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Mack Brown wonders if 2020 college football season could be in jeopardy in wake of COVID-19 pandemic



The college football season is still months away from kicking off, but the fear that the season could legitimately be in jeopardy could be growing from the coaching community.

“There is a fear of ‘would we have a season?’ ‘Would we have a partial season?’ ‘What does a partial season mean,'” North Carolina head coach Mack Brown said in a report published by The News & Observer in North Carolina on Monday. “There is a great concern because of the remedy that comes in with football.”

Brown, like every other football coach in the country, is currently working through this unique situation that sees football coaches trying to do as much work as possible without the ability to have any close contact with each other and players. The ACC has shut down all spring athletic activities, including spring football practices and games, and every other conference and the NCAA has enacted similar decisions in the interest of the health and safety of as many as possible As a result, the question of when things will return to normal continues to be a mystery to everyone.

“The biggest problem is you’re not sure when it ends, and we can’t get those answers at this point.”

And therein lies the problem. With continued updates from the nation’s top health officials and those beyond the borders beginning to suspect social distancing measures may be recommended for extended periods of time, the scenarios continue to inch close to the start of the college football season. Those concerns have been expressed around the college football world as officials and conferences must look farther down the line to see what can and cannot be done.

Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall has discussed the possibility of the upcoming season not being able to start on time. Playing games in stadiums with no fans is certainly one option, although ADs have been quick to point out the economics of that option don’t exactly add up in anyone’s favor. This is part of the reason why some college football coaches have begun to do their part to spread the word about the urgency of this pandemic, including LSU head coach Ed Orgeron (HERE) and Texas head coach Tom Herman (HERE).

According to NBC News, citing information and data from the World Health Organization, there have been over 35,054 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with 448 confirmed deaths as of about 12:30 pm eastern on Monday (those numbers have since been updated and continue to rise).

Week 0 is scheduled for August 29. The clock is ticking.

Entire article: https://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/forums/college-football.135/create-thread

Villanova tops college basketball's Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2020-21

We're entering an offseason of uncertainty in college basketball. Not only is there trepidation on the part of potential NBA draft early-entrants and athletic directors looking into making coaching changes, but it's also impossible for coaches to go out and recruit the final players in the 2020 class. Moreover, we could see transfer eligibility rules changing in the near future.

In other words, rosters could look dramatically different a few months from now -- or there could be much less turnover than we're used to.

Either way, here's our first guess at the landscape of the 2020-21 season. We're going to constantly update this throughout the offseason as players declare for the draft and transfers and recruits make decisions. The most likely outcome in terms of early-entry players is factored into the rankings.

It's only 232 days until the 2020 Champions Classic ...

1. Villanova Wildcats

2. Creighton Bluejays

3. Gonzaga Bulldogs

4. Baylor Bears

5. Kentucky Wildcats

6. Duke Blue Devils

7. Iowa Hawkeyes

8. Virginia Cavaliers

9. Michigan State Spartans

10. Kansas Jayhawks

11. North Carolina Tar Heels

12. Texas Tech Red Raiders

13. Ohio State Buckeyes

Which Ohio State will show up next season? The one that started 11-1 and sat near the top of the rankings? Or the one that lost six of seven to drop to 2-6 in the Big Ten -- or the one that won nine of its last 12? I think it's something more like the third option, even though there are some personnel issues entering the offseason. One of those was addressed over the weekend, when Harvard graduate transfer Seth Towns -- our No. 1 transfer -- picked the hometown Buckeyes over Duke. Towns will add perimeter shooting, while California transfer Justice Sueing brings scoring punch after sitting out last season. C.J. Walker, Duane Washington and Luther Muhammad are all back in the backcourt. What happens up front? If Kaleb Wesson turns pro, coach Chris Holtmann could be short on interior options. If Wesson returns, Ohio State will rise several spots in the rankings.

14. Tennessee Volunteers

15. Wisconsin Badgers

16. Houston Cougars

17. San Diego State Aztecs

18. LSU Tigers

19. Michigan Wolverines

20. Arkansas Razorbacks

21. Colorado Buffaloes

22. Florida State Seminoles

23. Oregon Ducks

24. West Virginia Mountaineers

25. Richmond Spiders

Entire article: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...llege-basketball-way-too-early-top-25-2020-21

Jallow, Sueing, Liddell, Towns, Young, Ahrens, Key, Brown... take your pick of 3.

Some people think we are playing primarily 3-guard next season but I can't see it with our quality depth strength at forward and only 3 guards total on the roster (though that is subject to change if they take a grad transfer guard).

This is a tough call between some of the forwards. I think I am leaning Sueing, Liddell, Young but not sure if that's enough shooting/scoring (have to play Washington at SG with that group). Towns might play the vast majority of whatever minutes at 3-4 that Sueing and Liddell don't, but I don't want to discount what 4th-year Jallow could bring to the equation.

I am higher on Brown than most but kind of hard to see how he is going to get on the court now his first two seasons. Maybe we find backcourt minutes for him somehow because I would hate him to be another "we hardly knew ye" situation. I think with some refinement his combination of athleticism, length, and shooting will eventually result in a special player.

Good thing I have all on last season's game (except for the Fiesta Bowl) on DVR. Think I'll run through the season chronologically a game a day (maybe two on the Saturdays and Sundays) and repeat (along with alternating with BluRays of Star Trek I~VI movies and Bourne movie collections. Also have a 12-pack of Sapporo beer in the fridge...

Three episode documentary debuted in January, 2020. I had some assumptions of how he ended up being a killer that I learned were incorrect. The story was different than I expected.

If you're Coronabored it's worth a watch.

Malachi Nelson
"Pro" style QB
Height: 6'-3"
Weight: 180 ibs.
Los Alamitos, CA
Class: 2023

https://247sports.com/Player/Malachi-Nelson-46086657/

See videos: https://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/ma...?videoid=cd92d1aa-8516-4079-afe1-08a75b225ee5


THE HURRY-UP: “NATURAL, SMOOTH” THROWER MALACHI NELSON IS ANOTHER RISING CALIFORNIA QUARTERBACK STAR WHO OHIO STATE HAD MADE EARLY IMPRESSIONS ON



The Hurry-Up is your nightly dose of updates from the Ohio State football recruiting trail, keeping tabs on the latest from commits and targets from around the country.

NELSON ANOTHER RISING QB TO WATCH
We detailed for you on Thursday the talent and recruiting update of Junipero Serra (Calif.) High School quarterback Maalik Murphy.

Looking even further into the future, the Buckeyes’ recruitment of quarterbacks in the 2023 class got a major head start in November, when former Ohio State quarterbacks coach Mike Yurcich threw an offer to one of Murphy’s friends, teammates at STARS and fellow Californian Malachi Nelson, Los Alamitos High School’s 6-foot-3, 180-pound quarterback.

Immediately when watching Nelson’s freshman season game tape, it was obvious what jumped out. He has a very fluid throwing motion and looks like a future star if he continues to develop. Jason Kwon, Chandler Whitmer and Yurcich (in that order) were in on Nelson early. Each of those are former Ohio State assistants after taking coaching jobs at Boston College, Clemson and Texas, respectively – Kwon as director of scouting; Whitmer as an offensive assistant; Yurcich as offensive coordinator.

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But Yurcich wanted to extend that offer early to Nelson so that he could get the Buckeyes’ foot in the door. He knew the potential Nelson already was gifted with at such a young age and that’s why he made Nelson such a high priority, which has extended to the Buckeye staff after he left for the Longhorns.

“He could definitely throw with some of the guys on college rosters right now,” Nelson’s personal quarterback trainer, Danny Hernandez, told Eleven Warriors shortly after Ohio State offered him. “He could keep up with some college quarterbacks right now. I feel comfortable with him being able to make every throw. The ball comes out nice, it looks the right way. Mechanically, he’s generating power from the right sources.

“When the ball’s flying out, he doesn’t look like that kid doing the heave-ho. You see kids throwing the ball that far and hard at his age, their heads are all flying to the side and legs lifted in the air. They’re off balance and throwing with all their might at that point. He’s looking smooth. He looks like he knows what he’s doing, and he does.”

NATURAL THROWER
With many of the talented passers who Hernandez trains at STARS training facility in Southern California, he says that his job as a quarterback coach is often “to not reinvent the wheel and cookie cutter these guys and make them all the same” because so many of them are natural throwers.

“For Malachi, with his right arm, there’s nothing I really have to work on. That’s just a natural, smooth flick of the wrist that he already has,” Hernandez said. “Are there ways where I can get him to engage his back hip in the throw a little more and be more stable with his front shoulder? Work on those little things so he’s more in sequence? Those are the things I can work with more.

