2018 3-star PG Duane Washington Jr. commits to Ohio State
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The basketball Buckeyes are heating up on the recruiting trail.

All that hard work on the recruiting trail is finally starting to pay off for the Ohio State basketball program.

Nearly 24 hours after picking up a verbal pledge from four-star small forward Jaedon LeDee, Chris Holtmann and the Ohio State coaching staff have now added another talented class of 2018 prospect to the fold.

Committing to Ohio State after recently having a chance to see what it would be like to suit up in the Scarlet and Gray in person, senior point guard Duane Washington Jr. turned down opportunities from programs such as UCLA, Oregon, and Michigan in favor of the rebuilding Buckeyes on Wednesday evening.


Born in Germany, Washington blew up on the recruiting scene at Grand Rapids Christian (MI) before transferring to Sierra Canyon in Chatsworth, California this summer. As a junior at Grand Rapid Christian, the 6’3, 190-pound guard—the son of Duane Washington Sr. and nephew of Derek Fisher, both NBA veterans—averaged 13 points and four assists a game to help lead the Eagles to the Michigan Class A State Championship game last season.

A three-star recruit, Washington is pegged as the 55th point guard and 289th overall prospect in the entire class of 2018, per the 247Sports Composite.

With LeDee and Washington Jr. now verbally committed and numerous spots still left to fill, the Buckeyes' recruiting class is currently ranked 32nd in the country.

The Land-Grant Holy Land recruiting team will have much more on Duane Washington Jr. and what his commitment means for the Buckeyes coming soon.

Highlights

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Ohio State gets hyped for UNLV in new video
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Buckeyes look to quest for redemption against the Rebs.

On the heels of their impressive 38-7 victory over Army, the Ohio State football team is starting to get hyped for this Saturday’s game against the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Both teams are coming off of big bounce-back victories, following disappointing defeats.

The Rebs fell in the opening weekend to Howard 43-40, but came back the following Saturday to knock off Idaho 44-16. They then had an off-week to prepare for the Buckeyes.

The No. 10 Buckeyes finally showed an efficient offensive attack after looking lackluster against Oklahoma. UNLV runs a spread offense, so this weekend’s game should be an opportunity for the Buckeye defensive backs to earn some redemption following back-to-back 400 yard passing efforts by opponents in Indiana and OU.




Ohio State and the UNLV Rebels will play this Saturday at The Horseshoe. Kickoff will be at noon ET, and the game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

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Following his first career touchdown, Austin Mack could be Ohio State’s go-to receiver
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


It could be time for the receiver to emerge as the team’s deep-threat.

“When the ball’s in the air, (Austin Mack) thinks it’s his, and he goes out there and has that dog in him, a Michael Thomas type of feel. So with that, I think he’s headed in the right direction.”

- J.T. Barrett via Tim Bielik, cleveland.com


Austin Mack lit up the Horseshoe with his high-flying, 31-yard reception against Oklahoma two Saturdays ago. Unfortunately, the ensuing fall resulted in a concussion that kept him out of the rest of the game. The following week against Army, he scored his first career TD on a comeback route from Barrett.


At 6’2, Mack is not the tallest receiver that the Buckeyes have, but thus far in 2017, he has proven to be a reliable receiver in a sea of Zone6 underachievement. His numbers aren’t extraordinary at this point (six receptions for 81 yards), but with the big play ability that we’ve already seen from him, and Barrett comparing him to the Buckeyes’ most recent stud WR, there is reason to believe that as the season progresses Mack will become the go-to option for Barrett on the outside.

There is no doubt that there have been more than anticipated growing pains in adapting OSU’s offense to fit new offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson’s version. However, if H-back Parris Campbell (currently the team’s leading receiver) and hybrid K.J. Hill are able to stretch the field horizontally, and J.K. Dobbins is able to keep the front-seven honest, Mack has the ability to emerge as the deep-threat that the offense has desperately needed since 2014.


In the short video clip, Dienhart said that one of the things that the Buckeyes need to do on Saturday is to continue to feed the freshman phenom, J.K. Dobbins.

This seemed to be echoed by Ohio State Sports Information Director, Jerry Emig, who tweeted out that Dobbins’ 13.2 yards per carry average against Army was the second highest in school history for a rusher with 10 or more carries. The only single-game performance to eclipse Dobbins was Ron Springs’ effort against Purdue in 1977, when he wracked up 151 yards on 10 carries (I’ll let you do the math for this one on your own).

