3 Buckeyes will compete in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


They may not be suiting up for Team USA, but there are some Ohio State alumni to root for!

The Women’s World Cup is underway, and while there may not be any Buckeyes on Team U.S.A., there are still three former Ohio State alumni competing for the World’s top prize: Tiffany Cameron (Team Jamaica), Lindsay Agnew — a Dublin, Ohio native — and Nichelle Prince (Team Canada). All three women will be competing in their first World Cup action.

Team Jamaica

The player


Tiffany Cameron played for Ohio State from 2009-2012, and has spent the past seven years since her time in Columbus playing professionally for the National Women’s Soccer League (Seattle Reign and Kansas City), and many teams abroad, currently competing for Stabaek FC in the top league Norway.

She’s previously represented Canada in international competitions, but after a historic qualification by the Reggae Girlz Jamaican team, she’ll play for them this year instead.

Some of Cameron’s accomplishments, according to Ohio State, include:


For more information about Cameron: FIFA Women’s Wold Cup Player Page

How to watch: Jamaica vs. Brazil


Date: Sunday, June 9 in Grenoble, France

Time: 9:30 a.m. ET

TV and Stream: FS1 (stream) and Telemundo

What’s Next:

• Italy on Friday, June 14 in Reims
• Australia on Tuesday, June 18 in Grenoble

Team Canada

The Players


Agnew and Prince are fairly recent Buckeye alumni, both playing for Ohio State from 2013-2016. The pair also became the first players in program history to be selected in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Draft, with Agnew going No. 19 overall to the Washington Spirit and Prince going No. 28 to the Houston Dash.

Not only did Agnew and Prince play together at Ohio State, but Agnew was traded to the Dash just a year after being drafted where the duo linked up again, even before being selected to play for Team Canada in the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Prince has a bit more experience on the big stage having won bronze at the Olympics a few years ago with the Canadian team.

According to Kim McCauley at SB Nation, Team Canada will need someone to step and one of the two Buckeyes could fill that need.


Lindsay Agnew

Some of Agnew’s accomplishments, according to Ohio State, include:


For more information about Agnew: Team Canada profile link.

Nichelle Prince

Some of Prince’s accomplishments, according to Ohio State, include:


For more information about Prince: Team Canada profile link.

How to watch: Canada vs. Cameroon


Date: Monday, June 10 in Montpellier, France

Time: 3 p.m. ET

TV and Stream: FS1 (stream)



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Buckeyes well represented in Women’s World Cup
Patrick Mayhorn via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State has three reps in the WWC.

Buckeyes represent


The World Cup, both men’s and women’s, is a delight every time it rolls around, even for me, an extremely passive and unaware soccer watcher. In case you’ve missed it, the Women’s World Cup is upon us, with the first game (France vs. South Korea) kicking off earlier today. France won that contest, 4-0.

If you’re looking for rooting interests as you watch, outside of the excellent USWNT, there are three Buckeyes representing Ohio State in this year’s cup: Lindsay Agnew and Nichelle Prince for Canada, and Tiffany Cameron for Jamaica.

Agnew and Prince were both huge parts of Ohio State’s 2016 team, and Cameron is, arguably, the best player in school history. She’s Ohio State’s all-time leading goal scorer.

If you’re trying to catch one of their group stage games, here’s the schedule:

Jamaica


6/9 vs. Brazil at 9:30 a.m. ET (FS1)
6/14 vs. Italy at 12 p.m. ET (Fox)
6/18 vs. Australia at 3 p.m. ET (FS2)

Canada


6/10 vs. Cameroon at 3 p.m. ET (FS1)
6/15 vs. New Zealand at 3 p.m. ET (FS2)
6/20 vs. Netherlands at 12 p.m. ET (Fox)

Beals extended


I was a bit surprised today when I saw this news piece come across my desk. Ohio State baseball coach Greg Beals, despite plenty of struggles, has received a three year contract extension, per Ohio State:


This feels a little reactionary, to me. Yes, Ohio State made the tournament after winning the Big Ten, but that was after a largely disappointing regular season. In his nine years at Ohio State, the Buckeyes are slightly over .500, and while they had an excellent regular season in 2016, and made the tournament this season, they’ve never really been able to take advantage in the postseason.