“But his right arm alone? Never had to do a single thing with that because he was just so smooth and natural already with that.”

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That was a few months ago when Hernandez detailed how talented Nelson is, and when Eleven Warriors touched base with him last week, he said the offseason has been going as well as he continues to hone his craft of being a quarterback and work on perfecting his mechanics.

“I have been trying to work on getting my ball carriage up and getting the ball out on time,” Nelson said. “I’m going to try to hit as many camps as I can and the same with visits.

“It’s been good so far, trying to hit a couple camps here and there but also focus on getting better every day in the weight room and in the classroom.”

Part of that offseason regimen is to continue working with and competing with guys like Murphy, as the two share a friendship and bond as quarterbacks but also want to outdo each other. It’s the exact same atmosphere that has been going on at STARS for a while with some of the top-tier quarterbacks that have been developed there.

“(Malachi and I) work with each other very good,” Murphy told Eleven Warriors. “We compete really well there, usually every camp and every workout (we’re together). We’ve created a strong bond just through quarterback stuff.”
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Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ng-california-quarterback-star-who-ohio-state

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March 7th: Justin Fields to Cris Carter (all he does is catch touchdowns). Looks like a game winner to me.

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Oviedo (FL) Master’s Academy

Running Back
6-0
190 lbs
Class of 2022


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Buckeyes have plenty of options to spark return game

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There is nothing more mystifying than how arguably the most talented roster in the country continues to struggle to find a consistency returning punts and kickoffs.

Eventually the touchdown drought, the muffed kicks and the roller-coaster of emotions on special teams is going to end for Ohio State. It’s almost unthinkable that it has lasted this long for the Buckeyes, but there’s been some sort of hex on that position that zaps the powers of game-changers at their normal positions the second they drop back to catch a kickoff or punt.

This should be the season that spell is broken. And if a pool of candidates that includes Garrett Wilson, Demario McCall, Mookie Cooper, Jameson Williams and potentially C.J. Saunders can’t break through, maybe the Buckeyes really are doomed.

So, who is going to light the fuse? The smart money is on Wilson grabbing hold of the punt-return gig and never letting it go. Heading into his sophomore year, Ohio State is already making it clear by tweaking his role at wide receiver to put him in the slot that it wants the football in his hands as frequently as possible. And it proved last year that it was willing to endure a couple growing pains with him at punt returner, viewing that as an investment in his future by letting him keep learning with live reps.



Wilson is a truly special athlete, and it feels inevitable that he’ll bust loose on a punt — and potentially snap the touchdown skid that dates all the way back to 2014.

“We have confidence in Garrett,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “He’s certainly a young player who made a mistake, and he’s going to learn from it and move on. But he’s going to practice better and again a lot of it goes back to how you practice, if you’re going to practice intently and do a good job with that, then, yeah, we’re going to have confidence because we see it in practice.

“If for whatever reason we don’t see it in practice, then we have to make a decision.”

Odds are Wilson is going to make it an easy call for the Buckeyes, though there will be competition from those other four wideouts — assuming Saunders gets his sixth year of eligibility approved, as he should.

The recent rule changes have really diminished the impact of kickoff returners, so it’s possible that Ohio State might consider rotating guys in with Wilson if there’s not a big gap between him and speedy threats like Williams and Cooper or an elusive weapon like McCall. Saunders is essentially the security blanket thanks to his sure hands, and there’s a case to be made that given Ohio State’s explosive offense, all it really needs is to make a fair catch and secure possession on every punt.

There will also still be occasional opportunities to return kickoffs, and that’s probably a spot that has McCall’s name on it with Williams angling for his shot alongside him. Return touchdowns are certainly tougher to come by given the current rules and the risk/reward with touchbacks allowing teams to start on the 25-yard line, but there will still be chances for the Buckeyes to break a drought there that extends all the way back to 2010.

Ohio State has more than enough talent on hand to break through. And if this group can’t get it done, there might really be some dark magic at play.

Entire article: https://lettermenrow.com/ohio-state...yes-football-special-teams-return-candidates/

Re: Eventually the touchdown drought, the muffed kicks and the roller-coaster of emotions on special teams is going to end for Ohio State.

Hopefully it ends this season......

I had to come in due to my home internet being down. Anyone else?

the last great moment of the 95-02 Indians that was the pinnacle of my childhood to kick off the thread.



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NCAA WILL GIVE SPRING SPORTS ATHLETES ANOTHER YEAR OF ELIGIBILITY, STILL CONSIDERING WHETHER TO DO SO FOR WINTER SPORTS ATHLETES



After their seasons all came to an abrupt end on Thursday, spring sports athletes are in line to receive another year of eligibility from the NCAA.

The NCAA announced Friday that it has “agreed that eligibility relief is appropriate for all Division I student-athletes who participated in spring sports.”

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The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach and Stadium's Jeff Goodman both reported on Friday that the NCAA's Division I Council Coordinator Committee is still considering whether to do the same for winter sports athletes whose seasons also ended early on Thursday, when the NCAA announced it was canceling all of its championship competitions for the remainder of the academic year.

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Athletes in spring sports – which include baseball and softball, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, rowing, women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, track and field and men’s volleyball at Ohio State – did not even get the opportunity to play a full regular season after Thursday's announcements by the NCAA and by the Big Ten which announced that all competitions for conference schools would be canceled for the remainder of the academic year.

For winter sports athletes, that decision could be more complicated, as some had already concluded their seasons before Thursday while most – including men's and women's basketball, men's and women's hockey and wrestling – had completed their regular seasons, though their postseasons were cut short.

Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/coll...bility-still-considering-whether-to-do-so-for

...would love to be one as the ESPN execs meet to decide what to do for the two months. Talking about shitting your pants...

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Cincinnati (OH) LaSalle High School

Defensive Back
6-0
185 lbs
Class of 2021

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Well, there is a B1G game today:

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Those who bought tickets for following games "should direct any ticket refund inquiries to the original point of purchase," the conference said.



Update: Both Minnesota (game 1) and Indiana (game 2) advance.
Game 1: No. 12 Minnesota 74, No. 13 Northwestern 57
Game 2: No. 11 Indiana 89, No. 14 Nebraska 64

Easy choice

Buckeye Draft Profiles: Chase Young
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


Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Jp Waldron/CSM/Shutterstock

Chase Young, a stud at defensive end has left it all on the field during his time at Ohio State. He has been a force his entire career as a Buckeye, but the 2019 season was a great send off season for him before stepping foot into the pro ranks. Young and his team finished the season with a 13-1 record, but he did a ton of damage to opposing teams and their offensive aspirations. In an era where stats are recorded and scrutinized, Young’s individual stats are impressive. He finished 2019 with 16.5 total sacks (14 solo/5 assisted sacks), averaging 1.38 sacks per game which led the nation. He also led the nation in forced fumbles with 6 for the year. With tackles for loss, he had 21 for the season and averaged 1.8 per game.


Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Most draft experts are pegging him as a can’t miss prospect and the former Buckeye is projected as a Top-2 pick for this years NFL Draft. According to Sascha Paruk from SportsBettingDime, “there is no debate about who the first Buckeye off the board will be at the 2020 draft.” Adding, “Chase Young is the consensus best prospect in the class and will only fall from #1 because the Bengals have the #1 pick and need a franchise QB like Joe Burrow.” Paruk also speculated that “IF Chase Young doesn’t go second overall, it will be because Washington trades its pick to another QB-needy team, like the Dolphins or the Chargers.”


Mike Mulholland | MLive.com

For now, Chase Young is mocked to the Washington Redskins but with talks about potential trade down chatter, would make the 2020 NFL Draft more interesting. It makes sense from a re-building standpoint to stockpile picks to accelerate the entire process. The Redskins had a tough time this year finishing 3-13, but they have a few pieces in stock. Former Buckeyes, Dwayne Haskins might be their QB of the future and Terry McLaurin appear to be solid building blocks of the future. Their defense needs some help and Young makes sense, but Okudah does too with an aging Josh Norman. We will never know until Commissioner Goodell unveils the pick to make things official. The ball is in their court and the choice to make the pick or trade down is theirs alone. This draft will definitely be interesting and an exciting one.




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Recruiting Targets: Hits & Misses
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 another long-awaited installment of the hits & misses content, I will be looking at the 2017 class which features a bunch of familiar names. This was the year where eventual stars would join the fold and what better time to do it than right now?


