Div. II Florida Tech announces it’s eliminating its football program because of the financial impact of COVID-19



Florida Tech has the unfortunate “honor” of being the first football casualty of the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, they likely won’t be the last.

We have previously noted that there will be a financial cost because of the pandemic as it relates to athletics at the Div. 1 level. Monday, a program one level lower has been impacted as Florida Tech announced a series of cost-cutting moves within the athletic department. Included in that is the elimination of the Div. II football program. The complete elimination. Which impacts 120 student-athletes and eight coaches.

The university stated that the pandemic led to the decision.

“As I have continued to share with you, these are difficult times for our university,” Florida Tech president Dwayne McCay told the university community in a letter. “Indeed, all of higher education is struggling to deal with the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty that accompanies a global disruption to daily life. Some universities will no doubt close. Florida Tech, however, has plans to persevere. …

“The unprecedented uncertainty created by COVID-19 makes these moves prudent, but no less painful. We must do what is necessary to preserve resources critical to our educational mission and ensure our ability to successfully serve students when face-to-face instruction resumes this fall. I appreciate each of you, and I am humbled by your hard work and sacrifice.”

The Florida Tech football program first suited up for the 2013 season. The Panthers qualified for the Div. II playoffs twice (2016, 2018) during their brief existence. Playing out of the Gulf South Conference, the Panthers will finish with an overall record of 44-35.

In a Q&A, though, there was some sliver of good news:

Will student-athlete scholarships be honored?
All scholarship-eligible student-athletes affected by this reduction will have their athletic scholarships honored for up to four years. If they choose transfer, NCAA rules allow them to transfer and play right away and not have to sit out a year.

Entire article: https://collegefootballtalk.nbcspor...rida-tech-eliminates-div-ii-football-program/

Georgia escapes from Miami
Scott 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

We are still sportless. COVID-19 has taken over our lives, but we here at the Men of the Scarlet and Gray present the strictly hypothetical “Expanded College Football Playoffs.” We have all dreamed of expansion, but here we have a cool little set-up that was created by our colleague Chris. Twelve teams with one goal, to make it to the championship game, have been selected. We have done it the right way, taking most of the conference bias away. All power five champions along with the group of five champions and a pair of at-large bids have given us a football version of the “Big Dance.”

And if you don’t like the at-large teams selected, get your own blog and do it your way.

One of the first-round games features No. 5 Georgia, an at-large selection from the eSpnEC, taking on No. 12 Miami University (not The U, the one in Ohio).

It wasn’t easy. In fact, the Bulldogs almost had an early exit, trailing the entire game until a pick-six tied the game, and then a 42-yard field goal with a minute left gave them a 27-24 win.

From the time they first showed up on the field, the Bulldogs had a swagger that went beyond arrogance. They acted like they shouldn’t have been in a first-round game and were goofing off and horsing around during pre-game warmups. Meanwhile, Miami was all business and appeared focused.

The RedHawks won the toss and took the ball, not wanting to waste any time.

QB Brett Gabbert led Miami on a masterful 12-play, 80 yard drive to take a 7-0 lead. The drive culminated with a 10-yard TD run by Jaylon Bester.

Georgia tried to get cute on its first possession, trying a halfback pass that was nearly intercepted. From there, D’Andre Swift took over, running five times for 65 yards. The drive stalled on the RedHawks 30 and Rodrigo Blankenship hit a 47-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

The defenses took over from there forcing punts on the next few possessions as the first quarter ended 7-3 Miami, which had the ball at its own 40.

Gabbert again worked his magic, unleashing a 60-yard TD pass to James Maye to make it 14-3.

Georgia appeared rattled at that point and could do nothing offensively as Miami was determined to shut down Swift and take its chances with Jake Fromm throwing the ball.

It worked and Fromm showed why he wasn’t a high draft pick, overthrowing and underthrowing wide-open receivers. The only thing saving the Bulldogs was Miami being equally ineffective on offense in the second quarter as the halftime score remained 14-3 Miami.

Georgia regrouped at halftime and took the opening kickoff to the Miami 49. From there, Fromm was able to dink and dunk the Bulldogs to the goal line, where Swift plunged in to make it 14-10.

The RedHawks answered with a 30-yard field goal from Sam Sloman to mae it 17-10 after a drive stalled.

Again the defenses stepped up.

The teams exchanged punts and then the Bulldogs made field goals on back-to-back drives to make it 17-16 going into the fourth quarter.

Momentum was on Georgia’s side, but the lights nearly went out when Miami chewed up eight minutes of precious time, using short passes and four-yard runs to keep the chains, and clock moving.

The drive finished when Gabbert scored on a 10-yard keeper to make it 24-16.

Georgia drove down to the Miami 30 but the drive stalled there and Blankenship missed a 47-yard field goal with 5:30 left.

Miami was content to run the ball and chew up more clock. But facing a third and nine from its own 35, disaster struck as a Gabbert pass was picked off at the 50 and returned for a touchdown. Georgia went for two and tied it with 2:30 left after a Swift scamper.