Beals is a solid coach. Is he so good that Ohio State has to extend him through 2023? Right now? I’m not so convinced.

Buckeyes have a new women’s lacrosse coach


From one coaching move that I don’t really like, to a move that I adore, Ohio State has hired Amy Bokker to coach the women’s lacrosse team. Bokker has spent the last 11 years at Stanford, and there she’s put together one of the most consistent programs in the country. Her teams have won at least 14 games in eight of her 11 years, and the Cardinal made eight NCAA tournaments, while winning their conference six times.

Ohio State, for comparison, hasn’t won 14 games in a single season going back to 2010. and has won 13 just twice. Bokker is a program builder, and consistent winner, and that’s exactly what a stagnating Buckeye program needs. She may not win a title at Ohio State, but if the Buckeyes want to compete in the Big Ten and make the NCAA tournament, Bokker is a tremendous hire.

Stick to Sports

• The story of the first E3.
• Future has dropped a new EP.
• Canada has awful taste in shows.

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Ohio State recruiting: Buckeyes offers little brother of former national champion alum
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes make an offer to an in-state legacy prospect.

Yesterday the Ohio State program hosted their first camp of the summer—a great chance for the staff to take a look at some of the talent. This is a chance to play host to some of their top targets who they have already seen compete several times. Any chance a top priority recruit is able to get to campus, it’s an additional advantage for Coach Day and his crew to continue building the all important relationships with guys they want to be on their future rosters. While yesterday’s camp was the only the first of the summer season, there was enough fireworks to go around as the staff was busy with their evaluations and handing out new offers to guys they know are worthy of suiting up in the Scarlet and Gray.

In-state legacy lands OSU offer


Ohio State, as you all know, won the National Championship in 2002 over the Miami Hurricanes. One of the stars of that 2002 championship team was safety Mike Doss. Not only was Doss a great player and leader of the team, but it was just before the 2002 season when he elected to come back to school and play for the Buckeyes in his final year at Ohio State. While his story is already written in the Buckeye yearbooks for the rest of time, his family legacy may only be beginning.

Yesterday, little brother to Mike Doss, Dublin Coffman product A.J. Kirk, a 2021 prospect, received the highly coveted Buckeye offer—and this is one that Kirk has surely been wanting and waiting on. A 6-foot, 200-pound safety, A.J. has the bloodlines to prove he’s well worth the offer. Ranked by 247sports as the fifth best safety in the country and the sixth best player in a very talent-deep Buckeye state for the class of 2021, Kirk is a player the Buckeyes will roll out the red carpet for now that the offer has been made official. One would probably think this is Ohio State’s target to lose, but time will be the only way to tell if that holds true.


Growing up just minutes from campus and having your older brother win a championship with the same team does nothing but help the Buckeyes’ cause. If Ohio State makes a full court press for Kirk, this recruitment could be over early. A.J. does though still have two full seasons to play at the prep level. With already more than solid size and ability, it’s just a matter of time before the other top national level programs come calling. Thankfully, the Buckeyes have more than enough going for them with this recruitment.

Kentucky TE gets an OSU offer


Ohio State’s offensive coaching staff is loaded with guys who have been at the top of their profession more than once. When you consider the guys on the staff and all of the accolades they each have acquired over the years, it’s no wonder why the Buckeyes are landing top elite offensive players left and right. Regardless of position too, Ohio State has been successful even early in the Ryan Day tenure.

One position group thought that fans have really yet to see the plan unfold for is the tight end group. Day will officially be in his first season as the head coach and with his offensive game plans and scheme, the tight ends will be a position worth watching. It could be vastly different than what many are accustomed to with Meyer’s former offensive style, but if Kevin Wilson has anything to say about it, the TE spot will surely be an integral part of the game plan.


Yesterday, after a solid performance during camp, Ohio State offered their latest tight end prospect in Kentucky native Jordan Dingle. A 6-foot-4, 230-pound 2021 prospect, Dingle grades out by 247sports as the 15th best TE in his class nationally and the fourth best player in the Bluegrass State. With five offers overall and both the in-state schools, Kentucky and Louisville already in the fold, the Ohio State offer is just yet another domino to fall before the rest of the “blue-bloods” come calling for his services. Ohio State has made their pitch early and can begin building the relationship, but how well the 2019 tight ends play and how often they are used could be a big factor to whether or not Dingle is serious about the Buckeyes.

