Has the ship sailed for Ohio State to land a five-star offensive tackle?
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Tristan Leigh

The Buckeyes look to be out of the running for the top offensive tackle prospect left on the board.

In a season that feels nothing short of a roller coaster ride, it looks as if the Buckeyes will be back on the field in just over 24 hours — knock on wood. After last week’s unfortunate cancellation against Illinois, seeing Ohio State back in action against Michigan State is exactly what we all need. Without going into all of the details Buckeye Nation already knows, OSU could use all of the good fortune possible to still make the Big Ten Championship game and beyond, but tomorrow’s game will surely help in that regard.

One thing that has never taken a hiatus for Ohio State is its efforts in recruiting. With news popping up near daily, the Buckeyes are making incredible headway in their 2022 class as they also look to close up their 2021 class with only a few remaining spots. This weekend may have an ultimate affect on the 2021 class, as top targets plan to visit elsewhere. Though the team and staff will be on the road, recruiting never stops whether it’s on or off campus.

Consider this one all but over


On Sunday, five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh announced he would be committing to the school of his choice this coming Jan. 2. Down really to three schools of consideration between Ohio State, Oklahoma, and LSU, Leigh has long been a prospect that the Buckeyes have been recruiting and doing so with relentless effort. With offensive tackle being a position of serious need, Ohio State would love nothing more than to add the fourth-ranked tackle and the 11th-best player nationally to their already incredible 2021 class.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of months, Ohio State has lost a bunch of their momentum with Leigh. Yesterday seemed to be the final nail in the coffin in regards to their chances at landing the top target when he announced that he would be visiting Oklahoma yet again this coming weekend. Though he will not be able to speak with the Oklahoma staff due to the in-person recruiting restrictions, it is still another trip to Norman that shows where Leigh’s heart and mind are in terms of the leader for his pledge.


It’s been reported basically weekly that Ohio State is still in the race, but when you see multiple trips to Oklahoma coming to fruition, on top of the Buckeyes’ 2021 commits unable to get Leigh up to visit for their Buckeye Bash this past October due to a family issue, it really does seem like this recruitment has sailed away in favor of Oklahoma. With Ohio State being closer to Tristan’s home than Oklahoma, this should be pretty telling.

Sure, in recruiting anything can happen with a month still to go before he announces his final call, but the Sooners really do seem to have all of the positive energy here. Worth noting, another huge Ohio State target — five-star WR Emeka Egbuka — will also be in Norman this weekend for what will likely be the Washington native’s final visit before making his ultimate decision.

Quick Hits

• Per Bill Kurelic, current Ohio State five-star quarterback commit, Quinn Ewers has already been at work recruiting for the Buckeyes in the 2022 class. One target he has been in communication with is Kiyaunta Goodwin, a four-star offensive tackle who was mentioned in yesterday’s State Secrets. Ewers more than anyone would love Goodwin in the class to help protect the edge for him during his college career, and it looks to already be well in the works.
• Ohio State’s other commits continue to put in work on the trail as well. It has been no secret that the Buckeyes have been high on four-star RB Dallan Hayden, and the current pledges in the 2022 class are doing their due diligence to help try and sway the Tennessee legacy to Columbus. According to Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts, Ohio State is a major player for Hayden, alongside Notre Dame and obviously the Vols.

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Buckeye Bits: So it looks like we’re gonna have a football game this weekend after all
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

As I said on the Tweeter Machine, when Ohio State canceled their game against Illinois, I just assumed that they would follow the pattern that every other Big Ten team that had canceled games had followed; canceling one game = canceling two games.

However, because Gene Smith and Ryan Day took a proactive approach when the team saw a spike in positive tests, they very well may have saved their B1G title hopes, which could be an important factor to saving their College Football Playoff hopes.

Anyway, judging by the hype video that they released today, it sure looks like they are planning to play against Michigan State on Saturday.

From around LGHL...

From Ryan Day’s Radio Show...


As he normally does on Thursdays, Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day took to the airwaves to discuss where his team was and how things will presumably work this weekend as they prepare to travel to East Lansing to take on Sparty... well, Day’s not traveling anywhere, since he is still in isolation following his own positive COVID test.

Day said that he has been frustrated to not be able to be with his team, and that the cancelation of the Illinois game was just another disappointment in a year full of them for the players. The coach notes that Saturday’s game will likely be one of the most difficult three hour periods of his life. But, he will not be texting in play ideas or calling Kevin Wilson on his cell phone to tell him when to #FreeDemario.


Though everything looks good for the Buckeyes — shorthanded though they might be — to make the trip to the state up north on Friday night, they will have one more hurdle to clear first as they will do another round of testing before they depart at 9 p.m. ET by charter plane.

Day said, however, that the team have exemplified incredible leadership despite all of the unfortunate starts and stops, “I don’t think they’re getting nearly enough credit for doing that,” he said.

In discussing his team’s next opponent, he noted that they were a team that was getting stronger as evidenced by their win over B1G West leading Northwestern. As always, MSU has technically solid defenders and now that they have adapted to Mel Tucker’s new system, they are going to be dangerous.

When you couple that with the fact that the Buckeyes will be short-handed, Day said, “If we don’t play really, really well and take care of the ball, we’ll be in a dog fight into the fourth quarter.”

Ohio State will not release an availability report until Saturday morning ahead of the game, meaning that we won’t be able to deduce what players tested positive until right before kickoff. OSU has been very coy about providing any substantive information on that front this week, even in social media images, but offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson — who will assume play-calling in Day’s absence — said that he will move down to field level from the coaches box for this game so that he can look into “Justin’s eyes” during the game. So, whether he meant to or not, it looks like Wilson confirmed what was widely rumored, that Justin Fields is healthy and ready to go on Saturday.

While there have been a number of players who have tested positive and exhibited symptoms, fortunately thus far, none have required significant medical attention.


Also, for the second season in a row, the Buckeyes will be wearing alternate jerseys against Sparty, as they will wear their all-white road unis, after not being able to agains tIllinois last week.

From elsewhere on the gridiron...


Johnson embracing role as OSU’s acting head coach for MSU game

Steve Helwagen, 247Sports

Status Check: Justin Fields = still good.


I think it is interesting that because of a “bad” game against Indiana, and then an extra week off following, people seem to be sleeping on Justin Fields. Can he still win the Heisman? Probably not. Can he still be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft? Maybe. But one question that no one should be asking is whether or not he is actually an absolute stud at quarterback.

A fourth Buckeye will end his college career in the Senior Bowl.


Browning has probably maximized his draft potential so far this year, so this seems like a good more for him and his future. Good luck to you, Baron.

“Play the semifinals at the higher seed’s home stadium” Challenge! Pass it on!


Here is the father of a current Ohio State player (and not coincidentally the Executive Vice President of the NFL) announcing that four former Buckeyes (Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Cameron Heyward, and Terry McLaurin) had been selected as their team’s nominees for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award this season.

From around the sporting world...


Something called the Knight Commission which has literally zero power made some recommendations today. Let our good friend Matt Brown explain what they suggested:


The OSU women’s hockey team does not have enough players to field a team currently, so next weekend’s series has been postponed.


Well, this is a swift kick in the chestnuts roasting on an open fire. You know what would help me feel better? An incredibly weird college football message board conspiracy theory.


Oh look what we have here!

And now for something completely different...


How you watch movies is going to change next year.


A lot of people believe that this is going to be the death knell for movie theaters; I don’t agree with that. There will always be blockbusters that call out for the big screen, communal experience. Theaters will also need to adapt. They will either need to become super fancy and offer a high-quality experience (as many theaters already have begun doing), or they will need to make it cheaper and even more family friendly.

I have full confidence that there is room for both types of approaches in the entertainment space, but, today’s announcement certainly puts pressure on theaters, and gives consumers more affordable options.


After some unexpected start and stops, I am back to posting a column every single day from preseason camp until whenever Ohio State’s football season ends. Some days they will be longer and in depth, some days they will be short and sweet. Let me know what you think of this one, and what you’d like to see me discuss in the comments or on Twitter. Go Bucks!

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Stick to Sports podcast: Color and gender barriers in sports, help us crown our next chip champion
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by David Stephenson/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The variety of topics on Stick to Sports is unrivaled

Land-Grant Holy Land’s newest podcast series, Stick to Sports, will be unlike any podcast you’ve heard on the Ohio State beat. Your hosts, Tia Johnston and Matt Tamanini, will (of course) talk Ohio State football, but the primary focus of the show will be on what’s going on around the periphery, such as weird/funny happenings in college football and the sports world at large, as well as other things that keep us interested in between games, whether that’s pop culture, social media trends— you name it.

Listen and Subscribe Now:


Today’s show gets a tad more serious compared to our usual nonsense, all thanks to some of the responses Matt received on his article about Larry Johnson becoming Ohio State’s first black head coach (had Ohio State’s game against Illinois went ahead). We discussed why people feel the need to either downplay or flat out not accept this kind of milestone, which is how we then transitioned into discussing my new role model, Sarah Fuller, who became the first woman to play for a P5 team when she kicked off for Vanderbilt on Saturday.

But don’t you worry! The second half of the episode is lighthearted at best, as we discuss our favorite Christmas traditions, Christmas albums and a super famous celebrity who is a huge fan of Matt’s day job podcast, True Crime Obsessed. I won’t give the celeb away, but let’s just say the pressure is on for Matt.

And of course, last but certainly not least, we name the winner of the Flavored Chip Region of our infamous Chip Bracket, before arguing the Adjacent Chip Region down to two finalists. You know the drill, head to our Twitter account to vote for who you think should move onto the Final 4 — Bold Chex Mix or Bugles?!



Tia’s Recommendation: Kendahl Landreth on TikTok (the one’s where she pretends to be her mom on FaceTime)

Matt’s Recommendation: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Matt’s Interview with “Jingle Jangle” star Marisha Wallace: https://broadwayradio.com/blog/2020...le-jangle-debut-album-planting-seeds-of-hope/


Contact Tia Johnston
Twitter: @TiaJohnston_

Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt, @LandGrant33

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BYU-Coastal Carolina is a late addition to an interesting Week 14 national schedule
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 Tim Warner/Getty Images

The Cougars replaced Liberty as Coastal Carolina’s opponent this week after the Flames were unable to play due to COVID-19 issues.

Last week ATS: 7-5 (5-2 National, 2-3 B1G)

Season ATS: 63-51-2 (44-36 National, 19-15-2 B1G)

Another positive week for MC&J, and we aren’t talking about COVID. The start to last week was a little rough with a 2-2 Friday record, but we did enough on Saturday to pickup a couple more games on .500. With just a few weeks left in the regular season, we need a strong finish so we don’t erase any the gains we have made this year.

National games (all games Saturday unless otherwise noted):


No. 5 Texas A&M (-7) v. Auburn - 12:00 PM EST - ESPN

Normally this would be a game where I would tab Texas A&M to fall on their faces. This year has a little different feel. Texas A&M keeps piling up wins as they work their way towards the playoff, while Auburn feels like they are just playing out the stretch.

This game is going to be decided on third down. We saw something similar earlier this year when the Aggies played Florida. The Gators weren’t able to stop Texas A&M on third down, which allowed the Aggies to hand Florida their only loss of the season. Auburn’s defense is the worst in the SEC on third down, allowing conversions on over 50% of third downs.

Auburn was thoroughly dominated by Alabama last week. How will the blowout carry over to this week? I think the Tigers will still be feeling some of the effects when they square off with the Aggies this week. Texas A&M will control the clock against Auburn on Saturday, wearing down the defense of the Tigers and allowing for Kellen Mond and Isaiah Spiller to find some holes in the defense as the game goes on.

