2025 Spring Practices, Spring Game, and other Tidbits

[ScriptOhio]

Any chance I can get to be in the Shoe, decent weather, affordable ticket prices, delicious nachos and Ohio State football, is a glorious day. Anyone that has a problem with that because "is not real football", or, "is stupid", needs to just shut the fuck up and probably never be in my general vicinity breathing Ohio air!

Ohio State Spring Showcase Tickets Now On Sale

While Ohio State hasn’t yet confirmed what its spring showcase will look like, Ohio State is now selling tickets for the April 12 event at Ohio Stadium.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Ohio State Spring Showcase Tickets Now On Sale​

Ohio State is now selling tickets for its spring showcase at Ohio Stadium.

General admission tickets for the April 12 event at Ohio Stadium start at $8 on Ticketmaster, though the price increases to $15.50 including fees. Reserved seating options start at $20 ($28 including fees) with a limited number of club seats available for $35 ($45 with fees).

Although tickets are now on sale for the spring showcase, it remains unclear exactly what the spring showcase will consist of from a football standpoint. Ryan Day told the Board of Trustees’ athletics committee earlier this week that he expects the spring showcase to be different than spring games of past years.
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The spring showcase, which will begin at noon on April 12, will culminate four weeks of spring practice for the Buckeyes, who will practice 15 times between March 17 and April 12.

Just sayin': Previous years I have driven to the ticket office at the Schott and buy thickets there to avoid the Ticketmaster fees. You can probably do that this year too. I really don't like Ticketmaster.

 

[BB73]

I remember being encouraged about the performances of certain guys who I first saw in the Spring Game - Michael Thomas and Jack Sawyer instantly come to mind. And I remember being proud of being a part of the record Spring Game crowd over 100,000, that was worth the trip from Chicago at the time.

I will always watch the Spring Game/Scrimmage/Practice/Whatever, it’s a chance to watch Buckeyes on the football field.

 

[Bestbuck36]

Ordered my 4, hope its sunny and we have a great injury free day. Go Bucks!!!

 

[RB07OSU]

Any chance I can get to be in the Shoe, decent weather, affordable ticket prices, delicious nachos and Ohio State football, is a glorious day. Anyone that has a problem with that because "is not real football", or, "is stupid", needs to just shut the fuck up and probably never be in my general vicinity breathing Ohio air!

Amen. Every year for the spring game when I was a student it seemed to be great spring weather and we absolutely loved it. I can also say writing for the team on The Lantern, being up in the press box and doing interviews afterwards was just an amazing experience.

Growing up before that in my younger days, we didn't have a ton of money and that was really the only chance to get in the Shoe without someone giving us their tickets most of the time (which actually we were blessed enough to have happen several times due to great friends and family). Especially with ticket prices now, this is the opportunity for those people to be in the Shoe and around Ohio State football. Canceling any form of a spring game or event would be be a travesty to me.

 

[ScriptOhio]

As spring games disappear, teams are losing opportunities to connect with 'regular' fans -- and make new ones

Spring games have long provided an affordable way for whole families to enjoy college football together

www.cbssports.com

As spring games disappear, teams are losing opportunities to connect with 'regular' fans -- and make new ones​

Spring games have long provided an affordable way for whole families to enjoy college football together​

The list of schools canceling their spring games is growing -- and while the explanations vary depending on the coach or school -- it's clear that the fan-forward intra-squad scrimmage that has become a staple of the sport's offseason is fading away.

That's a disappointing development for fans, who have been routinely pushed to the side as college football endures the growing pains of the modern era. While the current college football calendar needs adjustment, those changes shouldn't include chopping out one of the most accessible avenues for fans to experience big-time college football.

The sport is becoming increasingly professionalized, and that cold and calculated approach to costs is passed along to the fans. Prices for tickets, parking and concessions continue to rise across the country. Some power conference schools are marking up 2025 season tickets by 10% to include a "talent fee" intended to help pay the athletes.

Getting a family of four to a college football game has long been a logistical nightmare, but now the price tag is making more families reconsider the preferred location to watch their favorite team.