Miami again tried to be conservative and went three and out. Georgia used its timeouts to save clock and after a nice punt return from Swift, started from its own 49 with 1:50 left.

Fromm dropped back to pass on first down, was forced from the pocket, and scrambled all the way to the Miami 25. The Bulldogs tried to run three times and were stuffed at the line. Miami used its timeouts and forced the Bulldogs to attempt a 42-yard field goal with 1:07 on the clock.

Blankenship nailed the kick with a minute left to give Georgia its first lead, 27-24.

The RedHawks went three and out on their next possession, shattering their dreams of a monumental upset.

Somehow Georgia managed to advance.




Continue reading...

OSU Women’s Basketball String Ting with Special Guest Madison Greene
Chris 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



Charles, Scott and Chris hang out with Ohio State women’s star point guard Madison Greene. Have a great conversation about the rivalry and how the season went. Charles, Scott and Chris express their feelings once again of how this team would have finished!


Came on strong halfway through the season and started 21 games at PG for the Buckeyes

From ohiostatebuckeyes.com Played in all 33 games and started the final 21 at point guard; Averaged 7.7 points and 2.5 assists per game; Was fourth among Big Ten freshmen with 82 assists; Earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 17; Had three games of 20+ plus points including back-to-back efforts that led to her FOW honor; Led the team in free throws made and attempted (76-of-96); Scored 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting and carried the team to a win over rival Michigan on Jan. 9; Was 8-of-11 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free throw line to finish with a season-high 25 points vs. Minnesota on Feb. 13. Also dished-out a season-high seven assists with no turnovers in the win; Followed that with a 22-point effort in the upset win at No. 20 Indiana on Feb. 16. She was 4-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-4 at the line for 14 points in the final eight minutes to help the Buckeyes erase a 10-point deficit; Had a solid Big Ten Tournament, averaging 10.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shooting 13-of-14 from the free throw line in the four games.




Continue reading...

MOSTAG Pretend CFB Playoffs: #6 Utah vs. #11 FAU
Richard Tongohan via our good friends at Men of the Scarlet and Gray
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

In a time where we remain sportless, in a time where COVID-19 rules the skies, we here at the Men of the Scarlet and Gray present the strictly hypothetical “Expanded College Football Playoffs”. We have all dreamed of expansion, but here we have a cool little set-up that was created by my colleague Chris. 12 teams with one goal, to make it to the Championship Game. All the Power Five champions along with the Group of Five Champions and sprinkle in a pair of at large bids and we have our football version of the “Big Dance”.

For the play-in we have an at large team from the PAC 12 going up against the Conference USA Champion FAU. In this matchup, Utah takes a stellar defense and they go up against a decent, quick scoring passing attack.

As the contest begins, Utah demonstrates their defensive prowess and for a quick 3-and-out, forcing Kiffin to an early change of possession and stopping them from getting into a grove. Utah gains possession and they impose their will as they run roughshod and beat the Owls senseless through the ground with Moss and Huntley gaining chunk after chunk before Moss takes it in for the score.

Visibly rattled, but while remaining calm, Chris Robison takes a huge chunk out of the first quarter before plunging it into the endzone to tie the score at seven each. Robison engineered quite the drive as he came up clutch for the better of the 8-minute drive and he gained some valuable momentum as he made the Ute defense pay.

As the Utes grabbed the punt, Simpkins takes one back to the house just as the first quarter had expired to push the lead up the 14-7. On the ensuing drive for FAU, lightning almost struck twice as Cousart nearly responded with a return for a touchdown of his own before being tripped up at the 50 yard line. The balanced effort became the focus of the Owls offense as Davidson does the majority of the work on the ground to grind the Utah defense into a pulp. On a 3rd-and-5, Kiffin opts for a trick play and it payed off! On the double-sweep, Antoine took it in for another Owl touchdown.

Utah, forever the puncher responds quickly. They use Moss and Huntley on the ground with jet sweeps from Simpkins to open up the offense, but a mistimed exchange on the QB option derailed a scoring drive that ended in the redzone. Rashad Smith comes out from the pile with the ball in tow with the game still tied at 14.

The Utah defense comes off the sideline angry and they quickly force a turnover courtesy of an interception by Burgess at the 50 yard line. Huntley is hitting open receiver at will before finding Kuithe in the seams for a quick score. The Ute defense held their own the rest of the game up until Coach Kiffin’s squad started making plays just before the half. Not to be outdone, they went on a drive that took the entirety of the second quarter. First down after first down they took the clock down just before kicking it for three to enter the half 21-17.

To open the second quarter the Utes again shoved it down the Owls’ throats. Run after run, the Utah offense opened up the third quarter with an efficient and quick drive for another touchdown. Utah goes up 27-17 on the heels of a missed extra point. The fighting Kiffin’s responded quickly as well with a bomb to Harrison Bryant, who found himself open as he sprinted 45 yards to the endzone. Kiffin trying to seize momentum opted for two and converted. The aggressive play swung momentum as the Owls were now down by two.

Utah failed to respond as they went three and out. FAU went on another drive and Bryant made an appearance in the endzone once against to take the lead 32-27. With another wasted possession that resulted in a punt, Utah forced a fumble in the redzone on the ensuing drive. Before we knew it, Moss plunged it into the endzone and Huntley ran it in for two to retake the lead 35-32. The Utah defense responded by forcing a punt and took the clock down deep into the third quarter before punting it as the quarter expired.

In the 4th quarter, FAU controlled the ball for the majority of the contest to try and slow down the Utah offense. They run and convert the ball before settling for a game-tying FG. Utah regains control of the ball with less than a minute left in the game. Huntley and his heroics shined in the waning minutes as he drove down the field from their 20 yard line before Moss took it to the house with 20 seconds remaining. FAU received the punt and nearly broke it off as a response. The drive ultimately fell short as Bernard and Anae combined for a strip-sack as they regained possession with no time left. Utah advances to face #4 Oklahoma.




Continue reading...

Column: The steak emojis, explained?
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Mark Pantoni via Twitter (@markpantoni)
Ohio State staff members and 2021 commits tweeted out cryptic steak tweets on Thursday afternoon.

In case ya missed it, five-star running back TreVeyon Henderson, four-star defensive end Tunmise Adeleye, and other top-ranked commits to Ohio State’s 2021 class, along with Ohio State director of player personnel Mark Pantoni and other recruiting staff members all began to tweet out the steak emoji around 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Thursday with zero explanation.


Even uncommitted four-star tight end Hudson Wolfe joined in, which certainly raises more question marks.


Like Matt said in last night’s Buckeye Bits, “I am simply old and do not understand the new fangled, Generation Z slang that I see popping up on various social media platforms like The Twitter Dot Com.”

Now, I’m not as old as Matt (sorry Matt), however I haven’t the slightest idea what these cryptic steaks mean either. It is worth noting that I am never in on the latest trending jokes/slang/emoijs/TikTok dances and, oftentimes, if not always, need someone to explain the meaning behind the joke/slang/emoji/TikTok dance to me. Like, for example, a lot of the 2021 commits are commenting “YKTV” on everyone’s respective steaks, and I had to google it.


It means “you know the vibes.” Congratulations, you are now 1-percent more hip.

On the bright side, Matt and I aren’t alone in wondering what the heck is going on. In fact, even current Ohio State players are confused.


So, just in case someone out there knew something, anything that would help further our investigation, we asked our Twitter followers for help.


And, based on your answers, it was brought to my attention that none of you know what’s going on either. So, maybe this isn’t Gen Z slang and is in fact supposed to be cryptic? Either that, or we just have zero followers under the age of 21.

Here are some of the best answers we received:


I love a good word play. However, this unfortunately doesn’t differentiate Ohio State from Penn State, Michigan State, etc.


If this is true, then why be vague? Why not just tweet out “there’s a lot at stake this season,” ya know?


This was my first thought, as well. If you remember a season or two ago, the mantra amongst the team was “how she gone eat?” which started as an inside joke between the team when they asked defensive end Tyquan Lewis to join them at Mongolian Barbeque, but Lewis had his girlfriend’s car and needed to pick her up from basketball practice, thus asking “well, how she gone eat?”

It then became a clothing line and a trending hashtag and gained a new meaning—something along the lines of “let’s succeed so we can support the women in our life.”


So, going back to the steak emoji, maybe they’re telling us that—and stick with me here—not only is she going to eat, but the 2021 recruiting class is going to be so good, that they’ll only be feeding her the finest of meals.

I don’t know, man.


Should I try to decipher this in my next column?


Then we have assistant quarterbacks coach Keenan Bailey’s steak-tweet, which makes me wonder if they’re saying “things are heating up” or “something’s cooking” or the Texas Roadhouse symbol in the corner implies we’re getting a Texas-based commit? Eh? Maybe? No? Okay.

Perhaps one of the best explanations, however, comes from Gene’s State Secrets article this morning:


Gene notes that, if that is the case, then the two guys they are probably referring to is either four-star OG Jager Burton or five-star OT JC Latham. Neither prospects have tweeted or favorited a steak tweet, but this does sound like the most probable explanation.

Here are my guesses, that, as you will be able to tell, I put a lot of thought into:

• They’re implying that, if you choose to play at Ohio State, they will feed you well.
• They just all happened to be eating steak for dinner at the exact same time.
• There is a prospect no one knows about yet named “Steak.”
• They are asking for their followers’ best steak recipes or steakhouse recommendations, in which case this guy came through:

• They were all bored as heck, and in their group message, that I’m certain exists, decided to pull a Tom Brady— tweet out something that looks like it could mean something, when in fact, it means absolutely nothing, but they know the Ohio State fanbase will absolutely lose their minds and speculate for days on what it could mean. Exhibit A: Me. Exhibit B: You, because you’re actually reading this nonsense.

Continue reading...

Ohio State offers 2022 Texas linebacker
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Manvel ILB Justin Medlock | Brian Perroni, 247Sports
Plus, a whole bunch of speculation in the Twitterverse...

Even after a surge of commits at Tennessee and a five-star RB commit at Clemson, Ohio State is still firmly entrenched as the No. 1 class in the nation in 2021 — and by a rather wide margin. With 17 total verbals at this point, the Buckeyes are sitting at 295.41 points according to 247Sports, which puts them more than 60 points ahead of the now No. 2 Volunteers (despite the Vols having an extra commit with 18 total pledges).

While the grind in 2021 continues, Ryan Day and his staff have been hard at work starting to put together their target board for 2022. Already holding three commits in the next cycle, the evaluation process has become a bit harder without the luxury of in-person visits. Nonetheless, the Ohio State coaches are off to a great start in the class, and have been sending out offers seemingly every day to some of the nation’s top sophomore talents.

This proved to be the case yet again on Thursday, as the Buckeyes sent out a new offer to 2022 linebacker Justin Medlock.


Currently a rising three-star prospect, Medlock is the No. 8 ILB in the class, and the No. 43 recruit from the state of Texas according to 247Sports’ own rankings. Despite his star rating not exactly jumping off the page, his recruitment is only expected to heat up from here. The 6-foot-1 sophomore already has a total of at least 14 offers at this point, including the likes of Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, to name a few.

Even with the Ohio State offer just recently being added to the fold, there is already some buzz surrounding the two parties. Shortly after Medlock’s announcement Tweet, which came following a Zoom call between himself, Ryan Day, Al Washington and other Buckeye staff members, both Ohio State insider Bill Kurelic and 247Sports Director of Recruiting Steve Wiltfong submitted Crystal Ball predictions for the linebacker to end up in Scarlet and Gray.

“Today I have put a Crystal Ball pick in for Medlock to Ohio State based on what I know and what I am told,” said Kurelic. “Don’t worry that Medlock is ‘just’ a 3-star prospect. He can play and I see him playing his college football in Columbus, Ohio.”

As previously mentioned, Ohio State’s 2022 class already features a trio of verbal commits, which includes CB Jyaire Brown, ATH/LB C.J. Hicks, and OT Tegra Tshabola. Coach Washington would love to add another key player to his position room early in the cycle, and Medlock could just be that guy.

Where’s the beef?


On Thursday afternoon, both Ohio State staff and current 2021 commits began sending out cryptic Tweets containing just the steak emoji. Almost everyone was getting in on the action, including guys like director of player personnel Mark Pantoni, current commits including TreVeyon Henderson and Tunmise Adeleye, among others, and even current tight end target Hudson Wolfe.


While it is pretty unclear what this could mean, some speculated that it alludes to a potential incoming offensive lineman commit. AKA, Ohio State could be adding some “beef” up front in the near future.

If this is indeed the case, two guys worth keeping an eye on are four-star OG Jager Burton and five-star OT JC Latham. Latham has long been deciding between Ohio State and LSU, but wants visit each school before making his final choice. Burton is in a similar situation, deciding between OSU and Kentucky for his college destination. It is certainly possible that COVID-19 restrictions force a change of plans, and either athlete (or both) instead chooses to commit sooner than anticipated.

Continue reading...

Buckeye Bits: Replacing Damon Arnette, Justin Fields bets, Coach Day could play!
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
All the latest Ohio State news from around the beat and beyond

Perhaps I am simply old and do not understand the new fangled, Generation Z slang that I see popping up on various social media platforms like The Twitter Dot Com. But, on Thursday, a ton of commits to Ohio State’s top-ranked 2021 recruiting class began tweeting out a steak emoji. But, it didn’t stop there, as uncommitted four-star tight end Hudson Wolfe got in on the fun as well.


This is where I need your help, friends. As I said, I am old and have no idea what this means. Obviously if uncommitted recruits are in on whatever this means along with OSU’s commits, that’s a good thing, but, what exactly does the steak emoji symbolize? Can someone help a Gen X/Millennial straddler out?

From Land-Grant Holy Land...


Ohio State basketball’s key 2022 prospects

Tia Johnston, LGHL

So much attention has been paid to the Ohio State football team’s recruiting as of late, it is easy to forget that the basketball team is still trying to land big-time recruits for future classes too. This morning, Tia ran through some of the biggest targets for the 2022 basketball Buckeyes. Get to know their names now, because if history holds, a handful of them will commit... and then transfer after their freshman seasons.

Chris Olave has the look of the next great Ohio State wide receiver

Brett Ludwiczak, LGHL

Cris Carter, Terry Glenn, Michael Thomas, David Boston, Michael Jenkins, Joey Galloway, Santonio Holmes. The list goes on and on in terms of the dominant wide receivers to wear the Scarlet and Gray. Brett breaks down the next man up in OSU’s long-line as WRU.

From around the gridiron...


Next Man Up: How Buckeyes can replace Damon Arnette at cornerback

Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Admit it, there’s a lot of you out there that never thought that we would ever talk about who would replace Damon Arnette, other than to give thanks as Sinbad’s nephew walked out the door. However, now that Arnette had one of the most statistically impressive seasons by some measures in recent OSU DB history and was a first-round NFL Draft pick, it’s time to start discussing who is capable of filling his shoes.

With the great Shaun Wade ready to take Jeff Okudah’s No. 1 corner spot, Spencer Holbrook runs down what you can expect from the likes of Cameron Brown, Sevyn Banks, Tyreke Johnson, true-freshman Lejond Cavazos, and a handful of other options.

Whatever corners end up in the mix for OSU next season, is there really any doubt that Kerry Coombs is going to get them ready to not only dominate the Big Ten, but to continue the tradition of BIA members getting selected in the first round?

Today is #TBT (#ThrowBackThursday), so the Ohio State Athletics Twitter account took us back to December 2014 in the game that made Cardale Jones an Ohio State legend thanks to an absolute demolishing of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Again, whoever is running this account should take a remedial course on tweet-threading, but you can still scroll through the feed to relive some of the highlights from one of the most mind-blowing games in recent memory.


BuckIQ: Teradja Mitchell building steam for Ohio State breakout year

Zach Boren, Lettermen Row

Look, I know that I am mostly preaching to the choir here, but despite improvements in 2019, Ohio State’s linebacking corps needs some help. While Al Washington helped the group make monumental strides in his first season, they still were the weak spot on the OSU defense.

If a player who didn’t have much of an impact last fall makes a big jump when the Silver Bullets get back on the field, it will likely be Teradja Mitchell. He only played in five games last season due to injury, amassing 12 total tackles. But, he is an incredible athlete, and players and coaches rave about him. This is a great breakdown from the former Buckeye Zach Boren, so check it out.


LOOK. AT. COACH. DAY. GO!


Justin Fields leads nation in passing TDs vs. leads Big Ten in rushing TDs: What’s more likely for Ohio State football

Stephen Means, cleveland.com

In 2019, Ryan Day did not let Justin Fields use all of his natural running weapons, because — frankly — if he got hurt, the season was over. However, whenever the next football season begins, Day will have not one, but two highly recruited true-freshmen quarterbacks available to step in should something happen to Fields.

Obviously that would still be far less than ideal, but it is certainly better than what they had last fall. Despite this fact, I can’t see Fields running enough inside the five-yard line to claim the B1G crown. So, since he was third nationally in passing TDs (behind former Buckeye Joe Burrow and Wazzu’s Anthony Gordon) and was only fifth in B1G rushing TDs (although with less than half of J.K. Dobbins and Jonathan Taylor’s total), I’m gonna go with the passing TDs.

Get that cash, J’Kaylin Dobbins!

From everywhere else...


NCAA waives Division I minimum on scholarship spending

The Associated Press

This is a sneaky big story. What this means is that Division I schools will be able to cut sports all together, but still keep their status as a Division I school. The AP has all of the minutia about how this works, but essentially, expect to see some fairly big schools drop sports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and suffer very little consequence from the NCAA.

Playing blackjack, roulette, and craps with a small amount of people doesn’t fundamentally change the play of the game. However, as much as I love short-deck poker, playing with a maximum of four players at a table is not ideal.

Generally poker rooms will break tables down when there are only four players, so now that it is the max, I wouldn’t be surprised if poker rooms just don’t re-open until the limits are raised. Maybe it’s time to start talking about online poker again...


Vegas casinos might not be open yet, but I bet you could find an establishment on the interwebs that would be willing to take your action on these Heisman odds.


Whatever you think about shelter-in-place orders, as Ohio (and other states around the country) begin to re-open, I beg you, please don’t try to make a personal or political statement by refusing to wear a mask.

Scientists and basic logic tell us that during a pandemic, putting a piece of fabric over half of your face can dramatically lower the spread of a deadly disease. You’re a good person. You care about your fellow human. It is literally the least that you can do to help prevent yourself, your family, or someone else from going through an unthinkable tragedy. So please, if you go out, just wear a mask.


Memorial making major changes, still aiming to include fans

Jerod Smalley, nbc41.com

You know if there’s no fans at Murfield for this tournament, there’s gonna be so many more golf cops at home with the PGA on speed-dial, examining every CBS camera shot for a potential rules violation so that they can call and get someone a two-stroke penalty for illegally touching their club on too many blades of grass before addressing the ball. Don’t be that guy.

Continue reading...

Chris Olave has the look of the next great Ohio State wide receiver
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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images
After putting up big numbers alongside K.J. Hill in 2019, the spotlight will shine on Olave in 2020.


When the Los Angeles Chargers took K.J. Hill in the seventh round of last month’s NFL Draft, it marked the 10th wide receiver from Ohio State that has been drafted since 2012. While it is no surprise that Ohio State is developing players who are making an impact at the next level, the quality of wide receivers coming from Columbus has become even more polished over the last few years.

Michael Thomas was taken in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, and is coming off a season that saw him set the NFL record for receptions in a season. Even more recently, Terry McLaurin was taken in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. McLaurin burst onto the scene for the Redskins, scoring a touchdown in each of his first three games. Parris Campbell was taken before McLaurin in the same draft, but he wasn’t able to show his full set of skills for the Indianapolis Colts, as his rookie season was slowed by injuries.

A huge reason for the increase of wide receiver talent that Ohio State is producing is due to the coaching. Gone is wide receivers coach Zach Smith, who was too busy being a sociopath to do a job that was given to him only because he is Earle Bruce’s grandson. Taking over for Smith prior to the 2018 season was former Buckeye wide receiver, Brian Hartline, who obviously has a better grasp on coaching receivers on what it takes to be successful at the next level.

Over the past few years, Ohio State has benefited from a more pass-friendly offense, which wasn’t always the case under Urban Meyer and Ed Warriner. While the Buckeyes still lead heavily on the run game, the skills exhibited by quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields have allowed the wide receivers to get in on the fun. That trend is only going to continue with the quarterback and wide receiver talent the Buckeyes have in the mix for the future.

Last year Garrett Wilson was the hot new talented wide receiver the Buckeyes were able to land a commitment from, and the Texas product showed glimpses of his skills, catching 30 passes and five touchdowns. This year, the Buckeyes have brought in even more talent to compliment Wilson, with Julian Fleming and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the fold. But, the most important receiver for Ohio State this season is Chris Olave.

It almost feels like a miracle that Olave is even a Buckeye. The only reason Ryan Day stumbled across Olave was because he was scouting Olave’s high school quarterback, Jack Tuttle. While Tuttle would eventually end up committing to Indiana, Ohio State was able to convince Olave to pass on offers from USC, Tennessee, and Michigan.

Olave’s Ohio State career got off to a slow start, but all that changed when Austin Mack was injured in the loss to Purdue in 2018. Olave stepped up in some of Ohio State’s biggest games that year, catching a combined three touchdowns in a win over Michigan, and against Northwestern the following week in the Big Ten Championship Game. Along with his two touchdown catches against the Wolverines, Olave also blocked a punt that Sevyn Banks returned for a touchdown.

2019 was Olave’s breakout season, as he became one of Justin Fields’ trusted targets. The sophomore was almost the hero for the Buckeyes in the CFP Semifinal loss to Clemson, catching a touchdown pass that gave Ohio State a 23-21 lead in the fourth quarter, and he was the target of the final pass of the season for Fields, that likely would have been the game-winning touchdown if there wasn’t a miscommunication between Fields and Olave on the route. Olave finished the year with 48 catches for 849 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Now with Hill having moved on to the NFL, Olave is the elder statesman of the Ohio State wide receivers. Wilson and Fleming might have been more talked about coming out of high school, but Olave has shown he deserves to be in the conversation as one of the best wide receivers in the country heading into the 2020 season. If we see Olave’s role expand even more as expected, it’s likely Olave could be the first Ohio State wide receiver to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since the Miami Dolphins took Ted Ginn Jr. with the ninth overall pick the 2007 NFL Draft.

What makes Olave such an attractive NFL prospect is his mix of size, strength, and speed. With Justin Fields chucking Olave the pigskin this year, we should see the duo connect early and often. Fields is primed to be in the mix for the Heisman Trophy, which should see Olave get plenty of attention as Fields’ top target. The combo was steady throughout Fields’ first year in Columbus, and should only get stronger as they both enter their junior seasons.

The emergence of Olave comes at a perfect time, as Ohio State faces questions in their running game after the loss of J.K. Dobbins to the NFL. With a target like Olave, it will allow the Buckeyes to lean a little heavier on the passing game as they adjust to life after Dobbins. It also helps that Ohio State has a plethora of talented receivers surrounding Olave, which won’t allow opponents to commit all their resources to slowing down Olave.

The details of the 2020 college football season are still up in the air, but no matter if the season is shortened or played without fans in attendance, there’s no question that Olave is going to be one of the most impactful receivers in the country this year. There’s already talk that Olave is a first round prospect, and it will become even more apparent as the season moves along that Olave deserves to be one of the first wide receivers taken in the draft when he declares.

Continue reading...

Ohio State basketball’s key 2022 prospects
Tia Johnston via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Plus, new scholarship offers went out on both the hardwood and the gridiron

In case you missed it, Ohio State had a BOOMing start to their Wednesday morning when an Australia-native punter, Jesse Mirco, committed for the 2021 season.


You can read all about Mirco’s story here and the impact his commitment has for Ohio State here.

Other than that, it was quite an uneventful day in the recruiting world. Although, behind the scenes, I assure you Ryan Day, Chris Holtmann, and all the other recruiting gurus are making about 100 phone calls, FaceTimes, emails, texts etc. a day to their respective prospects. So it’s really just “uneventful” in the land of Ohio State media.

Nonetheless, there’s always something to discuss when it comes to recruiting, and today’s State Secrets features some analyses/updates from both the Ohio State football and basketball teams.

Key 2022 targets for Holtmann & Co.


Piggybacking off of yesterday’s State Secrets, in which Gene wrote about Ohio State basketball’s most recent offer to 2022 small forward Josiah Harris, Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts listed all the key prospects who have been offered by Chris Holtmann and his recruiting staff, or who has connected in some way to the Buckeyes for the 2022 class.

“Going into the 2020-21 season, OSU will have as many as six juniors on scholarship,” Kurelic wrote. “It seems likely Holtmann’s 2022 recruiting class could number as many as four or five players. That group can’t sign, however, until the early signing period in November 2021. OSU and Holtmann have already offered a handful of players in that class.”

The one offer that stands out the most is five-star guard Chris Livingston, Hudson (Ohio) Warren Reserve Academy. Livingston is currently the No. 1 shooting guard and the No. 3 overall prospect in the country, according to 247Sports. He helped Team USA 16-U team win a gold medal at the FIBA championships last summer, earned first-team All-Ohio honors in Division II as a freshman due to his 24.3 points per game average, and averaged 32.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game as a sophomore.

Livingston was offered by Ohio State before his freshman year and currently holds offers from The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Akron, as well.

However, because of the NBA-sponsored G-League’s new yearlong developmental program for high school graduates, which pays athletes as much as $500,000 to attend, its possible that Livingston and other top prospects will go that route instead of attending college.

If he does choose the collegiate route, he will more than likely be a “one-and-done” player, which Holtmann said is only worth recruiting if its “the right fit.”

“I think for us it has to be the right fit for our program and the right fit for how we do things,” Holtmann said during a conference call. “I certainly would not say no to a situation. But I would want to make sure it’s the right fit. Coaches know these things typically way before the public does. There is usually some type of contingency plan in place.”

You can check out all the other potential Ohio State 2022 prospects here.

Zoning in on a 2022 four-star athlete


Towards the end of April the Buckeyes offered a scholarship to Leawood (Kan.) Blue Valley class of 2022 four-star athlete Dasan McCullough. Standing at 6-foot-4 and 210-pound, McCullough is listed as an athlete, but was offered by Ohio State as an “outside linebacker hybrid,” McCullough told Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts.

According to Kurelic, McCullough’s interest with the Buckeyes is “strong” due to the relationship he has developed with Ryan Day.

McCullough — the country’s No. 73 overall 2022 prospect, the No. 8 athlete and the No. 1 prospect in Kansas—has a list of 40 scholarship offers that includes LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Penn State, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan, USC and more.

He told Kurelic that he will base his decision off who he develops the best relationship with, and that Day “was really cool, down to earth and family based.”

Two new offers


Ohio State sent out a pair of new scholarship offers on Wednesday, with one on the football side of things and the other being basketball. The first was Caden Curry, the No. 4 DT in the 2022 class.


Hailing out of Greenwood, IN, the 6-foot-5 Curry is the No. 1 player out of Indiana and the No. 134 player nationally in the class. He now holds nine total offers, including the likes of Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa and Purdue.

The other offer was for Chris Holtmann’s squad, with small forward Ty Rodgers earning the distinction. Rodgers currently ranks as the No. 16 SF in the nation, and the No. 56 player in the country overall in 2022.


A Michigan native, Rodgers attends Grandy Blanc Community. The 6-foot-4, 180 pound prospect is still early on in his recruiting process, and only holds four offers outside of Ohio State — those being Houston, Marquette and Rhode Island.

Quick Hits


In mid-April, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison offered a scholarship to Fond Du Lac (Wis.) St. Mary’s Springs 2022 offensive lineman and defensive tackle Billy Schrauth.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ryan Day, Greg Studrawa, Greg Mattison, Mick Marotti, and other Ohio State coaches and staff members gave Schrauth and his parents a virtual tour of Ohio State via Zoom.

“The way they set up your future really stood out to me and my family,” Schrauth told Bucknuts. “Not only do they prepare you for Saturday’s, but they prepare you for your life beyond football and that’s a big thing for me.”

Schrauth, who was offered by Ohio State to play guard, has eight scholarship offers, including Wisconsin, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan and Notre Dame.

Continue reading...

Rivals Profile
247 Profile
HUDL Highlights



Manvel HS (Manvel, TX)
Ht: 6'1''
Wt: 200 lbs
Class: 2022 (High School)

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

Rivals.com
24/7Sports



Height: 6'5"
Weight: 175
Hometown: Grand Blanc, MI
School: Grand Blanc
Position: Small Forward

Login to view embedded media

Rivals.com
24/7Sports



Height: 6'7"
Weight: 190
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
School: Richmond Heights
Position: Small Forward

Login to view embedded media

Rivals Profile
247 Profile
HUDL Highlights



Center Grove HS (Greenwood, IN)
Ht: 6'5''
Wt: 250 lbs
Class: 2022 (High School)

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

HUDL Profile



East Fremantle, Western Australia

Punter
6-3
198 lbs
Class of 2021

Login to view embedded media

Why it just seems like yesterday that this place was spending money like crazy with a blowhard President who couldn't give a speech without badmouthing THEE Ohio State University and saying crazy things like how "Akron would become the first choice public school for NE Ohio kids within a few years."

AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron President Gary Miller said in a video message Monday that the university’s plan to offset $65 to $70 million in decreased revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic includes cutting six of its 11 colleges.

https://www.cleveland.com/education...ing-measures-due-to-coronavirus-pandemic.html

I think we are on the verge of hearing a lot of "due to coronavirus" talk. Gosh, we were a fiscal basket case with declining enrollment for the entire last decade, but DUE TO CORONAVIRUS we're going to gut half our university.

Grand River's Coach Don Shula passed away this morning at the age of 90.

As a youngster, Bill Walsh and Don Shula were the first coaches I really became a "fan" of.

Seems unlikely his 328 wins will ever be matched. His biggest threat is Belichick, who currently sits at 273 at 68 years old and with no Tom Brady. He'd need to average 11 wins per season for the next 5 years to get there. Could happen if he sticks around long enough, but it's far from a sure thing.

RIP, Coach.

Rivals Profile
247 Profile
HUDL Highlights



Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV)
Ht: 6'2''
Wt: 190 lbs
Class: 2022 (High School)

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

Rivals Profile
247 Profile
HUDL Highlights



Dickinson HS (Dickinson, TX)
Ht: 6'4''
Wt: 210 lbs
Class: 2022 (High School)

Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

MOTSAG Pretend CFP: First Round; #8 Memphis versus #9 Boise State
Chris 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 only matchup between two non-Power 5 teams, 9th seeded Boise State faced off against 8th seeded Memphis. Both teams entered the game with matching 12-1 records with their one loss coming in upsets; Temple knocking off Memphis and BYU beating Boise State. In this first year of the new 12 team format, both schools felt a lot of pressure to show that the non-Power 5 programs deserved to be included.

Boise State got on the board first with a passing touchdown by quarterback Hank Bachmeier on the opening drive of the game. After a couple stalled drives by both teams, Bachmeier hit leading receiver John Hightower for a 60 yard touchdown to put Boise up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter started with both teams struggling to get anything going on offense but Memphis took advantage of a better punting game to win the field position battle and midway through the second quarter, the Tigers started a drive at midfield and quickly took advantage thanks to a 6 play drive that ended with quarterback Brady White finding receiver Kedarian Jones in the corner of the endzone to make it a 14-7 game. Boise State’s offense couldn’t do anything on their next drive but their defense came up big, intercepting a Tiger pass to give the Broncos the ball deep in Memphis territory. However the Bronco’s offense could only manage one first down and they had to settle for a field goal to give themselves a 17-7 lead. Boise State looked like they had the chance to score again late in the half but Bachmeier was intercepted and Memphis took advantage, putting together an excellent final two minutes that culminated in Brady White hitting leading receiver Damonte Coxie for a 27 yard touchdown right before half. Both teams headed into the locker room with Boise State up 17-14.

Memphis received the kickoff to start the second half and a nice 30 yard return set them up in good field position. The Tigers continued their momentum from the end of the first half, putting together a nice drive that culminated with running back Kenny Gainwell punching it into the endzone from the 2-yard line to give the Tiger’s their first lead of the game, 21-17. The teams exchanged punts before Gainwell once again showed off, this time breaking a few tackles to turn a short pass into a 60 yard gain and a 1st and goal at the 4. After an incomplete pass by White, Gainwell finished the drive himself with a 4-yard scamper to extend the Memphis lead to 28-17.

Boise State was on the ropes and after a three and out, Memphis landed what looked like the knock out punch as White and Gainwell teamed up for what would be the third touchdown of the day for each of them, giving the Tigers a 35-17 lead to start the fourth quarter. The Broncos weren’t done though, keeping calm despite the large deficit, they put together an efficient mix of running and passing plays that ended with Bachmeier’s third passing td of the day to make it a 35-24 game with 8 minutes to go. Momentum seemed to be swinging the Broncos way as they forced a three and out and then quickly moved the ball into Tiger territory. The clock was becoming an issue though, forcing Boise to abandon their running game and rely on the passing game, which had been hit or miss all season. This time it missed as Bachmeier threw his second interception of the game, ending the Broncos drive. Memphis managed to burn a few minutes off the clock, ending the Broncos hopes and coming away with a 35-24 win to advance to the second round.

Memphis quarterback Brady White and running back Kenny Gainwell were the stars of the game. White had 325 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, with only 1 interception, while Gainwell ran for 2 touchdowns and caught one other.






Continue reading...

MOTSAG Pretend CFP: First Round; #7 Oregon v. #10 Appalachian State
Chris 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


#MOTSAGPretendCFP #MOTSAGRising

It’s the final #6 CFP and winners of 3 straight as well as PAC12 champions taking on winners of 7 straight and winners of their fourth straight Sun Belt Conference title, finishing the season 20th in the final committee poll.

Both teams combined only lost 3 games all season and present a pretty good challenge for each other with their high scoring offenses and conference MVP’s in tow. Justin Herbert and Darrynton Evans put on a good show for everyone.

Justin Herbert gave himself some more publicity for the 2020 NFL draft finishing the game 18 of 21 for 242 yards, 4 TD’s and no INT’s.

Darrynton Evans finished the game with 26 carries for 154 yards and three scores but it wasn’t enough as the Ducks stopped a late drive to defeat the Mountaineers 35-28 to move on to round two.

They await their fate until the rest of the first round is finished. Stay Tuned!




Continue reading...