Buckeye Bits: Ohio State gets their first 2021 signature, Heyward got paid, Braxton’s Spinniversary, more
Tia Johnston 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.

Happy Labor Day, friends! Hopefully your long weekend was spent soaking up these last few days of summer. Or if you’re like me, you may have spent your weekend decorating your home for fall. There is now not a single corner of my apartment that is pumpkin-less.

Let me just say, anyone who tells you that “they don’t want summer to end” either has a pool, lives by the ocean, does not live in a major city or is lying to your face. Once it hits late August/September, the novelty of summer has worn off. We’ve all taken our summer vacations, we’re sick of sweating every time we go outside and I swear the mosquito population doubles in size. Once it hits Sept. 1, summer is dead to me. She no longer exists. Yes, it’s still 80 degrees in Philly, but I don’t care. I’m ignoring her, consuming pumpkin-flavored everything, wearing hoodies and doing all the fall activities. Speaking of which...


Absolutely nothing screams fall like NFL Sundays. Waking up to a nice crisp 65-degree day, turning on SportsCenter to get a gist of the day’s lineup, putting on your team’s jersey, cracking open a pumpkin ale, the smell of buffalo chicken dip and chili slow cooking in the crockpot— yeah, football hits different in the fall.

While the loss of Ohio State’s football season still stings, the NFL picking back up this weekend should surely take the edge off. Things are looking up! *knocks aggressively on wood coffee table*

Let’s get into the day’s headlines.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


Column: Identifying the best possible Ohio State opener

Meredith Hein, LGHL

The Buckeyes were scheduled to kickoff on Saturday, but alas, they did not. So, Meredith took a look at who would make the perfect hypothetical opener for Ohio State based on timing, location and quality of opponent.

Ohio State making early impressions on a handful of 2022 standouts

Gene Ross, LGHL

Last Tuesday commenced the official contact period for the 2022 recruiting class, and Ryan Day and his staff hit the ground running, reaching out to a number of their top targets in hopes of making early, good impressions.

Ohio State 2020 Virtual Season Kickoff Preview: Week 1 vs. Buffalo Bulls

George Eisner, LGHL

Our Virtual Ohio State 2020 season kicked off on Saturday, and it was an absolute blast!


Be sure to toon in next Saturday to watch the virtual Buckeyes take on the virtual Oregon Ducks!

From around the gridiron...


While you were enjoying your Labor Day weekend, hopefully taking a break from Twitter and all the Big Ten chaos, Sir Yacht was still doing what he does best: lying! This tweet is by far my favorite one yet.


I’m so confused. Does he actually think he’s fooling anyone? Is he now doing it as a joke? Has it been a joke the whole time? What is his end goal?!


He’s not even exaggerating when he says “14th or 15th.”


During a press conference on Thursday, in regards to his communication with the Big Ten, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott told reporters that “a high priority for the Pac-12 would be to align our seasons” because “it would be awesome to have some of the traditional postseason opportunities the Pac-12 and Big Ten have enjoyed with each other.”

To which Austin Ward of Lettermen Row says: “No, it wouldn’t.”


And I’d have to agree. As Austin writes, “the Buckeyes are built to win it all right now,” and playing for anything less is just pointless.


Our Matt Tamanini is working on a column regarding all the silly rumors that have taken place over the last few weeks, but first, he needs some data.


Personally, I find them entertaining, but unimportant. These non-journalists’ sources (if they even exist) are not people in high places making the decisions. They’re playing with your emotions, begging for retweets and cannot be trusted. However, I find it thoroughly amusing to see what these people come up with. (Re: Ohio State may leave the Big Ten and go independent)


On Labor Day of 2015, Braxton Miller made his debut at H-Back for Ohio State and then made one of the most iconic plays in college football history.


Ohio State officially signed the first member of its recruiting class of 2021 on Saturday— Australian punter Jesse Mirco.


Mirco was able to sign early as he is 23 years old, however the rest of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class will have to wait until the first day of this year’s early signing period (Dec. 16) to sign.


Like I said above, NFL football is back this weekend, and Steve Helwagen of Bucknuts is here to help you get your Buckeye fix! Check out his breakdown of every single former Ohio State player on current NFL rosters.


And then check back into LGHL next Tuesday, as we will have a recap on how those former players did in their respective games.


Another former Buckeye got PAID paid.


Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward is now the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player over the age of 30. Heyward has spent his entire career with the Steelers, as they selected him in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. This season marks his final year of his current contract with the team. Heyward has missed only 10 games in his nine NFL seasons, has been selected to each of the last three Pro Bowls, and earned All-Pro honors in 2017 and 2019.


NFL rookies Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, Damon Arnette and J.K. Dobbins are living proof that the Ohio State-NFL pipeline is alive and well.


Pain.

From everywhere else...


Things are...not going well in Ann Arbor. One of the most popular rumors floating around is that Michigan’s president is the only one standing in the way of a college football season. Whether that’s true or not (its not), he has much bigger things to worry about right now.


The Graduate Employees’ Organization, which represents more than 2,000 graduate student instructors and graduate student staff assistants, have voted to strike until Friday in response to Michigan’s reopening plans.


Per the GEO’s press release:


The union is also asking undergraduate students not to attend class, virtually or in person, which, as said in the tweet above, could substantially disrupt academic operations throughout the week.


Two of my pet peeves: gender reveal parties and humans destroying the earth.


Continue reading...

Column: Identifying the best possible Ohio State opener
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Because by golly, we’ll have one eventually.

We might still have a day off to enjoy this Monday (and for those essential workers who do not have the day off, thank you for what you do, and I sincerely hope you get a break soon), but this Labor Day doesn’t really feel real. And the reason for that is obvious: We didn’t have college football kicking off Saturday.

Labor Day in the Hein household is a particularly jolly affair, since it also usually happens to fall close to my husband’s birthday. Under normal circumstances, we would make a trip out of heading to a game (including once to Arlington, Texas, for Michigan’s opener against Florida. I wore a shirt that said “she doesn’t even go here.”) or spend the weekend with friends parked in front of the television and drinking in the pageantry, getting our desperate fill like marathoners hydrating just after the finish line.

Things are different this year. Heck, I’d even take a Michigan opener at this point. But for now, we’re left to feed on the memories of Labor Day openers of seasons past. Obviously, this set of circumstances begs the question of what those circumstances are that make the best opener. So let’s jump in.

If we’re generalizing, there are three factors that play into the quality of an opener, and that’s in terms of (1) timing, (2) location and (3) quality of opponent. Timing refers both to the day of the week and the time of day the team plays, location to, well, location, and quality of opponent, naturally, to how premier the matchup is in terms of rankings and conference implications. These factors naturally interplay (an opener between Ohio State and Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton on Saturday night feels silly) but also feed into the ideal opener.

Let’s start with quality of opponent, because it’s not a simple binary of “good” or “bad.” Rankings, conference alignment and recency bias all come into play. What if Ohio State opened with Boise State? The Broncos might not be in a Power Five conference, but would certainly represent a formidable foe early in the season. But that’s not always the case. It’s certainly a wide berth between the Boise States of the world and the Akrons.

Unfortunately, often, non-Power Five teams start the season ranked lower than their talent, and they must work to prove themselves through maybe 10 weeks before they can enter the top-10. As a result, a non-Power Five opener might not have the panache in an opening matchup that it might, say, in a bowl game.

Additionally, given scheduling challenges - Ohio State has to schedule premier home-and-homes years in advance - knowing which non-Power Five opponents will be marquee matchups can be a challenge, and ultimately end up as a blunder or non-factor on the schedule.

There is still nuance even within the Power Five, because Ohio State could open with an in-conference opponent - like the Buckeyes did with Indiana in 2017 when JK Dobbins tore it up against Indiana. Personally, these games give me overwhelming anxiety because you find out immediately just how good your team is at the start of the season, and start to get a picture of the rest of the conference. Alarming, yes, but also grounding, and also hella exciting when Ohio State comes out on top.

When it comes to other Power Five conference matchups, games can act almost as an extension of bowl season, but it’s not always the same sentiment. Opening against Oregon State is certainly not the same as opening against Oregon: One feels like a Rose Bowl, while the other feels like the Motor City Bowl.

Playing anything but the top-three teams in the ACC, Big 12 or Pac-12 probably would evoke a negative sentiment, even if Ohio State scheduled the games with the best of intentions. For instance, consider when the Buckeyes faced Miami (FL) in the non-conference slate in 2010 and 2011 (neither of which was actually an opener). The Hurricanes were ranked 12th in 2010, but were unranked in 2011. The loss in 2011 then rang even worse for the Buckeyes.

Unfortunately, even for these premier matchups, scheduling as an opener is certainly not the norm, as home-and-homes are often scheduled for games two or three of the non-conference season.

Then there’s the recency bias which, once again, is further hindered by scheduling challenges. A team that is coming off a great bowl win will be next to impossible to schedule by the following opener, even if it’s what the people want to see.

So bottom line, I suppose, is that a quality opponent is preferable to a not-quality opponent. Duh. But the source of that quality opponent remains variable. That opponent can come from another Power Five conference or the Big Ten, but the off-chance a worthy non-Power Five opponent presents itself, I certainly wouldn’t be mad.

Location obviously plays another important role in determining the excitement of an opening matchup. No one really wants to play an away game to kickoff the season, even if it is the unfortunate necessity of scheduling home-and-homes.

As mentioned in regard to out of conference opponents, playing at a warm and sunny neutral site could help to recall bowl season. Given the timing of opening matchups, a trip to an away game can be a final and awesome conclusion to the summer over a long Labor Day weekend.

Meanwhile, playing at home in the Horseshoe evokes an unmatched home field advantage. Personally, I feel like we should keep bowl season to bowl season and enjoy our home games at Ohio Stadium while we can.

Finally there’s timing. Ohio State has only occasionally played openers on anything but Saturdays. In fact, this year, the Buckeyes were supposed to open on the road in Champaign to take on Illinois this past Thursday (sobs uncontrollably). There was that one time, as we’ve discussed previously, in 2017 when Ohio State took on Indiana in Bloomington on a Thursday evening. I think it’s pretty fun to have a game early in the week, so the focus remains exclusively on the Buckeyes.

Then there’s the question of kickoff. Noon games might be great for staying awake throughout the game, plus I don’t have to sit through myriad other games before I can get to my main event of the day: Ohio State versus whomever dares to take them on.

However, while it’s a rare thing, especially for an opener on a Saturday (for Ohio State at least), what’s better than a 7 p.m. ET kickoff under the lights, right?

If we put it all together, I guess the best matchup is just a slight variation on what we had back in 2017, which, I would argue, was the best opener in recent memory: a conference matchup on a Thursday night, only maybe this time it takes place in Columbus.

Anyway, that’s a look at the ideal opener for the Buckeyes — though now, I’d take a Saturday noon matchup on the road against Bowling Green.

On an unrelated note, if I may be so bold, maybe we should all become service academy football fans. At least we’re guaranteed a few games this year. Triple option, here we come!

Continue reading...

Ohio State making early impressions on a handful of 2022 standouts
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Four-star dual-threat QB Jacurri Brown | Andrew Ivins, 247Sports
The Buckeyes continue to build off the early momentum in next year’s cycle.

Last Tuesday began the official contact period for the 2022 recruiting class, and Ohio State’s coaching staff wasted no time reaching out to some of their top early targets in the cycle. Ryan Day seems to be pretty darn good at this whole recruiting thing, and he understands that to secure the nation’s top talents, you have to get in there early and make a good first impression.

That work continued over the holiday weekend, as Labor Day provided no breaks for the Buckeyes’ staff who are looking to secure the top group in the country in back-to-back years. They’ve gotten off to a blazing start in 2022, with their six-man class ranking second behind only LSU, and this has gotten the attention of a number of guys who would be great additions to the already stacked group.

Ohio State has seemingly picked up a ton of steam lately with four-star dual-threat QB Jacurri Brown. As Caleb discussed in his State Secrets on Friday, Brown appears to be near the top of the Buckeyes’ big board when it comes to the quarterback position. OSU officially reached out to the Georgia native on Wednesday, according to his post on Twitter, and he has since retweeted a number of edits of him donning the Scarlet and Gray.


Brown, the No. 6 dual-threat QB in the class and the No. 122 player overall, is still waiting on his official Ohio State offer. He has already amassed over 20 different scholarship offers, including the likes of Auburn, Florida, Miami and Tennessee. There is clearly a high level of mutual interest between Brown and the Buckeyes, and so I would be shocked if that OSU over doesn’t come within the next few days. Ryan Day has been the QB whisperer at Ohio State, and Brown could very well become his next prodigy.

The Buckeyes reached out to yet another talent from the South before the three-day weekend began, getting in touch with four-star defensive end Kenyatta Jackson on Thursday.


Jackson, out of Chaminade-Madonna Prep in Florida, is the No. 5 WDE in the 2022 class and a top-60 player overall. Ohio State offered the 6-foot-4.5, 215-pound edge rusher back at the end of May, and Jackson has since ran his total official offer list to almost 30 schools. With Larry Johnson listed as his primary recruiter, the Buckeyes are currently one of three teams the junior is “warm” on, according to 247Sports — those being Clemson, Oregon and OSU. Defensive end will be an important position in 2022, so I would keep a close eye on Jackson moving forward.

The staff continued making their phone calls and reaching out to their targets on Friday, this time getting in touch with four-star wide receiver C.J. Williams.


A California product, Williams is the No. 5 WR in the class, and the No. 35 player overall in 2022. The 6-foot-2, 193-pound pass-catcher is a hot commodity already, racking up a whopping 44 offers as he begins his junior year of high school. Ohio State offered Williams back in April, and he will certainly be one of the central focuses for Brian Hartline, who has made a habit of bringing top wide receiver talent to Columbus. 247Sports currently lists Alabama and OSU as the two programs he is warm on, and so look for Hartline and Day to continue building their relationship with the West Coast stud.

Finally, one of the latest 2022 prospects Ohio State has made official contact with is four-star athlete Dallan Hayden.


Hayden’s stock really began to rise about two weeks ago — about the time when Ohio State’s offer came in — and he now sits at around 25 official offers. Playing both sides of the ball for Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Hayden is currently rated the No. 18 athlete in the country and the No. 300 player in the class overall, but expect those numbers to get a bump in the coming months.

A Tennessee legacy, as his father Aaron Hayden played for the Vols, his lone Crystal Ball prediction is in favor of the in-state program. However, don't count the Buckeyes out just yet, as they were the first team to contact him at midnight once the new NCAA window opened on Sept. 1. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound junior has already rushed for 690 yards and nine TDs this season through only 10 quarters of football thus far, and with the ability to also play defensive back, he could become a Cameron Martinez-type target for OSU.

Quick Hits

• Ohio State is one of the first five programs to offer 2023 offensive tackle Aidan Leigh — notably the younger brother of five-star 2021 OT Tristan Leigh, whom the Buckeyes are very much still trying to land. The younger Leigh has now received offers from Maryland, Ohio State, LSU, Florida and Oklahoma, in that order. The staff is likely hoping to land both of the Virginia natives, as while Aidan is not yet rated, Tristan is the No. 11 player in the country.

• Jesse Mirco has become the first official member of Ohio State’s 2021 class, as the Australian punter signed with the program on Saturday. Coming out of ProKick Australia, the same program that produced former Buckeye punter Cameron Johnston, Mirco is allowed to sign his LOI earlier than his 2021 peers, as he is already 23 years old. The rest of the group will have to wait until the early signing period begins on Dec. 16.

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Buckeye Bits: No re-vote from Big Ten presidents today, Dre’Mont Jones impressing at Broncos camp, 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 Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

I opened last Friday’s Buckeye Bits with the sentence, “What a crazy week it has been,” and while for drastically different reasons this time around, things are still pretty nuts — no pun intended... ok maybe a little — around the Ohio State beat.

Football is being played in January. Football is being played in October. Football is never being played again — honestly at this point who really knows? These past few days have just been a whirlwind of misinformation on social media. Everyone has “sources,” and somehow nobody’s source can actually agree on absolutely anything. This is an accurate depiction of what it has been like to enter the Ohio State blogosphere this week:


One of the more interesting developments this week has been the somewhat surprising (not in all cases) overt bias of which many writers have been presenting the news. Somewhere, somehow, long-time trusted journalists — you know, the ones who get PAID to write about college football — reporting the facts of what is going on has become “anti-football” and instead we are supposed to all err on the side of those with anonymous sources who are just saying the things we want to hear.

