Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Ohio State continues to put together its 2025 recruiting class which ranks fourth nationally with eight commits including two from five-star recruits, On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis explore five of the most important targets left on the board and what landing them would say about the program. They also have a quick conversation about new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and his potential impact on OSU's quarterback recruiting efforts. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day pivoted to Chip Kelly as Ohio State's offensive coordinator after losing Bill O'Brien and he might have found the perfect fit. The Buckeyes' offensive personnel features plenty of players Kelly has been known to maximize in the past across multiple places in college football. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis explore the impact of Kelly as Ohio State's offensive coordinator and the potential changes to the run game. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day worked quickly to find a replacement for Bill O'Brien when Ohio State's new offensive coordinator left for Boston College three weeks after getting the job. The abrupt change provided a chance for Day to come full circle in his coaching career as he is expected to bring in Chip Kelly from UCLA. The two have a long-standing relationship with Kelly being Day's offensive coordinator at New Hampshire, then hiring him onto his staff at multiple stops. Now Day's former mentor is expected to head to Columbus to take over the offense at a time when Day feels it's necessary to step away from playcalling. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis take a look at the new hire and its impact on Ohio State. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day hired Bill O'Brien to run Ohio State football's offense and now O'Brien is walking away just a month after getting to Columbus. Choosing to hand the offense over to someone else was a significant step in Day's growth as a head coach. He admitted it wasn't something he wanted to do, but would have to do for the sake of the program. He thought he'd found the perfect person to hand things off to in O'Brien. But now he'll have to find a Plan B. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the impact of O'Brien's departure and where OSU turns to news to find an offensive coordinator. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the 2020 season the Buckeye Talk crew took the time to map out the college football landscape and where Ohio State fit into it. Doing so led to a deep discussion about the tiers of the sport in deciding which teams have realistic championship expectations, who could never dream of having those and everyone else in between. A lot has changed since then (even the makeup of the Buckeye Talk pod). All of that change made this the perfect time to update that list as the sport heads into a 12-team College Football Playoff and two conferences have started bringing many of the sports national powers. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis look at all 69 Power Five programs in the 'Tiers Pod 2.0' as the sport heads into a new era. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Wednesday press conference was supposed to be Ryan Day's first chance of 2024 to talk about all of the good things happening around the Ohio State football program over the past month or so. Instead thanks to a recent job opening at Boston College, it turned into a day filled with questions on whether Day would have to go out and make a decision about the future of his program that he already wasn't completely excited to do. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss Bill O'Brien being potential departure just weeks after being hired as OSU's offensive coordinator. They also talk about why Day chose that now was the perfect time to give up playcalling, a position battle on the right side of the offensive line and what the quarterback battle could look like. Then Stephen and Andrew Gillis talk about Dominic Kirks as the only player in the Buckeyes' 2024 recruiting class who was still unsigned heading into this week. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day is entering his sixth season as Ohio State football's head coach and his coaching staff has seen a ton of turnover through the years. He's still relatively young in terms of head coaching experience but these years have shown how Day likes to go about building a staff and where his philosophy is potentially evolving. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis look at Day's hiring practices and what it says about his ability to do that part of the head coaching job. The discussion highlights the difference in building his offensive and defensive staff in a mix of successful and unsuccessful hires, with some coaches being retained and others being promoted from within. The offensive coaching staff has seen more stability, while the defensive coaching staff has experienced more turnover. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis answer questions from the Subtext subscribers. Among the questions discussed: How should Ohio State deploy a coaching staff in a world where you're allowed to have 15 people? Which freshman quarterback is a better fit for the Buckeyes' offense; What it takes to be a good recruiter and why Tim Walton and Brian Hartline have been so successful; How the Buckeyes' 2024 defense stacks up against Georgia's unit in 2021; Why Signing Day still matters. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

