Could Ohio State’s backups beat an average college football team?
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Well, could they?

A few days ago, our friends at SBNation.com wondered if Alabama’s backups could beat an average FBS program, specifically, Northern Illinois. After looking at the recruiting rankings and some of the general matchups, the author concluded that yeah, Alabama’s backups could probably win that game.

That’s not a shock, as Alabama has recruited better than anybody over the last few seasons, and their backups will still include multiple future NFL players. Only a few programs have recruited at anything close to Alabama’s clip, and without that deluge of elite talent, it’d be tough for even the backups of a good team to hang with a competent college squad.

But you know who else has recruited at nearly that elite of a level? Ohio State. Could the Buckeye Backups beat an average FBS team?

First, let’s take a guess at what an OSU backup starting lineup might look like:


Position Player Name Year Recruiting Ranking
QB Joe Burrow (RS) Freshman 4*, .8970
RB Bri'onte Dunn Senior 4*, .9537
WR Austin Mack Freshman 4*, .9614
WR Paris Campbell Sophomore 4*, .9359
HBack Dontre Wilson Senior 4*, .9685
TE Jake Hausmann Freshman 4*, .9414
LT Branden Bowen (RS) Freshman 3*, .8666
LG Michael Jordan Freshman 4*, .9387
C Brady Taylor (RS) Sophmore 3*, .8618
RG Evan Lisle (RS) Junior 4*, 9616
RT Malcom Pridgeon Junior 4*, .9329
DE Jayln Holmes Junior 4*, .9622
DE Nick Bosa Freshman 5*, .9965
DT Jashon Cornell (RS) Freshman 4*, .9557
DT Tracy Sprinkle (RS) Junior 3*, 8514
LB Jerome Baker Sophmore 4*, .9686
LB Nick Conner (RS) Freshman 4*, .9116
LB Justin Hilliard (RS) Freshman 5*, .9848
CB Denzel Ward Sophmore 4*, .9032
CB Damon Arnette (RS) Freshman 3*, .8597
FS Damon Webb Junior 4*, .9820
SS Cam Burrows (RS) Junior 4*, 9719



This is just our projection. You could probably argue for a half dozen other blue-chip wideouts, and Dunn would probably split carries with true freshman Antonio Williams, but the general gist looks about right. This team would be exceptionally talented, with two five-star players, and several just below that level, but also very light on experience. The starting lineup would boast just two seniors, and only eight upperclassmen.

Finding a good team to compare them against seemed a bit tricky. We took a look at the programs who finished in the mid 60s range in the 2015 F/+ rankings, the teams projected to be a similar place for next season, and programs that recruited at an average level. Taking all of those into account, we settled on Illinois, a team that finished 65th last season, and projects to just be a bit worse than that this season.

What does their starting roster look like? We looked around the internet and came up with this guess (the official ones aren’t out yet), and cross checked it with their 247Sports Composite recruiting ranking. Here’s what we came up with:


Position Player Name Year Recruiting Ranking
QB Wes Lunt (RS) Senior 3*, .8891
RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn Sophomore 4*, .8953
WR Desmond Cain Sophomore 3*, .8426
WR Malik Turner Junior 3*, .8006
WR Justin Hardee Senior 3*, .8140
TE Tyler White Senior 3*, .8205
LT Austin Schmidt Senior 3*, .8051
LG Nick Allegretti Sophomore 3*, .8481
C Joe Spencer Senior 3*, .8739
RG Gabe Megginson (RS) Freshman 4*, .9182
RT Christian DiLauro (RS) Junior 3*, .8323
DE Carroll Phillips (RS) Senior 2*, .7959
NT Robbie Bain (RS) Senior 3*, .8252
DT Jarrod Clements Senior 3*, .8590
DE Dawuane Smoot Senior 3*, .8140
LB Julian Jones Sophomore 3*, .8205
LB Hardy Nickerson (RS) Senior 3*, .8120
LB James Crawford (RS) Junior Unranked
CB Darius Mosely Senior 3*, .8703
CB Caleb Day Senior 3*, .8722
FS Jaylen Dunlap (RS) Junior 2*, .7951
SS Taylor Barton (RS) Senior 3*, .8023



Illinois’ roster has some talent, as it’s mostly three-star kids, but what really jumps out is the experience. There are only five underclassmen projected to start here, and they return a fair amount from a defense that finished in the top 20 last season in S&P+.

It seems like this would be a matchup of strength on strength. The Ohio State backup squad has an immensely talented defense, paced by a five-star talent on the defensive line, and linebackers who can do things like this. There might be a bit of concern about the secondary, but the pass rush and run stopping ability should be very solid.

There’s talent galore on offense, but also a ton of youth, even on the offensive line, along with a QB that’s never seen game action. Against such an experienced defense, even one that isn’t as talented, it’s reasonable to expect the Buckeyes to struggle a bit.

I have a hard time seeing Illinois scoring that much in this scenario either though. I imagine this would be a close game, decided by which team could generate the most big plays on offense, in leu of long, sustained drive. Tie goes to the side stocked with prospective NFL players. It’s also noting that one of these teams would be coached by one of the very best coaches in the country, and the other would be by Lovie Smith.

This is just a guess, and maybe a biased one, but if these two teams played on a neutral field, I’d take the Buckeyes by 3 or 4.

Are there "average" teams that could win this game? Sure. Northern Illinois nearly beat Ohio State’s starters last season, so it seems reasonable to think they would have beaten the backups. Arizona is projected to finish 64th in next year’s S&P+, and that would probably be a difficult matchup for this Ohio State team. Navy is 65th, and we’ve also already seen how close they can hang with Ohio State’s starters.

The talent disparity is pretty significant, as Ohio State’s backup squad would probably be the most talented team in the Big Ten after Michigan’s starters, but an experienced, well-coached team would certainly be able to take advantage of their youth to beat them, just like a less-talented team may end up being Ohio State’s starters this season.

But the fact that we can have this conversation with a straight face just goes to show how well this program has recruited recently. That’s going to put the Buckeyes in a position to win bigger games over the next few seasons. And it shows just how hard it is for a lot of the rest of college football to spring upsets against the elite of the elite in this sport.

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Ohio State's most exciting players: defense - 247Sports.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State's most exciting players: defense
247Sports.com
What's next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you're in the loop -- take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now! While the Buckeyes' defense loses 8 of 11 starters, they reload with some quality talent across the board, which should ...


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Pre-Fall Outlook: Ohio State Tight Ends
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


This year’s Ohio State squad will feature a lot of new starters but in most cases those guys are people we are pretty familiar with. Whether it is from filling in for injured players or making big hits on special teams, we as a fan base know what we should be able to expect. That is not the case with tight ends.

The tight end picture is a legitimate guessing game because of two major reasons. First, the Buckeyes have been fortunate enough to have Jeff Heuerman and/or Nick Vannett holding down the position for the past couple of years. Both were drafted in the third round (Heuerman in 2015 and Vannett in 2016) and both were able to play on passing and running downs for Ohio State. This prevented many of the current tight ends from ever seeing the field. Second, the positional group is incredibly young. The depth chart for 2016 will consist of a sixth-year graduate transfer walk-on, a junior, a redshirt freshman, and three true freshmen. So let’s take a look at where we stand compared to how things looked in February.

The starter for the Buckeyes will be the lone man with any game experience at tight end as a Buckeye, junior Marcus Baugh. A big-time recruit out of California, Baugh has had an interesting first three years on campus. Just two years ago, Baugh was suspended indefinitely after his third underage consumption charge. No matter how many times Baugh was in the Urban Meyer doghouse early in his career, he always was able to fight his way out of it with his work ethic and skills. For his career, Baugh has three catches for 34 yards and one touchdown. In the spring game, Baugh had seven catches for 64 yards.

The four remaining players will be battling it out for the back-up tight end position. The first is Chase Hounshell who is a graduate transfer from Notre Dame. Last year, his first at tight end,


Hounshell will suit of for the good guys this year. (Image courtesy of 247Sports)


Hounshell played in 13 games and started three times. For the season, he had one reception for six yards.

Redshirt freshman A.J. Alexander came to Ohio State where nobody was sure where he would wind up on the depth chart but after a strong spring, he looks like he has found a home at tight end despite possibly being undersized at 6’2” 235.

The final two players competing for time at tight end this year are the number four and number five rated tight ends coming out of high school, Jake Hausmann and Luke Farrell respectively. Hausmann and Farrell both already have the size the Buckeyes covet at tight end without even stepping on campus as a scholarship athlete. Hausmann came in at 6’4” and 230 pounds while Farrell arrived at 6’6” and 240 pounds. It will be interesting to hear if one or both of these highly touted freshmen are able to jump Alexander on the depth chart.

Two other players who may play a role at tight end in the future are redshirt freshman Rashod Berry and true freshman Kierre Hawkins. In the spring, Berry was moved to defensive line where he excelled. Who knows if he will be moved back in the future? Hawkins is coming to Ohio State as a project…much like Berry when he arrived. Both are big and incredible athletes who could catch on at either position.

Pre-Spring Predicted Depth Chart Pre-Fall Predicted Depth Chart
1. Marcus Baugh Marcus Baugh
2. Jake Hausmann Chase Hounshell
3. Luke Farrell A.J. Alexander

There is not a position which has been more scrutinized by the fan base over the years. Each of the Buckeyes last three starters are in the NFL but none were utilized much at Ohio State. I will say, I really like Marcus Baugh and think he has the potential to be a playmaker but I’m not sure if a tight end will ever be in the top four options on the offense.

The biggest contribution they make are with their blocking skills. Due to this, I have moved Hounshell up to the second spot on the depth chart. He played for another big time university and has experience against high-level competition. He is a former defensive lineman so he has good strength. Additionally, I added Alexander and removed the two big-time recruits. This will allow the true freshmen to take a year to learn the system and be ready to compete as early as next year if Baugh leaves.

The post Pre-Fall Outlook: Ohio State Tight Ends appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Mike Conley, former Ohio State Buckeye, to sign richest NBA deal ever with Memphis Grizzlies - cleveland.com
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Mike Conley, former Ohio State Buckeye, to sign richest NBA deal ever with Memphis Grizzlies
cleveland.com
With players like Conley, Turner, D'Angelo Russell and Greg Oden moving from Ohio State to the NBA in recent years, the Buckeyes are still searching for a modern day NBA superstar. Now the Buckeyes at least have a player making superstar money.
Former Ohio State guard Mike Conley to get richest contract in NBA historyLand-Grant Holy Land

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Former Ohio State guard Mike Conley to get richest contract in NBA history
Harry Lyles Jr. via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The former Buckeye has made some NBA history.

NBA free agency has been quite the spectacle this year, with lucrative contracts being thrown around the league left and right, but former Buckeye Mike Conley stands above them all.

Conley will be receiving a full five-year, $153 million max contract by the Memphis Grizzlies, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein. The contract will be the richest in NBA history. Despite much noise surrounding Kevin Durant's free agency this offseason, Conley has been one of the more (if not the most) coveted players in free agency. Last season, he averaged 15.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 2.9 rebounds for the Grizz.

The contract comes soon after it was reported that Chandler Parsons would be going from the Dallas Mavericks to the Memphis Grizzlies after a two-year stint in Dallas. The signing will help Conley finally have a scoring wing next to him, and could really help his production if Parsons is able to stay healthy.

It's good to see former Buckeyes making their way in the pros, and we're used to that. But it's even more neat to see them make history.

Go Bucks.

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Ohio State finishes second in the country in 2015-16 Directors’ Cup
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Buckeye athletics did a pretty good job over the past year.

“Congrats to our 1,000+ student-athletes & coaches on an outstanding 2015-16 campaign!”

– Brutus Buckeye (Instagram)


Ohio State finished the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with 1,306 points, good enough to claim second place.

Points are awarded based off team performances in each sport. The top point earning program for the Buckeyes went to men’s volleyball, which earned the maximum 100 points after defeating BYU in the NCAA Championship.

Other top scoring programs from Ohio State included rowing and fencing. Both programs yielded 90 points after finishing as NCAA runner-ups. Football collected 80 points for their fourth place finish in the final USA Today poll.


For the Buckeyes, it’s their highest finish in the Directors’ Cup since the 2010-11 season, which also ended with a second place finish.

While the Buckeyes didn’t bring home the trophy, it’s a little easier knowing that the same school has brought home the trophy for the last 22 years. Stanford has dominated the Directors’ Cup, winning every year except for 1993-94.

“This year 49,407 prospective students have applied to Ohio State’s main campus, a 7.6 percent increase from last year”

– Tom Knox (Columbus Business First)


This shouldn’t come as a surprise: people want to attend The Ohio State University.

As reported by Columbus Business First’s Tom Knox, the flagship university for Ohio has seen a major increase (to the tune of almost 70 percent) in applicants since 2011. With more high school graduates wanting to be part of the Buckeye family, expectations have risen, too.

Entering last year, the average ACT scores for the incoming freshman class hovered around a 29 (out of 36). In comparison, the national average for ACT scores in 2015 was a 21.

You could say that Ohio State is dominating on both the football field and classroom. Recently, Ohio State was named by a U.S. News and World Report as a top 20 public school in the country, while also boasting one of the best supply chain management/ logistics program in the nation.

It’s good to see the expectations rise again for another class at Ohio State. After all, that’s how progress is made. More importantly, though, the new class gets to see what it truly means to be a Buckeye.

Football ticket prices for 2016 released


This season, there is a variation to the pricing for Buckeye football tickets. Going to a tiered system again, it will cost you more to see the bigger games inside The Shoe.

According to a press release, if you wanted a ticket to see Jim Harbaugh’s first trip to Columbus, Ohio as head coach of the Wolverines, that will run you $195.

Nebraska, which is a primetime game this year, is going for $135 a pop; Northwestern is the third highest Buckeye home game ticket, coming in at $90.

Big Ten foes Rutgers and Indiana have prices set at $80 apiece, while Tulsa and Bowling Green will cost $70 per ticket.

If you wanted a ticket to one of those games, they go on sale at 10 a.m. on July 11. For those of you that have an RV, the single-game parking permits for those bad boys will be sold at noon on July 11.

STICK TO SPORTS


Remembering that time when Buddy Ryan got revenge on the Dallas Cowboys, and used a great Buckeye running back (Keith Byars) in the process:

• Chipotle’s new reward program starts today.
• This Chuck E. Cheese location just can’t catch a break.
• Another potential fallout after the United Kingdom decision to leave the E.U.
• John Malkovich to star in a comedy about comic book conventions

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Letters give Ohio State players new appreciation of Independence Day

Urban Meyer's quest to equip his players with life lessons and instill patriotic pride in late May was fast approaching. He had organized so many enriching sessions as part of his self-created "Patriot Week" program, but with players set to soak up knowledge for themselves, Meyer, Ohio State's fifth-year football coach, began to wonder what more could be done to effect change for others.

"And then we said, 'Wait a minute, let's tie it right into Memorial Day and honor the men and women who have protected our country for so many years,'" Meyer told ESPN.com by phone this week. "We wanted to take it one step further and reach out to some of the families who lost their loved ones. I was blown away with the letters I read."

...

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Great article; letters from Justin Hilliard, Terry McLaurin and Tracy Sprinkle are featured. Props to ESPN.

Boston’s Evan Turner to sign 4 year, $70 million deal with Portland
Luke Zimmermann via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Whoa.

A big chip fell in NBA free agency early on the first full day of permissible contract talks -- and from an unlikely source.

After an up-and-down start to his career in Philadelphia and an unmemorable, contentious cup of coffee in Indianapolis, Evan Turner seemed to have found solid ground with the Boston Celtics.

A staple in the Cs’ rotation, Turner teamed with fellow former Buckeye Jared Sullinger and former Butler coach Brad Stevens to help reestablish Boston as a perennial playoff staple.

Upon another free agency go, however, Turner’s elected to both potentially help his championship aspirations and make some bank in the process.

The Vertical’s oustanding Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting the former Ohio State Naismith Award winner is bound for Terry Stotts and the Portland Trail Blazers. For his troubles, Turner will collect $70 million over the life of the contract:


Turner had been rumored to be an option for Golden State if they were unsuccessful in their courtship of Kevin Durant, but it’s unlikely the Warriors would’ve had the cap room to be competitive with what Turner ultimately scored. With former Portland target Chandler Parsons widely expected to take a four year max deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, Turner proved the beneficiary as a very lucrative Plan B for the Rose City.

Best of luck to Turner on what should represent the prime of his career. Here’s hoping he and Damian Lillard are able to make some noise out west.

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Buckeyes come in second in Director's Cup standings - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes come in second in Director's Cup standings
247Sports
Stanford won this year's Director's Cup, earning 1526.00 points in the standings, a result of scoring in all 20 (10 men's, 10 women's) sports and winning the national championship in both men's soccer and women's tennis. What's next for the Buckeyes?

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Let’s Talk Ohio State Women’s Rugby in 2016
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The summer is here. We all feel the heat. It will only get hotter. Relief is seemingly only found in a swift dive into a pool, or an ice cold drink (preferably pool side). The sports of choice to engage in, either watching or playing is baseball, or softball.

But I have a hint of something to look forward to – Rugby. The Ohio State University Women’s Rugby team is ready too for the 2016 season.

Before we can understand what is to come – let us glance over what transpired this past spring.

The spring season had been dedicated to the 7-A-side version of the game; which is a perfect opportunity to sharpen individual skills and improve a fitness level.

This is a time of the year where no conference, which includes the Big Ten, does not organize a full schedule. Each team must then go hunting for tournaments! The great benefit to this is that it assigns opportunities in competition to any level that a coaching staff is seeking to better their squad.

The Buckeyes Women’s Rugby Team and Head Coach Joel Bonnaud decided that the best for the players’ development was to focus on becoming the best – and we all know to become the best, you must play the best – Ohio State went to the highest level tournaments possible this past spring.

The first one was hosted by Lindenwood (St Charles, MO – #2 team in the country), and it allowed the Buckeyes to set the mark for the rest of the season in terms of workload required to reach top level.

A month later was the Atlanta Invitational. Hosted by USA Rugby – this is a quite unique event. Ohio State was able to play against the best teams across the country; they, too, had the opportunity to watch live the International Series, featuring the best Women rugby athletes from around the world.

The Buckeyes also hosted its own tournament. This one had local flavor as teams were coming from Cleveland area and outskirts of *ichigan.

All of those steps served for one purpose: getting ready for the College Rugby Championship in Philadelphia, first weekend of June. In the spread of over 3 days, players had to learn to handle all the downtime between pressure games, which certainly cannot be an easy task! However, despite few ups and downs (Loss to Lindenwood, Win vs Arizona and Kutztown, then a loss to Penn State), the Buckeyes landed in 7th position after winning a very close game vs Princeton.

This Fall season, if the Spring is an indication, shows that the Buckeyes Women’s Rugby Team is ready and quite capable to make a run for tremendous improvement from last year. These ladies are hard workers that love the game of Rugby. It shows too. The feisty spirit embedded by Coach Bonnaud into the Program is beginning to take hold. This coming season look for the names of Cyndi Campbell, McKenna Cimperman, Tori Fantozzi, Brittany Morrison, Darby High and Anna Smoot (who has a wonderful outlook towards the great sport of Rugby) to be mentioned often and positively.

We shall be back before September to break down this team and get the fire brewing in all of us for the promising year to come.

The post Let’s Talk Ohio State Women’s Rugby in 2016 appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Tickets for Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan cost $195 - Dayton Daily News
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Tickets for Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Michigan cost $195
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS —. Single-game tickets for the 2016 Ohio State Buckeyes football season will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on July 11. Tickets for the Michigan game on Nov. 26 will cost $195, or more than twice as much as some other home games.
Ohio State Football: How Many 5-Stars Can Buckeyes Realistically Land in 2017?Bleacher Report
Ranking Ohio State Buckeyes' 2016 games: toughest to easiestMyDaytonDailyNews
Recruiting Notebook: Friday Night Lights Additions, Buckeyes Still Trending for Cam Akers, Wolverines Land Ohio ...Eleven Warriors
247Sports.com -The Buckeye Battle Cry -Land-Grant Holy Land
all 30 news articles »

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Making The List: Glenn Ashby Davis
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will soon be upon us. The World will be watching. National pride will be at feverish pitches – everywhere – all over the globe. Personally when I think of the Summer Olympics I think of Track and Field. This summarizes why I feel the importance to pick a great Buckeye who ran rampant for the world to witness.

The first name that surfaces when the mention of a great track and field man and The Ohio State University is in conversation – is undoubtedly Jesse Owens. How can it not be? Mister Owens was our first pick when we began this section of Making the List. He is one of the greatest Buckeyes ever.

There were many great track and field men for the Buckeyes – all whom were phenomenal. I have decided to lean towards a three-gold Olympian that ran like the wind and is a member of The United States Olympic Hall of Fame. I speak of Glenn Ashby Davis.

Davis was a West Virginian by birth. Sadly both of his parents died when he was 15. He moved to Barberton, Ohio to live with his older brother. In High School he singlehandedly led his team to the 1954 Class A Ohio high school track and field championship, scoring all 20 of Barberton’s points. Davis won the 220-yard dash, the broad jump, and the 180-yard low hurdles – setting a then-state record in that event – while also placing fourth in the 100-yard dash. His point total placed him ahead of Mansfield, which scored 14 points in the meet and took second. He was offered more than 200 athletic scholarships for college; but he chose The Ohio State University. He would say many years later he went to OSU because that’s where Jesse Owens went, but also because “This was Ohio State. Nowhere else was Ohio State. There’s nothing else to say!”

At the 1958 Big Ten Conference championship he won both the hurdles and the 440-yard flat race, where he set a world record of 45.8 sec.

Davis won Olympic titles in the 400 meter hurdles at both the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 and the Rome Olympics in 1960. Also in 1960 he’d receive gold for the 1,600 meter relay. At the time he set world records in the quarter mile with hurdles and without. In 1958 he was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete.

Glenn Davis is perhaps one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of track and field and was either at or close to world records in many events including: 100 yards/meters (9.6/10.3), 200 meters (21.0), the half mile (1:52), 120 yard high hurdles (14.0), 200 meter low hurdles on curve (22.5 WR), 400 meter intermediate hurdles (49.2 WR), high jump (6-8), and long jump (24’8″). He, along with Felix Sanchez, Angelo Taylor and Edwin Moses are the only four hurdlers to have won the Olympic 400 meter hurdles twice.

Glenn would have a brief stint in the NFL with the Detroit Lions even though he had not played football since his high school years.

Glenn Davis is a name that over the years unfortunately slid “some-what” into the pages forgotten. That is a shame. His greatness on the track is unequaled. In Barberton, Ohio he remains a legend – as he should. In the historical realities of The Ohio State University and the many great ones that ran track in Columbus, we should make it unforgiveable to exclude Glenn Ashby Davis from any pointed discussion about the legends that ran and won for The Ohio State University Buckeyes. Glenn was indeed on the upper layer of that list.

The post Making The List: Glenn Ashby Davis appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State Football: How Many 5-Stars Can Buckeyes Realistically Land in 2017? - Bleacher Report
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ohio State Football: How Many 5-Stars Can Buckeyes Realistically Land in 2017?
Bleacher Report
Ohio State has a firm grasp on the country's No. 1 recruiting class, and with the momentum gained from winning the first-ever College Football Playoff in 2015 and an epic NFL draft class last May, the Buckeyes are chasing a historic haul of 5-star talent.
Ranking Ohio State Buckeyes' 2016 games: toughest to easiestMyDaytonDailyNews
Recruiting Notebook: Friday Night Lights Additions, Buckeyes Still Trending for Cam Akers, Wolverines Land Ohio ...Eleven Warriors
Ohio State's most exciting players: Offense247Sports.com
Land-Grant Holy Land -The Buckeye Battle Cry -cleveland.com
all 28 news articles »

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Nike Releases Ohio State Buckeyes Game Trainer 5.0 Flywire Shoes - Eleven Warriors
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Nike Releases Ohio State Buckeyes Game Trainer 5.0 Flywire Shoes
Eleven Warriors
In yet another sign the college football season is creeping up, Nike released their 2016 trainers for several programs today, including Ohio State. The shoes, which retail for $110, feature a scarlet base and heel with a light gray Swoosh and overlay.
New Ohio State shoes released by Nike247Sports

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Class of 2017 Ohio State Buckeye Offensive Recruiting Overview
Ben van Ooyen via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State’s recruiting program has been firing on all cylinders lately, and the Buckeyes are poised to land the #1 recruiting class in America in 2017 – and possibly the most talented class of all time.

Needless to say, we’re nearly halfway to signing day 2017, and the Ohio State recruiting class is shaping up quite nicely. With the recent additions of quarterback Tate Martell and offensive lineman Wyatt Davis, the Buckeyes have regained the top class in America. So where do Urban Meyer and company go from here?

Dwindling scholarship numbers leave very little room in this class, so let’s dive in and see how Ohio State can finish off the class of 2017.

Quarterbacks:

Ohio State is done at quarterback. Period. In fact, with commitments from Danny Clark and Tate Martell, the Buckeyes seem to be set for quite a few years. Rumor has it Clark may look elsewhere due to the commitment of Martell and the threat of a possible grayshirt, but I don’t see that happening.

Clark has been a vocal leader of the class of 2017, and he appears to be ready to compete for snaps when the time comes for him to hit the field. Martell has proven whishy-washy in his prior commitments to Washington and Texas A&M, so there’s always a chance he could leave, but his promise to the Buckeyes seems steadfast – at least according to the abundance of Ohio State recruiting posts on social media since his commitment.



Final Say: Martell and Clark

Running Backs:

The recent decommitment of Todd Sibley left the Buckeyes with one running back in 2017’s class: JK Dobbins. He continues to receive offers from programs around the nation, and I’m sure the Buckeyes hope to hold on to this one until the end.

The Buckeyes probably want to add another back in this class, and they have offers out to Anthony McFarland, Khalan Laborn, and Ty Chandler.

Their eyes, however, are on the prize of Cam Akers out of Mississippi. He’s already visited Ohio State once and wants to get back for Friday Night Lights in July. Another visit to campus will certainly help the Buckeyes’ chances of pulling him out of SEC country. Right now he is crystal-balled to Ole Miss at 43%, but I think the Buckeyes can convince him he can be the next Carlos Hyde or Ezekiel Elliott, and he becomes the second back in this class.

Final Say: Dobbins and Akers

Wide Receiver/Tight End:

Here is where the recruiting gets really interesting. The Buckeyes are on the lists of five-star talents across the nation, but they have yet to reel in the first big one for the class of 2017.

Let’s start with Trevon Grimes out of St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida. Grimes has proclaimed the Buckeyes his outright leader for almost a year now; although he hasn’t been back to campus in over a year, the tea leaves still point to him picking Ohio State on August 24th. The biggest competition for Grimes’ service at this point is Florida, but even recruiting experts consider the Gators a long shot to land him.

Next up is Tyjon Lindsey from Corona, California. He visited Ohio State a few months ago, but he’s taken a few trips to Nebraska since, and it seems like the Cornhuskers could be a viable threat to the Buckeyes’ plans to secure Lindsey. When the Buckeyes landed Martell, experts figured Lindsey would follow close behind since they were teammates at Bishop Gorman before Lindsey’s departure last season. Martell and Lindsey remain close friends, and the possibly of a scarlet and gray reunion won’t hurt the Buckeyes’ chances to snag Lindsey.

Grimes and Lindsey are the most likely to join the Buckeyes’ 2017 class, but there are a few other names out there to consider if space is available.

Donovan Peoples-Jones out of Cass Tech in Michigan would be a satisfying steal from the state up north since he’s ranked as the #6 overall prospect in the 247 composite rankings and #1 wide receiver. He’s been tweeting all the right things about Ohio State lately, but Michigan still seems like the team to beat.

The in-state favorite is Jaylen Harris from Cleveland. He has long been a Buckeye lean, and he might even have been in this class by now if the numbers weren’t so tight. I have to assume the coaching staff has asked Harris to hold out for a while longer. The coaches want to see how things shake out with the aforementioned players. If they happen to fall through the cracks, then I expect Harris to commit. Will he wait that long? Only time will tell, and he has been getting offers from the likes of Pittsburgh, Purdue, and Miami (FL) in the meantime. Will the Buckeyes release one from the state of Ohio in pursuit of a bigger fish?

As far as tight end goes, I don’t see Ohio State taking anyone in this class. They were in early on Matt Dotson out of Cincinnati, but that ship has sailed now that he’s down to Penn State and Michigan State, and that decision could come at any minute. The Buckeyes also have an offer out to Tre McKitty, who is at IMG with a host of other Buckeye commits. I don’t see him with a strong offer, and even if he did commit, I don’t see him ending up with the Buckeyes. Ohio State took two tight ends last year, and I think they’ll skip the position this year.

Final Say: Grimes, Lindsey, and Harris

Offensive Line:



Ohio State reeled in a big fish this past week with the acquisition of consensus five-star offensive guard Wyatt Davis. Although I don’t see his recruitment being anywhere near over, having him, Jake Moretti, and Josh Myers in the offensive line class this early gives Ohio State one of – if not the – top offensive line classes in 2017.

Myers, Moretti, and Davis all received invitations to the U.S Army All-American bowl in January, which just goes to show that the Buckeyes have gotten verbals from three of the top linemen in the nation. If this trio of guys stick with their pledges to Ohio State, then I think the Buckeyes are done with the offensive line for 2017.

Like I said, I believe Davis’ recruitment is just heating up, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take some visits this fall. Moretti suffered an injury a few weeks ago, and it looks like he might not play any of his senior year, but I don’t expect that to change his offer from Ohio State in any way.

If those three guys change their minds, consider Trey Smith, Isaiah Wislon, and in-state product Joel Honigford. Honigford committed to Michigan yesterday, and he currently doesn’t have an offer from Ohio State. One could come if things fall through with Davis, Moretti, and Myers, but would he flip from Michigan back to Ohio State?

Final Say: Myers, Moretti, and Davis

These picks put the Buckeyes at 10 commitments for the class of 2017 on the offensive side of the ball. A small senior class, as well as what looks to be a small pool of early exits to the NFL, leave few open scholarship spots for 2017, so don’t expect this puzzle to come together until the last minute.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Urban Meyer works the numbers to sign a potential class of 20 next February.

Right now, if the Buckeyes were to sign the current commitments and no upperclassmen leave early for the NFL, Ohio State would be 10 scholarships over the limit for 2017.

Some serious roster management is going to have to happen between now and August of 2017. I think some guys will bolt for the NFL, while the coaches will ask others to finish their college careers elsewhere.

The post Class of 2017 Ohio State Buckeye Offensive Recruiting Overview appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Dienhart: Ranking the Big Ten’s top 10 wide receivers
Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer via Big Ten Network

Much debate rages about who will be the quarterback at Michigan. Whoever wins the job will be comforted by the fact he’ll throw to two of the Big Ten’s top targets in Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh. In fact, the former heads my ranking of 2016 Big Ten wide receivers. [ MORE: East OL | West OL | East pass-catchers | West pass-catchers | East backfields | West backfields | East DL | West DL ] Check out my top 10 below. 1. Jehu Chesson, Michigan, Sr. Wolverine insiders say the 6-3, 200-pound Chesson was the most improved player on

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Script Ohio: Joker Phillips joins the Buckeye Coaching Staff
Joe Dexter via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

Clair Crawford and Joe Dexter discuss the addition of Joker Phillips to the Ohio State coaching staff, the role of a quality control coach, Phillips future past 2017 and if it has any meaning to future moves on the coaching staff.

For more Ohio State Buckeyes podcasts, follow us on Twitter: @BuckeyesRadio

The post Script Ohio: Joker Phillips joins the Buckeye Coaching Staff appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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4-star PG includes Ohio State in his group of top schools
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Buckeye basketball has gained the interest of the top player from Mississippi

Weatherspoon releases Top 10


When it comes to next year’s recruiting class for head coach Thad Matta, the lone piece that is already in the fold is 2017 center Kaleb Wesson (Westerville, OH / Westerville South) — a four-star prospect.

However, on Thursday, the Buckeyes received some good news about a potential pairing when 2017 point guard Nick Weatherspoon (Camden, MS / Velma Jackson) revealed the top 10 schools in his recruitment, and Ohio State was one of them. The Buckeyes will have an uphill battle in trying to secure the 6-foot-2, 173-pounder as national powers North Carolina and Louisville joined the pack in the Weatherspoon sweepstakes.


Right now, Mississippi State is the school that seems to be the odds on favorite to land Weatherspoon. The Bulldogs have an advantage of keeping Weatherspoon closer to home as he currently attends Velma Jackson (MS). We’ll see if the Buckeyes staff can do enough to impress the Camden native and bring him to Columbus, Ohio.

Weatherspoon is currently graded as the 42nd best player in the 2017 recruiting class. To go along with that, he finds himself as the 11th best point guard in the class and the top ranked player from Mississippi. If the Buckeyes can somehow pull this off, the pairing of Weatherspoon and Wesson would give Ohio State the fourth best class in the country.

Williams coming for FNL?


Next month, Ohio State will be holding their annual Friday Night Lights camp at Ohio Stadium. The event, as always, will be full of some of the countries top prospects as they come to Columbus to compete, visit campus and in some cases earn an offer from the Buckeyes.

One prospect who already holds an offer, 2017 cornerback Jamyest Williams (Lawrenceville, GA / Grayson), is considering making a return visit for the event in July. 247Sports’ Bill Kurelic was told by the four-star prospect from Georgia that he is trying to come up for Friday Night Lights. Williams recently visited the Buckeyes campus last month and apparently came away impressed enough that not he wants to return but his father wants to come as well.

Williams told Kurelic “My dad wants to check on the campus.” The Peach State prospect would not commit to being in attendance to Kurelic, as he is waiting to see if his father has a clear schedule for when the event takes place.

Either way, the fact that Williams and his father are even considering making the visit should show that legitimate interest is there. Now, it’s up to the Buckeyes to keep putting the press on the nations 52nd best prospect in hopes of bringing him to Columbus for his collegiate career.

In the meantime, here is Williams’ highlight reel.

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Buckeyes and Alabama look to get last two shots with Riep - 247Sports
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Buckeyes and Alabama look to get last two shots with Riep
247Sports
The Buckeyes also lost Jake Diebler this season, but have yet to fill his role as video coordinator on the team. While it may seem like no big deal, as the video coordinator position in most programs has little responsibility, that's not the case with ...


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Aaron Craft to play on Utah Jazz Summer League team
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


The craftiest point guard we know is looking for another shot in the NBA.

Few players in recent Ohio State memory could lock up their man like Aaron Craft. Now, he'll get another shot at taking his defensive talents to the NBA, as the Utah Jazz announced Craft will be playing for their Summer League squad.



Craft, who played 30 games last season for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League, will compete against UNC's Marcus Paige, among other guards, for playing time, in hope of either making Utah's squad, or another NBA team.

Craft's ability to play lockdown man to man defense, even at the professional level, is not in question, but his lack of size and scoring ability has made it difficult for him to stick on a roster. He's played well in the D-League, averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, along with 2.0 steals a game. He was named the defensive player of the year in the D-League in 2015.

Craft joins Deshaun Thomas, Sam Thompson, D'Angelo Russell and Shannon Scott on NBA Summer League rosters.

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The top Big Ten football players by jersey number
Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor via Big Ten Network

When talking about the best football players in Big Ten history, it is near impossible to choose just one player worthy of the title, “the best.” [ MORE: Can a Big Ten West team win the conference title in 2016? ] So, what’s the right way to break down this argument? You could do it by position, but even that could be extremely difficult. Making a list of the top Big Ten players to wear every number would be great, but is that even possible? The answer is yes. I went through every jersey number, 1-99, and created a list

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Joker Phillips Added to Staff
Brandon Zimmerman via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Today it was announced the Ohio State football team had added Joker Phillips to their coaching staff as a Quality Control assistant. Anytime you can add a former FBS head coach and NFL positional coach to the ranks, it is a good thing.

Some may remember Phillips as the head coach of Kentucky while a large portion of the fan base may simply know him as the Cleveland Browns wide receiver coach last year. Regardless where you know the name, Phillips has a coaching background which will benefit the Buckeye football team.

A former wide receiver, Phillips played collegiately at the University of Kentucky and went on to play in the NFL for the Washington Redskins. After finishing his playing career in 1987, Phillips became a graduate assistant at Kentucky. Phillips spent his first seven years coaching at Kentucky where he worked his way up to wide receiver coach. Over the next seven years Phillips would make coaching stops at Cincinnati, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina before returning to Kentucky in 2003. During his second stint with his alma mater, Phillips would work his way up to offensive coordinator and then head coach from 2010 to 2012. After compiling a 13-24 record as head coach, Phillips was fired by the Wildcats.

Phillips would then move on to the University of Florida where he was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. He would hold this position until 2014 when he resigned amid allegations of having impermissible contact with a recruit. Phillips would then go to the NFL where he was the wide receivers coach for the Browns. Upon the hiring of Hue Jackson, Phillips was let go by the Browns organization.

As I said before, this is a good addition to the coaching staff for the Buckeyes. His actions at Florida will cause mild heart burn for some in Buckeye Nation but I think the coaching staff is better with his hiring. Phillips is known as an elite recruiter and you can never have too many of those.

The post Joker Phillips Added to Staff appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.

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Ohio State guard JaQuan Lyle learned a valuable lesson after crossing up Victor Oladipo
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


How the Oklahoma City guard responded impressed the sophomore.

"I'm getting better every day with that. I held onto plays a lot last year. And I know that's what held me back, and held my teammates back a lot. Now in open gym it's a totally different mindset."

- Ohio State guard JaQuan Lyle via Bill Landis, Cleveland.com


In what has been an offseason filled with transfers for the Ohio State men's basketball team, there has been a big big highlight so far. Last week at Chris Paul's CP3 Elite Guard Camp, JaQuan Lyle crossed up former Indiana guard Victor Oladipo and hit a step-back jumper. Oladipo immediately recovered and hit a game-winning jumper, which Lyle will remember because Oladipo recovered quickly and didn't let the previous play get to him. Now Lyle is hoping to incorporate Oladipo's quick recovery into his game, as he knows if Ohio State is going to be successful he has to have that next play mentality.

One of the most obvious things that Lyle struggled with during his first year with the Buckeyes was his confidence. At times Lyle looked unstoppable, and is one of only a few players in Ohio State history to record a triple-double. At other times Lyle was invisible on the floor. With a year under his belt, Lyle is looking to become more consistent this season. With a talented core coming back this season, Lyle knows that even more will be expected of him this year if Ohio State hopes to make a return to the NCAA Tournament. So far in the offseason Lyle has been working hard on improving his game, so if the growth continues it'll hard to deny the Buckeyes a spot in next year's tournament field.

Three Buckeyes named to Sports on Earth's College All-Breakout Players Team


Matt Brown of Sports on Earth released a list of college football players who are likely to breakout this season, and on that list were three Ohio State Buckeyes. It shouldn't be a surprise that so many Buckeye players were included on the list, with the amount of new starters Ohio State will have this fall who will be hungry to make a name for themselves. Only one offensive player from the Buckeyes was included on the list, and that is wide receiver Noah Brown. After breaking his leg in August, Brown will head into this season fully healthy. With the loss of receivers Michael Thomas and Jalin Marshall to the NFL, Brown will be expected to come up big in the passing game for Ohio State this season.

Two Buckeyes from the defensive side of the ball were also included on the list, and both will have big shoes to fill this fall. Defensive end Sam Hubbard will take the place of Joey Bosa, while Malik Hooker will likely be counted on to cover some of the losses in the Ohio State secondary. Ohio State fans have already seen some of what Hubbard can do, as he registered 6.5 sacks last season, and more will be expected from him this season. Hooker hasn't seen nearly as much time on the field as Hubbard so far during his Ohio State career, but that doesn't mean he can't be a big contributor for the Buckeyes this season. After playing just two years of football in high school, Hooker has had some time to develop his game, and that could show this year.


"During Game 7, Dave's room is next door to mine and he was literally in there cheering like a cheerleader. After the game he was out in the living room knocking everything over. It was crazy, but it's been (52) years since they won anything so it's about time."

- JaQuan Lyle on Dave Bell's Game 7 reaction via Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch


It's been a week and a half since the Cleveland Cavaliers took home the NBA title, and according to his teammates, there was no bigger Cavaliers cheerleader than center Dave Bell. It's easy to understand why, as Bell is a Cleveland native. While Bell has been around for less than half of Cleveland's 52 year championship drought, it didn't take away from his excited when LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers ended the pain and suffering of Cleveland fans. Following the Cavaliers winning the title, Bell has posted numerous pictures on Instagram about the win, including one of his locker in Ohio State's locker room, which is next to the permanent one assigned to LeBron James.

The title wasn't celebrated by all of the Buckeyes though, as Marc Loving says he is a Los Angeles Lakers fan. JaQuan Lyle was actually rooting for Golden State in the series, but that was more because he didn't want Bell's team to take home the title. Even though the Cavaliers completed the historic comeback on June 19th, many of Bell's teammates say that he is still talking about the title, and after years of Cleveland sports misery it's easy to see why. Even though there is still plenty of summer left, Bell is likely to continue celebrating the title, and it's hard to blame him if he doesn't want to stop anytime soon.

"I grew up going to the Horseshoe with my great uncle, who has passed away, and I'd sit there every game and listen to the radio broadcast....So it's exciting for me. It's emotional, and it's something that I look forward to a new challenge with."

- Matt Andrews via Eric Crawford, WDRB.com


The Ohio State University IMG Sports Network will have a new voice this fall. After taking on play-by-play duties for the Louisville Bats, as well as Louisville's women's basketball team since 2010, Matt Andrews is on his way to Columbus not only become the sideline reporter during Ohio State's football games, as well as becoming the play-by-play voice of Ohio State's women's basketball and baseball teams.

Andrews is no stranger to Ohio State though, as he is a graduate of the university. In his younger years, Andrews used to frequent Ohio State football games, coming to Ohio Stadium with his great uncle. Even though Andrews has been the voice of Louisville's minor league baseball team since 2010, he is still worried about how he'll do when calling Buckeye baseball games. Over the years Andrews has said he has improved at letting the broadcast breathe, but it's still tough to not clutter up the broadcast too much. At least after Ohio State's growth of the baseball season this year, he should have an exciting product to call next season.


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Ranking Ohio State Buckeyes' 2016 games: toughest to easiest - MyDaytonDailyNews
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".


Ranking Ohio State Buckeyes' 2016 games: toughest to easiest
MyDaytonDailyNews
17, 7:30 p.m.: The Buckeyes travel to Norman, Okla., for their third game and their first road game. The teams have played twice before. Ohio State lost 29-28 in Columbus in 1977 and beat the Sooners 24-14 in Norman in 1983. Oklahoma ranks third in ...
Recruiting Notebook: Friday Night Lights Additions, Buckeyes Still Trending for Cam Akers, Wolverines Land Ohio ...Eleven Warriors
Ohio State has more 5-star and 4-star recruits visiting for Friday Night LightsLand-Grant Holy Land
Cam Akers, Baron Browning and more: Looking at the elite prospects expected at Ohio State's Friday Night Lights campcleveland.com
ABC6OnYourSide.com -Black Shoe Diaries -247Sports
all 14 news articles »

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How in the fuck is this even legal?

Virginia Judge Bans 10-Year-Old "Prodigy" From Golf In Custody Battle