But the spring game, on the other hand, has never taxed fans for the stadium experience.

Many spring games are free, or at least free admission with a charitable cause, like a canned food drive at the gate. Even the most-coveted spring game tickets in the country only cost pennies on the dollar compared to a game in the fall. Ohio State had an announced attendance of more than 80,000 for last year's spring game. Ohio State is doing away with its traditional spring game format in 2025, though a fan event will be held on April 12.

Eliminating opportunities for fans to experience the stadium and their favorite college football team at a discount limits the opportunities to grow your fan base. The human connection that can be made with new college football fans -- especially with a young fan -- does not require a top-10 made-for-TV matchup with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Getting young people into the stadium for what coaches have long called a "dress rehearsal" is a path to building a real relationship with the next generation of fans.

Since college football seems to be increasingly focused on money and growth these days, let's speak their language for a second.

If spring games are eliminated in favor of NFL-style OTAs -- an idea gaining traction among coaches -- then universities are limiting their future earning potential by shutting out the very customers they will be catering to in future decades.

We discussed this growing OTA trend on the Cover 3 Podcast this week and got some interesting feedback from fans who had great experiences either falling in love with their favorite team through spring games or passing along the tradition to their own family. One Ohio State fan sent along a photo with his boys on the 20-yard line in Ohio Stadium, pointing out that it's potentially the best seats they will get in that building.

"They thought it was a real game," he added.



Because that's the thing with young fans: It doesn't matter if the game is competitive. If there are jerseys, pads, helmets, whistles, music when someone scores a touchdown, cheerleaders and snacks, it's a football game. It doesn't take much, but even that small investment seems to be on the chopping block at many top programs across the country.

Now, to be clear, not every school has an Ohio State-like environment or demand for spring games. Fans of many schools won't miss them one bit. Some programs have slowly phased out the spring game tradition with conveniently timed stadium renovations while other coaches have been out on the public scrimmage long before this recent trend.

The spring game as a way to connect with regular fans, or future fans, might only be a factor with a couple dozen programs across the country. But when you consider the totality of those 20-30 fan bases it's still a large number of potential future undergrads and season ticket holders.

So what can be done to save the spring game? The first issue is the timing and setup of the transfer portal. In January the American Football Coaches Association unanimously approved a shorter winter window (10 days in early January) and the elimination of the spring window altogether -- though the initiative is likely to face a stiff headwind in its NCAA approval process. Coaches are concerned about roster disruption after all of the work put in during the NCAA-mandated 15 practice sessions during the spring semester.

Some coaches will tell you that broadcasting a spring game on TV doesn't affect tampering, because if a player is talented they will be found. But some paranoia is understandable when all of the efforts to organize a roster throughout spring can be disrupted just before the beginning of summer conditioning.
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[ScriptOhio]

Skull Session: Ohio State Ranks No. 101 Nationally in Returning Production for 2025, Five Buckeyes Appear in College Sports Network’s Top 100 Returning Players

Ohio State ranks No. 101 nationally in returning production for the 2025 season, but five Buckeyes appear in College Sports Network's top 100 returning players.

www.elevenwarriors.com

NEVER REBUILD, ALWAYS RELOAD. Each winter, Bill Connelly of ESPN examines the returning production for all FBS teams. A month after the 2024 season ended with Ohio State as national champions, Connelly’s research is complete. Where were the Buckeyes? You have to scroll… then scroll… then scroll… then scroll – and boom, there’s the Men in the Scarlet and Gray, ranked No. 101 out of 136 FBS teams with 46% of its production returning in 2025.

The defending national champion is probably going to start next season ranked No. 1 or 2 in the preseason polls, and that makes plenty of sense. When you have receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs and other teams don't, that's going to make you awfully appealing. But the Buckeyes did lose a 4,000-yard passer (Will Howard), two 1,000-yard rushers (Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson), a 1,000-yard receiver (Emeka Egbuka), an All-American left tackle (Donovan Jackson), their top four defensive linemen (who combined for 49 tackles for loss) and four other defensive starters. And although this doesn't count in the returning production formula, they lost both coordinators too. Blue-chippers abound, but that's a particularly impressive batch of contributors to replace.

