Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis talked with Ohio State's running backs on Saturday as Tony Alford discussed what might be his deepest room since he joined the staff in 2015. It also meant talking with Dallan Hayden, TreVeyon Henderson, Evan Pryor and Miyan Williams. Covered in this episode; How does Evan Pryor fit into the equation after missing all of 2022 with an injury? Has Dallan Hayden already claimed the role of RB3 and can he build on a quality freshman year? Will Chip Trayanum's role extend past special teams? What more can Miyan Williams show us this season? Can TreVeyon Henderson complete the J.K. Dobbins arc with an All-American-level junior season? Then the trio have a short convo on the vibe around Ohio State's recruiting after losing the battle for five-star safety K.J. Bolden to Florida State Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's a Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk, and this one deals with Ohio State's season-opener against Indiana on Sept. 2. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis mark down start for the Buckeyes on both sides of the ball in that game. It's a way for the trio to talk about the Ohio State position battles while also putting them on the spot for a prediction: Name the 11 players who will take the first snap on offense and the 11 who will take the first snap on defense. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big Ten might be on the verge of expanding...again.A year after the announcement that USC and UCLA would be leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, reports have now come out that they may be bringing others. In this emergency Friday pod, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss the potential additions of Oregon and Washington to the Big Ten. Then three trio discuss the only important topic in this potential 18-team Big Ten: Does it actually matter to the Ohio State football program? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State went through its first day of fall camp practice and the media was able to watch all of it. Right after Jim Knowles and the rest of the linebackers spoke with a much healthier group than they had in the spring. That means there’s a lot to talk about. Among the things Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discussed: Does Kyle McCord already have the edge over Devin Brown in the quarterback battle? What’s the word on the starting offensive line? Jim Knowles names the Buckeyes’ starting cornerbacks There’s a second-year safety who may be ready to breakout A captain on defense that’s changing positions Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The time has come once again on Buckeye Talk to drive the bus as Ohio State prepares for the 2023 season. Stephen Means, Nathan Baird, Andrew Gillis and the texters offer up the Ohio State football players they believe in the most for the 2022 season. But before getting into that, Stephen and Nathan provide updates from Ryan Day and the quarterbacks as they preview fall camp. Then the fun begins as the guys claim their buses and find out if their thought process aligned with the texters Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will open up fall camp on Thursday as it starts preparation for the 2023 season. Jim Knowles enters his second year as defensive coordinator and brings back with him a ton of experience why also adding a few key pieces in the transfer portal. Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss OSU’s defense and some things they’re interested to find out. As part of the discussion: Will C.J. Hicks push for time with the starting linebackers? How will the defensive line rotation play out? Will Sonny Styles claim a starting safety role and who else will start alongside Lathan Ransom? Is this the most depth Ohio State’s had at cornerback in the Ryan Day era? Will the Jack finally make its proper debut thanks to a healthy Mitchell Melton? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State will open up fall camp on Thursday as it starts preparation for the 2023 season. While quarterback is the most interesting topic for the Buckeyes on offense as they replace C.J. Stroud, it’s not the other player where there are questions. Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss OSU’s offense and some things they’re interested to find out about. As part of the discussion: Things start with a discussion about what’s happening on the recruiting trail where the Buckeyes spent the past five days getting both good and bad news across multiple classes. What will the offensive line look like on Day 1 and how will it evolve over the next month? Cade Stover is the starting tight end. But in a room with six scholarship players is there legitimate depth behind him? Brian Hartline returns all three starting wide receivers while a battle carries on behind them. Can anyone start making headway to be a starter in 2024? With five talented options, how will Tony Alford handle things in the running back room? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another Mark it Down Monday as Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss who they think will be the next Ohio State players to earn trees in Buckeye Grove as first-team All-Americans. As part of the discuss the three talk: Can Marvin Harrison Jr. repeat as a unanimous selection and if so, can another wide receiver potentially join him in Buckeye Grove? Will a defensive player earn the honor after no having a single player do so for the past three seasons? OSU has constantly had elite quarterback play, but had one earn a tree since 2006. Does that drought end in 2023? How many first-team All-Americans will Ohio State have and which side of the ball will have more? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis wrap up the 2023 Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis while also answering a few questions from our texters Here’s what’s discussed: Can Luke Montgomery push for a significant role on the offensive line as a true freshman? And the overall status of the offensive line. Is Sonny Styles ready to claim a starting spot? Will Kenyatta build on a quality spring on his way to carving out a role on the defensive line? And the overall status of the defensive line. How will Ohio State handle a deep running back room? What will be the most ‘exciting’ and ‘boring’ games on the Buckeyes’ schedule? Which player and/or position group will surprise people this season? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis are reporting from the second day of Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. Here’s what’s discussed: How would the Big Ten refs have handled Marvin Harrison Jr.’s non-targeting call in the Sugar Bowl? Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines speak as the reigning Big Ten champion while Luke Fickell makes his official media day debut as Wisconsin’s head coach Can Fickell make the Badgers a bigger threat to Ohio State's title hopes than the Wolverines? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis are reporting from Big Ten media days in Indianapolis. Here’s what’s discussed: What’s the status of the quarterback battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord? Marvin Harrison Jr., Cade Stover and J.T. Tuimoloau serve as team representatives. What did each have to say about the upcoming season? Ryan Day isn’t against moving the Ohio State-Michigan game once the 12-team playoff arrives. Does he have a point? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again the Big Ten refuses to put out actual preseason awards or season predictions. So for the 13th straight year, Cleveland.com takes on the responsibility with the annual Preseason Big Ten Poll. With that poll released, here’s what Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and newcomer Andrew Gillis discuss: This is a poll that Ohio State has often dominated as the standard of the conference, but is that starting to change? Marvin Harrison Jr. is clearly the Big Ten’s best offensive player, but is he best positioned to win the postseason award that goes along with the status? Who will win Defensive Player of the Year in a season loaded with options? Which team has the toughest road environment? Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to our first podcast with the new crew of Nathan, Stephen and Andrew Gillis. We start things off with a discussion of Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa's commitment to Notre Dame. He had been the first player Ohio State offered in the 2024 class, and until recently, he was considered a Buckeye lean. What does his decision mean for what OSU will do at linebacker now with two commitments already at the position? Also, what does his commitment mean in the ongoing recruiting battle with Notre Dame? Then we get into our Buckeye Talk Subtext subscriber questions about the future of our podcast. Among the topics discussed: • What, if anything, will change? • Will the pods be shorter now? • Who will do impressions of players and coaches around the country? • What are Andrew's hot food takes? • Is Andrew any good at picking games? • Our reaction to OSU selling tickets to practices for NIL income • What do we think of the alternate uniforms for the Michigan State game? That and more as the season draws closer to its start and we embark on a new beginning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, a torch is passed. This is the final Buckeye Talk episode for Doug Lesmerises as a cleveland.com employee (maybe he'll be allowed back as a guest one day) and the first Buckeye Talk for a new addition to cleveland.com's coverage of Ohio State and this podcast. How this ep goes down: (0:30) Thoughts about covering Ohio State (8:12) Introduction of the newest member of Buckeye Talk (you must listen to meet him!) (15:29) What Joe Burrow is like in the NFL (22:55) Balancing OSU coverage (25:31) What will AI mean for the future of sports coverage? (This is the robot part) (29:53) The role of Buckeye Talk in cleveland.com's OSU coverage (49:12) The future of Buckeye Talk (1:12:44) A final goodbye Thanks, as always, for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can the Ohio State Buckeyes win the national title this season? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird dive into that question. The idea isn't necessarily to answer it, though there are some playoff and national title picks at the end of the pod. But the idea is to run through the real hurdles that Ohio State would have to overcome to win it all. And are those hurdles inside the program or outside it? (0:30) First comes a look at Ohio State from 2019 to 2022 and what it was that kept the Buckeyes from winning it all those seasons (23:46) Then it's a look into this year, with text subscribers chiming in about the chances of a title compared to last season (1:06:07) Then Doug runs through recent history and what obstacles stopped the Buckeyes when they didn't win titles between 2005 and 2018 (1:13:20) Finally, it's time for some picks about this season. This is Doug's penultimate Buckeye Talk, which is why it was time to talk national title right now. Thanks as always for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Wednesday Buckeye Talk episode begins with an announcement and then continues with nearly three hours of appreciation. Doug Lesmerises is leaving cleveland.com and Buckeye Talk. The pod will continue with Nathan Baird and Stephen Means and a potential addition, and you'll find Doug somewhere else out there in podcast land pursuing a chance he couldn't turn down. Doug will be on two more episodes on Thursday and Friday, but on this episode he answers more than 40 questions from text subscribers about his favorite Ohio State games, players, coaches and memories, and his favorite episodes and aspects of Buckeye Talk. This went super long, but there was a lot to remember, and a lot for Doug to be grateful about. This podcast audience has been the highlight of his career, and he wouldn't be where he is without these listeners. So strap in for lots of memories ... or skip this one and look forward to next week and the new future of Buckeye Talk. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your Ohio State fandom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is joined by Phil Steele -- from Phil Steele's College Football Preview -- to talk about the 2023 college football season. Among the subjects covered: Why the Big Ten has four of the five best running back rooms in the country Comparing Ohio State's receivers to everyone else Michigan's offensive line Penn State's defense Wisconsin as a surprise team How Western Kentucky and Notre Dame might fare against the Buckeyes Are Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State three of the five best teams in the country? Plus condolences at the end of the pod to Ohio State freshman receiver Carnell Tate on the death of his mother, Ashley. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness from Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are talking preseason polls and Whatcha Watchin', Whatcha Eating', Whatcha Thinkin'? First, (0:30) they dive into Ohio State's history in the Associated Press preseason poll. How are the Buckeyes viewed with a returning QB vs. when they have a new QB? And what does that mean for the 2023 Buckeyes, who will have a new starting quarterback? Doug and Nathan predict where they will, and should be, ranked. Then (21:41) it's a look at the bigger picture and who should be and will be No. 1 in the preseason poll. Where will Michigan be ranked compared to Ohio State? And in the cleveland.com preseason Big Ten poll that will drop next week, which team is the likely favorite? Finally (42:31) it's talk about watching, eating and thinking. That includes a boring movie and an exciting TV show; Pizza Hut in Paris; and whether being a tourist is a good or bad thing, and how you should handle an unsatisfactory meal in a restaurant. Football and nonsense ... thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises are playing off the Thursday episode that dug into the 1998 Ohio State-Michigan State game. Was that the most devastating loss in Ohio State history? The one game that fans would want to reverse the outcome of? Or would it be another game, maybe a loss by a great OSU team with national title hopes to an opponent like Michigan, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, USC or another team? Doug made a top-10 list of the results he thinks the Buckeyes would most want to change, and Nathan gathered an array of answers from text subscribers to come up with their list of the most popular games to undo. It makes for an interesting look at the long, successful history of Ohio State by examining how many times a single loss in a season kept them from a title. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's another edition of Buckeye ReTalkables on Buckeye Talk as Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird look back on and discuss Ohio State's 28-24 loss to Michigan State in 1998 season. The Buckeyes were No. 1 coming into this game in this first year of the BCS, and this upset in Ohio Stadium was the only loss of the year for this John Cooper team. Michigan State was an average team coming in, but was coached by legend in the making Nick Saban, and the Spartans had future high first-round picks on both sides of the ball. Ohio State featured five future first-round picks on defense and a high-powered passing offense that makes for some interesting comparisons to the 2023 Ohio State offense, from Joe Germaine at quarterback to Michael Wiley at running back to David Boston at receiver. This is a painful rewatch and discussion for Ohio State fans, but there's a lot of interesting college football history to discuss and maybe some lessons to be learned. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's finally the traffic podcast you've been promised on this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises is joined by Ohio State professor Dr. Benjamin Coifman. Dr. Coifman is a traffic expert who studies traffic flow and driver dynamics, among other things, and he's here to talk about all the things that drive you nuts on the road and the way we maybe can all be a bit better out there. The topics: (0:30) How people think they drive compared to other people (9:05) Ohio State traffic on gameday and how the school handles it (16:28) Leaving gaps at a traffic light (23:06) Roundabouts (28:24) Etiquette when merging in construction (36:22) When traffic appears for no reason (42:32) What individual drivers can do to help traffic (48:15) The future of autonomous vehicles We like the occasional off-topic offseason pod, and thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pat Fitzgerald was fired as the head coach of the Northwestern Wildcats on Monday, and though this is Buckeye Talk and a podcast about Ohio State, that kind of Big Ten news merits a discussion. And there are Ohio State lessons involved with this from how the Buckeyes handled Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer in the past. Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird discuss this mess from several angles: (0:30) Reaction to the Fitzgerald firing (10:05) How would Ohio State have handled this situation? (22:06) The constant balance around the power of a football coach (42:29) Where will the Northwestern football program go from here? (50:00) A final wrap from Doug, including Fitzgerald's statement Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg ranked second in the Big Ten in tackles last season while earning second-team All-American. He's back, so will he lead the Buckeyes in tackles again? On this Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means talk about Eichenberg's potential place in Ohio State history, and then make their predictions on a tackle leader for this season. (0:30) The player Eichenberg has been, and could be in 2023 (22:58) Other candidates to lead the Buckeyes in tackles (33:26) Marking down predictions for Ohio State's tackle leader and how many he'll have Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are hitting several topics on the Ohio State Buckeyes: (0:52) The addition of cornerback recruit Miles Lockhart (13:55) Would the Buckeyes rather win the national title in 2023 or 2024? (30:28) Which Buckeye would the guys most and least want to box? (39:29) If and when schools can hire more assistant coaches, what will the Buckeyes do? (1:00:03) What's on a player and what's on a program when it comes to development? (1:15:08) With an increase in playoff games, what will happen to old records? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What are the greatest threats to the continued high-level success of Ohio State football? What are the internal issues that could trip up the Buckeyes? What Big Ten competition could make the future more difficult? How about changes on the evolving national college football landscape? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, off a great suggestion from an Ohio State text subscriber, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means rank their 10 greatest threats to Ohio State football over the next five to 10 years. And when it comes to those threats, how real are they? Doug and Stephen also discuss if they really believe there are multiple things that could shake the Buckeyes from their perch near the top of college football. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Justin Scott committed to Ohio State on Sunday, and Marquise Lightfoot picked Miami over the Buckeyes on Monday. It was two major defensive decisions as the Buckeyes try to get back to their old standard of recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk (Happy 4th) Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means break down the state of talent acquisition on defense. That starts with a long look at the decision of top-20 player and 310-pound defensive tackle Scott to choose the Buckeyes. Then it's onto edge rusher Lightfoot picking the Hurricanes over Ohio State. In that are long debates about the recruiting of defensive line coach Larry Johnson; of what the Buckeyes have done lately in the Chicago area (where both Scott and Lightfoot are from); and about the last time Ohio State landed a player like Scott. The last part of the episode then focuses on comparing Ohio State defensive recruiting in 2024 to previous OSU defensive classes. And it outlines the major defensive targets still on the board for the Buckeyes, when they are scheduled to commit, and who the Buckeyes are recruiting against. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Mark It Down Monday, the statistical prediction is a little more complicated. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means aren't looking at an individual stat -- they are marking down what percent of plays for the 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes will be pass plays, and how many will be run plays. To do that, they look at run-pass OSU percentages of the recent past; they compare the OSU passing game to other successful throwing teams like Washington and Tennessee; and they wonder how much Brian Hartline calling plays, the presence of a quarterback competition and other factors will affect the run-pass balance. And then they mark it down. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this weekend Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is talking about the new national focus for Michigan, which has reportedly instituted a Beat Georgia practice period. Doug theorizes (0:30) that means Ohio State is 20 years ahead of Michigan in being a national program. Then he (11:35) compares the top-10 wins in the histories of the two programs and what that tells us about their national ambitions and success. Finally (24:16) it's what a bit of a Georgia focus by the Wolverines would mean for the Ohio State-Michigan game. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Weird that it's this short, eh? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the single most dominant aspect of Ohio State's offense? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means give their answer to that question from an Ohio State text subscriber. Doug is back from vacation (0:30) and ready to jabber, and that means everyone needs to be ready to give and defend their answers. First Nathan (3:13), then Stephen (21:02), then Doug (48:38). Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State and Michigan have played only one overtime game -- the 2016 classic that sent the Buckeyes to the playoff. Could they be destined for their second such outcome in The Game in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25? Tyler Shoemaker, Buckeye Talk's resident oddsmaker, joins the show to discuss his preseason power rankings. That includes a razor-thin margin for the regular-season finale at the Big House. Tyler also discusses why Ohio State's offense remains so highly ranked despite many preseason questions, why the Buckeye defense is expected to be better and what his numbers say about the rest of the Big Ten Conference. While Tyler's numbers are meant to be compared to betting lines, what do they tell us about what we expect from the Buckeyes for reasons beyond the cold, hard numbers? Discussion topics include: • (1:30) Tyler explains the TSI and how he tweaked his system for 2023. • (6:00) What the TSI predicts for Ohio State • (7:45) Why the OSU-Michigan rankings caused Tyler to double-check his numbers • (9:00) Why Tyler's numbers still predict OSU to have the nation's best offense despite new QB, offensive line questions, etc. • (17:15) What TSI predicts for Ohio State's defense, and why • (23:30) How TSI accounts for teams like Michigan that outperform their recruiting rankings • (28:00) What TSI predicts for The Game against Michigan • (36:30) How Ohio State's strength of schedule affects its win-loss prediction • (43:00) How a Drew Allar breakout would affect Penn State relative to its expectations and other predictions around the Big Ten Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With two more commitments from last weekend's batch of official visits, Ohio State now has 16 for its 2024 recruiting class. How large will that class grow -- and more importantly, who will be in it? Stephen Means gives Nathan Baird his predictions for what could be one of the highest-rated Buckeye classes in recent history. • (2:00) Did Ohio State need commitments last weekend to build momentum into the summer? • (4:00) Is the Glenville pipeline to OSU "reopened" or was it simply not flowing for a while? • (8:30) How crucial is the Bryce West commitment, and where is his long-term fit in this secondary? • (11:00) Does OSU also need a commitment from Aaron Scott to call cornerback recruiting a win for this cycle? • (12:30) Does landing West help OSU also get a commitment from Scott? • (14:30) What is the best comparable for Demarion Witten as an OSU tight end? • (16:00) Why did Ohio State need a two tight-end class for 2024? • (17:45) Discussing Buckeye Talk Subtext subscriber survey results on offensive and defensive recruiting. • (25:30) Who is the class' most important commitment so far? • (26:30) What is the biggest recruiting "win" so far for this class? • (29:20): Must underrated commitment to this point? • (31:00) Toughest battle ahead to hold on to an existing commit? • (32:15) Biggest positional need still unfilled? • (36:45) How large will this class be, and why will OSU take that many? • (38:15) Why does Stephen think the Buckeyes will get both KJ Bolden and Eddrick Houston from Buford, Georgia? • (43:00) What are the fall-back options at safety if Bolden is unavailable? • (46:30) Is edge rusher the biggest remaining need for this class and who will fill it? • (50:00) Why is this trending to be a linebacker-heavy class? • (52:20) Does OSU need two highly ranked offensive tackles in this class? • (55:30) Predicting the final pieces of the class. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack Sawyer and Mike Hall Jr. tied for the Ohio State team lead in sacks last season with 4.5. The year before, Haskell Garrett led the team with 5.5. In the last full season before that, Chase Young led the Buckeyes with 16.5. That's quite a drop off. So who will lead the Buckeyes in sacks in 2023, and how many will they have? Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means make their predictions on the latest Mark It Down Monday on Buckeye Talk. (0:30) Does Ohio State need more sacks as a team to succeed? (16:44) Discussing the candidates to lead the Buckeyes in sacks (40:40) Marking down sack predictions for 2023 Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for another Buckeye Retalkables, and up on this episode of Buckeye Talk is Ohio State vs. Michigan from 2016, as the No. 2 Buckeyes hosted the No. 3 Wolverines. This was Jim Harbaugh's second year as a head coach in the rivalry and the Wolverines, with a veteran team, had a real chance coming into Columbus. The Buckeyes prevailed 30-27 in double overtime thanks to Curtis Samuel, and in victory Urban Meyer considered this a legendary win for the Buckeyes. More than six years removed, what do Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means think now? There are all the usual ReTalkables categories, but this episode is really about two major revelations. Plus, there's some good Nick Bosa talk. Thanks for listening to another ReTalkables on Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State's summer camps wrapped up with a big commitment Wednesday. Bellefontaine's Tavien St. Clair completed his rise to the top of the Buckeyes' 2025 quarterback board. Stephen Means reports on how this commitment came together, what kind of player St. Clair is and how he fits in with the program's long-term quarterback project. Stephen and Nathan also discussed former OSU 2024 quarterback commit Dylan Raiola's transfer from Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Arizona, to Buford, Georgia. Not only is that the back yard of his future college program, Georgia, but it is the high school of two major OSU targets in the 2024 class. Where does the Buckeyes' pursuit of safety KJ Bolden and defensive end Eddrick Houston stand? Finally, Stephen looks ahead to another round of official visits -- particularly a huge weekend for OSU's battle for two cornerbacks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Podcasting and text surveys shouldn't feel like homework, but for this edition of Buckeye Talk, they sort of did. So instead of only looking at the past, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are also predicting the future of Ohio State in the NFL Draft. The last section of this episode is the top 16 picks in the Ultimate Ohio State Draft from the text subscribers. Where are they similar and different to what Doug, Nathan and Stephen did on their two episodes of the Ultimate Draft? But the first two parts of the pod look at when Ohio State will get to 100 first-round picks. The Buckeyes currently lead all colleges with 90 first-rounders. When will No. 100 come -- in 2026? 2027? And which Buckeye could be that No. 100? Doug also has an idea for holding the NFL Draft in Columbus, and the guys look at whether 10 first-rounders in three years would be a stretch or in line with OSU draft history. And then no more Ultimate Draft talk after this. For now, thanks for indulging in this exercise and thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Which Ohio State receiver is the best NFL Draft prospect ever at that position? That's one of the debates and discussions on Part 2 of The Ultimate Ohio State Draft of NFL draft prospects conducted by Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means. Don't miss Part 1, in which Doug, Nathan and Stephen made Picks 1-16 on a previous Buckeye Talk episode. This episode is the continuation of that, and there are still plenty of all-time Buckeyes to come off the board, including Garrett Wilson, Eddie George, A.J. Hawk, David Boston and more. The rules are that the real 90 Buckeyes who have been drafted in the first round in NFL Draft history are eligible to be picked. The guys then act like current NFL GMs and draft for the modern day based on the skills and draft places of Buckeyes across the decades. Major Buckeyes like C.J. Stroud, Orlando Pace and Nick Bosa came off the board in the previous episode. Now it's time for the second half of this all-time first round, and that means the first receiver will be drafted. Is it Boston? Wilson? Olave? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who is the greatest Ohio State draft prospect ever? How do the best Buckeyes compare to each other in how they were viewed by the NFL coming out of college? On this Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means try to answer those questions with The Ultimate Ohio State Draft. This is the first of two parts as the guys make picks 1 through 16 from the 90 Ohio State Buckeyes who were actual first-round NFL choices. Where will quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields go in this Buckeye-only draft? Who is the first cornerback off the board? Where do the Bosa brothers fit in with Chase Young and other OSU defensive stars? How about all the great OSU offensive tackles, including Orlando Pace? This is the difficult idea of drafting these Buckeyes as NFL prospects -- not based on how good or accomplished they were in college, or how much they succeeded in the NFL, but on how the pros viewed them at the time they were leaving Columbus. Only those first-round players were eligible for this ultimate draft. Part 2 will follow soon, but for now, enjoy this start of The Ultimate Ohio State draft from Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Air Noland and Dylan Raiola will forever be linked as Ohio State's quarterback commits in the 2024 class. They went head-to-head this week at the Elite 11 showcase, where Noland showed where he stands next to now-Georgia commit Raiola and the rest of the best. Back home, in-state Class of 2025 quarterbacks Tavien St. Clair and Ryan Montgomery worked out for Corey Dennis and Ryan Day prior to one of OSU's summer camps. Both will be back on campus next week. Has St. Clair's physical development over the past year made him the likely front-runner to be the Buckeyes' QB in that class? Finally, an update on in-state cornerbacks Bryce West and Aaron Scott, who are also both scheduled to camp with the Buckeyes next week. How big of a threat is Michigan to OSU pulling off a sweep of these top-100 prospects? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are the expectations for Ohio State football creating a burden that fans feel, and that affects their enjoyment of their very successful program? On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises once again dives into talk about his joy initiative and the hope that all OSU fans can love following their team. Some texters are sick of this topic already, and maybe so are you. But there are some interesting survey answers in this episode to questions like: Does the burden of expectations make rooting for the Buckeyes less fun at all? Have you ever thought you cared too much about Ohio State football? What is the best type of team to root for? Is Ohio State the most successful team you root for? Do you root for a second college football team? On a scale of 1-10, what's your joy vs. angst when it comes to rooting for the Buckeyes? There are comparisons made to the best teams in North American sports, and strong words on both sides when it comes to how OSU fans should view and handle expectations. It's a feelings pod more than a football pod, which sometimes happens here. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird react to some recent texter questions and comments around the topics percolating on Buckeye Talk. The discussion points: (0:30) How should the Buckeyes gather talent for this Jim Knowles version of defense and what can be learned from the players at Oklahoma State? (37:19) More on the TV package for the Big Ten and the outcome for OSU fans (43:32) Why Marvin Harrison Jr. could take a statistical step back (48:02) The type of head coach, from a media perspective, the guys would want to cover (59:05) More discussion of Mike Vrabel and Marcus Freeman as possible future OSU head coaches Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's news and analysis from two days of Ohio State recruiting camps on this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. The Buckeyes hosted camps last Thursday and on Monday, and Stephen Means was there. He talks with Doug Lesmerises about: (1:40) The 2024 commit the Buckeyes landed Monday from Jaylen McClain (7:20) The defensive 5-stars Ohio State is targeting in this class (11:10) OSU vs. Georgia recruiting battles (14:05) 5-star linebacker Sammy Brown choosing Clemson (17:30) Ohio State's ranking in the 2024 class (19:00) How many more commits OSU should get this month (20:02) The remaining recruiting camp schedule (21:00) The official visitors at Ohio State (22:14) The 5-stars in Columbus on Monday (27:30) The opponents making it harder for OSU in recruiting (38:02) The big target for OSU OL coach Justin Frye (39:52) Young WR Chris Henry Jr. visits again (45:00) Previewing OSU pledge Ari Noland at the Elite 11 camp Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Expect a couple more camp update episodes over the next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, it's a deep dive into Ohio State head coach Ryan Day with Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird. With the help of a survey of Ohio State text subscribers, Doug and Nathan look at the evolution of Day as a head coach and discuss what might be different, better or worse for the OSU boss as he enters his fifth season. The first four years included three playoff appearances and a 1-2 record against Michigan, so how much do OSU fans believe in Day right now? And how much has he changed after his hiring for the 2019 season with no previous full-time head coach experience? The topics covered include: Ohio State's decision to hire Day as a rookie head coach Comparing Day and Lincoln Riley Day's changes for the Michigan game and what he felt he did wrong last year The plan to hand over play calling to Brian Hartline Overall faith in Day Faith in Day against Michigan A comparison for his final evolution as a head coach And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big Ten released its football opponents for 2024 and 2025 in the new 16-team conference with no divisions. For Ohio State, it’s a new world of games, with teams like Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers on the schedule less frequently, teams like Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa on the schedule more frequently, and USC and UCLA joining the ranks as new conference opponents. Over the 24 regular-season games in 2024 and 2025 that had been scheduled for the Buckeyes previously, eight opponents have changed. That includes the Buckeyes no longer playing Penn State every season. Is this better for Ohio State fans? Worse? Just different? Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird break all that down on the latest Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time for more Ohio State rants on this Thursday Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises responds to the strong words of Ohio State text subscribers. The topics, in order: The future of freshman QB Lincoln Keinholz and the history of quarterbacks recruited by the Buckeyes How Michigan should be covered on Buckeye Talk Why Josh Simmons should start at right tackle Home-field advantage at Ohio Stadium Fat is flavor Is Notre Dame trolling the Big Ten? Mobile apps are annoying Stop talking about Big Ten money Thanks as always to the texters for their rants and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last season was a low point for the Ohio State basketball program as the Buckeyes finished 13th in the Big Ten. Will this season's team benefit from the growing pains of a year ago? On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means reset an Ohio State program that should have a rotation this season of three sophomores, three freshmen, three transfers and a senior. Will that work? How much will the rest of the Big Ten stand in their way? Is there an opening for the Buckeyes to take a big jump? All of that is included in this hoops discussion. First (0:30) is a look at how the Buckeyes might fit in with the Big Ten considering what players other teams kept and lost. Then (6:46) it's a look at the three big-time returning sophomores, headlined by point guard Bruce Thornton. Then (19:08) it's a discussion of Brice Sensabaugh going to the NBA Draft. Then (24:50) the potential freshmen contributors and the transfers (28:17). Finally (46:04) what could the Buckeyes do better as program, (50:57) where does Chris Holtmann fit in among Big Ten coaches and how (56:30) should Holtmann's job status be viewed? Thanks for listening to this basketball Buckeye Talk. Next episode is back to football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, it's a load of Ohio State football questions in rapid fire and a little nonsense with Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means. The topics: (0:30) Will a Big Ten with no divisions be good or bad? (27:35) Who's the next defensive line coach after Larry Johnson? (40:59) What's wrong with freshmen offensive linemen playing? (49:58) Eating food off the bone (56:11) Greg Studrawa's health in his last years at OSU and what the effect was (1:03:27) What to think of Jim Knowles' recruiting? (1:13:44) Will any schools ever get punished over NIL? (1:24:19) Eliminating hurdling over tacklers? (1:32:00) Angry Bama vs. Angry Doug Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaxon Smith-Njigba set Ohio State's single-season receiving record with 1,606 yards in 2021. Will Marvin Harrison Jr. break that record in 2023? On this edition of Mark It Down Monday, where Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means make specific predictions for Ohio State's football season, the subject is MHJ receiving yards. Last season he had 1,263 yards, the fourth-most in any Ohio State season. What will he do now? The guys discuss everything that will affect his stats: The quarterback play of Kyle McCord or Devin Brown What the Buckeyes want their offensive style and strategy to be The role of Emeka Egbuka, who had 1,151 receiving yards last season, and how that will affect Harrison's numbers How much defenses will try to take Harrison away How many times the Buckeyes targeted Harrison last season and if they'll do it more this season How many games Harrison should play this season, whether it be 12, 14 or 15 And then Doug, Nathan and Stephen Mark It Down -- predicting the Marv yards and whether he'll top JSN's mark. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An Ohio State text subscriber asked Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means this question; How should Ohio State (and by extension its fans) handle national championship expectations? That question created a lot more questions, and that created a lot of debate on this Friday episode of Buckeye Talk. Looking at Ohio State's history and Ohio State's current place in college football, Doug, Nathan and Stephen got into what fans should expect and how they should look at this recent run of Ohio State history, which in the last 52 seasons includes two national titles in 2002 and 2014. With the help of some interesting survey answers from Ohio State text subscribers, the guys dug deep on whether a national title is the standard of Ohio State success. This one got a little off the rails, which is nothing new, so thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time to talk Ohio State offensive assistants on this Thursday Buckeye Talk as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss their conversations with staffers this week. That starts (0:30) with offensive line coach Justin Frye and what he's thinking about the offensive line, including his first chance to discuss the offensive tackle the Buckeyes added in the portal after spring football, Josh Simmons. Then it's onto (21:37) offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline. That includes his few comments on the recent off-road vehicle accident that sent him to the hospital, plus the addition of his former NFL head coach, Joe Philbin, to the OSU staff. Finally (56:00), it's quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and his comments on the QB battle, plus check-ins with tight ends coach Keenan Bailey, running backs coach Tony Alford and special teams coach Parker Fleming. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has adjusted his view on at least one aspect of the Buckeyes' defense, and that was among the topics discussed when OSU coaches met with reporters on Tuesday. On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means debate everything they learned from the defensive coaches. The offensive coaches discussion will be on the Thursday pod. That starts with (0:30) Knowles, the defensive coordinator, changing his view on something about the players who could be on the field. That relates both to linebacker C.J. Hicks and to (23:16) the safeties. There's talk of defensive players added to the roster recently in Tywone Malone and Lorenzo Styles Jr. And (51:12) there's another explanation from Knowles about last year's defense that tells you something about this year's defense. That's where the 11 Tommy Eichenbergs come in. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices