LGHL Can any Ohio State freshmen avoid a redshirt this season?

[Matt Brown]

Can any Ohio State freshmen avoid a redshirt this season?
Matt Brown via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here

We've got a lot to talk about in our latest podcast, open week be damned.

Ohio State is off this week, and we're certainly not complaining. The Buckeyes could use a few extra days to get healthy and stay in their groove, and all of us could use a breather to relax a little bit on a Saturday, take care of some neglected chores and relationships, and get all set for what looks to be a hell of a stretch run.

But just because the Bucks aren't playing doesn't mean college football news stopped happening. On our latest podcast, Matt and Colton discuss the aftermath of the Jerry Kill resignation from Minnesota (is this a good job? Can Ohio State flip any of their prospects?), to the biggest games of this week (sup, Washington State), to the biggest Ohio State storylines, including, just who is redshirting this season, and what does that mean for Ohio State moving forward?

You can find us on iTunes, thanks to our fancy iTunes page, or our fancy SB Nation podcast page. You can also subscribe via RSS on Android and Windows Phone devices. If you're listening on iTunes, writing us a nice review would certainly help other people find the show.

Or, you could just listen below. That still works.

Check Out Football Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Land Grant Holy Land Podcast on BlogTalkRadio​

Thanks for listening.

Continue reading...

 

[ScriptOhio]

Ohio State football | Untested Buckeyes await their opportunity next season

When Ohio State arrives in Arizona on Sunday, bowl practices will be devoted to preparing for the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.

But much of the early ones in Columbus have been largely focused on development that will be crucial to the success of the 2016 Buckeyes.

“They’ve been using these practices to get the backups a lot of work,” junior safety Tyvis Powell said last week. “And they actually are doing pretty good in practice right now, so the future is definitely bright for them.”

How far along those players truly are is something only those inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center know. In stark contrast to a year ago, almost all of the youngest Buckeyes on the 2015 roster can be measured only in potential, not production.

On last year’s national championship team, freshmen played a pivotal role. The Buckeyes wouldn’t have won the College Football Playoff without redshirt freshmen J.T. Barrett, Darron Lee, Jalin Marshall, Eli Apple and Billy Price. True freshmen Raekwon McMillan, Curtis Samuel and Sean Nuernberger also contributed.

This season, redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Hubbard is the only first-year player who has made a significant impact. The Cincinnati native is second on the team with 5½ sacks and should ease the blow of the all-but-certain loss of Joey Bosa to the NFL.

Other than Hubbard, the story of the 2015 freshmen is of unrealized promise. Some of that is due to circumstance. Ohio State returned the nucleus of its team from last year, so opportunities were limited. Blue-chip linebackers Jerome Baker, Justin Hilliard and Nick Conner, for example, weren’t going to supplant McMillan, Lee and senior Joshua Perry.

Entire article: http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2015/12/26/osu-football-1226.html