It is an impressive batch.

But (!) Ohio State never rebuilds; it reloads.

FWIW, here’s a look at the returning production for other CFP teams last season:

• Oregon: No. 109 at 43%
• Georgia: No. 105 at 45%
• Boise State: No. 9 at 69%
• Arizona State: No. 2 at 79%
• Texas: No. 103 at 45%
• Penn State: No. 33 at 63%
• Notre Dame: No. 62 at 57%
• Tennessee: No. 58 at 59%
• Indiana: No. 44 at 61%
• SMU: No. 78 at 53%
• Clemson: No. 1 at 81%

And here are some other teams that could be of interest:

• Illinois: No. 3 at 76%
• Wisconsin: No. 25 at 64%
• Michigan: No. 29 at 64%
• Alabama: No. 35 at 63%
• LSU: No. 38 at 62%
• Ole Miss: No. 113 at 42%

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[ScriptOhio]

Big Ten football power rankings as 2025 spring practice kicks off

Hope springs eternal as college football teams around the country return to the field to host workouts and get a first glimpse at what they have to work with on

www.si.com

Big Ten football power rankings as 2025 spring practice kicks off​

Who belongs where in the Big Ten football power rankings as 2025 spring practice gets underway.

Hope springs eternal as college football teams around the country return to the field to host workouts and get a first glimpse at what they have to work with on their rosters.

Sure, it’s just spring and first impressions can be misleading, particularly in an age of instant transfers and NIL incentives that can change what a roster looks like from spring to fall.

For the second-straight year, the Big Ten boasts college football’s reigning national champion after Ohio State took down Notre Dame, a year after Michigan defeated Washington for the crown.

Can the Big Ten do it a third time?

Let’s see what the conference is working with in 2025 as we preview the league’s power rankings moving into spring practice.

18. Purdue
17. Northwestern
16.Maryland
15. UCLA
14. Wisconsin
13. Michigan State
12. Washington
11. Rutgers
10. Minnesota
9. USC
8. Iowa
7. Nebraska
6. Indiana
5. Illinois
4. Michigan
3. Oregon
2. Penn State
1. Ohio State
Until proven otherwise, we’re keeping the Buckeyes atop the Big Ten rankings, but with some asterisks: Who’s the quarterback after Will Howard’s departure? Can they run the ball the same? Who will step up in the defensive front after so many veteran departures?

 

[ScriptOhio]

Questions for each Big Ten team in spring: Bryce Underwood's debut at Michigan among storylines to follow

Quarterback questions always dominate spring, but there's a ton of hype around Underwood's arrival

www.cbssports.com

Questions for each Big Ten team in spring: ​

Ohio State​

Rebuild or reload? For years, there was little question of what a program like Ohio State would do after losing so much talent. It would simply replace all those studs with more studs, but the transfer portal and NIL have changed things a bit. Teams can't horde depth the same way they once did. So, with the Buckeyes coming off a national title season but losing so many contributors to the NFL, can they simply replace all that production?

Complicating matters is the fact both coordinators have left. Chip Kelly's back in the NFL, while Jim Knowles jumped to Penn State. Spring practice will be the first time a lot of people are in new roles, and while plenty of attention will be placed on the QB battle, it's far from the only interesting change happening in Columbus.

 

[ScriptOhio]

 

[Zurp]

I didn't know where to put this. So... here you go. Move it.... if you dare. Or whatever.

MSN

I know it's the offseason, which is why I put it here. But this is ultra bad. Feel free to not click the link and read the list I made from him. Oh, and Steven Stiles, whoever you are, you probably eat boogers.

1. The whole "THE" thing.
2. The fans think they invented football.
3. They dominate the Big Ten.
4. *ichigan Obsession
5. They think they deserve a playoff spot every year
6. The band is more famous than some teams
7. Referee favoritism? Oh, it's real.
8. They think beating Notre Dame was some huge achievement.
9. The whole Urban Meyer situation.
10. They're actually good (Which is infuriating)

Oh.. and I did a search on Steven Stiles. No hits on anyone who might have written this "article".