Texas A&M 27, Auburn 17


West Virginia v. No. 9 Iowa State (-6.5) - 3:30 PM EST - ESPN

One of the biggest surprises in college football this year has been West Virginia. The Mountaineers are not only 5-3, but Neal Brown’s team has one of the best defenses in the country. West Virginia’s defense has been especially stingy lately, giving up a combined 29 points in their last three games.

The Mountaineers will have their work cut out for them on Saturday when they take on Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, and the rest of the Iowa State offense. Hall is working his way into being a contender for the Heisman Trophy, rushing for 1,260 yards and 16 touchdowns so far this season.

I’m going to go with a bit of a curveball here. West Virginia has a defense that is capable of bottling up the Iowa State offense. The offense of the Mountaineers isn’t too shabby either. Jarrett Doege has thrown for 13 touchdowns this year and running back Leddie Brown is working his way towards 1,000 yards rushing this year. The Mountaineers score their biggest win under Neal Brown.

West Virginia 24, Iowa State 21


No. 6 Florida (-17.5) v. Tennessee - 3:30 PM EST - CBS

Remember when this rivalry used to be one of the most entertaining in the country? Much like how Ohio State-Michigan is these days, now the rivalry is dominated by one side. Florida has won 14 of the last 15 meetings against Tennessee, with the only win by the Volunteers during that span coming in 2016.

Florida has been getting better as the season has progressed. Early on in the season, the Gators couldn’t stop anyone on defense. That hasn’t been the case lately, as Florida has allowed 17 points or less in three of their last five games. The improvement of the Gator defense has taken some of the pressure off the Florida offense, which has been outstanding this year.

I just don’t see how Tennessee is going to keep pace with Kyle Trask and the Florida offense. What really do the Volunteers have left to play for? I mean I guess they could play spoiler, but I don’t think they have the talent and coaching to pull the upset on Florida. Tennessee loses their third straight at home by at least 20 points.

Florida 41, Tennessee 17


No. 13 BYU (-10) v. No. 18 Coastal Carolina - 5:30 PM EST - ESPNU

This is one of the games that BYU needs to show they belong in the College Football Playoff race. While a win over Coastal Carolina won’t vault the Cougars into the top-4, it certainly should move them up at least a few spots with the win. Zach Wilson is primed for a big game against a defense that hasn’t seen anybody like him this year. Wilson has 34 total touchdowns this season.

Props to Coastal Carolina for scheduling BYU after Liberty wasn’t able to play this game because of COVID-19 issues. The decision will likely end the undefeated season of the Chanticleers, though. The BYU defense is nasty, which should allow them to hold Grayson McCall and the Coastal Carolina offense in check. The Chanticleers might hang around early because of the adrenaline from hosting such a big game, but the Cougars will eventually pull away.

BYU 38, Coastal Carolina 21


No. 23 Oregon (-10) v. California - 7:00 PM EST - ESPN

Remember when Oregon thought they had one of the best defenses in the country and were going to shutdown Ohio State? The Ducks couldn’t even slow down Oregon State, so it’s probably good Oregon didn’t play the Buckeyes this year or else the Ducks might have gotten embarrassed on their home turf. Oregon just gave up 226 yards to Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson in the upset loss to the Beavers.

Cal has to be feeling like they should be 2-1 right now. After falling to UCLA 34-10 in their season opener, the Golden Bears have lost their last two games by a combined five points. The Golden Bears are coming off a loss in which it looked like they were going to at least take Stanford to overtime, but Cal’s kicker missed the extra point.

Both teams are coming off deflating losses last week. I think we see Oregon come out firing on Saturday night. The Ducks still control their own destiny in the Pac-12 North and would make the conference title game with wins over Cal this week and Washington next weekend. Oregon’s offense is a little too potent for the Golden Bears to keep up with.

Oregon 34, California 20


No. 3 Clemson (-22) v. Virginia Tech - 7:30 PM EST - ABC

Things have gotten ugly in Blacksburg. The Hokies have lost three straight games, including an embarrassing 47-14 loss to Pitt a couple weeks ago. While the future of head coach Justin Fuente hasn’t been announced, it is becoming more and more likely there will be a new head coach at Virginia Tech next year.

Clemson saw Trevor Lawrence return to the field last week, and the game against Pitt went as expected. The Tigers jumped out to a big lead and never was threatened by the Panthers in the 52-17 victory. Now Clemson has one last hurdle before the ACC Championship Game, which will likely see them square off with Notre Dame again.

The weather in Blacksburg on Saturday night is supposed to be less than ideal, which could help the Hokies at least stay in the same zip code as Clemson. While there is a worry that Virginia Tech could have already quit on the season, I think they show up enough to keep this within a three touchdown game. Clemson isn’t in any danger of an upset, but they do take their foot off the gas a little earlier in this one.

Clemson 45, Virginia Tech 27


No. 10 Miami (FL) (-14.5) v. Duke - 8:00 PM EST - ACC Network

Prior to sitting on the sidelines the last three weeks, Miami had been living on the edge, winning their last three games by a combined nine points. Since losing to Clemson earlier in the season, D’Eriq King has found some rhythm behind center for the Hurricanes, throwing 11 touchdowns and just two interceptions in the last four games.

Miami’s turnover chain might get passed around a lot on Saturday. Duke quarterback Chase Brice has thrown 13 interceptions this season. Turnovers are a big reason why the Blue Devils are just 2-7 this year. Duke has been especially bad of late, allowing 56 points to both North Carolina and Georgia Tech.

After playing so many close games, Miami is due to blowout an opponent. The Hurricanes have had a few weeks off to recharge their batteries and get refocused. Miami will have some added motivation since they’ll likely be left out of the ACC Championship. Even though the Hurricanes won’t have a chance at the conference crown, they still could find themselves in a New Year’s Six bowl. Miami states their case with an easy win.

Miami (FL) 44, Duke 20


Washington State v. No. 20 USC (-13) - Sunday 12/6 7:30 PM EST - FS1

Since we so rarely get a Sunday college football game, I figured we pretty much had to include this one. Both teams have been on the sidelines recently because of COVID-19 issues, but everything seems good to go for Sunday night’s contest in Los Angeles.

The Cougars are coming off a 43-29 loss to Oregon a few weeks ago. While Washington State lost by two touchdowns, the game was closer than the score would indicate. Oregon scored a couple of fourth quarter touchdowns to swing the cover away from the Cougars and to the Ducks. Freshman Jayden de Laura has been solid in his first couple starts, throwing four touchdowns and just one interception.

USC looked a lot better in their last game than they did in their first two contests, beating Utah 33-17. Even though it looks like the Trojans might have fixed some things, we have to remember Utah was playing their first game of the year, so they weren’t all that sharp. I think Washington State gives USC a tougher game, especially with the revamped running game the Cougars are featuring.

USC 34, Washington State 27

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Players to Watch: Michigan State
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes will look to make a statement against the Spartans this weekend

It has been a pretty crazy past few days in Columbus, but as of right now it looks like we are all systems go for Ohio State to take on Michigan State this weekend. Playing the game is important for a number of reasons, including not only the Buckeyes working toward that six-game minimum for the Big Ten title game — which looks more and more everyday like a rule that will be changed in OSU’s favor — but also getting additional game reps in for their guys so the team will be more prepared for the College Football Playoff.

The Spartans are a good matchup for Ryan Day’s Larry Johnson’s crew, as they are a unit that shouldn’t quite push the Buckeyes to the brink, but also aren’t a total pushover as we saw last week in their upset of Northwestern. They have a good enough passing game to allow the secondary to show any potential improvements they’ve made, and a decent defense that should allow for Justin Fields to have a bounce-back performance.

There are a number of players on both sides of the ball worth watching in this one, so let’s check out what former Ohio State assistant Mel Tucker has going on in East Lansing.

Offensive Player to Watch: Jalen Nailor

The Register-USA TODAY NETWORK

Somewhat surprisingly, Michigan State actually has a pretty good passing attack this season relative to the rest of the country, checking in at No. 48 nationally through the air. The Spartans haven’t exactly been an offensive juggernaut, but most of what they’ve been able to accomplish has come via the pass. Tucker has a very solid group of wide receivers at his disposal, led by none other than Jalen Nailor.

The redshirt sophomore has already shattered his previous career-highs in East Lansing through just five games this season. After playing in only four contests a year ago and redshirting due to an injury, Nailor has hauled in 16 passes for a team-high 379 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 6-foot track athlete is Michigan State’s primary deep threat, averaging 23.7 yards per reception. Nailor had one of his better games of the year last time out against the Wildcats, catching three balls for 99 yards and a TD.

Tossing the rocking to Nailor is junior QB Rocky Lombardi, who in his first year as a full-time starter has thrown for just over 1,000 yards with eight TDs and eight interceptions. Lombardi has a talented group of wide receivers around him outside of Nailor, including Jayden Reed and Ricky White. Reed is the team’s catch leader with 22 receptions for 252 yards and three TDs on the season, while White, similarly to Nailor, is averaging a ridiculous 22.3 yards per catch with 10 receptions for 223 yards and a TD.

Ohio State’s defense has been susceptible to big plays in the passing game this year, and Michigan State has picked up a large chunk of their offensive yardage doing just that. This will be a good indication of whether or not the Buckeyes have finally started to put a lid on their woes in the secondary.

Defensive Player to Watch: Antjuan Simmons

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

The Sparty defense is really where their bread as been buttered this season. Ranking No. 49 in the country overall in total defense, Michigan State has allowed over 40 points in a game just once this year — somewhat strangely coming against Iowa. Their run defense has been especially impressive, holding Northwestern last week to just 63 yards on the ground as a team. A bulk of their success has come from a sturdy group of linebackers, led by three-year letterwinner Antjuan Simmons.

After leading the Spartans as a junior in 2019 with a whopping 90 tackles, Simmons is back at it again in 2020 with a team-high 53 tackles to go along with 6.5 tackles for loss and a sack through five games. Named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy, Simmons earned Big Ten Player of the Week for his efforts against Norhtwestern last weekend, wherein he recorded 13 tackles including two for loss. Ohio State will have to keep an eye on the versatile linebacker on Saturday, as we will no doubt see Michigan State dial up the blitz packages after the success Indiana had putting pressure on Justin Fields.

Simmons has some help around him when it comes to slowing down opposing offenses. Junior cornerback Shakur Brown is having a tremendous season, currently tallying all five of the team’s interceptions on the year. MSU has not exactly gotten to the quarterback a ton to this point, but when they have it has more often than not been senior defensive end Drew Beesley, who leads the Spartans with three sacks. Linebacker Noah Harvey is Sparty’s second-leading tackler, with 37 total tackles and 4.5 TFLs this season.

The Michigan State defense hasn’t been world beaters this year, but they aren’t going to just let the Buckeyes come in and steamroll them for four quarters. Ohio State knows they need to have a dominant performance to up their stock in the eyes of the committee, and they should be able to do enough on Saturday to make that a reality.

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Buckeyes talking with top 2022 offensive tackle, pair of 2021 commits make all-state selections
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kiyaunta Goodwin | Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports

Will Ohio State’s constant contact pay off with a top offensive lineman in the 2022 class?

With just about two weeks until the early signing period, Ohio State’s 2021 class is pretty close to being all but finished. Though the staff still wants to fill a couple remaining spots with the best available guys in the country, it will be a relief for Ryan Day and his crew to have all of their current commits guys locked in. As this class sits at No. 2 and still a real chance to be the top class when all is said and done, 2022 has taken over as the talk of the town.

Of all the fortunate areas of Ohio State’s incredible recruiting run each year, one aspect that has to be highlighted is the staff’s ability to build relationships early and often. As the Buckeyes did in 2021, a good chunk of their class was filled relatively early in the cycle. This allows Day and his guys to get head starts on building the foundations in the following years. What you are seeing right now is a trend. The ability to recruit ahead of yourselves is paying off for OSU, and it is clear when you see the 2022 class already atop of the nation’s rankings with nine players already committed.

OSU in contact literally everyday


Though it may not have been the original plan, Ohio State’s 2021 offensive line recruiting looks to be completed with plenty of talent to help reload the room. What didn’t go according to plan was the fact that the Buckeyes didn’t land their top targets at offensive tackle. Not a deal-breaker to the class by any means, it just would have been ideal for coach Greg Studrawa to land a five-star guy which would allow him to get a head start on future targets to keep the trenches in great shape.

With their experiences in 2021, Ohio State is looking at 2022 a bit differently and doing all they can to ensure the class has their top-rated guys along the offensive line early in the game. As mentioned, when you lock in those types of players it allows you to focus the attention to future classes and other areas of need, allowing greater time to build relationships — which are everything in recruiting. The plan in 2022 looks to be to land the top in-state guys first and continue trying to recruit nationally, bringing in the elite targets everyone is after from there.

One prospect the Buckeyes are clearly all in on is Indiana native Kiyaunta Goodwin. A name not new to Ohio State recruiting followers, Goodwin is the No. 24 offensive tackle in the class and the fourth-best player from his home state. With over 50 offers to his name, Goodwin’s stock speaks for itself, but perhaps his most impressive feature, especially in his own mind, is the incredible transformation he underwent in such a short time.

At 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, Goodwin may be one of the fiercest looking dudes on a football field. Not always as lean as he looks now, you can tell the OT has taken his training to heart and has been doing all he can to be the best player possible both currently and at the next level as well. At 425 pounds in eighth grade, Goodwin has put in an incredible amount of effort in the gym to reshape his body, now running a ridiculous 4.9 40-yard dash time at his size.

Ohio State came into the picture is from the very beginning. Having visited the Buckeyes twice unofficially both in 2018 and 2019, it wasn’t until this past August that Goodwin landed the OSU offer. Since then, he has clearly been one of the top targets for Studrawa, and Goodwin as well has made it pretty clear how highly he thinks of the Buckeye program.

In fact, Goodwin and Ohio State are in communication daily, and that has to make you feel pretty good about their chances at pulling this top-caliber lineman from Southern Indiana. There may only be three predictions on the 247Sports Crystal Ball for the nation’s No. 195 prospect, but with all three being in favor of the Buckeyes, this may be considered a job well done for Studrawa and company sooner than later.

All-State honors for the dynamic duo


Fresh off their third state championship run, touched on in yesterday’s State Secrets, once again Kyle McCord and Marvin Harrison Jr. are back in the headlines. The pair of 2021 Ohio State commits have had quite the successful run during their high school years being teammates, and while that is of course the plan for them again once in Columbus, yesterday there was one more prep career accolade to receive for the dynamic duo from Pennsylvania.


MaxPreps released their 2020 Pennsylvania All-State team selections, and of course both McCord and Harrison Jr. were on the list. As if being the nation’s third-best quarterback in the class and the 15th-best receiver in the country weren’t enough, both are also top 100 prospects per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, as well as top-five players in their home state.

Remarkably enough, the Buckeyes just continue to poach the best talent from their bordering neighbors to the east, and with elite talents like McCord and Harrison in the fold, that could spell harm for conference foe Penn State, which of course would’ve loved to keep these guys home.

Quick Hits

• Per Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts, four-star outside linebacker Malaki Hamrick has the Buckeyes not just in his final five schools of interest, but also a favorite of the schools still being considered. Odds are the home state Tar Heels of North Carolina are the other top contender to land the 13th best outside backer in the class.
• Class of 2022 IMG Academy prospect Dominick James says the top two programs recruiting him the hardest right now are Florida and Ohio State. Ranked as the nation’s 11th-best defensive tackle, James plans to come out with a top schools list relatively soon, and says the Buckeyes will definitely be in that top five or top 10 when released.

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Buckeye Bits: Michigan cancels Maryland, ‘The Game’ in jeopardy, more
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

As I write this at 4:30 p.m. ET on a Wednesday, the Ravens and Steelers are playing a live game of football and the Ohio State men’s basketball team is about to tip off at 5:00 p.m. in a volleyball arena. But honestly, nothing surprises me anymore. I have a whole lot to tell you today, so let’s jump in.

From around LGHL...

From around college football...


Pull up a chair and grab a drink, friend. We have a lot to go over today. Starting with a flaming hot take that Kirk Herbstreit made on Tuesday night after the College Football Playoff Top 25 was revealed on ESPN. (Ohio State remained at No. 4 behind Alabama, Notre Dame and Clemson, respectively).

“I still think Michigan waves the white flag, potentially avoids playing Ohio State next week, and then they’ll potentially get a game on the 19th,” Herbstreit said. “Is that fair, David (Pollack)? Michigan could opt out, basically, of that game, and keep Ohio State out of six games to qualify for the Big Ten Championship. That doesn’t make sense to me.”


Like I said, that is...quite the claim, especially when Michigan is dealing with increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 tests. As you can imagine, people were not happy, which led to Herbstreit issuing an apology on his Twitter account.

“I had no business at all saying that, I have no evidence of that. It was completely unfair to the University of Michigan, to Jim Harbaugh, to his players and coaches, and I just wanted to apologize,” Herbstreit said. “We all go through some ups and downs, many downs for a lot of people during this COVID crisis that we’re all in. And for me, in college football, I really struggle with where we are. Players opting out, teams canceling games, it just seems like it’s a downward spiral. I think, typically I try to remain positive and upbeat, and I think sometimes we all have our breaking points and I think right now, at Week 14 with so much negativity surrounding the sport, I think that’s sometime a pressure point for me.”


Fast-forward to Wednesday afternoon, and Michigan’s COVID situation has indeed escalated, causing them to cancel Saturday’s game against Maryland.


If Michigan’s positive tests continue to rise or, at the very least, don’t diminish by Monday, they will almost definitely cancel The Game. And if that happens, a lot of bozos are going to come out of the woodwork making very similar claims to Herbstreit’s. But let’s be real here...


In all seriousness, I hope everyone within the Michigan organization gets well ASAP. We like to poke fun and okay fine flat out harass Michigan fans here at LGHL, but we wouldn’t wish COVID-19 on our worst enemy (which happens to be Michigan).

So now that another game on Ohio State’s schedule is on the line, it’s time to seriously consider some scheduling alternatives. If the Michigan game is canceled, under the conference’s dumb preseason rules, Ohio State will not have played enough games to be eligible to play in the B1G championship. Not playing in a conference championship does not help the Buckeyes’ CFP case, and it is absolutely in the Big Ten’s best interest that Ohio State makes it to the playoff, and Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez agrees.


Of course, Wisconsin would also benefit from the elimination of the minimum game requirement. If the Badgers win out and Northwestern loses again, they would find themselves in the conference championship as well.

I do really have a hard time imagining a world where Northwestern and a quarterback-less Indiana is playing for the conference title while Justin Freaking Fields sits at home.


Just in case you thought the cancelation of Ohio State/Michigan wouldn’t be a big deal...


And hey, if all else fails...


In the mean time...it’s Michigan State week people!! Time to zone in. Here’s what the Spartans had to say about their preparation for Saturday.

On this date...


A true legend.


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Ohio State men’s basketball vs Morehead State: Game preview and prediction
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

The Buckeyes will look to improve on Sunday’s lackluster showing against an overmatched nonconference foe.

The AP Top 25 Poll came out Monday afternoon, with the Buckeyes holding steady at No. 23. They should feel lucky, because Sunday’s showing against UMass-Lowell (that everyone, including myself, thought would be an easy victory) ended up as just a 74-64 win.

It was not the effort of a top-25 team or an NCAA Tournament-caliber team, especially on the offensive end. Ohio State shot 34% from the floor in the first half, including 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. The Buckeyes hit four of their 10 threes in the second half, still finishing just 4-for-18 from deep for the game. Luckily, they’ll have an opportunity to clean things up this evening against Morehead State.

Preview


While Ohio State’s performance against the River Hawks left much to be desired, it did force them to face some adversity for the first time this season, which is good. Certainly, Chris Holtmann would have liked things to be less stressful against the No. 212 team in the country according to KenPom, but there will be many contests this year that come down to the final few possessions. Having the experience of grinding out close wins in November should help this group do the same in March.

The Buckeyes have some work to do, namely learning how to shoot a basketball through the net that hangs from the iron rim up there. They were completely inept at shooting the ball during the first half, missing every single three-point attempt and the majority of their jump shots. Ohio State was efficient in the paint, getting contributions from Kyle Young, Duane Washington Jr., and E.J. Liddell in the first half, helping them stay tied at halftime.

The Buckeyes went neck and neck with the River Hawks until the 1:08 mark of the second half, when Washington Jr.’s third three-pointer of the day gave Ohio State a 70-63 lead that put the game just out of reach. The Buckeyes stayed patient and eventually shot their way out of their funk at the end, but they won’t have that luxury against higher-level competition. The game will be too far gone at that point.

The positives? Ohio State is not turning the ball over, and their point guard is dishing out assists like candy to kids on a non-COVID Halloween. After registering six assists against Illinois State, CJ Walker recorded five more on Sunday against UMass-Lowell. He’s averaging 5.5 assists to two turnovers per game this season, and as a team, the Buckeyes are turning the ball over just 9.5 times per game. Last season, Ohio State turned the ball over just under 13 times per contest. Not giving your opponents extra opportunities matters in the best conference in college basketball.

Morehead State comes into the matchup with the Buckeyes on the heels of their first victory of the year, a 69-61 win over Arkansas State. Freshman Johni Broome recorded a double-double with 25 points and 12 rebounds in just his third collegiate game, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Buckeyes defend the Eagles’ talented wing. He scored 11 points in their season-opening loss to Kentucky, but struggled in the following contest against Richmond, recording just six points and six rebounds.

The Eagles are the 313th-best team in the country according to KenPom, placing them even lower than Ohio State’s first two opponents. A member of the Ohio Valley Conference, they have not won their conference since 2003. They did, however, win their conference tournament in 2011, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in program history. They upset fourth-seeded Louisville in the opening round as the 13-seed, which was just their second NCAA Tournament win in the past 27 years.

A win against the ranked Buckeyes this season would be a huge stamp for their tournament resume as they look to punch their ticket for the first time since that magical run almost a decade ago. Ohio State, on the other hand, will once again look to avoid a major blemish on their resume, as a loss against Morehead State is as disastrous as it gets. If Chris Holtmann’s squad ends up on the NCAA Tournament “bubble”, a loss to Morehead State is what will keep them out of the field of 68. They simply cannot lose this game.

Prediction


It seems like de ja vu, because it’s almost the exact same situation as Sunday. Ohio State is the bigger, stronger, and far talented team. Morehead State has one offensive weapon that the Buckeyes will surely plan for, and not much beyond that. As a team, the Eagles shoot 23.9% from three-point range — one of the worst marks in the country.

Ohio State can’t come out throwing bricks up the whole first half again, or else they’ll find themselves in panic mode, needing to be bailed out by the exact thing they’ve shown they cannot do — shoot. While I don’t think the Buckeyes are that bad shooting the basketball (they probably won’t shoot below 30% from three-point range many times this year), these are the games where they have some leeway to work out the kinks.

ESPN BPI: 93.8%
5:00 p.m. ET
TV: BTN

LGHL Score Prediction: 84-64 Ohio State

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McCord and Harrison Jr. show out in state championship game, Rivals250 gets update
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Four-star 2021 WR Marvin Harrison Jr. | Lettermen Row

All of the latest news surrounding Ohio State recruiting

The smoke has died down a little bit from what was a whirlwind couple of weeks surrounding Ohio State’s 2022 class, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a bunch of news and notes to discuss when it comes to the Buckeyes’ efforts on the recruiting trail. With the early signing period for the 2021 class just over two weeks away, expect things to begin to pick up here real soon.

Commits win state championship


On Saturday night, Buckeyes’ QB commit Kyle McCord and WR commit Marvin Harrison Jr. helped lead Philadelphia St. Joseph to a 62-13 victory over Central York to win the PIAA 6A state championship. For Harrison, McCord and the rest of their senior teammates, it was certainly nothing new, as it became the third-straight state title for the group. It was the final prep football game for the Philly duo, as the pair plan to graduate early and enroll at Ohio State in January.

McCord was awesome right from the get-go, as the five-star quarterback prospect completed 21 of his 28 pass attempts for 336 yards and four touchdowns. A connection that we will get to see in the coming years in Columbus, Harrison hauled in a three of these passes for 73 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On the backs of the two future Buckeyes, St. Joseph jumped out to a 38-7 lead by halftime and never looked back.

One of the highest-rated players in Ohio State’s 2021 class, McCord committed all the way back in April of 2019. The nation’s No. 3 QB and the No. 25 player in the cycle overall, McCord will immediately jump into a three-way QB battle next season between himself, Jack Miller, and CJ Stroud — both of whom were highly-regarded prospects in the 2020 class. With Stroud earning a fifth star in 247Sports’ rankings and a commitment from Quinn Ewers in 2022, the Buckeyes have pulled a five-star QB in three-straight classes.

Harrison, on the other hand, will be looking to become the next Brian Hartline disciple. The son of Indianapolis Colts legend and Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison, the four-star pass-catcher is the No. 16 WR in the class and the No. 104 player in the country overall. Like his father, Harrison Jr. possesses an excellent combination of size and speed at 6-foot-4. Committing to Ohio State in August, Harrison is the second-highest rated WR in the Buckeyes’ class behind only Jayden Ballard.

Rivals rankings updated


While the 247Sports Composite is still the gold standard of recruiting rankings, it is always worth checking out where Rivals has guys slotted whenever they update their list. On Tuesday, the new (and improved?) Rivals250 came out, and a bunch of Ohio State’s commits saw their ranking change — mostly in the wrong direction.

The highest-rated Buckeye commit in the new Rivals250 remains defensive end Jack Sawyer, who dropped four spots to No. 12 despite maintaining his position as the No. 1 WDE in the class. The biggest positive movers for Ohio State were the aforementioned Harrison, who jumped up 36 spots to No. 84 overall as the No. 18 WR, and Jordan Hancock, who moved up nine spots to No. 108 overall as the No. 8 CB.

The most puzzling ranking continues to be TreVeyon Henderson, who despite being the No. 1 RB and the No. 22 overall player in the 247Sports Composite, slid down 10 spots to No. 79 overall and the No. 3 RB according to Rivals — even behind fellow OSU RB commit Evan Pryor, who comes in at No. 71 overall and the No. 2 all-purpose back.

As a whole, Ohio State has two five-star players in the Rivals250 in Sawyer and OG Donovan Jackson (No. 13 overall). Rounding out the Buckeyes’ other commitments that made the Top 250 includes McCord (No. 30), Jakailin Johnson (No. 44), Ben Christman (No. 88), Michael Hall (No. 89), Reid Carrico (No. 126), Ballard (No. 141), Denzel Burke (No. 146) and Andre Turrentine (No. 190).

Quick Hits

• According to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports, five-star 2021 WR Emeka Egbuka will finally make the trip to Oklahoma this upcoming weekend. The final step before the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver makes his college decision, Egbuka will meet up with Sooners QB commit Caleb Williams, whom he has a good relationship with, to take in the campus on his first ever trip to Norman.

The Buckeyes are still the favorite to land Egbuka, with eight of the 10 Crystal Balls currently favoring Ohio State as a result of the receiver’s relationships with both Brian Hartline and Ryan Day, but this visit marks a big step in the Washington native’s recruitment. Egbuka did not rule out having his decision before the early signing period — which begins Dec. 16 — but wanted to get to Oklahoma’s campus prior to making a commitment.

One way or another, we will now likely hear where Egbuka stands sometime shortly after this weekend. The Sooners are certainly a player in this recruitment, and could sway the elite receiver with a convincing visit, but Egbuka has been to Ohio State multiple times in the past, and the long-lasting relationship could be the deciding factor in him ending up in Columbus.

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Buckeye Bits: Ohio State resumes team activities, Chris Holtmann provides injury updates
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

It’s going to be a pretty hectic couple of weeks on the Ohio State beat. The football team is trying to work back from a COVID-19 outbreak and continue their CFP dreams, the basketball season is now in full swing, and the recruiting game is firing on all cylinders with the early signing period in just over two weeks. Luckily, we here at Land-Grant Holy Land are here to keep you up to date on all things Buckeyes.

In case you missed it...

Today at LGHL...

Listen to this...

From around the gridiron...


We got some really good news from out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday, as Ohio State announced it has returned to organized team activities this afternoon. While it is way too soon to consider the Buckeyes a lock to play Michigan State this upcoming weekend, it is clearly a good sign that the team feels comfortable enough from what it has seen in its testing numbers to return to practice.


Worth noting, every team in the Big Ten that has had to cancel a game thus far has had to do so for two-straight weeks. As things currently stand, Ohio State is on track to travel to East Lansing this weekend after just one week off, but obviously things can change in a moment’s notice with this unpredictable virus.

Meanwhile, more good news from across the street involving the Buckeyes’ only other remaining regular season matchup — one they also need to qualify for the B1G title game.


In a bit of a surprise to some, Tuf Borland has accepted an invitation to the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The event, which is mainly to provide an additional showcase for seniors looking to enter the NFL Draft, is scheduled to take place on Jan. 30. Despite getting a free year of eligibility this year and having the chance to return to Columbus for another season, it appears as though Borland will instead elect to test the NFL waters after what has been his most productive season in scarlet and gray.


Joining Borland in Mobile, AL will be Ohio State RB Trey Sermon. After rushing for over 2,000 yards over three seasons at Oklahoma, the senior has accumulated 232 yards on the ground working in tandem with Master Teague while averaging 5.2 yards per carry for the Buckeyes through four games.


Ohio State’s defensive line may not be putting up the stats we’ve grown accustomed to, but they are still having an impact on the game and have been graded the best unit in P5.

From around the hardwood...


Head coach Chris Holtmann stepped up to the virtual podium on Tuesday to preview his team’s upcoming game against Morehead State and to give some injury updates on guys like Seth Towns and Musa Jallow.

In regards to Towns, who is coming off a knee injury that has sidelined him for the last two years, Holtmann says he is still working to get back to game speed. He is progressing and getting closer to a return, but they don't want to rush anything and cause unnecessary added stress on the forward’s body.


Jallow, on the other hand, is nursing a lower-leg injury, and he will miss the team’s game on Wednesday night. He did not play in Sunday’s matchup against UMass-Lowell, and was seen walking around on the sideline in a boot.


Get to know Ohio State’s rising star Justice Sueing. As a fan of both sushi and chicken, that Hawaiian dish does sound pretty good.

From around the rink...


Ohio State mens hockey goalie Tommy Napier earned the Big Ten’s Second Star of the Week. Napier led the NCAA with 84 saves in the team’s two-game bout with Michigan State, finishing the series with a .944 save percentage including a 20-for-21 effort in the Buckeyes’ first win of the season on Sunday.


He wasn’t the only Ohio State player to earn Big Ten honors this week, as freshman forward Travis Treloar picked up the Third Star. Treloar posted a team-high three points this past weekend, scoring his first career goal to force overtime against MSU on Saturday and assisting on the game winner on Sunday.

From everywhere else...


The Army-Navy matchup is usually cool on its own, but the jerseys are pretty sick too.


The Maui Invitational looks just a tad bit different this season...


Ohio State’s campus is especially enticing this time of year.


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Podcast: Chris Holtmann on Jallow, Towns health, playing in the Covelli Center, more
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Holtmann provides updates through two games of the season.

Throughout the season, Land-Grant Holy Land will be bringing you uncut audio primarily from Ohio State press conference, but also from individual interview sessions.

Listen to the episode and subscribe:


On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Ohio State head men’s basketball coach Chris Holtmann met with the media to provide an update on how he thinks that his team has played through the first two games of the season. In the press conference, Holtmann talked about the need to get more scoring out of his bench, the latest injury to junior forward Musa Jallow, and where Harvard transfer Seth Towns is in regards to his rehabilitation.

Holtmann said that Towns is getting closer to being able to play, but that he still has a ways to go in order to be able to get back to the place that he was before the knee injury that he suffered while playing for the Crimson.

He also discussed the move to playing games at the quaint Covelli Center and much more.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Theme music provided by www.bensound.com

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Buckeye Clips: NFL Week 12 highlights
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

Bosa has career-high performance, Terry McLaurin and Chase Young showed out (again)

Sigh. We had yet another weekend sans Ohio State football. Luckily, there’s an army of Buckeye alum who make up for that on Sunday’s, especially when they perform the way they did over the weekend. Below are some of the standout performances from your favorite NFL Bucks.

The Rookies


The Washington Football Team can thank their lucky stars that they somehow landed both Terry McLaurin and Chase Young, who each had record-book performances in their blowout win over Dallas on Thanksgiving.

McLaurin finished the day with seven catches for 92 yards, earning him this impressive stat:


On top of that, he prevented a pick six that would have tied the game.


Which earned him this stat:


Here are some more for good measure:


Young also set a few career-bests on Sunday.


And the only reason you’re not seeing more of this from Young...


Is because the rookie is being double-teamed so often that only six edge rushers — J.J. Watt, Joey Bosa and Myles Garrett included — receive more double-teams.


Rams safety Jordan Fuller also had himself a day. After his game on Monday Night Football in Week 11 when he snagged his first two interceptions of his professional career, both at the hands of Tom Brady, he kept the momentum going on Sunday against the 49ers, when he intercepted Nick Mullens after Aaron Donald tipped the pass.


Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye rookies

• J.K. Dobbins, Malik Harrison will play Wednesday at 3:40 p.m. ET when the Ravens take on the Steelers.
• Jeff Okudah was out for the Lions with a shoulder injury.
• DaVon Hamilton: One tackle for the Jaguars (was carted off the field with knee injury, which isn’t expected to be a long term injury)
• Jonah Jackson: Started at left guard for the Lions
• Damon Arnette: One tackle for the Raiders

The Veterans


Sunday was truly a big fat recruiting advertisement for the GOAT himself, Larry Johnson, as Joey Bosa had his best career performance against the Bills, racking up three sacks, five QB hits, a fumble recovery, and eight total tackles.

One.


Two.


And three.


Obviously, this performance set numerous personal, team and NFL records.


Bengals safety Vonn Bell— one of the few glimmers of hope for the team— finished his game against the Giants with a team-leading 10 tackles and one of the smoothest forced fumble and recovery I’ve ever seen.


Other miscellaneous news and notes for Buckeye veterans

• Jerome Baker: five tackles, including a team-high four solos, and half a sack for Miami
• Sam Hubbard: seven tackles and one tackle for loss for the Bengals
• Dre’Mont Jones: nine tackles and one tackle for loss for the Broncos
• Denzel Ward was out for the Browns with a calf injury.
• Ezekiel Elliott: ten carries for 32 yards, one catch for seven yards for the Cowboys
• Curtis Samuel: five catches for 72 yards, one rush for five yards for the Panthers
• Michael Thomas: four catches for 50 yards, one rush for one yard for the Saints
• Bradley Roby: one pass deflection and one fumble recovery for the Texans (However, he is now out for the remainder of the season as he has been suspended for six games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy.)
• Michael Jordan, Andrew Norwell, Taylor Decker started for their respective OLs.
• Packers offensive lineman Corey Linsley went down with a MCL sprain in their win against the Bears. He is expected to miss 3-6 weeks.

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Five-star CB has Ohio State in top four
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Five-star CB Jaheim Singletary | 247Sports

2022 five-star cornerback target Jaheim Singletary has the Buckeyes on his short list and will commit Jan. 2

Ohio State football is in a weird spot right now. The Buckeyes are one more missed game away from being ineligible for the Big Ten Championship, but there is still a chance of making the College Football Playoffs.

While nothing makes sense and the season’s future holds no certainties, there is still one aspect of college football that has remained intact — recruiting never stops and Ohio State is good at it.

Ryan Day and the Ohio State coaching staff have proven to be some of the very best at recruiting. This year’s class currently sits at No. 2 in the 247Sports Class Rankings and is atop the Big Ten conference. Additionally, the Buckeyes are still working to secure commitments from a few more of the nation’s top prospects and a chance of holding the honors for the top class is still in play.

On top of this, the Buckeyes also have the nation’s top class for 2022 and they may soon be adding to it.

Last week, five-star cornerback Jaheim Singletary (Jacksonville, FL/Robert E, Lee) announced a top five schools which included Ohio State. This week, the list has been cut down to four, and once again Ohio State made an appearance.


No longer is LSU a contender for the blue-chip CB, but he also confirmed his commitment date of Jan. 2. The timing of the announcement could mean good news for Ohio State.

Florida has long been the leader in Singletary’s recruitment, as the school is the closest in proximity and he has spoken on the school more than any other. However, after receiving a scholarship offer from Ohio State just last month, Singletary called the chance to go to Ohio State a dream.

Ohio State still has work to do if they are to steal Singletary from the Gators, but the fact that they are among his top schools while being involved the least says a lot in a recruitment that has been quiet up until this point. They will also hope to get some help from Randy Wade, who has some pull in the Jacksonville area where the Buckeyes pulled Shaun Wade from back in 2017.

Singletary would make for an excellent addition alongside four-star CB commit Jyaire Brown. The Buckeyes are also still in play to potentially secure commitments from fellow five-star CB’s Domani Jackson and Will Johnson.

Singletary is the No. 5 CB in the 247Sports Composite Rankings and is the No. 10 prospect in the nation overall.

Quick Hits

• Rivals announced their first of many updates to the 2021 recruiting class on Monday by releasing their five-star prospects. In total, Rivals has 26 five-star prospects. Among this group are Ohio State commits DE Jack Sawyer and OG Donovan Jackson. Additionally Ohio State targets DE J.T. Tuimoloau, WR Emeka Egbuka and OT Tristan Leigh.

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Buckeye Bits: Good news out of the Woody, Harbaugh is mad at fans for wanting Michigan to win, more
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

All of the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond.

The sports-being-played-during-COVID-19 saga continues as games have already been canceled for this weekend, teams are pausing team activities and others are changing their locations. On the bright side, we received some good news out of the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility earlier today, but even if that all goes to hell in a handbasket again, at least we have the return of Ohio State basketball.

In case you missed it...

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From around the gridiron...


While this doesn’t mean we’re 100% on for Saturday, the fact that Ohio State determined it was safe enough for players to resume workouts in the Woody just a few days after all team activities were paused is good news! As long as there’re no new positive cases in both the Buckeyes’ and the Spartans’ buildings, I can’t imagine Saturday’s matchup getting canceled.


Folks, it’s still too early to panic. Worry? Sure. But panic? Not yet.


Minnesota’s game against Northwestern on Saturday has been canceled.

On Monday, Minnesota reported that 47 people — 21 athletes and 26 staff members — tested positive for COVID-19 since Nov. 19. They also canceled last Saturday’s game at Wisconsin after pausing team activities Nov. 24.

This is the first cancellation for Northwestern, who was on its way to clinching the Big Ten West last Saturday before losing 29-20 to Michigan State. The Wildcats will still win the division as long as the average number of games for each team in the B1G does not drop below six. They also can clinch the division by beating Illinois on Dec. 12.

Can we also talk about Northwestern’s football facility??!!


More bad news (non-COVID related this time). Indiana quarterback Michael Penix is out for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL he suffered in the Hoosiers’ win over Maryland.


Michigan will be holding everything virtually as they await the results of “confirmatory tests.” Harbaugh would not predict whether or not they will play this Saturday against Maryland.


I am far too petty not to include this fabulous quote from Harbaugh in today’s Bits. He has had enough of people expecting results from his football team. Why can’t fans just appreciate the process that has been going on for six years and does not seem to have an end in sight?!


After Santa Clara County announced their strict COVID-19 guidelines, Stanford is expected to relocate somewhere outside California.


Ohio State is ranked No. 4 in ESPN’s final College Football Power Rankings for November, behind No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 Clemson.


Can’t lose any games if you don’t have any.


via GIPHY

From around the hardwood...


No. 23 feels right for the Basketball Bucks.


Define “very.”


After 10 seasons playing in the NBA, former Ohio State star Evan Turner has accepted an assistant coaching roll for the Boston Celtics, focusing on player development.

Turner played for the Celtics for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, starting 57 games his first year before becoming one of first players off the bench in his following season. He averaged a combined 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and five assists per game in his two years in Boston.

Worth noting...


Hey 2020, there was a line. And you have officially crossed it. I’ve been going to this movie theater since I could walk.


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As many may know or should know I am a MSU fan. I love you guys because you may hate the SCum program as much as do. Anyway, Saturday I read that tOSU was in jeopardy of not playing in the B10 Champ game unless they get in 6 games and that meant playing the next 2 weekends against MSU and SCum. I said to my wife, you watch that POS HAirball the POS skunkbears are gonna Covid out for the OSU game to avoid getting their asses handed to them and also screw OSU. And low and behold Hairball cancels practice yesterday because he is concerned about Covid laying what I believe is a plan to screw over the Buckeye's in 2 weeks. You better keep an eye on this one because I know what a weaselly POS hairball is and you can bet he is trying to make this happen. Realize that the doctors nor the school shut down practice, Hairball did it himself trying to create IMO a Covid situation and a way to avoid his last beating at he hands of the Buckeyes. He has ZERO honor. And to be clear if MSU did not play this weekend I would be super pissed at CMT because you don't run from competition. You seek it out and figure out a way to beat em. But you never run from the fight. Good luck this week BTW and keep an eye on this one as I fear Ind may be playing in place of OSU for B10 Championship because of SCum ducking you guys.

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BROOME CHOSEN OVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Not a bad start to a career for Morehead State's Johni Broome.

The 6-foot-10 men's basketball newcomer was selected as the first Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for the 2020-21 season.

Broome, a native of Plant City, Fla., got a starting assignment in his first collegiate week and delivered solid performances. In his first career home game, a win over Arkansas State Sunday, Broome led the team wth 25 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five blocked shots. He scored 19 in the second half, including seven straight in the final three minutes in a close game that distanced the Eagles from the Red Wolves for the final margin.

His point total was the most for an Eagle freshman since Jordan Walker (who finished his career last season) scored 26 at UT Martin in 2016-17.

Broome opened his college career with an 11-point, five-rebound effort at No. 10 Kentucky Wednesday and followed with six points and six rebounds against Richmond Friday. For the week, he averaged 14.0 points and 7.7 rebounds and hit 61 percent of his shots.

Broome and the Eagles are slated to take on top-25 Ohio State on the road Wednesday night at 5 p.m. ET.

Entire article: https://msueagles.com/news/2020/11/30/broome-chosen-ovc-freshman-of-the-week.aspx

Morehead State is 1-2; losing to Kentucky (45-81), losing to Richmond (64-82), and beating Arkansas State (69-61).
https://msueagles.com/sports/mens-basketball/stats/2020-21

Previewing Ohio State’s non-conference basketball schedule

Morehead State (Dec. 2)
Jay
Next up on the slate is Morehead State. The Eagles ended last season with a 13-19 record, going 7-11 in the Ohio Valley Conference to finish eighth out of 12 teams. Head coach Preston Spradlin is entering his fifth year with the program, coaching to a 45-69 overall mark thus far. Morehead State will need to replace its two leading scorers from last season, as both Jordan Walker (12.3 ppg) and Djimon Henson (10.4 ppg) have since graduated.

Picked to finish eighth once again in the OVC preseason polls, the Eagles return a young but experienced group of players, led by senior forward James Baker and sophomore forward Tyzhaun Claude. Baker is the only senior on the roster, averaging 9.1 points per game last year while leading the team with 42 blocks — good for fourth in the OVC in blocks per game (1.3). Claude started 19 games as a freshman last season, averaging 9.5 points per game on nearly 60% shooting from the field.

Entire article: https://www.landgrantholyland.com/2...season-preview-nonconference-schedule-2020-21

The Tuesday game between Western Ky and Charlotte has been cancelled.

Thursday, Dec. 3
Louisiana Tech at North Texas | 6 p.m. | CBSSN
Air Force at Utah State | 9:30 p.m. | CBSSN

Friday, Dec. 4
Louisiana at Appalachian State | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Boise State at UNLV | 9:30 p.m. | CANCELLED
Southern Miss at UTEP — CANCELLED

Saturday, Dec. 5

Ohio State at Michigan State | 12 p.m. | ABC
Texas at Kansas State | 12 p.m. | FOX
Oklahoma State at TCU | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Nebraska at Purdue | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Western Carolina at North Carolina | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
Penn State at Rutgers | 12 p.m. | BTN
Arkansas at Missouri | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
Kansas at Texas Tech | 12 p.m. | FS2
Rice at Marshall | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Memphis at Tulane | 12 p.m. | ESPN+

Kent State at Miami (Ohio) | 12 p.m. | CANCELLED

FIU at Charlotte | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Toledo at Northern Illinois | 12 p.m. | ESPN3

BYU at Coastal Carolina | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNU

Bowling Green at Akron | 2 p.m. | ESPN3
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Troy at South Alabama | 2 p.m. | ESPN3
Syracuse at Notre Dame | 2:30 p.m. | NBC
UL Monroe at Arkansas State | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
Florida at Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. | CBS

Maryland at Michigan | 3:30 p.m. | CANCELLED

West Virginia at Iowa State | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Indiana at Wisconsin | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
Iowa at Illinois | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Boston College at Virginia | 3:30 p.m. | RSN
Buffalo at Ohio | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Tulsa at Navy | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Stanford at Washington | 4 p.m. | FOX

Vanderbilt at Georgia | Postponed to 12/19

Georgia Tech at NC State | 4 p.m. | ACC Network
Hawai'i at San Jose State | 4 p.m. | Spectrum Sports
Ball State at Central Michigan | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Florida Atlantic at Georgia Southern | 6 p.m. | ESPN3
Oregon at Cal | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Colorado State at San Diego State | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Colorado at Arizona | 7 p.m. | FS1
Clemson at Virginia Tech | 7:30 | ABC
South Carolina at Kentucky | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Alabama at LSU | 8 p.m. | CBS
Miami at Duke | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
Baylor at Oklahoma | 8 p.m. | FOX
Houston at SMU | 9 p.m. | ESPNU
UCLA at Arizona State | 10:30 p.m. | FS1
Oregon State at Utah | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Wyoming at New Mexico | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Fresno State at Nevada | 10:30 p.m. | FS2
Florida State at Duke — POSTPONED
Northwestern at Minnesota — CANCELED

Sunday, Dec. 6

UAB at Middle Tennessee State | 2:30 p.m. | CANCELLED
Washington State at USC | 8:30 p.m. | FS1

Didnt see a game thread for tomorrow so I figured I'd help out.

Cant stand this football Saturday anyway so Let's Go Basketball Bucks!!

#MOTSAGRising Buckeyes-Hoosiers Preview by Mike Scharf
Mike via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers are set to clash in a top-10 battle this Saturday in the ‘Shoe.

Buckeye football is back in action, after last week’s game being canceled due to a coronavirus outbreak within the Maryland program. As of now, the Hoosiers are first in the Big East Division because of the extra game and the Buckeyes are ready to attack the objective this weekend and keep their championship hopes alive.

When the Big Ten reinstated the season, and the shortened schedule was announced, no one had eyes on the Hoosiers coming into Columbus. Frankly, this noon kickoff on FOX against the 9th ranked Hoosiers is the biggest regular-season game for the Buckeyes.

THE HOOSIERS

Tom Allen, and his enthusiastic Hoosiers started their season off with a thrilling 36-35 overtime victory against Penn State and have not looked back since. Winning their next three games against Rutgers, Michigan, and Michigan State convincingly with a combined score of 99-41.

The Hoosiers offense is led by Sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who has looked like a true leader throwing for 1070 yards to go with 9 touchdowns this season. Penix threw for 25-38, 320 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 INTs last weekend vs the Spartans.

The key matchup to watch is how the Buckeye secondary covers star wide receiver Ty Fryfogle. Fryfogle was last week’s Big Ten offensive Player of the Week after having 11 receptions for 200 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Fryfogle also had a monster game against the Wolverines the week before with 7 receptions, 142 yards and 1 touchdown.

Along with the offense, this Hoosiers defense is no joke as they lead the Big Ten in interceptions (10), and sacks (12). The Hoosiers are tied for second nationally in turnover margin at plus-2 per game.

THE BUCKEYES

Fryfogle, and the Indiana receivers have been a huge threat for opposing defenses all year long. The Buckeye secondary has received criticism for their play in this early season, but look for Shaun Wade, Sevyn Banks, and the rest of the Buckeye secondary to respond in a major way with a big task ahead.

As we know, Justin Fields is off to an astonishing start to the 2020 season, having the same number of touchdowns as he has incompletions (11), with a near perfect 87 percent completion. Heisman hopeful Fields looks to improve his resume against a talented Hoosier defense.

The Buckeyes are waiting for a running game to emerge at a high level with both running backs still splitting carries. Master Teague III and Trey Sermon are both averaging a little 5 yards per carry (Teague 4.5, Sermon 4.8), but neither has established as the main back for the Buckeyes.

With that being said, left guard Harry Miller, and the offensive-line look to improve this week from the multiple penalties they were called for against the Scarlet-Knights two weeks ago. Miller was called for holding on multiple occasions but is learning and teammates look for him to bounce back. Center Josh Myers met with the media this week saying. “It’s not an easy thing to do, to be a young guy starting,” Myers said. “It took our offensive even last year a couple weeks to get rolling and looking like a solid unit together.”

THE GAME

The Buckeyes have won 24 straight games over Indiana. The Hoosiers last victory against the Buckeyes came in the year of 1988. The Buckeyes have averaged 42.2 points per game in the past 10 meetings with the Hoosiers. Although this is IU’s highest rank (9) ever facing the Buckeyes look for Ryan Day and his team not to take this game lightly and come out hungry.

PREDICTION

47-24




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Big Ten teams as Thanksgiving dishes
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving probably looks a bit different this year for many of us. I hope that you are still finding a safe way to eat good food, spend time with family and watch a whole lot of football.

In the mean time, here are some comparisons that absolutely no one asked for.

Ohio State — Pumpkin Pie


Pumpkin pie is what everyone is really thinking about while they consume the other dishes. There’s also many people who despise pumpkin pie, and the people who hate pumpkin pie never shut up about how they hate pumpkin pie.

Michigan — Jello


Jello hasn’t been good since you were a kid but your grandma keeps making it and hyping it up because she still thinks it’s a good dish.

Nebraska — Corn


I don’t need to explain this.

Penn State — Turkey


Turkey so desperately wants to rival Pumpkin Pie as the main event of the day. But every single year, we take that first bite of turkey and we’re like...okay, I’m done. Where’s the pie?

Indiana — Brussels Sprouts


Sometimes, brussels sprouts are one of the most underwhelming dishes on the table. But when they’re cooked just right— roasted, crispy, buttery, crispy, perfectly seasoned— they become pretty hard to beat.

Northwestern — Gravy


You truly never know what you’re gonna get with gravy. Oftentimes, gravy is pretty bland, but when its good, it makes the entire Thanksgiving eating experience much more interesting.

Wisconsin — Mashed Potatoes


A solid, consistently good side dish (when made correctly). However, some years they turn out lumpy and unseasoned. Enter: Gravy.

Illinois — Bread Rolls


You kind of forget about them until they’re put on the table. There’s certainly nothing bad to say about bread rolls, but they’re...nothing to write home about.

Minnesota — Glazed Carrots


Like, its not the worst side on the table but it’s certainly not the best.

Michigan State — Green Bean Casserole


When you think of casseroles, you usually think of a big hearty pan of deliciousness, right? There’re mac and cheese casseroles, chicken alfredo casseroles, enchilada casseroles, buffalo chicken casseroles, etc. Yet every single year, the casserole that shows up to the table is a...green bean casserole?

Maryland — Stuffing


On paper, stuffing doesn’t seem like it would be very good. However, it usually ends up being okay under the right circumstances (cook, texture, etc.). Like, I’ll have a helping, but I’m not going back for seconds.

Purdue — Mac and Cheese


Mac and cheese is kind of a flaky side. It isn’t served every year, but when it does show up, it always takes over the spotlight for a hot sec, which sometimes has the potential to humble pumpkin pie fans.

Iowa — Sweet potatoes


Sweet potatoes are good, but they have to work for it. They have to have the brown sugar, marshmallows, etc. If they don’t, it’s hard to consider them the best type of potato on the table.

Rutgers — Cranberry Sauce


I feel like we keep serving cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving because the people who started Thanksgiving did. It’s tradition. And it’s not like we hate it, but the other dishes don’t really need it to make their statement as the best dish on the table. But hey, it can’t be worse than green bean casserole!

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Ohio State looks to hold on to Illibuck in Week 6’s Big Ten action
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 Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

The Buckeyes have their sights on their 10th-straight win over Illinois. Northwestern will try and stay perfect, while Penn State and Michigan meet in a Big Ten East tickle fight.

Last week ATS: 9-4 (4-2 B1G, 5-2 National)

Season ATS: 56-46-2 (17-12-2 B1G, 39-34 National)

Last week got off to a rough start with Purdue getting robbed by the refs against Minnesota. The result on Friday night had me wondering if a tough week was ahead for MC&J, but luckily there wasn’t too much more than went wrong on Saturday. Hopefully last week provides a little momentum for the holiday weekend, which has some meaty matchups on tap. First we tackle the Big Ten games.

B1G games (All games Saturday unless otherwise noted):


Nebraska v. Iowa (-13.5) - Friday 11/27 1:00 PM EST - FOX

Good thing Nebraska fought so hard for football this year. The Cornhuskers are really making the most of their opportunity! Nebraska not only lost to Illinois last week, the Cornhuskers lost by 18 points. What disrespect by the Fighting Illini to do that to Nebraska on Scott Frost Day!

After starting the season 0-2, Iowa has really turned their season around, outscoring their opponents 125-35 in the last three games. While the Hawkeyes aren’t going to wow people with what they do on the field, Iowa does a lot of the little things really well. Quarterback Spencer Petras is starting to find a little more comfort behind center, while Mekhi Sargent and Tyler Goodson provided a solid combo at running back.

Last week Iowa saw both Sean Clifford and Will Levis at quarterback for Penn State, and the Hawkeyes had little trouble shutting both down. Iowa could see a similar situation this week with Luke McCaffrey and Adrian Martinez. Whoever lines up at quarterback for Nebraska is going to be in for a long day against the Iowa defense. The Cornhuskers have way too much uncertainty at quarterback right now for me to trust backing them. Iowa continues their strong play with an easy win over their neighbors.

Iowa 38, Nebraska 20


Maryland v. No. 12 Indiana (-11.5) - 12:00 PM EST - ESPN2

One of the games is going to make no sense this week. This feels like the game it could be. Maryland hasn’t played in two weeks because of COVID-19 issues, and the stoppage came at the worst possible time for the Terrapins. Last time we saw Maryland, the Terrapins were running all over Penn State. Taulia Tagovailoa had accounted for eight total touchdowns in the last two games, both wins for Maryland.

We know what Indiana is about. Even though the Hoosiers trailed Ohio State 28-7, Indiana never gave up, pulling to within a touchdown of the Buckeyes. Ty Fryfogle has recorded back-to-back 200-yard receiving games, while Michael Penix Jr. already has 14 touchdown passes this season. About the only hiccup in Indiana’s game so far this year is they are getting pretty much nothing on the ground.

Indiana doesn’t lose their second straight game, but Maryland at least keeps it closer than the experts think. The defense of the Terrapins is leaky, which is why I’m not picking them to upset Indiana. The younger Tagovailoa continues his recent outstanding play, which allows Maryland to at least hang around on Saturday.

Indiana 41, Maryland 34


Penn State v. Michigan (-2) - 12:00 PM EST - ABC

Penn State-Michigan has the chance to be the best comedy film of 2020. The Nittany Lions and Wolverines have combined to go 2-8 so far this season. The only thing that would have made this game even funnier is if Michigan hadn’t been able to defeat Rutgers in overtime last week.

Sean Clifford or Will Levis? Does it even matter? Penn State can’t run the football since both Journey Brown and Noah Cain are already out for the season. The passing game for Penn State isn’t much better. Jahan Dotson has been great, but the Nittany Lions took a huge hit when it was announced Pat Freiermuth won’t play again this season after suffering an injury against Ohio State.

If Joe Milton sees the field again this season, Jim Harbaugh should be fired on the spot. Obviously Milton isn’t the answer at quarterback, leaving Cade McNamara to start. McNamara was efficient after taking over for Milton, throwing for 260 yards and four touchdowns in the win over Rutgers.

Michigan at least will get back to .500 this week. I’m still skeptical about the Michigan defense, but I do at least have a little more confidence with their ability to move the football with McNamara taking the snaps. Penn State will be lucky to win a game this year, and even if the Nittany Lions don’t go winless, they won’t get the win this weekend.

Michigan 31, Penn State 17


No. 8 Northwestern (-13.5) v. Michigan State - 3:30 PM EST - ESPN2

The only thing that worries me about taking Northwestern here is the offense of the Wildcats. Can Northwestern score enough points to cover? After defeating Maryland 43-3 in the season opener, the Wildcats have won their other four games by a combined 26 points.

An unexpected week off came at just the right time for Michigan State. After beating Michigan, the Spartans have lost their next two games by a combined score of 73-7. Michigan State can’t run the football, putting even more pressure on quarterback Rocky Lombardi. The junior answered the call against Michigan, but hasn’t come anywhere close to matching that success since.

Northwestern and Peyton Ramsey have the advantage in pretty much every area of the game. Having said that, the Wildcats just don’t blow opponents out with any regularity. We have seen in the past how tough trips to East Lansing can be, even when Michigan State isn’t playing well. The Spartans frustrated Northwestern, but they don’t have enough to hand the Wildcats their first loss of the season.

Northwestern 21, Michigan State 13


Rutgers v. Purdue (-11.5) - 4:00 PM EST - FS1

What a season debut it was for Rondale Moore. The Purdue wide receiver caught 15 passes for 116 yards against Minnesota. The only thing missing from Friday night’s game for Purdue was a victory. Jack Plummer stepped in for an injured Aidan O’Connell, nearly leading the Boilermakers to victory before the refs stole the game from Purdue with a phantom offensive pass interference call.

Rutgers threw everything they had at Michigan last week, almost beating the Wolverines before falling in triple overtime. The Scarlet Knights have earned plenty of moral victories for some of their performances this year, but it’s not translating to wins on the field. Rutgers still has turnover issues, as Noah Vedral has already thrown eight interceptions this season.

Purdue always finds a way to make a mountain out of a mole hill. All four Purdue games this season have been decided by seven points or less. The Boilermakers will also be without defensive standout George Karlaftis, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. I can already see this game playing out in the most beautifully stupid way possible. Take the points.

Purdue 31, Rutgers 27


No. 4 Ohio State (-28) v. Illinois - 12:00 PM EST - FS1

Ohio State knows what they have to do these next few weeks. Not only do the Buckeyes have to win, they have to win big. The Buckeyes were slotted in the fourth spot in the first College Football Playoff rankings, which is about where they belong. Ohio State has been impressive in the first half of games, while sleepwalking through the second half. To really sway the voters into thinking Ohio State might deserve a higher ranking than fourth, the Buckeyes need to put together a complete game.

Just how spoiled are Ohio State fans? A 300-yard passing performance with three total touchdowns has some asking what was wrong with Fields last week. Indiana is a good team with a solid defense. If anyone thought Fields was going to finish the season with more touchdown passes than incompletions, then you might want to get a mental evaluation. Fields is still one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, so the sky is not falling like some Buckeye fans seem to think it is.

What was really good to see on Saturday was how effective the Buckeyes were running the football. Master Teague ran for 169 yards to lead Ohio State, who rolled up over 300 yards on the ground against the Hoosiers. The Buckeyes should be able to have another big day rushing the football against an Illinois defense that is giving up nearly 200 yards per game on the ground.

Illinois is coming off one of their best performances during Lovie Smith’s time in Champaign. The Fighting Illini not only saw Brandon Peters throw for 205 yards and a touchdown in his return to the field, but Illinois also received 100-yard rushing efforts from Mike Epstein and Chase Brown. Illinois has now won two-straight games after beating Rutgers by a field goal the week before.

Ohio State should have no issue keeping ownership of Illibuck. Since losing to Illinois in 2007 in Columbus, the Buckeyes have beaten the Fighting Illini in nine-straight meetings. While trips to Champaign always seem to contain at least some shenanigans, I don’t think we’ll see much of that this year. Ohio State has to feel a little slighted being only ranked fourth in the country, but they also know they have to play better football. We see a more complete performance from the Buckeyes on Saturday.

Ohio State 54, Illinois 17

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Potential BOOMs coming for the 2021 and 2022 class?
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



Ohio State’s momentum on the recruiting trail looks to be continuing.

First and foremost, wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all of Buckeye nation. Even in a difficult year that 2020 has been at times, there is still much to be thankful for.

In regards to Ohio State football, there’s even more to be thankful and excited about. The Buckeyes are currently undefeated, sit in the top four in the first College Football Playoff rankings, and even with team aspects that need fixing, it doesn’t look like anyone left on the regular season schedule can take down Ryan Day and this year’s Buckeye team.

Looking to other areas of thanks, you can just look at recruiting. What Ohio State is doing right now on the trail is literally incredible and realistically never seen before from this program’s standpoint. The 2021 class will be pretty much wrapped up within a few weeks and still has a chance to be the top class overall when all is said and done. Somehow, the 2022 class looks to be setting an even higher expectation, as there’s momentum in that cycle that really doesn’t look to be stopping any time soon.

Overall, there is plenty to be thankful for when you’re an Ohio State fan.

Boom coming in 2021?


It feels like every other day now that Ohio State is receiving a huge boom to their 2022 class. The momentum the Buckeyes have in that recruiting cycle is beyond anything you can explain, and it looks as if more could be on the way. The interesting aspect is that more could be coming soon to the 2022 class of course, but also in the current 2021 cycle that really only has two or three spots left in the class overall.

Yesterday, current 2021 commit Jaylen Johnson tweeted to his future teammate and fellow Buckeye commit Jordan Hancock that “we might be having a boom in the ‘21 class”. As it always does when current commits tweet potential recruiting news, Twitter began to take off with the guess of who it could be that Johnson was talking about.

Knowing too that Johnson is on the defensive side of the ball, one would think he’d be referring to another defensive player. J.T. Tuimoloau being one of the very few guys Ohio State is still in on is a possible guess, but the nation’s second-best player has long been a prospect who is going to take his time in deciding all of the way to the February signing period.


It really could be anyone’s guess, but as everyone who follows Ohio State recruiting knows there’s two Washington-based guys the Buckeyes are still in great position for, with one being the aforementioned Tuimoloau and the other the top receiver in the country for his 2021 class, Emeka Egbuka. The Buckeyes are clearly in the lead for Egbuka, and there is a chance he could commit soon, but he really wants to make a visit to Oklahoma before making his final decision.

Beyond those two guys, it’s not real clear who Johnson could have been talking about, but with three weeks until the early signing period, it could present itself sooner rather than later. It is possible he could have been talking about the 2022 cycle, but one would really think he’d be referring to his own class, as that is how these things have played out for the most part.

What about 2022?


Jumping right into it, Twitter was abuzz yesterday per usual in regards to Ohio State recruiting efforts in 2022. Five-star cornerback Domani Jackson gave some insight that later today there could be some news coming regarding his recruitment. Whether it’s an actual decision or just an update such as a final schools list announcement nobody can be sure, but still something is brewing in regards to the nation’s third-ranked prospect and top corner in the class.


Yes, Jackson is fresh off a trip to rival TTUN and has made it clear that as a youngster he was a Michigan fan, but there’s obviously been pro-Ohio State news for the California native in recent weeks. Crystal Ball predictions did come in at a rapid rate for him and the Buckeyes just a few weeks ago, and it is unclear whether the visit to Ann Arbor has swayed him. It is true that Jackson and top Michigan native defensive back Will Johnson would love to be a package deal, and with Johnson’s father being a former Wolverine himself, Michigan is the clear leader in that recruitment.

As Ohio State tries to sway Johnson to wait and visit Columbus before making a pledge, it’s important to understand that package deal recruitments, while popular, rarely happen. Hancock and linebacker Barrett Carter were thought to be a package in 2021, and now one is committed to OSU and the other Clemson. We’ll have to wait and see what today holds for Jackson, and here’s to hoping for one extra reason to be thankful.

In addition to the Jackson tweet, “Captain Buckeye” C.J. Hicks, Ohio State’s fourth-ranked player in their 2022 class, also took to his Twitter account yesterday to tease that another boom was coming for the Buckeyes. In his tweet he mentioned the word “sleeper” which tends to make you think this is a prospect not of the typical four and five-star status the 2022 class has grown so accustomed to.


Without going into too much thought, the name that pops up is 2022 receiver Kyion Grayes. A three-star receiver currently committed to his home state school Arizona, Grayes has made it no secret that he’s highly interested in Ohio State after being offered by the Buckeyes. In fact, when the recruiting dead period is lifted, Graves has said his first visit would be to Columbus.

Just a guess as to who Hicks was talking about, it’s worth mentioning that with the Buckeyes loading up on receivers, there could be potential motivation for Graves to flip his pledge to OSU soon to reserve his spot. Three-star or not, his film alone proves he’s Ohio State caliber, and he is a prospect the coaching staff very much views as a diamond in the rough a la Chris Olave in 2018.

Four-star DT includes OSU on short list


There’s not a position Ohio State doesn’t seem to be recruiting well these days, and with position coaches like the Buckeyes have, it’s pretty easy to see why the continuous trend of success in both recruiting and development keeps paying off.

On the defensive side of the ball specifically, Larry Johnson has been regarded as arguably the best defensive line coach in the country because of his incredible track record. Whether it be on the recruiting trail itself or looking at every single NFL Draft, top defensive line prospects all over the country know that if they have the opportunity to play for Johnson, more times than not it ends with a spot on an NFL roster.

With Ohio State benefiting from Johnson’s abilities time and time again, recruiting the top players at his position group every year typically pays off. Yesterday, the Buckeyes found themselves once again on a top schools list for a high-caliber defensive lineman.

IMG Academy’s Dominick James took to Twitter yesterday, releasing his top 11 schools he will be choosing from before making a final call. The 21st best defensive tackle in the class, James also checks in as the 240th player nationally per the 247Sports Composite rankings.


Making the cut for James included Penn State, Michigan, Nebraska, Auburn, Texas A&M, USC, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Ohio State. Looking at the 247Sports Crystal Ball for the 6-foot-2, 270-pound lineman, there’s yet to be a prediction, which likely means this recruitment is up for grabs.

Like with any southern prospect, it will be hard to pry the IMG Academy product from the SEC teams. Important to note though, James is originally from Alabama, so the Crimson Tide definitely are ones to watch here. If anyone can take this four-star out of the south though, Larry Johnson would be the one — especially with Ohio State’s success recruiting at IMG Academy in the past.

Quick Hits

• Four-star wide receiver C.J. Williams (Santa Ana, California/Mater Dei) will be narrowing down his top schools later today at 5 p.m. PT. With nearly 50 scholarship offers, Williams will have to work pretty hard to bring this list to a final few. Though Ohio State seems to be recruiting receivers at a record pace, odds are the Buckeyes will make the cut here.
• MaxPreps dropped their All-State selections for the state of Ohio yesterday that included eight current Ohio State commitments coming from both the 2021 and 2022 class.

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Keys to the Game: Ohio State dominates Illinois State 94-67 in opener
Gene Ross 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

The Buckeyes began their season with a big W on Wednesday afternoon.

We didn’t know if we would ever get here for certain with all the craziness that has been 2020, but college basketball is officially back! Chris Holtmann had to rebuild his roster this offseason, and we got to see the fruits of his labor in action for the first time on Wednesday afternoon, as Ohio State opened their season with a 94-67 win over Illinois State.

The Buckeyes came out of the gate with a vengeance, scoring the game’s first 22 points before the Redbirds even got on the board, and from there they really never looked back. Justice Sueing was phenomenal in his OSU debut, leading the team with 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. As a team, Ohio State shot just under 50% from the floor, sharing the sugar all game long as they finished with 17 assists.

The starting five


We weren’t quite sure heading into the season who would crack the starting lineup for this new-look Ohio State roster. With Kaleb Wesson and Andre Wesson having moved on and a handful of transfers leaving in the offseason, spots have certainly opened up. Chris Holtmann has a lot of talented pieces to work with this year, and there is a lot of freedom in how exactly he will deploy them.

In game one of the new campaign, the Buckeyes rolled out a starting five of CJ Walker and Duane Washington Jr. in the guard spots — as expected — with the trio of Justice Sueing, E.J. Liddell and Kyle Young in the front court. For Sueing, it was his Ohio State debut after sitting out all of last season per NCAA transfer rules. No real surprises in the starting unit to begin the year, as the team also debuted its new jerseys for the first time.

Liddell slammed home of the first basket of the season, and we were underway.

Midseason form


Some teams may get out to a slow start in their first game of the season — especially after a weird start-and-stop, pandemic-induced offseason. That was not the case for Ohio State, as they opened up the floodgates right from the get-go.

The Buckeyes started the afternoon on a 22-0 run. On the offensive end, Liddell scored the team’s first five points on the opening dunk and an and-one layup shortly thereafter. OSU hit on three of their first five attempts from downtown, including Sueing and Washington each connecting on early 3-pointers. Sueing was the hot hand early, hitting his first three shots in a scarlet and gray jersey to help spark the run.

The defense looked unbreakable early on as well, forcing the Redbirds to start off shooting 0-for-9 from the field while also turning the ball over four times. Holtmann’s group was locking down with some aggressive man defense, actively talking and switching as they kept Illinois State in check for more than six minutes of action. It wasn’t until the 13:36 mark in the period that the Redbirds got their first point of the game at the free throw line.

Running out of steam


It was a strong half overall for Ohio State, but the team looked like they tired out just before the end of the opening period. Illinois State was able to head into the break on a 7-0 run, as the Buckeyes did not score for the final 2:57 of the first period. OSU hit just one of its last seven shots from the field before heading into the locker room, while the Redbirds hit 9-of-15 after their slow start.

Even still, the early run for Ohio State was far too much to overcome in the first 20 minutes, as Holtmann’s squad headed into the break leading 42-25. The story of the half was points in the paint, where the Buckeyes held a 24-6 advantage. OSU moved the ball really well in the period, finishing with eight assists while shooting 47% from the field. Seven different players had at least three points at the half.

Court is in session


Listen, excuse my puns, but if you’re going to throw a guy at me whose first AND last name are both courtroom words, you can’t expect me to hold back.

Justice Sueing transferred to Ohio State last year after being the best player at Cal in the 2018-19 campaign. In his last season with the Golden Bears, Sueing led the team with 14.3 points per game to go along with six rebounds and two assists per contest while shooting over 43% from the floor. Clearly Sueing is a great player, but would his skills transfer to Columbus and a different style of play in the Big Ten?

While Illinois State isn’t exactly the same rough-and-tough matchup you expect to see once you enter B1G play, Sueing passed his first test with the Buckeyes with flying colors. He was the team’s best player in the first half, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field with 12 points, two boards and a steal in just 11 minutes of play. Ohio State knew they would need to find a new source of scoring with Kaleb Wesson off to pursue his NBA dreams, and Sueing showed signs in game one that he could potentially fill that void.

Going hard in the paint


The front court was really the biggest question mark for Ohio State heading into this season. We’ve talked ad nauseam about the absence of the Wesson brothers, but we also didn’t quite know what to fully expect from the guys who were already on the roster. We hadn’t seen any of Sueing, Young has a history with lower body injuries, and Liddell was just a freshman a year ago. With Seth Towns on the shelf to begin the year, could the Buckeyes find ways to score the rock in the paint?

The answer was a resounding yes, as Ohio State’s bigs — and equally as impressively their guards — were able to score at will from underneath the basket. The Buckeyes outscored the Redbirds 50-14 in the paint. Liddell was really strong in his season debut, scoring 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting almost exclusively from inside 10 feet. Young also added eight points of his own, with most of his points from right around the rim as well.

Ohio State also did quite well in the rebounding department, especially on the offensive boards. The Bucks pulled down 14 offensive rebounds on the afternoon, out-rebounding Illinois State 43-33 overall.

First look at the freshmen


Even before we reached garbage time, coach Holtmann had no problem giving his freshmen some really decent minutes in the first game of the season.

Zed Key led the first-year guys with 12 points — one of five Buckeyes to reach double-digits on the afternoon. He played 17 minutes in the opener, hitting 3-of-4 from the field and knocking down 6-of-9 at the charity stripe. He also hauled in five boards.

Freshman guard Eugene Brown III got to see the floor a good amount as well, scoring three points and pulling down four rebounds in his first game action at Ohio State.


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Best in the B1G: Ranking basketball uniforms
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

Keeping in mind threads don’t win championships...

The Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team got new threads ahead of the 2020-21 season. In fact, for the first time ever, both the men’s and women’s teams will don the same primary home and away uniforms (though there will be some throwbacks and yet to be determined alternates).

But where do the Buckeyes’ uniforms rank in the conference overall? Without further ado, let’s jump in…

14. Illinois

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Illini’s Nike uniforms look vintage but not in a good way. The “Illinois” lettering across the chest looks outdated, and the blue neckline combined with the white side stripes (on the orange uniforms) or blue side stripes (on the white) is distracting.

In all, they give off the vibe of practice jerseys.

13. Minnesota

Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

When your colors are that shade of maroon and gold, it’s hard to do a lot with those uniforms. But the Gophers’ Nike jerseys aren’t the worst. In fact, somehow even the all gold jerseys aren’t total eyesores. The big knock I’d put on them are the awkward stripes on the shorts which, for some reason, meet in the front of the shorts instead of heading down the sides.

12. Purdue



With colors like black and gold, you’d think the Boilermakers would pull off a solid and classic uniform. However, Purdue’s Nike basketball jerseys certainly leave something to be desired. The colorblock at the top of the shoulders and the stylized “Purdue” on the chest complicate what should be a smooth uniform. Boiler down on this look.

The Hammer Down Cancer alternates are baller, though, and they’re for a good cause.

11. Nebraska

Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Huskers’ Adidas jerseys are new this season, with Nebraska eliminating the pinstripes from both their home and away uniforms. While the red away jersey is largely the same beyond said pinstripe removal, the white home jersey got the added word art treatment, with the program opting for a stylized “Huskers” in lieu of the traditional “Nebraska” emblazoned across the chest.

Overall, the pinstripes never really fit with the basketball motif (who do the Huskers think they are? The Yankees?) and it was a good move to ditch them. However, newly stylized wordmark on the chest is difficult to read, and perhaps the program should have stuck with its traditional block lettering.

10. Wisconsin

Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

The Badgers’ Under Armour uniforms manage to do a lot with what’s still a generally simple design, having been updated for the first time in nearly two decades ahead of last season. The stripes on the shorts, for example, start going horizontally down the leg before wrapping wholly around the thigh.

The neckline on the jersey is somewhat odd, with alternating color blocks from front to back, but the lettering across the chest is simple. Additionally, the numbers mirror those of the football jerseys, which is cool for the brand.

9. Rutgers

Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

The Scarlet Knights unveiled new uniforms ahead of last season. The red, black and white Adidas uniforms are simpler than their previous versions, eliminating detail on the shoulder straps. The Rutgers font on the uniforms is distinct, but the remaining elements of the uniform are pretty run-of-the-mill.

8. Northwestern

Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Wildcats’ Under Armour uniforms are so on point for their brand. I can’t imagine a better getup for a preppy private school on the north shore of Chicago. The purple is tasteful, the font collegiate, the neckline conservative.

However, we’ve got to talk about Northwestern’s alternates, because those gothic script uniforms might be the best alternates in the conference. If only college basketball could be played on Halloween. Or in a Medieval town in France.

7. Michigan State

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

As simple and (okay, I’ll just say it) boring as the Spartans’ football uniforms are, the Nike basketball unis have taken a different turn. In fact, if one were to turn on a Michigan State basketball game in recent years, one might think they were watching the likes of Oregon or Baylor given the near fluorescence of some of the uniform combos.

When it comes to their usual home whites, though, Michigan State provided a classical update (as in, quite literally, a Hellenistic throwback), adding a meander border to the sides of its jerseys and shorts as a bold connection to the Spartan mascot’s Greek roots. It’s an interesting take on tying the brand together through culturally relevant symbolism. But this isn’t an art history class.

6. Iowa

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

While the Hawkeyes’ football uniforms are literal carbon copies of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ uniforms, the Nike basketball getups are much cooler (my bias against the Steelers aside). Iowa’s basketball jerseys do a good job of toeing the line between flashy and classic. They’re clearly Iowa, distinct from other black and gold unis, but the jerseys are simple enough not to be distracting.

That being said, the black uniforms are clearly the best, while the gold fall a little too far on the “flashy” side of things. The exception is Iowa’s throwback jersey with the script Iowa.

5. Penn State

Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images

So simple. So classic. Like their football jerseys, but better. The Nittany Lions’ Nike basketball uniforms - both home and away - benefit from a lack of adornment. The simple blue jerseys have a white side stripe and a simple white wordmark across the chest. The whites are reversed. No fancy neckline. No weird iconography. No strange cuts.

The challenge, then, is that there is very little to distinguish Penn State’s jerseys, so it’s hard to put them too far up the list.

4. Ohio State

The Ohio State University

For fans of Ohio State athletics, the new Nike basketball uniforms are amazingly on-brand. The big change from the most recent uniforms is the addition of a token stripe along the side of the jerseys, continuing down the shorts. The “Ohio State” wordmark across the meshed chest is distinctive without being distracting. The new uniforms have managed to incorporate a lot of the branding elements that have come to distinguish the Buckeyes — like, in fact, the Buckeye decals on top of the waistline of the shorts.

3. Maryland

Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images

The trim here is where it’s at — forget everything I said about simplicity being the way to go for basketball uniforms. While the University of Maryland deserves credit for boldly incorporating possibly the boldest state flag in the union into its uniforms, the Under Armour basketball jerseys manage to do what the football ones cannot: be tasteful. Add in the detail on the numbers and these jerseys are straight fire.

Plus, we must accept that these newcomers can back up their ridiculous patterns on the hardcourt in ways they have yet to show on the football field.

2. Michigan

Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images

You’ll never convince me that “blue and yellow” look good together, but there’s no denying that the Wolverines have pretty sick basketball jerseys. While the jump man hasn’t exactly been a good icon for the football team (it’s literally a basketball logo), the Nike brand subsidiary certainly has found a natural fit for the basketball jerseys.

The neckline is probably the best part of the whole getup, and hails back to the Tune Squad’s jerseys in Space Jam with the striped detail around the neck and the arms. Somehow, the uniform collectively - especially the maze version - takes me back to the 90s, especially when players like Jordan Poole opt for the shorty shorts.

1. Indiana



The Hoosiers’ Adidas uniforms are classic, timeless and perfect. Even though they were actually updated in recent years, they still look like the jerseys Ray Tolbert could have worn back in the day. Like Penn State’s football uniforms, Indiana’s jerseys harken back to a simpler time, like when Indiana dominated basketball in the Big Ten. The stripes around the waistband and the bottom of the shorts is whimsical without being overbearing, while toned down with a simple wordmark and clean neckline.

If there’s any fault in placing such a simple jersey at this point on the list, take the Hoosiers’ warmups as reason enough to put them higher. They set apart what could easily be the crimson and cream jerseys of Alabama, Oklahoma or Arkansas with something unique. They’re also like the pajama pants of my dreams.

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buckeyefool just picked him up in our Dynasty fantasy league but we are not sure if he is still on scholarship.