Listen, we all want Ohio State football this fall. Literally everyone on the planet — outside of maybe Alabama/Clemson fans — wants the Buckeyes to take the field. But we have to stop with all the “I know a guy who knows a guy who knows something,” crap. We here at LGHL are praying for a Big Ten season this fall just like the rest of you, but we will not get caught up in reporting on baseless claims to get everyone’s hopes up. Hope is incredibly important in times like these, but false hope does way more damage than good, and until we have concrete evidence that Ohio State football is back, we cannot in good faith tell you that it is just because somebody’s uncle’s cousin who talked to a B1G AD at Wendy’s says so.

Hopefully that time will come sooner rather than later, but until then let’s get to today’s headlines.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


Where can Ohio State look for their 2022 quarterback target?
(Caleb Houser, LGHL)

The only constant throughout all of this nonsense has been Ohio State’s recruiting. Even amid a global pandemic and a cancelled football season, Ryan Day and his staff have been working their butts off on the trail, and the results are speaking for themselves.

Ohio State 2020 Virtual Season Preview: Week 1 vs. Buffalo Bulls
(George Eisner, LGHL)

There may or may not be a real football season for the Buckeyes this fall, but we are going to bring you one either way. George has done all the heavy lifting in putting together a virtual season via NCAA 14 and updated rosters, and the first game is streaming this Saturday at noon ET. Follow us on Twitch to check out the livestream, and let’s have some fun watching virtual Justin Fields and the gang as they take on Buffalo.

LGHL Group Chat: Islanders, Cardinals and Disney — oh my!
(LGHL Staff)

Surprisingly enough, the LGHL staff has other interests outside of just Ohio State sports — shocking, I know. Today, Tia put together the first ever LGHL Group Chat, our new series where we discuss what we’re up to in the absence of OSU football. While it could also feature some of our outside thoughts about things going on surrounding the Buckeyes, it can also include Netflix recommendations, what our favorite MLB/NHL/NFL teams are up to, and much more.

From around the gridiron...


Of the many big rumors floating around the Twitterverse on Thursday, one of the main ones centered around a supposed re-vote by the Big Ten presidents about reinstating the conference’s college football season, with a targeted return date of Oct. 10. Well, as of today that does not seem to be the case.

CBS’ Dennis Dodd reported yesterday that there is no immediate plan for any sort of meetings regarding a fall football season, and today we got even more news to the contrary. On Friday morning, Nebraska president Ted Carter confirmed that no meetings would be taking place that day.


However, that does not mean that steps aren’t being taken towards a return to football. Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez said on Friday that medical officials within the conference are working to gather facts and put together a proposal to present to the Big Ten presidents and chancellors. While that information could certainly lead to the “re-vote” that was allegedly going to happen this weekend, it is unclear when that proposal will be finished.


As I said previously, there has been far too much emotion put into peoples’ reporting in regards to this whole Big Ten fiasco, which has helped lead to a clouding of facts. However... this just seems like a really bad quote to me. While it is clear that a January season may be the most feasible outcome of all this, you cannot say that its, “the best you are going to do,” when the actual best case scenario is obviously playing this fall — you know, the thing that three of the Power 5 conferences are still doing.


Meanwhile, today the Big 12 announced their COVID-19 thresholds needed to postpone football games. According to the conference, teams will need to have at least 53 healthy guys on the roster, including all scholarship players and walk-ons, in order to play. In addition, certain position groups have their own thresholds. Those are offensive linemen (7), interior defensive linemen (4), and quarterback (1).


Former Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones is making a name for himself at Denver Broncos practice as he heads into year two of his NFL career. Playing in 14 games as a rookie and starting in one of them, Jones compiled 14 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception. His teammate Jurrell Casey — a five-time Pro Bowl DE — says he sees a little of himself in Jones, some high praise from a player of his caliber.


Pain.

From around the hardwood...


Apparently its 2K Day, and while I haven’t personally been a huge fan of the basketball video game franchise over the past few years, this squad of Ohio State alumni is kinda fire. You get a talented backcourt with great handles and the ability to play at either guard spot from both Mike Conley and D’Angelo Russell, and a pair of high-scoring forwards in Keita Bates-Diop and Evan Turner. They just need to recruit themselves a center and they're ready to ball.


Ryan Day isn’t the only high-profile Ohio State coach rooting for a fall football season.


In regards to his own team, Holtmann may be getting some additional practice time in the near future.

From everywhere else...


In case you may have missed it, former Ohio State tennis player J.J. Wolf has gone on a Cinderella run at the U.S. Open. Upsetting Roberto Carballes Baena on Thursday, he has advanced into the third round in his first Grand Slam event. Wolf and his excellent flow will next take the court on Saturday, where he will face-off against No. 5 Daniil Medvedev.


If we can’t have the Chris Collinsworth slide, then what's even the point of all this!?


And finally, its time for our daily edition of “which large college program is suffering from a COVID outbreak today,” featuring special guest Texas Christian University.


Have a great (and safe) Labor Day Weekend, everybody!

Continue reading...

Committed to Oregon

Signed to NE practice squad

Kumerow’s son Jake (cousin of the Bosa boys) signed to the Bills practice squad.

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ORD_Buckeye said:

It's all cleared out now. I'm just waiting to get to the doctor and have some blood work done. Until, that's all done and I'm on the allopurinol, my bar is a no-fly zone.