College football is in this weird place right now where a lot is going on and all of it is happening on top of each other. It's what happens when you try to combine a multi-billion dollar sport with the traditional standards of academia. It needs to be fixed and in this hypothetical scenario, Buckeye Talk has been tasked with fixing it. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis try to fix the sport by each giving the three things they'd change if they were put in charge of college football. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big Ten is expanding to 18 teams which means 17 teams are standing in the way of Ohio State's goals of winning the conference in 2024. As a way to figure out the conference’s new hierarchy, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis use this Friday episode of Buckeye Talk to discuss the new-look conference in a way inspired by a question from one of out Subtext subscribers: ‘Can we get a big ten power rankings but explained in terms of fast food?’ This episode gets a little weird but in the best way possible. It’s a pod about football, in a nonsensical fashion, which has always been at the heart of what Buckeye Talk is supposed to be. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss the most important things Ohio State needs to do on the recruiting trail for its 2025 class. Among those topics is a conversation about the defensive line and offensive line recruiting. Plus a discussion on the health of OSU's NIL situation and how the 2024 roster provides proof of that. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Buckeye Talk, the hosts discuss the recent interviews with new Ohio State players. Among the things Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss Why Will Howard’s role as a runner at Ohio State may be different from his time at Kansas State, as he emphasized his development as a pocket passer; Why Quinshon Judkins chose Ohio State and pairing with TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield; Seth McLaughlin on his snapping issues last season and the coaching staff’s plan to address them; What influenced Caleb Downs’ decision to transfer to Ohio State after leaving Alabama and; How Howard handled his first public appearance as an Ohio State quarterback. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winter works are in full swing as Ohio State prepares for the 2024 football season. The Buckeyes are bringing back a ton of talent on offense and defense while also making some key additions in the transfer portal. But the offseason is just as much about young guys looking to turn heads in a way that eventually turns into something on the field. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis take a look at some of those players. This isn’t a conversation about the already-established stars of the team. But instead one about a few players that can use this winter and spring to gain something important. Whether it pays off in 2024, or in laters seasons. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class has been busy in recent weeks as it starts to rack up the commitments. But many of those lately have come on defense which has been a positive change of pace. Now it seems the offense is getting in on the actions with a commitment from fou-star offensive lineman Carter Lowe. On this Monday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss what Lowe brings to the class plus a bevy of other happenings in the recruiting world for OSU. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State failed to live up to the standard that had been set in the Ryan Day era offensively even with what Marvin Harrison Jr. achieved. That resulted in making a few changes at key positions mixed with a few returns from guys who probably came into the season expecting it to be their last. That combination makes for an interesting offseason featuring a few position battles and a few more interesting questions across the board. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis project the offensive starters. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is bringing back practically every major piece from one of the nation's best defenses while also bringing in a major addition by way of the transfer portal. As the Buckeyes head into winter workouts and prepare for the 2024 season, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis use this episode to dive into what things may look like. That starts by looking into Nathan's projected depth chart and using it to have a deeper conversation about a unit that might give defensive coordinator Jim Knowles more options than he's ever had. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Harbaugh was hired in 2015 to fix Michigan and flip the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry back in the Wolverine’s favor and now he’s gone nine years later able to say the mission was successful. Harbaugh leaves Ann Arbor with an 86–25 record (60–17 Big Ten), three conference titles, a 3-5 record against the Buckeyes and a national title. But those championships and rivalry wins all happened over the past three years just as the program was starting to hit its stride. Now he’s gone and that can be viewed as both positive and negative for OSU. On this emergency episode of Buckey Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss Harbaugh’s decision and what it means for Ohio State. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Buckeye Talk provides a chance for a rapid-fire pod as Ohio State continues to work through the early stages of the offseason. Among the questions from Subtext subscribers discussed: Who's a former player we drove the bus for early and were right? Could Alabama suffer the same fate as other former dynasties following Nick Saban's retirement? Did Ohio State fail C.J. Stroud? How many OSU players will have a rating of at least 90 when the new college football video game comes out this summer? What will the pod look like as we head into the offseason? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State enters a 2024 spring with five quarterbacks on its roster in what will be the most interesting offseason the position's seen under Ryan Day. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis try to make sense of what things could look like. The conversation covers everything from what they think the hierarchy will be on Day 1, what the rep distribution could look like and the potential outcomes of trying to manage a room with five different personalities. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State continues to put together an impressive offseason while setting up the most interesting quarterback situation in the country. The Buckeyes had already pulled in Kansas State's Will Howard as a transfer to join a room-returning Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz while also singing five-star Air Noland. Now Noland won't be the only five-star freshman joining the room this spring as OSU has added Julian Sayin as well. Saying started his career at Alabama but Nick Saban's retirement opened the door for the nation's top quarterback to explore his options. Now he'll join safety Caleb Downs and center Seth McLaughlin as Crimson Tide players that have transferred to OSU. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the impact of this move and what it can mean for the future of the position at Ohio State. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State just landed the best available player in the transfer portal and added him to a defense that was already trending toward being historical. The fight for Caleb once he left Alabama following Nick Saban's retirement came down to the Buckeyes and Georgia and heading into the end of the week it felt like the Bulldogs were in the lead. But then a few OSU coaches took a trip down to his home in Georgia to see the former five-star safety and did just enough to keep that from happening. Now a player it once finished second for on the recruiting trail, is finally calling Columbus his home. On this emergency episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the impact of Caleb Downs' decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class currently sits fifth nationally with most of that weight being carried by its defense. That’s a much different place than we’ve grown accustomed to seeing in Columbus under Ryan Day where it’s typically taken some time for defensive recruits to jump aboard while the offense thrives. But coming off a year where OSU had arguably the nation’s top defense, it now has proof of what it can be when talking to the nation’s top recruits. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss the early success on the recruiting trail. Plus, a discussion on Alabama transfers Caleb Downs and Kadyn Proctor and the potential value each would bring to the Buckeyes if they were to come. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day is entering a new phase of his career as Ohio State football's head coach as he's chosen to give up play-calling duties after five seasons. Day has decided to bring in Bill O'Brien as OSU's new offensive coordinator with all the responsibilities that come with that job title. That includes play-calling, overseeing the offensive gameplan and running the quarterback room. This is one of the most pivotal decisions Day has made during his tenure and on this emergency episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis break down why. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State's new athletic director Ross Bjork spoke publicly for the first time following his hiring and left quite an impression. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis gives their reactions to Bjork, OSU president Ted Carteer and the direction the athletic department could be headed in under their new leadership. Are the Buckeyes preparing for a more aggressive approach to attacking a constantly changing landscape of college sports? PLus, what does Bjorj thing of football head coach Ryan Day? That and more on this latest episode. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A ton has happened since Ohio State's season essentially ended following a 30-24 loss to Michigan. Some of it has been positive, some of it negative and some of it indifferent. But it all has an impact on where OSU could be headed in 2024 as it hopes to end its losing streak to the Wolverines and end ten Big Ten title drought. It'll do so while also entering a new era of college football with the 12-team playoff. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss all of those things and which ones are the most important to Ohio State. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State finished its season with an 11-2 record and a loss to Michigan for the third straight year while also failing to make the College Football Playoff for the second time of the Ryan Day era. The disappointing finish sent the Buckeyes into the offseason with a different vibe understanding that numerous changes needed to be on the horizon. On this Monday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis revisit their Mark It Down Monday statistical leaders prediction episode from last summer. Once again injuries got in the way of some predictions while others were done so by pleasant surprises on both offense and defense. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another Friday episode of Buckeye Talk provides a chance for a rapid-fire pod as Ohio State continues to work through the early stages of the offseason. Among the questions from Subtext subscribers discussed: Could Nick Saban's retirement be a good thing for Ohio State? Would Alabama and Ryan Day hypothetically make a good fit? Would Dan Lanning be a bigger threat staying at Oregon or if he would've replaced Saban at Alabama? A preview of a future conversation about the updated tiers of college football. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day has made his second and third alterations to Ohio State's coaching staff in what could be a major makeover to the 10-man group. After choosing not to retain Perry Eliano as safeties coach, Day has brought Matt Guerrieri who originally followed Jim Knowles to Columbus as a graduate assistant in 2022 before leaving to help coordinate Indiana's defense in 2023. Now he returns as a full-time assistant coach. Plus Parker Fleming has officially been fired after another lackluster year from the special teams. After that, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis look at an offensive coaching staff that might be on the verge of its first major overhaul of the Day era. A pivotal change may be brewing and it says something about Day's growth as a head coach. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is now living in a world where its rival Michigan is the reigning national champion. On this Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis explore that reality and its impact on the program. But the question going forward is whether this harsh truth will be short-lived as the Wolverines enter a potentially pivotal offseason of their own. Ryan Day is busy trying to find the right mixture of coaches while putting together a roster capable of ending a three-game losing streak in The Game. Michigan is just trying to figure out what its next steps are as it could lose its coach and a large portion of its most important players while still possibly waiting for further punishment for a sign-stealing scandal that was revealed during the season. That plus a conversation about OSU’s later transfer running back Quinshon Judkins, who announced his commitment just minutes after the National Championship Game concluded. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day is expected to make significant changes to his coaching staff following Ohio State football third straight Michigan loss and the first one has been revealed. Day has decided not to retain safeties coach Perry Eliano whose contract expires after the 2023 season. This is expected to be the first of a few moves. While Day continues to figure out his 2024 staff, his 2024 roster is also still coming together as a few more players decided to return putting off the NFL for another year. Plus, Could the Buckeyes be in the market for a running back who spent the last two seasons running for 1,000-plus yards in the SEC? On this Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss all of that. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State has added a fourth quarterback to its 2024 roster in Will Howard by way of the transfer portal. Howard spent the first four years of his career at Kansas State as a multi-season starter completing 58.8% of his passes for 5,786 yards and 48 touchdowns. He led the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship in 2022 and is coming off his best statistical season in 2023. Now he’ll join a room in Columbus where the future was in question as the player now considered the front-runner to be the starter. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis look at the transfer quarterback from every angle. They’ll evaluate his career at Kansas State through the lens of some of his best games then discuss how he fits into Ohio State’s offense and what things could look like with him under center. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The calendar year has turned and the Ohio State football program has shifted its focus toward preparing for the 2024 season. The defense took significant strides in 2023 and could be in a prime position to build on that success going forward depending on the decision of a handful of players eligible for the NFL Draft On this Thursday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss what that unit could look like in 2024. The trio go through all 11 spots and decide whether they think the potential starter is already on the roster or could be eventually occupied by someone OSU gets from the transfer portal. Thank you for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the second time in the Ryan Day era, Ohio State has brought in a quarterback from the transfer portal with the idea that he could one day be its starter. Day's first transfer quarterback was Justin Fields from Georgia in 2019, now he's brought in Will Howard from Kansas State to join a battle that will include Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz and five-star freshman Air Noland. On this emergency episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis break down the addition of Howard and how it impacts OSU's quarterback room. Plus a look at Day and what a decision like this could be signaling in how Day is approaching a vital offseason. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The calendar year has turned and Ohio State has shifted its focus toward preparing for the 2024 season. Offensively that could mean spending the next five months making drastic improvements to a unit that didn't play up to standard for the first time under Ryan Day. On this Thursday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss what personnel changes could be coming because of that reality. The trio go through all 11 spots and decide whether they think the potential starter for that spot is already on the roster or could be eventually occupied by someone OSU gets from the transfer portal. Thank you for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're almost a week removed from Ohio State ending its season with a loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl while its rival Michigan is preparing to play in a National Championship Game against Washington, which also joins the Big Ten next year. It's a new world to live in where a fan base isn't completely confident in what the future will look like heading into Year 6 under Ryan Day. On this Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis provide a space for the Subtext subscriber to express how they feel about the future of the program using four distinct questions: How do you feel about the direction of Ohio State under Ryan Day? How do you feel about Ohio State's chances of winning an expanded Big Ten next season? Watching Michigan and Washington play for a national title next week makes me feel What should Ohio State's bare minimum College Football Playoff performance be going forward? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot has happened since Ohio State closed out its season with a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gilliss are here to break it all down. Among the topics discussed: How Michael Hall Jr. declaring for the NFL Draft impacts OSU; Expectations for Ohio tight end transfer Will Kacmarek; Looking at the losses of Bryson Rodgers and Noah Rogers to the transfer portal and the state of the wide receiver room; Who will replace Jesse Mirco after the punter entered the transfer portal and; Reacting to Michigan and Washington reaching the National Championship Game and what it means for Ohio State’s standing as it enters Big Ten expansion and a 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is ending its season with an 11-2 record for the third-straight season and a second-straight year. It’s also the second straight season where the Buckeyes head into the offseason coming off back-to-back losses one being to your rival and the other an SEC school. Only this time a 14-3 loss to Missouri may sting a little bit more given what they now must head not the offseason dealing with. On this postgame episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis react to the loss and where OSU goes from here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will close out the 2023 season with a game against Missouri in what will be the third time in the past four years that its final game will be against an SEC opponent. Only this time that game won't come in the College Football Playoff instead as just the second time of the Ryan Day era. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis give their final thoughts on the Cotton Bowl by discussing two big-picture targets: What can this game mean for Devin Brown and OSU’s quarterback situation? How does a win or a loss impact a program looking for reasons to have optimism? Then Tyler Shoemaker joins the pod as usual to provide some of the best bets of the Cotton Bowl and a few other games left to be played this bowl season. Then Nathan and Andrew rejoin Stephen as the trio gives their game picks. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is in Dallas, Texas, preparing to face Missouri in the Cotton Bowl to close out the regular season and revealed it’ll have two important members of its offense. Treveyon Henderson and Cade Stover state that both will play on Friday. For Stover, it’s a chance to end a college career that began as a linebacker, then a defensive end before settling in at tight end where he became a John Mackey Award finalist. For Henderson, all that remains it figuring out what he will do after the game as another member of a 2021 recruiting class that has a decision to make after the season on whether he will head off for the NFL or be back in 2024. After that, OSU offensive coordinator Brian spoke with the media along with a handful of defensive players. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss what Nathan saw and heard in Dallas. Thank you for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is in Dallas, Texas, preparing to face Missouri in the Cotton Bowl to close out the regular season and may be without an important member of its offense. A small portion of the Buckeyes' Tuesday practice was open to the media revealing that Marvin Harrison Jr., though in attendance is not actually participating in practicing hinting that his college career may be over. So far, he is the only Buckeye expected to opt out of the New Year's Six bowl game. After that, OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles spoke with the media along wth a handful of defensive players. On this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss what Nathan saw and heard on down in Dallas heading into Friday. Thank you for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan Day revealed his criteria when evaluating the jobs of Ohio State's coaching staff every year. His evaluation comes down to how each assistant coach performs in three distinct categories/ Recruiting: “That’s the No. 1 thing. You’ve gotta recruit your position. You’re the head coach of your position. You’ve gotta make sure that room is strong year in and year out. We have a certain amount of depth at each position and then it’s your job to make sure that you have the best room in the country.” Development: “How they perform on the field. What type of production are you getting out of your unit? A big part of that is the development. If you recruit really well and then you’re developing your players are usually going to get production.” Scheme: “What do you bring schematically to the field? Are you putting your guys in a situation to be successful?” Day is heading into a pivotal offseason in terms of how his staff is structured following a third-straight loss to Michigan. There will — or at least shout be —difficult conversations had. On this Saturday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis use Day’s criteria to do their own evaluations on the staff giving each member a grade. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Signing Day in the review, Ohio State shifts practically all of its focus on its matchup against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl to close out the 2023 season. That game provides a chance to give an otherwise disappointing season a more positive ending. It’s also a chance to build momentum for 2024 plus the various other reasons why this game is so important. It’s why even a New Year’s Six bowl game that’s not part of the College Football Playoff can still have a ton of intrigue. A few players have something to gain from the Dec. 29 game in Dallas, Texas. On this Friday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis take a look at who some of those players may be and what makes this game so important to both them and the program. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State signed the nation's No.4 recruiting class nationally on a Signing Day that was anything but easygoing. Ryan Day took the podium on Wednesday afternoon still unsure about arguably his two most important commits and the world got to see in real time how emotional getting good news can be. On this Thursday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis recap Signing Day for the 2024 recruiting class looking at where OSU succeeded and potentially came up short. Plus a conversation about whether the class has a quarterback capable of starting as a true freshman. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Signing Day has arrived as Ohio State looks to put the finishing touches on a 2024 recruiting class that sits second nationally. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis will join the rest of the beat in speaking with head coach Ryan Day later this afternoon. Still, in the meantime, the trio uses a Wednesday Buckeye talk to answer a few questions from the Subtext subscribers: Do stars still matter? Is the recruiting tracking industry dead? What's the deal with Ohio State's NIL situation? Who's planning to enroll early? Plus much more including a little Christmas talk. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is on pace to sign the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class with a 2024 group that features 23 commits and five of them being five-star recruits. Ryan Day will finally talk about that group publicly on Wednesday once they sign their Letters of Intent. On this Monday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis will look at the nine defensive players in the class and how they fit into the roster as a way to preview Signing Day. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is on pace to sign the nation's No. 2 recruiting class with a 2024 group that features 23 commits and five of them being five-star recruits. Ryan Day will finally talk about that group publicly on Wednesday once they sign their Letters of Intent. On this Monday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis will look at the 13 offensive players in the class and how they fit into the roster as a way to preview Signing Day. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will close out its 2023 season by playing Missouri in the Cotton Bowl hoping to get something positive out of a year where it failed to make the College Football Playoff. But it’ll have to do so against an opponent it doesn’t have a strong history against with this being just the 12th meeting between the two schools and the first since 1998. Basically, these two sides don’t know a ton about each other. On this Friday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis break down the Tigers’ defense and how they may try to stop OSU. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will close out its 2023 season by playing Missouri in the Cotton Bowl hoping to get something positive out of a year where it failed to make the College Football Playoff. But it’ll have to do so against an opponent it doesn’t have a strong history against with this being just the 12th meeting between the two schools and the first since 1998. Basically, these two sides don’t know a ton about each other. On this Thursday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis break down the Tigers’ offense and how they may try to attack OSU. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State is getting a big boost in the Cotton Bowl as some important players have decided that their college careers aren't over quite yet. Multiple third-year players most thought would be off to the NFL after this season aren't ready to announce whether that will still be the case. On this Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis react to what Denzel Burke, Emeka Egbuka, Jordan Hancock, Donovan Jackson, Jack Sawyer and Tyleik Williams had to say about their status and the idea that maybe all of them could be back next season. Plus a discussion about Devin Brown getting his chance to finally get his first start at quarterback. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transfer portal season continues around college football with more names seemingly going into it every day and Ohio State has seen its fair share as well. But instead of focusing on who's leaving, on this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk, we focus on who should be coming. OSU has some holes to fill this offseason and will need to be even more active in the transfer portal than in years before. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis take a look at Ohio State's roster and what positions are in need of portal help the most. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices