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Twitter: @SiereveldAustin



Class: 2023 (high school)
School: Middletown (OH) Lakota East
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 320 lbs

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8 mins in without a thread so I had to put one up.

11-10 good guys atm.

Buck Off Podcast: Ohio State 2023 National Champs?, Michigan’s new staff, Super Bowl picks
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

ESPN released their SP+ rankings and we discuss Michigan’s finalized coaching staff

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

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On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I am joined, as always, by Jordan Williams for the fourth episode of Ohio State’s offseason and we discuss why ESPN thinks Ohio State will be national champions.

We begin the show by talking about the NFL MVP (recorded before the awards) and we discuss a former Buckeye foe. We then discuss the value of the MVP award and why it has become a postseason award as well.

After that, we discuss ESPN anointing Ohio State 2022 national championship with their Production Return Rate stats and the number one SP+ ranking. We talk about the last few leaders in these rankings and why Ohio State is poised for a huge year with all the weapons on the current roster.

We then discuss the finalized Michigan coaching staff and why lightning doesn’t always strike twice. The Wolverines hired a new defensive coordinator and we discuss the reasons this might not be the best move which relates closely to Ohio State. After the break we discuss the promotions from within in their program and why the Gattis impact is complicated.

Our final discussion, we talk about Luke Montgomery’s recruitment, and give our expert prediction. Then we get into our Super Bowl picks, talk the field turf challenge, and lastly tell you why the Spring game is awesome.


Connect with the Show
Twitter: @BuckOffPod

Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB

Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for February 11, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop-shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

On the Gridiron


Reserve defensive lineman Cormontae Hamilton no longer with Buckeyes program
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Ohio State Draft Profile: Jeremy Ruckert brings everything a team needs in an NFL tight end
Chris Renne, Land-Grant Holy Land

Everyone loves Joe: Why Joe Burrow is treasured by Bulldogs and Buckeyes, Tigers and Bengals (paywall)
Jon Greenberg, The Athletic


‘Let’s go to work and let’s get this thing right’; Eliano brings experience to Buckeye secondary staff
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Midwest guy Frye wants to make sure OSU O-line is felt by opponents
Steve Helwagen, Bucknuts

Former Ohio State Defensive Lineman Mike Vrabel Named AP NFL Coach of the Year
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

On the Hardwood


Ohio State knocks off Nebraska, 80-70
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land


Ohio State’s EJ Liddell named to Naismith Trophy 2022 Midseason Team
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

What turned the momentum in Buckeyes’ loss at Rutgers
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Home, sweet home. Ohio State men’s basketball is 10-0 at the Schott this season
David M. Wheeler, Land-Grant Holy Land

Roundball Round-Up: Mike Conley and the Utah Jazz picking up their play of late
Brett Ludwiczak, Land-Grant Holy Land

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Sport-by-sport breakdown of Ohio State’s NIL deals
Joey Kaufman, The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State Among National Leaders in First Year of Name, Image and Likeness Deals for College Athletes
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

Oller: NIL turns charity work into business for college athletes
Rob Oller, The Columbus Dispatch


Women’s Golf: Buckeyes Face Setback Finish 13th at UCF Challenge
Danny Fogarty, The Lantern

Men’s Volleyball: No. 12 Ohio State Downed in MIVA Opener
Ohio State Athletics

Men’s Lacrosse: Jack Myers Named to 2022 Tewaaraton Award Watch List
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Tennis: No. 11 Buckeyes Head to Madison for ITA National Indoors
Ohio State Athletics

And Now for Something Completely Different


And I oop!


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Ohio State makes the cut for a pair of 2023 targets
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


2023 tight end Walker Lyons | Brandon Huffman, 247Sports

The Buckeyes made the short list for a pair of prospects on the offensive side of the ball on Thursday.

While Ohio State’s staff is busy preparing for the 2022 college football season, they remain focused on making sure the talent level in Columbus remains consistent by bringing in the best possible players from the recruiting trail. At lot of work goes into landing the top targets on their board, but on Thursday the staff saw some of their labor pay off as a pair of prospects in the 2023 class listed Ohio State among their top schools.

In-state offensive lineman trims it down to six


The beat goes on as it has all week for in-state recruiting prospects. On Thursday, another Ohio native in the 2023 class updated their recruitment and gave the Buckeyes some good news. Whether Ohio State brought in a new offensive line coach or not this year, Lakota East product Austin Siereveld was going to be a priority for the coaching staff, and him being inside state lines for a position of importance makes him that much more valuable to the 2023 class.

Announcing the latest in his recruitment via his Twitter account, Siereveld released a list of six remaining schools he is still considering before shutting it down completely and committing to the school of his choice. Included in the mix were Iowa, Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Alabama, and of course Ohio State. After having nearly 20 offers to his name, getting it down to six schools shows the process is moving for Siereveld, but there’s still time for any of the six to make major moves.

Currently, Siereveld checks in as the seventh-best player in Ohio for his class as well as the 23rd-best interior offensive lineman and No. 326 player nationally regardless of position. For Ohio State, the Buckeyes already are in solid position to land another in-state target, but position coach Justin Frye will certainly continue the pursuit in a way that really shows how important he is to Ohio State’s 2023 class overall.

Ohio State makes final group for top tight end


Tight end is obviously a huge position of need for Ohio State moving forward. Now that Jeremy Ruckert is off to the NFL, the depth chart at tight end is full of question marks. Guys like Joe Royer, Mitch Rossi and Gee Scott Jr. will battle it out for playing time in 2022, but the Buckeyes clearly need more at the position. After bringing in Bennett Christian in the 2022 class, Ohio State will likely look to add at least two tight ends in the 2023 cycle.

They got at least one step closer with one of their top tight end targets on Thursday, as four-star TE Walker Lyons announced his top six schools via Twitter. Cutting things down from over 30 offers, the California native is now taking a closer look at Alabama, BYU, Stanford, USC, Utah and Ohio State.


A four-star in the 2023 class, Lyons currently ranks as the No. 4 TE and the No. 73 overall player in the cycle. He is also listed as the No. 7 player in the talent-rich state of California. Standing at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Lyons is a very productive player at Folsom High School. Over 13 games during the 2021-22 season, he recorded 42 receptions for 646 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Lyons previously visited Ohio State in June, and hopes to take another trip to Columbus this fall. In speaking with On3, Lyons said OSU was one of his first big offers outside of the Pac-12, and was the first school he visited last summer, lauding his strong relationship with head coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are also in pursuit of his high school teammate, 2023 four-star WR Rico Flores.

Quick Hits

• Speaking of tight ends, Ohio State will be getting a visit from another big tight end target next month. Four-star TE Mac Markway will be making the trip to Columbus on March 26, according to his Twitter account. The St. Louis native is the No. 5 TE in the country and the No. 95 player overall in the 2023 class.

• Ahead of his Feb. 17 commitment date, Ohio State has continued to gain momentum for 2023 OT Luke Montgomery. There are now a total of five Crystal Ball predictions in for Montgomery, all of which are in favor of the Buckeyes with a minimum confidence rating of six. Montgomery is the No. 6 OT and No. 62 player overall in the cycle, and would be the first commitment for new offensive line coach Justin Frye at Ohio State.

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Ohio State knocks off Nebraska, 80-70
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

A standout performance by freshman Taylor Thierry and a return to form for Rebeka Mikulasikova put away a strong Cornhuskers offense.

Coming into any season, certain games are circled on the schedule. In the Big Ten, games against Michigan, Maryland and Indiana grab some attention, but one team surprised the conference this year: the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Nebraska is a team that sat in ninth place in conference standings in 2020-21 with a record of 13-13. Starting the ‘21-22 season, the Cornhuskers won their first 13 games, and sat just one game back from the Buckeyes coming into Thursday night. Although the Cornhuskers have surprised opponents throughout the season, the Buckeyes weren’t caught off guard, defeating Nebraska, 80-70.

A big matchup coming into the game was about just that — the bigs. Ohio State Buckeyes forward/center Rebeka Mikulasikova took on freshman phenom Alexis Markowski. Starting the game, Markowski got the best of the two, scoring four points and adding three rebounds in the first 10 minutes, On the other end, Mikulasikova hit an early three, but otherwise struggled offensively, missing all other attempts.

Nebraska took advantage of those missed chances, making 55.6% of their field goals and 40% from three, taking a first quarter lead of 22-19. Then, with 1:25 remaining in the first quarter, the Buckeyes introduced their own exciting freshman, Taylor Thierry.

Before Thierry started taking control of the game, almost singlehandedly, Nebraska held their first quarter momentum to expand their lead to eight in the second quarter. The swing began with a monster block, but it wasn’t on a layup. Nebraska guard Sam Haiby received the ball in the corner on what looked like a blown defensive assignment. Thierry ran towards Haimby and leapt to block her shot immediately after release.

Thierry followed that block up with three rebounds (two on the offensive end), two assists, two steals and two points. The Cleveland native’s individual effort combined with a surging Buckeye offense — Mikulasikova especially. Making up for a difficult start to the game, the Buckeye forward scored eight points, hitting both threes she attempted plus a layup. In addition, she added three second quarter rebounds. Ohio State ended the half on a 9-0 run, putting the Buckeyes up 36-31 at halftime.

The third quarter saw the Buckeyes return to their offensive form. Leading the charge was Taylor Mikesell, recently named to the 10-player Ann Meyers-Drysdale finalist list for the best shooting guard in the nation. Mikesell went a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Those put her at 50% from three-point range on the year, increasing her NCAA-leading shooting percentage.

In the fourth quarter, Ohio State wouldn’t let Nebraska get close. Markowski hit a layup and a free throw to get the Cornhuskers within nine points, but it’s the closest they would get to an upset. Thierry added five fourth quarter points on top of her already impressive defensive night. Her nine points tied a season high for Thierry, and her seven rebounds was one shy of her high of eight. The Buckeyes held the pressure through the final minute, winning 80-70.

Bouncing Back


Before Thursday’s victory, Ohio State’s Mikulasikova had a string of inconsistency. Ending 2021, the Buckeye center went three-straight games without scoring any points. In B1G play over the past few weeks, Mikulasikova fell into another scoring slump, scoring just 27 total points over four games. Against Nebraska, who has one of the top centers in the conference in Markowski, Mikulasikova showed up in a big way.

Against tough competition, Mikulasikova scored 15 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc, while also adding seven rebounds. Even though Mikulasikova’s night didn’t start out looking the best, a complete performance in the remaining three quarters bodes well for the Buckeyes as they fight to stay near the top of the B1G standings.

Defensive Effort


An area the Buckeyes aren’t necessarily known for this season is on the defensive end of the court. Before Thursday’s win, Ohio State was ninth in the B1G in points per game allowed (67.5). Going up against a Nebraska offense that averages 78.8 points per game was a tall task.

Ohio State responded, led by Thierry and senior guard Braxtin Miller. The two combined for four out of the Buckeyes’ six steals, leading to 19 points off Cornhusker turnovers. Even though Markowski had a double-double of 23 points and 15 assists, Ohio State neutralized the rest of Nebraska’s attack, allowing only three players to reach double figures in points.

What’s Next


Next up for the Buckeyes is a Valentine’s Day trip to Illinois to face the Fighting Illini. The game tips at 9:00 p.m. ET, airing live on B1G Network. Illinois sits in second-to-last place in the B1G, but have only played 19 games due to COVID-19 postponements. The last time these two teams met, on Jan. 6, the Buckeyes beat the Fighting Illini, 90-69, at the Schottenstein Center.

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Roundball Round-Up: Mike Conley and the Utah Jazz picking up their play of late
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

There are currently five former Ohio State basketball players in the NBA, and we’ll update you weekly on how they are doing.

Business is picking up around the league. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday (for transparency, this article is written on Wednesday evening) and we have already seen some moves being made. The Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Caris LeVert, the Indiana Pacers have moved Domantas Sabonis out west to Sacramento, and there are still questions as to whether guys like James Harden, Ben Simmons, and Russell Westbrook will be moved.

Of course, those questions will be answered by the time this article is published.

Mike Conley


Point Guard | Utah Jazz

All the Utah Jazz needed was to see the calendar turn to February for their fortunes to start to turn. January was a frustrating month for Conley and the Jazz, with Utah going 4-12 in the first month of 2022. The Jazz have already almost matched their win total from last month, winning their first three games of February.

The return of Donovan Mitchell to the Utah lineup not only helped the team return to their winning ways, it also helped to boost the production from Mike Conley. Even though Conley went just 2-of-10 from behind the arc on Monday night against the Knicks, the former Ohio State guard still scored 18 points in the 113-104 win.

The area where Conley has picked up his play lately has been on the defensive end. In five of Utah’s last seven games, Conley has recorded at least two steals. The best of those performances came last Wednesday in a 108-104 win against Denver, when he was credited with four steals against the Nuggets, tying a season-high. Conley has also blocked one shot in each of Utah’s last three games. Even though Conley isn’t quite at the level on the defensive end that he was a decade ago when he was averaging over two steals per game, the veteran is still a force on defense.

Duane Washington Jr.

Point Guard | Indiana Pacers


Just as it looked like Duane Washington Jr. was getting comfortable in his role with the Indiana Pacers, things got turned upside down. Washington had one of his best weeks in the NBA, scoring at least 10 points in three of the four games that he played. Even though the Pacers lost all four of their games, Washington scored 17 points against Chicago on Friday night and against Cleveland on Sunday. The seven rebounds Washington pulled down against Chicago and the three steals he recorded on Tuesday against Atlanta were both career-high marks.

Over the weekend it looked as if Washington might see his role expand since the Pacers traded Caris LeVert to Cleveland. The good vibes didn’t last too long though, as on Tuesday Indiana acquired Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield from Sacramento in a trade. Now with Haliburton and Hield in the mix along with Malcolm Brogdon and Chris Duarte, it remains to be seen where Washington fits in the mix in the backcourt.

Jae’Sean Tate

Small Forward | Houston Rockets


Wins have been rare for the Houston Rockets this year. One of the few victories on Houston’s record came last Wednesday when they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104. Jae’Sean Tate only had six points, but he did contribute in other ways, grabbing five rebounds, and recording a season-high four steals. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak by the Rockets.

Unfortunately for Houston, the win last Wednesday didn’t snowball into more wins, as the Rockets have lost their last three games. During that time, Tate’s best performance came on Tuesday in a 110-97 loss to New Orleans, when he almost recorded a double-double by scoring nine points and pulling down nine rebounds. The former Buckeye also nabbed three steals against the Pelicans.

The Rockets may be one of the worst teams in the NBA this year, but at least Tate does have something to look forward to in a couple weeks. As announced a couple weeks ago, Tate has been selected to play in the Rising Stars Challenge. The format has been tweaked a bit, with those selected divided up into four teams of seven players. Tate will be on Team Barry, which will be coached by Rick Barry, and includes Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers and top overall draft pick Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons.

D’Angelo Russell

Point Guard | Minnesota Timberwolves


After last playing on Jan. 27 against Golden State, D’Angelo Russell returned to the court on Sunday. Russell scored 22 points and dished out eight assists in the 118-105 victory over Detroit. The former Buckeye followed his return up with 14 points and seven assists in a blowout win over Sacramento on Tuesday. The Timberwolves have now won their last five games overall, with the first three of those wins coming with Russell unavailable due to injury.

Keita Bates-Diop

Small Forward | San Antonio Spurs


Keita Bates-Diop has had a rough go of things lately. After missing some time after entering health and safety protocols due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, Bates-Diop hasn’t bounced back as quickly as other have after being able to leave protocols. According to San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich, Bates-Diop isn’t able to play back-to-back games at this point. While that could change in the future, Bates-Diop will have to work on his conditioning to get to that point.

Bates-Diop was able to play in one game last week, scoring four points in 14 minutes in a 131-106 win over Houston. Luckily for Bates-Diop he doesn’t have to be in a hurry to return to 100% since the Spurs are just 20-34 on the year, so they aren’t exactly threatening for a playoff spot. Since the start of 2022, San Antonio is 6-14.

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No thread on the snake-bit olympics? How many US athletes are going to fall? So far we have Shiffen (2x) and Gerard, anyone else? Then US women hockey get their asses kicked. Zhou gets Covid.

Ugh.

Chen looked good and so did Kim. Long way to go.

New DL grad assistant.

Interesting background.

Young, former big time Terp recruit from the DMV.
Injuries ended his career early.
Spent some time as grad coach at Maryland and Da U.
Opened a DL academy that had some big league clients.https://www.si.com/college/maryland...nce-transitioning-into-dl-training-specialist



Not sure that he is the heir apparent to LJ.
But interesting.

