Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means get off the spring football news cycle for a minute. Time for a step back. Who are the best head coaches in college football? They answer that question with a draft. It's eight rounds, 24 total coaches and an interesting offseason exercise. Is Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney on top? Where does Ryan Day belong? How does Luke Fickell fit in? Does Jim Harbaugh make the list? What other Big Ten coaches are in the top 24? Come along for a draft that answers those questions, and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football opened up a practice to reporters for the second time in four days on Monday. Nathan Baird and Stephen Means were there, which gave them an opportunity to compare what they see to what they have been hearing from the Buckeye coaches through the first half of the spring. Doug Lesmerises joined in for a round of Buy or Sell where the guys compare what they've been told to what they are seeing with their own eyes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football coach Ryan Day on criticisms of Justin Fields: ‘His work ethic was off the charts’. Ohio State football’s Gee Scott, a top-100 prospect as a receiver, getting a new look at tight end this spring. What’s up with Ohio State football’s Denzel Burke? Several Ohio State football players not participating in spring practice. Ohio State football Buckeyes’ Pro Day. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this weekend Buckeye Talk Podcast, the secondary is the focus, as Doug Lesmerises puts Nathan Baird and Stephen Means on the spot at the end of the episode to declare which five members of the secondary will play the most in 2021. But first, there's lot of discussion about cornerbacks and safeties like Cam Martinez, Denzel Burke, Lanthan Ransom and Marcus Williamson. But to open the podcast, Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss the moves of Gee Scott from receiver to tight end and Demario McCall from offense to defense and how those might work out. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The basic recruiting rankings tell us which Ohio State assistant coaches have brought the most elite players in at their positions. But does it tell the whole story about those coaches as recruiters? Stephen Means took a closer look at those rankings -- including which coaches played a role in landing players outside of their position room -- and he and Nathan Baird discussed how that changed their view of those coaches' performance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and the Stephen Means run through several topics on the Thursday Buckeye Talk Podcast What's new with Jeremy Ruckert's routes and Cade Stover's progress as the OSU tight ends talked to reporters. Is Tennessee transfer LB Henry To'o To'o a fit for the Buckeyes after a report from Rivals.com that he's visiting Columbus soon. Ohio State basketball lost a transfer and added one, so what does that mean? Why do NFL scouts leak what seem like personal attacks on NFL Draft prospects and why do media members regurgitate quotes? The Supreme Court is hearing a case about the NCAA and amateurism, so who what's up with that? Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk Podcast from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss the Pro Day results for current draft Buckeyes like Justin Fields, Baron Browning, Pete Werner and Wyatt Davis. But that's at the end of the pod. The first part of the pod is a look further into the future for Ohio State and the NFL Draft. How many future first-round picks will be playing for the Buckeyes in 2021? How many Ohio State players will be taken in the first round in 2022? How do those numbers compare with OSU draft numbers of the past? Are Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson sure first-round picks in 2022? That future discussion drives the pod before it's time to check in on Pro Day. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Monday Buckeye Talk Podcast, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are back to talk about the Ohio State quarterbacks. Included in this episode: What Ryan Day said about the QBs on Monday. How OSU compares to Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Texas A&M in terms of their 2021 QB plans. Those were the top five teams in the final AP poll last year, and they all lost their starting QBs. How many other second-year quarterbacks from the Class of 2020 are in line to start this season, like Ohio State's C.J. Stroud might be? In the playoff era, how many teams have won it all with a first-year QB, like Ohio State will try to do this season? Would you rather have these three Ohio State QB candidates or J.T. Barrett to play a season? Results from our QB texter survey. It's more interesting QB talk as the Buckeyes work through spring practice. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will Ohio State football allow fans for Spring Game under Big Ten’s new attendance policy? Can Master Teague hold off young challengers in Ohio State football’s running back competition? Ohio State football’s best defensive player out for spring practice. What’s up with Ohio State football’s linebacker lineup? Ohio State football has featured the Big Ten’s best quarterback basically every year for almost a decade -- Will that end in 2021? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this weekend Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means look at the Ohio State linebackers as a way to get into the best starting lineup for the entire defense. The linebackers and assistant coach Al Washington spoke to reporters this week, which provided a little more info about a position where the top four players from a year ago are gone. So the guys talked about the Buckeyes most likely to play at linebacker. But at the suggestion of a text subscriber, that expanded into a discussion of the 11 defenders most likely to play if the Buckeyes had a College Football Playoff game right now. So they provided an 11-man defense on first down and an 11-man defense on third-and-long if the Buckeyes were facing Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia or USC in a playoff game. Plus, Doug provided a little advice on colon health. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we discuss how well Ohio State football is recruiting on a national level, we are really talking about one central question: Where are the Buckeyes compared to Alabama? This edition of the BFF podcast resets the progress of OSU's 2022 recruiting class against that of the Crimson Tide. Where are the two programs going head-to-head as the class takes shape this summer? Nathan and Stephen also discuss how recruiting will play into how the Ohio State men's basketball team bounces back from its first-round NCAA Tournament exit. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford said whoever consistently plays the best will get the carries in the Buckeye backfield in 2021. Could that end up being Master Teague? After third and second-team All-Big Ten Conference recognition his first two seasons, Teague is a year removed from his Achilles tear and the elder statesman in the crowded running back group. Doug, Nathan and Stephen debate how ready TreVeyon Henderson could be to force himself into the starting role and what the spring's competition means for other backs on the roster. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday rapid fire Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means take great rapid fire questions from Ohio State text subscribers on the OSU quarterbacks, Demario McCall, robots, Tyreke Johnson, Cam Martinez, cheating scandals, the best bread for sandwiches, Nathan's football crush and more. But the episode leads off with a long discussion about whether the winner of the Ohio State quarterback competition will be the best QB in the Big Ten by the end of the season, or whether someone like Michael Penix of Indiana or Graham Mertz of Wisconsin will be better. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This Tuesday Buckeye Talk Podcast from cleveland.com focuses on football as Doug Lesmerises, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird run through the latest updates from head coach Ryan Day as the Buckeyes continue to practice this spring. How do the linebackers fit together? What's happening with expected starting center Harry Miller? Are there changes in how the cornerbacks will be used? Then it's on to basketball and the handling of hateful social media messages directed at Ohio State basketball sophomore E.J. Liddell. Plus, the Big Ten landed nine teams in the NCAA Tournament and only one advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. What happened? Then there's an update on the Gas Station Snack Bracket. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Football opens spring practice as men's basketball ends with an upset loss. Ohio state football offence rated 3rd in the nation, defense, not so high. Josh Proctor holds starting safety spot as Ohio State opens spring practice. Huge upset for Ohio state basketball in NCAA, beaten by Oral Roberts, 15th seed. Players to watch this season in Buckeyes football. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this weekend Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird review the start of spring football practice for the Buckeyes on Friday. Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, defensive end Zach Harrison and offensive tackle Thayer Munford spoke to reporters after practice, and Nathan and Doug cover the most important facts learned and opinions created from the Buckeyes taking the practice field again. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is all basketball. If you don't care about Ohio State basketball, don't listen. Unless you just are generally a fan of Doug ranting, because there is a lot of that. Stephen Means, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird break down No. 2 seed Ohio State's overtime loss to No. 15 seed Oral Roberts in the NCAA Tournament on Friday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State spring drills begin Friday, so in a twist on Buckeye Future Fridays, we are talking about the present OSU quarterback competition. We also talk about the past and the backgrounds Jack Miller, C.J. Stroud and Kyle McCord brought to this moment. What prepared each of these players to potentially be the starting successor to Justin Fields? Also up top, a closer look at Ohio State basketball's first-round NCAA Tournament opponent, Oral Roberts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Buckeye Talk, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises get into spring football, which is right around the corner for Ohio State. The Buckeyes open practice Friday, so on Wednesday, Ryan Day spoke with reporters for 40 minutes. Nathan and Doug go through the most important things that were learned in that conversation about players like Paris Johnson, Zach Harrison, Kourt Williams, Cam Brown, TreVeyon Henderson and others, and how Day will handle practice this spring in terms of getting players enough work coming off a season affected by coronavirus. Spring football is almost here, and thanks for preparing for it with Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk, it's all about the bracket. First, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Doug Lesmerises make their NCAA Tournament picks, revealing their Elite Eight teams and then their national champions. Who will pick Ohio State to reach the Final Four? Who will predict the Big Ten to break a two-decade drought and win a national title? Stephen, Nathan and Doug run through all of that, plus what Alabama might learn from Ohio State about being a power in both football and basketball. Then it's time for another bracket -- Gas Station Snacks. Doug reveals the 64 items in the bracket and the first-round matchups region by region, with Nathan and Stephen offering instant analysis on the Salty, Baked Goods, Candy and Hot/Cold Snack regions. Ohio State text subscribers will be voting on the snack showdowns over the next few weeks, so if you'd like to participate, send a text to 614-350-3315 for a free trial. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State's quarterback competition resumes at a new level this week when the Buckeyes officially begin spring drills on Friday. On today's Buckeye Talk we essentially asked what sort of deadline Ryan Day must work with in making biggest decision of his tenure so far. If August comes and two contenders remain neck-and-neck, should OSU find a way for both of them to play to start the season? Also, we were already planning to discuss the similarities between a previous era of Ohio State football and Indiana basketball. Then IU fired Archie Miller while we were recording. Why the Hoosiers need to hire their Jim Tressel, and why that program's plummet reminds us how the timing worked out perfectly in OSU's last three football hires. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State spring football practice prepare to begin. The NCAA basketball tournament. Ohio State Basketball highest seed in NCAA since 2013. Could the big 10 win its first basketball national championship in 21 years? Latest in Ohio State Buckeye football recruiting. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are three parts to this weekend Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. First (starting at 3:04) Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are joined by QB film expert Derrik Klassen, who recently wrote a piece for FootballOutsiders.com about Justin Fields as an NFL Draft prospect and why he thinks Fields is even better than recent prospects like Joe Burrow, Kyler Murray and Jared Goff. If you've been seeing questions about Fields as a prospect and wondering why, Klassen really breaks it down for you. Then (40:15), Stephen Means joins from Indianapolis and leads a discussion about Ohio State's overtime win over Purdue in the Big Ten quarterfinals and what it told us about the basketball Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament. The last section (58:33) is Doug and Nathan looking back at the last live podcast a year ago and what they learned about the coronavirus since then and how they think sports coverage will still be affected in the future. Finally, (1:24.44) the episode wraps up with a 12-minute segment from the podcast from March 10, 2020 and what Doug, Nathan and Stephen were saying then. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another edition of Buckeye Futures Friday kicks off with an introduction to the "recruiting battles" series Stephen is writing throughout the month of March. Ohio State already has 11 commits for the 2022 class. Which targets are the Buckeyes really still pursuing and which ones will be toughest to sign? Also, a discussion about how and why in-state five-star prospects have been so critical for OSU, and not just for what they eventually do on the field. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Buckeye Talk episode from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird discuss how to view allegations of cheating made by a high school coach in Georgia this week. A recording of the coach saying that Georgia and Alabama have plans for paying players was made public and spurred this discussion. It's hard to discuss the facts, because nothing is close to proven. So the idea was to ask Ohio State fans how the underlying rumors of cheating in college sports affects how they view the sport and their favorite team. There aren't hard facts in this one, but there are lots of opinions from Doug, Nathan and the texters about a subject that isn't usually discussed on Buckeye Talk. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trying something new here on Buckeye Talk, as suggested by a text subscriber. It's time to dive into changing one decision in Ohio State history, and figuring out what would have happened. We're calling it Buckeyefly Effect (like Butterfly Effect) and we're starting with Ryan Day. What if the Buckeyes had not hired Day to replace Urban Meyer when Meyer resigned in December 2018? Who would the Buckeyes have hired instead? What would have happened to the program? And what would have happened to Day? That's what Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discussed on this episode, with great insight offered by texters, and survey results explaining how fans have adapted to the Day era and what they would think if it had never happened. It's a great discussion of what could have happened that tells you a lot about what did happen. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second part of the Buckeye Talk that dropped on Saturday. That one dealt with the top five offensive players that need to raise their games for the 2021 season. Now Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dive into the same question on the defensive side, with five Buckeyes who need to raise their games, and it gets a lot more complicated. With fewer sure things on defense, there are at least 10 candidates for this discussion and they've present at every position. So where do players like linebacker Teradja Mitchell, defensive tackle Taron Vincent and cornerback Cam Brown fit in this discussion? Doug, Nathan and Stephen break it all down. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Buckeyes would have had 14 players invited to the NFL combine, but it's not happening this year. The Buckeyes set the start of spring football practice. Ohio State announces April 17 for a tentative spring game date. Buckeye spring battle for lineup positions. Ohio State leading Big 10 recruiting race. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this weekend Buckeye Talk episode, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and the Ohio State text subscribers ranked the players that Ohio State most needs to raise their games on offense in the 2021 season. It could be a jump from average to good, from good to great or from great to the best in the country. But who would make the biggest difference? The guys agree on some players and disagree on others, so listen in, and then come back for the Tuesday podcast as they'll do the same thing on the defensive side of the ball. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back for our end-of-the-working week recruiting focus. Nathan and Stephen allowed promising young newcomer Doug Lesmerises to join. Topics included Kiyon Grayes' commitment and what it means for the wide receiver position and the 2022 class, early recruiting returns from Michigan's revamped coaching staff and some surprising (or maybe not-so-surprising) Big Ten recruiting rankings over the past five classes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A couple of weeks ago, Ohio State men's basketball was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament committee's early bracket reveal and bracing to play The Game of the Year against Michigan. The Buckeyes head into Sunday's season finale against Illinois on a three-game losing streak. What happened, and can Chris Holtmann's squad regroup for the postseason? We invited our text subscribers for this live Zoom discussion. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means tackle two questions with the help of the OSU texters: Which Big Ten teams are the greatest short-team threats to the Buckeyes, and which Big Ten teams are the greatest long-term threats to the Buckeyes? Doug, Nathan, Stephen and the texters rank the other 13 Big Ten teams in both categories, and that leads to interesting debates about the futures and ceiling of teams like Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk five days a week from Tuesday through Saturday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a change in the weather and a change in the calendar to March, it was time for Buckeye Talk to dive in headfirst to spring football discussions. Our text subscribers sent us their No. 1 question for the spring and we compiled them into a top 10 list. Obviously a lot of people wanted to discuss the quarterback competition and structural changes in the secondary. But we also delved into defensive back development, what happens at Sam linebacker, where the next defensive line breakthrough may come from and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State lands another receiver recruit, Kyion Graves. Ohio State now with 11 recruits in the class of 2022. Ohio State on track to host Oregon in the 2nd game of season. Ohio State planning to practice, spring game potentially April 17. Vegas odds on teams to potentially challenge Ohio State this season. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The top three programs in college football are not in dispute as the offseason ramps up into spring practices. However, could there be another team lurking in the weeds as LSU did in 2019, ready to spoil the party and make a run at "Super Team" status? Doug, Nathan and Stephen give their criteria on what attributes such teams need to have, and which programs seem poised for a peak in 2021. Also, they discuss the changes to Ohio State's season tickets and giving policy and what that could mean for fans and the athletic department. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football sent out a flurry of Class of 2023 offers over the past few days. Nathan and Stephen open this episode of BFFs discussing what foundation OSU is laying for that class and how the extended dead period and last season's lack of visits might impact early commitments. They also run through questions from text subscribers about Philadelphia-area recruiting, Kerry Coombs and continuing the streak of signing the nation's No. 1 receiver prospect. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Branching off of our Big Wednesday draft, we wanted to continue the conversation on the young vs. old position battles facing Ohio State football in 2021. is there really evidence that this Buckeyes coaching staff has a blind spot when it comes to leaning to veterans, to the detriment of team performance? Which positions will the young vs. old question apply to the most for the 2021 season? Also, we break down the upcoming week for OSU men's basketball and how the Buckeyes can still improve their case for a No 1 NCAA Tournament seed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We came up with another big draft for the Big Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk. Doug, Nathan and Stephen each built eight-man teams for a fictional parking lot football game of Ohio State players. They were spending on a budget, based on the recruiting ranking tiers the Buckeyes fell into when they came out of high school. Along the way they discussed the stars who need to step up on defense, the depth in the running back room, the questions still lingering in the secondary and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a rare sporting event that lived up to the hype, Ohio State and Michigan played one of the season's best college basketball games on Sunday. Nathan and Stephen open this episode by discussing where the Buckeyes came up short in a 92-87 loss and what this game told us about their deep NCAA Tournament hopes. Also, they took questions from Buckeye Talk text subscribers on OSU's first-round prospects and other NFL Draft-related topics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of Doug's favorite features on Buckeye Talk is when he and Stephen critique one of Nathan's projects. For this weekend episode of Buckeye Talk, Nathan combined all of the Big Ten football and men's basketball programs together and ranked them 1-28. The No. 1 team is fairly obvious, and there wasn't much argument about the bottom few, either. How do Sweet 16s and bowl victories compare? Which schools put both programs in our consensus top 10? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nathan and Stephen are back for another edition of Buckeye Future Fridays focusing on Ohio State recruiting. Today they open with a discussion on the NCAA extending the dead period through May 31 and the consequences for both athletes and the Buckeyes. Then they delve into OSU's success at finding prospects before they climb the recruiting rankings and who might fit that description for 2022. Lastly, they go rapid fire with questions from our Buckeye Talk text subscribers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State and Michigan play this weekend, with the winner potentially taking the driver's seat for the Big Ten championship and rising even higher than its current lofty national stature. That is how we should be talking about The Game every November, but alas, the Wolverines are not living up their end. Of course last football season, we did not even get to have The Game. But Sunday's men's basketball matchup at Value City Arena between No. 4 OSU and No. 3 Michigan gives us a small taste of the rivalry. We use this big weekend for the Buckeyes to jump into a conversation on where the program stands and where it could be headed under Chris Holtmann. But it's not all football talk, as we discussed how the programs complement each other and what it means when both are among the best in the nation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many months ago, a text subscriber posted the question: What one quarterback, one running back and three receivers would you pick from the year 2000-on for Ohio State football? We decided that challenge was not tough enough. Doug, Nathan and Stephen picked TWO quarterbacks, TWO running backs and FOUR receivers from that era. Even better, the did so via a draft, so they could take the players each other hoped to get and critique the picks their podmates ended up making. Also, what one album, one book and one male and female celebrity would you take if stranded on a deserted island for one year? All of that and more on the Big Wednesday edition of Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Al Washington stays put in Ohio. Ohio State adds analysts to staff. C.J. Barnett hired as director of player development. Minor adjustments to 20-21 college football season. Ohio State vs. Michigan face off in basketball this coming Sunday. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're kicking off the week with a rapid-fire edition of Buckeye Talk. Among the Tuesday topics: What role does diversity play in hiring assistant coaches, is an Alabama-like dynasty attainable for the Buckeyes, would you take Ryan Day over other national coaches to lead a program over the next decade and who would win an arm wrestling match between Nathan and Stephen? (Notice no one asked how Doug would fare in that competition.) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a week of speculation, Al Washington is staying at Ohio State as linebackers coach -- and, we assume, some other change in title and duties. The Tennessee defensive coordinator job will not be the only one dangled in front of the Buckeyes' rising young defensive assistant in the coming years. But for 2021, would losing Washington have potentially punched a hole in Buckeyes' season that would have been difficult to repair? Doug, Nathan and Stephen also discuss the addition of analysts on offense and defense and the return of C.J. Barnett in a player development role. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the second installment of Buckeye Future Fridays -- BFFs if you're short for time -- Nathan and Stephen take a look at the national recruiting map. Ohio State has enjoyed great success in both California and Texas, but major programs in those states are in the process of turning things around. OSU has also exploited other areas when home-state programs take a dip, such as New Jersey. So where could the Buckeyes next make similar inroads and pick up some big recruiting wins over multiple years? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, the episode is split into two parts. Up first, Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss fifth-year seniors in the OSU program, how they help the Buckeyes, which members of the 2017 recruiting class now in Year 5 could help in 2021, and how fifth-year seniors could help playoff pushes in 2022 and 2023. Is the transfer portal lessening the chances of finding Buckeyes who pop in Year 5? And are Ohio recruits more likely to be those Year 5 guys? Then, Doug interviews Clay Raterman, because he's ripped. Not Doug, but Clay. He walked on the Ohio State football team in 2017 while at the same time competing in American Ninja Warrior competitions. Clay talks about why he was so motivated to try to play football at Ohio State, how he balanced football and Ninja Warrior at the same time, and the difference between training for football and for warrior competitions. Fun stuff. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your week. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this week's Big Wednesday episode we are taking a big leap into the future. We already projected the 2021 depth chart, but that was child's play. What will Ohio State's starting offensive and defensive lineups be in 2023? Obviously, accuracy is not the goal here. A similar exercise in 2017 only predicted 11 of 22 spots for 2020. However, it opened some interesting discussions of what we expected from the good young players on the current Buckeyes roster and how quickly we think incoming recruits and prospects -- some of whom remain uncommitted -- will make an impact. Also, we discussed Tennessee's pursuit of Al Washington to be its defensive coordinator, including why or why not the Volunteers make sense as his next destination and why his departure would be a big loss for Ohio State. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL season is over, and the 2021 draft in Cleveland is two months away. Buckeye Talk wanted to wrap up one and look ahead to the other by taking stock of the best Buckeyes in the pros as of the end of the 2021 season. Doug, Nathan and Stephen each ranked their top 10, as did our Buckeye Talk text subscribers. Would you still rank Michael Thomas No. 1 despite his odd and injury shortened 2021 season? Which pass rusher would you rank the highest? How high should Ezekiel Elliott rank coming off of a sub-par performance? Doug also lists his man team of current OSU NFL players, and we speculate which other college programs could put together a similar team. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices