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Google Ohio State football | Expectations high for incoming freshman QB - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State football | Expectations high for incoming freshman QB - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State football | Expectations high for incoming freshman QB
Columbus Dispatch
He basically caught the snap and threw it. So he loves the pressure, and he is a fierce competitor.” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is well aware. He watched a gifted high school sophomore who was probably too skinny at that time to fit the Buckeyes' needs.
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State football | Expectations high for incoming freshman QB
Columbus Dispatch
He basically caught the snap and threw it. So he loves the pressure, and he is a fierce competitor.” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer is well aware. He watched a gifted high school sophomore who was probably too skinny at that time to fit the Buckeyes' needs.
Continue reading...
BTN Here’s how to watch every game of the Big Ten softball tourney
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Here’s how to watch every game of the Big Ten softball tourney
BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network
The bracket for the 2016 Big Ten Softball Tournament was released Sunday night, and Big Ten champion Michigan is the No. 1 seed. [ MORE: View the GoSPUSports.com’s tourney central page ] The Wolverines, fresh off claiming their ninth consecutive Big Ten regular-season crown, earn a first-round bye into Friday’s quarterfinals, along with No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Northwestern and No. 4 Penn State. The top 12 teams make the tournament, held at Penn State, and all 11 games air live on BTN/BTN2Go, starting with No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Rutgers at noon ET Thursday. View the complete
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BTN.com staff via Big Ten Network
The bracket for the 2016 Big Ten Softball Tournament was released Sunday night, and Big Ten champion Michigan is the No. 1 seed. [ MORE: View the GoSPUSports.com’s tourney central page ] The Wolverines, fresh off claiming their ninth consecutive Big Ten regular-season crown, earn a first-round bye into Friday’s quarterfinals, along with No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Northwestern and No. 4 Penn State. The top 12 teams make the tournament, held at Penn State, and all 11 games air live on BTN/BTN2Go, starting with No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Rutgers at noon ET Thursday. View the complete
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tBBC OSUWG: 3rd in Regionals – On To NCAA Championship!
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OSUWG: 3rd in Regionals – On To NCAA Championship!
Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(Team photo and tournament information courtesy of Ohio State Athletic Department and GolfChannel.com. Event scoring and statistics courtesy of GolfStat.com)
You’d be all smiles, too, if you just earned a trip to the NCAA Championships.
After coming off an extraordinary 2nd round to move into within the Top Six, the Buckeyes punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships with a steady final round 291 to secure 3rd place. The +7 round was not as spectacular as Friday’s 2nd round, but it was just as clutch. Their 2nd round moved them above the cut line; their 3rd round secured their position. After narrowly missing the Championships last year, there was no way this team wasn’t going this year.
As a refresher; the Buckeyes team is: Katja Pogacar, Jessica Porvasnik, Jaclyn Lee, Rio Watanabe and Niki Schroeder.
3rd Round
The Buckeyes shot a steady team score of +4 on their front 9 and +3 on their back 9 to easily maintain their position with the group of qualifiers. After last year’s disappointment, this team came in to the Regionals focused. All 5 players contributed at least one round to the team scoring. For the weekend, the Buckeyes were led by Rio Watanabe’s tournament score -1, 212. The placed Rio in T-9 overall.
They shot a team score of 291 (+7), which easily secured their position in 3rd place. The Buckeyes were led by a sub-par round by Rio Watanabe 69 (-2). The rest of the team scoring consisted of Niki Schroeder 73 (+2), Jessica Porvasnik 74 (+3) and Jaclyn Lee 75 (+4). Katja Pogacar’s 79 (+8) rounded out Ohio State scoring for the round.
Niki’s front 9 was not too good, a +5, 40. However, she regained her footing and shot an impressive -3, 33 on her back nine for her round of +2. That is a good example of clutch golf coming down the stretch.
Jessica’s round wasn’t as spectacular as her previous day (6 birdies) but a solid +3 kept the team in play.
Rio was “Rio” on Saturday. She had 4 birdies through 8 holes, bogeyed her next 2 holes, then finished with 8 consecutive pars. Sometimes the game is just that easy.
Katja was even par through her first 3 holes then had her round stall out due to a handful of bogeys. But that’s OK, even though Katja was OSU’s leading scorer throughout the year, sometimes you need a little help from your friends..
Jaclyn was steady throughout the day, shooting +2 on each nine holes for her +4, 75.
Buckeye scoring, below:
NCAA Regionals Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Total
Team 299 285 291 875
Katja Pogacar 77 74 79 230
Jessica Porvasnik 76 69 74 219
Jaclyn Lee 75 74 75 224
Rio Watanabe 71 72 69 212
Niki Schroeder 78 70 73 221
15 1 7 23
The Buckeyes put together a round of 10 birdies, 57 pars, 21 bogeys and 2 double bogeys.
Through the 3 rounds, Ohio State played the par 3’s fairly well, averaging a 3.17, +13 to par, ranking them 7th. They played the par 4’s well, to an average of 4,29, +39 to par, ranking them 5th. They played the par 5’s exceptionally well, to an average of 4.82, -11 to par, ranking them 2nd. That is consistently a high level of golf across the board.
Next up, on to Eugene OR for the NCAA Championships May 20-25!
Go Buckeyes!
The post OSUWG: 3rd in Regionals – On To NCAA Championship! appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
Ken via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
(Team photo and tournament information courtesy of Ohio State Athletic Department and GolfChannel.com. Event scoring and statistics courtesy of GolfStat.com)
You’d be all smiles, too, if you just earned a trip to the NCAA Championships.
After coming off an extraordinary 2nd round to move into within the Top Six, the Buckeyes punched their tickets to the NCAA Championships with a steady final round 291 to secure 3rd place. The +7 round was not as spectacular as Friday’s 2nd round, but it was just as clutch. Their 2nd round moved them above the cut line; their 3rd round secured their position. After narrowly missing the Championships last year, there was no way this team wasn’t going this year.
As a refresher; the Buckeyes team is: Katja Pogacar, Jessica Porvasnik, Jaclyn Lee, Rio Watanabe and Niki Schroeder.
3rd Round
The Buckeyes shot a steady team score of +4 on their front 9 and +3 on their back 9 to easily maintain their position with the group of qualifiers. After last year’s disappointment, this team came in to the Regionals focused. All 5 players contributed at least one round to the team scoring. For the weekend, the Buckeyes were led by Rio Watanabe’s tournament score -1, 212. The placed Rio in T-9 overall.
They shot a team score of 291 (+7), which easily secured their position in 3rd place. The Buckeyes were led by a sub-par round by Rio Watanabe 69 (-2). The rest of the team scoring consisted of Niki Schroeder 73 (+2), Jessica Porvasnik 74 (+3) and Jaclyn Lee 75 (+4). Katja Pogacar’s 79 (+8) rounded out Ohio State scoring for the round.
Niki’s front 9 was not too good, a +5, 40. However, she regained her footing and shot an impressive -3, 33 on her back nine for her round of +2. That is a good example of clutch golf coming down the stretch.
Jessica’s round wasn’t as spectacular as her previous day (6 birdies) but a solid +3 kept the team in play.
Rio was “Rio” on Saturday. She had 4 birdies through 8 holes, bogeyed her next 2 holes, then finished with 8 consecutive pars. Sometimes the game is just that easy.
Katja was even par through her first 3 holes then had her round stall out due to a handful of bogeys. But that’s OK, even though Katja was OSU’s leading scorer throughout the year, sometimes you need a little help from your friends..