LordJeffBuck: Ohio State signed the #4 class in 2022 (21 signees, 300.51 total points, 94.05 points per recruit according to 247 Composite), which marks the sixth time in seven years that the Buckeyes have landed a top-5 recruiting class. All that talent coming to Columbus has resulted in exactly zero national championships during that time, from which we can infer that stars do matter but they don't tell the entire story - you also need coaching, player development, play calling, scheme, and quite bit of luck to get to the top of the CFB mountain. Will this newly-signed crew - along with the historically great class of 2021 (321.68 total points; 94.98 points per recruit) and key members of the class of 2020 (C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson) - be enough to seize the brass ring in 2022? If not now, then when....?

RB07OSU: A top 5 recruiting class is certainly nothing to scoff at and prior to UFM we would be through the moon. We still should be by and large. We brought in yet another killer WR class, a stud QB to make up for the Quinn Ewers exit, and restocked on the DL with serious talent. Plus our LB class brings in two of the best in C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers, plus I am excited about DeaMonte Trayanum coming home via transfer. But for all the star power at that position, OL and DB were major letdowns overall. We somewhat salvaged OL with Carson Hinzman (absolute beast btw), but DB could be a huge problem when it looked on pace to be epic when Jaheim Singletary and Terrance Brooks were in the fold...and that is even if we have a stellar 2023 DB class. Overall though, great class with lots of potential stars.


LordJeffBuck: C.J. Hicks is the highest-ranked signee in this class (.9949 rating; #7 overall prospect) and he plays the biggest position of current need (linebacker), so I will nominate him for my player to make the earliest impact. On offense, I don't see anyone making an early impact due to a stacked roster (including not one, not two, but three legitimate Heisman candidates), but if I had to choose one prospect l would probably select wide receiver Kojo Antwi, who looks like he could be the next JSN (smooth, quick, excellent route runner).

RB07OSU: I was actually going to say C.J. Hicks too like LJB, but that would be boring to replicate the answer and will say Caden Curry. There is going to be PT available at DL and on top of being super athletic and aggressive, he has decent polish in his technique. I think Curry plays early and often. My runner up is Sonny Styles if he doesn't outgrow safety this season...need help there and kid has the goods. So many talented guys at WR that are tempting despite our depth there...I would say Kyion Grayes if a WR sticks out, but Caleb Burton is another one that could force his way onto the field.

LordJeffBuck: Quarterbacks almost always have the most star potential, and Devin Brown (.9808 rating; #43 overall prospect in the 247 Composite, but the #1 overall recruit in the new On3 rankings) has the actual talent to become the next starting quarterback at Ohio State after C.J. Stroud leaves for the NFL. With excellent mobility (but not a running QB), above-average arm talent (but not a rocket arm), adequate size (but not physically imposing), and a bit of a gunslinger mentality (12.9 yards per attempt, but also 14 INTs in 14 games), Brown reminds me of another former Buckeye QB, namely Joey Burrow (they even look like they could be brothers, or at least first cousins).


RB07OSU: Give me C.J. Hicks, Captain Buckeye himself. Long, out of this world athletic, absolute wrecking ball and missile as a tackler, and extremely versatile and can cover. Probably a shock to some being at the LB position, but I think he ends up being a top 10 pick in the NFL draft one day if he puts in the work (and he will btw). His film is probably the best I have seen from any LB in Ohio ever and that is saying something. On the offensive side of the ball, give me Caleb Burton. Crazy athletic, big catch radius, and flat out gets open...maybe it is the Texas thing, but he screams Garrett Wilson to me. Lots of guys could go here (like LJB said, Devin Brown is a potential star...any of our WRs are an easy pick...the DL is just loaded).


LordJeffBuck: Alex "Sonny" Styles was one of the top prospects in the Class of 2023, then reclassified to the Class of 2022 and managed to retain his lofty 5-star status (.9938 rating; #12 overall prospect). Listed as a safety prospect by 247 Recruiting, Sonny has already outgrown that position (6-foot-4, 215 pounds). Only one question remains: Will Sonny eventually end up at linebacker or defensive end, or will he be stuck somewhere in between? Athletic tweeners have a high risk, high-reward profile, and I present two former Buckeye safety prospects as evidence: 2014 signee Sam Hubbard (6-foot-6, 223 pounds), who morphed into a star defensive end with a long future in the NFL; and 2019 signee Craig Young (6-foot-5, 200 pounds), who couldn't add weight, couldn't play in space, and barely saw the field at Ohio State before transferring to Kansas after last season. Styles certainly has the athleticism and talent, but he might need a year or three to grow into his body and find his best position on the field.

RB07OSU: Hero Kanu. Dude is a specimen that has barely played the game and has massive upside at a position that is wide open in the near future for PT. One of the most important gets in that class imo. Tegra Tshabola is another one, kid has an amazing frame and size, and a lot of room to develop in his technique at yet another position that is pretty open in the upcoming years. Kenyatta Jackson is another one I think just oozes with potential, kid has the frame and athleticism to be a nightmare on the edge. I know that is three guys but I can't help it on this category.
LordJeffBuck: Yeah, this one ain't too hard.... Three-star offensive tackle Avery Henry (.8692 rating; #704 overall prospect) is the lowest-rated recruit in the class by nearly 300 spots, and that's after he received a massive ratings boost as the result of landing his Buckeye offer. To make matters even more dicey, Henry played at a small school (Division IV St. Clairsville), so he doesn't have much (if any) experience going against FBS prospects. However, Henry is a chiseled 6-foot-6, 305 pounds, so at least he looks like Tarzan.

RB07OSU: Avery Henry. I mean, I like his frame and you always want to root for the Ohio OL with special powers and all. However, this one feels like Stud knew he missed on his targets not named Tegra Tshabola and had to plug a hole. Plus he played against awful competition and I don't even know that we saw him in person at camp? Fingers crossed he proves me wrong.
LordJeffBuck: As I've said in the past, you don't have many sleepers in your class when your average recruit has a rating of 94.05 points. With that being said, I will go with defensive back Kye Stokes, the Buckeyes' third-lowest ranked recruit (.8933 rating; #357 overall prospect), as my sleeper for the Class of 2022. At 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Stokes is currently slotted to be a safety in the Ohio State defense, and he certainly has the ball-hawking skills to excel at that position. But with great length and legit 10.80 speed in the 100 meters, could Stokes possibly be a Jeff Okudah clone at cornerback? Now that would make Stokes an all-time sleeper success story.

RB07OSU: Kye Stokes. Super long and athletic with big upside, could be the next Malik Hooker type for us at safety with some development from our staff. Ryan Turner is another that I think could turn out like a Damon Arnette for us. I also would have said Kyion Grayes but the cat got out of the bag how talented he is, and he is in the top 100 now.
LordJeffBuck: The top overall prospect for the Class of 2022 according to the 247 Composite, QB Quinn Ewers, committed to the Buckeyes in November of 2020, reclassified to the Class of 2021 a few days before the start of fall camp, enrolled at Ohio State, signed some huge NIL deals, played a few snaps against Michigan State, then transferred to Texas before the 2022 Early Signing Day - I don't think we'll every see such a surprisingly strange career path like his again. Ewers's quick departure left a noticeable hole in the 2022 recruiting class at quarterback, but Ryan Day & Company were able to snag a surprising eleventh hour commitment from former Southern Cal verbal Devin Brown, who is the top overall prospect for the Class of 2022 according to On3. It will be interesting to see who ends up with the better end of that bargain, the Buckeyes or the Longhorns.

RB07OSU: Omari Abor. I thought we would not ever get a verbal, let alone keep it. I don't care if Bama perhaps took a pass on him, there were many top-tier programs that wanted this kid and we landed him. Omari and Kenyatta Jackson should wreck the edges for years to come. Kojo Antwi is another that I thought was sure to stay in the south and he stayed solid the whole time. Carson Hinzman was also a shock, when do we ever get a top OL from WI? The answer I believe is never and man did we absolutely need that commitment.
LordJeffBuck: Jaheim Singletary and Terrance Brooks are top-10 cornerback prospects (#5 and #10, respectively) who were both committed to Ohio State at one point in time. But Singletary just couldn't feel the vibe in Columbus, so he left for the greener pastures of Athens, Georgia; while Brooks was lured down to Austin, Texas, with visions of NIL deals dancing in his head. The defections left the Buckeyes dangerously thin at the cornerback position with two just signees, both of whom should probably be placed in the "suspect" category: Jyaire Brown (.9203 rating; #201 overall prospect) and Ryan Turner (.8939 rating; #347 overall prospect).

RB07OSU: Unfortunately there are many candidates on this list. But I would say Jaheim Singletary because we really needed a top-flight CB and he was it. Throw Terrance Brooks right up there while we are at it, but Singletary is going to be a top 10 draft pick and we really needed him. Perhaps it was never going to stick, but he "got away" imo. Dasan McCullough was also unfortunate to lose but I don't think that one would have ever stuck given the circumstances. Also see my comments below for what the class lacks.
LordJeffBuck: Someone with definite star power. Last year's class had at least four prospects who were surefire superstars (J.T. Tuimoloau; Jack Sawyer; Emeka Egbuka; and Treveyon Henderson) and they all showed flashes of brilliance (and in Henderson's case, much more than mere flashes); and of course there were massive contributions made by lower-ranked prospects such as Tyleik Williams, Denzel Burke, Marvin Harrison, Jr., and Jesse Mirco; and that's not even counting top overall prospect Quinn Ewers, who was one of the flashiest flashes in the pan. By comparison, the Class of 2022 seems very solid and very deep, but perhaps lacks early-impact superstar players like those that we enjoyed watching develop last season.

RB07OSU: Take a dart, close your eyes, and pick either DB or OL. DB has to be it for me...from losing Jaheim Singletary and Terrance Brooks, to losing a lead on Zion Branch and Xavier Nwankpa, I am truly concerned about our DBs unless we kill it in 2023 and get some developed transfer portal guys for next year. I know I identified Kye Stokes and Ryan Turner as potential sleepers, but those are sleepers you want in addition to the guys I just listed, not the only guys in your class. On OL we whiffed on about every major target except Tegra Tshabola and Carson Hinzman, many of which we probably had a legit shot at... Kiyaunta Goodwin, Tyler Booker, Jaylen Early, Addison Nichols, Aamil Wagner, Kam Dewberry, and Earnest Greene were all legit possibilities, and truly we probably just needed one of those to make this a good OL class.
LordJeffBuck: In the NIL Era, all coaches will have less impact in recruiting, and recruiting will have less impact on football operations. At football factories like Ohio State, the "overall college experience" will be de-emphasized even further, and "seeing the field early" will become even more important. Recruiting will not end on Signing Day, but will be a 24/7/365 process to keep your own players happy and out of the transfer portal; conversely, much more recruiting capital (figurative and literal) will be spent in the portal looking for disgruntled free agents with lots of potential or proven players who are hoping for one final chance to boost their draft stock or compete for a title.