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Will raise a glass with you upon your triumphant return. Be well.

released by Denver on July 31

Bucklion said:

It is, although upstate NY was a much more likely habitat. They are aggressive, but they generally stay on the web and defend it. Recluses are a bitch because they get in places like closets and you don’t know they’re there. Imagine my adrenaline when I was picking up my laundry and one popped out...I grabbed a snow boot and started beating the shit out of it

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Well, at least a recluse deserved the beatdown, unlike this poor, harmless bastard.

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AuTX Buckeye said:

thats really really odd, but Ghost of Al Davis and all, to draft a guy in the 3rd and trade him before he’s even played a down for a 4th rounder... dont really understand it ...

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Well it makes sense when you consider the Raiders overall lack of WR talent.

Wait.

released by Chicago

Speaking of zoos...

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buckeydoptimist said:

Nice roster breakdown. I know it is "mostly" quibble-ing but I'd make the following changes:
Bowen Hardman - we need to be perfect on the names where possible.
Walker is probably 6-0 at best.
Jallow is a F, as he's played more 4 here than 2 - he and JA are both 3's predominantly so both should be the same.
Liddell is 6-6, love him but he is nowhere near 6-8.
Diallo measured out at 6-10 last year.
I'd make both Young and Key C/F, as both will play mostly C in 20-21.

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suggested changes made… Thanks

LovelandBuckeye said:

Scooby Dooby Doo!!!

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Ruh Roh Roner....

Let me check,

“Hey honey! How long we been married?”


Uh, 26, yeah, definitely, twenty-six stitches.

It seems one of the Jingle Cats is now in a cover band.

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There will be a 2020 Ohio State Football season at Land-Grant Holy Land
George Eisner via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
It may not happen quite the way people thought it would, but the Buckeyes will play their full schedule this season thanks to the magic of video games.

What if instead of arguing daily about when Ohio State football should come back, we could just watch the Buckeyes play all their originally scheduled opponents this fall?

What if we could still see Justin Fields compete for a Heisman trophy this season? What if we could still witness Chris Olave complete his metamorphosis from three-star prospect into first round NFL draft pick? What if we could still watch Built Ford® Tuf Borland lead the Ohio State defense as the only three-time defensive captain in school history?

What if the COVID-19 pandemic — and while we’re at it, injuries and Kevin Warren — simply didn’t exist?

The universe is what you make it, so we made a college football universe where all of this can take place.

Personally, I don’t want to accept that our reality won’t include Ohio State football for the next three months of Saturdays. As the saying goes in Hang On Sloopy, “it’s called tradition,” and I intend on doing whatever I can to keep that tradition alive.

So I dug up my copy NCAA Football 14 — the last college football video game ever made (for now) — installed a 2020 roster update, tweaked the sliders to reflect as close to an authentic college football viewing experience as possible, and set up a channel to stream it on.

In other words...

Land-Grant Holy Land will be streaming the (virtual) 2020 Ohio State Football Season on Twitch!



The idea is to stream a virtual broadcast of each game that was on Ohio State’s original 2020 schedule. The order won’t quite be the same, and the home/away designation will be off for some conference match-ups, but here’s what our adjusted schedule will look like for the fall:



Bowling Green was the original opponent set to open Ohio State’s season, but due to virtual scheduling conflicts, Buffalo will take their place instead this coming Saturday. Fortunately, Oregon can still make it for the following weekend.

Each week, we will have a preview of Ohio State’s match-up that includes all the other story lines, important details, and hilarious upsets from around the college football universe that houses the Buckeyes’ 2020 season. We will also have game recaps, and we will do our best to provide replays of the stream itself as well as clips on our social media platforms.

That’s a lot more Buckeye football than you probably thought you were getting this soon! Justin Fields sure seems happy about it:



Assuming Ohio State earns a trip to the Big Ten Championship, we will also stream that game on December 5th. From there, our own College Football Playoff committee will determine the four teams that qualify for a shot at the National Championship. The game was created back in the days of the BCS system, so we will have to get a little creative for those matchups.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The important thing is, you’re going to get an Ohio State football season starting this weekend, just like you were supposed to all along. And with the exception of the BYE at the end of this month, you’ll have a Buckeye game to look forward to on Saturdays every week for the next three months. Before you know it, you’ll be watching Chris Olave embarrass Michigan for the second time in Ohio Stadium:



Not only will you have the chance to watch all the big-name starters leave their mark on college football, but you’ll also get to witness the rise of new Buckeye legends as well. Zach Harrison will be the latest to step into the Buckeyes’ spotlight for premier pass rushers. Sevyn Banks will finally wear the number seven on his jersey! Plus, an entire platoon of underclassmen receivers from Garrett Wilson to Mookie Cooper can’t wait to make Big Ten defenses look foolish all season long:



So come follow our Twitch channel LandGrantHolyLand, and keep an eye out on our Twitter for updates throughout the season. We’ll have a preview of the Buffalo game later this week, and yours truly will call the game live at noon ET this Saturday.

Come get your Buckeye football fix! We can’t wait to tune in with you!

Continue reading...

Ohio State TE target set to announce today
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

2022 Allatoona TE Bennett Christian | Rusty Mansell, 247Sports
One of the Buckeyes’ top TE targets in the 2022 recruiting class is scheduled to commit later tonight.

Ohio State’s football program has found a way to excel in the virtual recruiting world under head coach Ryan Day — even without a Big Ten football season in the near future.

With 19 verbal commitments, the Buckeyes 2021 recruiting class currently sits atop the college football landscape. However, Alabama has been gaining ground as of recent, so don’t expect the team to take the foot off the gas anytime soon.

While focus remains on closing out this year’s class as strong as possible, the Buckeyes have been able to gain an impressive head start in the 2022 class. Ohio State already holds five verbal commitments in next year’s class, highlighted by outside linebacker and “Captain Buckeye” C.J. Hicks, five-star LB Gabe Powers and four-star athlete Dasan McCullough.

The class already sits at No. 2 in the 247Sports Class Rankings. LSU currently sits atop the rankings, but Ohio State is doing its best to overtake the Tigers, and may close the gap even more today.

Ohio State 2022 tight end target Bennett Christian (Acworth, GA/Allatoona) is set to announce his collegiate school of choice on Tuesday night.


The three-star prospect looks to be choosing between Tennessee and the Buckeyes, and while they don’t offer any sort of guarantee, Ohio State holds all of the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions with a confidence score of eight.

Tight end has been a well-known position of need for the Buckeyes as the team was only able to secure one commitment in the 2020 recruiting class, and holds just one commitment in the 2021 class as well.

If Christian were to decide to spurn the Buckeyes, which seems unlikely at this point, expect the team to increase their focus on four-star TE Donovan Green, whom OSU appears to have lost some steam with, as well as fellow four-star TE Benji Gosnell — either of which could wind up at Ohio State alongside Christian, as well.

Christian, a Georgia native, is listed as 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. He is the No. 19 TE in the country and the No. 370 overall prospect in the 2022 class.

Quick Hits:

• Ohio State 2021 four-star WR commit Marvin Harrison Jr. revealed his updated height and weight on Monday. The future Buckeye now checks in at nearly 6-foot-4 and 203 pounds, up from his most recent listing on 247Sports at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds.

• Pickerington, Ohio native Sonny Styles has seen his recruitment pick up steam recently. The 2023 safety picked up official scholarship offers from Ohio State and Indiana over the weekend, and received another one from Toledo on Monday. As these things generally go, once a big name like the Buckeyes join the mix, other top programs will soon follow suit.

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Buckeye Bits: Haskell Garrett released from hospital, Buckeye parents frustrated and hurt, more
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond

Happy Monday and, more importantly, happy Last Day of August.

From having a full-blown 10-game schedule set to begin Sept. 3, to having no college football season at all six days later — the events that unfolded in August 2020 will forever haunt Big Ten football fans. If you’d like to reminisce on said events before we step into what will hopefully be a much better month, I recommend this timeline:


Before we officially move on for good, can we just...


Six. Days.

Nevertheless, it’s time to stop dwelling on that which we cannot change, no matter how many times we angry-tweet at the powers that be. The Big Ten has made it abundantly clear that a season with a September start-date is not happening. As things currently stand, there have been reports that the conference is discussing a 2020 season beginning Thanksgiving weekend, however, that is just one of many options under consideration. I have more on that below, along with the rest of today’s headlines and updates for your perusal. Let’s get into it.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...


2022 standouts name Ohio State among leaders

Charles Doss, LGHL

The Buckeyes made two more top-schools lists because Recruiting. Is. Not. Dead.

Column: Don’t be mad about sports getting moved

Meredith Hein, LGHL

Right now, there’s a whole lot more to be mad about.

From around the gridiron...


On Saturday, Randy Wade and other football parents at Ohio State gathered at the Ohio Stadium Rotunda, along with more than 100 Buckeye fans, to speak out against the Big Ten’s decision to cancel the season.


And still, the Big Ten remains silent, leaving parents frustrated and hurt.

Frustration continues without answers for Buckeyes parents

Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

In Lettermen Row’s interview with Gee Scott Sr. on Saturday, Holbrook notes the pain in his voice when discussing the Big Ten’s lack of transparency.


Every last one of Scott’s questions deserves an answer. The Big Ten’s decision to cancel? It stinks. It’s heartbreaking. But... I get wanting to keep players safe. However, the Big Ten’s decision to keep players, coaches and parents so out of the loop that they resort to PROTESTING? That’s pretty inexcusable.


Haskell Garrett will be released from hospital, recovering from shooting

Austin Ward, Lettermen Row

Ohio State defensive tackle Haskell Garrett was found by police early Sunday morning with a gunshot wound to his face. Fortunately, he was released from the hospital on Monday morning.


Additional information about the shooting has not been provided.


91 students test positive on August 27, bringing the total number of positive COVID-19 tests among the Ohio State community up to 511 in updated testing data

Avery DePaola, Eleven Warriors

This most recent testing data (updated on Saturday) comes after Ohio State began its fall semester on Aug. 25. Meanwhile, Alabama, who began classes on Aug. 19, and who had reported 560 positive cases this time last week, now has more than 1,000 positive cases two weeks into their fall semester. Hopefully we don’t see a similar spark in Ohio State’s numbers at their two-week mark.


Don’t count on the College Football Playoff waiting for an Ohio State football season in November

Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com

Like I said in the intro, Ohio State is not playing football in September. They’re not playing football in October. Right now, the two options that have gained the most traction around the Big Ten rumor mill is a season starting on Thanksgiving weekend or a “spring” season kicking off in January.


While the Big Ten is doing whatever it can to make a football season happen one way or another, they might be wasting their time. For one, the conference won’t qualify for the College Football Playoff, even if they do start in November. And two, the season will mean virtually nothing to fans and players, especially when it comes to the Buckeyes. Ohio State fans are too greedy and the players have too much at stake to play for anything less than a national title. Will we all tune in to support our teams? Sure. But in the back of our minds I think we’ll all be wondering: what’s the point?


And the players risking their lives so that the NCAA can profit won’t see a dime of it.


It’s worth noting that Ames and Iowa City are two hours away from each other.


Another one bites the dust.


Sources told CBS Sports that Chase’s decision is not specifically related to COVID-19. Rather, his agents may have convinced Chase to leave before his third season to prepare for the draft. Chase is expected to be the first wideout selected in the 2021 NFL Draft and could be a top-five pick.


Our own recruiting expert Gene Ross calls Bennett’s decision 60/40 Ohio State over Tennessee.

From everywhere else...


2020, man.


You can read more about Boseman’s legacy here.


ESPN announces 2020 college football TV broadcasting teams

Dave Biddle, Bucknuts

Phew, it’s gonna hurt like hell watching Alabama and Clemson play college football while the best team in the nation is at home.

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Column: Don’t be mad about sports getting moved
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Be mad that systemic racism is still a thing.

Sports are back. Sports are delayed. Sports are done. Sports are back. Sports are boycotted. Sports are back again.

Don’t get too comfortable.

Years from now, when we look at the charts and graphs indicating statistics for games or players or teams or what have you, there will be an inevitable blip in the year 2020 — a forever asterisk next to the bar or dot that is way out of line compared to its 2019 and 2021 (we hope) peers. Players and teams won’t have played as many games. In some cases, statisticians may have “no data available” for a given time period.

Hopefully, someday, when we see these charts and graphs, we’ll think “man, what a strange time that was.” And I also hope that we follow up that thought with “We’re better for it now.”

That’s because we have an opportunity. A challenge to emerge better.

Let’s back up. Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game against the Orlando Magic, initially scheduled for Wednesday, in light of the recent shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year old Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The other NBA playoff teams followed suit, as did several baseball teams, tennis stars, NFL teams and, eventually, the NHL.

The airtime originally scheduled for the Bucks’ playoff game was instead used for Milwaukee’s George Hill and Sterling Brown to read a statement. That means - literally - that people who have no visibility or concept of the protests happening in Wisconsin and across the country, who meant to tune in for a basketball game, were forced to hear the same message others have been awoken to for months. Or, for the Black community in the U.S., for centuries.

COVID-19 took away sports this year, which is a minor point compared to the 180,000-plus lives lost nationwide. But it made us sit at home and think without distractions. It gave us an Opening Day with no actual baseball, a March without the Madness, an April without a spring game, a June without NBA playoffs. Those things we so often resort to, where we channel our passion or simply have a slightly better alternative to staring at a wall after a long day at work, were gone.

Instead, we were left with the horrors of our thoughts, the reality that we’re maybe not as interesting as we thought we were, or that maybe we can’t talk to people if we don’t have sports to talk about, or the hollow emptiness that we realized our lives don’t have as much meaning as we thought they did when we were “busy” watching sports on a random Tuesday.

It meant that when George Floyd was killed in May that we had nothing better to do than sit back and examine ourselves. Looking back, even in the busiest of times, nothing should have been more important than sitting back and examining ourselves. That’s something I learned.

As a privileged white lady living in Chicago, I had to go through my own reckoning and recognize that being my own definition of a good person is not enough to battle racism. I couldn’t turn on the TV and distract myself from that reality even for a few hours. It was a terrible awakening, but it was the ice cold bucket of water we needed to douse out of the complacent stupor we’d fallen into. Given my love of sports, the most salient moment for me was recognizing that I cheered for Black athletes on the field and court and ice, but wasn’t taking action to support them, simply as humans, off the field and court and ice.

I know I wasn’t alone. Given the blogs, the articles, the posts, the guidance, the sharing — it felt like we’d turned a corner. It felt like we were getting on the same page and would make some serious and much needed lemonade out of the sour as f*** lemons 2020 handed us.

And yet here we are today. After weeks of thoughtful messaging on social media, the balance of content on Instagram was slowly dialing back to brunch plates and cheersing cocktails. And another Black man was shot by another white cop.

Adding fuel to the fire, this shooting came days after video was released showing a white cop shoving Toronto Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri as Ujiri attempted to make his way to the court following the Raptors’ win in the NBA Finals last year. Making matters worse, the video only surfaced after news came that the cop was attempting to sue Ujiri. Sports, and the NBA in particular, were primed to bring the conversation back the top of peoples’ minds.

The Bucks weren’t having it. The players from the Milwaukee, less than an hour from Kenosha, recognized they had a story to share. In fact, Sterling Brown had his own story of being a victim of police violence after being shoved by a cop over a parking violation. That movement extended all the way up to the Bucks’ ownership, as owners Wes Edens, Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan released a statement expressing their allyship with the players.

The response was swift and emotional. NFL exec Troy Vincent broke down when thinking about his three children that he is “trying to prevent from being hunted.” Mets first baseman Dom Smith brought an emotional message about how being Black in America isn’t easy. Players, coaches and others are speaking out, no longer content to “stick to sports.”

Hero might be a strong description for these individuals, but it’s not far off. If you’ve listened to the Play Like a Girl podcast, you probably know that I believe athletes should not be considered heroes simply because of their superhuman feats on the field. Athletes are mortal and fallible. The records they set in the books are meant to be broken. But those individuals who go above and beyond for their fellow man — they do things that stand the test of time and warrant recognition.

As we discussed on the pod last week, LeBron James is getting pretty damn close to that hero status, given his work with the LeBron James Family Foundation and I Promise School. Other young leaders in the NBA, WNBA and elsewhere are following suit.

But back to what happened last week. Even after everything we went through collectively as a nation in May, the NBA recognized we hadn’t thought hard enough. That’s why, after months of being unable to play due to COVID-19, they voluntarily chose not to — to force the rest of us to continue the conversation.

So don’t blame them. Don’t be mad at the athletes who are quickly emerging as heroes for their actions off the court, for their courage in fighting a system which has oppressed them. A system which allows them to be praised by white fans while on the court and dismissed as something less than human the second they step off.

This year is tough for all of us. Not having our favorite stress relief in sports made a challenging year more challenging. But remember that iron is forged in fire, and we have an opportunity to become stronger and better people as a result. Also remember that it was never about you. Sports are about all of us, and unless we support the players as people as much as we do players as players, we certainly don’t deserve them.

Recognize that as quickly as sports can come back (not that they’ve come back quickly), they can be taken away. So wear a mask. And if you’re really so upset that you didn’t have basketball for two days last week, be extra, extra mad that police violence against Black Americans exists today, and do everyone a favor, and take action to ensure systemic racism is squashed in this generation.

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2022 standouts name Ohio State among leaders
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Guess what? Recruits are still really interested in playing for the Buckeyes.

Spending time with family and friends over the weekend you might’ve missed out on some of the latest recruiting news surrounding your Ohio State Buckeyes. Don’t worry! Land-Grant Holy Land is here to help you get caught back up with things.

Buckeyes make the cut


Currently sitting pretty in both the 2021 and 2022 classes, Ryan Day and crew still have a shot at landing numerous other highly sought after recruiting targets. While Ohio State might not know exactly when they will take the field this season, what they do know is two more top notch juniors are still interested in suiting up for the Buckeyes when it’s their turn to sign on the dotted line with a college.

Taking to Twitter on Friday to share his newly trimmed leader list, four-star linebacker Jalon Walker cut things down from around 25 potential college destinations to 10. Considering schools from across the country, Ohio State, North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Clemson, LSU, Auburn, Arizona State, and Texas A&M are still in the mix for the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Salisbury, North Carolina native.


Walker, the No. 2 outside linebacker, and 41st overall prospect in the class of 2022, according to the 247Sports Composite, put up some rather eye-popping numbers last season as a sophomore. Always around the ball for Salisbury High, he finished the year off with 121 total tackles, three forced fumbles, and two quarterback sacks for the Hornets.

Just a few hours later five-star 2022 wide receiver Luther Burden let the world know where he might be calling his future home. Picking up 40 offers throughout the process, Burden is now taking a closer look at 12 programs.

Rated a top-15 prospect in his class, either OSU, Auburn, Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Penn State, Illinois, Baylor, Florida State, Oklahoma, or LSU will land the 6-foot-2 playmaker from Cardinal Ritter College Prep (MO) — the same program the produced current Buckeye wide out Jameson Williams.


A big time talent on the gridiron as well as the basketball court, recruiting analyst Allen Trieu had the following to say on how Burden’s skills translate to the college level:

Quick Hits

• The Ohio State basketball staff offered 2023 in-state standout Rayvon Griffith over the weekend. Still three years away from the college level, the Buckeyes join the likes of Oklahoma State, Alabama State, and Grambling State on the hunt for the Taft High sophomore. There are not yet ratings for the sophomore class, so we will have to wait and see how the Cincinnati native stacks up later in the process.

• Ohio State offered another 2023 in-state product on Sunday, this time of the football variety. Pickerington North safety Sonny Styles announced his latest offer via Twitter, as the Buckeyes joined Indiana as the two earliest entries for the sophomore. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound safety does not yet have a rating, but he is an OSU legacy, as his father Lorenzo Styles Sr. played his college ball in Columbus.

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Surprised there aren't anymore home brewers here than this.

My brother's been brewing for 15 years or so. I've recently started dabbling. Have done two batches so far. The first turned out pretty decent - the 5 gallon keg only lasted 2 weeks or so. I've got a pineapple coconut hazy ipa in the keg right now. Planning to tap it this weekend.

Doing a lot more rewatching now while the Great Waffling occurs over B10 football. This game was certainly a sign of things to come.

A team full of great players and athletes that had about 5 huge plays and sputtered the rest of the night. Honestly, as much as it might hurt, this is the season that I want more insight into. I really want to know the reasoning behind Beck and Warriner and how Meyer thought the offense could run smoothly with 2 over promoted position coaches and a very talented but raw pro-style QB.

This was the season in one game.

Ezekiel Elliott had 11 carries. 11. Totally forgot that. Dude had just run for ~700 yards in the 3 biggest games. Michael Thomas only had 2 catches. Curtis Samuel had 3 touches. But Jones had 13 carries. I think part of that was due to the option being run against the bear front, but those stats remain unforgivable. And much of the same magical thinking kept being replicated all year.

The best way I can describe the offensive gameplan for this game and the whole season is hopeful. The WR depth was shockingly bad, so they plugged in a raw QB that struggled with a short and intermediate passing game and hoped he'd make a play downfield. And most of the time he couldn't.

The frustrating thing is though, we still saw sparks that showed why they could play with and beat any team in the country. Soundly. I almost understand why Meyer was tempted to make the decisions he did. He knew he had a hammer in Elliott and how dynamic Miller, Samuel and Marshall were. The highlight plays against VaTech probably reinforced his decisions in his mind. Miller was going to be a Heisman candidate and Jones would figure it out.

Problem is, you can only run QB power and pop passes so many times before the defense figures it out. And they never got past that in the planning stage.

Huh?