Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Everyone is healthy and ready to play Saturday in Ohio Stadium in this version of an Ohio State spring game draft from cleveland.com. There are two full 22-player teams to be drafted, and Nathan Baird and Stephen Means go head-to-head with their selections while Doug Lesmerises moderates. This should tell you something about the 2023 Buckeyes with spring football winding down, it should help get you ready for Saturday, plus drafts are always fun. Thanks for listening to cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Devin Brown had a procedure on one of his fingers on Wednesday and won't play in Saturday's spring game. What does that mean for Ohio State's quarterback competition? That's what Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss on the Wednesday Buckeye Talk. First (0:30), they talk about what they know about the injury, what it means for Kyle McCord on Saturday, and how it affects the ongoing battle to be the OSU starter in the fall. Then (28:40) they jump to the structure of Saturday's spring game, and why Ryan Day sounds so optimistic about the OSU cornerbacks. Finally (37:46) it's the OSU offensive line, where questions clearly remain. How will the Buckeyes solve their issues at tackle? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means answer a great texter question: Can Ohio State build a mini-dynasty in the future, or did the Buckeyes miss their window while Alabama, Clemson and Georgia capitalized on their chances? The subject is addressed in three parts: offense, defense and the structure of the sport. First (0:30), is there reason to believe that the Ohio State offense will continue to produce at a level that keeps the shot at a mini-dynasty alive? Second, (22:35) on the defensive side, can the Buckeyes improve their recruiting and development enough to make it possible? Finally (54:01) there's a look at the missed opportunities in the past for an OSU mini-dynasty (Doug identifies five eras) and then the talk turns to the 12-team playoff and whether it makes it more or less likely for an OSU mini-dynasty. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, Ryan Day joins Doug Lesmerises for a half-hour interview on Dwayne Haskins, who died a year ago, on April 9, 2022. Day talks about coaching Haskins, about the quarterback's greatest strengths, and about how he should be remembered as part of Ohio State history. Also discussed is the spring quarterback battle in 2018 between Haskins and Joe Burrow five years ago,. Then it's on to audio clips from Haskins' career, as the quarterback in 2018 talks about his decision to come to Ohio State, that spring battle, and settling in as the starter. Clips are also included from Burrow and from Quincy Avery, Haskins' private quarterback coach. Finally, Doug has a proposal for a way Ohio State could honor Haskins and a handful of other great players from this era who aren't in Buckeye Grove. Consider this a Dwayne Haskins legacy podcast, adding to the previous C.J. Stroud episode in our Legacy Series on Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, it's time to look at the dudes, and potential dudes, on Ohio State's defense. There's always a lot of defensive scheme talk around Jim Knowles, but for this episode, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are counting players who change games. They are counting defensive dudes. First (0:30) it's a look at the recent past, back to 2014, and how many defensive dudes the Buckeyes had each year. Then (22:45) it's a look at last season and who fit that bill. Then (37:20) it's a projection to this season and how many dudes there might be. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's running backs and tight ends on this Thursday Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means take you through what they learned from the latest round of Ohio State interviews. That includes interesting conversations with running back TreVeyon Henderson and tight end Cade Stover. First (0:30), the guys talk through some tidbits and theories on a couple subjects. Then (10:33) there's a deep dive into Henderson, what happened last season, and what he's thinking about this season. That's followed (31:50) by more running back talk on Dallan Hayden, assistant coach Tony Alford and how the backs might be used this season. Finally (57:24) there's tight end talk around Stover, freshman Jelani Thurman and new tight ends coach Keenan Bailey. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Stephen Means discusses Ohio State's recent surge on the recruiting trail and what it means. The topics include: Offensive Line recruiting issues Tim Walton's potential impact on the cornerback room's present and futuree The Ohio State-Michigan recruiting battles The Buckeyes' quarterback recruiting and its overall approach Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are breaking down another position group. This time it's the safeties, based off interviews with those players last week. The pod breaks down into conversations about the competition at the three safety spots: Nickel safety, with Cam Martinez and Ja'Had Carter (0:30) Bandit, or strong safety, with Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles (19:46) Adjustor, or free safety, with Josh Proctor and Kye Stokes (41:35) Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is running through rants about the football Buckeyes from Ohio State text subscribers. In section three, there's some Ohio State and Big Ten basketball talk, but the first hour is football. The topics include: Wearing Ohio State gear in Taipei Wanting more football Doug's WR depth rankings Complaining about offensive line depth Is Ryan Day too nice? Feeling no OSU passion since the Georgia loss Not believing in football or men's basketball Corey Dennis Marvin Harrison Jr. and safe and fair concussion treatments No Michigan talk this spring How to stop Michigan from talking The OSU staff vs. the Michigan staff Naming positions Pronouncing words Peanut butter hamburger Sports betting Doug is Aaron Craft Celebrating OSU women's basketball Needing a center and pizza Big Ten men's basketball is down Brice Sensabaugh Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown struggled to move the ball in Saturday's eighth scrimmage as the offensive line had trouble keeping the defensive line out of the backfield. Could such days help determine who will win this quarterback competition? Nathan and Stephen discuss what they saw from both quarterbacks and reassess where the battle stands halfway through the spring. They also ran down an injury update, discussed that uneven competition in the trenches and singled out one receiver who has helped himself a lot the past two weeks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is joined by special guest James Palmer, a reporter and host at the NFL Network since 2015. He covered Ohio State's Pro Day and he's also an Ohio State grad, and he's hear to talk about Ohio State's NFL reputation and how OSU draft prospects are viewed this year. The topics: How Palmer got to Ohio State (0:30) How the NFL views Ohio State (15:13) Will C.J. Stroud be the No. 1 pick? (25:36) Jaxon Smith-Njigba (38:23) Marvin Harrison Jr. (47:48) Paris Johnson (57:36) Dawand Jones (1:02:35) Justin Fields (1:06:05) Thanks to James for his time, and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are reacting to their conversations with Ohio State cornerbacks on Thursday. (They also talked to safeties, but they'll get to them next week.) On this episode, the focus is on three corners: Denzel Burke (0:30) Davison Igbinosun (24:04) Jyaire Brown (37:14) Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk episode, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are ranking Ohio State's nine position groups, and assigning a depth rating to each. The result? A final ranking, in order, of the deepest positions for the Buckeyes. The groups discussed, in order: Offensive line (0:30) Running backs (8:10) Receivers (16:16) Tight ends (29:19) Quarterbacks (35:02) Defensive line (42:05) Linebackers (47:13) Cornerbacks (49:48) Safeties (53:10) And a wrap up (56:22). Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, sorry that it got up late, but blame the podcast company for screwing up the audio files. But Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are here to discuss their conversations with Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and offensive coordinator Brian Hartline on Tuesday. Knowles has an idea for how young players can impress him. Hartline has an idea on how we should view, for now, the play-calling changeover. It's mostly Knowles for the first part, until about the 50:46 mark, and then it's Hartline to wrap up. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Saturday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are breaking down everything they learned and all the players who flashed in Ohio State's two-hour Saturday practice, which included a lot of scrimmaging. Topics and players covered include: Quarterbacks (0:52) Sonny Styles (20:54) Kenyatta Jackson (28:19) Gabe Powers (35:13) Jayden Ballard (41:47) Carnell Tate (44:18) Davison Igbinosun (48:59) Offensive line (49:55) Jelani Thurman (51:34) Ryan Day (54:08) Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means run through the entire Ohio State offensive line after talking to Buckeyes’ offensive linemen on Thursday after the fourth practice of spring football. That starts (0:30) with Josh Fryar and left tackle and then goes to: * Donovan Jackson and left guard (15:31) * Carson Hinzman and center (28:51) * A brief stop at right guard and established starter Matthew Jones (38:43) * Right tackle with Zen Michalski and Tegra Tshabola (39:31) * A last look at how offensive line coach Justin Frye is feeling (53:34). Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL swarmed Ohio State for Pro Day on Wednesday, and Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means were there to take it all in. On this Thursday episode, they break down what the feeling was like inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center with so many NFL head coaches and general managers in attendence. They they run through what the day was like for OSU players such as C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Dawand Jones, Paris Johnson, Zach Harrison, Tanner McCalister and more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means run through three topics that Ohio State coach Ryan Day discussed Tuesday after the Buckeyes' third practice of spring football. First (0:30), it's the quarterback battle, as Day broke down what he wants from mobility and reading defenses and everything in between. What does that tell us about the Kyle McCord-Devin Brown competition, and what does it tell us about how this OSU offense will be different after C.J. Stroud? Then (39:49) it's the OSU offensive line, and the willingness of the Buckeyes to be honest in their evaluation. Finally (56:23) it's more discussion about the competitive fire of the defense and how Ohio State is emphasizing that this spring. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of NIL Now, Kevin and Lauren assess Nick Saban’s latest NIL comments about collectives paying players to attend their schools. The hosts then discuss whether or not LifeWallet CEO John Ruiz should be considered a “booster,” after he said he’ll file a lawsuit against the NCAA over his mislabeling as a Miami “booster.” Reddit CFB’s Bobak Ha’Eri brings Reddit's comments on Isaiah Foskey’s claim that he would’ve played somewhere other than Notre Dame if NIL was a big deal in recruiting when he played high school football and the Reddit community’s take on what college football will look like in 5-10 years. Chase Griffin, a quarterback at UCLA and a two-time recipient of the NIL Male Athlete of the Year Award at the NIL Summit, shares his story and thoughts on the importance of using NIL to uplift communities around him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is here with one thing to say: He used to think the Big Ten was a basketball conference. He doesn't anymore. It's definitely a football conference. The two sports are going opposite directions, and Doug spells out how it's happening and then looks at coaching and talent to see why football is up in this league and men's basketball is down. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness edition of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird wrap up with a modified version of Whatcha Watchin' and what the Big Ten failures in the NCAA Tournament tell us about Ohio State football. But first (0:30) they discuss the new football schedule starting in the Big Ten in 2024 and what permanent rivals Ohio State should have. Who and how many? And what Big Ten games have to be protected? And what's the best way to work USC and UCLA into the league? Then (36:28) the talk moves to the recent raises for the Ohio State assistant football coaches. What's the money balance on the staff and what does it tell us about the Buckeyes? Finally (1:10:02), Doug and Nathan talk about Purdue losing as a No. 1 seed to a No. 16 seed in the tournament, and the Boilermakers continued shortcomings on the national scene. How would Ohio State handle similar failures in this day and age and what does that say about the two schools? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are taking another bunch of Ohio State football questions from text subscribers. There are two main themes, however. First, (0:30) the discussion is on the 2024 Buckeyes and what might happen if the roster undergoes its assumed overhaul after 2023 with so many players expected to be heading to the NFL. Several questions and answers deal with that. Then (28:14) it's talking the future and present of Ohio State quarterbacks compared to other Big Ten teams. Finally (1:01:17) there's a question about the Ohio State defense, one about dreams, and one about running a 5K or 10K. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk episode, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are taking rapid fire Ohio State football questions from text subscibers. The subjects: (0:30) Will the Buckeyes be better in 2023 or possibly headed toward two or three losses? (25:50) Will Julian Fleming and Jayden Ballard be battling for playing time? (37:12) Do the Buckeyes need to play linebacker C.J. Hicks if they don't want to lose him? (48:48) What are the expectations for running back TreVeyon Henderson? (1:00:57) What is Jack Sawyer's best position? (1:03:15) Meshing Jim Knowles and Larry Johnson on the defensive staff (1:07:29) Looking for and writing about BA players on the football team (1:16:00) Does Doug do cringey interviews? (1:19:54) NFL corner Jamel Dean's brief history as a Buckeye (1:23:23) Will C.J. Stroud be the first pick in the NFL Draft? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, which took an extra day to get up, Doug Lesmerises is talking about Ohio State basketball, but not the 2022-23 version of Ohio State basketball. No, the conversation here is memories and standards. So, to start (0:30), Doug looks at the history of the NCAA Tournament and explains where Ohio State ranks in the country in tournament appearances, tournament wins, Sweet 16 appearances, Sweet 16 appearances since 1985, and more. The point? Ohio State has a history that says it should be good at basketball. Then, (13:30) the talk turns to favorite OSU memories in the NCAA Tournament, from 1960 to 1992 to 1999 to 2007 to 2012 and more. Finally (57:10) there's a brief discussion of the end of this Ohio State season and what missing the tournament does for fan's enjoyment of March Madness. Back to football on Thursday. For now, thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Madness edition of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird discuss an Ohio State issue, a national college football issue, and Whatcha Thinkin', Eatin', and Watchin'. First, (0:30) there's a long breakdown of whether Ohio State football could break the record for NFL Scouting Combine invites next year. Doug and Nathan go through all the players who could be combine candidates in 2024, and then analyze what it might mean for the Buckeyes in the fall if they have so many draft possibilities next winter. That takes quite a while. Then (1:01:55) there's a debate over whether Wisconsin or Penn State should be the third-best Big Ten team in 2023. Finally, (1:15:51) the Whatcha discussion includes standing in line, Swiss Steak and Cocaine Bear. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are discussing Marvin Harrison Jr., what's ahead for him in 2023, what he's chasing and how the Ohio State Buckeyes should go about bringing out the best in him. Everything MHJ takes up the first 60 percent of the pod, and then at 45:05 the talk moves to other receivers getting a chance this spring, like Jayden Ballard, Kojo Antwi, Kaleb Brown and Kyion Grayes. But this is a deep dive into how MHJ thinks and how the Buckeyes think about him. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's episode of NIL Now, Kevin and Lauren preview NCAA president Charlie Baker's first 100 days in office. The hosts then react to LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne's controversial NIL deal with Caktus AI, an artificial intelligence tool that forced LSU to issue a statement. Reddit CFB’s Bobak Ha’Eri brings his thoughts and Reddit's comments on Baker's mission as the NCAA's leader, and what he predicts the relationship between the NCAA and boosters, such as Miami's John Ruiz, will look like in the future. Mark Koesterer, the founder of The Players NIL and author of "NIL For ALL: A 30-Minute Guide to NIL," details where the NCAA went wrong with NIL and explains the importance of athlete education. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are bringing you the latest from Ohio State's second practice of spring football on Thursday morning. For this episode, that means describing Brian Hartline's new role as the Buckeyes' offensive coordinator, and what that means for him in practice. How is he different from Ryan Day? How might they complement each other? What's Hartline's coaching future? At the end of the pod, Doug goes on a rant about the Big Ten Network and its basketball coverage, but this is football pod about an important Buckeye in a new role. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, it's time to talk Ohio State defense from the first day of spring practice. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means do that, in this order: (0:30) Sonny Styles, Davison Igbinosun, Denzel Burke and the secondary (22:20) C.J. Hicks and the linebackers (38:29) The future of the Jack position in Jim Knowles' defense (49:42) What didn't work for the OSU defense last season and how Knowles plans to adjust Don't miss the offensive breakdown from Day 1 on the Tuesday podcast. And thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking about the first day of Ohio State football spring practice after watching a portion Tuesday and then talking with Ryan Day and quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Devin Brown. A podcast all about the defense from the first day of spring will drop Wednesday morning. For now, the guys start (0:30) with the quarterback battle. Then it's receivers (35:48), tight ends (45:57), running backs (53:05) and the offensive line (55:45). Position battles, players to watch, insight from coaches, audio clips from quarterbacks -- it's all part of this Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are wrapping up their coverage of the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. That includes running through the interviews and workouts of the three Buckeyes they haven't talked about yet -- offensive linemen Paris Johnson Jr., Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler. First (0:30), Doug and Nathan go through some combine notes, including the measurements of several Buckeyes. Then (15:36), it's Johnson and the case he made to be the first tackle drafted. Then (27:25) it's Jones and his extraordinary size and first-round prospects. Then (33:28) it's to Wypler and if his Indy performance can get him into the second round. Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba's outstanding testing and drills (44:47) got a lot of attention, and Doug and Nathan go through that next, as JSN may have confirmed his status as wide receiver one in the 2023 NFL Draft. Finally, (1:00:10) it's C.J. Stroud and how he threw the ball Saturday night. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Saturday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are discussing two big-time Ohio State Buckeyes at the NFL Scouting Combine. On Friday, quarterback C.J. Stroud and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba spoke with reporters. They'll work out on Saturday. First (0:30), Doug and Nathan discuss Smith-Njigba and the hamstring injury that held him to 60 snaps in 2022. Speaking to reporters for the first time since the injury, he said he regretted trying to come back as fast as he did. Then (30:12), Doug and Nathan talk about Stroud, how close he came to staying at Ohio State, and what he said about running the ball with the Buckeyes. In the final segment (1:06:15), the talk turned to the teams where Stroud might best fit and how those might try to grab him in the 2023 NFL Draft. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are discussing the first three Ohio State Buckeyes they interviewed at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. First up (0:30) is cornerback Cam Brown. The guys discuss where he ranks in this cornerback draft class, the dip in OSU cornerback prospects and why that happened, and the testing numbers that Brown could put up to help himself. Then it's safety Ronnie Hickman ( 30:51) and where he fits among the 10 best safeties in the draft. He had a lot of turnover in defensive coaches at Ohio State, and what will that mean for him in the NFL? Finally, it's defensive end Zach Harrison (48:58) and his very long arms. Doug and Nathan discuss his consistency and upside and how he compares to some edge rusher OSU draft prospects of the recent past. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. There will be more combine interviews and discussion in the days ahead. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is asking a question spurred by his four conversations with winning Ohio State coaches across various sports. Must a coach be a badass to win at Ohio State? Doug has thoughts, and he asked Ohio State text subscribers to share their views as well. It's kind of an obvious question, but it's one that Doug also found clarifying when it comes to assessing OSU teams. Plus, Doug talks a bit about Jalen Carter and Georgia football, and the circumstances around the two tragic deaths in the program in January. And then he finishes with a bit to say about Ohio State basketball, after the Buckeyes got their second straight win. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine, but it's not yet time to talk about what's been learned here. That will come later in the week. For this pod, Doug wanted to wrap up two more interviews with Ohio State head coaches. This time it's wrestling coach Tom Ryan and men's tennis coach Ty Tucker. Last week featured a pod with women's hockey coach Nadine Muzerall and women's basketball coach Kevin McGuff. The goal for both pods was to discuss the standard for Ohio State sports, and how these coaches built their winning programs. There is culture and strategy here that applies across sports, and they are just some good stories shared as well. It'll be back to football soon, but for now, we hope you enjoy this Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are looking ahead to the start of Ohio State spring football practice, which begins in a week. To do that, they are drafting the nine Buckeyes that intrigue them the most for spring, from early-enrolled freshmen, to veterans battling for jobs, to players who might be ready to take a step toward stardom. There will be a lot of OSU coverage from the NFL Combine this week, but spring practice will start before you know it. So let's get ready now. Thanks for listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are joined by Max Chadwick, the college football analyst from PFF, to preview the eight Ohio State Buckeyes taking part in the NFL Combine this week. Nathan and Doug will be two of the cleveland.com reporters in Indianapolis to cover the combine, so get ready for more combine podcasting later in the week. And this pod will get you ready. First, they interview Max, and then Doug and Nathan share their most interesting questions for the combine and the eight Buckeyes who will be there: C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Paris Johnson Jr., Dawand Jones, Luke Wypler, Zach Harrison, Ronnie Hickman and Cam Brown. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are back to do the defensive version of the offensive draft they did a week ago. It's drafting 11-player units from the four-year era with Ryan Day as head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes, with the same twist: each unit must include one player from the Urban Meyer era and one player from the Jim Tressel era. Stephen gets the first pick in this one, so who does he take? And who did the Ohio State text subscribers choose as the winner of the offense draft? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises is beginning the discussion about the standards and expectations for sports at Ohio State. In that pursuit, he's interviewing head coaches of other successful OSU programs, and this episode has two great talks to kick that off. First up is Nadine Muzerall, the head coach of the women's hockey team. The Buckeyes won their first national title in women's hockey last year and are the No. 1 team again this season heading into the postseason. Muzerall explains how that happened, and discusses her coaching philosophy. Then it's Kevin McGuff, the head coach of the women's basketball team. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten last season and reached the Sweet Sixteen. This year, Ohio State is once again a top-25 team and with one game left in the regular season, another Sweet Sixteen run looks possible. Thanks to these coaches for their time, and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss third-year Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and the battle he is preparing for this spring to replace C.J. Stroud. Nathan has been reporting a story on McCord for a while, and part of this discussion centers on how McCord as a young QB and in high school started readying himself for a moment like this. The guys also look at McCord’s style and why Ryan Day recruited him, and at the end of the podcast they run through the recent history of first-year Ohio State starting quarterbacks and what should be expected of them. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Buckeye Talk edition, Doug Lesmerises is joined by two very special guests. One is an actor, one is a space scientist, and both of them are Ohio State grads. In two 35-minute interviews, the hope is to give you a look into two interesting lives of former Buckeyes. First up is Otis Winston, who is in the movie "Plane," which is currently out in theaters. He's been in several other movies and TV shows after an athletic career at Ohio State that included both basketball and high jump. Otis was one of the captains of the 1996-97 OSU basketball team. He talks about filming "Plane," making an acting career while living in central Ohio, and transitioning from sports to the big screen. Then it's a 35-minute interview with James Bullock, the dean of the School of Physical Sciences at the University of California-Irvine. James was involved with the James Webb Space Telescope, which is currently taking awesome photos of the universe. He talks about space exploration, how much should be invested in space research, whether he thinks there is other life out there, and more. James is also a Buckeye Talk listener, so he knows the deal. Thanks to both Otis and James for sharing these interesting insights into their lives. And thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, it's time for an in-depth look at Ohio State special teams. This is worth the time since three major special teams played affected the end of Ohio State's season -- the miscommunication on what should have been a fake punt vs. Michigan; the fake punt that was stopped by a timeout vs. Georgia; and the missed field goal to end the Georgia loss. To get at those issues, Doug Lesmerises spent 20 minutes interviewing OSU specials teams coordinator Parker Fleming when he was available a few weeks ago. In what was almost a one-on-one interview, Doug dug in more on special teams than Buckeye Talk has done in a long time. On this podcast, Doug shares his thoughts on whether Ohio State should have an entire assistant coach devoted to special teams, and gets at what didn't work for the Buckeyes. He does that while sharing audio clips from Fleming in that interview. We think this was a worthy dive into this part of the game, and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are back to do one of their favorite things on this podcast -- drafting teams against each other. For this exercise, they each drafted an 11-player offense made up of Buckeyes from the last four season -- Ryan Day's four years as head coach. But there was one twist -- each of them had to draft one player from the Urban Meyer era and one player from the Jim Tressel era. That added an extra level of strategy -- and made sure each team got a good quarterback. So listen to this 11-round draft to find out which 27 Day players, which three Meyer players and which three Tressel players made the cut. Thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk. And expect a defensive version of this draft next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises is here late with what was supposed to be a Valentine's Day episode. Why did it make sense for Valentine's Day? Because it's about love. Instead of