Though we heard rumblings about his excellent off-season performance before the season started, I doubt that anyone amongst us would have predicted that he would be getting legit Heisman odds three games into his college career.

Nonetheless, he has emerged as the Buckeyes’ most effective weapon in the early going of 2017. While OSU could probably beat UNLV (who has only had one winning season since 2000) with any of their stable of running backs, down the stretch the explosive nature of Dobbins’ game will be incredibly important.

"A lot of things, from basketball to the alumni base that can take care of you after basketball," he said. "So much opportunity up there."

- Jaedon LeDee via Jeff Borzello, ESPN.com


With much of Buckeye nation focused on the trials and tribulations of the football team, it is easy to have overlooked yesterday’s basketball commitment or what it could mean for the basketball Buckeyes. However, as Borzello points out in his piece, LeDee is the first step for new head coach Chris Holtmann to rebuild the program in his image, after three big-time recruits decommitted following the firing of Thad Matta.

With four-star, top-100 forward LeDee now onboard, and three-star point guard Duane Washington announcing his commitment today, according to Borzello, Holtmann is focusing on the backcourt, “with ESPN 100 guards Elijah Weaver, Luther Muhammad, Andrew Nembhard and Will Richardson among its main targets.”

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One Buckeye makes Mel Kiper's initial Big Board - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


One Buckeye makes Mel Kiper's initial Big Board
247Sports
If it seems like the 2018 NFL Draft is a ways off, that's because it is. We're only three weeks into the college football season and two deep in the NFL. But that doesn't mean it's not coming and those that cover such things have already begun to put ...

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Ohio State agriculture program grows Buckeyes logo in cornfield - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State agriculture program grows Buckeyes logo in cornfield
Landof10.com
Ohio State agriculture program grows Buckeyes logo in cornfield. Now if only the Ohio State's Farm Science Review could create scarlet and gray crops. Neal Lauron/Ohio State University. Jack Baer. Posted 2 mins ago. The Ohio State Farm Science Review ...


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Safety Smith 'simply doing my job' for Buckeyes - MyDaytonDailyNews
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Safety Smith 'simply doing my job' for Buckeyes
MyDaytonDailyNews
The Buckeyes see inspiring messages wherever they walk at the Woody, and many of the players themselves have inspiring stories. For every J.K. Dobbins who stars from the moment he walks on the field, there are half a dozen players who don't play major ...

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Joshua Perry signs with Indianapolis, Tyvis Powell is back in Seattle
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Several former Ohio State players were on the move this week in the NFL.

We’re bringing you a midweek NFL report because several former Ohio State players have been on the move these past few days. As injuries start to plague the league heading into Week 3 of the regular season, players cut during final roster moves are now getting a second (or fourth) chance, and one Buckeye is the latest addition to IR.

Curtis Grant (Giants)


Despite starting the season on New York’s practice squad, the team decided to pull Grant up to the active roster just before their Monday Night Football Week 2 matchup. Grant practiced at all three linebacker positions for the Giants during the offseason and made an impression with his special team abilities as well. Which makes sense since he got the start on kickoff just hours after being added to the main 53.

Joshua Perry (Colts PS)


Perry has likely found a home with the Indianapolis Colts, but has signed — at least initially — to their practice squad. The team not only seems to be collecting Buckeyes, but they’ve already proven their worth, notably position-mate John Simon.

The linebacker was drafted to the Chargers in 2016, and snagged 17 total tackles in 15 games (1 start) and led the team in special team stops (9). He had a few bumps and bruises along the way, the last being a head injury during the preseason.

Tyvis Powell (Seahawks PS)


It has been a bumpy ride for the former Buckeye safety, as he went undrafted in 2016 and proceeded to bounce from team to team in the year and a half since. Things were looking good this offseason for Powell in Indianapolis -- like I said, they’re just collecting Buckeyes -- but he was waived during the final roster cut and didn’t re-sign before the start of the season.

Now he heads back to where he started his NFL career, with the Seattle Seahawks. He’ll take a spot on their practice squad for now, but with some time to reestablish himself with the playbook could be the next Buckeye to be pulled up to an active roster.