Quick Hits:

• Current Buckeye commit Paris Johnson Jr. was on campus yesterday for the one-day camp. Ohio State loves to have him on campus any chance they can get, but yesterday was even better because his current teammate and major Buckeye target Darrion Henry was also with him to see Ohio State again.
• 2020 three-star defensive end Ty Hamilton (Pickerington Central), a guy right in Ohio State’s backyard, scheduled his Buckeye official visit for June 14-16.
• 2020, 6-foot-6 small forward Che Evans announced a Top 7 schools yesterday evening and included Ohio State. Evans is a top 170 player nationally for the class of 2020.

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My 10-year-old is playing Little League. He's the kid who's more likely to be caught dancing in the outfield than making a play in the field. Still, lase year he walked more than he struck out, and he got a hit (yes, I used the singular form of the word). This year, game 1 was same old, same old, as he walked once (got the RBI, though) and struck out once. Second, game, though, he swung at what should have been Ball 4 and hit what was basically a bunt back to the pitcher. The kid has two speeds, and if you don't like the first one, you're sure as hell not going to like the second one. So he was thrown out at first. Second time up, bottom of the 6th, he's leading off. We're down by 1. So I told him, "Only swing at balls in the strike zone, and then RUN to first." He fouled back Ball 4, then he hit a pretty sharp ball past the third baseman. It was one of those 2-bouncer deals that 70% of the kids in that league aren't catching. He must have been thinking about what I said (Run to first!) because he wasn't listening to his coaches. He was ready to stop at first. Meanwhile, the left fielder FINALLY threw it in, and my son FINALLY got to second base. The next batter came up, and a pitch or two into that at-bat, the catcher threw it right past the pitcher. (Not allowed to steal on this play, by the way.) My dingus of a kid ALMOST took 2 steps over to get the ball. What a great way to get called out, eh? Anyway, he ended up scoring the tying run because the opposing pitcher walked a bunch of our players and we won.

I know other people have great stories of their kids hitting home runs and winning all-star tournaments and stuff. I'm just glad my kid didn't step off the base to fetch the ball for the other team.

Kentucky also just beat Penn State in a bowl game.

I went with DB... not sold on some returning starter(s), potential hangover from last year, turmoil in changing roles and scheme...

I'm also a bit apprehensive taking the best S out of that position ... and once more shuffling deck chairs around. Concerned our best CB(s) are either being forced into S or lost on depth for seniority.

Expect it will turn out great by November, but could be a liability early in the season.

The-Ozone Rewind: Braxton to Devin vs. Wisconsin, 2011



Midnight Madness in the Horseshoe

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Braxton Miller could not make it to his teammates in time to sing “Carmen Ohio,” not with a sea of scarlet and gray filling the field around him following Ohio State’s 33-29 win over Wisconsin.

Fans flooded out of their seats, carried by the emotional tidal wave that had been building over the last 11 months.

They laughed. They cried. They sang and danced and yelled into the night.

They hugged perfect strangers and close friends. They gathered around their hero, giving hugs and high fives to the young freshman who had saved the season—and their hearts from one more dose of pain this fan base just could not endure.

Their pure, unadulterated joy floated up into the night sky like Miller’s game-winning touchdown pass, hanging in the midnight air at Ohio Stadium.

Both seemed like they would never come down, like they might just float away along with all of the torment and despair Ohio State has endured.

Miller’s pass did eventually return from orbit, and it landed in the arms of fellow freshman Devin Smith, who held on in the end zone as he was drilled by cornerback Marcus Cromartie.

“It took forever,” said Smith, who hauled in the game-winning 40-yard catch with 20 seconds on the clock.

“It was up there for the longest time. I was like ‘hurry up and drop, hurry up and drop.’ When I caught it, I held it tight and I fell down with it.”

This was about revenge. It was about relief. It was about feeling something good after so much bad. Most of all, it was about this team and this group of guys who stayed together through it all.

“It’s just unbelievable,” senior Michael Brewster said.

“After everything we’ve been through, all the ups and downs, the ups and downs today, this is a group of guys who just aren’t going to stop fighting.”

It almost wasn’t good enough. It almost ended with another heartache.

Almost.

“It was amazing. It’s about time we caught a break because these guys have fought like hell for weeks,” Brewster said.

“Things haven’t been so great at times, but we haven’t given up. We got hit in the stomach at the end of the game, but we just kept fighting.”

Entire article: https://theozone.net/2019/06/braxton-devin-vs-wisconsin-2011/

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Depth Chart: Running Backs
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



The Running Back or the Cadillac position will be the next to analyze and it hasn’t gone through a ton of drama and it surely wasn’t as festive as the previous positional group. Yes, they lost Mike Weber to the 2019 NFL Draft and Brian Snead to an eventual transfer out of Ohio State, but the depth is still solid and laced with talented players that could put spare reps to good use with what I see could be a more balanced attack offensively.

JK Dobbins would re-assume the throne as the feature back in 2019. He will look to potentially raise his NFL Draft stock this season and if all goes well, but I do not think that is his main concern at this point of the off-season. He will look to secure his legacy as a Buckeye, as a member of Tote Nation as he fine tunes his body for what could be a Heisman type of season. He could leave, but he also could stay and that is difficult to predict without any games in the books, so we will just have to wait it out and see how it would turn out.

Behind Dobbins is another generation of beast Running Backs. Redshirt Junior Demario McCall is the most seasoned players on the roster. He has been through many injury-plagued seasons while at Ohio State, but he stuck with it and fought through his battles with adversity. McCall is listed as a Running Back, but I could see him at the H-Back position with Jaelin Gill, which is a pretty good one-two punch at the most critical positions at Ohio State.

The true heirs to Dobbins’ room would be a pair of young studs, Master Teague and Marcus Crowley. Teague with the limited touches a season ago, proved that he could hang with the big boys. He has the burst and the strength to shed or run over would-be tacklers. He could be an asset to spell Dobbins when needed. Crowley is a monster back with a frame to destroy defenders. Watching his high school highlights was crazy because yes, he had the strength, but when he outran the defenses? I am excited for this kid to come into his own.

There are also a ton of talented walk-on players as well with Robert Cope, Amari McMahon, and Mitch Rossi learning under Tony Alford under the Tote Nation mantra. This roster is absolutely loaded at the position and we would see a healthy distribution of carries as the season progresses, even for the walk-ons. My biggest concern would be the transfer portal curse and the patience of these kids. The Buckeyes have been hit hard at quarterback and I am hopeful that these kids have the grit and patience to wait it out.

The depth chart is easy to predict with Dobbins re-establishing himself as the feature back with Teague and Crowley as the clear back-ups. The trio of walk-ons would assume third-stringer duties, but they could be used if games get out of hand. The H-Backs would be McCall and Gill, but they are interchangeable and I could see them rotate between RB 2 and H-Back, depending on the situation.

It should be a fun season with an explosive Buckeye offense and we aren’t even talking about the Zone 6 or Tight End rooms yet! Day will begin the season with high expectations, but I know he is ready for the challenge.

Projected Depth Chart:

RB 1: JK Dobbins

RB 2: Master Teague/Marcus Crowley/Demario McCall

RB 3: Robert Cope/Amari McMahon/Mitch Rossi

H-Back: Demario McCall/Jaelin Gill

Future RB’s: None currently committed.




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Depth Chart: Quarterbacks
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



After another transfer-filled offseason for the Buckeyes, the quarterback depth was thought to be in danger, but Ryan Day and his staff managed to restock the shelves by looking into the transfer portal for reinforcements.

The transfer portal is brand-new and is a way for recruits to put their name out there to find a better situation or opportunity and it has singlehandedly brought pain for the Buckeyes in 2019. A season prior, they also lost Joe Burrow as a grad transfer, who left for a starting job at LSU after being outdueled by Dwayne Haskins after the annual spring game.

Since then, Haskins left for the NFL, leaving Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin as the heirs for the vacant starting gig, but enter Justin Fields and now all of a sudden Martell transfers to Miami and Baldwin becomes homesick and leaves for TCU. Both left for better situations for them, and I do not blame them one bit. Walk-on Kory Curtis also left for Bryant University, leaving three signal-callers left on a thin positional group. Justin Fields who is and was the projected starter, Chris Chugunov, a former West Virginia transfer, and 2018 walk-on Danny Vanatsky.

Coach Day realized the lack of depth and experience at a key position and he began to sift through the transfer portal and he restocked the once bare shelves and he is now ready to move forward with his group and towards the 2019 season. In a matter of weeks, he and his staff have added two former SEC scholarship quarterbacks in Gunnar Hoak (Kentucky) and Jagger LaRoe (Texas A&M). They also added preferred walk-on JP Andrade (Florida), who will play in the same role for the Buckeyes this season.

This years quarterback room is filled with inexperience and the majority of the room has little to no starting experience, which is the major worry among the Buckeye faithful. Fields also struggled during the spring game and while it is well warranted, the Buckeyes still have time on their side to improve and sharpen Fields’ skills before the season opener.

The room is going to be competitive with the clear starter in Fields. The rest of the roster will occupy their roles and in the worst-case scenario where a major injury occurs to Fields, the rest will be ready and they will be more than capable of picking up the slack in his absence.

It is early, but I feel like this will be the set-up for the 2019 season. I also included the future QB section even though recruiting can be unpredictable before the pen goes to paper, but I feel that both Miller and McCord are solid commits that will eventually don the Scarlet and Gray.

Projected 2019 Depth Chart:

QB 1: Justin Fields

QB 2: Gunnar Hoak/Chris Chugunov

QB 3: Jagger LaRoe/JP Andrade/Danny Vanatsky

Future QB’s: Jack Miller (2020) and Kyle McCord (2021)




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Ranking the 20 most rewatchable games in Ohio State history: Nos. 16 and 15
Colton Denning via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The 2016 defense shines, and the Buckeyes get revenge against Texas in this week’s episode.

Who doesn’t love Ohio State laying a nice beatdown on someone?

That’s the theme today as we continue our list of the 20 most rewatchable Ohio State games of all-time, and break down two times where the Buckeyes showed their dominance in different ways. If you want to keep up with our list, check out the first two episodes here and here, and follow the Hangout in the Holy Land on Apple Podcasts, and Spotify


The first four games on our list almost all came down to the last play, so it’s time to switch it up. Let’s get into that time the Ohio State defense grounded Nebraska into dust, and when Troy Smith in the Buckeyes got some revenge in Austin.

No. 16: Ohio State rips Nebraska 62-3 (2016)


Patrick: This was really the last great beatdown of the Urban Meyer, and boy, it was just enormous. Nebraska was, at this point, seemingly a pretty good team, and Ohio State made them look like one of the worst teams in the country, especially when the Buckeye defense was on the field. That defense is what we spend most of the episode talking about. The 2016 offense was still largely bad, even in a massive win, but that defense, held together by roughly 30 future NFLers, is still delightful to watch, especially if you need a palate cleanse after 2018.

Colton: Just a beatdown of epic proportions. I remember being nervous about this game because Ohio State looked dreadful against Northwestern the week before, and Nebraska came in ranked 10th and was 7-1 at the time. Turns out there was nothing to be nervous about, because this one was over in three plays.

The 62 points are great, but the real reason to watch is because of the defense. The Clemson game rightfully made us all want to forget everything that happened that year, but the 2016 defense was nasty, and this was one of their masterpieces. Malik Hooker is everywhere, Tyquan Lewis and Sam Hubbard obliterate the Nebraska O-line, and if you want to remember what good linebacker play at Ohio State looked like, here you go. Also watch for Curtis Samuel explosions, and freshman Demario McCall (???) somehow leading the team in rushing.

No. 15: Ohio State gets revenge on Texas (2006)


Patrick: Colton is wrong on this game. It’s good as hell, baby, and let me tell you why. Firstly, it has Troy Smith operating at full capacity, which was delightful for the entire 2006 season. It also has Ted Ginn gashing a great Longhorns defense, a young but rapidly developing Buckeye defense, and a ton of talent all over the field. The final score isn’t particularly close, but if you want to watch Ohio State put a whooping on a top-10 team (why wouldn’t you), this is the game for you.

Colton: I’ll admit: In terms of straight up rewatchability, I don’t think this is top 20. It’s cool that Ohio State went into Austin and got revenge after what happened in 2005 —more on that game soon— but Ohio State knew they were better than a very young Texas team, got the lead and sat on it.

On the flipside, they were the top two ranked teams in the country, James Laurinaitis had his breakout game, and Troy Smith completely diced the UT defense with Anthony Gonzalez and Ted Ginn. Beating Texas also rules. This win set the tone for 2006, and it’s pretty cool to remember that they played three 1 vs 2 games that season.

I’ll also leave a take here at the bottom and hope no one sees it: Talking about this game reminded me that I think the 2005 team would wreck 2006. We’ll discuss that more next week.

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Terrelle Pryor is happy and healthy joining the Jaguars, plus other Buckeye NFL updates
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


OTAs and underway and there’s a lot to look forward to from Ohio State alumni this upcoming NFL season.

To say former Ohio State QB turned NFL receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr. has had an up and down career, would be putting it mildly. After joining the NFL by way of the Supplemental Draft — thank you, TattooGate — he spent several seasons as a backup quarterback before making the transition to wideout in Cleveland.

It took some adjustment, but in 2016 he had a breakout year for the Browns, totaling 1,007 yards and four touchdowns on 77 catches. Importantly, this was under Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo who is now with the Jaguars — a relationship Pryor says adds familiarity and is helpful.

“It helps a lot,” Pryor told the media on Tuesday. “There are a couple of things I look at and say, ‘Flip’s trying to grow a little bit of that playbook.’ He’s a very sharp, smart guy. I love playing for him and always did.”

Pryor held out for a longterm, big money deal that never came to fruition following the 2016 season, and spent the past couple seasons bouncing from Washington to New York (Jets) and battling injury after injury. All told, in the past two seasons, Pryor only nabbed 36 receptions for 492 total yards and three scores, so there wasn’t an obvious landing spot for him this offseason.

“I was trying to wait for the right spot,” Pryor said, according to the team site. “Everybody was bothering me, ‘When are you going to sign? Are you playing?’ I was patiently waiting.”

Now, the former Buckeye says he’s 100% healthy and eager to get to work with his new quarterback, Nick Foles. Getting healthy has been a long process, and one that has kept him sidelined more than he would have liked the past couple of seasons.

“The problem for me the past two years was really my foot,” Pryor said. “After I tore my ankle two years ago, it was just so hard stopping and starting. Finally, it’s to the point where I have no pain and feel no stoppage on my ankle.”

But by the looks of things, he’s back to his old ways on the practice field.

Buckeye updates around the league


The Carolina Panthers need wide receiver Curtis Samuel to have a breakout 2019 season — MickSmiley, Cat Scratch Reader


Running right: A big-picture view of Ezekiel Elliott and his role in the Cowboys’ offense — Tom Ryle, Blogging the Boys


Adam Schefter talks the latest on Malcolm Jenkins, Johnathan Cyprien, and Carson Wentz — Brandon Lee Gowton, Bleeding Green Nation


Ted Ginn Jr. not shy about belief he’s the fastest player in the NFL: ‘We’ve all got our labels’ — Nathan Brown, The New Orleans Advocate


Ryan Shazier wins PFWA’s Halas Award for overcoming adversity — Darin Gantt, ProFootball Talk

Other notables


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Ohio State cracks the top 5 for top safety prospect
Patrick Mayhorn 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 in the hunt for Lathan Ransom.

Plenty has been made about Ohio State’s recruiting on the defensive side of the ball in the 2020 class. The Buckeyes, of course, have just one defender (Lejond Cavazos) committed at this point in early June, and with a new, offense first head coach, the anxiety is understandable, though ultimately misguided (Day is going to recruit defenders, I promise).

Day isn’t the only new coach on the staff. Almost every defensive coach is brand new to Columbus, and it takes time to build relationships when you’re new to a school. It’s especially hard when you’re new to a school that fielded a pretty abysmal defense last season. That’s still fresh in quite a few minds, and Jeff Hafley, Matt Barnes and Al Washington all have to work to assure recruits that the new defense is going to work much better than the old defense.

While the commitment number is small, it seems that those efforts are paying off, and will result in numbers on the board sooner than later. The latest win? Ohio State was included in four-star safety Lathan Ransom’s top five yesterday.


The Buckeyes are joined in that top five with LSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Texas, a final list that should not surprise. There doesn’t seem to be a runaway leader right now, but Ohio State does have the final visit, and if they can blow him away, I think they’re very much in the running to land him. In fact, right now, I’d predict that the Buckeye do land Ransom.

Ransom is the No. 5 safety in the country, and he sits at 72nd in the 247Sports composite rankings. He also happens to be teammates with Buckeye running back target Bijan Robinson, but the two aren’t a deal, and landing one would only marginally impact the other, IMO.

Kick talk


Folks, we’re talking kicker recruits. Specifically, we’re talking Ohio State’s next kicker, and latest commitment, Cincinnati’s own Jake Seibert is considered by many to be the best kicker in the class of 2020, and I have no reason to doubt.

So, what does this mean? Well, it’s good news, in case you were concerned that it isn’t, for some reason. Seibert is a very talented kicker, and, well, we’ve seen what it’s like when you don’t have one of those during basically the entire Urban Meyer era. Ryan Day doesn’t want to repeat those kicking struggles, and Seibert seems to be the best person to do that.

It certainly isn’t the sexiest recruiting news in the world, but having a very good kicker is going to help Ohio State win games, and I don’t know about y’all, but Ohio State winning games sounds pretty good to me.

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Chris Holtmann named to coaching staff for US men’s basketball U19 training camp
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


This summer, the Buckeye coach will help mold the stars of tomorrow.

“Six successful coaches will be on hand to help the USA basketball Men’s U19 National Team coaching staff at training camp, including Rodney Billups(University of Denver), Jeff Britt (Bethel University, Tenn.), Jeff Culver (University of Colorado Colorado Springs), Aaron Gray (former NBA athlete) and Chris Holtmann (Ohio State University) and Hank Plona.”


— USA Basketball

Big news for Ohio State basketball head coach Chris Holtmann, as he's been announced as one of the six coaches for the USA Men's basketball U19 training camp. This is Holtmann’s first assignment to USA Basketball.

The camp will take place from June 15-17 in Colorado Springs, and will help determine who makes the cut for the U19 national team. The head coach of the U19 squad is Bruce Weber, current head coach at Kansas State. Weber is a successful coach with a Final Four appearance on his résumé from his time at Illinois.

Getting called upon to help the US national team is a big honor, regardless if it's gearing up for an Olympiad or for a U19 training camp. Having a pedigree worthy of being selected is great, and with how Holtmann has been doing at OSU, will be a huge advantage on the recruiting trail, too. In the last two seasons, Holtmann has guided the Buckeyes to the NCAA Tournament, and has a top recruiting class coming in.

If there's a guy who knows what he's doing in college basketball, it's Holtmann. Especially when it comes to molding the future stars of college basketball.

“Warren, 55, will start working alongside current Commissioner Jim Delany on Sept. 16, 2019, and Delany, who has run the conference since 1989, plans to step down on Jan. 1, 2020.”


— Marcus Fuller | Star Tribune

In conference news, the Big Ten has found their next commissioner. Kevin Warren, who was the chief operating officer of the Minnesota Vikings since 2015, was introduced as the next commissioner of the league on Tuesday. He’ll work with current Commissioner Jim Delany starting in September 2019, and will take over for Delany when he departs on New Year’s Day 2020.

Before stepping into this new role, Warren has had experience with working in the Big Ten. According to Marcus Fuller’s article, in 2016, Warren helped Minnesota University find their new athletic director. From a résumé standpoint, Warren is impressive. He’s helped bring US Bank Stadium, the current home of the Vikings, to fruition. And he’s also been vice president of football operations for the (then) St. Louis Rams and the senior vice president of business operations for the Detroit Lions.

Delany will leave big shoes to fill. Under his reign, which began in 1989, the Big Ten conference has grown dramatically. A couple milestones for Delany was that he ushered in four new institutions to the conference (Penn State in 1990, Nebraska in 2011, and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014), and helped create the Big Ten Network.

For the foreseeable future, things looks bright for the conference. Congrats to Mr. Warren!

“The Big Ten unveiled its most diverse postseason lineup in conference history on Tuesday, with at least 11 different bowl partners spread across the country beginning with the 2020 college football season.”


— Big Ten Network

In other Big Ten news, there are some bowl tie-in changes for the 2020-25 seasons.


While the New Year’s Six bowl ties remain unchanged, there are a couple notable bowls that will feature a team from the B1G. First, the Las Vegas bowl is one of the new additions starting in 2020, and will feature a matchup with a school from the Pac-12. But, there's a catch: the Big Ten will be in Vegas on odd numbered years through 2025; the SEC gets a slot in the Las Vegas bowl on even numbered years. In recent years, the Las Vegas bowl has featured matchups between Pac-12 and the Mountain West. The bowl tie-in change comes with the addition of a new stadium being built to house the Raiders, who’ll move from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020.

The Belk Bowl, which previously was a matchup between ACC-SEC programs, will now incorporate a Big Ten squad in the years they aren’t in the Las Vegas Bowl (even numbered years).

With the additions, there are some subtractions. The Holiday Bowl is definitely out for the Big Ten, so no team is going to San Diego for the foreseeable future. And trips to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville are no longer a possible postseason destination for the Big Ten.

Stick to Sports

• James Holzhauer’s 32-day run as champion on Jeopardy! has come to an end.
• Apple to replace iTunes on Mac with three new apps.
• Obligatory The Bachelorette recap.
• Katalina’s II is now open in Clintonville.
• On this day in history: (1940) Evacuations on Dunkirk beach come to an end. In total, nearly 350,000 troops are saved.
• Also on this day: (1929) White Castle, home of the slider, opens its first shop in Columbus.

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BOOM! Jake Seibert, nation’s top-ranked kicker, commits to Ohio State
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Cincinnati will be staying in state to play his college football.

He might not have any any stars next to his name, but Jake Seibert is a big time kicking prospect. According to Chris Sailer Kicking, Seibert is the nation’s best 2020 kicking recruit, and he just committed to play his college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes.


The rising-senior was 6-for-6 on fields last season, 23-for-24 on extra points, and 29 of his 37 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. The Cincinnati native also held offer from UCLA, Michigan State, and others.


Ohio State’s incumbent kicker Blake Haubeil will be a junior this fall, as will backup Zach Hoover. OSU’s other backup Dominic DiMaccio is a junior. So, barring transfers, Seibert will be coming into a crowded kicking room in the fall of 2020, but one in which he is the only underclassman.

Check out highlights from Seibert’s junior season:

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Come on now, who really wants to travel to the Bronx (44° / 31°), Nashville (51° / 32°), Charlotte (54° / 34°), and/or Detroit (35° / 23°) in December. Why didn't Delaney work up agrrement with these 2?

SoFi Hawai'i Bowl
Hawaiian Airlines Field at Aloha Stadium
Honolulu, Hawaii (82° / 67°)

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl
Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium
Nassau, Bahamas (80° / 66°)

committed to Georgia State

BB73 said:

Cazzie Russell was already on the list, as number 29. I thought that was OK.

I don't see Dischinger or Nelson making it. Rick Mount is another name that could be considered for hoopsters (focusing on college careers).

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Rick Mount - Feb. 1966

2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft: Gorski first B1G name off board
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

The 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft kicked off Monday night and runs through Wednesday. Track all the Big Ten selections below.

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Recounting the story of WOSU’s “century on the air”: BTN LiveBIG Book Club
BTN.com LiveBIG Staff via Big Ten Network

Behind the scenes at one of the oldest radio stations in the nation.

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Big Ten announces revamped bowl lineup
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

The Big Ten unveiled its most diverse postseason lineup in conference history on Tuesday, with at least 11 different bowl partners spread across the country beginning with the 2020 college football season. Stretching from coast to coast, the Big Ten’s future bowl lineup will be highlighted by annual games against quality opponents from the ACC, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC, and MAC in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina and Tennessee, along with the opportunity to visit four other outstanding postseason venues as part of the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten’s new bowl lineup will allow teams

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Someone help me with this... I forgot to take my daily LSD, MDMA, and shrooms... i can’t fathom this...

See Big Ten names on 2020 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Sixteen former Big Ten stars are on the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, it was announced Monday. First-timers include two-time Big Ten DPOY and current BTN analyst James Laurinaitis (Ohio State) and former Indiana QB Antwaan Randle El.

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brodybuck21 said:

still 0-0 top 5

Lonsway pitching well

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He does well in the classroom too....