Probably aren't any other Blues fans here but anybody feel free to jump in here, if not that's cool I'll just talk to myself!

Finally playing their 2nd game of the season tonight in Seattle.


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Wasn't really thrilled with the moves they made in the off-season but I guess we'll see what happens...Blues I'd say are the 2nd or 3rdish best team in the Central, probably not getting past Colorado unfortunately.

Ask LGHL: How nervous should OSU fans be about Hendon Hooker’s Heisman potential?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.

Every day for the entirety of the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.

Question: How nervous should OSU fans be about Hendon Hooker’s Heisman potential?


Look out, folks, the Henden Hooker Hype Train is looking to steamroll over all common sense and objective analysis. As you likely know by now, the Tennessee Volunteers beat the Alabama Crimson Tide last Saturday thanks to a knuckling field goal attempt in a game that saw nary a shred of defense played.

Coming out of the contest, the prisoner-of-the-moment college football intelligencia determined that somehow, Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker had rocketed past Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud to the top of every QB honor watchlist imaginable, including the Heisman Trophy.

Not only was Stroud left off the AP’s mid-season All-America list, but the brain trust over at The Athletic gave Hooker 33 first-place votes to Stroud’s 4, just seven days after the Buckeye QB held a 23-8 advantage in that same category.



ESPN also has Hooker at No. 1 on its Heisman Watch leaderboard, but that at least is by a slim five-point margin. While I understand that Hooker now owns the best win of the college football season and that he played really well en route to the victory (21-for-30 for 385 yards, 5 TDs, and 1 INT), to act as if that one win was worthy of erasing Stroud’s nearly perfect season thus far — and heretofore decided lead in the race — is just silly.

Fortunately, the always level-headed, never-reactionary oddsmakers over at DraftKings Sportsbook were not being held hostage by the results of a single game. Stroud still maintains a comfortable betting advantage at +110 to Hooker’s +425.



But, if you are a Buckeye fan who has been counting on Stroud pushing Ohio State out of its tie with Notre Dame, USC, and Oklahoma for the most Heismans in college football history, I can understand why this would be concerning.

There should be no doubt that Hooker is a fantastic player and is obviously deserving of Heisman consideration, that’s not what I find ridiculous. What I find ridiculous is the kneejerk reactions by “analysts” and “experts” who flip-flop their opinions based solely on the last thing that they’ve seen.

Is beating Alabama objectively a big deal? Of course. Is beating this version of the Alabama defense something that should automatically make someone a Heisman Trophy frontrunner? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Let’s take a quick look at the stats for the two quarterbacks and you tell me if catapulting Hooker ahead of Stroud was more about season-long performance or beating the sport’s premiere dynasty in an obviously down year (by Alabama’s standards)?


The numbers are obviously very similar between the two, with each having the edge in a category or two (although, I think Stroud obviously has the advantage through six games apiece). If you want to say that Hooker has had the more difficult schedule thus far, having played against Ball State, Pitt, Akron, Florida, LSU, and ‘Bama, I will concede that in his favor, but I don’t think the discrepancy is all that much different.

But, today’s question was not about Hooker’s Heisman worthiness, it was about whether or not Stroud supporters should be worried about the UT QB’s candidacy. Obviously, how much of a worrier you are will impact how you answer this question, but I don’t think that you have much to worry about at this point.

Last Saturday was Hooker’s “Heisman Moment,” leading his team to victory over the Tide for the first time in 16 years. Despite the season-opening win against Notre Dame, Stroud hasn’t yet had the opportunity to put up impressive numbers against quality defenses. While his only chance to have anything approaching the Vols’ victory over Alabama likely won’t come until The Game, if Stroud plays up to his season standard against Iowa and Penn State, that should go a long way to further cementing his frontrunner status.

Hooker and the Vols play Tennessee-Martin this weekend, then close out the month by hosting No. 19 Kentucky and traveling to Athens to take on No. 1 Georgia. If the QB plays well and leads his team to victory in both of those SEC games, then it’s probably time for Buckeye and C.J. fans to start worrying. But we’ve been down similar roads with the Vols before; so, until I see them do it with my own two eyes, I’m not going to give them that much benefit of the doubt.

The Buckeyes will be favored in every game from here on out. If Ryan Day allows Stroud to play four quarters against Iowa, Penn State, and TTUN, and he is able to do what he has done for the majority of his collegiate career, I think that there will be every reason to believe that our guy C.J. will be a fixture in Nissan Heisman House commercials for years to come.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

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Column: How is the Ohio State offense going to work when Smith-Njigba returns?
meganhusslein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeye offense has obviously still found a way to thrive without Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but how will that change with him ready to play?

When Jaxon Smith-Njigba got injured at the beginning of the Notre Dame game, there was definitely some panic, both from the coaches and the fans. However, the Buckeye offense hasn’t lost a step, even with their star receiver being out. Now that JSN is expected to return against Iowa Saturday — even though Ryan Day declined to comment on that possibility during his Tuesday press conference — it’s time to start thinking about how the offense will have to change with the best receiver in the country back in the lineup.


Per usual, one of Ohio State’s biggest “problems” is the abundance of riches it has on offense. The multitude of great receivers has been working seamlessly all year long, even with WR1 out for essentially the whole season up until this point. However, when you throw the best receiver back into the mix, something has got to change.

Emeka Egbuka has taken over for JSN in the slot and as a kick returner and he has done more than one could have ever hoped for. He is actually the leading receiver on the team with 655 yards, more than Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 536. Therefore a difficult decision must be made — you can’t just make Egbuka a part-time player. But then again, you want to utilize JSN as much as possible.

When the season started, the trio of receivers was JSN, Egbuka, and Harrison, because Julian Fleming was still nursing an injured shoulder. So once everyone is healthy, do you go from what has been a three-man rotation with Egbuka, Harrison, and Fleming to a four-man rotation? These are all obviously good problems to have, but it certainly puts the Ohio State coaching staff into a pickle.

Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

I believe that for the next couple of weeks, the decision won’t be difficult, everyone will play; in fact, JSN should probably continue to get the fewest snaps of the top-four WRs. I don’t want him to be rushed back from injury, and obviously, Day doesn’t either. Therefore, he will most likely be eased back into the starter role without being overloaded.

The real challenge presents itself probably starting with The Game, and then into the postseason. How much will Smith-Njigba and Egbuka rotate in the slot? Will one of them move outside, pushing presumably Fleming to the sideline? Will Day instead opt for going four-wide more often?

Personally, I think that by the time the team gets to crunch time, JSN will be fully healthy and fully entrenched as a playmaker who should can never leave the field in critical moments. His postseason experience and veteran presence will prove vital for this relatively young group of extremely talented receivers, but this is one of the only traits he has that the rest of them don’t.

All four guys have been very clear this season that they are willing to do whatever it takes in order to help the team win, so I don’t anticipate there being any problems with ego or personal ambitions disrupting the room. However, I do wonder how Day and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson will be able to squeeze all of these talented players into the games.

The Buckeye offense has thrived this season on its ability to pick up chunks of yardage both on the ground and through the air, so you certainly don’t want to see Day steal plays from TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams simply to satisfy the finally full-strength receiver room. However, you obviously want the offense to take advantage of its full complement of weapons.

This is an opportunity for Day and Wilson to show some creativity in coming up with schemes and play calls to not only spread the ball around, but also to thoroughly confuse and frustrate opposing defenses. There will obviously have to be some sacrifices made by all players, but in the end, I’m just happy that I will soon get to watch the Buckeye offense at full strength.

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You’re Nuts: Other than The Game, which second-half matchup are you most excited about?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joshua A. Bickel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

Everybody knows that one of the best parts of being a sports fan is debating and dissecting the most (and least) important questions in the sporting world with your friends. So, we’re bringing that to the pages of LGHL with our favorite head-to-head column: You’re Nuts.

In You’re Nuts, two LGHL staff members will take differing sides of one question and argue their opinions passionately. Then, in the end, it’s up to you to determine who’s right and who’s nuts.

Today’s Question: Other than The Game, which second-half matchup are you most excited about?

Jami’s Take: At Northwestern


The Buckeyes technically have two big games remaining (Penn State and The Game), but we know college football sometimes has a few tricks up its sleeve. That’s why as a Buckeye fan, I hope the rest of our season is blowout wins (because rankings and playoffs and all that), but as a Chicagoan who has a soft spot for Northwestern and Pat Fitzgerald’s Wildcats, I am secretly most looking forward to that game (and hoping the Wildcats can – at the very least — not embarrass themselves). The Buckeyes take on the Wildcats in Evanston on November 5.

Something we know to be true about Northwestern is that they are rarely definitively good, but they do have some great sleeper moments, and they historically do have the ability to throw much better teams off their guard, especially if those teams are coming off a hard game with, I don’t know, the Nittany Lions.

While these Wildcats have been getting pretty curb-stomped this season, save for their Week 1 win against Nebraska (a team that was then-ranked and which we now know was HIGHLY overrated), they’re due for a morale boost. I won’t say “win” because I think the Buckeyes are playing the best football in the country right now (with Tennessee right up there on par with us).

I don’t really think Northwestern has a fighting chance at a victory BUT with a season like they’re having, a few fun plays and maybe a couple of scoring drives could be a nice morale boost for them.

It’s also a good time for the Buckeyes to wild out and try some fancy plays, and as a viewer, that’s always fun to watch.

Additionally, if the game goes the way I think it probably will, it’s a good opportunity for the Buckeyes to give some minutes to some new faces. It would be awesome to see some freshmen and second or third-string guys get playing time, both to see what they’re capable of and give them experience so they’re ready to go in the future.

While the Buckeyes’ remaining schedule is manageable, things happen that you can’t plan for (see: 2014 National Champions with a third-string quarterback), and if we can get more minutes to some of the other faces, it might be a good way to keep everyone prepared in case a situation arises that calls for the unexpected.

Ultimately, I think the Wildcats are due for a non-embarrassing loss, and while in the end they will likely be embarrassed by the Buckeyes, this game is a great chance for Pat Fitzgerald’s guys to show they’re not a total disgrace and for the Buckeyes to button up some things as they look toward The Game.

Matt’s Take: At Maryland


Like Jami, I am going with a game that will likely be a blowout, but there are a number of reasons to be excited about Ohio State’s trip to take on the Terps in late November. But, before we get into those factors, I want to run through the general reasons why I didn’t pick any of the more high-profile matchups.

This weekend’s Iowa game is going to be a slog, at least when watching Brian Ferentz’s anemic offense. I do think that we will get a decent idea of how the Buckeyes’ multi-faceted offense fares against an elite defense, I just don’t get any pleasure from watching downright terrible offenses. Of course, this will also mean that the OSU defense will have the opportunity to shine, but where’s the upside?

If Jim Knowles’ unit shuts Iowa out, they absolutely should have. But if they give up like 21 points, then we have to go through all of the worrying and handwringing about how good the defense actually is. No thank you. I’m totally over that discourse.

As for the trip to Happy Valley next week, I will simply direct you to this article that I wrote over four years ago:


Up next? Northwestern, and despite Jami’s well-argued position, I am in no way excited for that one. There’s also a decent shot that because of work travel, I won’t be able to watch it.

Then there’s Indiana, the same Indiana that has losses to Cincinnati, Nebraska, TTUN, and Maryland — not to mention an overtime, three-point victory over Western Kentucky. I’ll watch it, but certainly not looking forward to it for any reason other than seeing another Buckeye blowout.

That brings us to the Mighty Turtles of College Park. Will this be a “good” game? Likely not, but I do think that it has the potential to be entertaining, informative, and (perhaps most importantly) not that stressful.

Assuming that Taulia Tagovailoa is back and healthy by the Nov. 19 contest, this game could be the only game on the entire schedule that features a top-tier passing offense. Currently, the Terps are 25th nationally in passing offense, a full 51 spots above The Harboys. Mike Locksley’s offense is averaging just 16 fewer passing yards per game than the Buckeyes, though, they have actually had to pass the ball in the fourth quarter this year, while OSU has not.

Maryland’s passing attack interests me for two reasons, first, after a murderer’s row of traditional Big Ten, boring offenses of Iowa, Penn State, Northwestern, and Indiana, seeing a team competently throw the ball will likely be a breath of fresh air; and let’s be honest, throwing the ball is so much more entertaining than running it. And I know that Northwestern and Indiana are both in the top five of the Big Ten in passing yards per game, but that is mainly because they are two of the top three teams in the league in terms of attempts per outting. So, it’s not that they’re particularly good at passing the ball, just that they are forced to do it a whole heck of a lot.

Secondly (and obviously more informatively), after facing a cavalcade of rushing teams, I think it will be good to see the OSU defense go up against a quality passing attack. We all know the depths of difficulties that the cornerbacks have had this season, so hopefully in a month’s time, they will be healthy and have had enough game and practice reps to work through the issues that have plagued them thus far.

Depending on who OSU faces in the postseason (hopefully and presumably in the College Football Playoff), they will likely have to contend with an offense that can both run and pass. Unfortunately, unless something changes for TTUN, it doesn’t look like that’s in the cards for the regular season.

So, by mid-to-late November, the Buckeyes will have shown what they can do against running teams, so when they had to the Bay State for the final regular season road trip of 2022, it will be exciting to see how they stack up against a team that is capable of completing a forward pass.

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Iowa Defensive Player to Watch: Linebacker Jack Campbell
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here



The Hawkeyes’ tackling machine leads an imposing defense, which is arguably the toughest Ohio State will face all regular season.

When the Iowa Hawkeyes roll into Columbus on Saturday, they will be hauling a big, bad, nasty defense with them. Currently ranked ninth in total defense and third in points per game allowed, this unit has been the team’s calling card for a number of years. They are disciplined, incredibly opportunistic, and particularly stingy in the red zone.

Perhaps most impressively, the Hawkeyes have not finished outside the top-20 in PPG allowed since 2014 — a streak only matched by Alabama (as far as I can tell). And it’s not solely because they play keep-away and win the time of possession battle with a slow, plodding, egregiously bad offense... Sorry, Ferentz fanatics, you should have seen that coming.

In all seriousness, the Iowa defense has been one of college football’s most consistent, bankable entities. And much of their recent success can be attributed to defensive coordinator Phil Parker. He has been with the program since 1999, when he joined Kirk Ferentz’ inaugural staff. The Lorain, OH native coached Hawkeye defensive backs until 2012, when he was promoted to DC. He then handed DB duties over for his transitional season, but took the responsibility back in 2013. He has been both DC and position coach ever since.

Predictably, the Iowa secondary has been lights out under Parker. From Desmond King, to Amani Hooker, to (currently) Riley Moss, players from this position group have regularly been among the Big Ten’s best. There have also had plenty of studs in the front seven. First-round draft picks along the defensive line, tackling machines such as Josey Jewell, and everything in between. However, the one thing that always jumps out to me is consistent linebacker play from the Hawkeyes.

Now, I can’t sit here and tell you that those guys have been the most athletic three-down linebackers to ever step on a field. They are not asked to rush the passer very often, they can be hit-and-miss in coverage... But Iowa linebackers flat-out know how to play football. They have a see ball, get ball mentality, and seemingly always possess a high football IQ.

Jack Campbell is the current version of “that dude”, and at 6-foot-5, 240+ pounds, he pokes a giant hole in my previous athleticism argument. He absolutely exploded onto the CFB scene in 2021, and has now established himself as arguably the best defender in the Big Ten. For that reason, he is this week’s Defensive Player to Watch.

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The fourth-year Hawkeye is a homegrown kid, hailing from Cedar Falls, IA. Choosing to stay home, Campbell joined the Iowa program in 2019 and appeared in 11 games as a 208-pound true freshman. He barely registered a stat, primarily gaining experience on special teams. As most college players do, he bulked up and worked his tail off during the offseason, fully expecting to compete for a starting LB position in 2020.

However, a case of mono kept Campbell out of his team’s first three games. Given the nature of his untimely illness, it would have been easy for the then-sophomore to fall behind and have a slow ramp-up period. But Campbell was having none of it. He continued to work hard and prepare his body, and once healthy, was immediately thrust into the starting lineup. It is a move that has paid dividends for all.

Campbell became a starter midway through the 2020 campaign, and hit the ground running. He had clearly shown enough during the offseason and throughout his time missed, that the coaching staff was eager to get him into the lineup. And their eager confidence paid off. In the Hawkeyes’ final five games, Campbell registered 29 total tackles, 4.5 TFL, one forced fumble, and one interception — Not a main course, but a fine appetizer. It gave him even more confidence heading into last season, when he became one of college football’s most productive players at any position.

Playing the Mike LB position, Campbell covered not only the middle of the field for Iowa’s defense, but damn-near the entire thing in 2021. He racked up an absurd 143 total tackles, enough to earn him CFB’s tackle title — unless it wasn’t. Sports-reference credited him with 140, good for second in the country. NCAA.com and the Iowa website both have 143, but while NCAA has Campbell No. 1 in FBS, his team bio reads “second in the Big Ten”... And this concludes another episode of The More You Know. At any rate, Campbell also added six passes defended, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. He was in the right place at the right time, every time.

What does not show in the stats is how disruptive the Hawkeye LB can really be. He is not asked to blitz a ton, and for whatever reason, has not accumulated many TFL (10 career). However, Campbell has the ability to get after the QB, and is a regular presence in the backfield. Much like we’ve seen with Ohio State players this year – J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer especially – getting to the QB and applying pressure do not always lead to statistical results, but the impact is significant. Campbell is not an outside rusher, so this is not a perfect comparison, but the facts remain the same. It just so happens that he is typically given other assignments, which he carries out very well.


The fourth-year LB is fundamentally sound, lays the boom with his hits, and honestly, should not be as skilled as he is at 6-foot-5, 240-plus pounds. Because they just don’t make middle linebackers his size. Campbell should be too lanky to play the position. He should have trouble in space or coverage. But he doesn’t. He is without a doubt one of the best in college football at his position. And the accolades certainly reflect that.

Campbell was named a permanent team captain by Iowa, and earned All-Big Ten and All-American recognition for his 2021 season. Heading into 2022, he was put on every national watch list imaginable, and I was unable to find a preseason poll where he was not chosen as the Big Ten’s presumptive Defensive Player of the Year. And thus far, Campbell has not made any of the prognosticators look foolish. He may or not finish as the B1G’s best, but he has totaled 63 tackles and 3.0 TFL. He is the leader of an outstanding Iowa defense, which has been the only thing keeping this team at or above .500.

Jack Campbell is simply a maniac on the football field in the best way imaginable. He is involved on nearly every defensive stop, and plays the LB position with a truly impressive blend of anticipation and feel. Despite their best efforts, C.J. Stroud, TreVeyon Henderson, and others will become acquainted with Campbell on Saturday night. It will take a Herculean effort from him to slow down the Buckeye offense – at least, enough for the Hawkeyes’ own offense to keep up – but he is going to give it everything he’s got. I will have my eyes set on Campbell, hoping that OSU’s front can minimize his overall impact. It will certainly be a tall task.

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Column: Iowa is a cautionary tale of the dangers of nepotism and cronyism
Meredith Hein via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images

And a good argument for new blood.

They say you shouldn’t go into business with your friends. Why? Because when things go south or the business hits a rough patch, the relationship can turn sour and a beautiful friendship is ruined. This brings us to an enigma that’s been unraveling in Iowa City this season.

The Iowa athletic department is not stupid. The powers that be know that Iowa could just as easily be the one- or two- or three-win Illinois, Nebraska, or Rutgers teams we’ve seen in the Big Ten in the past. Rather than play toward the extremes, they recognized that a coach who consistently goes 8-4, occasionally makes the Big Ten Championship, and regularly puts out NFL talent is worth the occasional mediocre season. See Bo Pelini and Nebraska for what happens when 9-3 isn’t good enough because the Huskers still haven’t recovered.

You don’t get to be the longest-tenured coach in college football by ruffling feathers. In many ways, Kirk Ferentz is the Tim Duncan of Big Ten coaches: He’s always making the same face and never gets flustered or into trouble. Even allegations of racist misconduct within his program seemed to fall away when they got to the head coach.

But nobody’s perfect. Unfortunately for Kirk, what could be his fatal flaw has become so salient this season that everyone is noticing. And he’s keeping it all in the family.

Iowa has never exactly been prolific on offense. Their claim to fame has been NFL offensive linemen and tight ends and quarterbacks who are game managers rather than explosive passers. Outside these position groups, the Hawkeyes are much more renowned for their defenses which regularly stifle even talented offenses.

This year’s Iowa is on a whole different level. The Hawkeyes are allowing under 10 points per game, which is good for third in the FBS and second in the Big Ten (yes, there are a lot of good scoring defenses in the conference).

On the other side of the ball, Iowa is scoring just 14.7 points per game. That mark is the worst in the conference and 127th nationally.

Ohio State, meanwhile, boasts the nation’s top-scoring offense. Something will have to give come Saturday, but given the Buckeyes’ defense isn’t nearly as atrocious as Iowa’s offense, we can imagine how things should play out.

Admittedly, especially from an outside perspective, it was kind of funny when Iowa’s offense didn’t score an offensive touchdown against South Dakota State and the team managed to win on account of a field goal and two safeties. Now, things aren’t so laughable. A team that should have come together offensively hasn’t found its footing and is an embarrassment in the conference.

This brings us back to Kirk’s Achilles heel: his son, Brian Ferentz—who also happens to be his offensive coordinator.

Brian played college ball under his dad from 2002-05. He spent a little more than a year on NFL practice squads before starting his coaching career under Bill Belichick in New England. Of note, Belichick and the elder Ferentz coached together in Cleveland in the 1990s. (Brian) Ferentz spent four seasons with the Patriots before moving back to Iowa City in 2012.

Initially, his role as offensive line coach made sense, though there were probably better-qualified candidates out there. Then he moved up the offensive coaching ranks to take over as offensive coordinator in 2017. Since then, Iowa hasn’t finished better than 40th in the FBS in scoring offense (and really, 2020 doesn’t count):

• 2017: 28.2 points per game (No. 66)
• 2018: 31.2 points per game (No. 44)
• 2019: 25.8 points per game (No. 88)
• 2020: 31.8 points per game (No. 40)
• 2021: 23.4 points per game (No. 99)

Like Michael Scott hiring his nephew as Dunder Mifflin’s intern, Kirk seems to have a blind spot for his son’s deficiencies as an offensive coordinator; deficiencies which have become apparent even on a national level this year.

The trouble is that things are not improving—they’re only getting worse. In some ways, they’re getting worse in ways that impact the entire team. Iowa is 113th in the FBS in time of possession and 124th in third-down conversions. That means that the offense cannot stay on the field and that the defense is on the field far more than it should be.

Eventually, the defense gets tired. We’ve already seen the impact: Iowa allowed 13 points through its three-game non-conference schedule. They’ve allowed 46 through three games of conference play. Granted, one of the teams it faced was Michigan which has a much better offense than the other five teams put together, but nonetheless, there has been a dropoff that can very easily be credited toward the anemic offense.

So what does this have to do with the defensive-minded Kirk? It would be fine if Kirk owned up to his child’s mistakes and did what any head coach would do to an underperforming offensive coordinator and fire him. Unfortunately, this is the hill that Kirk has chosen to die on.

Lucky for Ohio State. And seriously, I am not complaining at all about the offense Ohio State will be facing come Saturday.

On a broader scale, while Iowa and Ohio State are two very different programs, we can learn from this situation, because we came closer than you might think to living it. Urban Meyer had a strong habit of hiring his friends (cronyism in this case rather than outright nepotism). He even hired Chris Doyle in Jacksonville after the strength and conditioning coach was fired from Iowa for the aforementioned racism allegations. Meyer’s coaching selections are one well-publicized aspect of what brought him down in Jacksonville.

One of the benefits of the younger coaching staffs we’ve seen rise in recent seasons is there is less of this anchoring on blood being thicker than water. Kerry Coombs is out at Ohio State because he was not performing like he needed to. Jim Knowles and Ryan Day have no connection, nor do Day and Brian Hartline or really anyone else currently on the Ohio State staff.

In fact, Hartline is probably the most “crony-ish” of the coaches currently on Day’s staff given his Ohio State connections, but he’s one of the hottest, top-performing assistants in the country right now. What this arrangement means is that coaches are hired and fired on merit and that mediocrity doesn’t stick around.

That’s not to say coaches should never hire well-qualified folks they’ve worked with in the past, but when things are not working out, it’s better to fail early than let things get awkward. While it’s doubtful Kirk and Brian’s relationship would fall to pieces if the son were no longer with the program, it’s a helpful lesson of caution against trusting a relationship instead of qualifications and performance.

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247 Profile
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Twitter: @AidenSherrell



Class: 2024 (high school)
Position: Power Forward
School: Glendale (AZ) Hillcrest Prep
Height: 6-foot-10
Weight: 200 lbs

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Twitter: @simofafan



Class: 2024 (high school)
Position: Small Forward
School: Bradenton (FL) IMG Academy
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 190 lbs

Amier Ali plays high school basketball in Florida. If you go to the roster page for Montverde Academy, the 6-foot-7, 175-pound forward is listed as a Philadelphia native.

Yes, Ali was born in the City of Brotherly Love. But make no mistake about it: Ali is a Columbus kid. More specifically, a Gahanna native, one who moved to town when he was 5 years old and remained until prep schools started calling about high school.

Now, he’s an ascending member of the 2024 recruiting class who holds an Ohio State scholarship offer. “The whole community is behind him,” his father, Mohamed Ali, said. “We’re immigrants. I’m first generation. We’ve got over 100,000 Somalis in Columbus and the whole community is behind him.”

What lies in front of him is an ascent in the national recruiting rankings following his sophomore season at Montverde. After eighth grade, Ali began his high school career at the Spring Creek Academy in Plano, Texas, where he started to catch the attention of college coaches. Among them was Tony Skinn, who convinced the Buckeyes to offer Ali during his freshman season.

His father, founder of the Columbus-based Ohio Transit Company, relocated to the Dallas area for what would be a temporary stop. After one season, Ali received interest from the school he told his dad was special: Montverde.

“He’s like, ‘Dad, this is my dream school. There’s no way we can turn this down,’ ” Mohamed said.

Ali was one of two sophomores on an 11-person roster featuring six seniors and three juniors. Five of those seniors were ranked among the top 30 national recruits according to 247Sports.com, which left playing time hard to come by for the younger end of the roster.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/spor...ali-recruit-has-central-ohio-ties/7394456001/

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Twitter: @jonathanp0well1



Class: 2024 (high school)
Position: Shooting Guard
School: Centerville (OH) Centerville
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 180 lbs

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Big Ten men’s basketball team previews: Iowa Hawkeyes
justingolba via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Can Kris Murray replace the production of Keegan Murray?

Team: Iowa Hawkeyes
Coach: Fran McCaffery
2021-22 record: 26-10 (12-8)
Season finish: NCAA Tournament first round

Players returning: Kris Murray, Patrick McCaffery, Filip Rebraca, Tony Perkins, Ahron Ulis, Payton Sandfort, Riley Mulvey, Carter Kingsbury, Connor McCaffery, Josh Ogundele

Players departed: Keegan Murray, Joe Toussaint (West Virginia)

Key additions: Dasonte Bowen, Josh Dix, Dante Eldridge

Outlook


This team is not hard to figure out. They have to somehow, someway replace Keegan Murray. Murray took an insane jump last season from averaging 7.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game his freshman year to averaging 23.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game his sophomore season. He was expected to take a jump, but a jump to a top five pick in the NBA Draft was bigger than most everyone anticipated.

Last season, the Hawkeyes were one of the teams with the highest expectations once the NCAA Tournament hit as they came in red hot, winning nine of their last 10 games and winning the Big Ten Conference championship, taking down Purdue in the tournament final. However, they were upset by Richmond in the first round, losing 67-63 in a game where Keegan Murray and Patrick McCaffery combined for 39 of the teams 63 points.

Now with Murray, as well as six-year player and one of the shooters to play college basketball ever in Jordan Bohannan, gone, the Hawkeyes have a huge void to fill. On the bright side, they return a ton of production, including Kris Murray, Keegan’s younger brother. Whether it is fair or not, a lot of people are expecting Kris to take a similar jump that his older brother did.

Bohannon was a staple in the Hawkeye offense, and will be difficult to replace on and off the court. Patrick McCaffery, Connor McCaffery, Tony Perkins and Filip Rebraca will all be expected to step into larger roles.

X Factor


Kris Murray. I am going to take the low hanging fruit on this one. The younger Murray has all the intangibles and talent to be a star for the Hawkeyes this season and help take them to the next step.

Murray averaged 9.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season. When two brothers play with each other, it is inevitable that they will be compared.

“I always thought I shot the ball better than him,” Kris Murray said. “I’ve been working more off the dribble, shooting-wise and scoring at all three levels.”

Murray added “I’m more of a willing passer. I like to make my teammates happy, just make winning plays.” However, Fran McCaffery really does not want Murray to lead the team in assists.

“I would say points and rebounds. I don’t know about assists,” McCaffery said about Murray stats. “He prides himself in getting rid of it. But I’d rather him average 20 (points) a game than lead us in assists if we can arrange that.

“He’s got long arms. He’s really put together right now,” Fran McCaffery said. “You think about how he was as a skinny freshman, now he’s 223 (pounds), and he’s bouncy and he’s running the floor and in great shape. We need him to be one of the top five rebounders in the league.”

After losing Keegan Murray and his 8.7 rebounds per game, the Hawkeyes are expecting the younger Murray to step into that role. Coming into this season, Kris is ready to forge his own path in Iowa City away from his brother.

“I knew this day would come, where I wouldn’t be able to play with him anymore,” Kris Murray said. “I’ve found comfort in the guys that we have and being able to play off of them.

“I’m confident in my abilities and looking forward to the season and ultimately, being by myself, with a really good cast of guys who can shoot (and) score at a really high level,” Murray added.

Prediction


Iowa has the potential to be very good, but as mentioned above, their success could very well be tied to how much of a jump Kris Murray takes. They are good enough to win some games and be an NCAA Tournament team no matter what, but if he becomes a star and an All-Big Ten type player, that could take the Hawkeyes to the next tier in the conference.

They will need their guards to step up as well, namely Tony Perkins. With the loss of Bohannon and Joe Toussaint, Perkins will need to be able to lay heavy minutes at the guard position. Murray, the McCaffery’s and Filip Rebraca are all guys who can hold down the minutes at forward.

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for October 19, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

Ask LGHL


Introducing ‘Ask LGHL,’ asking and answering questions throughout the football season
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

LGHL Asks: What did you learn from TTUN’s win over PSU? Will Iowa score on Saturday
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Gridiron


Watch all of Day, Knowles, and Wilson’s comments:


Key Takeaways as Buckeyes ramp up for Iowa, B1G title push (paywall)
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

Practice Report: Buckeyes back to work after idle week, focused on physical Iowa defense
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Presser Bullets: Ryan Day Says the Iowa Defense Is “Very Effective,” Ohio State “Got a Lot of Guys Rest” Over the Bye Week and Reflects on 2017 Loss to Iowa
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors

What we learned from Ohio State’s press conference previewing Iowa
Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch

Buckeyes remaining quiet, optimistic on status of Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

Listen to all of Day, Knowles, and Wilson’s comments:


Ohio State’s offensive line named to Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Johnson and Harrison Midseason All-Americans
Andy Anders, Buckeye Sports Bulletin

You’re Nuts: Which two players should join C.J. Stroud as Heisman Trophy finalists?
Brett Ludwiczak and Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land

Jim Knowles may already have Ohio State ready for a potential postseason matchup with Tennessee
Stephen Means, cleveland.com

The return of Jaxon Smith-Njigba would ‘take some stress off’ an already productive Ohio State receiver group
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Yep, that tracks:


Iowa defensive players for Ohio State football fans to worry about or maybe feel sorry for
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

Ohio State must keep balance, versatility when Jaxon Smith-Njigba returns (paywall)
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes

Assessing the Carnell Tate situation and the continued pursuit by Tennessee
Caleb Houser, Land-Grant Holy Land


Ohio State football coach Ryan Day isn’t costing Kyle McCord as many reps as you think
Nathan Baird, cleveland.com

B1G Thoughts: Ten years of regret?
Jordan Williams, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Hardwood


Ohio State women’s basketball ranked no. 14 in AP Preseason Poll
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land

Women’s Basketball: Mikesell Makes Ann Meyers-Drysdale Preseason Watch List
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Basketball: Mikesell Returning, Ready to Lead Buckeyes in Second Season with Program
Caleb Blake, The Lantern

Outside the Shoe and Schott


Ohio State wrestling lands commitment from Brock Herman, Top 20 145 lbs. prospect flips from NC State
Nick Kosko, 247Sports

Women’s Soccer: Fischer’s Big Week Leads to B1G Player of the Week Honor
Ohio State Athletics


Men’s Soccer: Trejo Brings Passion, Professional Experience to Ohio State
Gaurav Law, The Lantern

And now for something completely different...


Make sure you watch until the end:


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Hangout in the Holy Land Podcast: Ohio State opens the second half against Iowa
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buckeyes take on the Hawkeyes for the first time since being upset in Iowa City in 2017.

The latest episode of Land-Grant Holy Land’s flagship podcast ‘Hangout in the Holy Land’ is here! Join LGHL’s co-managing editor Gene Ross alongside his co-host Josh Dooley as they cover everything from football to basketball to recruiting and more!

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


Gene and Josh are very excited to get back to their normally scheduled programming, as Ohio State is back in action this weekend when they host the Iowa Hawkeyes. Before getting into that, the duo recaps a crazy weekend of college football with Ryan Day’s group hopefully using the time to get healthy.

They then get into this year’s Iowa team, which comes to Columbus with one of the nation's worst offenses but also one of the nation’s best defenses. Can that elite defense hold down the Buckeyes' offense? And if so, will it even matter if the Hawkeyes can't put points on the board?

“Hangout in the Holy Land” will be posting two episodes per week during the regular season, with an episode before and after each Ohio State game to give you all the preview and recap content you may need. Be sure to download and listen in wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review on Apple to let us know your thoughts and how we can make things even better!

You can also follow us on Twitter @HolyLandPod, where we will want to hear from you guys even more! If there’s anything you’d like us to talk about on the show, @ us and let us know!

As always, Go Bucks.


Connect with the Podcast:
Twitter: @HolyLandPod

Connect with Gene:
Twitter: @Gene_Ross23

Connect with Josh
Twitter: @jdooleybuckeye

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Ohio State leaves positive impression on four-star DL target from Georgia
Bret Favachio via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kayden McDonald | 247Sports

The Buckeyes continue to prioritize a top defensive line target as an upcoming decision looms.

As decision day inches closer for one of defensive line coach Larry Johnson’s top remaining targets, the Buckeyes made another big impression on the blue-chip standout with a recent visit to his school. Plus, a future Ohio State pass-catcher that has been committed to the program since June revealed his official visit date to Columbus on Tuesday.

Ohio State “checks another box” for McDonald


We are less than two weeks away from finding out the collegiate home for 2023 four-star defensive lineman Kayden McDonald of North Gwinnett (GA). The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder is currently set to announce his commitment on Oct. 31, and the Buckeyes are hoping to leave no stone unturned in their pursuit.