Michael Bennett (Jaguars IR)


The defensive tackle cannot catch a break. Bennett has been in the league for three seasons now and has barely seen the field. Now plagued with a pectoral injury, the Jacksonville Jaguars have decided to place the Buckeye on IR.

Bennett played in 13 games games his rookie season in 2015, but only recorded 10 total tackles, 0.5 sacks and one stuff in his limited number of snaps. He didn’t see the field at all in 2016 due to injury and only made it one game into the 2017 season before being relegated to the injured list.

Other notes

• Terrelle Pryor Sr. tweeted about CBs coming for his knees.
• The Colts are very excited to have Malik Hooker on their roster, especially after his first career interception.

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jwinslow said:

It was pretty clear that he was juxtaposing the less than admirable Weber when he first arrived compared to the hard working contributor after that. There was plenty of chatter about the former early on.

Click to expand...

Eh, I missed it. Not surprising, lol

Thanks, Josh. I didn't realize there was any issues with Weber. I'm really glad they got it resolved.

2 days, 2 commitments for Ohio State basketball?
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Can the Buckeyes secure another recruit in their 2018 class? They’ll find out later today.

It’s only Wednesday, but Ohio State basketball is already having a pretty good week on the recruiting trail. On Tuesday, Chris Holtmann’s program secured their first commitment for the 2018 class in forward Jaedon LeDee. LeDee, who is a four-star prospect from Houston, had 23 offers, which included schools like Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, Oklahoma and Texas. But he chose the Buckeyes; he did it in style, too, by posting a video on Twitter.

247sports graded LeDee as a top 100 prospect. The Buckeyes have to be ecstatic with the commitment.

But as the late, great Billy Mays said, “BUT WAIT, there’s more!”

Ohio State is also in the running for another recruit in the 2018 class: three-star point guard Duane Washington. Washington is from Chatsworth, California, and holds 30 offers. Those offers range from home state power UCLA to Big Ten rival Michigan.

On Tuesday evening, Washington made an announcement on Twitter that he would be making his college decision at 6 p.m. ET today.


While the decision isn’t set in stone, things do look good for the Buckeyes in their pursuit of the Sierra Canyon star. On the 247sports Crystal Ball, all 13 of the predictions point to Washington picking OSU. And these predictions weren’t made in the distant past, either; all the predictions have been updated on Sept. 19, showing the Buckeyes as the favorite.

According to the 247sports composite, Washington ranks as the No. 32 prospect in the state of California, No. 55 best PG in the class, and No. 291 prospect in the entire class.

Below is a highlight reel of Washington that was uploaded to Hudl:


If all goes well for Holtmann and the Buckeyes, Washington would be the second PG commit in the ‘18 class. Originally, OSU had the commitment of four-star PG Torrence Watson; however, Watson decommitted from the program on Aug. 26.

Stick with Land-Grant Holy Land on the recruitment and commitment of Washington, as we’ll get you the news as it breaks.

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Buckeyes edge Ducks for third - The Register-Guard
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes edge Ducks for third
The Register-Guard
MADISON, Wis. — Ohio State's Niki Schroeder beat Oregon's Kelsey Ulep on the 20th hole to lead the Buckeyes to a 3-2 victory over the Ducks in the third-place match at the East And West Match Play women's golf tournament on Tuesday at University Ridge ...


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Buckeye related Crystal Ball picks: Like, love, or leave them - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeye related Crystal Ball picks: Like, love, or leave them
247Sports
What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! Today I do the same with five more top Ohio State related recruits. Be sure to enjoy VIP access to Bucknuts.com with our 7 ...

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Ohio State Buckeyes in the NFL (Week 2) | The Lantern - OSU - The Lantern
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Ohio State Buckeyes in the NFL (Week 2) | The Lantern
OSU - The Lantern
Dallas Cowboys rookie and former OSU running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) carries the football in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Credit: Courtesy of TNS.
Ohio State Buckeyes NFL rookie report Week 2 - Bucknuts - 247Sports247Sports

all 2 news articles »

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Polls: It’s time to pick your Week 4 Big Ten football winners
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network

Who wins Week 4 Big Ten football games? Get BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart's game predictions, plus pick your winners, inside.