DeMatha High School’s own Chase Young. Credit: 24/7sports.com
Hit: Chase Young, WDE


When I spoke of a legendary class in terms of talent, the 2017 class was the tipping point when building depth and collecting talent. Defensive Ends were plentiful and most players at Ohio State had to wait their turn, but Young, the Buckeyes own predator took the same route the Bosa’s took to their rise to stardom. The slight wait was worth it and while he turned into the guy, the impact he made was by his talents along, but we have seen this before with lesser known or less heralded recruits.

Chase Young has declared for the NFL Draft this year and he is locked in to be a potential top-3 pick. He also might join two familiar faces in Haskins and McLaurin, but we will see how the draft process unfolds. It is unpredictable, but it has been worth seeing the development and the talent turn into stars and make an impact like Young.


Jeffrey Okudah in high school. Credit: Dallasnews.com
Hit: Jeffrey Okudah, CB


Like Young, Okudah also was highly recruited and he excelled after some time in the system. He was recruited and he sat and learned behind the likes of Marshon Lattimore and Denzel Ward, but the wait has been worth it as well. He essentially played it out and played himself into being a top-10 pick in this years draft. He was the shutdown corner that everyone avoided during games. He was one of three cornerbacks taken in the class, with Sheffield blossoming into a good player in the NFL and with Wade turning down the NFL for another shot at redemption.

Okudah has been preparing himself for years and he has maximized his talents. He left an everlasting impression and he should have passed-on some pointers to Wade and the younger BIA stablemates. His legacy has been fulfilled, even though it has left a year early.


Dobbins carrying the ball. Credit: Hudl.com
Hit: J.K. Dobbins, RB


And the hits keep coming, with J-K-All-Day being the third member of a stellar class to blossom into a full-fledged star in the Buckeyes offensive attack. In 2018, he shared the ball carrier duties with Mike Weber. He had over 1,000 yards that season, but he thought it was a failure. Fast forward to this past season, he reached his potential en route to breaking records and cementing himself and his legacy in Columbus. The added time and conditioning have been wonders and he surely plunged himself into uncharted territory being a top 3 running back.


Cass Tech’s own Donovan Peoples-Jones. Credit: Bleacherreport.com
Miss: Donovan Peoples-Jones


Now, let us get a couple of misses in the article, and this one comes from our most bitter rival, Michigan and a one-time Buckeyes lean, Donovan Peoples-Jones. The pipe line at Cass Tech was flourishing, but I have no clue what went wrong in his recruitment. It also was a miss, but the team has been stacking talent over the past two seasons and well into the 2021 season. Sure, he is a star returner and he was needed in an unproven class that has two 6-5 players in Jaylen Harris, Elijah Gardiner and a 6-3 playmaker in Trevon Grimes.

DPJ is now leaving for the NFL and he left 0-3 against the Buckeyes and he never really made an impact during The Game. He is a valuable player, but the older, more-experienced players have held the team together for the time being.

The Replacements: Fast forward to now, the two big-bodied players have yet to reach their potential and Grimes is returning to Florida for one last ride. There are a lot of factors to consider, injuries, lack of experience or playing time, but it takes time to build yourself. Prime example, Johnnie Dixon. Injuries have plagued him his first three years, but the last two were memorable and productive. You cannot close the books on them but Grimes is no longer on the team and the other two could still make some noise.


The last NSD I watched with a hilarious twist with Darnay Holmes’ UCLA decision. Credit: Larrybrownsports.com
Miss: Darnay Holmes, CB


Last miss would be the youtube sensation “decision” from cornerback Darnay Holmes. He spurned the Buckeyes to go to UCLA and his little buddy was not happy to say the least. I know it is based on their decision in the end, but this is funny and it is needed during recruiting. Separating myself from that has helped and I don’t think it is that serious anymore. This one really grinded my gears, but now its all water under the bridge. Now he has announced his intent to pursue his NFL dreams, but with the transfer portal, rumors have been flying about him coming to Ohio State to sharpen his skills. I doubt that’ll happen, but I have seen weird things happen since following anything College Football.

Replacements: To call Sheffield, Okudah and Wade the replacements is foul, but with Holmes slipping away, they stepped up big-time. I would not change anything with this class, and I am happy that we still have Wade for one more season. If Holmes does come full circle, cool, but if not, it’s fine. You cannot predict things, but things have turned out pretty well so we can’t complain.




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