I figured he won't be in CFB for much longer but will probably be worth posting about.

Whether he crashes and burns or finds success at the next level, it will probably be entertaining.

Didn't find a thread about him in the search bar, so firing up a thread.

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Buckeyes will play Missouri in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on Friday, Dec 29th at 8 ET on ESPN.

enjoy

Conference opener....

OHIO STATE’S JAMISON BATTLE TREATING MATCHUP WITH FORMER TEAM MINNESOTA THE SAME AS ANY OTHER BIG TEN GAME​

By Andy Anders on December 1, 2023 at 1:40 pm @andyanders55

• OSU BASKETBALL

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There’s little that changes for Jamison Battle going into Ohio State’s matchup with Minnesota on Sunday.
Yes, the Buckeyes’ top transfer portal acquisition is facing off against the team he transferred from in the contest. But his focus remains on delivering his new bunch to victory and a step forward in their progression.
“You obviously have thoughts about that, but it’s just the first Big Ten game of the season, that’s how we’re looking at it,” Battle said. “As a team, we’ve got some things we need to improve on from the Central Michigan game and from games prior. I think we’re looking forward to opening the Big Ten season at home and playing a pretty solid Minnesota team.”
Still, Ohio State’s coaching staff will be working with him to ensure that he stays locked into that mindset as the Buckeyes look to extend their five-game winning streak against the Golden Gophers.
“We know this is a part of college basketball,” Holtmann said. “We’re not the only one that has interconference transfers, all over college basketball (there are). There will be an emotional element for him that he’ll have to keep in mind.”

There’s no ill will harbored by Battle toward his former program.
“Jamison has great respect for those players, those coaches, that program,” Holtmann said. “I think it did so much for him, meant so much to him. Every conversation I’ve ever had with him, he speaks really highly of the program and the coaches and the players.”
Battle remains close with many of his former teammates. Senior forward Parker Fox, junior forward Isaiah Ihnen and junior forward Dawson Garcia were among those he named as close friends.
He holds a special respect for Fox and Ihnen, who have both dealt with season-ending ACL tears in back-to-back years.
“I still keep up with those guys, it’s the relationship I have being there for two years and spending every day with those guys,” Battle said. “You’re never going to lose those relationships, and in the end, you want to make sure that those guys are being successful and you’re helping them with whatever they need.”
That said, the Gophers will become the enemy once Battle takes the Value City Arena floor for Sunday evening’s game.
“I talked about it with those guys beforehand when I did transfer, ‘We’re brothers off the court, but then on the court, we’re rivals,’” Battle said. “I think that’s something that we’re all looking forward to and I just can’t wait to get out there and play the game. I’m feeling excited – it’ll be a little bit different when we head to the Barn (in Minnesota).”
“IT’S JUST THE FIRST BIG TEN GAME OF THE SEASON, THAT’S HOW WE’RE LOOKING AT IT. AS A TEAM, WE’VE GOT SOME THINGS WE NEED TO IMPROVE ON FROM THE CENTRAL MICHIGAN GAME AND FROM GAMES PRIOR.”– JAMISON BATTLE ON FACING HIS FORMER TEAM
Battle transferred to Ohio State from Minnesota this offseason after two years in Minneapolis. He previously spent two seasons with George Washington of the Atlantic 10.
The Golden Gophers’ leading scorer in 2021-22 and second-leading scorer the following year, Battle averaged 17.5 points his first year with the team and 12.4 in his second. He’s matched the latter total exactly thus far in his first campaign in Columbus.
A career 35.2% shooter from 3, Battle has bounced back from a career-low 31.1% from distance in 2022-23 to make 38.6% of his attempts through seven games this year.
“We’re challenging him in some of these other areas that he’s got to grow in,” Holtmann said Tuesday. “But he’s a really good shooter and scorer, and I think he’s getting a better and better feel for what we expect.”
The top areas in his game available for growth are playmaking and rebounding, Battle said.
“I think the biggest improvement for me has been making sure I’m getting everyone involved in that aspect of seeing open guys, I’m not forcing shots and I’m making sure that I’m making the right plays,” Battle said. “I think that’s something that I’ve grown into. I feel like, at times, I’ve made the right plays but at times I haven’t made the right plays.”
A knowledge of Minnesota’s system will give Battle some extra input over the coming days in terms of game prep, he said. The Buckeyes are fresh off a dominant 88-61 victory over Central Michigan on Wednesday, which came after they won the Emerald Coast Classic last weekend.
“There’s a lot of things that I can help with and just give the feedback that I see and help my teammates as well with personnel, with different stuff,” Battle said. “We’ve talked a little bit but today will be a big scouting day for us so we’ll see what happens there.”

I have been collecting game jerseys, cleats, and gloves for about the last 5 years. Now have over 200 jerseys, 100+ cleats, 100 + Pairs of gloves. Does anyone else out there collect these items? Does anyone have any items for sale?

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Class: 2019
School: Middle Tennessee St.
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 298 lbs

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This dude doesn't even have a thread here, yet he's referenced often. Here's why: this bum should've been fired a decade earlier.

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for those interested

Buckeyes Return Home to Host Central Michigan on Wednesday​

Ohio State vs. Central Michigan
Date: November 29, 2023
Time: 7 p.m.
Venue: Value City Arena – Columbus, Ohio
Watch: BTN

Ohio State returns home from a great weekend in Florida and will open a three-game homestand against Central Michigan on Wednesday night. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. Connor Onion and former Ohio State standout Joey Lane will call the action.

• This will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs. Jay Burson scored 26 points to lead The Buckeyes to an 85-83 victory on Jan. 2, 1988, inside St. John Arena. In the most recent meeting, current director of professional development and former Big Ten player of the year Terence Dials scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead OSU to a 77-71 victory in the consolation round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25, 2003.
• The Buckeyes are coming off an Emerald Coast Classic championship, beating No. 17 Alabama 92-83 and then topping Santa Clara 86-56 in the championship game. Bruce Thornton was named the tournament's MVP after averaging 21.0 points, 5.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds. He scored a career-high 29 points in the win over Alabama. Roddy Gayle Jr. also scored a career-high 23 points against Alabama and was named to the All-Tournament Team.
• The Buckeyes shot over 53 percent in the two games and now have the 18th most efficient offense according to Kenpom. The top-ranked offense is still Alabama and the Buckeyes held the Crimson Tide to its lowest scoring output of the season.
• The win was Ohio State's first win in a true multi-team bracket event since the 2012 Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-off.
• Since 2000, the only Buckeye freshman or sophomore to score 29 points against a ranked team before Thornton last Friday were Justin Ahrens and Malaki Branham. Ahrens made six three-pointers and scored 29 points as a freshman vs. No. 22 Iowa on Feb. 26, 2019. Branham netted 31 points as a freshman in the 86-83 victory at No. 15 Illinois on Feb. 24, 2022.
• Thornton is second in the Big Ten with a 4.83 assist-to-turnover ratio and is in the Top 10 at 17.2 points per game.
• Felix Okpara has blocked a shot in each of his last 13 games dating back to the end of last season. Since 2000, Okpara is just the fifth Buckeye big man to have a streak of 13 or more games with at least one block, joining Ken Johnson, Greg Oden, Dallas Lauderdale and Amir Williams.
• Jamison Battle knocked-down a season-high five three-pointers and led the Buckeyes with a season-high 21 points in the win over Santa Clara. He has made at least one three-pointer in every game this season.
• The Buckeyes have made 10 or more three-pointers in each of the last three games, marking the longest streak since a four-game stretch of 10 or more in January of 2021.

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Sources: Syracuse targeting Georgia assistant Fran Brown​

Syracuse is targeting Georgia defensive assistant Fran Brown for its head-coaching vacancy, sources told ESPN on Monday night, confirming a report.

Brown, 41, has coached Georgia's defensive backs the past two seasons after holding similar roles at Rutgers, Temple and Baylor. The New Jersey native has extensive ties to the Northeast and has recruited the region throughout his career. Brown, who twice served as a Temple assistant, was a top candidate for the school's head-coaching vacancy in late 2021. Georgia is set to face Alabama on Saturday in the SEC championship game.

Syracuse fired Dino Babers on Nov. 19 after eight seasons with the school. Tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile is serving as the team's interim coach for its upcoming bowl appearance.

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Class: 2026
Position: DL
School: New Orleans (LA) St. Augustine
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 270lbs

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I cope with disappointment by looking to the future with optimism. So here goes.

QB:
McCord/Brown
Kienholz/Noland

I think our expectations as fans are completely broken when it comes to QB play at Ohio State, especially for a first-year starter.

I trust Day to pick a starter next season and that the play will be better, whether that is McCord in year two or the guy who beats him in an open competition.

The good news here, especially if it’s a first-year starter again, is that Ohio State has four weeks to figure it out before Michigan State on Sept. 28, which is extremely unlikely to be a test, either. And then Iowa at home.

RB:
Dallen Hayden
Evan Pryor
Peoples/Lyle

I don’t think it’s completely outside the realm of possibility that Trayanum comes back (or even Williams), which would be a big boost here.

They lose a ton of explosion in Henderson, obviously, but I think Hayden has already shown in every chance he’s gotten that he’s more capable of grinding 5-6 yard runs in situations where another OSU RB was getting 2-3.

If Hayden is able to keep the offense on schedule more consistently, I think that opens up the offense on 2nd and short in ways that would more than make up for a lack of pure explosiveness from Henderson.

Depth is a pretty big concern if Trayanum/Williams leave, and you have to hope one of the freshman is an instant impact kind of player. RB is the easiest spot to do that.

WR:
X
Carnell Tate
Jeremiah Smith

Z
Jayden Ballard
Anyone

Slot
Brandon Inniss
Anyone

Harrison Jr. won’t be replaced, but this group is still good enough to be the best in the conference and I have no concerns about their ability to be impactful players. The limit of their success will be more on the QB than on them, in my opinion.

TE:
Thurman
Scott/Christian

I think TEs who can block are way more important to the success of a Ryan Day offense than putting up big numbers receiving like Stover did.

A walk-on getting third string reps in ‘23 isn’t a great sign for Royer (who may bounce back if he can ever stay healthy) and Hart (maybe injuries, too? I don’t know anything about his story), so I’m going with Thurman and Christian (who sat out ‘23 for PEDs) as my unknowns who give the best chance of being solid blockers.

Scott was a liability at blocking most of ‘23 and barely flashed as a receiving threat, but it is within the realm of possibility that he can step in a little bit to the Stover role as a pass threat if the coaches still want to emphasize that (which they probably do for recruiting purposes). Thurman could also be a matchup nightmare in the passing game.

Give me 6’6” 258 Thurman and 6’5” 245 Christian, with another year in the weight room, blocking effectively and I’ll be happy—anything the TEs contribute in the passing game is purely a bonus, in my opinion.

OL:
LT
Josh Simmons

LG
Donovan Jackson/Tegra Tshabola

C
Carson Hinzman

RG
Josh Fryar

RT
Luke Montgomery

Carson Hinzman improving in year two will be huge, and he should, especially with another offseason in the weight room. He was thrown into the fire a year early and held up well enough.

If Simmons improves as much from year one to year two as he did from game one to game twelve, I think we’re in decent shape there.

The Rivals insiders (Ward, Birm, Landis) have said Jackson is planning to return, which makes sense. He definitely isn’t a lock as a top round pick and can do fine with NIL as he tries to play his way into a top round pick with a bunch of returning starters on the OL who played much better down the stretch.

The coaches obviously liked Montgomery a lot this year as a true freshman, and an off-season in the weight room will be huge for him. I think Montgomery is a more naturally athletic tackle than Fryar, who can be a damn good RG.

It’s hard to project the two deep, but I think the depth will be better overall next season and I look forward to positive reviews in bowl practice and the off-season for guys working their way onto the depth chart.

DE:
Kenyatta Jackson
Caden Curry
Mitchell Melton
Omari Abor

This is by far the biggest drop off between seasons, although I think there’s a decent chance Sawyer comes back, which would help a lot.

Set expectations at average and hope for the best, in my opinion.

(I’ve said in several other threads that I think a coaching change has the potential to get a lot more out of the DL, and especially the DEs, as well.)

DT:
Hero Kanu
Tywone Malone
Kayden McDonald
Justin Scott

This is the hardest position to project who might jump early to the NFL. In the worst case scenario of Hamilton/Hall/Williams all going pro, I think Kanu and Malone would be capable of being solid starters, but the depth would be a big question mark after that.

One of Hamilton/Hall/Williams returning would be extremely helpful—2/3 returning would make DT a strength of the defense.

LB:
MIKE
Cody Simon/Gabe Powers

WILL
CJ Hicks

I can’t help but be excited for change here. Eichenberg was the captain of the defense but was physically limited from the start even without injuries that impacted his effectiveness down the stretch in each of the last two seasons.

Simon might leave, but I think there’s an above average chance he sticks around. The NIL money he can make at Ohio State has to be competitive with any late-round draft projection he might be getting. He’s been a very solid piece of the rotation and could be a very solid new captain of the defense in the middle next year.

Powers gets the nod as the one getting snaps in the backup role this season (specifically against MSU and Minnesota), although he is mostly an unknown commodity outside of that (although it is notable he jumped more senior players for those reps).

Steele was a good athlete who always seemed to lack the football instincts of an elite LB as a converted RB. CJ Hicks is a five star talent fans have been anxious to see and next year is his time to shine.

Maybe Kourt Williams pulls a Josh Proctor and makes some noise at the end of an injury plagued career.

You have to think that Day finds a place for Laurinaitis on the staff this off-season and that he gets the most of this group.

I realize it might be a “grass is always greener” fallacy, but I’m excited to see turnover here and what the next group of guys can do.

CB:
Davison Igbinosun
Jermaine Mathews
Jordan Hancock

Igbinosun has been solid (if a bit penalty prone) all year and should be even better next season. He’s physical against the run and can be an emotional leader of the defense.

Mathews flashed as the next in line of elite CBs at Ohio State as a true freshman. The future is bright for him.

Hancock will likely continue to be a key starter at nickel safety but will provide quality depth at CB as well.

And there are plenty of young players who can provide depth as well, even with some possible transfers. Like the oline depth, I’m looking forward to reports out of bowl practice and in the off-season to see who continues to separate themselves.

S:
Sonny Styles
Malik Hartford
Ja’Had Carter
Kye Stokes

The exact breakdown of starting roles is always a bit of a mystery at safety. However it shakes out, Ohio State has plenty of options and depth, especially when you factor in that Hancock is a proven difference maker who should be on the field almost every snap at Nickel.

Sonny Styles is a legit game changer who should only continue to get better and is on a path to be a first round talent.

Hartford flashed as a true freshman and looks like he has star potential.

Ja’Had Carter battled injuries but provides solid depth at the very least.

Stokes has flashed in practice and was getting limited snaps down the stretch this season.

I feel bad for discounting Cam Martinez but he just doesn’t seem to have good pass coverage instincts in limited chances this season and he might never get there —I wish him the best whatever happens.

And this is without Lathan Ransom, who’s future is uncertain but he might return after missing the end of this season with an injury.

Overall, I think the secondary is in very good shape going into next season.

____

There’s plenty of question marks, as with any new season, but plenty of room for optimism, as well.

Just like this year, it might boil down once again to the QB competition, which Ohio State fans will continue to be normal and reasonable about, I am sure.

Here’s hoping for some solid bowl practices and a motivated group of young players in the bowl game to get an even clearer, and hopefully more optimistic, preview of next season.

Go Bucks!

Might as well get it started to move forward.

I think next year the potential is there to have a very good offense.

Will return experience everywhere although we will likely have to replace key starters with MHJ, Egbuka, Henderson and Stover.

Projections that are more accurate are coming out now. Most have OSU going to the Orange Bowl against either Louisville or North Carolina State.

One question: for guys "opting out" of the bowl game, how does that effect their NIL deals? I say, no play-ee, no pay-ee

Well, here’s what’s left for the teams still playing for conference titles.

Week 14

Friday, Dec. 1

New Mexico State at Liberty (CUSA CCG) | 7 p.m. | CBSSN
Oregon vs. Washington, Pac-12 CCG in Las Vegas | 8 p.m. | ABC

Saturday, Dec. 2

Oklahoma St vs. Texas, Big 12 CCG in Arlington, Texas | 12 p.m. | ABC
Miami (Ohio) vs. Toledo (MAC CCG in Detroit) | 12 p.m. | ESPN

Boise St at UNLV, Mountain West CCG | 3 p.m. | FOX, 3 computer rankings dropped San Jose St
Georgia vs. Alabama (SEC CCG in Atlanta) | 4 p.m. | CBS
SMU at Tulane, AAC CCG | 4 p.m.
App St at Troy, Sun Belt CCG | 4 p.m.
Prairie View A&M at Florida A&M, SWAC CCG | 4 p.m. | ESPN2

Louisville vs Florida St, ACC CCG in Charlotte | 8 p.m. | ABC
Iowa vs tCun, B1G CCG in Indianapolis | 8 p.m. | FOX

We don’t want to hear it right now but there’s a path.

Louisville got beat by the Ky Jelly Cats today, so there are only 8 P5 teams with either 0 or 1 loss.

1. Georgia
2. tCun
3. Oregon Washington winner
4. Florida State if they beat Florida AND Louisville without Jordan Travis
5. Texas if they beat Oklahoma State or Oklahoma in their CCG
6. 1-loss tOSU
7. Oregon-Washington loser
8, Bama if they lose to UGA

So if Florida State AND Texas AND Bama lose 1 more game, I think tOSU is #4 in the CFP.

Bucks face the Broncos in the champ game

We all know The Game will get pulled down quickly for copyright. Other options like youtubetv will not accept VPNs without verification of a local TV provider.

Suggestions very much appreciated.

Should be a good test

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Class: 2025 (high school)
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Sachse (TX) Sachse
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 175 lbs

Made a huge jump in the new 247sports ranking after he put up 1300 receiving yards and 13 TDs this season, he’s now ranked as the #12 player in the nation and #3 WR. He told Wiltfong he believes Ohio State will be offering soon.

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Class: 2027 (high school)
Position: Running Back
School: Buffalo (NY) Canisius
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 180 lbs

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Visited for the Mich St game. Offers from Penn St., Oregon and Syracuse already

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Class: 2025 (high school)
Position: Defensive Line
School: Newberry (FL) Newberry
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 280 lbs
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Class: 2025
Position:WR
School: Geneva (IL) Geneva Community
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 180lbs

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Class: 2025
Position: S
School: Newport News (VA) Warwick
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 196lbs

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