompson only drew one foul in Puerto Rico and was 1-for-2 at the free throw line, which means Thompson probably wasn’t getting to the basket a ton and instead was relying on his jumper. That worked well against lower level competition, but when the season actually starts, he will need to be able to use his 6-foot-9, 215-pound frame to draw fouls and wear down defenses.

Jardy reported that, after watching these two games, Thompson will need to “continue to develop from a physical standpoint.”

I think it’s super encouraging that Thompson was so efficient playing against grown men and (reportedly) did not look sped up at all playing with college teammates against professional players. More than any other player, I think Thompson’s performance this season could completely change the trajectory of Ohio State’s season.

If he is an All-Big Ten type of player, this will be Jake Diebler’s best Ohio State team by far.

Login to view embedded media

Login to view embedded media
Just sayin': Under the new NCAA rule "5 in 5" Luke Montgomery now has 2 more years of college eligibility. He does have the option to play for Ohio State again in 2027 and wait for the 2028 NFL draft.

Definitely thought that Devin portaled because of minutes. This being his money year and all. But losing Devin took a big chunk of leadership and experience from this team. Hopefully, the young 'uns will season-up early, and when the going gets tough, they will rise to the occasion. This will be a young tOSU team. Maybe older players, but not so many with this team experience. Go Bucks!

This guy is gonna occupy more than one DL on every snap. He's certainly wide enough to blot out at least one of the RB 'holes'. Glad he's suited up in S&G. Go Bucks!

Mike80 said:

Steiner Math is inarguable...

View attachment 92812

Click to expand...

Just sayin': Apparently he played college ball at Jacksonville State; I would have though that he would have followed his old man and been a "legacy" at scUM. Anyway he plans to end up being a "legacy" in WWE.

Jacksonville State football's Brock Rechsteiner announced as part of WWE's NIL class​

“I work out with [Bron Breakker] all the time back home. I go fishing with him a lot because he moved back to Georgia. He has really convinced me to, once I’m done playing football, to get into the wrestling business,” Rechsteiner told WDSU-TV. “I want to play football for as long as I can, give it the best shot I can, but once I’m done playing football, I’ll get into it, for sure. I’ll be getting into WWE.”

Click to expand...

ScriptOhio said:

New Hall of Fame inductee Drew Brees reacts to his bust with former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton looking on.

Click to expand...

It looks like Ben Roethlisberger with a rug.

Jagdaddy said:

It disturbs me that I remembered that guy’s name before you posted it.

Click to expand...

I think @Mike80 at the time found a pic of the whole Yaccobacci extended family posing under a bridge. They were just as disturbing as you can imagine.

If I remember correctly, the fake Gmail address that I created to communicate with them was "[email protected]