RB07OSU: Well, there are plenty this year. Biggest of which is new DC Jim Knowles and I think we are all excited about his coaching prowess. However, his recruiting prowess better be darned good because here is the reality on defense.... LJ Sr has to be getting close to retirement. DB Coach Tim Walton is intriguing but we will see how he recruits. OL Coach Justin Frye I think sounds like a better recruiter than Stud, but we will have to see on him as well. I think the machine will keep chugging with Ryan Day at the helm, but I think us fans should try to temper expectations on getting the early commits as recruits get to know the new staff better.
LordJeffBuck: At this time of year, we all have eight or ten 5-star prospects pencilled into the upcoming recruiting class; we'll be lucky if we end up signing two or three. The Class of 2023 will either be very good (like the Class of 2020) or excellent (like the Class of 2022) or ridiculous (like the Class of 2021); it is now far too early to predict the overall quality of this class in general, much less the prospects who will sign with this class in particular. Rest assured that the Buckeyes are chasing most of the top prospects from around the country, and that they will get their fair share (or their unfair share, if things break our way). As usual, watch what happens from the Spring Game through the end of the early official visit period - the prospects who appear in Columbus early and often will be on commitment watch.

RB07OSU: DB and OL are a major focus, we have to hit some big targets there. We cannot afford to come up short at either position this cycle. We stocked up the DL and obviously you want to swing for the fences and keep bringing in big guys there, but I am not concerned on that position except bringing in at least one elite DT. But we HAVE to hit some major safety and CB prospects in 2023. I think we won't see a ton of commits early on, but will start rolling in about April-May.

Bucks travel to New Jersey tomm night. Not going to be an easy one

Didn't see a game thread, and as far as I know the game is still on for today. Obviously, this is one the Bucks need to win.

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While it had been speculated about when the Buckeyes would play the 2022 spring game, it was confirmed on Friday that the contest will take place on Saturday, April 16. Ohio State announced 2022 coaches clinic, which will take place in the two days prior to the spring game, as well on the day of the contest.

The Scarlet and Gray's spring practices do not have a start date at this point, but the expecations is those will begin in early to mid-March. Ohio State is permitted 15 spring practices over a 29-day period by the NCAA. Ohio State's spring break, which typically leads to a pause in spring practice, is from March 13-March 20.

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Class: 2022 (high school)
School: Avon (OH) Avon
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Weight: 185 lbs

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Class: 2022 (high school)
School: Steubenville (OH) Steubenville
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 188 lbs

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Class: 2022 (high school)
School: Cincinnati (OH) Princeton
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Fucking Boilers.

Buckeyes’ men’s basketball Big Ten title odds remain unchanged despite winning ways
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State has the fifth-best odds to win the Big Ten according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Despite winning four of their last five games, out-rebounding a conference foe by 26, and whooping arguably the worst team in Division-I basketball by 46 points, Ohio State’s Big Ten title odds remain unchanged from the beginning of January according to our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook. The No. 16 Buckeyes (13-4, 6-2) have +600 odds to win their first B1G title in a decade, behind No. 24 Illinois (+230, up from +500), No. 6 Purdue (+300, down from +160), No. 11 Wisconsin (+400), and No. 10 Michigan State (+450).


Despite losing two of their last three games, Illinois has become the odds-on favorite to win the conference, with Purdue close behind them. After not generating much interest in the beginning of the season, people are now coming around on Wisconsin and Michigan State as well.

But while the Buckeyes’ Big Ten title odds have not changed, their Final Four odds have dipped a bit, going from +800 at the beginning of the month to +1000 now. They have the 18th-best odds to make it to New Orleans, just behind Wisconsin at +900 and in front of No. 19 LSU at +1100. No. 18 Tennessee has identical odds as the Buckeyes to make a Final Four run. No. 2 Gonzaga (+115), No. 9 Duke (+200), No. 4 Baylor (+220), No. 5 Kansas (+220), and Purdue (+220) — despite not having the best odds to win the Big Ten — have the best odds to make the Final Four right now, according to Vegas.

No. 16 Ohio State’s next game is Sunday at noon against No. 6 Purdue (17-3, 6-3) in Mackey Arena. The game will be broadcast on CBS. With a win, Ohio State will keep pace with Illinois and Michigan State at the top of the B1G. A Purdue loss could put their B1G title hopes on life support with 10 games still to play.

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Ohio State wrestling has dropped two of their last three Big Ten matches, but the team is still well-positioned to make noise in the postseason
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Malik Heinselman celebrates his victory over Drake Ayala of Iowa | Ohiostatebuckeyes.com

Despite losses against TTUN and Iowa, the Buckeyes look to have righted the ship after a tough 2020-21 season.

After a 5-0 start, the Ohio State wrestling team has fallen back down to Earth. They were defeated soundly by TTUN, and fell short in a closer-than-expected match to the Iowa Hawkeyes. The team rebounded by wiping the literal mat with Maryland (39-4), and are now off until Feb. 4, when they face top-ranked Penn State. The Nittany Lions recently destroyed TTUN, which does not bode well for Tom Ryan’s team — the Buckeyes lost to the Wolverines 29-8. But dropping a few matches in the uber-competitive Big Ten is no surprise, and after a rough (for OSU) 2020-21 campaign, Ryan’s grapplers have Ohio State squarely back in the national conversation.


The Buckeyes were humbled by TTUN on Jan. 14. The Wolverines came in to the Covelli Center undefeated, and dominated from beginning to end. Sammy Sasso (149) and Carson Kharchla (165) were the only victors in an otherwise underwhelming performance. One week later - again in a packed Covelli Center - Ohio State tasted defeat once more... but this time, the Buckeyes gave Iowa all they could handle, and dropped a close one 21-12. The final score was not indicative of how close the match really was. OSU only trailed 14-12 upon completion of the 184 match. The Hawkeyes then added a decision and a major decision to close it out at the heaviest weight classes. TTUN and Iowa were ranked No. 3 and No. 2 respectively, and have since flip-flopped in the national rankings.

Losing two straight home duals is never a good thing, but in this case: it’s also not a bad thing! TTUN and Iowa are two of best teams in the country. The best team in the country is Ohio State’s next opponent, Penn State. Such is life in the Big Ten. Half of the top-10 nationally is made up of teams from the Big Ten, and it’s nothing new. “New” is Tom Ryan’s Buckeyes finishing outside of the top-3. Ryan has built a dynasty of sorts, and this season was an opportunity to reclaim their place among the elites. Despite two (and possibly three out of four) recent losses, the team has done exactly that.

Driving Ohio State’s success and a few of the main reasons for optimism, are veterans Sasso, Malik Henselman, and Kaleb Romero — along with redshirt freshman (and a finally healthy) Kharchla. The three vets have collectively qualified for seven NCAA Championships, and Kharchla showed a ton of promise as a high school wrestler and during his unattached season with OSU. Since recovering from a knee injury that caused him to miss all of last year, he has helped form a fearsome foursome... read that again, three times fast.


Each wrestler mentioned above is ranked inside the top-10 at their weight class, with Sasso coming in as the highest (No. 2 at 149). He is a real national title contender, and it appears as if Kharchla might join him. Kharchla took down Iowa’s Alex Marinelli, who was ranked No. 1 at the time. Ohio State’s redshirt freshman currently sits at #4. Joining those four in the top-10 is Ethan Smith (No. 7 at 174), despite having four losses. Smith is a three-time NCAA qualifier himself, so he knows what it takes to get back there. All five of these wrestlers have at least a chance of winning an individual championship, whether it be in the Big Ten or NCAA’s.

Ohio State will, in all likelihood, finish the regular season fourth in their own conference. However, depending on how things shake out, they could very well make some noise in the big tournaments. The Big Ten and NCAA Championships are much different than the traditional duals. The Buckeyes will not be head-to-head with one team. Their best wrestlers will have an opportunity to survive and advance, and OSU has top-10 representation in half of the weight classes — a number similar to that of the three Big Ten teams ranked above them. Anything can happen in tournament-style competition, and Coach Ryan has often pushed his guys to peak in February and March.

Although the team has collectively hit a bit of a skid, the close loss against Iowa was promising, and the guys at the “top” of the roster are performing well. Sasso is a monster, Kharchla is a future star, and Romero and others are proven vets looking to finish out their career(s) strong. Don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes give Penn State problems next week, and keep an eye on this team as the season inches towards one of the most exciting tournaments in college sports.

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You’re Nuts: Who will be Ohio State men’s basketball’s next 1,000-point scorer?
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

E.J. Liddell became the 60th member of the 1k club last night. Who will be number 61?

Our “Nuts” this week are of the celebratory variety, as our very good, quite large basketball son E.J. Liddell hit the 1,000-point plateau last evening during Ohio State’s 75-64 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Barn. Liddell scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds to help power the Buckeyes to their first win in Minneapolis in seven years.

It was also a milestone victory for Chris Holtmann, who became the third-quickest coach in Ohio State history to reach the 100 victory mark (in 147 games). The two who got to 100 quicker are Ohio State legends Thad Matta and Fred Taylor.

More on milestones in a moment. But first, a recap.


Last week, we each picked our favorite Liddell game to this point in his career. Connor picked his career-high 34 points against Northwestern a few weeks ago. Justin picked his 26-point performance to beat Illinois in Champaign during the 2020-21 season. With 57% of the vote, the people sided with Justin while 36% of the people agreed with Connor, and the remaining 7% said it was a different game.

With Justin’s victory, here are our standings:

After 36 weeks:

Connor- 18
Justin- 11
Other- 5

(There have been two ties)


This week, we are taking a guess at who will be the next Ohio State men’s basketball player to hit 1,000 points. The Buckeyes have some older players on this team, several of whom have already surpassed the 1,000 point mark when you combine their points on both teams they’ve played for. None of those players count. We’re specifically looking at players who haven’t gotten to 1k yet — and both current players and future players are options.

Today’s Question: Who is Ohio State’s next 1,000-point scorer?

Connor: Zed Key


The mathematically correct answer to this question is our good friend Zed Key and I’m not anti-math, anti-science, and certainly not anti-Zed. Right now Ohio State’s finger gun-shooting, roof-raising boulder is sitting at 322 career points, and is averaging just under 10 points per game as a sophomore starter.

For a team that makes the NCAA Tournament, the college basketball season typically runs roughly 30-35 games. Let’s predict this conservatively: let’s say Zed only averages 10 points each of the next two seasons — completely removing the possibility that he scores more than 10 ppg as a junior or senior, which seems unlikely. If he averages 10 ppg for 60 games, that is 600 additional points, putting him at 922. That leaves him 78 points short.


Courtesy Sports Reference

However, there are still 11 games left in the regular season — plus at least one B1G tournament game and one NCAA Tournament game. That means that Key would need to average six points per game the rest of this season to assure that he joins the 1,000-point club. It really is that easy.

Now, the big variable for if Key hits 1,000 will be playing time. With Felix Okpara joining the team next year, Key may get pushed for minutes a bit. But even with Okpara around, I don’t expect Zed to get pushed from the starting lineup — I actually think he’ll be even more productive next season. During Key’s senior year, he and Okpara will likely tangle for minutes — assuming both are still on the team — but the Buckeyes’ front court is going to be pretty bare starting next season. As long as Key stays at Ohio State for four seasons and doesn’t have any longterm injuries, I think that he clears 1,000 points fairly easily.

Kyle Young was another option, but at 786 points he would need to average essentially 18 points per game for the rest of the season to make it — assuming only one Big Ten Tournament game and one NCAA Tournament game. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s going to make it. I do think that at least one of the incoming freshmen will make it (Brice Sensabaugh, Bruce Thornton, or Roddy Gayle), but that will be after Key does it.

Justin: Bruce Thornton

Caitlyn Jordan/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK

Scoring 1,000 points is no easy task. Only 60 players in Ohio State history have done it and the list is full of superstars. There are three things that I think you have to have to get 1,000 points: The first is you have to be confident. Everyone will go through scoring slumps, but the guys that don’t let it get to them and stay aggressive are the ones that break out of it.

The second thing is minutes. You have to be on the floor in order to score. So guys who come in and play immediately as a freshman obviously have a huge advantage to get to 1,000. And the third thing is you have to be a three-level scorer. The guys that get to 1,000 are all guys who can drive, create their own shot and shoot the deep ball; because they are so versatile on offense they are really hard to stop, hence they score more.

That being said, I am picking Bruce Thornton. I almost picked Malaki Branham, but I think he will leave for the draft after his sophomore season and 1,000 points in just two seasons would be a pretty huge accomplishment, so I am going with Thornton who I think will be at least a three-year guy.

Thornton is the top recruit in the Buckeyes’ 2022 recruiting class and will be with the squad next season. He is currently ranked as the No. 48 recruit in the class and the No. 8 point guard.

He also matches my criteria for a 1,000 point scorer. Thornton is a guy who will come in and play at the point guard position with Meechie Johnson as Jamari Wheeler and Jimmy Sotos are on their way out.

Thornton is a killer and will have no trouble with confidence as he steps up into the next level. He just recently won the Father John Savage Award at the Bass Pro Shop Tournament of Champions, which awards a player’s spirit and competitiveness.


Thornton will come in and immediately play and — as long as he stays at least three years — 1,000 points should be an attainable goal for him.

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Buck Off Podcast: Hall of Fames are shams, the offseason blues, recruiting notes
Chris Renne via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The guys are back and having a much needed conversations about the recent sports news.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On today’s episode of “Buck Off with Christopher Renne,” I am joined, as always, by Jordan Williams for the third episode of Ohio State’s offseason and we are feeling the offseason blues hard.

We begin the show by talking about our least favorite offseason topics and why we hate how people grade coaching staff hires in January. We also discuss the importance of assistant coaches and why there are more important things than names.

Then we keep on complaining because we have problems with the Hall of Fames of major sports league and some issues about the college football Hall of fames. Major League baseball is the vehicle, but we still talk about Ohio State in this segment.

After the break, we get into the B1G’s plan to move away from dvisions. We talk about how it might work and why it’s beneficial for everybody involved. We move forward and discuss the NIL dominance by Ohio State and ponder why anyone ever had problem with this. We talk about some of the deals that were exciting to see and what cars we’d want from a local auto dealer.

Our final discussion is about some of the final recruiting takeaways as the composite ranking gets finalized. We talk about Devin Brown’s number one ranking and some of the exciting factors of this class.


Connect with the Show
Twitter: @BuckOffPod

Connect with Chris Renne:
Twitter: @ChrisRenneCFB

Connect with Jordan Williams
Twitter: @JordanW330

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for January 28, 2022
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop-shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


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On the Gridiron


Would Ohio State football benefit if the Big Ten eliminated divisions? ($$)
- Nathan Baird, Cleveland.com

B1G Thoughts: What could a Big Ten without divisions look like?
- Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land

Ohio State Draft Profile: Garrett Wilson, the receiver with the highest floor in the 2022 NFL Draft
- Chris Renne, Land-Grant Holy Land


Tyleik Williams shows off impressive first-year numbers for Buckeyes
- Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Projecting Buckeyes who will emerge as stars in 2022
- Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Looking forward to the 2022 Buckeye football season: TreVeyon Henderson
- David M. Wheeler, Land-Grant Holy Land

#DevelopedHere


Bengals QB Joe Burrow reflects on time at Ohio State
- Chase Brown, Buckeye Sports Bulletin

Pittsburgh Steelers sign former Ohio State defensive end John Simon to reserve/future contract
- Andrew Lind, Sports Illustrated

Thayer Munford’s NFL Draft Diary: Former Ohio State offensive tackle has no regrets about extra year with Buckeyes
- Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

On the Hardwood


Liddell gets 1,000, Holtmann gets 100 as Ohio State takes down Minnesota
- Justin Golba, Land-Grant Holy Land


Ohio State shakes off rust, hits multiple milestones in win at Minnesota
- Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

Chris Holtmann Notches 100th Win with Ohio State after Victory at Minnesota
- Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors

Meechie Johnson Jr. cleared to play Thursday vs. Minnesota following facial injury
- Stephen Means, Cleveland.com

The masked man...


Roundball Round-Up: A former Buckeye sets a franchise rookie record
- Brett Ludwiczak, Land-Grant Holy Land

And Now for Something Completely Different


Not gonna lie, if there was more than one episode left, I’d probably give up on “Boba Fett.”


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Class: 2023 (high school)
School: Lehigh Acres (FL) Lehigh
Height: 6-foot-0
Weight: 180 lbs

High school teammate of top Buckeye RB target Richard Young....

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