So, here's my response to each.
1. Yep. That's kinda why we do it. I mean, yeah - it's the name of the university: The Ohio State University. But we do it to piss you off. So, I'll give him one point for being right. And Buckeye fans one point for this working.
2. Disagreed. Zero points for this one. We all know that *ichigan ran around teaching other teams how to play before Ohio State was even a college.
3. His point is that Ohio State has no competition, while teams in the SEC actually have a tough road. I'll give him a half a point, because Ohio State, until recently, has dominated the Big Ten. What's the saying? "They hate us 'cause they ain't us"? That.
4. This slide had a lot of ugly in the image so I scrolled away. I don't know or care what this point is.
5. First, I disagree. I think Ohio State got into the playoffs every year they deserved to, and not any other year(s). Zero points.
6. Get gud. If your team is less famous than TOSUMB, then get gud.
7. I think his points are about phantom ball-spotting, maybe some inexplicable targeting reviews. He offers no proof and gets zero points for this one.
8. Unless you're Northern Illinois, you didn't beat them, either. AND, you lost to someone who lost to someone who lost to Notre Dame or Ohio State. It was for the national championship and you get zero points.
9. Does anyone think Urban Meyer WASN'T a piece of shit? But, he was OUR piece of shit. I'll give him a point for this, but, really, he didn't do anything that warranted an NCAA suspension. He brings up how Ohio State fans complain when another player on another team gets caught selling a jersey. I'm not sure what that is, specifically, but that used to be against the rules, and Ohio State players got caught doing something similar and Ohio State got punished.
10. Okay, another point. I get that people don't like seeing the evil empire win every year.

So, out of 10, he got 3.5. Don't quit your day job to become a writer.

 

[Buckeyeskickbuttocks]

Thanks @Zurp. One less douche canoe to trouble my weary eyes with.

 

[RB07OSU]

I didn't know where to put this. So... here you go. Move it.... if you dare. Or whatever.

MSN

I know it's the offseason, which is why I put it here. But this is ultra bad. Feel free to not click the link and read the list I made from him. Oh, and Steven Stiles, whoever you are, you probably eat boogers.

1. The whole "THE" thing.
2. The fans think they invented football.
3. They dominate the Big Ten.
4. *ichigan Obsession
5. They think they deserve a playoff spot every year
6. The band is more famous than some teams
7. Referee favoritism? Oh, it's real.
8. They think beating Notre Dame was some huge achievement.
9. The whole Urban Meyer situation.
10. They're actually good (Which is infuriating)

Oh.. and I did a search on Steven Stiles. No hits on anyone who might have written this "article".

So, here's my response to each.
1. Yep. That's kinda why we do it. I mean, yeah - it's the name of the university: The Ohio State University. But we do it to piss you off. So, I'll give him one point for being right. And Buckeye fans one point for this working.
2. Disagreed. Zero points for this one. We all know that *ichigan ran around teaching other teams how to play before Ohio State was even a college.
3. His point is that Ohio State has no competition, while teams in the SEC actually have a tough road. I'll give him a half a point, because Ohio State, until recently, has dominated the Big Ten. What's the saying? "They hate us 'cause they ain't us"? That.
4. This slide had a lot of ugly in the image so I scrolled away. I don't know or care what this point is.
5. First, I disagree. I think Ohio State got into the playoffs every year they deserved to, and not any other year(s). Zero points.
6. Get gud. If your team is less famous than TOSUMB, then get gud.
7. I think his points are about phantom ball-spotting, maybe some inexplicable targeting reviews. He offers no proof and gets zero points for this one.
8. Unless you're Northern Illinois, you didn't beat them, either. AND, you lost to someone who lost to someone who lost to Notre Dame or Ohio State. It was for the national championship and you get zero points.
9. Does anyone think Urban Meyer WASN'T a piece of shit? But, he was OUR piece of shit. I'll give him a point for this, but, really, he didn't do anything that warranted an NCAA suspension. He brings up how Ohio State fans complain when another player on another team gets caught selling a jersey. I'm not sure what that is, specifically, but that used to be against the rules, and Ohio State players got caught doing something similar and Ohio State got punished.
10. Okay, another point. I get that people don't like seeing the evil empire win every year.

So, out of 10, he got 3.5. Don't quit your day job to become a writer.

I would agree on pretty much every point and only add to #9. UFM was far from perfect, but he was not a POS. My view is he got ran out on a PC campaign for something he could not control. Then he went to Jacksonville and let's be real, took a brief nose dive. The analyst gig is the best thing that happened to him and lets him be himself again (honestly Saban falls in that category as well).

But when UFM was our coach, he cared about nothing but the players, the students, the fans and Ohio. Everyone else could eff off and that is what I love about him, he didn't give a rat's ass about what anyone else thought of him. I met him his first week on campus at Eddie George's Sports bar on High (when it was there), just wanted to say welcome home as an alumnus and get a picture. We sat down and talked about all the things he wanted to do to keep Ohio State football elite. He wanted to involve the students more than ever in the program (which he did), he wanted better fan access to the team because he felt it was the state's team and not his team, and we also discussed ways Braxton Miller could be deployed the best in a pre-RPO era. He truly cared about the players, the university and its students and fans, it truly showed.

The man took 15-20 minutes to talk to me about all of that and instantly won my heart as a coach. I remember Noah Spence was in the room on a recruiting visit and pretty much said dang, OSU fans know their stuff...I said thanks Noah and Urban grinned so big and said that is Ohio State football. He committed about a week later because UFM was a recruiting boss.

But yeah, the majority of that were shit takes, with a couple salient observations. We are "THE" for good reason and I won't apologize for it, while also not flaunting the term. We get to make The Game the biggest rivalry in sports because it is, everyone else can fluff off if they don't understand it. I'm a respectful fan but I'm not going to hold back on being passionate for my team. Moral of the story is go ahead and hate us, we like that fuel even though it is not needed.

 

[1926Buckeyes]

I would agree on pretty much every point and only add to #9. UFM was far from perfect, but he was not a POS. My view is he got ran out on a PC campaign for something he could not control. Then he went to Jacksonville and let's be real, took a brief nose dive. The analyst gig is the best thing that happened to him and lets him be himself again (honestly Saban falls in that category as well).

But when UFM was our coach, he cared about nothing but the players, the students, the fans and Ohio. Everyone else could eff off and that is what I love about him, he didn't give a rat's ass about what anyone else thought of him. I met him his first week on campus at Eddie George's Sports bar on High (when it was there), just wanted to say welcome home as an alumnus and get a picture. We sat down and talked about all the things he wanted to do to keep Ohio State football elite. He wanted to involve the students more than ever in the program (which he did), he wanted better fan access to the team because he felt it was the state's team and not his team, and we also discussed ways Braxton Miller could be deployed the best in a pre-RPO era. He truly cared about the players, the university and its students and fans, it truly showed.

This was good and bad. Like many successful coaches, Meyer could be an asshole and a psycho. Saban gets love due to being the goat and a persona he crafted, but was just as much of an asshole and psycho. He ran a dirty program that was never scrutinized to the degree that OSU/Meyer was, and there are a lot of bad stories that have circulated since the mid-2000s that paint him as an uncaring POS that put winning above all else. But most don't give a shit because he won more than anyone else and gets to play the grumpy grandpa in commercials.

Meyer needed to play the game just a bit so he had someone on his side. The more I've thought about it, he resembles a modern-day Woody. One of the all time greats and didn't have the sideline antics or hit a player, but never had a great image or national media relationship. Also left 2-3 titles on the table due to his stubornness and inability to adapt his offense beyond the late 2000s.

Forgot the part that pertains to Spring

Sayin is the obvious answer, but Kayden has the biggest opportunity and a really high ceiling. The conditioning and refinement he's doing now can take him from a situational player to a dominant force. He looks like a prototypical NT who can lock down the middle of the LOS, but only if he can play ~75% of snaps with little drop off.