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Audio: Listen to your Big Ten coach’s Week 4 teleconference
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network

Listen in to the Big Ten football coaches teleconference here, with audio provided for each of the 14 coaches in the conference ahead of Week 4.

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Ohio State’s Demario McCall working to get back on the field
Ian Cuevas via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The talented sophomore has been dealing with injury and finds himself behind in the depth chart

“He certainly needs to improve. He has not been at full speed. He's much closer than he was. I'm going to try to get him in a game and determine if he can go. He had a tough injury for those kind of guys, that groin, abdomen injury that he had. So he's getting better.”

- Urban Meyer via Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland.com


With all of the hype going the way of freshman running back J.K. Dobbins, it’s easy to forget who were anticipated to be some of the breakout stars before the season started. Especially at H-back, one of the playmakers was going to be Demario McCall, but he has yet to play in a game this season. Part of it has to do with McCall still recovering from a sports hernia surgery from this past spring. McCall showed flashes last season of what he was capable of during mop-up duty, rushing for 95 yards in the first three games before an 85-yard performance against Rutgers. McCall came to the Buckeyes as a running back and has floated between the two positions since he’s been in Columbus.

Right now, McCall is buried on the depth chart it seems. He’s clearly behind Dobbins and Mike Weber, along with Antonio Williams at running back. And for H-back, Parris Campbell has done well as the starter, with K.J. Hill also filling in at times. So where does he fit when he comes back from injury? It’s impossible to tell right now, but Coach Meyer still has faith that McCall can improve and we certainly haven’t seen the last of him.

“Ohio State has to get better -- in its passing game, in the secondary, in special teams. It can't live on its brand name alone, not after losing the one nonconference game that could have separated its résumé in the eyes of the committee. Ohio State earned its spot last year because the committee truly believed it was a better team than Penn State. It hasn't looked the part yet this year.”

- Heather Dinich, ESPN


Heather Dinich broke down programs in the AP Top-10 to show potential pitfalls for each team as they try to make it to the College Football Playoff. Each team above Ohio State got the breakdown, so be sure to check that out.

For the Buckeyes, though, Dinich gave some reasons why Urban Meyer’s team is the real deal. Mainly, there’s still room to grow and improve to show who they are as a team this season. She also mentions Ohio State has been in this position before, losing an early non-conference game only to turn around and rip off a winning streak that led to a national championship.

There are things to be optimistic about, of course. The Buckeyes’ defensive line is still one of the best in the country and though Barrett has received an insane amount of criticism, he’s seemed to take it all in stride and continue his excellent college career. Not to mention, over the next three weeks, Ohio State has it pretty easy schedule-wise, which should help a great deal in building some confidence heading into the big showdown with Penn State.

“I've seen a guy that's ripped his chest open. I hope it stays that way and he's a 'I'll do anything to help this team win a game.' Those are the guys whose careers will take off. The other stuff, I'll transfer here, transfer, go do a research project and see how many people fail when they're being given bad advice. He's handled it very well.”

- Urban Meyer via Bill Landis, Cleveland.com


The love continues for backup quarterback Tate Martell. The freshman signal-caller has only been used as a scout-team quarterback thus far, but that’s what makes Urban Meyer so thrilled about Martell’s potential.

Martell has been used as a Baker Mayfield copy when the Buckeyes played Oklahoma, and just last week, he helped Ohio State prepare for the triple option as Martell learned the system enough to help the defense get ready for Army. Having a former five-star recruit as a scout team quarterback is certainly a nice luxury to have.

To add on to that sentiment, Meyer is especially excited that Martell has embraced his role on the team despite likely wanting to see some game action. Since the offseason, it appears Martell has matured quite a bit and has done everything that the coaches have asked of him with his mind fully focused. That only spells good things for his future as a Buckeye, so despite being the fourth-string quarterback right now, he’s still setting himself up for success down the line.

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J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State passing game went horizontal versus Army
Christopher Jason via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Simplifying the offense will only make the quarterback better in the long run.

We’ve been asking for changes to Ohio State’s offense for what seems like years now, and although it may not have necessarily been those exact changes...we finally got a new look on offense against Army.

After two weeks of the same vanilla play-calling that has plagued Ohio State’s offense since Tom Herman moved on, it looks as though new offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson has been handed over the reins of the offense.

As mentioned when Urban Meyer hired Wilson in the offseason, he would make life easier for the once-accurate J.T. Barrett and get him back to what he’s best at: making quick and smart decisions with the ball in his hands. Wilson would do this by calling higher percentage throws and route combinations to his highly touted perimeter players. Ohio State’s wide receiver room is not what it once was from a future NFL wide receiver standpoint; it’s mostly a group of athletes who aren’t precise route runners, but they’re arguably more dangerous with the ball in their hands.

Enter Week 3 versus Army.

• Wilson made it a point to get Barrett going by establishing the perimeter screen game and shorter route combinations. Army was playing a soft zone coverage that placed their defensive backs eight-to-ten yards off the line of scrimmage — and Wilson took advantage of it. In the first quarter alone, Barrett was 9-of-13 passing with all four incompletions coming over 10 yards and he finished 5-of-5 on passes thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage. Barrett finished the game 12-of-12 on passes thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage.
• When scanning through Twitter, most Buckeye fans on my timeline were complaining about the lack of deep passing attempts and asked whether or not this quick-hitting screen game would work against the better teams in the country. In my opinion, yes it would work against the upper echelon teams if it’s read correctly by Barrett — and we know how well Barrett reads defenses in the read option.
• Here are similar looks that Ohio State got against both Army and Oklahoma. Against Army, they threw the bubble screen to K.J. Hill before he made one defender miss on the perimeter. I personally would take Hill or Parris Campbell in a one-on-one situations with the ball in their hands against a cornerback in space just about every time. If Ohio State has the numbers on the perimeter, get the ball out quickly to the elite athletes and let them try to make a defender miss in space, while Terry McLaurin or Binjimen Victor block downfield.

• These run-pass options and horizontal plays open up the running game (keeping the defense spread out) and shots downfield (when the corners begin to tighten up on the receivers). This was evident in the second half when J.K. Dobbins was able to gash the Army defense and when Terry McLaurin was able to take advantage of a defense that continued to give up chunks of yardage on run-pass options.
• Below, the Army defense was so used to the bubble screen from the slot that they fell asleep on McLaurin. McLaurin did a great job of jogging out to a defensive back, mimicking a stock block and then catching the defense flat-footed. If Ohio State continues to lull teams to sleep on RPOs, a deep shot will come out of it. It’s just up to Barrett to finish the play.

• J.K. Dobbins had another great game, but this offense will be even more dynamic with the one-two punch of Dobbins and Mike Weber. Weber didn’t get enough credit last season, especially as a pass blocker and also in short yardage. I could see a two-headed monster similar to Oklahoma’s 2016 running back stable of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon.
• As has been the case, this offense comes down to smart play-calling and J.T. Barrett’s accuracy. Barrett missed a few times downfield against Army, but establishing his confidence and rhythm early on will only help him as the game progresses. Expect two more tune-up games for the offense before they face potential back-to-back shootouts against Maryland and Penn State.

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K.J. Hill, Ohio State receivers could feast on a struggling UNLV defense
Chuck McKeever via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Rebels likely won't be able to muster much resistance to a rebounding, loaded offense.

Advance notice: this discussion of Ohio State football is going to veer quickly into a discussion of some gross body stuff before we right the ship and get into the Xs and Os. Consider yourself warned.

This past week, my side job had us do a team-building exercise in which we made our own sauerkraut. (Or started to make our own sauerkraut; the good stuff takes three weeks to ferment.) But before we did that, the two nice women guiding us through the session started talking about the various benefits of fermented foods, including their proven track record at restoring the various flora and micro-biomes in people's guts and GI tracts.

As you might imagine (especially if you live on the crunchy-granola west coast, like I do, and such discussions are more commonplace), this conversation spiraled off into side chatter about the repair to human systems that can be done by—and I am not making this up—DIY fecal transplants, among other things. I'll spare you the gory details about how that's done, but a quick Google search done in a browser that your employer can't see will fill in the blanks for you.

Here's the basic idea that governs the success of both processes—kraut and the DYI stuff—in restoring the functions of the human body: various parasites, like Giardia and cryptosporidium, wreck all your digestive functions, and the medicines we use to kill those parasites also kill way more bacteria in your gut than they need to. For your system to function properly again, healthy and diverse bacteria have to be reintroduced so they can rebuild the little ecosystem of your innards.

All of this is to say that I sat in this seminar thinking about, uh, Ohio State football. The debacle that was the Oklahoma game destroyed the system, top to bottom. On-field play, off-field tweeting, enough message board exclamation points to last a lifetime—everything was broken all at once, with seemingly no hope for recovery.

For a week, anyway. The Army game kickstarted the system again, like eating 15 Chobani yogurts might do. On the near horizon is Rutgers, a metaphorical organic-matter transplant if ever there was one. And here, to let the Ohio State system repair its core functions, is a big damn bowl of sauerkraut: the UNLV Rebels and their abysmally-performing defense.

Here's a look at just one of the guys poised to take advantage of that matchup.

The stats


Name: K.J. Hill

Number: 14

Position: WR/H-back

Year: RS Sophomore

Height/Weight: 6'0, 198 lbs.

Stat line: 15 catches, 124 receiving yards

Hill, nominally Parris Campbell's backup at the H-back position, has rushed just once all season. His primary function in the Buckeye offense is as a receiver, where he's reeled in 15 catches in 2017, including a team-high eight against an overmatched Army secondary. He'll get just as many chances to feast this Saturday, as UNLV might offer even less resistance than the Black Knights did.

Opposition research


The reason that Hill and his teammates in the Buckeye receiving corps look due for a big day is that UNLV's defense is compromised everywhere, including the secondary. The Rebels' pass defense had to replace three of its top four tacklers from 2016, but even those losses came from a unit that wasn't good: UNLV finished last season 106th nationally in passing defense by S&P+.

Through two games in 2017, the Rebels have managed to get the bleeding in the secondary somewhat under control, allowing 401 total passing yards so far. But those stats came in a historic upset loss to Howard and in a trouncing of perennial doormat Idaho, so take them with a grain of salt.

A few names to know as the Buckeyes look to have a second-consecutive field day through the air (thanks to what J.K. Dobbins and co. open up for them on the ground): junior safeties Dalton Baker and Tim Hough, who have combined for nine solo tackles, and Chauncey Scissum, a Syracuse transfer who had the best day of any player in the secondary during the Idaho game.

What to watch for


Even with the resurgence of the Buckeye passing game against Army, Urban Meyer's offense will be run-first for the foreseeable future. That's easy enough to do when you have all-world talent like J.K. Dobbins and J.T. Barrett getting a high volume of carries; it's hardly surprising that Ohio State's first three touchdowns came on the ground against the Black Knights.


What that does, especially when a player like Dobbins is a threat to rip off a 50+ yard touchdown run at any moment, is force opposing teams to stack the box to try to stop the run. When that happens, the passing unit gets to see a lot more single coverage. For burners like Hill, Parris Campbell, and Johnnie Dixon, who aren't particularly crisp route runners, that's an ideal scenario.

UNLV's got a few bright spots on both sides of the ball, but they have a multi-year rebuild ahead of them. This one will hopefully be ugly by halftime.

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Ohio State releases depth chart for Week 4 against UNLV
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Not surprising, but the Buckeyes depth chart seems set.

Despite a heavy-handed win over Army in Week 3, the Ohio State Buckeyes dropped two spots—to No.10—in the AP Poll. That doesn’t mean that Urban Meyer and staff are throwing caution to the win, however. They’ve stayed true to the depth chart that has, by and large, stayed the same since the first release this season.

A few names moved around, with Josh Myers being added as the No. 3 left guard, and Joe Burrow made his way back on the depth chart—although, is still recovering—and Tuf Borland is now an “or” for the starting MLB position.

With injuries plaguing the running back corps, it’s not surprising to see so many “or” designations for first and second team players. Mike Weber is healthy enough to see snaps, but not enough to be a three-down back, and Demario McCall is still dealing with a lingering issue from last season. Until they’re all healthy, freshman phenom J.K. Dobbins will likely get the majority of carries Saturday.

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What Jaedon LeDee Brings To Ohio State
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 just landed a top 100 point guard.

After four decommitments in the last few months following Thad Matta’s departure, Ohio State has once again picked up a 2018 commitment, this time from Houston wing Jaedon LeDee. Thanks to those aforementioned decommitments from Justin Ahrens, Dane Goodwin, Torrence Watson and Darius Bazley, LeDee is the only commit in the class as of the writing of this article.

LeDee’s name first started to pop up just a few weeks ago, as he was in Columbus on September 9th for an official visit. He took a visit to Texas A&M, the previous presumed favorite in his recruitment just six days later. After that visit, LeDee announced that he would be taking no more visits, and would be committing just a few days after his visit to College Station.

Surprisingly, last night, LeDee started trending away from the Aggies, and towards Chris Holtmann and the Buckeyes. As it turns out, where there was smoke, there was definetly fire, as LeDee committed to the Buckeyes over A&M, LSU, Houston, and UCLA among many others.

Jaedon is unlike any current Buckeye player in terms of skill set and play style. Lets take a look at what makes him such an intruiging prospect.

ON THE COURT


LeDee, after adding roughly 60 pounds onto his frame over past few years to get up to 230, brings a much needed skill set to Columbus. He’s a pure scorer, both as a shooter and a slasher, as well as a physical and tenacious rebounder. At 6-foot-7, 230, he’s very similar in size to former Michigan State star and NBA All-Star Draymond Green, though LeDee is far more athletic, and dangerous with the ball than Green was in East Lansing.

LeDee’s play style is fairly similar, however, to former Buckeye David Lighty. They’re both athletic, long wings that can attack the hoop, pass, rebound, and really just do it all. LeDee’s defense is serviceable, and he has a knack for swatting shots, so he’ll be a welcome addition to the team, likely at power forward.

He may take a little while to get up to speed at the next level, but from his smooth jumper to willingness to drive or pass, LeDee should be a huge part of Ohio State’s team in a few years.

IN THE CLASS


While LeDee is currently the only commit in Ohio State’s 2018 class, likely won’t be for long, though he may be the only at his position. Guards Elijah Weaver and Luther Muhammad are both expected to announce soon, and could join LeDee, making one of the top 2018 classes.

Former commit Justin Ahrens may rejoin the class as well, but as of right now, a class with LeDee, Weaver, and Muhammad should be very exciting for Buckeye fans.

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4-star SF Jaedon LeDee commits to Ohio State
Charles Doss via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Buckeyes add a solid piece to the 2018 recruiting class puzzle.

When four-star shooting guard Torrence Watson recently decommitted from the Ohio State basketball program, it left Chris Holtmann and crew searching the recruiting trail for another face of their class of 2018.

Those days are now behind the Buckeyes' coaching staff, as they’ve finally found their man for the job.

Dishing out his pledge to Ohio State on Tuesday over chances to attend universities such as Texas A&M, LSU, UCLA, and many other top-notch programs, four-star small forward Jaedon LeDee is now a Buckeye verbal commit.


A threat to score inside and out, LeDee will add another much-needed stat sheet stuffer to the Ohio State basketball roster. Showcasing his many talents on the court last season, the future Buckeye averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds a contest as a junior at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas

Choosing to continue his education and playing days at Ohio State after having a chance to visit the campus and meet with the staff earlier this month, LeDee is currently considered the 31st small forward and 115th overall prospect in the class of 2018, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Want to know more about Jaedon LeDee and his commitment to Ohio State? The Land-Grant Holy Land recruiting team will have much more on his pledge coming soon.

Highlights

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Buckeyes' pass defense in focus vs. UNLV - Toledo Blade
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes' pass defense in focus vs. UNLV
Toledo Blade
COLUMBUS – Each Monday at his news conference, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer opens the proceedings by noting which players graded well in the following week's game. The Buckeyes say the high-scoring players graded as “champions,” and Meyer ...
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Jaedon LeDee commits to Ohio State: Buckeyes land 4-star SF - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Jaedon LeDee commits to Ohio State: Buckeyes land 4-star SF
Landof10.com
The Buckeyes lost one when 3-star SF Justin Ahrens decommitted from the school after it fired Thad Matta, and 4-star SG Dane Goodwin, who had been committed since 2014, announced his decommitment not long after. The 4-star SG Torrence Watson ...
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Eleven Warriors -OSU - The Lantern -Land-Grant Holy Land
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Best Buckeye said:

Solid game by the Buckeyes as the defense shone for the second game in a row.

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do you still happen to have this game

Ohio State’s defense got back to their dominant ways against Army
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Last Saturday USA was spelled OSU.

The Buckeyes are back above .500, improving to 2-1 through three games for the first time since 2014 (foreshadowing?). The silver bullets were disciplined and limited big plays all afternoon, holding the nation’s leading rushing offense to 259 yards on 58 carries (4.45 yards per rush). Aside from one well-executed 18-play 99-yard touchdown drive, the Black Knights were thwarted for the better part of 60 minutes last Saturday.

A few statistical notes:

• Army didn't go into this game expecting to move the ball through the air, and they unsurprisingly averaged a meager 2.4 yards per pass attempt on just eight passes.
• The Buckeyes defense wasn't able to add to their sack total, but still managed to hurry the Black Knights on two of their eight passes and rack up five tackles for a loss.
• Though the Black Knights converted 3-4 fourth-down attempts, they converted just 4-15 third-down attempts and only managed to snap the ball twice from inside the Buckeyes 20-yard line.

Army prides themselves on not turning the ball over and becoming something they’re not, so it’s not super surprising to see a lack of splash plays from the Ohio State defense. Still, several standouts helped make this game a healthy 31-point victory for the Buckeyes. Let’s check out a few notable plays.

Jerome Baker is the defense’s No.1 playmaker


Baker's nine tackles were tied for the second-most on the team and his speed consistently caused problems in the Army backfield. Whether it was running down the quarterback from behind on a slow-developing option, or scraping over the top to get after a running back on a sweep: Baker was everywhere.

Baker’s most-prominent moment came on an early 3rd-and-10 in the first quarter. It can be difficult to get option offenses off the field if they find a rhythm and consistently keep themselves in manageable situations, so it was imperative for the Buckeyes to get off the field when they did force Army into obvious passing situations. A well-designed blitz from Greg Schiano sprung Baker to the quarterback and he didn’t waste the opportunity:


The Buckeyes’ speed at linebacker was always going to be a tough obstacle for Army to overcome. Baker, Chris Worley, Tuf Borland, and Dante Booker did a great job all afternoon of not overrunning plays, and the Black Knights offense never quite got going as a result.

This game may have been a lot closer if it wasn’t for Erick Smith


The Buckeyes secondary allowed the most passing yards in the country through two weeks, but they may have found at least one answer in Smith. The only defensive player to play every snap of the game, Smith made two crucial diving stops in the contest. While his touchdown-saving tackle on an Army kick return was huge, Smith’s acrobatic pass deflection to save a deep touchdown was what the fan’s paid to see:


Overall, Smith’s nine tackles were tied for the second-most on the team, but more importantly he provided a stabilizing presence to the backend of a defense that was anything but stable the first two weeks of the season. The Buckeyes will likely continue to rotate their secondary, but it looks like Smith has forced his way into a full-time role.

The defensive line is still pretty good too


None of the rushmen managed to tally a sack last Saturday, but they still took over the game like always. The only thing scarier than big-athletic linemen are big-athletic linemen that hustle, and Ohio State has about six of those players. Any misstep in option typically led to some crushing hits and plenty of bodies around the football:


The fullback dive can cripple a defense if not consistently defended, and Ohio State was more than fine with Army trying to win with perimeter runs. The Buckeyes defense was forced to play for nearly 37 minutes Saturday, but they got stops when it mattered and allowed their fewest points of the season.


Ohio State was expected to crush Army; they won by 31 points. There weren’t any flashy pick sixes or strip sacks, but maybe 60 minutes of disciplined, sound football is what his team needed. On to UNLV.

The final: 38-7, Ohio State

Defensive player of the game: Erick Smith (9 tackles, 1 pass deflection)

Defensive play of the game: Erick Smith touchdown-saving pass defleciton.

Next Victim: UNLV. True fans will begin their tailgate Friday night at the Hollywood Casino. Keep it classy, Columbus.

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Ohio State recruiting: What are the 5 biggest battles left for the Buckeyes? - Landof10.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State recruiting: What are the 5 biggest battles left for the Buckeyes?
Landof10.com
But the Buckeyes are still in contention for a number of other top-rated players, and that could put this class in the discussion as one of the most talented ever. As the months tick away and National Signing Day grows closer, here is a look at the ...
Sorting Out Ohio State's 2018 Defensive End RecruitingEleven Warriors

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