Jaclyn was steady throughout the day, shooting +2 on each nine holes for her +4, 75.
Buckeye scoring, below:
NCAA Regionals Rd 1 Rd 2 Rd 3 Total
Team 299 285 291 875
Katja Pogacar 77 74 79 230
Jessica Porvasnik 76 69 74 219
Jaclyn Lee 75 74 75 224
Rio Watanabe 71 72 69 212
Niki Schroeder 78 70 73 221
15 1 7 23
The Buckeyes put together a round of 10 birdies, 57 pars, 21 bogeys and 2 double bogeys.
Through the 3 rounds, Ohio State played the par 3’s fairly well, averaging a 3.17, +13 to par, ranking them 7th. They played the par 4’s well, to an average of 4,29, +39 to par, ranking them 5th. They played the par 5’s exceptionally well, to an average of 4.82, -11 to par, ranking them 2nd. That is consistently a high level of golf across the board.
Next up, on to Eugene OR for the NCAA Championships May 20-25!
Go Buckeyes!
The post OSUWG: 3rd in Regionals – On To NCAA Championship! appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
LGHL Ohio State baseball picks up big series win over Iowa with 3-0 win
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Ohio State baseball picks up big series win over Iowa with 3-0 win
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes handled business on commencement day against the Hawkeyes, keeping their Big Ten tournament hopes alive.
On commencement day in Columbus, Ohio State passed a big test with a 3-0 win over Iowa which clinched a series win.
The Buckeyes, who improved to 10-8 in Big Ten play and kept their slim lead for the eighth and final conference tournament berth, scored all of their runs in the first inning and made it stand up.
Despite being outhit by the Hawkeyes 10-6, Ohio State's pitching came up big when it needed to, rolling four double plays and inducing a number of weak ground balls with runners on base.
Freshman Ryan Feltner took to the mound to start for the Buckeyes, filling in for usual Sunday starter Adam Niemeyer, who is nursing a hamstring injury. The right-hander showed how much he has developed this season, working out of trouble a number of times in going four shutout innings, yielding four hits, walking two, and striking out four.
The combination of sophomore Seth Kinker, senior Michael Horejsei, and redshirt sophomore Yianni Pavlopoulos threw the final five innings, keeping Iowa off the board.
Left fielder Ronnie Dawson, who has seen his draft stock soar this season, had another good day at the plate. The junior from Grove City, Ohio went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored.
Iowa sent sophomore Nick Gallagher to the hill, but he was forced to exit the game in the third inning due to an injury after stumbling off the back of the mound going after a popup. The righty allowed three runs on three hits in 2.1 innings, striking out two and walking three before exiting.
Gallagher walked Troy Montgomery and Craig Nennig to start the home half of the first inning, and Dawson made him pay with a two-run double smacked down the third base line.
B1 | Two-run double by @ronniedawsonn. The #Buckeyes strike first on his 16th double!https://t.co/VWCGcK5izd
UI 0, OSU 2#GoBucks
— The OSU Baseball
️ (@OhioState_BASE) May 8, 2016
Three batters later, Tre Gantt picked up Dawson with a two-out RBI single for a 3-0 lead.
The game moved along without any more scoring, as both sides had their opportunities but failed to cash them in.
Kinker relieved Feltner to begin the fifth inning, and also worked his way out of trouble, going 1.2 innings scoreless. Horejsei followed him and got through 2.1 innings of his own bending but not breaking.
Horejsei was one of four Buckeyes, along with L. Grant Davis, Ryan Leffel, and Nick Sergakis, to receive their diplomas before the game.
Recognized our four graduating @OhioState_BASE seniors today before the series finale vs Iowa. Congrats! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/5SqDWMToli
— gene smith (@OSU_AD) May 8, 2016
Pavlopoulos worked a scoreless ninth, striking out two, to pick up his 10th save of the season.
Ohio State will host a two-game midweek series against Florida Atlantic, ranked No. 19 in the country, on Tuesday and Wednesday before a three-game home Big Ten series against archrival Michigan next weekend.
Continue reading...
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
The Buckeyes handled business on commencement day against the Hawkeyes, keeping their Big Ten tournament hopes alive.
On commencement day in Columbus, Ohio State passed a big test with a 3-0 win over Iowa which clinched a series win.
The Buckeyes, who improved to 10-8 in Big Ten play and kept their slim lead for the eighth and final conference tournament berth, scored all of their runs in the first inning and made it stand up.
Despite being outhit by the Hawkeyes 10-6, Ohio State's pitching came up big when it needed to, rolling four double plays and inducing a number of weak ground balls with runners on base.
Freshman Ryan Feltner took to the mound to start for the Buckeyes, filling in for usual Sunday starter Adam Niemeyer, who is nursing a hamstring injury. The right-hander showed how much he has developed this season, working out of trouble a number of times in going four shutout innings, yielding four hits, walking two, and striking out four.
The combination of sophomore Seth Kinker, senior Michael Horejsei, and redshirt sophomore Yianni Pavlopoulos threw the final five innings, keeping Iowa off the board.
Left fielder Ronnie Dawson, who has seen his draft stock soar this season, had another good day at the plate. The junior from Grove City, Ohio went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs, and a run scored.
Iowa sent sophomore Nick Gallagher to the hill, but he was forced to exit the game in the third inning due to an injury after stumbling off the back of the mound going after a popup. The righty allowed three runs on three hits in 2.1 innings, striking out two and walking three before exiting.
Gallagher walked Troy Montgomery and Craig Nennig to start the home half of the first inning, and Dawson made him pay with a two-run double smacked down the third base line.
B1 | Two-run double by @ronniedawsonn. The #Buckeyes strike first on his 16th double!https://t.co/VWCGcK5izd
UI 0, OSU 2#GoBucks
— The OSU Baseball
️ (@OhioState_BASE) May 8, 2016Three batters later, Tre Gantt picked up Dawson with a two-out RBI single for a 3-0 lead.
The game moved along without any more scoring, as both sides had their opportunities but failed to cash them in.
Kinker relieved Feltner to begin the fifth inning, and also worked his way out of trouble, going 1.2 innings scoreless. Horejsei followed him and got through 2.1 innings of his own bending but not breaking.
Horejsei was one of four Buckeyes, along with L. Grant Davis, Ryan Leffel, and Nick Sergakis, to receive their diplomas before the game.
Recognized our four graduating @OhioState_BASE seniors today before the series finale vs Iowa. Congrats! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/5SqDWMToli
— gene smith (@OSU_AD) May 8, 2016
Pavlopoulos worked a scoreless ninth, striking out two, to pick up his 10th save of the season.
Ohio State will host a two-game midweek series against Florida Atlantic, ranked No. 19 in the country, on Tuesday and Wednesday before a three-game home Big Ten series against archrival Michigan next weekend.
Continue reading...
BTN Big Ten names, past and present, send Mother’s Day wishes
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Big Ten names, past and present, send Mother’s Day wishes
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
One of the easiest days of the year to celebrate, today is Mother’s Day. [ MORE: Like this post? Check out our full Gone Viral section! ] From all of us at Big Ten Network, here’s to wishing every Big Ten mom out there the happiest of Mother’s Days. Throughout the day Sunday, Big Ten names, both past and present, went to social media to send their mothers and/or wives Mother’s Day greetings. From former Wisconsin defensive lineman and current NFL superstar JJ Watt to ex-Purdue women’s basketball star and current BTN analyst Stephanie White, see some of the tweets
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Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
One of the easiest days of the year to celebrate, today is Mother’s Day. [ MORE: Like this post? Check out our full Gone Viral section! ] From all of us at Big Ten Network, here’s to wishing every Big Ten mom out there the happiest of Mother’s Days. Throughout the day Sunday, Big Ten names, both past and present, went to social media to send their mothers and/or wives Mother’s Day greetings. From former Wisconsin defensive lineman and current NFL superstar JJ Watt to ex-Purdue women’s basketball star and current BTN analyst Stephanie White, see some of the tweets
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BTN Video: Happy Mother’s Day from ‘The Journey’
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Video: Happy Mother’s Day from ‘The Journey’
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Happy Mother’s Day to every Big Ten mom! To help celebrate the special day, our friends at “The Journey” went back into the archives to compile a montage of moments between Big Ten student-athletes and their mothers throughout the years of the award-winning series. Watch the full feature in the video above.Filed under: Uncategorized
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Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Happy Mother’s Day to every Big Ten mom! To help celebrate the special day, our friends at “The Journey” went back into the archives to compile a montage of moments between Big Ten student-athletes and their mothers throughout the years of the award-winning series. Watch the full feature in the video above.Filed under: Uncategorized
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Google Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes sweep past BYU for NCAA title - Columbus Dispatch
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Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes sweep past BYU for NCAA title - Columbus Dispatch
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes sweep past BYU for NCAA title
Columbus Dispatch
Request to buy this photo Abby Drey, TNS Ohio State's Blake Leeson (11) hits the ball past Brigham Young's Leo Durkin (4) during the men's NCAA volleyball championships on Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Penn State's Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.
MVLB - Cougars fall to Buckeyes in national championship matchBYUCougars.com
BYU men's volleyball: Buckeyes exceed expectations to face Cougars for titleDeseret News
NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title matchDaily Herald
Canton Repository -NCAA.com -Land-Grant Holy Land
all 138 news articles »
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes sweep past BYU for NCAA title
Columbus Dispatch
Request to buy this photo Abby Drey, TNS Ohio State's Blake Leeson (11) hits the ball past Brigham Young's Leo Durkin (4) during the men's NCAA volleyball championships on Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Penn State's Rec Hall in University Park, Pa.
MVLB - Cougars fall to Buckeyes in national championship matchBYUCougars.com
BYU men's volleyball: Buckeyes exceed expectations to face Cougars for titleDeseret News
NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title matchDaily Herald
Canton Repository -NCAA.com -Land-Grant Holy Land
all 138 news articles »
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BTN Ohio State sweeps BYU to claim second volleyball national title
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Ohio State sweeps BYU to claim second volleyball national title
Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Who doesn't love a championship dog pile? pic.twitter.com/XIv7h8v7QC — AVCA (@AVCAVolleyball) May 8, 2016 (AP) — Miles Johnson had 15 kills and Ohio State beat BYU 32-30, 25-23, 25-17 on Saturday night to win its second NCAA volleyball title. “I don’t think it’s sunk in whatsoever at all.” Ohio State middle attacker Driss Guessous said. “None of us were expecting a match like that, I think. I think all of us were expecting five sets of the first match. I don’t know when it’s going to hit us, but, when it does, I think it’s going to be awesome.” Blake
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Brent Yarina, BTN.com Senior Editor via Big Ten Network
Who doesn't love a championship dog pile? pic.twitter.com/XIv7h8v7QC — AVCA (@AVCAVolleyball) May 8, 2016 (AP) — Miles Johnson had 15 kills and Ohio State beat BYU 32-30, 25-23, 25-17 on Saturday night to win its second NCAA volleyball title. “I don’t think it’s sunk in whatsoever at all.” Ohio State middle attacker Driss Guessous said. “None of us were expecting a match like that, I think. I think all of us were expecting five sets of the first match. I don’t know when it’s going to hit us, but, when it does, I think it’s going to be awesome.” Blake
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LGHL A new class of Ohio State stars are set to take the NFL by storm
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A new class of Ohio State stars are set to take the NFL by storm
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
As new Buckeye rising stars are headed to the NFL, veterans are on their way elsewhere.
With a new era of Buckeye strongmen entering the NFL, there are also a slew of former top draft picks out of Ohio State whose careers are starting to fade. Stars only shine so bright for so long, and some of the names synonymous with Ohio State on Sundays, have started facing the chopping block, and some are starting the final leg of their careers.
Longevity in the NFL is always the goal, but rarely the outcome. Injuries can become a mainstay with players and positions that take on a heavy workload or see a large number of snaps. Particularly with positions like lineman and defenders who rely on tackling play-after-play, long careers can depend entirely on how many or how frequently a player is injured. And with fresh legs, and young blood coming out of college every year, the risk/benefit analysis is continual.
Now that teams are ushering in their latest set of draft picks and undrafted free agents, they are taking a closer look at their rosters to see where they can trim the fat. Unfortunately, those decisions can result in some of the League's most popular or former stars landing on the chopping block with no where else to go.
Offensive tackle
The Steelers announced Thursday the release of former second-round pick, offensive tackle Mike Adams citing the reason as a failed physical. Adams spent the 2015 on the physically unable to perform list with a lingering back problem; his recovery after surgery didn't go as well as hoped, which may have lead to the team's dismissal. He started 20 of the 41 games played in Pittsburgh since he was drafted in 2012, but failed to live up to the 'starter' moniker the Steelers were hoping he'd earn.
Incoming Buckeye: Taylor Decker. The No. 16 overall draft pick in 2016 is headed to the Detroit Lions in hopes of being the next offensive tackle to find success in the NFL. His need will be immediate, as the Lions are hoping to build a line that can protect Matthew Stafford in the pocket and open up the offensive options -- especially with wideout legend Chris Johnson retiring after last season.
Linebacker
After nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers, their No. 5 pick overall in 2006 linebacker A.J. Hawk was released ahead of the 2015 season. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, his home-state team, for just one year before being released during the shuffle of the 2016 free agency period. Hawk has yet to find another team interested in extending his career -- despite having missed only two games in his entire 10 year career. He's been one of the more successful Buckeyes in the NFL, with a career that includes 945 total tackles, 20 sacks, 33 passes defended and nine interceptions.
Incoming Buckeye: Darron Lee. While the No. 20 overall pick may not have the physicality of Hawk, the young linebacker has the speed and versatility that defenses are now looking for. The Jets will get to test Lee at both linebacker and safety as a dual-threat, and will quickly find out if his new attributes at the position can lead to a long career in the NFL.
Incoming Buckeye No. 2: Joshua Perry. More of the stereotypical linebacker like Hawk, Perry will be heading to the San Diego Chargers -- along with teammate Joey Bosa -- to try his hand at a pro career. As a leader on and off the field, he may not have a dynamic career, but he could have a very long one. So long as he gets some playing time under his belt early, he could be a fan favorite for a good portion of his career.
Safety
One of the most storied veterans to find himself without a roster spot heading into the 2016 season is 12-year strong safety Will Allen. After playing in Tampa Bay for six seasons, he became a staple among the crushing Steeler secondary for six seasons -- despite one year in Dallas -- even recording 13 starts and 810 (73.3%) defensive snaps in 2015. With injuries starting to take a toll, and his age certainly a factor, the Steelers decided not to re-sign the safety, which could signal the end of his long NFL career.
Incoming Buckeye: Vonn Bell. Taken in the second round by the New Orleans Saints, Bell could bring much needed athleticism to the secondary. The Saints have become a popular landing spot for Buckeyes, with the team drafting Michael Thomas just ahead of Bell, and signing James Laurinaitis in free agency. Bell just missed being on the same defense as the late Ohio State legend Will Smith, who retired a few seasons before his tragic death.
Continue reading...
Alexis Chassen via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
As new Buckeye rising stars are headed to the NFL, veterans are on their way elsewhere.
With a new era of Buckeye strongmen entering the NFL, there are also a slew of former top draft picks out of Ohio State whose careers are starting to fade. Stars only shine so bright for so long, and some of the names synonymous with Ohio State on Sundays, have started facing the chopping block, and some are starting the final leg of their careers.
Longevity in the NFL is always the goal, but rarely the outcome. Injuries can become a mainstay with players and positions that take on a heavy workload or see a large number of snaps. Particularly with positions like lineman and defenders who rely on tackling play-after-play, long careers can depend entirely on how many or how frequently a player is injured. And with fresh legs, and young blood coming out of college every year, the risk/benefit analysis is continual.
Now that teams are ushering in their latest set of draft picks and undrafted free agents, they are taking a closer look at their rosters to see where they can trim the fat. Unfortunately, those decisions can result in some of the League's most popular or former stars landing on the chopping block with no where else to go.
Offensive tackle
The Steelers announced Thursday the release of former second-round pick, offensive tackle Mike Adams citing the reason as a failed physical. Adams spent the 2015 on the physically unable to perform list with a lingering back problem; his recovery after surgery didn't go as well as hoped, which may have lead to the team's dismissal. He started 20 of the 41 games played in Pittsburgh since he was drafted in 2012, but failed to live up to the 'starter' moniker the Steelers were hoping he'd earn.
Incoming Buckeye: Taylor Decker. The No. 16 overall draft pick in 2016 is headed to the Detroit Lions in hopes of being the next offensive tackle to find success in the NFL. His need will be immediate, as the Lions are hoping to build a line that can protect Matthew Stafford in the pocket and open up the offensive options -- especially with wideout legend Chris Johnson retiring after last season.
Linebacker
After nine seasons with the Green Bay Packers, their No. 5 pick overall in 2006 linebacker A.J. Hawk was released ahead of the 2015 season. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, his home-state team, for just one year before being released during the shuffle of the 2016 free agency period. Hawk has yet to find another team interested in extending his career -- despite having missed only two games in his entire 10 year career. He's been one of the more successful Buckeyes in the NFL, with a career that includes 945 total tackles, 20 sacks, 33 passes defended and nine interceptions.
Incoming Buckeye: Darron Lee. While the No. 20 overall pick may not have the physicality of Hawk, the young linebacker has the speed and versatility that defenses are now looking for. The Jets will get to test Lee at both linebacker and safety as a dual-threat, and will quickly find out if his new attributes at the position can lead to a long career in the NFL.
Incoming Buckeye No. 2: Joshua Perry. More of the stereotypical linebacker like Hawk, Perry will be heading to the San Diego Chargers -- along with teammate Joey Bosa -- to try his hand at a pro career. As a leader on and off the field, he may not have a dynamic career, but he could have a very long one. So long as he gets some playing time under his belt early, he could be a fan favorite for a good portion of his career.
Safety
One of the most storied veterans to find himself without a roster spot heading into the 2016 season is 12-year strong safety Will Allen. After playing in Tampa Bay for six seasons, he became a staple among the crushing Steeler secondary for six seasons -- despite one year in Dallas -- even recording 13 starts and 810 (73.3%) defensive snaps in 2015. With injuries starting to take a toll, and his age certainly a factor, the Steelers decided not to re-sign the safety, which could signal the end of his long NFL career.
Incoming Buckeye: Vonn Bell. Taken in the second round by the New Orleans Saints, Bell could bring much needed athleticism to the secondary. The Saints have become a popular landing spot for Buckeyes, with the team drafting Michael Thomas just ahead of Bell, and signing James Laurinaitis in free agency. Bell just missed being on the same defense as the late Ohio State legend Will Smith, who retired a few seasons before his tragic death.
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Google Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALS - WFMJ
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Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALS - WFMJ
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
WFMJ
Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALS
WFMJ
Buckeye legends filled up the auditorium of Boardman High school, making small talk and signing autographs for the Youngstown branch of Buckeye nation. "I got t-shirts signed by everybody got to meet a few of them," said Buckeye fan Kristin Seibler ...
and more »
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
WFMJ
Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALS
WFMJ
Buckeye legends filled up the auditorium of Boardman High school, making small talk and signing autographs for the Youngstown branch of Buckeye nation. "I got t-shirts signed by everybody got to meet a few of them," said Buckeye fan Kristin Seibler ...
and more »
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Google Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky - Youngstown Vindicator
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Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky - Youngstown Vindicator
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Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky
Youngstown Vindicator
The inaugural Varsity Partners Team Talk featuring nine former Ohio State athletes included stories about Jim Tressel, why they chose to become Buckeyes and their greatest moments at Ohio State. Among the five who created the foundation is 2002 ...
Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALSWFMJ
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Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky
Youngstown Vindicator
The inaugural Varsity Partners Team Talk featuring nine former Ohio State athletes included stories about Jim Tressel, why they chose to become Buckeyes and their greatest moments at Ohio State. Among the five who created the foundation is 2002 ...
Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALSWFMJ
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Google Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky - Youngstown Vindicator
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Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky - Youngstown Vindicator
via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
WFMJ
Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky
Youngstown Vindicator
The inaugural Varsity Partners Team Talk featuring nine former Ohio State athletes included stories about Jim Tressel, why they chose to become Buckeyes and their greatest moments at Ohio State. Among the five who created the foundation is 2002 ...
Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALSWFMJ
all 3 news articles »
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
WFMJ
Dials leads former Buckeyes in benefit for Terlesky
Youngstown Vindicator
The inaugural Varsity Partners Team Talk featuring nine former Ohio State athletes included stories about Jim Tressel, why they chose to become Buckeyes and their greatest moments at Ohio State. Among the five who created the foundation is 2002 ...
Buckeye legends come to Boardman to support former teacher with ALSWFMJ
all 3 news articles »
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Google MVLB - Cougars fall to Buckeyes in national championship match - BYUCougars.com
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MVLB - Cougars fall to Buckeyes in national championship match - BYUCougars.com
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MVLB - Cougars fall to Buckeyes in national championship match
BYUCougars.com
The score remained tight, though, as the Buckeyes tied the set 15-all on an overpass kill. Sander, Durkin and Michael Hatch teamed up for a triple block that gave the Cougars a 20-18 edge, forcing Ohio State to take its final timeout of the set. The ...
NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title matchDaily Herald
BYU men's volleyball: Buckeyes exceed expectations to face Cougars for titleDeseret News
Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes confident entering NCAA title gameCanton Repository
Salt Lake Tribune -Land-Grant Holy Land
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MVLB - Cougars fall to Buckeyes in national championship match
BYUCougars.com
The score remained tight, though, as the Buckeyes tied the set 15-all on an overpass kill. Sander, Durkin and Michael Hatch teamed up for a triple block that gave the Cougars a 20-18 edge, forcing Ohio State to take its final timeout of the set. The ...
NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title matchDaily Herald
BYU men's volleyball: Buckeyes exceed expectations to face Cougars for titleDeseret News
Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes confident entering NCAA title gameCanton Repository
Salt Lake Tribune -Land-Grant Holy Land
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LGHL Ohio State shocks No. 1 BYU to win the men's volleyball national championship
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Ohio State shocks No. 1 BYU to win the men's volleyball national championship
Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Go Bucks!
It took five years, but Ohio State now has another national championship to celebrate. After just three sets (32-30, 25-23, and 25-17), the Buckeyes were able to dispatch the No. 1 seeded BYU Cougars inside Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State.
Nicolas Szerszen, the sensational Frenchman, set the table for Buckeyes title win helping the Bucks dominate the Cougs in the serve-receive battle throughout the evening. The MIVA player of the year as well as national player of the year got the Buckeyes to the championship game with a game-winning service ace against No. 2 UCLA on Thursday night.
This marks the second national title for Ohio State and long time head coach Pete Hanson. Hanson and the Bucks won a national title in the same building on the same date in 2011.
Congrats to the Buckeyes on making history once again.
Go Bucks
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Geoff Hammersley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Go Bucks!
It took five years, but Ohio State now has another national championship to celebrate. After just three sets (32-30, 25-23, and 25-17), the Buckeyes were able to dispatch the No. 1 seeded BYU Cougars inside Recreation Hall on the campus of Penn State.
Nicolas Szerszen, the sensational Frenchman, set the table for Buckeyes title win helping the Bucks dominate the Cougs in the serve-receive battle throughout the evening. The MIVA player of the year as well as national player of the year got the Buckeyes to the championship game with a game-winning service ace against No. 2 UCLA on Thursday night.
This marks the second national title for Ohio State and long time head coach Pete Hanson. Hanson and the Bucks won a national title in the same building on the same date in 2011.
Congrats to the Buckeyes on making history once again.
Go Bucks
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Google Twitter: Former Buckeye QB Cardale Jones thanks Ohio State - Big Ten Network
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Twitter: Former Buckeye QB Cardale Jones thanks Ohio State - Big Ten Network
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Twitter: Former Buckeye QB Cardale Jones thanks Ohio State
Big Ten Network
Today, the former Buckeye quarterback sent out a tweet, thanking his former school. Check it out at the top of this post. The tweet includes four photos, the most noticeable one being a picture of Jones hoisting the national championship trophy ...
Cardale Jones takes Buffalo247Sports
Bills QB Jones calls Rex his "long lost Dad"WKBW-TV
Cardale Jones Tweets Thank You To Ohio StateCampus Insiders
Eleven Warriors (registration) -New Pittsburgh Courier -Campus Sports
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Twitter: Former Buckeye QB Cardale Jones thanks Ohio State
Big Ten Network
Today, the former Buckeye quarterback sent out a tweet, thanking his former school. Check it out at the top of this post. The tweet includes four photos, the most noticeable one being a picture of Jones hoisting the national championship trophy ...
Cardale Jones takes Buffalo247Sports
Bills QB Jones calls Rex his "long lost Dad"WKBW-TV
Cardale Jones Tweets Thank You To Ohio StateCampus Insiders
Eleven Warriors (registration) -New Pittsburgh Courier -Campus Sports
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LGHL Ohio State baseball gets roughed up, 12-0, by Iowa
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Ohio State baseball gets roughed up, 12-0, by Iowa
Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It wasn't the Buckeyes' day on Saturday, as the Hawkeyes pounded out 19 hits.
After a weather delay of nearly an hour and a half, baseball was played at Bill Davis Stadium on Saturday, but it was a game that Ohio State would probably like to forget. The Buckeyes were shutout 12-0 by Iowa after allowing 19 hits on the day, and fell to 9-8 in Big Ten play.
Hawkeye senior Tyler Peyton was the story of the day, throwing seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball on the bump and going 3-for-5 with two runs scored at the plate.
Joel Booker and Mason McCoy led the charge offensively for Iowa, each collecting three hits of their own and combining to drive in six runs.
It was not John Havird's day on the mound for Ohio State. The lefty was tagged six runs, five earned, on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. Havird took the loss for the first time since March 6th, falling to 5-2 on the year.
A day after scoring six runs on 11 hits, the Buckeyes managed to get a runner past first base just once and had a mere four baserunners all game.
Peyton helped his own cause right off the bat with a double over center fielder Troy Montgomery's head to lead off the game. An RBI single by Booker scored the Hawkeye pitcher, and two more run-scoring singles by McCoy and John Barrett in the inning made it 3-0.
Havird settled in after that, tossing scoreless frames in the second, third, and fourth. He gave up three straight two-out hits in the fifth, though, and McCoy once again delivered to push the deficit to 5-0.
Meanwhile, the Buckeye bats couldn't get anything going against Peyton. The big righty didn't yield a hit through his first 4.1 innings, and kept Ohio State off balance throughout the afternoon.
A two-out single in the sixth ended Havird's day, but reliever Austin Woodby couldn't close things out. A single and two straight walks resulted in Iowa's sixth run of the game.
The Hawkeyes put up two more on Woodby in the eighth, as Nick Roscetti singled home a run and Booker doubled one in to make it 8-0.
RBI singles by Mitchell Boe and Roscetti, a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Booker, and a throwing error by shortstop Craig Nennig in the ninth gave Iowa four more runs off reliever Joe Stoll to give them an even dozen on the day.
The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, and will be streaming live on BTN Plus.
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Ben Martens via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It wasn't the Buckeyes' day on Saturday, as the Hawkeyes pounded out 19 hits.
After a weather delay of nearly an hour and a half, baseball was played at Bill Davis Stadium on Saturday, but it was a game that Ohio State would probably like to forget. The Buckeyes were shutout 12-0 by Iowa after allowing 19 hits on the day, and fell to 9-8 in Big Ten play.
Hawkeye senior Tyler Peyton was the story of the day, throwing seven innings of two-hit, shutout ball on the bump and going 3-for-5 with two runs scored at the plate.
Joel Booker and Mason McCoy led the charge offensively for Iowa, each collecting three hits of their own and combining to drive in six runs.
It was not John Havird's day on the mound for Ohio State. The lefty was tagged six runs, five earned, on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. Havird took the loss for the first time since March 6th, falling to 5-2 on the year.
A day after scoring six runs on 11 hits, the Buckeyes managed to get a runner past first base just once and had a mere four baserunners all game.
Peyton helped his own cause right off the bat with a double over center fielder Troy Montgomery's head to lead off the game. An RBI single by Booker scored the Hawkeye pitcher, and two more run-scoring singles by McCoy and John Barrett in the inning made it 3-0.
Havird settled in after that, tossing scoreless frames in the second, third, and fourth. He gave up three straight two-out hits in the fifth, though, and McCoy once again delivered to push the deficit to 5-0.
Meanwhile, the Buckeye bats couldn't get anything going against Peyton. The big righty didn't yield a hit through his first 4.1 innings, and kept Ohio State off balance throughout the afternoon.
A two-out single in the sixth ended Havird's day, but reliever Austin Woodby couldn't close things out. A single and two straight walks resulted in Iowa's sixth run of the game.
The Hawkeyes put up two more on Woodby in the eighth, as Nick Roscetti singled home a run and Booker doubled one in to make it 8-0.
RBI singles by Mitchell Boe and Roscetti, a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Booker, and a throwing error by shortstop Craig Nennig in the ninth gave Iowa four more runs off reliever Joe Stoll to give them an even dozen on the day.
The rubber match of the series is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, and will be streaming live on BTN Plus.
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Google NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title match - Daily Herald
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NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title match - Daily Herald
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NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title match
Daily Herald
The smart money was on a BYU-UCLA final at Penn State's Rec Hall on Saturday, but the Buckeyes had other ideas. Ohio State, the No. 3 seed, battled No. 2 seed UCLA to a fifth set in Thursday's semifinals. After fighting off two match points, Ohio State ...
BYU men's volleyball: Buckeyes exceed expectations to face Cougars for titleDeseret News
Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes confident entering NCAA title gameColumbus Dispatch
BYU men's volleyball: Cougars loose and confident heading into title match vs. Ohio StateSalt Lake Tribune
Canton Repository -Bruins Nation -KSL.com
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NCAA Volleyball: Cougars, Buckeyes prepare for NCAA title match
Daily Herald
The smart money was on a BYU-UCLA final at Penn State's Rec Hall on Saturday, but the Buckeyes had other ideas. Ohio State, the No. 3 seed, battled No. 2 seed UCLA to a fifth set in Thursday's semifinals. After fighting off two match points, Ohio State ...
BYU men's volleyball: Buckeyes exceed expectations to face Cougars for titleDeseret News
Ohio State men's volleyball | Buckeyes confident entering NCAA title gameColumbus Dispatch
BYU men's volleyball: Cougars loose and confident heading into title match vs. Ohio StateSalt Lake Tribune
Canton Repository -Bruins Nation -KSL.com
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LGHL Few schools identify and develop 3-star recruits better than Ohio State
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Few schools identify and develop 3-star recruits better than Ohio State
Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It's not all about blue-chippers: elite programs must find and coach-up diamonds in the rough, too.
Through four season with Urban Meyer at Ohio State, two things are abundantly clear: Ohio State has joined Alabama in a league of their own when it comes to recruiting, and the same goes for NFL Draft factories. Put simply, the Buckeyes find elite, blue-chip talent, get them to come to Columbus, then turn them in to NFL players.
Urban Meyer as an elite recruiter and Ohio State as an NFL factory are well-known facts. But what about the less-heralded recruits to come through Ohio State?
Championships aren't only built by four- and five-star players who had 30+ offers in high school -- it's also the ability to identify diamonds in the rough in high school. These are kids who may come from under recruited areas, not be playing their natural positions, still need to develop physically in college, or who just benefit from playing for and being coached by the Buckeyes' elite group of coaches.
The anecdotal examples of these players are numerous. Darron Lee. Michael Thomas. Cardale Jones. These highly-drafted players are just the beginning of former three-star players to develop in to super stars for the NFL.
Post-NFL Draft I looked at Urban's history with recruiting and developing three-star recruits following my earlier piece that just looked at blue-chippers.
Successes of Urban's first two classes
In Urban's first two classes at Ohio State, he recruited 12 three-star players to Ohio State and 36 blue-chip recruits for a two-year blue chip percentage of 75%. The vast majority of those three-stars were in his first class -- in 2012 -- where he and his new staff had roughly two months to stitch together following the disastrous 2011 campaign. 2013 only had 3 three-star recruits.
In total, six of the twelve total three-star recruits were either drafted (25%) or are currently contending for a starting spot on this year's team (another 25%). Two more players were long-term starters even though they didn't get drafted -- Tyvis Powell and Jacoby Boren. Including those two, and if you define a successful recruit as one where the player is a significant contributor (currently vying for a starting position or a former starter who is now in the NFL), Urban's overall success rate for three-stars is roughly 67%.
So even the most unheralded recruits in Urban's elite recruiting classes have a high hit rate (67%) -- that's an astounding ability to identify talent and/or coach raw ability.
And for those under-recruited players, their average 247Sports Composite Rating is just .8643, compared to .9722 for Ohio State's most recently-drafted blue-chippers. For the three drafted former three stars, they average only .8666 -- a group that includes Michael Thomas, Cardale Jones, and Darron Lee.
There have been 24 three-stars in the most recent three classes and already two -- Malik Hooker and Damon Arnette -- are challenging for starting spots for 2016.
While the core of Ohio State's recruiting classes will be blue chip recruits, as they simply have a higher likelihood of panning out, Urban's success rate for three-stars has been incredible. If they don't leave the program early, like Frank Epitropoulos, Luke Roberts, or Ricquan Southward, then there's a high likelihood that those players will contend for a starting spot or be a significant contributor down the road in their careers at Ohio State. And if the trend of one in four three-stars becoming NFL Draft picks continues, then that's a heck of an achievement for the Ohio State coaching staff.
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Chad Peltier via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
It's not all about blue-chippers: elite programs must find and coach-up diamonds in the rough, too.
Through four season with Urban Meyer at Ohio State, two things are abundantly clear: Ohio State has joined Alabama in a league of their own when it comes to recruiting, and the same goes for NFL Draft factories. Put simply, the Buckeyes find elite, blue-chip talent, get them to come to Columbus, then turn them in to NFL players.
Urban Meyer as an elite recruiter and Ohio State as an NFL factory are well-known facts. But what about the less-heralded recruits to come through Ohio State?
Championships aren't only built by four- and five-star players who had 30+ offers in high school -- it's also the ability to identify diamonds in the rough in high school. These are kids who may come from under recruited areas, not be playing their natural positions, still need to develop physically in college, or who just benefit from playing for and being coached by the Buckeyes' elite group of coaches.
The anecdotal examples of these players are numerous. Darron Lee. Michael Thomas. Cardale Jones. These highly-drafted players are just the beginning of former three-star players to develop in to super stars for the NFL.
Post-NFL Draft I looked at Urban's history with recruiting and developing three-star recruits following my earlier piece that just looked at blue-chippers.
Successes of Urban's first two classes
In Urban's first two classes at Ohio State, he recruited 12 three-star players to Ohio State and 36 blue-chip recruits for a two-year blue chip percentage of 75%. The vast majority of those three-stars were in his first class -- in 2012 -- where he and his new staff had roughly two months to stitch together following the disastrous 2011 campaign. 2013 only had 3 three-star recruits.
In total, six of the twelve total three-star recruits were either drafted (25%) or are currently contending for a starting spot on this year's team (another 25%). Two more players were long-term starters even though they didn't get drafted -- Tyvis Powell and Jacoby Boren. Including those two, and if you define a successful recruit as one where the player is a significant contributor (currently vying for a starting position or a former starter who is now in the NFL), Urban's overall success rate for three-stars is roughly 67%.
So even the most unheralded recruits in Urban's elite recruiting classes have a high hit rate (67%) -- that's an astounding ability to identify talent and/or coach raw ability.
And for those under-recruited players, their average 247Sports Composite Rating is just .8643, compared to .9722 for Ohio State's most recently-drafted blue-chippers. For the three drafted former three stars, they average only .8666 -- a group that includes Michael Thomas, Cardale Jones, and Darron Lee.
There have been 24 three-stars in the most recent three classes and already two -- Malik Hooker and Damon Arnette -- are challenging for starting spots for 2016.
While the core of Ohio State's recruiting classes will be blue chip recruits, as they simply have a higher likelihood of panning out, Urban's success rate for three-stars has been incredible. If they don't leave the program early, like Frank Epitropoulos, Luke Roberts, or Ricquan Southward, then there's a high likelihood that those players will contend for a starting spot or be a significant contributor down the road in their careers at Ohio State. And if the trend of one in four three-stars becoming NFL Draft picks continues, then that's a heck of an achievement for the Ohio State coaching staff.
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Google Spartans Blank Buckeyes 6-0 in Series Opener - Michigan State Athletics
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Spartans Blank Buckeyes 6-0 in Series Opener - Michigan State Athletics
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Spartans Blank Buckeyes 6-0 in Series Opener
Michigan State Athletics
MSU (26-26, 7-14 B1G) took down the Buckeyes, who were the top team receiving votes in this week's NFCA top-25, for the first time in the last 13 meetings. OSU falls to 31-16-1, 12-8-1 in Conference action. The two starting pitchers, Kristina Zalewski ...
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via Google News using key phrase "Buckeyes".
Spartans Blank Buckeyes 6-0 in Series Opener
Michigan State Athletics
MSU (26-26, 7-14 B1G) took down the Buckeyes, who were the top team receiving votes in this week's NFCA top-25, for the first time in the last 13 meetings. OSU falls to 31-16-1, 12-8-1 in Conference action. The two starting pitchers, Kristina Zalewski ...
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LGHL How Ohio State's NFL Draft class for the ages fit on their new teams
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How Ohio State's NFL Draft class for the ages fit on their new teams
Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Eli Apple, Darron Lee and Taylor Decker headline one of the best NFL Draft classes of all time.
In case you haven't heard, Ohio State just had arguably the greatest NFL Draft class of all time. This is fantastic news and all, but let's step away from these large numbers for a second and focus on the real news: the actual first round draft picks.
No. 3 -€” DE Joey Bosa to the San Diego Chargers
After months of speculation that Bosa could fall in the draft, he ended up being the first non-quarterback taken. While some (Mel Kiper) have scoffed at the idea of Bosa playing in a 3-4 defense, San Diego felt perfectly comfortable slotting Bosa in as their five technique defensive end for years to come.
The idea that Bosa has a specific fit along the defensive line is absurd. Ohio State regularly utilized Bosa on both the inside and outside of the defensive line, and his versatility is one of the factors that made him such a desired prospect. Bosa as a 3-4 end will be able to take advantage of guards not used to dealing with such a dynamic inside pass rushing force, and Bosa will also be covered up by a pass rushing linebacker, something that will further help Bosa due to his lack of elite speed off the edge.
Other Bosa News:
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From San Diego Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco:
"When you turn on the film and watch the way he plays; the passion, the energy, everything....Any game you turn on, you saw 97 out there taking games over. He may not be getting a large number of sacks week-in and week-out, but the pressure he got on the quarterback week-in and week-out (was big). Those hits on the quarterback, the whole entire team feels. We just love his passion for the game. When he walked out of the room at the Combine he said, ‘I can't wait to put that Chargers helmet on one day.' I mentioned (that) to him tonight. The fans are going to love him."
No. 4 -€” RB Ezekiel Elliott to the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the entire NFL, so naturally the entire pre-draft process consisted of running backs gushing about how well they would fit in Dallas. Zeke was no different, but he has a point: Ezekiel Elliott is a perfect fit for the Dallas Cowboys.
Yes, the giant holes Elliott should get used to running through will be great and all, but more than anything it's Elliott's receiving and blocking ability that could really give the Cowboys' offense a new dimension. Keeping the aging Tony Romo upright has been the number one priority for years now, and adding the best college blocking running back in recent memory will certainly help matters. Additionally, while Marion Barber, DeMarco Murray and Darren McFadden have given the Cowboys respectable pass receivers over the years, none match Elliott's natural hands or explosiveness once he gets the ball.
Other Zeke News:
/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6446117/usa-today-9272967.0.0.jpg)
From Peter King's great in-depth report on the Cowboys draft process:
"Jason Garrett (the Cowboys head coach), on Monday, closed his office door and spent seven hours looking at every snap of (Jalen) Ramsey at Florida State in 2015, and every snap of Elliott at Ohio State in 2016. He liked Ramsey. He loved Elliott."
No. 10 -€” CB Eli Apple to the New York Giants
As far as the fit is concerned, Apple in New York is just fine. Every team in the league could use more tall corners with press coverage skills, so it would've been hard for Apple to find a situation that wouldn't utilize his talents.
The only concern with Apple is the fact that he was drafted so high. Being drafted 10th is great for Apple financially, but the expectations for him are going to be sky high from Day 1. While Apple's excellent sophomore season turned him from a possible early NFL Draft entrant to a sure fire first rounder, Apple's technique is still a bit raw and he has a ways to go before he can even think about consistently locking up NFL wide receivers. The good news is Apple will get eased in a bit behind established corners Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Apple has all of the talent in the world, let's just hope that New York is okay with patiently waiting for a year or two.
Other Eli News:
Praying for all the thirsty girls sliding in new NFL rookies DMs with heavy booty & cleavage action pics. Only Jesus can quench your thirst
— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) May 1, 2016
From New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese:
"He was an easy pick, and it was a value pick, No. 1, because he's the highest player on our board and was a need pick because we have two corners, and like I said during the draft, if you only have two corners, you're one corner short in this league."
No. 16 -€” OT Taylor Decker to the Detroit Lions
Taylor Decker came in right about where he was projected, and ended up in a pretty great situation with the Detroit Lions. With Riley Reiff filling in as the Lions' left tackle, Decker should start from Day 1 at the more rookie friendly right tackle position.
Decker has faced some criticism regarding his pass-blocking ability, and landing in Detroit provides him one of the best possible opportunities to prove his naysayers wrong. The Lions are going to run the ball more this year out of pure necessity since Calvin Johnson is no longer around, and that is right up Decker's alley. No one has doubted Decker's ability to maul defenders in the run game, and playing right tackle has always been the preferred position for young tackles still developing their pass protection skills.
Other Decker News:
Stopped by the zoo today to say hello to 'Taylor' & 'Decker', the two clouded leopards that the @columbus_zoo named after me. Such a cool honor by some of my favorite people I've ever met.
From Detroit Lions General Manager Bob Quinn:
"I think he has good pass protection skills...Good run blocking. I thought he was a really, really solid overall player that can really help the Lions. We spent a lot of time with a lot of the offensive linemen in the pre-draft process, including Taylor, and it really came across to us that he was clearly the best guy on the board at the time."
No. 20 -€” LB Darron Lee to the New York Jets
After having one of the best combines in the entire draft, the sky seemed to be the limit for Lee's draft stock. In the end Lee's draft position seems about right, considering the insanely talented linebacker has only played the position for three years.
Lee may have the best fit for any Ohio State draftee not named Ezekiel, as head coach Todd Bowles has been known to get the most out of his defenses in both New York and formerly Arizona. Lee will have a bit of a learning curve as he projects to slot in as one of the Jets' 3-4 middle linebackers, but luckily for Lee: the New York Jets have one of the best defensive lines in football. Muhammed Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams are all available to eat up blockers which will let Lee do what he does best: make plays.
Other Lee News:
This is just great, @DTang0426 https://t.co/HuqzVSgXRb
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 29, 2016
From New York Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles:
"He's an inside linebacker. He can play the nickel right now, and he's going to grow into a three-down 'backer. ... He makes us a lot faster and you can do a lot of things with him. He's a very good pressure guy, he's a very good cover guy, and he runs sideline to sideline."
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Ian Hartitz via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joey Bosa, Ezekiel Elliott, Eli Apple, Darron Lee and Taylor Decker headline one of the best NFL Draft classes of all time.
In case you haven't heard, Ohio State just had arguably the greatest NFL Draft class of all time. This is fantastic news and all, but let's step away from these large numbers for a second and focus on the real news: the actual first round draft picks.
No. 3 -€” DE Joey Bosa to the San Diego Chargers
After months of speculation that Bosa could fall in the draft, he ended up being the first non-quarterback taken. While some (Mel Kiper) have scoffed at the idea of Bosa playing in a 3-4 defense, San Diego felt perfectly comfortable slotting Bosa in as their five technique defensive end for years to come.
The idea that Bosa has a specific fit along the defensive line is absurd. Ohio State regularly utilized Bosa on both the inside and outside of the defensive line, and his versatility is one of the factors that made him such a desired prospect. Bosa as a 3-4 end will be able to take advantage of guards not used to dealing with such a dynamic inside pass rushing force, and Bosa will also be covered up by a pass rushing linebacker, something that will further help Bosa due to his lack of elite speed off the edge.
Other Bosa News:
- Looks like Bosa's alleged "character concerns" really had a lot of truth to them, huh?
- Joey "shrugged" off being selected third despite rumors of him falling:
From San Diego Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco:
"When you turn on the film and watch the way he plays; the passion, the energy, everything....Any game you turn on, you saw 97 out there taking games over. He may not be getting a large number of sacks week-in and week-out, but the pressure he got on the quarterback week-in and week-out (was big). Those hits on the quarterback, the whole entire team feels. We just love his passion for the game. When he walked out of the room at the Combine he said, ‘I can't wait to put that Chargers helmet on one day.' I mentioned (that) to him tonight. The fans are going to love him."
No. 4 -€” RB Ezekiel Elliott to the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the entire NFL, so naturally the entire pre-draft process consisted of running backs gushing about how well they would fit in Dallas. Zeke was no different, but he has a point: Ezekiel Elliott is a perfect fit for the Dallas Cowboys.
Yes, the giant holes Elliott should get used to running through will be great and all, but more than anything it's Elliott's receiving and blocking ability that could really give the Cowboys' offense a new dimension. Keeping the aging Tony Romo upright has been the number one priority for years now, and adding the best college blocking running back in recent memory will certainly help matters. Additionally, while Marion Barber, DeMarco Murray and Darren McFadden have given the Cowboys respectable pass receivers over the years, none match Elliott's natural hands or explosiveness once he gets the ball.
Other Zeke News:
- Zeke already has a very respectable Madden rating of 84, which is great until you remember how great his NCAA Football rating could have been.
- Zeke's attire for the draft was...interesting:
From Peter King's great in-depth report on the Cowboys draft process:
"Jason Garrett (the Cowboys head coach), on Monday, closed his office door and spent seven hours looking at every snap of (Jalen) Ramsey at Florida State in 2015, and every snap of Elliott at Ohio State in 2016. He liked Ramsey. He loved Elliott."
No. 10 -€” CB Eli Apple to the New York Giants
As far as the fit is concerned, Apple in New York is just fine. Every team in the league could use more tall corners with press coverage skills, so it would've been hard for Apple to find a situation that wouldn't utilize his talents.
The only concern with Apple is the fact that he was drafted so high. Being drafted 10th is great for Apple financially, but the expectations for him are going to be sky high from Day 1. While Apple's excellent sophomore season turned him from a possible early NFL Draft entrant to a sure fire first rounder, Apple's technique is still a bit raw and he has a ways to go before he can even think about consistently locking up NFL wide receivers. The good news is Apple will get eased in a bit behind established corners Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Apple has all of the talent in the world, let's just hope that New York is okay with patiently waiting for a year or two.
Other Eli News:
- Eli made quite the power move, bypassing the typical athlete writing platform that is the Players Tribune, for the New York Post. Lovely tidbits in here include Zeke not showing up to his own after party, and Eli telling his Mom that Deion Sanders was a kicker at the draft.
- Mrs. Apple had some kind words of advice for any young females hoping to slide into Eli's DMs:
Praying for all the thirsty girls sliding in new NFL rookies DMs with heavy booty & cleavage action pics. Only Jesus can quench your thirst
— Annie Apple (@SurvivinAmerica) May 1, 2016
From New York Giants General Manager Jerry Reese:
"He was an easy pick, and it was a value pick, No. 1, because he's the highest player on our board and was a need pick because we have two corners, and like I said during the draft, if you only have two corners, you're one corner short in this league."
No. 16 -€” OT Taylor Decker to the Detroit Lions
Taylor Decker came in right about where he was projected, and ended up in a pretty great situation with the Detroit Lions. With Riley Reiff filling in as the Lions' left tackle, Decker should start from Day 1 at the more rookie friendly right tackle position.
Decker has faced some criticism regarding his pass-blocking ability, and landing in Detroit provides him one of the best possible opportunities to prove his naysayers wrong. The Lions are going to run the ball more this year out of pure necessity since Calvin Johnson is no longer around, and that is right up Decker's alley. No one has doubted Decker's ability to maul defenders in the run game, and playing right tackle has always been the preferred position for young tackles still developing their pass protection skills.
Other Decker News:
- The best headline to come from Decker's post draft has to be "Taylor Decker's girlfriend is hotter than yours" (she is).
- Decker celebrated the occasion by later visiting the Columbus Zoo, specifically the two baby leopards that are named ‘Taylor' and ‘Decker'. I'm speechless:
Stopped by the zoo today to say hello to 'Taylor' & 'Decker', the two clouded leopards that the @columbus_zoo named after me. Such a cool honor by some of my favorite people I've ever met.
A photo posted by Taylor Decker (@__tylerdexter) on May 2, 2016 at 6:55pm PDT
From Detroit Lions General Manager Bob Quinn:
"I think he has good pass protection skills...Good run blocking. I thought he was a really, really solid overall player that can really help the Lions. We spent a lot of time with a lot of the offensive linemen in the pre-draft process, including Taylor, and it really came across to us that he was clearly the best guy on the board at the time."
No. 20 -€” LB Darron Lee to the New York Jets
After having one of the best combines in the entire draft, the sky seemed to be the limit for Lee's draft stock. In the end Lee's draft position seems about right, considering the insanely talented linebacker has only played the position for three years.
Lee may have the best fit for any Ohio State draftee not named Ezekiel, as head coach Todd Bowles has been known to get the most out of his defenses in both New York and formerly Arizona. Lee will have a bit of a learning curve as he projects to slot in as one of the Jets' 3-4 middle linebackers, but luckily for Lee: the New York Jets have one of the best defensive lines in football. Muhammed Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams are all available to eat up blockers which will let Lee do what he does best: make plays.
Other Lee News:
- With a seemingly permanent chip on his shoulder, Lee took another well-earned chance to ridicule those who only gave him a 3-star rating out of high school.
- Darron left coach Urban Meyer hanging on a high five attempt. Don't feel too bad for Urban, the recruiting stories Lee has given Meyer are more than enough to make up for this miss:
This is just great, @DTang0426 https://t.co/HuqzVSgXRb
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 29, 2016
From New York Jets Head Coach Todd Bowles:
"He's an inside linebacker. He can play the nickel right now, and he's going to grow into a three-down 'backer. ... He makes us a lot faster and you can do a lot of things with him. He's a very good pressure guy, he's a very good cover guy, and he runs sideline to sideline."
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