This past Friday, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton made their way to Suwannee, Georgia to stop by the high school that McDonald attends to see the peach state prospect. The check-in from Day and Walton left a positive impression on McDonald, and he didn’t hold back when speaking about the visit.

“The head coach of the No. 2 team in the country came to see me,” McDonald told Garrick Hodge of Eleven Warriors. “It checks another box for Ohio State. It means a lot to me.”

As the Buckeyes look to outlast the other finalists in the recruitment of McDonald which includes Clemson, Florida, Michigan, and Oklahoma, this is definitely a positive development for Ohio State. But just how much it impacts the decision of McDonald is yet to be seen. For now, the 247Sports Crystal Ball has the Tigers as the prohibitive favorite to land the Georgia standout, but those predictions were made a couple of months ago.

Regardless, whichever of the five programs that is fortunate enough to land McDonald will be welcoming a massive talent to their respective defensive line room. McDonald is currently penciled in as a top 250 prospect in the class. The Suwannee native also ranks as the 33rd highest graded defensive lineman and the No. 22 overall player from the talented state of Georgia.

Rogers sets Buckeye official visit


Back in June of this year, Ohio State wide receiver coach Brian Hartline worked a little bit of his recruiting magic by securing a commitment from 2023 four-star wide receiver Noah Rogers of Rolesville (NC) less than a week after he stepped on campus.

Fast forward to Tuesday, and we learned that the blue-chip pass-catcher will be back in Columbus sooner rather than later. According to his 247Sports profile, Rogers will be back at Ohio State for an official visit with the program the weekend of Nov. 25 — Michigan week.

When the visit is happening should come as no surprise, as the weekend will be a major recruiting one for the Buckeyes which their arch-rivals in town. But the fact that Ohio State will have Rogers back on campus again, with attempts from NC State and North Carolina to flip his pledge, is the important aspect of the scheduled visit.

That is not to say that the commitment of the No. 47 overall player in the class was or should be in question. But sometimes prospects need to be reminded of why they initially made the decision that they did, and him being back in Columbus in front of what will surely be a tremendous atmosphere and around a host of future teammates might just be the reminder that Rogers, the seventh highest graded receiver, needs on why he wanted to be a Buckeye from the get go.

Quick Hits

• According to Kristian Dyer of Rutgers Wire, Ohio State will receive a visit this weekend from 2024 four-star safety Vaboue Toure of Irvington (NJ) for the contest against Iowa. The Buckeyes offered the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder just nine days ago.
• 2023 Ohio State four-star running back commit Mark Fletcher of American Heritage (FL) will be honored as an All-American later today. The No. 9 running back will take part in the contest that features “the nation’s top 100 high school football players,” according to the website.
• Buckeye target and 2024 four-star running back Stacy Gage of Wharton (FL) took to Twitter on Tuesday that his “recruitment is still 100% open.” With Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC, and many more in pursuit, the Tampa native also noted that his top schools will be revealed soon.

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LGHL Asks: What did you learn from TTUN’s win over PSU? Will Iowa score on Saturday?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Set Number: X164186 TK1

You ask, we answer. Sometimes we ask, others answer. And then other times, we ask, we answer.

Every day for the entirety of the Ohio State football season, we will be asking and answering questions about the team, college football, and anything else on our collective minds of varying degrees of importance. If you have a question that you would like to ask, you can tweet us @LandGrant33 or if you need more than 280 characters, send an email HERE.

The No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes will be theoretically returning to the field this Saturday as healthy as they have been since before the season began after taking last week off. The team will host the offensively (feel free to put the emphasis on whichever syllable you would like) challenged Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday at 12 noon ET.

So, for this week’s LGHL and SB Nation Reacts survey, we wanted to ask some questions about OSU’s two biggest conference rivals, Saturday’s game, and what you did on the open week. So, go ahead and share your thoughts to the questions below.

Question 1: What was your biggest takeaway from Saturday’s Michigan win over Penn State?


After close (at least on the scoreboard) in the first half of their game last week, the Harboys blew out the Nits in the second half en route to a dominant 41-17 win to firmly distance the top two teams in the Big Ten East from the rest of their divisional foes.

But we want to know what you came away from the game most thinking. Did you learn more about the Skunk Bears or the Nittany Lions? Or, was that more or less what you already expected?

The Buckeyes will travel to Happy Valley a week from Saturday to take on Penn State and will obviously host the Weasels in the regular season finale.

Question 2: What did you do on Saturday during Ohio State’s off week?


On Saturday, I drove from my home in suburban Orlando out to St. Petersburg, Fla. to watch the world premiere of a new play written by Ruper Holmes — the guy who sings “The Pina Colada Song” — and then went to the Hard Rock Casino in Tampa for the evening to play poker and watch all of the late afternoon and primetime college football action.

What did you do while the Buckeyes were on the bye? Did you have some quality FFF (forced family fun)? Maybe rake some leaves or winterize the homestead? Or did you do what I assume most folks did and just binge 12 hours of some of the best college football in recent memory?

Question 3: How many points do you think that Ohio State will give up to Iowa this weekend?


On the season, Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes are scoring just 14.7 points per game, the 127th-worst total out of the 131 FBS teams. So, since I assume that the vast majority of you would pick the Buckeyes to win, I wanted to ask a slightly different question.

Ohio State is currently 10th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 15.7 points per game, so the question is whether or not Jim Knowles’ unit will hold Iowa’s anemic offense to under its season average or not, and if so, how far under.

As always, I will share my thoughts when we reveal your responses later in the week.


Have your voice heard and share your thoughts on the Buckeyes here:


Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NCAA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Ohio State Buckeyes fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate.

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LGHL Uncut Podcast: Day, Knowles, Wilson preview Iowa, second half of season
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Ohio State Athletics

Day is also asked (again) about injuries and whether JSN will be a starter when he returns.

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

Listen to the episode and subscribe:

Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio


On this episode of “Land-Grant Holy Land Uncut,” we have press conference audio from the media availability on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Head coach Ryan Day, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson spent approximately an hour answering questions about this Saturday’s game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, how the team is feeling following the off week, and what they still need to improve upon for the second half of the season.

The coaches discuss what they saw from the team in the off, how injured Buckeyes are progressing, and how they are handling the pressure of their lofty expectations.

You can watch the full press conference on the official Ohio State athletics website.


Contact Matt Tamanini
Twitter: @BWWMatt

Music by: www.bensound.com

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Assessing the Carnell Tate situation and the continued pursuit by Tennessee
Caleb Houser via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Carnell Tate | 247Sports

Ohio State looks to hang on to one of their top ranked commits in the 2023 class.

It wouldn’t be recruiting if there wasn’t some sort of drama. Dealing with teenagers is unpredicatable, and in the recruiting world that sometimes can be even more of the case as they make their way through one of the biggest decisions in their lives. Every school at some point has to deal with recruiting drama around their prospective players or even commits, and Ohio State isn’t removed from that list.

In the 2023 class, the Buckeyes have been pretty fortunate when it comes to drama. For the most part, their committed players have never waivered, making the staff’s life easier. Setting the expectations up front, Ohio State’s coaches do a remarkable job at recruiting their top targets. When a player is one of their more important priorities, Ryan Day and his crew want the individual to be sure Ohio State is the right place so commitments aren’t rushed, but more of a choice that will be made for the long haul without teetering.

If there’s been any drama in this current cycle though, the name linked to the most buzz is from receiver commit, Carnell Tate. In some ways, and maybe to no fault of his own, Tate has long been the one in the class that has seen his name in the gossip. On the other hand, his actions call for his name to be linked with drama, and that again is just recruiting when it comes to high profile players in today’s day and age.

Not a secret to anyone who has followed the sitatuon closely, it’s been Tennessee that has been the thorn in Ohio State’s side when it comes to Tate and his commitment to the Buckeyes. Always a background presence — mainly because of the NIL features — Tate and the Vols have been a theme that hasn’t gone away completely, and their pursuit likely won’t change as Tate is one of the top players in the country regardless of position and would be a huge addition to anyone’s class.

The fortunate aspect to this past weekend though for Ohio State, Tate was rumored to be visiting Tennessee for the Alabama game, and while that would have been a major cause for concern for Buckeye fans, the visit in fact didn’t happen, as Tate was not in attendance.


A major win for Ohio State, Tate not being on site in Knoxville bodes well for the Buckeyes and the continued efforts to keeping him in the class. With the atmosphere surrounding that specific game, Tennessee could not have had a better Saturday night in Neyland Stadium, and surely recruits on hand had to be feeling the momentum Tennessee is currently riding. The fact that Tate was not there to experience that game and environment definitely isn’t something Ohio State’s staff is bummed about by any means.

Brian Hartline has built another stellar crew of receivers for his current class, and losing any of the four would be a major blow to the group as a whole. Tate being one of the better players in the country is a loss that, while Ohio State has incredible depth, isn’t an aspect that anyone would take well.

Anything can happen until signing day in December, but Tate is scheduled to be back in Columbus this coming weekend for his official visit. With Iowa being the opponent and not as heavy of a recruiting weekend, the staff will likely continue to show Tate why his home needs to be in Columbus for the next three to four years.

At any rate, though Tennessee has been a constant background annoyance, the development from Hartline, his connection to the staff and players, and even saying the right things on social media lead to the idea that Tate isn’t going anywhere and will be a Buckeye when all is said and done.

The countdown to signing day is on.

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You’re Nuts: Which two players should join C.J. Stroud as Heisman Trophy finalists?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.

With every team in the country now having played at least half of their regular season games, the Heisman Trophy picture is starting to come into view. One finalist from last year looks like a lock to make the trip back to New York City in December, and it isn’t the player that raised the trophy last year.

Repeating as winner of the prestigious award is almost impossible to do, which is why Archie Griffin is the only player to accomplish the feat. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has been good this year, but it’s difficult to make a case for Young to repeat, especially with the Crimson Tide coming off a loss to Tennessee on Saturday and Young having missed a game with an injury.

C.J. Stroud has picked up right where he left off last year, heading into this week’s game against Iowa with 24 touchdown passes. The Ohio State quarterback has been able to put up monster numbers this year without favorite target Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was injured early against Notre Dame in the season opener, and has barely been on the field for the Buckeyes since.

Now the fun question the rest of the regular season is going to be who joins Stroud at the Heisman Trophy ceremony? With more undefeated teams starting to go down this season, the field is starting to thin out. Today we are going to each pick two other players around college football that we feel should also be finalists for this year’s Heisman Trophy.

Today’s question: Which two players should join C.J. Stroud as Heisman Trophy finalists?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answers: Hendon Hooker and Chase Brown


Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker has been nearly flawless this year, throwing 15 touchdowns and just one interception, while also adding three rushing touchdowns. The Virginia Tech transfer saved his best performance for the biggest game of the season in the biggest game in Knoxville in quite some time. On Saturday, Hooker threw for a season-high 385 yards and five touchdowns in the 52-49 win over Alabama.

With Hooker taking the snaps for then Volunteers, Tennessee is primed for their first 10-win season since 2007. Even though many might say that Hooker already had his “Heisman moment” with the win over Alabama, he’ll get another chance next month to further influence voters when the Volunteers square off with Georgia, with both teams likely to be ranked in the top-three if they stay undefeated.

Hendon Hooker is a favorite to be a Heisman Trophy finalist, but Illinois running back Chase Brown should also be in consideration to at least be invited to the event. Even though many will champion Tennessee as the most improved team in the country, Illinois might be more deserving of the praise. The Fighting Illini are 6-1 so far this season. The last time Illinois won more than six games in a season came back in 2011 when Ron Zook was the head coach.

Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Chase Brown has been a workhorse for Illinois this year, rushing for at least 100 yards in each of the first seven games. Head coach Bret Bielema has really leaned on Brown of late, calling on the running back to carry the football 31 times in a 9-6 win over Iowa, followed by giving Brown 41 carries in this weekend’s win over Minnesota.

With five regular season games left, Brown is within striking distance of setting the school record for most rushing yards in a season, currently held by Mikel Leshoure, who rushed for 1,697 yards in 2010. If the Fighting Illini are able to win the Big Ten West and earn a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, there will be a lot more talk about Brown being deserving of a spot in New York City. Even though he has done it quietly, Brown is currently leading the country in rushing.

Meredith’s answers: Bryce Young and... surprise


In what’s fast becoming a dark horse pick, I feel like Bryce Young did himself a lot of favors against Tennessee Saturday. While we were all celebrating the downfall of Bama, Young did everything he needed to do to keep the Tide in a position to win throughout the game in ways that were increasingly frustrating for those of us cheering against Alabama.

Photo by Donald Page/Getty Images

With Young, he really didn’t wrap up the Heisman until a marvelous performance in the SEC Championship last year. In all likelihood, even with what we saw Saturday, Alabama remains the favorite in the SEC West (despite upcoming trips to Baton Rouge and Oxford) and we might see another such performance from Young in November.

Young completed 67% of his passes for 455 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. He proved slippery against a Tennessee defensive line, which was only able to sack him once, and made plays, especially down to the wire, that kept Alabama alive in what turned out to be a second half shootout. As much as we were cheering against him, we had to admit that he is really good. You know, if already having won a Heisman wasn’t enough of an indicator.

For my second pick, while I’m ecstatic that there are some running backs in the early Heisman mix, I’m frustrated that the watch list continues to penalize receivers who don’t touch the ball every down. So, I’m going to cheat and go with my composite receiver Marv(Ja)lin Hyatt-arrison Jr. This freakish wide out, of course, is the best of Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. and Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt.

The pair are Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation in receiving touchdowns with 10 for Hyatt and nine for Harrison. Both are also top-20 in receiving yards per game in the FBS. More importantly, both are just absurd athletes. Harrison has week after week hauled in acrobatic catches that are impossible to defend. Then, Saturday, Hyatt had five (count ‘em, five) touchdowns against Bama from his quarterback, fellow Heisman contender Hendon Hooker.

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Ohio State women’s basketball ranked no. 14 in AP Preseason Poll
1ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The Buckeyes are part of a group of six Big Ten teams represented in the first Associated Press poll of the season

In the fall of 2021, the Ohio State Buckeyes entered the season with a surprise No. 17 rank in the AP poll, a weekly metric on how NCAA basketball teams are doing nationally. It was a surprise because the Scarlet and Gray lost multiple starters to the transfer portal and entered their first season back in postseason play after recruiting sanctions. Now, after a season where the Buckeyes shocked the conference with a regular season title, followed by a Sweet Sixteen run in the NCAA Tournament, Ohio State starts another season ranked, this time at No. 14.

Ohio State earned the honor for the third straight season, after a two-year hiatus from receiving AP recognition. After last year’s championship season, the Buckeyes won two NCAA Tournament games against Missouri State and LSU before losing to Big 12 Tournament Champions, the Texas Longhorns, in a close 66-63 defeat.

That run to the third round of March Madness ended the Buckeyes' season in polling at No. 14 with the Associated Press, Ohio State’s second-highest ranking of the season. For one week, the Buckeyes were No. 13 in a year where head coach Kevin McGuff’s side was up and down, at least in polling.

For three weeks during the 2021-22 season, the Buckeyes were outside of the top-25 ranking, after a weak non-conference schedule and early conference losses to the Indiana Hoosiers and Michigan Wolverines.

This season, with non-conference games against two of the teams included in this year’s poll like No. 5 Tennessee and No. 7 Louisville, the Buckeyes have the ability to show their success last season wasn’t a fluke.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, the regulars are all there. Leading the way are the Iowa Hawkeyes, coming in at No. 4. They’re followed by the Hoosiers at 11, Maryland Terrapins at 17, Nebraska Cornhuskers at 22, and Wolverines at 25. The conference leads all conferences with six teams in the top 25.

There are no surprises at the top of the poll. The defending NCAA champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks, sit unanimously at No. 1., followed by Stanford, Texas, Iowa, and the Tennessee Volunteers.

Ultimately, the polls don’t matter once the games start on the court, outside of added motivation for underdogs or pressure for higher-ranked sides. How it can affect the Buckeyes is in NCAA Tournament seeding.

Last year, despite winning a co-share of the conference title with guard Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes, Ohio State was a six-seed, meaning they traveled to a hostile environment for their first two games. It didn’t impact Ohio State too much, as they beat the LSU Tigers in their home arena, but hosting a game brings the added benefits of less travel and a home-court advantage.

To see the full AP list, click here.

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Let’s not always see the same hands…

I went through each conference and chose two teams that won the most championships during the period in question. Unfortunately, the Big 12 only goes back to 1996 and the data warehouse I used doesn't include Big 8 records. This made it impossible to use Texas/Oklahoma as they were in separate conferences before 1996.

Using 1950 as a baseline:

How many times have Ohio State and/or Michigan been the Big Ten Champions: 47 out of 72 65%

How many times have Alabama and/or Auburn* been the SEC Champions: 31 out of 72 44%

How many times have USC or UCLA been the Pac 12 Champions: 36 out of 72 50%

How many times have Clemson and/or Florida State been the ACC** Champions: 31 out of 69 45%

Using 1990 as a baseline:

Ohio State/Michigan 21 out of 31 67%

Alabama/Auburn 13 out of 31 42%

USC/UCLA 12 out of 31 38%

Clemson/FSU 23 out of 31 74%

Big 12 (1996) Texas/Oklahoma 16 – 25 64%

* Georgia has won more SEC championships than Auburn if you go back to the 30s and 40s.
** Florida State doesn't begin to play football until the 1950s and doesn't join the ACC until 1991

Using championships as a measure, it would seem that the Big Ten is the least competitive conference until Florida State entered the ACC.

Just eye-balling the data, it would seem that the 1950s saw the best balance with more teams winning championships in each conference. Big Ten had 9 teams win the conference, SEC had 9, PAC 8 had 6 and the ACC had 4 during 1953 - 1959. If I add the 1960s the Big Ten sees all 10 members - even Indiana - win or share a championship.

In 1974 the conference finally allowed more than one team to go to a bowl game. While that may have made more fans happy, I wonder if it wasn't the moment that Ohio State and Michigan began to dominate. i.e. instead of helping keep the conference balanced, it allowed the big dogs to rule.

B1G Thoughts: Ten years of regret?
JordanW330 via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State and Penn State are suffering some buyers remorse over signing 10-year contracts, plus Michigan and Illinois continue to dominate

Every Monday after the Big Ten slate of games, I will bring you some B1G thoughts on everything that happened! This will include analysis, stats, key players, moments, and maybe a joke or two. Check out the I-70 Football Show in the Land-Grant Holy Land podcast feed for more in-depth analysis and to preview the next week of B1G games.

State College, you have a Manny Diaz problem


State College, I regret to inform you that you have a Manny Diaz problem. I know there was a lot of hope when Franklin replaced longtime defensive coordinator Brent Pry with the former Miami head coach. It made sense; You could convince yourself that Franklin stole a great coach from a program that undervalued him. You may have even convinced yourself that with him at the helm he could make your already good defense a great defense.

After six games, that is not the case. Penn State may have the best claim of any school to be Linebacker University. Their most recent stud, Micah Parsons, may already be a top-10 defender in the NFL. Yet so far this season, the Nittany Lions linebacking corp has been abysmal. As has their defensive line. The only bright spot is a secondary led by Joey Porter Jr. and Ji’Ayir Brown.

Diaz’s defense allowed Michigan to run for 418 total yards, with the duo of Black Corum and Donovan Edwards running for 339 yards and four touchdowns. Against the only other team on the schedule with a pulse, Diaz’s unit gave up 31 points and needed some late-game heroics to win a game where they did not look like the better team. To make matters worse, they were bullied in all aspects of the game, and with games against Minnesota and Ohio State coming up this season, things could get out of hand.

Diaz is going to have to look at himself in the mirror and find a way to bring back LBU or Penn State is at risk of losing three-straight games and ending all thoughts of contending for the East.

The return of small-game James


Small game James has done it again, and no I don’t mean James Harden. James Franklin is an above-average coach, which can not be denied, but when it comes to big games — whether they be against rivals or in bowls — his teams typically come up small.

Under Franklin, Penn State has a record of 72-35, with a 44-29 mark in the Big Ten. That’s good for a 62% win percentage overall and 60% in the Big Ten. That’s solid. Very much above average, but not spectacular. The problem comes when the Nittany Lions play teams that are equal or better. Franklin is 10-22 against his East division rivals, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State, and in bowl games. Franklin has won 11 games in a season three times but also has a trio of seven-win seasons as well.

Penn State has been close to the mountain top, but more times than not they suffer frustrating losses to teams they should be equal to or better than. Penn State has tied its future to Franklin, but unless he finds a way to come up big in big games, Penn State has a ceiling and I don’t see them busting through it anytime soon. That should be concerning with Ohio State and Michigan separating themselves from the pack, as well as the addition of UCLA and USC.

Penn State is in the awkward position of having a coach who is just good enough, but not great. If you fire him, you risk ruining your program. But if you keep him, you risk never being great. With the 12-team playoff looming and changes to the conference, Franklin won’t have much longer to prove he’s still the guy.

10 years of success or regret?


After an 11-2 season with a win over rival Michigan, the Michigan State brass signed Mel Tucker to a 10-year, $95 million extension to lock him up for the next decade, and supposedly keep away LSU and other schools from trying to poach him. All of this shortly after Penn State locked up James Franklin to a 10-year $85 million extension. This one made less sense, because no one was coming after Franklin, and he’d been mediocre at best in his last few seasons.

Well, immediately after that extension, the Spartans are 3-4 and look like one of the worst teams in the Big Ten. With games against Illinois, Michigan, and Penn State left on the schedule, Michigan State may be looking at a season without making a bowl game.

Under Tucker, Michigan State has had one exceptional season, but has one of the worst secondaries in the country and an inconsistent running game without Kenneth Walker III making up for a horrible offensive line. Penn State, on the other hand, is 5-1, but after a brutal beating by Michigan, they are looking at a potential three-game losing streak and a disappointing season.

Neither coach had done enough to deserve a ten-year extension, but their agents ran laps around the administration. It’s too soon to determine if these schools will regret their decision, but maybe they should consider letting coaches earn the money before throwing it around.

Michigan is good, why are you all shocked?


After dismantling Penn State, many national pundits are declaring that Michigan is a good football team — which is true. My problem is: why are they so shocked?

Under Harbaugh, Michigan is 68-24 overall and 46-17 in the Big Ten. In his seven seasons, Michigan has won more than 10 games four times, and has won eight and nine games in two other seasons. He is well on his way to another 10-plus win season. His Wolverines sit at 7-0 so far in his eighth year with the program. Harbaugh is far from perfect as a coach and especially as a person, but one thing is true: Michigan has always been a good team under him.

They have not been elite, which has led to some embarrassing losses to Ohio State, but they have been very good. So, yes you can choose to act surprised that Michigan is a good football team, but you just haven’t been paying attention. The only thing that matters for Michigan is whether they are good enough to compete with Ohio State, or was last year an aberration? We won’t know the answer until late November when it’s likely both teams will meet with undefeated records, with a trip to the College Football Playoff following a pit stop in Indianapolis on the line.

Blake Corum, I apologize for doubting you


I must apologize to Blake Corum. For way too long I did not view him as a top back in the Big Ten. I questioned if he could carry the load for the Wolverines in Hassan Haskins’ absence. I didn’t think he had it in him to be an every-down back and pick up the tough yards when Michigan needed them most.

It may have taken a few games too long, but Corum has changed my mind. Through seven games he has been the engine of Michigan’s offense, finding a way to wreck defensive game plans and break off big runs almost at will. Through seven games he has 146 carries — two more than he had in 12 games last year — for 901 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has turned himself into a top-five back in the Big Ten, which means he’s essentially a top-five back in the nation and a true NFL Draft prospect.

Michigan will go as far as he can carry them. His only job now is to stay healthy as he shoulders a heavy load.

Jim Leonhard can’t fix his defense, how can he fix Wisconsin?


Wisconsin fired Paul Chryst largely because he could not develop a consistent offense. Wisconsin was losing its identity, and the promise of Graham Mertz hasn’t shown any results so far despite Chryst assuming the mantel of quarterbacks coach for a season and Mertz getting more experienced in the offense. While the firing of Chryst was more than justified for multiple reasons, the hiring or potential hiring of Jim Leonhard may be a mistake they can’t recover from.

Leonhard is the native son, and for much of his career has led one of the best defenses in the country. That can not be said this year, as Wisconsin has lost four games this season, including giving up 52 points to Ohio State and 34 apiece to Illinois and Michigan State. The Badger’s offense is not great, but against the Spartans, they put up 27 points, and in previous years that would be more than enough to win as Wisconsin’s defense was not giving up 30-plus points to almost any offense. This is not to say that Jim Leonhard won’t be a good head coach, but if his defense is slipping, can you genuinely have faith that he can fix both sides of the ball and bring Wisconsin into the future?

A Big Ten Championship with the Illibuck on the line!


Illinois is the best team in the West. It’s as simple as that. They are on a crash course with Ohio State towards a Big Ten Championship game with the Illibuck on the line. Yes, the Illibuck. Not the championship trophy, not the playoffs. We have priorities here and that turtle trophy is at the top of the list!

Jacoby Windmon: Big Ten DPOY?


Michigan State has been a very bad team this season, but they have one bright spot. That is linebacker turned defensive end Jacoby Windmon. At the one-third mark of the season, Windmon led the Big Ten in just about every defensive category that mattered. After stepping up as a defensive end when his team needed him, he moved back to linebacker against Wisconsin and continued padding his stats.

He finished the game with 11 tackles, as well as one tackle for loss, an interception, a forced fumbles and pass breakup. He was all over the place for the Spartans, bringing his season total to 37 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and an interception. He is a versatile weapon for Michigan State, and at this pace could very well end up the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year in his first season in the conference after transferring over from UNLV.

Trey Palmer is HIM!


Scott Frost made many mistakes as a head coach, but one of his best decisions was hiring Mickey Joseph from LSU. Mickey Joseph came home to Nebraska and brought with him LSU transfer Trey Palmer. Palmer has arguably been Nebraska’s best player this season, and he continues to dazzle. Against Purdue, albeit in a loss, he racked up an outrageous line with seven catches for 237 yards and two touchdowns. For the season, he has 47 receptions for 781 yards and five touchdowns. Nebraska has not had many bright spots, but the play of their transfers — specifically Palmer — is one of them.

The Mockabee train is leaving the station


Purdue for the past few seasons has had a non-existent running game, putting immense pressure on Aidan O’Connell and his wide receivers to win them games. Throughout this season, that has still been the case, but that may soon be changing with the emergence of freshman running back Devin Mockabee.

Mockabee has been used very sparingly this season, but already has two games with over 100 yards rushing. Against Nebraska, Mockabee was a workhorse with 30 rushing attempts for 178 yards and a touchdown. Mockabee is averaging 5.7 yards per carry, and has already shown he can handle a larger workload. The job should be his for the rest of the season.

With the threat of Aidan O’Connell launching passes to Charlie Jones, adding a running threat could boost Purdue’s chances of capturing a West division title. Plus, did I mention he wears No. 45? What more could you ask for in a running back?

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Why is this News? All the articles and tweets Buckeye fans need for October 18, 2022
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

All the Buckeye news thats fit to re-print.

Look, we get it. Your days are busy and you don’t have time to read all of the stories and tweets from the three dozen websites dedicated to covering Ohio State athletics, or the 237 Buckeye beat writers churning out hot takes and #content on a daily basis. But that’s ok, that’s what your friends at Land-Grant Holy Land are here for.

Monday through Friday, we’ll be collecting all of the articles, tweets, features, interviews, videos, podcasts, memes, photos, and whatever else we stumble across on the interwebz and putting them in our daily “Why is this News?” article. That way, you’ll have a one-stop shop for all of the most important Buckeye news, jokes, and analysis.

You’re welcome!

For your Earholes...


Subscribe: RSS | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio

Ask LGHL


Introducing ‘Ask LGHL,’ asking and answering questions throughout the football season
Matt Tamanini, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Gridiron


Four Buckeyes named to 2022 Lombardi Award midseason watch list
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

Ryan Day Talks Ohio State’s Bye Week, Prep for Iowa and Says “None of Our Goals Have Been Met” on 97.1 The Fan
Griffin Strom, Eleven Warriors

Five Questions as recharged Buckeyes prepare for Iowa
Austin Ward, Dotting the Eyes

Iowa vs. Ohio State: An underrated rivalry with a big ’what if’ (paywall)
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic

Tell me again how the Skunk Bears are the best team in the B1G East:


Five Buckeyes who can step up, break out in second half of season
Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row

C.J. Stroud, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Ohio State’s Offense on Pace for Record-Breaking 2022 Season
Dan Hope and Matt Gutridge, Eleven Warriors

Column: Ryan Day is getting the Top-10 defense he ordered this offseason
Chris Renne, Land-Grant Holy Land

Thoughts on Ohio State’s remaining schedule, Big Ten and national picture
Bill Landis, Dotting the Eyes

Big Ten stat leaders through Week 7
Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land

You don’t see one player getting an interception and a fumble recovery on the same play.


You’re Nuts: Your College Football Playoff field if the season ended today
Josh Dooley and Gene Ross, Land-Grant Holy Land

Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr. working hard to be best receiving duo in the nation
Patrick Murphy, Bucknuts

We’ll talk about this later: A true underdog story
Meredith Hein, Land-Grant Holy Land

On the Hardwood


Ohio State to open the 2022-23 season unranked in AP poll
Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch

The Buckeyes got a really great shooter on Sunday.


Men’s Basketball: ‘It’s the Best Feeling Ever’: Etzler Follows Uncle’s Footsteps at Ohio State
Reid Murray, The Lantern

Ohio State women’s basketball player preview: Cotie McMahon
Thomas Costello, Land-Grant Holy Land

Outside the Shoe and Schott


No. 15 Buckeyes Score Twice in Second Half to Beat Wildcats, 2-1
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Ice Hockey: No. 1 Buckeyes Earn 5-2 Win Over Bemidji State
Ohio State Athletics

Women’s Ice Hockey: Jaques Earns WCHA Defender of the Week Nod
Ohio State Athletics

Paris Johnson Jr. Foundation Among Finalists for FWAA’s Armed Forces Merit Award
Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

And now for something completely different...


How am I 100 years old?


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Silver Bullets Podcast: B1G Results and Iowa Preview
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

A look back at the Big Ten games from Ohio State’s bye week and a look ahead to the Iowa’s visit to Ohio Stadium.


The Buckeyes took a week off, but we didn’t. We wouldn’t leave our listeners hanging like that.

Without an Ohio State game to break down, we opened with our weekly walk through the other Big Ten games. All eyes were on the top 10 match-up in Ann Arbor that turned out to be a terrible game. Meanwhile, some of the matchups few people outside of the specific fandoms wanted to see turned out to be some of the most entertaining battles of the weekend. Bret Bielema’s Illini gained bowl eligibility, some key injuries took place around the league, Wisconsin continued to be perplexing, and Nebraska is still struggling in one-score games.

Beyond the B1G, there were some incredible games all day long on Saturday. The Alabama-Tennessee game is one that had our attention, but there were also huge games between future Big Ten school USC and Utah, TCU and Oklahoma State, and elsewhere around the country. Even without an OSU game, Saturday was one of the best college football game days in years.

We welcomed Adam Jacobi to the show this week to give us the scoop on what has been a frustrating year so far for Iowa Hawkeyes fans. The editor-at-large for GoIowaAwesome.com was kind enough to get into Iowa’s offensive struggles and the issues that quarterback Spencer Petras and the Iowa offensive line have had this season. He also told us who to watch for on the Hawkeye defense when Ohio State has the ball. Big thanks to Adam for his time.

Finally, we put our suspect reputations on the line by selecting our Ohio State picks to click on offense and defense for this weekend’s game. We also gave our final score predictions for Saturday’s meeting between the Buckeyes and the Hawkeyes. We’re both expecting a surprise cover for Iowa in a game that we suspect might be lower scoring than the average fan might think. It all depends on how much trouble the Buckeyes have moving the ball against a top-notch Iowa defense.

We’ll be back next week to talk about Ohio State’s meeting in the Shoe with Iowa and look ahead to the Penn State Nittany Lions. In the meantime, feel free to reach out with your feedback and questions below in the comments section or send us an email. Be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share!

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Ohio State offers 2024 running back
Dan Hessler via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here


Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Plus, the men’s basketball Buckeyes could earn their second commitment in the 2024 class this week.

After a much-needed bye week, Ohio State is now preparing to host Iowa this weekend. Entering the second half of the season, the Buckeyes’ schedule will see an increase in the level of play of their opponents. This will undoubtedly require more focus from both the players and the coaching staff. While the coaches will be busy closing out the season, they also know college football recruiting never stops.

Ohio State offers 2024 RB


Ohio State’s football staff took advantage of the free week, hitting the recruiting trail headfirst. The work resulted in the Buckeyes being the new favorites for 2023 four-star defensive end Damon Wilson (Venice, FL / Venice) and dozens of scholarship offers.

The newest recruit to receive a scholarship offer was rising 2024 running back James Peoples (San Antonio, TX / Veterans Memorial), who took to Twitter late this weekend to show off the news.


Peoples has not yet received a composite ranking from 247Sports, but holds an impressive offer sheet including programs such as Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Kansas, Missouri, Houston and now Ohio State. Peoples is seeing his recruitment take off as he is in the middle of an incredible season. Midway through the year, he has 1,078 rushing Yards on 107 carries and has racked up 18 TD’s.

He has yet to take any visits to schools recruiting him, but he is certainly more familiar with the schools in his home-state of Texas. Ohio State coaches Ryan Day and Tony Allen certainly seem to be interested in Peoples and will need to get him on campus to have a chance of prying him out of Texas.

For a glimpse into Peoples’ impressive season, check out his highlights below:

Quick Hits

• The Ohio State men’s basketball team added the first member of its 2024 recruiting class over the weekend when four-star point guard John Mobley Jr. committed to the Buckeyes. Mobley was a huge first addition to a class that looks to be much smaller than the Buckeyes previous two classes.

However, the team may be adding to the class much sooner than expected. 2024 four-star small forward Darren Harris (Fairfax, VA / Paul VI Catholic) is high on the Buckeyes, and will be announcing his commitment Oct. 22. Harris is set to choose between Duke, Maryland, Miami and Ohio State, with Duke being the runaway favorites. Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann has proven to be one of the sport’s best recruiters, but he might need to pull off a miracle if the Buckeyes are to get Harris.

Harris is the No. 14 SF in his class and is the No. 48 overall prospect in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He is also the No. 1 recruit from the state of Virginia.

• The Ohio State men’s basketball team will be playing host to a different 2024 recruit this weekend when the football team plays host to Iowa. Ohio-native shooting guard Colin White (Ottawa, OH / Ottawa-glandorf) is set to visit with the Buckeyes this weekend.

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HudL




Class: 2024
School: San Antonio(TX) Veterans Memorial
Position: RB
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 192lbs

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247
Rivals
HudL
Twitter



Class: 2024
School: Gaithersburg(MD) Quince Orchard
Position: Defensive End
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 225lbs

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