rants this week, Doug asked Ohio State text subscribers for anti-rants. That is, he wanted stories and explanations from fans about what they love about the Buckeyes and what they love about being a fan of them. And that's what people sent. From Ohio State's history of winning to the bonds forged with family, Doug runs through anti-rant after anti-rant about love for this program. Sorry it's a day late, and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are reacting to the Super Bowl, and thinking about whether an Ohio State quarterback will get there one day. First (0:30), on this Monday Madness edition, Doug and Nathan do Whatcha Watchin’, Whatcha Eatin’, Whatcha Thinkin’? They are watching the Super Bowl, eating Super Bowl food, and thinking about flag football, bad radio and worse Ohio State basketball (32:54), among other things. Then (44:29), they discuss Justin Fields and the Bears, as the former OSU QB is preparing for Year 3 in Chicago. Does Fields have any similarities to Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, and what should the Bears do to best set up Fields for success? Can he be a Super Bowl QB? Finally (1:09:23) it’s onto C.J. Stroud and the best landing spots in this NFL Draft for the former Buckeye. Will he go in the top two picks? Which teams might trade up for him? And what might be the best places for Stroud to succeed? Can he be a Super Bowl QB? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means discuss the latest views on Ohio State recruiting based on last week’s interview with Mark Pantoni, who has overseen the recruiting operation for the Buckeyes for more than a decade. First (0:30), Doug and Stephen discuss Ohio State’s latest ideas about NIL and how it affects Ohio State’s recruiting. Then (9:35) they dive more specifically into one possibility in this recruiting world -- the Buckeyes focusing more on in-state recruits. Finally (47:47), it’s some changes in the OSU recruiting department and what Pantoni’s main duties are now. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, it's time to talk about the Ohio State secondary. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss what OSU cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and safeties coach Perry Eliano said last week. First, (0:30) the guys talk about the eight Buckeyes invited to this year's NFL Combine and what that says about Ohio State's 2022 team. Then (12:47) they talk about Walton, what was said about the OSU corners and the wide-open competition that could occur this spring. Then (33:53) it's the safeties, Eliano and how young safeties Sonny Styles and Kye Stokes could factor into the 2023 season. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking about Ohio State linebackers after speaking with Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jim Knowles and new OSU grad assistant James Laurinaitis last week. Covered in the three sections on this episode: * (0:30) How Knowles felt about his first year running the defense and what the focus will be in spring football * (25:20) The chances that young linebackers C.J. Hicks, Gabe Powers and Reid Carrico should get in the spring * (38:36) The role Laurinaitis should play in recruiting and ... might play in Michigan prep? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means continue to work their way through interviews with Ohio State assistant coaches and staffers last week, and up now is defensive line coach Larry Johnson and his room. First up (0:30), the guys talk about the 71-year-old Johnson, a legend as a college football assistant, and discuss what his future is in Columbus and how the Buckeyes are handling it. Then (22:42) it's onto the defensive ends, and how Johnson rotates his players and how much J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer will play this season. Plus, will Sawyer still play that stand-up Jack position and move around the line, or will he be a pure defensive end with his hand on the ground? Finally (45:22) it's defensive tackle talk, plus a brief discussion of a defensive lineman who could be on the Marvin Harrison Jr. career trajectory. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means are here to take rants from Ohio State text subscribers and discuss the state of Buckeye basketball, after Ohio State fell to 11-12 overall and 3-9 in Big Ten play with a loss to Michigan on Sunday. First (0:30), Doug and Stephen look at things on the horizon, including how the incoming recruiting class should affect the view of Chris Holtmann and whether Bronny James can come save the Buckeyes. Then (22:19) it's rants and talk about this edition of the Buckeyes, how Holtmann built the roster and why it's not working in what is looking like a season that will produce Ohio State's worst Big Ten record in 25 years. Finally ( 1:21:47) Doug wraps it up with some solo rants about what should be done, other coaches the Buckeyes should look at, how Gene Smith has handled this, and what Holtmann's future really is. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices