Real Pod Wednesdays

While Ohio State’s primary focus right now is on competing for a national championship in 2024, it’s also working toward building its roster for the future.With high school football camps and official visits ongoing at Ohio State this month, the Buckeyes are in the heart of their efforts to build their 2025 recruiting class. Those efforts have gone quite well so far as Ohio State currently has the top-ranked recruiting class in the country, receiving another boost to that No. 1 ranking on Sunday when No. 2 safety Faheem Delane committed to the Buckeyes.Those efforts may be bolstered by the fact that Ohio State projects to have plenty of opportunities available for new players to compete for playing time next year. While the Buckeyes are set to have a veteran-heavy starting lineup this year, most of their 2024 starters will be on their way to the NFL in 2025, leaving many doors open for new starters and contributors to emerge a year from now.While that makes this year a “natty or bust” season for the Buckeyes, Ohio State still projects to have a roster loaded with talent next year. The long-term outlook is certainly stronger at some positions than it is at others, though.With that in mind, we take a position-by-position look at how Ohio State’s roster could stack up at each position in 2025 – not to look past what could be a special season in 2024, but to put into perspective the combination of player development, recruiting and potential transfer additions Ohio State will be relying on to build another championship-caliber roster a year from now.Following that conversation, we also spend a few minutes at the end of the show discussing Andy’s top takeaways from Jake Diebler’s first press conference of the summer, starting with how Diebler’s upfront approach to championship expectations differs from his predecessor Chris Holtmann.The rundown of where you can hear us talk about what in this week’s show:0:00 Intro0:17 Ohio State’s 2025 class is the best in the country right now2:31 Ohio State will likely have to replace most of its starters after this year9:22 Long-term QB outlook looks great on paper, but roster retention questions will remain12:43 Ohio State will likely need to add another transfer RB next year16:46 Wide receiver might have the best long-term outlook of any position on OSU’s roster20:56 Multiple tight ends playing big roles this year would benefit 2025 Buckeyes23:39 Offensive line could be an even bigger question mark entering next year than this year32:29 Defensive line set up for success in 2025 despite four senior starters37:39 OSU well-stocked at linebacker if C.J. Hicks, Sonny Styles stay for senior seasons43:21 Cornerback future looks very bright despite possibly losing three starters after this year45:38 Strong safety a question mark for 2025, but it’s nice to know Caleb Downs will be back48:02 Jake Diebler’s embrace of championship expectations is important52:29 Diebler is turning the page from Chris Holtmann, which he needed to55:36 Devin Royal, Juni Mobley could be keys to OSU’s 3-point shooting58:48 OSU still expected to add frontcourt depth with final scholarship

The busiest recruiting month of the year is underway.Ohio State has already hosted its first 10 official visitors of June, netting the Buckeyes their first commitment of the month from running back Bo Jackson. Camp season begins at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday as the Buckeyes will host seven high school football camps – five skill camps and two 7-on-7 tournaments – over the next 14 days, and the Buckeyes will host many more of their top targets in the 2025 recruiting class for official visits over the next three weekends.With so much happening on the recruiting front, Eleven Warriors recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge joins us on Real Pod Wednesdays this week to break down where the Buckeyes stand in their pursuits for their top targets in the 2025 class and what we’ll be watching for during camp season.A rundown of what we’re talking about this week:0:00: Intro0:53: Why Bo Jackson is a Big Recruiting Win for Carlos Locklyn4:51: Jordon Davison, Isaiah West Could Still Join Jackson in Ohio State’s 2025 RB Class7:19: Landing Premier Offensive Tackle David Sanders Jr. is Ohio State’s Top Recruiting Priority10:05: Landing Faheem Delane or Trey McNutt is Ohio State’s No. 2 Priority11:52: Ohio State Still in Good Position for Dorian Brew13:26: Ohio State Well-Positioned with Several Interior Offensive Linemen16:27: Justin Hill Could Bring the “Jack” Back to Ohio State19:12: Trajen Odom, Malik Autry Among Defensive Line Targets to Watch23:03: Cautious Optimism Ohio State Will Land Another Top Linebacker24:48: On-Field Defensive Results Leading to Better Defensive Recruiting26:50: Ohio State in the Race for Dakorien Moore28:35: Why Jamie Ffrench Might Be Trending Away from Ohio State30:38: OSU Has Plenty of Candidate for Another Great Receiver Class32:47: Tavien St. Clair Has Grown Into Elite Quarterback Prospect36:22: De’Zie Jones, Eli Lee Are OSU’s Most Underrated Commits38:16: Jahkeem Stewart, Nate Roberts Headline This Week’s Campers43:08: Dia Bell, Brady Palmer Among 2026 Quarterbacks to Watch45:00: Lots of Tight End Talent Coming to Campus This Week

College sports are about to change in a big way.As part of a settlement of three antitrust lawsuits last week, the NCAA committed to allowing schools to share revenue with their athletes beginning in 2025, ending the NCAA’s longstanding ban on schools paying athletes.We spend this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays discussing why it was time for the NCAA to embrace revenue sharing, how the change could impact Ohio State, the lingering questions that remain unanswered and why the model created by the settlement is more likely to be a temporary fix than a permanent solution.The full rundown for this week’s conversation:1:57: We didn’t necessarily expect it to come this quickly, but revenue sharing was inevitable5:45: It’s both a huge change for the NCAA and a natural evolution of what was happening with NIL9:43: Players’ “salaries” should be coming from school revenues, not fan donations12:26: Bringing collectives in-house could give the NCAA another chance to regulate NIL15:58: Like it or not, college sports are gradually becoming more and more like professional sports19:10: Ohio State will have to share a far smaller piece of its pie than most other schools21:37: From a roster-building standpoint, Ohio State would benefit if there was no sharing cap23:29: Revenue cap could increase gap between OSU basketball and basketball-first schools30:28: Should OSU keep all 36 sports if it can’t fund all 36 at a championship-contending level?33:37: OSU will need donors to fund smaller sports, but football can’t subsidize 34 sports anymore35:43: Should Title IX apply to revenue sharing when football, men’s basketball make most of the money?40:12: Ohio State should look for ways to generate more revenue from other sports42:12: Will the NCAA’s efforts to regulate revenue sharing be more successful than it’s been with NIL?45:10: The new revenue-sharing model isn’t likely to be a permanent solution46:14: Collective bargaining is necessary to create a long-term system that works for everyone

There hasn’t been much that’s noteworthy in Ohio State’s spring transfer portal movement.The Buckeyes added some key depth at safety in the form of South Carolina’s Keenan Nelson Jr., but no players that will make an immediate impact have been or appear likely to be added to the team in the second portal window.With Dan Hope on vacation, Eleven Warriors producer Chase Brown joined Real Pod Wednesdays this week to discuss why Ohio State’s portal inactivity speaks to the confidence Ryan Day has in the roster he’s already built.Marvin Harrison Jr. is being sued by Fanatics for a breach of contract but the details of the suit still seem murky at this stage, while elsewhere the Big Ten is raking in big bucks – with more money to come on the horizon.A full rundown of what we discussed on this week’s episode:0:49: Safety Keenan Nelson Jr. is the only transfer Ohio State has added so far, but that mainly shows satisfaction with its current roster5:38: Our level of confidence in the offensive line as constructed12:36: The Buckeyes’ starting running back tandem and scheme under Chip Kelly should help matters on the ground15:25: Fanatics is suing Marvin Harrison Jr. and the situation is convoluted23:28: Blake Woodby has decommitted from Ohio State but the Tim Walton train isn’t slowing down27:21: The Buckeyes will get to play at Wrigley Field this year, which is neat30:24: College football is more of a business than ever and business is booming in the Big Ten, to the tune of $880 million41:38: Women’s hockey coach Nadine Muzerall landed a well-earned contract extension this week44:27: Men’s tennis falls short on another attempted national championship run

Depth could be as important as it's ever been for college football’s national championship contenders in 2024.With the eventual national championship game participants facing the possibility of playing as many as 16 or 17 games this season, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this spring the Buckeyes need to have depth they can rely on at every position as they set their sights on winning it all.“We're trying to build three-deep at each position,” Day said. “We used to say a pair and a spare, now we need three at each position. So we need to build depth at all positions.”With that in mind, we assess Ohio State’s depth at every position on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays. While Ohio State’s depth chart is loaded from top to bottom at some positions, such as cornerback and defensive end, there are lingering depth concerns at some other positions, particularly on the offensive line and at safety.If you’re more interested in what we have to say about specific positions than others, here are the timestamps for where you can listen to our conversations about each position group:1:03: Ohio State may have found its new punter by adding Buffalo transfer Anthony Venneri4:32: Ohio State has the deepest quarterback unit among college football’s top 25 teams11:37: Running backs behind TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins promising but unproven18:01: Wide receiver two-deep should be loaded despite lower than ideal scholarship numbers25:31: Ohio State lacks proven starter at tight end but has no shortage of options31:25: Tackle depth among multiple offensive line concerns with no post-spring transfer addition38:49: Kayden McDonald, Jason Moore, Hero Kanu among promising defensive tackle depth43:17: Ohio State should have elite three-deep at defensive end45:18: For a 4-2-5 defense, Ohio State has plenty of depth at linebacker49:09: Cornerback is Ohio State’s strongest position group from top to bottom53:20: Safety depth will be major question mark if Ohio State doesn’t land a veteran transfer1:00:11: Overall, Ohio State’s defensive depth should be the best in the country

The spring transfer portal window has come and gone without Ohio State losing any key players.Six players from Ohio State entered the portal during the spring window, but none of them – running back Dallan Hayden, wide receiver Kyion Grayes, guard Enokk Vimahi, linebacker Nigel Glover and safeties Ja’Had Carter and Cedrick Hawkins – were in line to play major roles for the Buckeyes in 2024.As a result, Ohio State has secured one of college football’s best and deepest rosters for the upcoming season even though it hasn’t made any post-spring transfer additions yet.There aren’t a ton of obvious targets available in the portal for the Buckeyes to upgrade their roster, leaving one major question mark at right guard, but the Buckeyes will have healthy competitions both along the offensive line and at quarterback going into preseason camp since they were able to keep their rosters intact at those positions.We begin this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays by recapping a largely uneventful spring transfer window in college football and why that’s a good thing for the Buckeyes.Later, we talk about the lingering needs for Ohio State men’s basketball and what options remain to fill them; a smaller-than-expected 2024 NFL draft class for Ohio State that still led to good fits for each of the four Buckeyes who were selected; and why it’s a long shot for Ohio State’s 2025 NFL draft class to break the all-time record for total selections even though it should be a prolific draft class.The full rundown:0:11: Post-spring roster retention went as well as Ohio State could have hoped1:55: An uneventful portal cycle was good news for OSU, even if it limits OSU’s upgrade options4:23: There doesn’t appear to be a plug-and-play, sure-fire upgrade available at right guard6:21: Ohio State’s quarterback depth will be the envy of college football8:46: Across the board, there’s far less talent in the portal now than there was in January10:43: Safety, running back are positions where Ohio State could another depth piece12:22: Defensive line, cornerback among positions where OSU’s depth really stands out14:27: OSU should consider giving Inky Jones, TC Caffey scholarships if some remain open19:11: Basketball transfer options dwindling after OSU misses out on Trey Townsend, others21:51: Sean Stewart is the top remaining target for OSU, who must beat out competition for him23:23: Kris Parker, Elijah Saunders, Langdon Hatton among other possible forward targets25:41: OSU could use another center to back up Aaron Bradshaw, but there’s no clear target28:47: OSU’s 2024 NFL draft smaller than expected, but Buckeyes’ picks set up to succeed36:16: Josh Proctor, Xavier Johnson most likely to make teams among undrafted Buckeyes40:10: Ohio State has as many as 20 prospects on NFL scouts’ radars for 2025 draft44:56: A lot would have to go right for Ohio State to break the single-year draft pick record47:16: Ohio State should have a lot more picks in the first two days of next year’s draft alone49:49: Will players with NFL draft decisions be as motivated to stay next year as this year?54:11: It shouldn’t be forgotten how hard it is to get drafted when forecasting to next year54:52: Denzel Burke, Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka among potential first-round picks in 202559:39: OSU won’t have a lot of junior starters this year, leaving fewer early departure candidatesProgramming note: There will be no episode of Real Pod Wednesdays next week. RPW will return for its next episode on May 15.

The post-spring transfer window has been quiet so far for Ohio State football but plenty busy for Ohio State men’s basketball.While there’s still one week to go in the post-spring transfer window for college football, Ohio State has seen just two players leave the program since the end of spring practice. That goes hand in hand with what’s been a much quieter-than-expected post-spring transfer window across the nation.The basketball transfer portal, on the other hand, remains busy more than two weeks after the final game of the season. It’s been a back-and-forth cycle of roster movement for the Buckeyes, who landed their third transfer commitment of the offseason Saturday from former San Diego State wing Micah Parrish but saw that followed by Felix Okpara leaving the program one day later and Roddy Gayle Jr. transferring to their archrival two days later.On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss Ohio State’s transfer portal activity in both sports – or lack thereof on the football side – plus look ahead to this week’s NFL draft by making some predictions on where the Buckeyes’ top prospects will end up and identifying which less heralded Ohio State prospects we’d “bang the table” for.The full rundown:0:25: Lack of post-spring transfer attrition has gone as well as OSU could have hoped so far6:12: Ohio State still wants a transfer offensive lineman, but it needs the right guy to enter the portal8:40: College basketball’s portal craziness epitomized by Roddy Gayle Jr. going to Michigan11:04: Roster retention hasn’t gone as planned, putting more pressure to perform on Jake Diebler​15:08: Aaron Bradshaw can replace Felix Okpara, but Okpara is the more proven player16:18: Ohio State needs to find two complementary players to fill out its frontcourt23:09: Diebler needs to add the best players possible, then build his system around them25:39: Ohio State’s draft class is smaller than usual, but it should still have at least five picks again27:52: Mike Hall’s upside makes him a potential second-round steal30:06: Marvin Harrison Jr. should be the first receiver and non-quarterback off the board33:00: Why Cade Stover would be a good third-round fit for the Cincinnati Bengals34:10: Tommy Eichenberg, Josh Proctor likely to be fourth and fifth Buckeyes drafted35:38: The case for Xavier Johnson and Matt Jones to be late-round draft picks38:39: Jesse Mendez and Kyle Snyder continue to shine at Olympic wrestling trials

Spring football showcased how much talent Ohio State has on its 2024 roster, but two of the biggest question marks surrounding this year’s Buckeyes.Quarterback and offensive line have been the biggest positions of concern for Ohio State dating back to this time last season, and that didn’t change this spring. While Will Howard still looks like the frontrunner to start at quarterback for the Buckeyes, our opportunities to watch him throw this spring left us wanting more. And it’s clear Ohio State still doesn’t have five offensive linemen that it fully trusts.All of that said, we remain confident about Ohio State beating Michigan, getting back to the top of the Big Ten and making the College Football Playoff. We believe OSU’s chances of winning the national championship are as good as just about anyone else, too, though there are plenty of hurdles the Buckeyes will have to clear first to get there.With spring practices now complete, we share our biggest takeaways from the spring game, what we expect from the Buckeyes in the post-spring transfer window and our post-spring outlook for Ohio State’s 2024 season on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.The rundown:0:07: The spring game showed OSU’s talent, but didn’t answer our QB and OL questions4:51: Will Howard is still Ohio State’s likely starter; is he good enough to win a championship?13:28: It seems the quarterbacks will have much more freedom to run the ball with Chip Kelly17:19: Right guard is top transfer portal priority as offensive line isn’t where it needs to be yet26:24: Aside from offensive line, OSU doesn’t need any other starters from the transfer portal29:21: The offense “won” the spring game, but the defense was what stood out31:09: Secondary allows OSU to be more aggressive with C.J. Hicks, Sonny Styles as blitzers33:48: Post-spring transfer window will likely be busier this year, but Tuesday was a quiet first day36:50: Jaylen McClain, Sam Williams-Dixon, Eddrick Houston among spring game freshman stars38:41: Inky Jones, TC Caffey, Brennen Schramm among walk-ons who showed talent in spring game40:39: It was fun to actually see some schematic wrinkles in the spring game for a change43:29: Dan was “The Peoples Champ” of our spring game fantasy draft47:42: Confidence percentages for OSU beating Michigan, winning Big Ten, making CFP, winning natty

Ohio State’s spring game will be headlined by a quarterback competition for the second year in a row.While Will Howard entered the spring as the frontrunner to start at quarterback, the competition has heated up over the past five weeks. Not only is Devin Brown pushing Howard for the starting job, but true freshman Julian Sayin is becoming a real factor in the competition, adding intrigue to Saturday’s spring game as each of them looks to make their case that they should be Ohio State’s starter this season.Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs and Ohio State’s offensive line will also be in the spotlight on Saturday as Smith and Downs look to keep their hype trains rolling while the Buckeyes continue to evaluate whether they have the pieces they need on the right side of the offensive line. We discuss all of the top storylines entering the spring game on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays.To add a layer of fun to our spring game viewing experience, we also conducted a fantasy draft to pick the offensive skill-position players who we think will have the biggest spring games on Saturday. Each of us drafted one quarterback, one running back, one wide receiver, one tight end and one flex player – which both of us used on a second wide receiver – to build teams that will be scored using standard fantasy football scoring (one point per 25 passing yards, four points per passing touchdown, one point per 10 rushing/receiving yards and six points per rushing/receiving touchdown).Spring Game Fantasy Draft Picks:1. Dan – Jeremiah Smith, WR2. Andy – Quinshon Judkins, RB3. Andy – Carnell Tate, WR4. Dan – Julian Sayin, QB5. Dan – Jelani Thurman, TE6. Andy – Devin Brown, QB7. Andy – Brandon Inniss, WR (Flex)8. Dan – James Peoples, RB9. Dan – Bryson Rodgers, WR (Flex)10. Andy – Gee Scott Jr., TEIn the second half of the show, we discuss the state of Ohio State’s running backs room following Monday’s news that Dallan Hayden will enter the transfer portal. We wrap up the show by discussing all of the latest news on the Ohio State men’s basketball front including the hirings of Joel Justus and Jamall Walker, John Calipari’s reported interest in the job that ultimately went to Jake Diebler and the commitment of five-star point guard Marcus Johnson.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:07: Quarterback competition is the big spring game storyline, especially with Julian Sayin’s progress9:25: We’re all excited to watch Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs play in the Shoe for the first time14:06: Ryan Day leaving the door open for a transfer addition on right side of offensive line19:54: C.J. Hicks, Sonny Styles, Bryson Rodgers among others to watch in spring game22:10: Drafting our spring game fantasy teams29:35: Ohio State still has the depth it needs at running back even with Dallan Hayden’s exit35:43: Expect more transfers next week because that’s just the way college football is now39:22: Carlos Locklyn won the introductory press conference42:49: Jake Diebler makes two strong assistant coach hires in Joel Justus, Jamall Walker48:30: Money, timing, long-term upside among factors in OSU hiring Diebler over John Calipari55:12: Ohio State lands a huge piece for the future with commitment of Marcus Johnson

There’s been no shortage of Ohio State football and basketball happenings over the past week.On the gridiron, Ohio State has now completed 10 of its 15 spring practices, highlighted by its Student Appreciation Day scrimmage on Saturday. Jeremiah Smith and C.J. Hicks are among the Buckeyes turning heads on the practice field while quarterback and offensive line remain Ohio State’s biggest question marks with a week-and-a-half of spring ball to go. Who will coach the running backs is no longer a question, though, with the hiring of Carlos Locklyn to replace Tony Alford.On the hardcourt, postseason roster movement is in full swing for Ohio State men’s basketball as the Buckeyes made a big splash in the transfer portal by adding Meechie Johnson but subsequently lost one of their top players with the departure of Roddy Gayle Jr., who joined Scotty Middleton and Bowen Hardman as Buckeyes who have gone portaling since the season ended last week.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:58: It’s no longer a question of whether Jeremiah Smith will start but how good he’ll be right away5:27: Will Howard leaving the door open for Devin Brown, maybe even Julian Sayin to be starting QB12:43: C.J. Hicks seems to be making a move toward a breakout season16:21: Ohio State’s defensive tackle depth looks promising with emergence of second-year players18:54: Bryson Rodgers doesn’t have a clear path to the field yet, but he’s making a case for himself21:05: Luke Montgomery, Josh Fryar looking likely to be starting right side of offensive line26:28: Ohio State’s offensive line doesn’t look great yet, but it at least looks better than last year28:47: Carlos Locklyn looks like a good running back coach hire despite his limited experience35:03: Tim Drevno should be valuable asset for offensive line, adds pressure for Justin Frye39:00: Meechie Johnson is a great addition, but transfer portal has been a net loss for OSU so far42:15: Ohio State still in the market for another transfer guard (Matt Allocco? Bronny James?) 45:28: Is Meechie an upgrade over Roddy Gayle? That depends on how you look at it46:50: Adding a wing becomes an even bigger portal priority with Scotty Middleton gone47:51: Ohio State needs to add another player in the frontcourt, too49:40: OSU could put together a quality lineup with its current players, but proven depth is lacking51:35: Bowen Hardman’s departure comes as no surprise52:32: Jake Diebler must now prove he can land impact transfers without clear Ohio State ties

The offseason is officially underway for both Ohio State basketball teams.Ohio State’s men’s basketball season ended Tuesday with the Buckeyes’ loss to Georgia in the NIT quarterfinals while the women’s basketball season concluded with an upset defeat to Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. While both teams had hopes of continuing their seasons further, the focus for both teams now turns to the offseason – particularly what they will do in the transfer portal to bolster their rosters for 2024-25.After starting this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays with some shoutouts for Ohio State’s newly crowned national champions, we dive into what next year’s rosters could look like for both Buckeye basketball teams and what they both need to add in the portal. Later in the show, we talk about the latest developments for Ohio State football including Jeremiah Smith’s historically fast black stripe removal, the emergence of Jason Moore as a defensive tackle to watch and the ongoing search for a new running backs coach.The full rundown of where you can hear us talk about a variety of topics in this week’s show:0:07: Ohio State women’s hockey and pistol teams are elite5:14: Ohio State wrestling’s future looks bright with national champion Jesse Mendez leading the way9:20: The end of Ohio State’s men’s basketball season felt like a success despite Tuesday’s loss15:11: Ohio State has a good core to build around if it can retain key juniors and sophomores19:57: Adding a forward to replace Jamison Battle is Ohio State’s biggest transfer portal need22:18: Meechie Johnson, Jalen Sullinger, Matt Allocco among potential transfer guard targets29:12: The start of the offseason will be telling of Jake Diebler’s readiness to be a head coach30:43: Jake Diebler’s hiring will be judged by if his Buckeyes outperform Dusty May’s Wolverines34:34: Rebounding, lack of depth among flaws that cost Ohio State women’s basketball40:05: Ohio State women need to add transfer center, guard who can make immediate impact46:11: Jeremiah Smith’s black stripe removal adds more fuel to the hype train49:24: Brandon Inniss, Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins hype also continues to grow52:11: Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks expect to be on the field together in some situations53:44: Jason Moore emerges as a player to watch in defensive tackle rotation55:23: Ohio State should be able to rotate more on defensive line this year, but how much should it?57:18: The running back coach search continues, but Ohio State doesn’t need to make a panic hire1:01:00: C.J. Stroud’s pro day appearance shows why he’s an ideal ambassador for Ohio State

Ohio State men’s basketball has a new head coach while Ohio State football has an unexpected opening for a running backs coach. Both teams have championship expectations.The Ohio State basketball coaching search ended over the weekend when Jake Diebler was promoted from interim coach to head coach. While Diebler has never been a full-time head coach before, making it anyone’s guess how he will ultimately fare as a long-term head coach, Ohio State is projecting nothing but confidence in Diebler, making it clear they believe he can build the Buckeyes back into a championship contender.Ohio State football, meanwhile, had a surprise staff vacancy pop up last Wednesday when Tony Alford left the Buckeyes to become the running backs coach at Michigan. Ryan Day didn’t seem too concerned about Alford’s exit during his press conference on Tuesday, though, stating that Ohio State has already identified an “excellent” group of candidates and that he believes the Buckeyes can have “the best offensive staff in the country.”Day also showed confidence on Tuesday in several players who are currently competing for starting jobs in spring practice, namely right tackle Josh Fryar, tight end Gee Scott Jr. and wide receiver Brandon Inniss, who all drew considerable praise from Ohio State’s head man after the Buckeyes’ third spring practice.With spring practice back in full swing for Ohio State football, Ohio State men’s basketball looking to make an NIT run with its head coach, Ohio State women’s basketball hoping to make a deep NCAA Tournament run and three other Ohio State sports teams having a chance to win national championships this weekend, it’s an extremely busy week in Ohio State sports, giving us lots to talk about on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.The full rundown:1:08: Jake Diebler’s hire came a bit sooner than expected, but it had good reason to make a move now5:37: Ross Bjork makes it clear the expectation for Diebler is to win championships7:08: Jake Diebler’s authentic passion for Ohio State can help him succeed as OSU’s head coach15:12: Rebuilding the coaching staff, adding transfers among Diebler’s first tests as head coach25:09: Getting back to the Sweet 16 should be the goal for Diebler’s first season26:04: Tony Alford’s departure was a surprise, but Ryan Day expects an “excellent” replacement27:25: Ohio State could be trying to pry DeMarco Murray away from his alma mater29:33: It seems like both Day and Alford were ready for a change30:35: Ohio State can afford to take its time with RB coach search because of who it has at RB33:54: Robert Gillespie, Deland McCullough, Stan Drayton also among logical RB coach candidates35:03: Ryan Day is smart to involve the current running backs in the RB coach search37:15: Ohio State’s Jim Tressel-inspired special teams coaching plan appears to be a sound one41:21: Buckeyes getting used to helmet communication, which could lead to more creative play calls44:09: Josh Fryar solidifying his status as Ohio State’s starting right tackle so far this offseason47:17: Gee Scott Jr. is putting himself in position to be Ohio State’s starting tight end50:28: Brandon Inniss showing Ryan Day and us that he can be an impact player this year55:12: Pro Day will give us our first real glimpse at Will Howard vs. Devin Brown56:25: Ohio State women’s basketball can beat anyone at its best but faces tough road to Final Four1:01:08: Women’s hockey, pistol and synchronized swimming are all on natty watch this weekend1:03:02: Houston and UConn are our NCAA Tournament picks (plus a bonus NIT pick from Andy)

It’s a season-defining week for Ohio State men’s basketball.The Buckeyes are headed to the Big Ten Tournament with a chance to earn their way into the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to win at least two games in Minneapolis – which means beating an equally desperate Iowa team and a top-15-ranked Illinois team – to have a real shot of landing a spot in the bracket on Selection Sunday.Meanwhile, Ohio State’s search for its next head coach continues to unfold behind the scenes. Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May seems to be emerging as the frontrunner while Alabama’s Nate Oats has entered the conversation and Xavier’s Sean Miller remains in the mix. Jake Diebler could continue to build his case for the job, too, if he leads Ohio State on a Big Ten Tournament run that gets the Buckeyes into the Big Dance.We discuss all of that on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays. We also talk about the most interesting things we learned from last Thursday’s Ohio State football interviews with Jim Knowles and eight of his defensive veterans, including the revelation that Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau could play some snaps at outside linebacker, Denzel Burke’s high praise for Jeremiah Smith and his less positive assessment of Will Howard’s first two days of spring practice.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00: Ohio State must win at least two games in Minneapolis to have an NCAA Tournament shot4:33: It’s good to see Jake Diebler publicly vouching for his team to make the NCAA Tournament6:54: Recent results might not carry as much weight with selection committee as OSU would like9:24: Defensive improvement has keyed OSU’s recent success, and that must continue this week10:19: Bench production, aggressive play will also be important factors for OSU in Minneapolis14:12: Yes, a first-round bye is good for OSU; a win over 8-23 Michigan wouldn‘t have helped18:24: Weighing Dusty May vs. Sean Miller vs. Nate Oats vs. Jake Diebler as coaching candidates27:38: Ohio State must firmly commit to new coach rather than giving Diebler a one-year tryout38:56: Does it make sense to use Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau as OLBs in “double eagle” package?47:20: How Ohio State could utilize Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks on the field together51:22: Denzel Burke is unafraid to set huge expectations for Ohio State and himself54:50: Burke’s uncertainty on Will Howard serves as early reality check for transfer quarterback59:55: As Jeremiah Smith hype keeps growing, what should we expect from him as a freshman?1:04:54: OSU women’s basketball has a lot to work on after Big Ten Tournament loss to Maryland1:09:44: OSU women’s hockey still favored to win it all, but path could go through Wisconsin again

Ohio State doesn’t have as many holes to fill this spring as it usually does, but there’s still plenty to talk about after the Buckeyes’ first spring practice.The biggest headlines from the first day of spring practice included Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker, Luke Montgomery starting the spring as the first-team right guard and Devin Brown getting his shot to compete for the starting quarterback job.Tuesday also brought Chip Kelly’s first press conference as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, which came after a weeklong stretch in which Eleven Warriors spoke with nearly 30 current or recent Ohio State football players between last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, Saturday’s Open House at the Woody hosted by The 1870 Society and Monday’s pre-spring interviews with three Ohio State quarterbacks and three returning seniors on offense.All of that gave us plenty to talk about on our first Real Pod Wednesdays of the spring football season, which we also capped off with some basketball talk as the Ohio State men look to continue their end-of-season surge and earn their way back into the NCAA Tournament bubble while the Ohio State women head to Minneapolis this week in search of a Big Ten Tournament title.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00: Attending practice drives home just how much talent Ohio State has on its 2024 roster1:02: There aren’t many major lineup questions except Will linebacker, right side of offensive line5:06: Sonny Styles vs. C.J. Hicks is now officially a competition, and it will be a fun one to watch8:12: Luke Montgomery at right guard is an intriguing option if OSU sticks with Josh Fryar at RT10:16: There’s a whole lot of fan excitement to see this team in action11:57: Ohio State is slow-playing other transfers into the starting lineup, but not Caleb Downs12:37: Devin Brown isn‘t going to back down from competing with Will Howard at quarterback20:35: It’s striking to see how deep with talent Ohio State’s quarterback room is right now21:55: Lincoln Kienholz is in his first spring at OSU, so this isn’t a make-or-break year for him23:48: First practice serves as reminder that Julian Sayin, Air Noland are just freshmen25:00: Last year showed why it’s best if a clear starting quarterback emerges this spring27:42: Jeremiah Smith is already turning heads31:15: Brandon Inniss could be top punt returner option if Caleb Downs isn’t used there34:31: Caleb Downs draws huge praise from former Alabama teammates at NFL Combine38:28: Chip Kelly, Ryan Day both seem very comfortable in new roles working together47:15: Combine features introspective Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover defending his blocking55:21: Ohio State will have a real NCAA Tournament shot if it can win its next three games57:51: Ohio State’s new identity under Jake Diebler has led to its improved performance1:03:24: Diebler will be a head coach somewhere next year if he wants to be1:04:38: Dusty May gaining traction as candidate to be Ohio State’s next head coach1:07:53: No. 1 seed could be on the line as OSU women play for Big Ten Tournament title1:12:52: Don’t forget about women’s hockey when discussing OSU’s most exciting teams

The start of spring football is less than one week away, Ohio State men’s basketball could play its way back into NCAA Tournament contention, a frontrunner has emerged in Ohio State’s coaching search and the NFL Scouting Combine is underway.That gives us a lot of ground to cover on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, and we discussed it all in a little more than 80 minutes.With Ohio State football set to begin spring practices Tuesday, we start this week’s RPW by previewing the spring ahead, focusing primarily on the five biggest position battles that will take place in Columbus this spring. We also preview this year’s first edition of The Buckeye 20, which will be updated later this week, with a look at Ohio State’s top five players on the current roster entering spring practices.Ohio State men’s basketball gave us something positive to talk about for the second week in a row with its buzzer-beating win over Michigan State, and we take a look at Ohio State’s potential path to the NCAA Tournament – which starts with winning its final three regular-season games, beginning Thursday against Nebraska at home (6:30 p.m., FS1). We also dive into Sean Miller’s emergence as a potential frontrunner to be Ohio State’s new coach and why he could be a fit to lead the Buckeyes.We wrap up the show by talking about which Buckeyes could be the top candidates to boost their NFL draft stock this week and which ones have the most riding on their combine performance.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:45: Transfers will garner plenty of attention this spring1:59: Five scholarship quarterbacks will force Ohio State to be smart about how it splits up reps4:47: Ohio State’s most important position battles will take place on right side of offensive line16:25: Sonny Styles, C.J. Hicks give Ohio State two intriguing candidates for one starting spot27:00: Jeremiah Smith will be tough to keep out of starting lineup, but Brandon Inniss will be, too32:59: Will Kacmarek will face competition from Gee Scott Jr., Jelani Thurman at tight end36:59: Ty Hamilton, Kayden McDonald, Jermaine Mathews Jr. among others to watch this spring43:40: Denzel Burke, TreVeyon Henderson and Caleb Downs enter 2024 as OSU’s top players49:27: OSU men’s basketball gives us something positive to discuss for a second straight week52:32: Three winnable games to end regular season keep OSU’s NCAA Tournament hopes alive59:41: Eleven Warriors readers are split down the middle on Jake Diebler as OSU’s next coach1:01:53: Sean Miller looks like the frontrunner to be Ohio State’s next coach1:09:55: This is a good week to start watching OSU women’s basketball if you aren’t already1:13:51: Marvin Harrison Jr. would have had nothing to gain by working out at NFL Combine1:16:07: Mike Hall, Josh Proctor, Steele Chambers among candidates to boost draft stock

There’s finally something positive to talk about with Ohio State men’s basketball.After struggling through most of January and February in Chris Holtmann’s final weeks as head coach, the Buckeyes started Jake Diebler’s interim coaching tenure off with a bang by upsetting No. 2 Purdue, 73-69, to earn their biggest win of the season in their first game following Holtmann’s firing.Could that win spark a late run back into NCAA Tournament contention for the Buckeyes? We assess what would need to happen for Ohio State to have a realistic shot at getting into the Big Dance, which certainly starts with snapping its 16-game road losing streak as it hits the road twice this week to play Minnesota and Michigan State.As for the future of the program, could Diebler’s hot start make him a candidate to get the head coaching job permanently? We discuss why that’s probably still a long shot and what would need to happen for Diebler to make a real run at the job before evaluating some of the other potential candidates for the job including Doug McDermott, Chris Jent, Dusty May, Sean Miller and Jay Wright.In the second half of the show, we turn our attention to Ohio State football and share our thoughts on why promoting James Laurinaitis was the right move to round out this year’s coaching staff and what stood out to us from Tuesday’s interview sessions with Laurinaitis and Matt Guerrieri.The full rundown for this week’s episode:1:00: Gene Smith thought Jake Diebler would provide a spark, and he was proven right7:56: Ohio State’s path to the NCAA Tournament remains uphill, but it’s not impossible16:21: What would need to happen the rest of this season for Diebler to be the new head coach?21:07: A look at some potential candidates for OSU’s coaching search, which has no clear frontrunner29:46: Ohio State likely won’t have its new coach until late March or early April32:07: James Laurinaitis, Matt Guerrieri both seem like coaches recruits will want to play for35:58: Hiring a different assistant wouldn’t have been worth the risk of losing Laurinaitis39:24: Adding a full-time linebackers coach will allow Jim Knowles to work with all position groups40:20: Ohio State’s now-completed coaching staff is well-balanced on both sides of the ball43:01: Guerrieri’s schematic expertise, ability to teach it explain move to replace Perry Eliano51:16: Will Sonny Styles be a safety or a linebacker this year? The answer could be both54:23: Laurinaitis seems optimistic about what C.J. Hicks can become this offseason58:17: Gabe Powers and Arvell Reese also in the mix for playing time at LB this year

What will Chip Kelly bring to Ohio State’s offense? We called in our X’s and O’s expert to help us break it down.Eleven Warriors football scheme analyst Kyle Jones joins us on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays for an in-depth conversation on what Ohio State’s offense could look like with Kelly calling the plays as the Buckeyes’ new offensive coordinator.Our conversation with Jones touches on a variety of topics related to Kelly’s hiring including how he has built consistently elite rushing offenses, how he won’t be afraid to run the same play repeatedly if an opponent can’t stop it, why Kelly’s pairing with Ryan Day should be a good fit for new quarterback Will Howard and why Jones expects Ohio State’s offensive line to improve significantly in 2024 with Kelly’s help.In the second half of the show, Dan and Andy share some additional thoughts on Kelly’s hiring and also talk briefly about Ohio State women’s basketball’s emergence as the second-best team in the country and Joey Velazquez’s transfer from Michigan to Ohio State.The full rundown for our conversation:1:00: Kyle’s favorite moment of the Bill O’Brien era was Penn State thinking it’s Ohio State’s rival1:39: Chip Kelly can continue what Ryan Day already does well while allowing Day to be CEO4:33: Is Kelly an upgrade over O’Brien? That depends on what you’re looking for6:35: Day will likely still be spending a lot of his time with the quarterbacks9:17: What Kelly does schematically to build elite rushing offenses12:04: Kelly is more willing than Day to hammer the same concept if it’s working13:28: Day has been the better passing coach, Kelly has been the better short-yardage coach15:39: Why an NFL background was a priority for Ohio State’s offensive coordinator hire18:43: Kansas State does a lot schematically, preparing Will Howard well for OSU21:32: Ohio State’s offense will still be Ryan Day’s offense23:43: Kelly will adapt to what his opponent is doing rather than trying to prove a specific point26:32: Ohio State’s offensive line could be “much, much better” with Kelly’s coaching34:14: Kelly can bring many of the same qualities Ohio State missed without Kevin Wilson last year35:07: Day believes Ohio State has the pieces for a championship-caliber offensive line37:31: O’Brien’s QB expertise would have been valuable, but OSU needs run game help most43:43: Todd Fitch can help make up for what Kelly lacks in quarterback coaching experience44:48: Day adapted impressively by replacing O’Brien with a coach who checked the same boxes46:23: Kelly seems ready to just be an offensive coordinator, so dynamic with Day should work49:32: Kelly can help instill the killer instinct in Ohio State’s offense that it needs in big games52:44: Ohio State women’s basketball keeps getting better57:41: Cross-rivalry transfers like Joey Velazquez will increase with portal proliferation

A lot has happened in Ohio State football over the last five weeks, and Ryan Day still has to hire at least one more coach for the 2024 season.Ohio State reporters had their first chance to ask Day about everything that’s happened as he held his first press conference since the Cotton Bowl on Wednesday, giving us a lot to talk about on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.We start, however, by talking about the one answer we didn’t get on Wednesday: Whether or not Bill O’Brien will still be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator this season. While Day spoke as though O’Brien will lead Ohio State’s offensive coaching staff in 2024, reports emerged later in the day that O’Brien is one of two finalists for Boston College’s head coaching job, setting up the distinct possibility that Ohio State will have to hire another offensive coordinator just weeks after hiring O’Brien.Either way, Day won’t be the one calling Ohio State’s offensive plays in 2024, and we dissected why that’s the right decision for the sixth-year head coach.Ohio State also still has another opening to fill on its coaching staff, and we talked about the possibility that OSU could either promote James Laurinaitis or hire another special teams coordinator to fill that vacancy. Wednesday’s press conference also gave us interesting insight on numerous Ohio State players, including potential position changes for Sonny Styles and Josh Fryar, Ohio State’s plans of using Will Howard in the running game and the Buckeyes’ high level of excitement for the addition of Caleb Downs.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00: Dominic Kirks was the only actual signing news on National Signing Day1:32: Bill O’Brien hasn’t left Ohio State yet, but it certainly looks like he could soon4:02: Ohio State should be well-positioned to land a new OC (Chip Kelly?) if O’Brien leaves11:02: Giving up play calling was necessary for Ryan Day in new college football landscape13:41: Ohio State could fill out staff with James Laurinaitis or a special teams coordinator18:02: If Day chooses to hire a special teams coordinator, the special teams must be much better21:10: Laurinaitis becoming a full-time Ohio State coach is likely a matter of when, not if23:58: Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker isn’t confirmed yet, but it still seems likely27:55: Josh Fryar’s position could depend on who else steps up on right side of offensive line32:55: Seth McLaughlin can set example for rest of offensive line with experience from Alabama34:00: Caleb Downs’ talent and work ethic should make him an Ohio State star right away39:10: Will Howard’s running ability is a big reason why Ryan Day wanted him at quarterback43:18: TreVeyon Henderson impressing Day with leadership, selflessness this offseason48:56: Day didn’t plan on adding Julian Sayin, but he was too good to pass up49:52: OSU can’t let “competition” get in the way of Will Howard getting into a rhythm53:48: Tim Walton’s recruiting heater continues with Na’eem Offord’s commitment56:26: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State men’s basketball hit new low with Indiana collapse1:01:57: Women are the Ohio State basketball team you should be watching

We begin this week’s episode by talking about the big news of the week up in Ann Arbor, where Sherrone Moore is now the head coach following Jim Harbaugh’s departure. While we agree that Moore was the right choice to succeed Harbaugh, we foresee a challenging season ahead for the defending national champions as they replace their head coach, several other key assistants and the majority of their starters from last season.In Columbus, meanwhile, expectations are only growing for the 2024 Ohio State football team after a January full of key additions and retentions. Ohio State’s five veteran transfer additions all met with the media on Tuesday, and all of them are starting their Buckeye careers with national championship hopes. We share our biggest takeaways from conversing with all five of them.On the other end of the spectrum, Ohio State men’s basketball had a miserable January as it won just two of its eight games during the month, knocking the Buckeyes from solidly in the NCAA Tournament field to well outside the bubble. As a result, Chris Holtmann’s seat is scorching hot with the Buckeyes needing a big finish to the regular season to avoid missing the Big Dance for the second year in a row.The full rundown for this week’s show:4:26: Ohio State has had much more momentum than Michigan since the 2023 season ended5:28: Sherrone Moore was the obvious choice to replace Jim Harbaugh, but he has a lot of work to do9:38: Predicting Michigan’s 2024 record and whether that will be enough to make the CFP12:11: Ohio State is now a 6.5-point favorite over Michigan, but it can’t take the Wolverines lightly18:33: Caleb Downs is a better man than us returning 80 phone calls19:48: Downs excited to be a Buckeye, expects Ohio State defense to be one of nation’s best21:48: Will Howard’s challenges at Kansas State prepared him well for challenges at Ohio State24:05: Howard excited to play in Ohio State offense, likely won’t run as much as he did at KSU31:10: Seth McLaughlin’s experience, football IQ at center can be vital asset for offensive line37:51: Downs set to play free safety and could also be Ohio State’s punt returner38:59: Quinshon Judkins isn’t at OSU because he wanted to split carries, but it didn’t deter him41:32: Will Kacmarek an underrated addition who can bolster Ohio State’s tight end blocking45:20: Time is running out for Chris Holtmann to save his job after a miserable January47:40: Keeping Holtmann after another NCAA Tournament miss would be harder to justify this year52:13: Decisive losses to teams with clearly less talented rosters can’t be excused53:49: Ohio State likely needs seven wins in its last 10 regular-season games, starting Friday at Iowa54:50: Reading between the lines, Gene Smith and Ross Bjork sound prepared to make a change56:49: Whatever the standard is for OSU basketball, it hasn’t been reached for the past decade57:54: It wasn’t that long ago that OSU basketball was a big deal, but excitement has plummeted1:01:32: Holtmann and his team need to show urgency with season on the brink

Ohio State’s big start to the offseason got even bigger over the past week.The Buckeyes added the best safety in the country to their roster with the transfer of former Alabama safety Caleb Downs. They added the top quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class with the transfer of former Alabama quarterback Julian Sayin. And they added an offensive coordinator with impressive qualifications in Bill O’Brien.All of that speaks to the sense of urgency Ryan Day and Ohio State are feeling as the Buckeyes load up for a 2024 season in which winning the national championship will be not just the goal but an expectation.We talk about all of that on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays as well as our biggest takeaways from Ross Bjork’s introductory press conference and Ohio State women’s basketball’s spectacular win over Iowa on Sunday.The rundown:0:16: It was a great week throughout the Ohio State athletic department1:00: Caleb Downs and Julian Sayin are two massive transfer portal wins for Ohio State6:27: Ohio State couldn’t pass up a second chance to land a QB prospect as good as Sayin9:08: Ohio State was ready to attack the transfer portal and use NIL to its advantage10:41: Ryan Day owed it to the returning seniors to build the best possible team around them13:34: Another transfer offensive lineman, defensive staff hire still on Ohio State’s to-do list14:56: Ohio State’s 2024 defense is LOADED17:06: Moving Sonny Styles to Will linebacker seems like an obvious move now20:16: Ohio State’s second-team defense is full of players who could be starters this year23:42: How Ohio State manages quarterback reps will be a fascinating spring storyline26:50: Some transfer QB attrition seems inevitable, but Ohio State must try to limit it31:36: All five quarterbacks must now impress a new quarterbacks coach in Bill O’Brien34:46: Delegating offensive play-calling should lead to better in-game management from Day37:13: O’Brien’s head coach and OC experience, track record with quarterbacks all pluses45:12: It doesn’t hurt that O’Brien can tell recruits he coached Tom Brady (and a Heisman winner)46:28: Tim Walton continues to prove he’s an elite recruiter by leading charge for Downs47:58: Staff changes bring balance, alignment to offensive and defensive staff51:50: Cotton Bowl loss may have been blessing in disguise by sparking aggressive offseason53:49: This year’s spring game should generate more excitement than usual54:24: Ross Bjork sounds more committed to Ryan Day than Chris Holtmann59:11: We hope Ohio State can keep all 36 sports, but the math could get difficult1:04:37: Ohio State women’s basketball gave record crowd its money’s worth in win over Iowa1:06:43: Caitlin Clark collision, silly conspiracy theories shouldn’t overshadow a great game

The Ohio State football team’s 2024 roster is loaded – especially on defense.With TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Donovan Jackson, Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams, Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom all choosing to stay at Ohio State for another year rather than enter the 2024 NFL draft, Ohio State’s roster could be the best in the country.The Buckeyes’ defense, in particular, looks like it should be even better than it was this past season. Ohio State’s offense faces the same questions as it did last year – will its quarterback play and offensive line be good enough? – but will have the nation’s best running back tandem and is still loaded with talented receivers.We spend the first half of this week’s show taking a closer look at Ohio State’s 2024 roster and how its starting lineup could stack up.In the second half of the show, we switch gears and look at why Ohio State men’s basketball must correct course quickly and why Chris Holtmann’s job should be on the line if it doesn’t. Finally, we assess the hiring of Ross Bjork as Ohio State’s new athletic director and consider how the future of the athletic department could change under his leadership.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:30: Ohio State’s 2024 roster should be one of the best in the country, especially on defense4:19: Ohio State’s defensive line, cornerback units will be two of nation’s top position groups7:38: A move to LB makes sense for Sonny Styles – especially if OSU can get Caleb Downs10:15: Ohio State’s top backups on defense next season would start just about anywhere else14:21: Ramped-up NIL efforts a big reason why Ohio State retained so many draft-eligible stars18:42: Offensive line is still the biggest question mark, so more portal moves should be considered25:26: Ohio State should be able to lean more on running game with two elite running backs26:56: Emeka Egbuka provides crucial experience in receiver unit full of young talent28:48: Will Kacmarek, Gee Scott Jr. and Jelani Thurman are all players to watch at tight end31:54: Ohio State basketball must snap out of slump quickly as it falls to NCAA Tournament bubble40:02: The time for excuses has passed – Chris Holtmann must deliver results to keep his job45:27: If OSU’s struggles continue, would Gene Smith make a change on his way out?47:40: Ross Bjork brings strong reputation as fundraiser, pro-NIL approach to OSU50:35: Bjork made a couple of high-profile mistakes, but shouldn’t be judged solely on that56:51: Hiring Bjork over candidates with OSU ties suggests OSU wants more than continuity

The past week has been full of both good and bad news for Ohio State.Michigan won the national championship on Monday, forcing Buckeye fans to watch their archrival celebrate college football’s biggest prize. On a better note for the Buckeyes, Ohio State added three key pieces via the transfer portal to its offense over the past week: Former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, former Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins and Alabama offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin.We begin this week’s episode by giving Michigan its just due for its success this season, then discussing why the Wolverines could take a step back next season and why their national championship victory makes beating Michigan even more important than it already was for Ohio State.If you can’t bear to hear any more about the team up north, skip ahead to the 17-minute mark, where we begin discussing the impact that we expect each of Ohio State’s latest transfer additions to make.Later in the show, we also discuss Perry Eliano’s ouster and his rumored replacement, why Mike Vrabel’s next coaching job is unlikely to be at Ohio State and the soaring stock of Tim Walton and Jack Sawyer.The full rundown for this week’s episode:1:01: Ohio State was a couple of plays from beating the national champion for the second year in a row4:48: Even if NCAA sanctions are coming, Michigan was the best team in college football this year7:04: Michigan facing potential departures of Jim Harbaugh, many of its best players12:38: If Ohio State needed any extra motivation to beat Michigan, it should certainly have it now17:24: Adding Quinshon Judkins is the portal power move we’ve been waiting to see OSU make23:40: Seth McLaughlin likely to be Ohio State’s starting center even after his rough Rose Bowl27:19: Projecting Ohio State’s 2024 offensive line if it doesn’t add any more transfers31:26: Will Howard adds experience, ability to make plays under pressure at quarterback41:46: Linebacker, safety questions could center around positional future of Sonny Styles46:26: If Styles moves to linebacker, should Jim Knowles bring back the Jack for C.J. Hicks?49:14: Perry Eliano’s firing came as a surprise, but Matt Guerrieri is logical rumored replacement55:40: No news on Corey Dennis and Parker Fleming yet, but we still expect changes there57:32: Don’t expect Mike Vrabel to replace Ryan Day at Ohio State1:02:30: Tim Walton further establishes himself as elite recruiter with commitment of Devin Sanchez1:06:23: Jack Sawyer’s rise and other takeaways from the final Buckeye 20 of 20231:12:31: Two big games ahead for Ohio State men’s basketball vs. Wisconsin and Michigan

Ohio State’s offensive performance in the Cotton Bowl was unlike any we had seen since Ryan Day came to Columbus.The Buckeyes’ three points and 203 yards of offense against Missouri were both by far the worst totals put up by an Ohio State offense in any game since OSU’s 2016 College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Clemson. That game, in which the Buckeyes failed to score any points, led to an offensive staff shakeup that initially brought Day to Ohio State as the Buckeyes’ co-offensive coordinator.Having now completed his fifth year as Ohio State’s head coach with back-to-back losses to end the year, Day must seriously consider making offensive staff changes of his own after a significant dropoff in offensive performance throughout the 2023 season, especially in Ohio State’s 14-3 season-ending loss.Ohio State’s biggest failures in the Cotton Bowl came on the offensive line, which had the worst performance we’ve ever seen from a Buckeye offensive line in our time covering the team. That was a significant factor in the struggles of Ohio State’s quarterbacks, but those struggles could nevertheless lead to a transfer quarterback addition. And it’s probably time for Day to give up offensive play-calling duties after an ineffective game plan in Dallas.We dive into all of that and evaluate how hot Day’s seat could be in 2024 before giving our overall grades for the 2023 season, identifying the year’s biggest surprises and disappointments and making our picks for next week’s national championship game in our first Real Pod Wednesdays of 2024.0:36: Ohio State’s offensive performance was U-G-L-Y, starting with its offensive line play7:19: We don’t expect Justin Frye to be fired now, but he has a lot to prove in 202411:00: Josh Fryar should be playing guard, not tackle13:20: Lincoln Kienholz didn’t look bad when he had time to throw, but that rarely happened14:18: Devin Brown’s injury prevented us from a real evaluation of OSU’s quarterback situation16:06: Will Howard can add experience at QB, but would he be an upgrade over Kyle McCord?24:18: It would be tough for Ryan Day to bank his future on unproven QB in make-or-break year27:33: It’s time for Day to embrace the CEO role and hire someone else to call offensive plays36:55: Day’s seat is getting warmer, especially with a new athletic director coming later this year39:39: Beating Michigan, making the 12-team CFP should be minimum expectations for 202447:03: Ohio State’s defense bears no blame for loss, but special teams remained a problem47:36: Promoting James Laurinaitis to linebackers coach, replacing Parker Fleming is an obvious move52:24: Our overall grades for Ohio State’s 2023 season57:55: Our biggest positive surprises and biggest disappointments for Ohio State this season1:04:01: Will Kacmarek isn’t a flashy addition, but he could be a big asset at tight end1:06:45: Departures of Noah Rogers, Bryson Rodgers speak to new roster-building challenges1:11:49: Why we‘re picking Michigan to win the national championship game

Ohio State’s 2023 season finale has arrived.While the Buckeyes aren’t playing for a national championship as hoped, they still have an intriguing matchup to wrap up the year as they take on No. 9 Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. While the game might mean more to Missouri than it does to Ohio State, the Buckeyes are still plenty motivated to conclude their season with a victory to take some momentum into 2024.A win over the Tigers won’t come easily, however, as Missouri possesses what might be the best offense Ohio State has faced all season while the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new starting quarterback and are expected to be without star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.What do the Buckeyes need to do on both sides of the ball to earn a win over the Tigers and which Ohio State players will we be keeping a close eye on in the final game of the season? We break it all down in our final Real Pod Wednesdays of 2023.The rundown for this week’s show:1:44: Ohio State looks plenty motivated as the vast majority of the Buckeyes will play in this game2:54: Most of Ohio State’s juniors will play, and many of them could be back at OSU next year, too8:16: Luther Burden highlights an offense that might be the best Ohio State has faced all season11:27: This game will be a big factor in how Ohio State’s 2023 defensive performance is remembered13:22: Running quarterbacks have given Ohio State some problems, and Brady Cook has that ability15:39: The completeness of Missouri’s offense is what makes it particularly tough to stop18:47: Missouri’s defense isn’t great, but it’s not bad20:55: Ohio State enters this game with plenty of questions on offense, starting with Devin Brown22:53: It’s a “Lose Yourself” moment for Devin Brown as he tries to become Ohio State’s 2024 QB29:44: Carnell Tate has the opportunity for a breakout like Marvin Harrison Jr. had two years ago32:07: Xavier Johnson could play a big role and everyone will want to see him have a big game37:02: Josh Proctor is another six-year success story that looks to finish on a high note43:01: Ohio State’s 2024 defense has massive upside, but that starts with finishing 2023 strong48:12: Dallan Hayden can build momentum for 2024 with increased opportunity to play49:40: Ohio State’s offensive line looks to get back on track after disappointing Michigan game52:00: It sounds like we might have to wait until next year to see C.J. Hicks get unleashed54:29: Why we’re both predicting a close win for Ohio State

A crazy National Signing Day meant we had to re-record Real Pod Wednesdays.Ohio State signed all but one player it was supposed to – that is, assuming Jeremiah Smith ultimately submits his National Letter of Intent, which he hadn‘t yet as of Wednesday night – but the twists and turns of the day, which unfolded amid Ryan Day’s press conference, were such that we felt we had to record a fresh episode, having previously prerecorded on Tuesday, to talk about everything that happened Wednesday.Per usual for our National Signing Day episode of RPW, Eleven Warriors recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge joins us to break down the events. After dissecting the actual happenings of the day involving Smith and Eddrick Houston, we take a closer look at Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class as a whole. Later in the show, we dive into what Ohio State could still add to its 2024 roster via the transfer portal and get Garrick’s thoughts on the Cotton Bowl as a former Missouri beat writer.The rundown for the show:0:18: Recapping the craziest National Signing Day we’ve covered11:32: It’s not perfect, but there is a lot to like about this class, starting with the five five-stars14:11: Why we’re all giving Ohio State a B+ for the class21:01: What we expect to see from Aaron Scott Jr., Air Noland and Mylan Graham at Ohio State26:27: Payton Pierce, Damarion Witten, Garrett Stover among underrated prospects to watch30:46: James Peoples could play a major role early with running back attrition31:59: Derrick Harmon, Kamari Ramsey, Tackett Curtis among Ohio State’s portal targets38:30: Offensive and defensive line, safety, tight end among remaining positions of need44:20: Mizzou “alum” Garrick expects Tigers to treat Cotton Bowl like the Super Bowl48:11: Missouri’s offense might be the best offense Ohio State has faced all season51:39: Garrick’s prediction for the Cotton Bowl

With one week to go until National Signing Day and two weeks to go until the Cotton Bowl, Ohio State is simultaneously preparing to play its final game of the 2023 season and working to fill holes on its 2024 roster.We start this week‘s episode with some Cotton Bowl-related conversation after speaking with 11 Ohio State players on Tuesday. We talk about how the initial fears of mass opt-outs appear to have been overblown and discuss Ohio State’s apparent move toward starting Devin Brown at quarterback against Missouri.But we spend the majority of this week’s show taking stock of Ohio State’s roster build with a position-by-position State of the Roster breakdown. We look at how Ohio State’s roster could stack up at every position on offense or defense – based upon who we expect back for next year after the first wave of transfer portal entries – and where the Buckeyes should still be looking to add talent via the transfer portal.Finally, we spend a few minutes talking about Ohio State men’s basketball’s loss to Penn State and why we don’t think one bad game should send Buckeye fans to the panic button.The rundown for this week’s show:1:24: Ohio State doesn’t look likely to have many Cotton Bowl opt-outs, Buckeyes motivated to win6:46: Devin Brown appears likely to start Cotton Bowl at quarterback, and his motivation is clear11:50: Cody Simon’s decision to stay is a welcome boost for next year’s linebacker unit15:37: Ohio State still doesn’t have a clear transfer target at quarterback, and maybe it won’t22:52: Ohio State will need at least one transfer running back if TreVeyon Henderson goes pro29:49: An Emeka Egbuka return would be big, but OSU has plenty of young wide receiver talent34:53: Buckeyes could use veteran blocker to complement Gee Scott Jr., Jelani Thurman at tight end38:47: Ohio State has solid candidates to start across O-line but still has reason to look for upgrades50:32: Keeping just one of Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau would leave OSU with strong defensive end roster54:32: Defensive tackle equation is similar, but Ohio State clearly wants to add a transfer there57:02: Ohio State has solid returning core at linebacker with Cody Simon staying58:04: Cornerback could be the strongest position on Ohio State’s roster even if Denzel Burke leaves1:03:09: Sonny Styles should lead next year’s safeties, but OSU could use another veteran for depth1:06:41: One bad game in December doesn’t erase the progress we‘ve seen from OSU basketball1:13:13: Why we expect Ohio State to bounce back against UCLA on Saturday

Now that Kyle McCord is in the transfer portal, the biggest question surrounding Buckeye football is who will replace him as Ohio State’s starting quarterback.Plan A might be bringing in a transfer quarterback – and we see Washington State’s Cam Ward as Option A – but we also think Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz are both viable candidates to start next season if the Buckeyes don’t land a top passer from the portal. We spend the first 30 minutes of this week’s show talking all about why McCord’s Ohio State career came to an early end and what the Buckeyes’ future at quarterback could look like – both in the short term for the Cotton Bowl and in the long term for next season.We also talk about the other 11 Buckeyes who have entered the transfer portal already and why none of their departures should be seen as shocking – though there are several players in that group who we expect to make an impact elsewhere – and why an increase in transfer attrition isn’t necessarily a bad thing for Ohio State.Later in the show, we take our first look at Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl matchup with Missouri. Plus, we share our thoughts on the controversial decision to leave Florida State out of the College Football Playoff, why we’re glad the four-team playoff era is coming to an end and make our predictions for how the final four-team CFP will play out.0:44: We don’t blame Kyle McCord for leaving, but Ohio State had to open up the QB competition7:02: Conversation would be very different right now if OSU made a couple more plays vs. Michigan8:39: Cam Ward is the best quarterback option for Ohio State in the transfer portal15:22: Lincoln Kienholz could make a real run at the starting job (but don’t count out Devin Brown)18:29: This isn’t Tate Martell to Justin Fields – Ohio State isn’t getting a guaranteed upgrade21:45: Ohio State’s offense can benefit from having a QB who can do more with his legs25:50: Run-up to Cotton Bowl creates opportunity for Brown and Kienholz to compete29:38: Julian Fleming transferring for his final year of eligibility might be best for all parties32:13: OSU could have to replace all offensive skill-position starters (if Emeka Egbuka doesn’t stay)36:56: Kye Stokes, Jyaire Brown among transfers we expect to make an impact elsewhere42:38: Increased transfer movement reflects shifting approach for Ryan Day, Ohio State49:03: What challenges Missouri will present to Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl55:07: Why Ohio State will be motivated to win the Cotton Bowl even though it’s not a CFP game58:58: Florida State’s exclusion from the CFP shows why playoff expansion is overdue1:02:59: Eight teams might be better than 12 teams, but both are better than four1:09:05: Our picks for the CFP semifinals and the national championship game

It’s not quite as easy to pinpoint what went wrong against Michigan this time around.In 2021, Ohio State lost because it couldn’t run the ball or stop the run. In 2022, Ohio State lost because it gave up five touchdowns of 45 yards or more. This year, the Buckeyes needed to be just a little bit better across the board.Unfortunately for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes, there’s no moral victories in The Game. Ohio State was more competitive against Michigan this year than it was the last two years, but that doesn’t change the result nor does it lessen the scrutiny Ohio State’s head coach is currently facing.We start this week’s episode by scrutinizing the loss ourselves and looking at why the Buckeyes came up short in Ann Arbor. Then, we look at where the Buckeyes could go from here in terms of coaching staff changes, transfer portal moves and more as they pick up the pieces.Since the Buckeyes still have a slim possibility of making the College Football Playoff, we also take a look at this weekend’s conference championship games and make our predictions for what will happen in each one. Finally, we end the show on a more positive note as we look at the rising stock of Ohio State men’s basketball after its impressive performance in the Emerald Coast Classic.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:20: Four years ago, it seemed unfathomable Michigan would become this dominant in The Game3:54: Ohio State’s defensive dominance in the first 11 games didn’t translate to the Michigan game9:49: There wasn’t one singular reason why Ohio State lost, and that makes it tougher to swallow15:57: Ryan Day coached too conservatively in The Game for the third year in a row23:08: Ryan Day isn’t getting fired because of this loss, but it’s fair to question his big-game record28:52: Ohio State’s special teams did nothing to take the heat off Parker Fleming32:04: Beating Michigan will always matter, but the current conversation would be different next year36:14: Promoting James Laurinaitis, adding a veteran offensive coach among potential staff moves43:57: Ohio State isn’t likely to add a transfer quarterback, but it should have a QB competition49:36: Offensive line, defensive line among positions where Ohio State could pursue transfers52:56: Orange Bowl vs. Louisville isn’t the most exciting matchup, but it’s the most likely58:56: What needs to happen this weekend for Ohio State to make the College Football Playoff1:06:22: Our predictions for Power 5 conference championship games and who makes CFP1:09:43: Growth of Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle Jr. a reason to believe in Ohio State basketball1:13:57: Transfer additions off to a stronger start than Chris Holtmann’s previous transfer classes1:16:21: Felix Okpara’s emergence as a consistent rebounder must continue

It’s all about The Game on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.Typically, we start each week’s episode of RPW by breaking down the previous week’s game before previewing the next opponent. This week, however, we jump right into previewing Ohio State’s season-defining rivalry game with Michigan, weaving in a few takeaways from the Buckeyes’ 37-3 win over Minnesota but otherwise focusing fully on the impending clash of titans in Ann Arbor.With the College Football Playoff set to expand to 12 teams next year, it’s not hyperbole to say that there might never be another regular-season game in college football as big as the one the Buckeyes and Wolverines will play this Saturday. Next year, Ohio State and Michigan would already be locks to make the CFP with their respective 11-0 records, but everything is on the line for both teams this week as they play for the Big Ten East title.Of course, this game would be highly anticipated even without those stakes as the Buckeyes look to earn their first win over their rivals in four years. And the hatred between the two sides has only grown hotter amid the revelations of Michigan’s impermissible sign-stealing scandal that may have helped the Wolverines beat Ohio State in the last two meetings.But even without Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions, Michigan presents the toughest test of the regular season for Ohio State. What do the Buckeyes need to do to beat the Wolverines, and do we think the Buckeyes will make it happen? We break all of that down in our hourlong lookahead to Saturday’s No. 2 vs. No. 3 matchup.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:11: There might never be another regular-season college football game as big as this one2:37: Ohio State or Michigan making the CFP with a loss looks much less likely than last year4:18: Biggest positives from Minnesota: Ohio State’s run game, Jack Sawyer and no major injuries9:16: Ohio State’s pass defense should have edge vs. Michigan, but stopping the run will be crucial19:15: Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau could exploit Michigan’s offensive tackles as pass rushers23:16: Ohio State’s defensive tackles face their biggest challenge of the year vs. Michigan guards24:36: Ohio State’s run defense has shown improvement and ability to adjust over the season29:04: How many points does Ohio State need to score to beat Michigan?35:44: Kyle McCord, offensive line must rise to the occasion41:25: TreVeyon Henderson, OSU’s other game-breaking playmakers can make the difference47:31: Ohio State needs to avoid unforced errors on special teams, penalties and turnovers51:46: A reason for confidence: Ohio State has shown it will find a way to win close games54:31: Why we’re both picking Ohio State to win a close, low-scoring game1:00:29: Fair or not, this game will be a referendum on Ryan Day as Ohio State’s coach1:02:45: Whether you’re for or against CFP expansion, appreciate this game while you can

Ohio State still has to beat Minnesota this week, but we’re already looking ahead to The Game.While the Buckeyes are keeping their focus on the task at hand of beating the Golden Gophers, we aren’t expecting Ohio State to face much resistance from Minnesota in the final home game of the season. Next week’s game at Michigan, however, will make or break the Buckeyes’ season – and we get our best look before The Game at the Wolverines’ strengths and weaknesses in their 24-15 win over Penn State on Saturday.Ohio State played its own game on Saturday night, a 38-3 win over Michigan State, and we begin this week’s show as usual by breaking down our biggest takeaways from that game. Specifically, we discuss why we think Marvin Harrison Jr. has a legitimate chance to win the Heisman Trophy, why we see Kyle McCord’s career game against Michigan State as more than just beating up on a bad opponent and which freshmen impressed us in the blowout win, among other takeaways.Then, we turn our sights toward the team up north and break down what we saw from the Wolverines against the Nittany Lions – both in terms of where they could pose the biggest threat to Ohio State next week and where the Buckeyes may be able to exploit them. We also share our thoughts on whether the Big Ten made the right decision by suspending Jim Harbaugh (but only for games), why we personally want to see Harbaugh on the sideline next week and why we expect stronger punishments to come from the NCAA.In the final few minutes of the show, we refocus our attention back on this week’s game and share our expectations for how Ohio State vs. Minnesota will play out.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:27: The storylines surrounding Ohio State vs. Michigan just keep getting bigger, including CFP stakes3:38: Marvin Harrison Jr. has a real shot to win the Heisman (with a Heisman Moment vs. Michigan)13:15: Appreciate the opportunity to watch Marvin Harrison Jr. play for Ohio State while you still can15:51: Kyle McCord’s performance vs. Michigan State gives us more confidence he can beat Michigan21:15: The first half against Michigan State showed the potential of Ohio State’s offense at full strength27:33: Malik Hartford’s play vs. MSU gives OSU more reason to feel good about its secondary32:05: Injuries up the middle of the defense are a concern, but depth is showing up at all three levels35:05: Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Jermaine Mathews, Jelani Thurman among freshman standouts vs. MSU38:17: Michigan’s offense vs. Penn State shows stopping the run will be key for Ohio State in Ann Arbor44:10: Being able to run will be equally important for Ohio State’s offense against Michigan47:32: Why our confidence in OSU’s chances against Michigan increased on Saturday53:52: We don‘t know if Jim Harbaugh will coach in The Game, but we want to see him on the sideline1:00:24: Harbaugh’s suspension is a half-measure, but more punishment likely comes from NCAA1:09:19: Minnesota is better than Michigan State, but not by much1:14:51: Ohio State-Minnesota score predictions

Ohio State might be making a habit of winning ugly, but it still covered the spread in Piscataway.The Buckeyes had their most competitive game ever against Rutgers this year but still came away with a 35-16 win, and we felt there was more good than bad to take away from Ohio State’s performance – even if it wasn’t the most prolific day for the Buckeyes’ passing offense, run defense or special teams.We begin this week’s episode by sharing all of our takeaways from the Buckeyes’ performance against the Scarlet Knights. We follow that by making our predictions for this week’s home night game against Michigan State, looking at the other games this weekend that could shake up the College Football Playoff race and breaking down what we saw from both Ohio State basketball teams in their season openers on Monday.The full rundown for this week’s show:1:25: Rutgers is better than usual, so it wasn’t shocking the Buckeyes had to battle in Piscataway3:29: TreVeyon Henderson further proves he’s one of Ohio State’s biggest game-changers7:26: Ohio State’s run blocking improves as Donovan Jackson has his best game of the year9:27: Kyle McCord didn’t play badly against Rutgers, he took what the defense gave him16:04: Red-zone defense leads Buckeyes to victory21:41: Ohio State’s run defense shows vulnerability, but has time to improve before The Game25:21: Ty Hamilton, Jermaine Mathews Jr., Malik Hartford among defenders who stepped up30:22: Parker Fleming’s seat heating up after latest special teams miscue36:58: Ohio State should dominate Michigan State41:24: Buckeyes can play it safe with injured players this week43:05: This could be our best chance to see Tristan Gebbia and/or Lincoln Kienholz play this year46:17: Score predictions for Ohio State vs. Michigan State48:40: Michigan is in for a battle against Penn State in Happy Valley51:07: We hope to see you at the Eleven Dubgate on Saturday52:00: Georgia, Washington, Florida State and Oregon all face challenges this week54:48: It’s just one game, but Ohio State men’s hoops has plenty to work on after Oakland battle57:36: Roddy Gayle Jr., Zed Key and Scotty Middleton stood out in the season opener1:03:05: Bruce Thornton didn’t have his best game, but he rose to the occasion late1:04:47: We’ll learn more about Ohio State in a tough game Friday vs. Texas A&M1:07:03: OSU women’s hoops must work on rebounding, 3-point shooting after season-opening loss

Ohio State football is the No. 1 team in the country as it enters the final month of the regular season while Ohio State basketball season begins next week.We talk about both sports on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, though our discussion mostly centers around the football Buckeyes, who earned the top spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday night. We think that ranking is well-deserved, and we explain why – and why it does matter – on this week’s show.Ohio State’s defense led the way to that No. 1 ranking, and it led the Buckeyes to another win this past weekend at Wisconsin, where Ohio State earned its first double-digit victory in Madison since 2000 with a 24-10 win over the Badgers. We get into how the defense continued to impress us, how both TreVeyon Henderson and Marvin Harrison Jr. showed they’re special players and the concerns we have about Kyle McCord from both an inconsistency and health standpoint.As the Buckeyes head to Rutgers this weekend to play another strong defensive team, we discuss the challenges the Scarlet Knights could present and make our predictions for a game that we don’t expect to be the cakewalk games against Rutgers have typically been.We shift gears in the final segment of the show by conducting our annual draft of the Ohio State men’s basketball team, with each of us picking seven-man lineups from Ohio State’s 2023-24 roster in a snake-draft format for a hypothetical game of Buckeyes vs. Buckeyes.The full rundown for this week’s show:2:18: Ohio State hasn’t yet looked like college football’s best team, but it has the best résumé7:05: No. 1 ranking doesn’t change Ohio State’s goal, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter12:13: It’s hard to argue with any of the top five, but Oklahoma should be ahead of Texas18:13: Defensive-driven theme continues in Wisconsin win19:49: Jack Sawyer, Tommy Eichenberg, Jordan Hancock among defensive standouts in Madison22:31: Sonny Styles could end up playing his best position by filling in for Lathan Ransom27:02: TreVeyon Henderson shows how big a difference he can make for Ohio State’s offense29:49: Marvin Harrison Jr.’s Heisman candidacy is becoming increasingly real33:22: Kyle McCord’s plateauing performance, health both concerns entering November39:34: Greg Schiano has turned Rutgers into a competitive team once again41:24: Ball control, defense will be Rutgers’ keys to keeping game close against Ohio State45:36: Why we still expect Ohio State to cover despite Rutgers’ improvement47:30: Buckeyes’ growing injury list headlined by Miyan Williams’ season-ending surgery51:00: Drafting head-to-head lineups from the 2023-24 Ohio State men’s basketball roster

Ohio State’s defense keeps getting better.The Buckeyes had their most impressive defensive performance of the season yet as they held Penn State to just one touchdown and one third-down conversion in a 20-12 victory that was good for Ohio State’s second top-10 win of the season.We begin this week’s episode by discussing what impressed us most in Ohio State’s win over the Nittany Lions – including another memorable performance by JT Tuimoloau, how Jordan Hancock and Jermaine Mathews Jr. stepped up in Denzel Burke’s absence and Marvin Harrison Jr. making his case that he belongs in the Heisman Trophy conversation – as well as the one major concern that lingers after that game after the Buckeyes were held under two yards per carry for the second time in three weeks.Next, we look ahead to this week’s game against Wisconsin and make our predictions for how the primetime road test will play out in what looks to be the Buckeyes’ toughest remaining game until they play Michigan in their regular-season finale.Of course, we also had to talk about the week’s biggest story in college sports as evidence continues to mount that Connor Stalions and the Wolverines used prohibited tactics to steal signs from opponents. Finally, we share our takeaways from the Ohio State men’s basketball exhibition win over Dayton on Sunday.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:48: Ohio State’s defense has been great all year, but it reached another level against Penn State5:44: JT Tuimoloau continues his dominant October by outplaying a projected top-five NFL draft pick7:26: Jordan Hancock, Jermaine Mathews Jr. show Ohio State has tremendous depth at cornerback11:15: Should Hancock and Cody Simon replace Sonny Styles, Steele Chambers in starting lineup?18:13: Marvin Harrison Jr. makes Penn State look foolish for trying to play man coverage against him24:07: Cade Stover has become an elite receiver with a legitimate chance to win the Mackey Award27:09: Ohio State’s passing offense can still be elite, but its rushing offense remains a clear weakness36:17: Wisconsin remains a team in transition that probably isn’t ready to upset Ohio State40:01: Running remains Wisconsin’s strength, but a more balanced offense makes it tougher to defend46:40: Another test for Ohio State’s offense, but Wisconsin’s defense hasn’t been as good as usual49:56: Tristan Gebbia likely becomes the next man up at quarterback with Devin Brown sidelined54:37: Why we both expect the Buckeyes to cover the spread and beat Wisconsin57:13: It seems unlikely that Jim Harbaugh didn’t know about alleged sign-stealing scheme1:01:06: The NCAA doesn’t typically move fast enough for Michigan to be penalized this season1:05:38: Michigan’s wins might get an asterisk, but that doesn’t give Ohio State a free pass for losses1:13:30: It’s just an exhibition, but OSU hoops (especially Bruce Thornton) was impressive vs. Dayton

Ohio State played one of its most complete games of the season against Purdue, but a much bigger test awaits this week against Penn State.We spend the first half of this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays breaking down what impressed us most from Ohio State’s 41-7 rout of Purdue, including the performance of Dallan Hayden (and why Ohio State should scrap its plan to redshirt Hayden), more creativity in the run game on offense and the play of Ohio State’s defensive ends, Cody Simon, Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews Jr. on defense – all the while analyzing how everything we saw against Purdue could translate to the Buckeyes’ next game against the Nittany Lions.In the second half of the show, we preview this week’s top-10 matchup at Ohio Stadium, identifying the biggest challenges Penn State will present to the Buckeyes and where Ohio State could have advantages in the biggest game of the season to date for the scarlet and gray.The full rundown for our post-Purdue, pre-Penn State edition of RPW:0:17: The Big Ten tiebreakers don’t favor Ohio State, making this week’s game a must-win for Buckeyes4:49: Dallan Hayden should have a bigger role and shouldn’t redshirt after his performance at Purdue14:15: Different concepts in the run game, including quarterback runs, led to better results than before22:11: Will Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss see more playing time after making big plays vs. Purdue?26:06: Cody Simon is pushing Steele Chambers for his starting job, but both will continue to play30:12: JT Tuimoloau is getting into a groove and Jack Sawyer also had his best game vs. Purdue33:28: Denzel Burke would be tough to replace, but Ohio State has other capable cornerbacks37:26: Penn State’s defense presents a major test for Ohio State’s offense42:33: Drew Allar has been efficient, but Penn State’s passing offense hasn’t been explosive44:25: Ohio State’s receivers are its biggest advantage, offensive line is its biggest concern48:48: This game likely comes down to who wins the line of scrimmage (on both sides)50:48: Who does Ohio State most need healthy: Denzel Burke, Emeka Egbuka or TreVeyon Henderson?56:10: Our confidence percentages that Ohio State will win and score predictions

Ohio State has a defensive-driven team for the first time in Ryan Day’s tenure.Five games into the 2023 season, it’s become increasingly clear that the Buckeyes’ defense is their strength this year. The Buckeyes currently rank in the top 10 nationally in points allowed per game (3rd), yards allowed per play (4th) and yards allowed per game (8th), but their offense – which has perennially ranked among the nation’s best since Day became Ohio State’s head coach in 2019 – ranks just 20th in yards per play, 29th in points per game and 37th in yards per game.The good news: Ohio State’s defense appears to be good enough to give the Buckeyes a chance to win any game they play. The bad news: It’s uncertain whether the offense, more specifically the offensive line, is good enough for the Buckeyes to take advantage of their defensive improvement and achieve their major goals.On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss why we’re comfortable calling Ohio State’s defense elite based on what we’ve seen in the first five games of the year but why we’re uncomfortable with what we’ve seen – and heard from Day on Tuesday – regarding the Buckeyes’ blockers.We also highlight some of the standout performers from Ohio State’s 37-17 win over Maryland, namely Josh Proctor and JT Tuimoloau among others, and predict how this week’s game will play out as the Buckeyes seek revenge in their first road trip to Purdue since their 2018 loss in West Lafayette.The rundown for this week’s show:0:21: Ohio State covered against Maryland, but it certainly didn’t come as easily as we expected2:21: The offensive line took a step back vs. Maryland, and time is running out to get things right7:58: Ohio State seems even more concerned about its offensive line depth than its starting five13:12: Slow starts a recurring trend that will catch up with Ohio State’s offense if they continue16:16: There’s now enough evidence to say Ohio State is a defensive-driven team this year22:04: Ohio State’s secondary, its best since at least 2019, is leading the defensive effort25:20: Josh Proctor’s growth from a flash player to someone OSU can continue rely on30:24: Tyleik Williams playing 70 snaps vs Maryland speaks to just how much he’s improved31:24: JT Tuimoloau had the kind of game we’ve been waiting to see from him all season34:14: We still think adjusting Sonny Styles’ role would allow him to play to his strengths more40:23: Redshirting Dallan Hayden is a smart move with his current standing on the depth chart47:31: History shows Ohio State can’t overlook Purdue, that could be good for the team’s focus49:46: Improvement in the run game will be No. 1 area of focus for Ohio State this week52:40: Marvin Harrison Jr. showed us once again how special he is with his game vs. Maryland54:14: Kyle McCord started slow vs. Maryland but had his best half of the year in the second half57:22: Xavier Johnson will be a player to watch if Emeka Egbuka doesn’t play at Purdue58:18: Ohio State should beat Purdue this time, but only one of us is picking a cover this week

Maryland is better than all but one team Ohio State has played so far this season, but are the Terrapins good enough to actually challenge the Buckeyes for a win?The Buckeyes don’t have any easy games in October, and that starts this week with Maryland, who has won its first five games of the season. We’re not sure the Terrapins are as good as their records and statistics indicate, however, given that they have yet to play a team with a winning record this year.Taulia Tagovailoa will present a real test for Ohio State’s defense, and Ohio State’s offense hasn’t yet played well enough this season for us to assume scoring will come easy for the Buckeyes. Ohio State’s short-yardage offense will be under the microscope this week, as will its pass rush and whether JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer and Co. can finally start accumulating some sacks. But we’re still liking the chances of a Buckeyes cover this weekend.This week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays starts with our discussion on what to expect from the Buckeyes this Saturday as they return from their bye week to host the Terrapins at Ohio Stadium. Then, we take a look at Ohio State’s top 20 players so far this season by breaking down the first in-season edition of The Buckeye 20. Later in the show, we discuss the reality of Peacock-exclusive Ohio State games, why Ohio State will likely look to the transfer portal to replace Marc Nave in its 2024 recruiting class, why it‘s probably unlikely Bryce James will be a Buckeye and C.J. Stroud’s superb start to his NFL career.1:03: Ohio State can‘t look past any game in October4:44: Maryland’s numbers look good, but it hasn’t played anyone good8:42: Short-yardage offense, pass rush are areas of focus for Ohio State this week11:53: Taulia Tagovailoa’s mobility presents a different challenge than any QB OSU has faced this year13:52: This should be a faster-paced game with more possessions, which could mean more points15:47: Why we both expect the Buckeyes to cover and the over to hit20:54: Ranking Ohio State’s 20 best players and who rose and fell over the first month of the season34:55: Which players are most likely to move up the rankings next month (and who needs to step up)42:29: Ohio State games on Peacock comes with the territory of multi-billion-dollar media rights deals56:26: The transfer portal is making Ohio State more selective in high school recruiting1:04:27: Ohio State didn’t get Bronny James, Bryce James’ recruitment could be more of the same1:09:02: C.J. Stroud already looks like an NFL star, while Justin Fields’ outlook is more uncertain

We’ve never seen Ryan Day as fired up as he was after Ohio State’s win over Notre Dame on Saturday.Usually calmer and more reserved, Day used both his postgame interview with NBC and his postgame press conference to fire back at Lou Holtz for comments the former Notre Dame coach made one day before the game, in which Holtz predicted that Notre Dame would win and critiqued Day by claiming that “everybody that beats him does so because they are more physical than Ohio State.”We start this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays by talking about the new side of Day that we saw after Ohio State’s 17-14 victory in South Bend, and why we liked it even if Day might have been a bit more focused on those comments than he should have been. Then, we break down everything we saw on the field from the Buckeyes against the Fighting Irish. We also discuss how Ohio State’s performance against Notre Dame and throughout the first month of the season shaped our outlook for the rest of the season, pick our biggest surprises and disappointments from the first month of the year and share our biggest takeaways from Ohio State’s men’s and women’s basketball media days.The rundown for this week’s show:0:16: Ohio State pulls a victory from the jaws of defeat3:53: Lou Holtz’s comments set Ryan Day off in a way we’ve never seen before7:03: Was Ryan Day too focused on trying to prove a point about physicality during the game?10:48: It was good for both players and Ohio State fans to see Day passionately defend his team14:01: The only way to fully change the perception about Ohio State is to beat Michigan21:52: Marvin Harrison Jr. proves how tough he is26:51: Emeka Egbuka, Cade Stover step up and show how good they are28:35: Kyle McCord shows his clutch gene when Ohio State needed it most35:34: Improving the short-yardage offense should be the top priority for the bye week36:47: Ohio State’s play-calling on its failed fourth-down conversions made us shake our heads43:10: Ohio State’s defense got the job done but looked more vulnerable against Notre Dame45:42: Improved secondary should allow Ohio State to play more aggressively on defense48:47: JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer still don‘t have any sacks, and that’s a problem51:44: Ohio State’s lack of a true nose tackle contributed to Notre Dame’s rushing success54:41: Playing Sonny Styles at linebacker situationally could help Ohio State cover tight ends57:42: Our outlook for the rest of the season is about the same as it was before the season1:04:46: Our biggest surprises and disappointments from the first month of the season1:10:19: Ohio State women’s basketball can be elite while Chris Holtmann enters a defining year

Ohio State’s first big game of the season has arrived, and the Buckeyes look to be hitting their stride at the right time.The Buckeyes face a big step up in competition this week against Notre Dame, which will serve as this year’s first real test of how good Ohio State actually is. That said, the Buckeyes are entering the game with momentum on their side after looking the part of an elite team in their dominant 63-10 win over Western Kentucky this past weekend.Ohio State’s offense certainly elevated its game against the Hilltoppers, yet it was the defense who impressed us most as the Silver Bullets held Western Kentucky to only 10 points while scoring 14 points themselves. And while Western Kentucky isn’t nearly as complete of a team as Notre Dame is, we believe the Buckeyes‘ performance against the Hilltoppers showed more than simply taking advantage of an overmatched opponent.That said, this week’s game will mean going against both a much more complete offense and a much stouter defense than Ohio State faced in any of its first three games. Notre Dame looks more dangerous than it was when it lost 21-10 to Ohio State last year, and the Fighting Irish sound ready to play with a more aggressive mindset than they did in Ohio Stadium a year ago.Is Ohio State prepared for that challenge, and will the Buckeyes bring a win back from South Bend? We like Ohio State’s chances, but neither of us expects a victory to come easily.Here’s what we’re talking about on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays:1:11: Ohio State played its best against what might be the best team it’s played so far2:33: Ohio State’s offensive performance was impressive, but its defensive performance was even better5:16: The Buckeyes found the offensive rhythm they needed with Kyle McCord as starting quarterback9:20: The offensive line and the running game also got going against Western Kentucky11:43: Ohio State had only 60 plays for the second straight week, but that didn’t hold it back this time15:20: The defense showed it could continue to limit big plays against an explosive passing offense16:26: Tyleik Williams is emerging as a star18:23: Ohio State’s defensive ends were far more disruptive against WKU (even without sacks)21:14: Josh Proctor solidifies standing as starting free safety with another strong performance23:09: Denzel Burke is playing like an All-American cornerback26:11: Jordan Hancock struggled early but showed promising improvement vs. Malachi Corley29:01: Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers looking like one of nation’s best linebacker tandems32:23: Allowing only 20 points in three games is impressive no matter who you’ve played33:52: Ohio State is more confident now than it was three weeks ago, but so is Notre Dame40:07: Notre Dame’s offense is far more complete than any Ohio State has faced this season42:49: Kyle McCord faces his first big-game test against a pass defense that’s been stout45:38: We expect both teams’ final scores to be in the twenties and thirties48:45: We‘re both feeling 60% confident that Ohio State will win this game52:56: This may not be a make-or-break game for Ohio State, but it has major CFP implications55:58: While Ohio State looked great in Week 3, most of the other top-ranked teams didn’t58:20: Michael Penix Jr. and Washington look like Heisman and playoff contenders1:00:32: The SEC isn’t looking like the power it usually is1:03:26: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame headlines a great Week 4 in college football

Ohio State’s quarterback competition is now complete, but the pressure is increasing for the Buckeyes to find their A-game.Tuesday’s press conference at Ohio State brought the expected news that Kyle McCord would remain the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback going forward, bringing an end to the competition between McCord and Devin Brown that extended into the season.Ryan Day had good reason to shut down the competition and allow the offense to coalesce around one quarterback this week. The Buckeyes are just one week away from a top-10 matchup with Notre Dame, so they need their offense to get into a rhythm before their trip to South Bend. But first, Ohio State will have to pass another test this week when it hosts Western Kentucky at Ohio Stadium.While the Hilltoppers may not stand out as an opponent who should challenge the Buckeyes, they‘re not a team that should simply be overlooked. Western Kentucky led the entire FBS in passing yards last season and brought back quarterback Austin Reed and wide receiver Malachi Corley, who will present the toughest test of the season to date for Ohio State’s defense.Given that this will be McCord’s first game this year as the full-time starting quarterback and the first time Ohio State has had to face a dangerous passing offense this year, this week should serve as a truer litmus test of where the Buckeyes stand on both sides of the ball than the first two games of the season did.We discuss that on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays along with sharing all of our biggest takeaways from the Youngstown State game and discussing what else stood out to us from Week 2 in college football.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:16: Naming Kyle McCord the starter now was the obvious move and the right move1:40: Devin Brown has promise for the future, but it’s time to focus on winning over experimenting6:23: Playing well against Youngstown State doesn’t prove anything, but McCord can now build on that7:44: Quarterback competition, new clock rules, less efficiency have all contributed to lower point totals15:55: A variety of factors, not just offensive line play, have contributed to third-down struggles19:49: TreVeyon Henderson clearly has his explosiveness back, which makes him OSU’s No. 1 RB25:08: We started to see in Week 2 what the Kyle McCord-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection can be27:23: Ohio State has a top-five defense in the country right now, but this week presents a stiffer test29:33: Day and Knowles aren‘t worried about lack of sacks yet, but DEs must start making more plays33:19: Free safety remains a question mark, so it would be best if Josh Proctor can play this week38:10: Jordan Hancock could be in line to play most of the snaps at slot CB vs. Western Kentucky44:36: The defensive tackle rotation of Mike Hall, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton is looking strong47:30: Ohio State’s offense has a good chance to score more points on more possessions this week49:20: Taking care of the football, not allowing big plays will be points of emphasis this week53:41: Score predictions: Andy has OSU covering and the under, Dan has no cover and the over58:57: Texas might be back, and every Power 5 conference appears to have a real CFP contender1:06:10: Purdue shows it’s still dangerous and Wisconsin shows it’s still a work in progress1:09:08: Week 3 in college football lacks marquee matchups, but there’s still potential for chaos

Ohio State’s first game of the 2023 season gave us plenty to talk about.While the Buckeyes were never in danger of losing and came back from Indiana with a 1-0 record and a Big Ten road win, Ohio State and its fans were left generally unsatisfied with the team’s performance on offense after the Buckeyes scored just two touchdowns in a 23-3 win.That’s exacerbated concerns about whether Ohio State will have the quarterback play, offensive line and running game it needs to have a championship-caliber offense this year. On the bright side, Ohio State’s defense got the year off to a dominant start as it held the Hoosiers to just three points and 153 yards. On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss what went well for Ohio State’s defense and what didn’t go well for the Buckeyes’ offense. We also consider whether the Buckeyes’ Week 1 showing changes our expectations for the 2023 season and look at some of the other top storylines from across college football’s opening weekend.A rundown of what we discussed in our Week 1 recap:1:00: Ohio State left Bloomington with a 1-0 record and that’s what matters most (just ask Clemson)2:01: Indiana’s offense may be an “anomaly,” but OSU’s defensive dominance was still impressive5:25: Some Week 1 offensive struggles were expected, but they weren’t supposed to last all game8:35: The offensive issues are fixable, but they must be fixed quickly with Notre Dame coming soon9:10: Kyle McCord wasn’t awful, but he (or Devin Brown) must be better for OSU to achieve its goals13:52: Running the ball on third down remains a persistent problem for Buckeyes18:02: Ohio State did a lot of experimenting offensively, which will probably continue in Weeks 2 and 322:12: Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka have to get the ball more than they did in Week 126:17: We got spoiled by C.J. Stroud’s ball placement, and Kyle McCord isn’t at that level right now28:59: Cade Stover, Julian Fleming, Chip Trayanum were offensive bright spots34:22: Josh Proctor looks like he belongs in the starting lineup (though bigger tests are coming)40:22: Sonny Styles’ first start lived up to the hype (though bigger tests are coming)44:12: Jim Knowles “loves” the defensive tackle rotation, but Andy thinks Mike Hall needs to play more45:56: Triple option was a factor in no linebacker rotation, but we’ll believe more rotation when we see it50:21: Our concerns and expectations for Ohio State haven’t changed too much from a week ago59:50: Looking for passing improvement, running consistency and a potential shutout in Week 21:02:43: We’re not sure what to expect from Colorado this year, but it’s sure a fun team to watch1:06:54: Drew Allar looks like the real deal, which makes Penn State a real threat in the Big Ten East1:08:03: Notre Dame looks more dangerous with Sam Hartman (though it hasn’t faced much competition)1:08:37: New clock rules mean more commercials, but fewer possessions comes with pros and cons1:15:19: Texas/Alabama, Wisconsin/Washington State among Week 2 games to watch

Ohio State finally has a starting quarterback and the 2023 season is about to begin.That gives us plenty of topics for conversation on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.We start today’s show by evaluating Ohio State’s decision to name Kyle McCord the starting quarterback and how likely he is to be the starter all year long. We also assess Ohio State’s indecision at free safety and how much of a concern that could be for the Buckeyes’ defense and explore why Jayden Fielding beat out Parker Lewis to be the Buckeyes’ kicker.After that, we take a brief look at this weekend’s matchup with Indiana – which we both expect to be a decisive win for the Buckeyes, though only one of us believes Ohio State will pull away early. Then, we discuss our expectations for Ohio State’s 2023 season as a whole and make some predictions for whether the Buckeyes will have a Heisman finalist, who their offensive and defensive MVPs will be, which under-the-radar players will have breakout seasons and whether Ohio State will have a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense.A timeline of the main topics we discuss in this week’s episode:1:33: Kyle McCord being named the starter seems to be more than a nod to his experience6:00: Devin Brown deserves a chance to play, but McCord also deserves chance to work through mistakes11:43: It would be ideal for Brown to enter the game with a comfortable lead, but OSU can’t wait too long17:13: Ohio State doesn’t have a free safety it’s fully confident in yet, and that’s a concern24:08: Buckeyes can afford to experiment at free safety for first two games, but not much longer than that27:12: Jayden Fielding was ahead of Parker Lewis since last year, even though Lewis is on scholarship30:04: Indiana has fallen hard since it nearly upset Ohio State in 202036:16: We both expect the Buckeyes to cover, but Dan expects some first-half bumpiness39:09: Ohio State vs. Michigan shapes our national championship predictions46:34: Can Ohio State adapt if it doesn’t have elite quarterback play? It should be able to55:02: Why we both think Marvin Harrison Jr. will be a Heisman finalist (but not the winner)56:48: TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka will be OSU’s non-Harrison offensive MVPs59:16: Mike Hall, JT Tuimoloau are our picks for Ohio State’s defensive MVP1:03:22: Xavier Johnson, Julian Fleming, Ty Hamilton, Davison Igbinosun could be under-the-radar stars1:09:20: Why we think Ohio State will have both a top-10 offense and a top-10 defense

Ohio State’s first game of the 2023 season is 10 days away, but the Buckeyes still don’t have a quarterback.With it now appearing likely that Ohio State’s quarterback competition will continue into the start of the season, we start this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays by weighing what we make of the Buckeyes still not picking a starter, when they must settle in on one quarterback and who will hold the edge if the competition continues into the season.Of course, quarterback isn’t the only position where players have been competing for a starting spot or spots in preseason camp. Josh Simmons, Carson Hinzman and Josh Fryar appear to have won starting jobs on the offensive line and Sonny Styles has solidified himself as a starter at safety, but the free safety job remains up for grabs between Ja’Had Carter, Josh Proctor and Malik Hartford. We discuss all of that on this week’s show as well as the buzz that keeps growing louder surrounding Carnell Tate, Ohio State’s excitement about second-year defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry and C.J. Hicks emerging as the potential leader to play significant snaps at Jack.We also discuss what we make of Ohio State selecting only three captains this year, discuss our picks for which regular-season games we‘re most and least confident Ohio State will win and share our thoughts on Ohio State staying within the Big Ten with its new presidential hire.The full rundown of topics we’re discussing this week:0:37: Ohio State still needs to pick a starter, but it’s a good thing to feel good about two quarterbacks4:20: Ohio State needs to have a firm starter before the Notre Dame game, and ideally sooner10:42: In-season quarterback competitions have worked out at other schools in recent years12:46: A quarterback competition continuing into the season typically favors the younger player17:59: Ohio State can’t let the quarterback competition get in the way of winning games20:49: There’s no longer any doubt Sonny Styles will play a huge role this year23:54: We still see Ja’Had Carter as the likely starting free safety, but Malik Hartford is making a move28:34: Ohio State seems to have its starting offensive line and growing confidence in that unit35:02: Kenyatta Jackson, Caden Curry generating excitement as second-string defensive ends36:39: Carnell Tate making real push to play a big role as a true freshman41:25: C.J. Hicks and Cody Simon should both play regularly, and Hicks could lead the way at Jack45:17: Only three captains was surprising, but it’s not a bad thing51:26: Who we‘re most confident Ohio State will beat and which games we see as the biggest tests1:04:01: Five-star pairing of Eddrick Houston, Justin Scott a crucial recruiting win for Larry Johnson1:08:24: Ohio State’s new president already knows the Big Ten and loves sports1:12:22: Best wishes to Sammy Sasso, who we hope to see back on the wrestling mat soon

While Ohio State hasn’t yet named a new starting quarterback, Real Pod Wednesdays has named a new co-host.In his first episode sharing co-hosting duties with Dan, we introduce you to new Eleven Warriors reporter Andy Anders, who outlines his journey from posting in the 11W forums to becoming a full-time member of the staff.Then, we get into our usual hourlong discussion of the biggest topics in Ohio State sports of the past week, starting with the ongoing quarterback competition and what we make of Ryan Day’s Monday comments about the unsettled battle. We also discuss how we see things shaking out on Ohio State’s offensive line, Gene Smith’s legacy and the impact of his impending retirement and the fast-approaching reality that Ohio State fans will soon need Peacock to watch every Buckeye game.The rundown of what we’re talking about this week and when you can find it in the show:0:12: Andy’s introduction7:28: Ohio State still needs a starting quarterback, but we’re not pressing the panic button yet14:12: The likelihood’s increasing that OSU’s QB competition will continue into the first game or three18:10: This season’s too important for OSU to think about anything but this season when picking a QB20:04: Jimmy Simmons and Carson Hinzman look likely to start, but right tackle remains in question32:50: Donovan Jackson and Matt Jones can make life easier on Hinzman (or whoever starts at center)34:22: We feel awful for Kourt Williams suffering yet another major injury37:19: Bennett Christian wasn’t likely to play much this year, but OSU’s TE depth is a bit suspect40:15: Gene Smith should be remembered for far more good than bad as Ohio State’s athletic director46:26: NIL will be an important priority for Ohio State’s new athletic director48:35: Smith’s successor seems likely to be someone with OSU ties (but not Jim Tressel or Urban Meyer)52:47: Smith’s impending departure could make Chris Holtmann and Ryan Day’s seats a little warmer1:00:04: Ohio State on Peacock is a big change, but it’s a change fans will have to learn to live with

Ohio State is nearly one week into preseason camp and two more teams are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.That gives us plenty to talk about on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays as Chase Brown joins Dan Hope to discuss the most notable things we’ve seen and heard during the first six days of preseason camp and weigh the pros and cons of the Big Ten continuing to expand by adding Oregon and Washington in addition to USC and UCLA.(Note: This podcast was recorded before Gene Smith announced he will retire as Ohio State’s athletic director next year.)The timeline for this week’s conversation:1:51: It was fun to see fans at practice for a change, and we hope to see that continue3:53: Sonny Styles and Ja’Had Carter getting first-team reps isn’t a surprise, but where they lined up was8:05: If Styles starts at nickel, we expect Cameron Martinez or a cornerback to play some snaps there too14:08: Josh Proctor, Malik Hartford also among candidates to be in the “six plus one” at safety18:49: We don’t know how much Buckeyes will rotate in secondary, but the good news is they can21:04: Ohio State doesn’t necessarily need C.J. Hicks to play, but it should still find a role for him33:46: Kourt Williams doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, but linebacker should fit his game well38:54: Tywone Malone looks increasingly poised to make immediate impact at defensive tackle41:49: Zen Michalski takes the first reps at right tackle, but that doesn’t mean he’s won the starting job47:06: We haven’t seen enough yet to draw any conclusions about the quarterback competition54:06: Adding Oregon and Washington is a win for Big Ten football, but not college sports as a whole1:00:45: The Big Ten’s next round of expansion seems likely to be schools from the ACC1:05:56: The Big Ten is in a position of power now, but it wasn’t always guaranteed to go that way1:11:38: More competition in Big Ten will ensure regular season still matters even with CFP expansion1:18:46: FBS football should have its own governing body, but that won’t undo damage to other sports

Ohio State’s current football players are about to return to the practice field while there’s been no shortage of happenings – both good and bad – impacting the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail over the past month.With all of that to talk about as well as a new wave of conference realignment starting, Garrick Hodge returns to Real Pod Wednesdays this week for a discussion on what’s gone well and what hasn’t for Ohio State recruiting in recent weeks, the biggest storylines entering preseason camp and the rumors of potential further expansion for the Big Ten.A full rundown of what we’re talking about this week:1:57: Chris Henry Jr. isn’t even a high school sophomore yet, but he’s a safe bet to be an elite prospect5:37: Ohio State secures a crucial recruiting win over Michigan by sealing the deal with Aaron Scott Jr.11:35: Eddrick Houston becomes a must-get at DE with Dylan Stewart’s commitment to South Carolina15:47: Jontae Gilbert’s decommitment is why it’s hard to get too excited about an early commitment19:14: Ohio State isn’t out of the race for KJ Bolden, but we’d bet on the field over OSU20:57: Buckeyes may need to expand DE board or hit the portal next year even if they land Houston24:55: Nigel Glover is another example of Ohio State using transfer portal more heavily in recruiting27:12: Assessing the state of Ohio State’s 2024 recruiting class after an up-and-down month32:28: Ranking OSU’s likelihood of landing Houston, Brandon Baker, Jeremiah McClellan and Bolden35:26: Offensive line remains the biggest question mark entering preseason camp38:11: Starting cornerback job opposite Denzel Burke another big position battle to watch40:27: Where Sonny Styles will line up remains a major point of intrigue as camp begins42:18: Josh Proctor, Cam Martinez ended spring as starters; Styles, Ja’Had Carter could change that45:16: Josh Fryar, Carson Hinzman and Josh Simmons are frontrunners to start, but none are locks48:56: Kyle McCord is the favorite to start at quarterback, but he still has to win the job in camp51:04: Why Dan is “cautiously optimistic” about Ohio State having an elite defense this year55:47: Washington and Oregon need the Big Ten more than the B1G needs Washington and Oregon1:01:35: Florida State and Clemson are bigger targets for Big Ten, but they have more hurdles to clear(Note: This episode of Real Pod Wednesdays was recorded before Nigel Glover announced his commitment to Ohio State on Tuesday.)

This week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays comes to you one day late but from on location in Indianapolis as we react to everything we heard from Ryan Day and the Buckeyes at Wednesday’s Big Ten Media Days.There was plenty to react to on Wednesday, particularly Ryan Day’s suggestion that the Ohio State vs. Michigan game could be played before the final week of the regular season, as well as Day’s latest thoughts on the quarterback competition, praise from Luke Montgomery and other Buckeye newcomers and much more.First, though, we begin this week’s episode with some show news as Griffin, who is in his final week of working for Eleven Warriors, says goodbye after two years of co-hosting RPW. (Real Pod Wednesdays will continue as a weekly podcast with Dan and a co-host to be named later.)The full rundown for this week’s show:0:55: Saying farewell to Griffin3:25: It’s logical not to want to play The Game in back-to-back weeks, but is that worth breaking tradition?7:58: Ryan Day saying this after two straight losses will be perceived differently than if Urban Meyer said it10:12: If The Game is moved, it’s more likely to still be played in November than in September13:05: Ohio State continues to preach a more aggressive mindset than it had last year in The Game17:03: Neither Ohio State nor Penn State seems torn up about no longer playing each other every year21:33: Day isn’t ready to name a starting QB – or shut down the possibility of in-season competition25:30: Lincoln Kienholz isn‘t competing for the starting job yet, but Day likes what he’s seeing from him27:32: Luke Montgomery is making an apparent push in the offensive tackle competition30:09: Josh “Jimmy” Simmons is impressing everyone with his athleticism33:43: Lorenzo Styles Jr. came to Ohio State with real expectations of becoming an impact player36:33: Day is excited about Tywone Malone’s potential, but seems to expect more in year two or three38:27: Avery Henry and Grant Toutant’s medical retirements bring Ohio State back down to 85 scholarships41:10: Ohio State could still add Nigel Glover to its 2023 roster, but that would be a move for the future42:45: Sounds like Ohio State will have its full contingent of scholarship players healthy entering camp45:31: Day taking steps to avoid off-field issues that have plagued Northwestern, Georgia50:46: Tony Petitti seems to already be communicating better than Kevin Warren did54:40: Marvin Harrison Jr. doesn’t love the spotlight, but he’s learned to embrace it57:35: Cade Stover leaning into the “Farmer Gronk” brand59:33: Ohio State’s stance remains that NIL shouldn’t be the top priority for any Buckeye player1:03:43: A thank you from Griffin

Ryan Day, Marvin Harrison Jr., Cade Stover and JT Tuimoloau will be in Indianapolis participating in Big Ten Media Days one week from today.We’ll be in Indianapolis too to catch up with those Buckeyes and cover the first official media availability of the preseason for Eleven Warriors. With that in mind, we look ahead to next week’s event on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays with a discussion on why those Buckeyes were chosen to represent the program and what we expect to be the biggest storylines of this year’s media days.Later in the show, we predict who Ohio State’s 2023 captains will be, identify a few candidates to wear the “Block 0” jersey this season, recap the last three installments of Four Kings and share our thoughts on the gray uniforms that sure seem to be coming for Ohio State’s Nov. 11 game against Michigan State.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:17: Griffin celebrates his victory in last week’s draft3:34: Harrison will draw the attention, but Stover may be the most entertaining Buckeye at media days8:44: Ryan Day will have his first media availability in three months after a quiet summer11:11: We’re optimistic Tony Petitti won’t filibuster as much as Kevin Warren did15:16: The Big Ten has four new coaches, and Northwestern will get far more attention than usual17:14: We already know Ohio State’s national media storyline: Can the Buckeyes beat Michigan?19:29: Olu Fashanu, Luke Lachey, Taulia Tagovailoa among interesting Big Ten players making the trip23:33: Cade Stover, Tommy Eichenberg, Marvin Harrison Jr. are OSU’s most sure-fire captains26:39: JT Tuimoloau, Xavier Johnson and Donovan Jackson are top candidates to join them30:30: Emeka Egbuka, Kyle McCord among others who could earn captain consideration33:44: Johnson, Stover, Avery Henry among candidates to wear “Block 0” jersey this year36:26: Marvin Harrison Jr. belongs on Four Kings, but how did Jaxon Smith-Njigba miss the top 10?43:47: Nick Bosa is an elite defensive end now, but did he do enough at OSU to be on Four Kings?49:01: There was a clear top four on the interior offensive line, but others warranted consideration53:24: Dan Wilkinson, Jim Stillwagon and Bill Willis are OSU’s three best DTs, who should join them?56:49: Gray uniforms should be a sleek look59:27: Ohio State’s new freshmen do not look (or act) like freshmen1:03:39: Jim Tressel had lots of interesting things to say on Chris Holtmann’s podcast last week(Programming note: Next week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays will be published Thursday morning – let’s call it a Real Pod Thursday – as it will be recorded after the Buckeyes participate in Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday.)

If you could pick only 22 Ohio State football players to go win a game for you against 22 other Ohio State football players, which Buckeyes would you choose?That’s the question we were tasked with answering on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays as we held our annual Eleven Warriors preseason team draft, going head-to-head to pick the best possible lineups for a hypothetical intrasquad game.The ground rules were as follows: Each of us had 22 total picks to draft 11 offensive players and 11 defensive players. Offensively, we were required to draft one quarterback, five offensive linemen and five skill-position players (wide receivers, running backs or tight ends). Defensively, we were required to draft at least three defensive linemen, two linebackers and four defensive backs with the other two picks being flexible, though we both opted to draft four defensive linemen and five defensive backs.Griffin won the pre-draft coin toss which allowed him to choose between the No. 1 overall pick or the second and third picks, and he chose to pick first. Following the No. 1 pick, we alternated selections two at a time in a snake-draft format until we both filled up our 22-man rosters.Our picks:1. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR (Griffin)2. JT Tuimoloau, DE (Dan)3. Donovan Jackson, G (Dan)4. Josh Fryar, OT (Griffin)5. Josh Simmons, OT (Griffin)6. Emeka Egbuka, WR (Dan)7. Kyle McCord, QB (Dan)8. Tommy Eichenberg, LB (Griffin)9. Carson Hinzman, C (Griffin)10. Matt Jones, G (Dan)11. Denzel Burke, CB (Dan)12. Mike Hall, DT (Griffin)13. Jack Sawyer, DE (Griffin)14. Cade Stover, TE (Dan)15. Lathan Ransom, S (Dan)16. Sonny Styles, S (Griffin)17. Davison Igbinosun, CB (Griffin)18. Steele Chambers, LB (Dan)19. C.J. Hicks, LB (Dan)20. TreVeyon Henderson, RB (Griffin)21. Julian Fleming, WR (Griffin)22. Ty Hamilton, DT (Dan)23. Jordan Hancock, CB (Dan)24. Tyleik Williams, DT (Griffin)25. Cameron Martinez, S (Griffin)26. Ja’Had Carter, S (Dan)27. Xavier Johnson, WR/RB (Dan)28. Miyan Williams, RB (Griffin)29. Enokk Vimahi, G (Griffin)30. Tegra Tshabola, OT (Dan)31. Kenyatta Jackson, DE (Dan)32. Caden Curry, DE (Griffin)33. Jyaire Brown, CB (Griffin)34. Josh Proctor, S (Dan)35. Carnell Tate, WR (Dan)36. Kye Stokes, S (Griffin)37. Cody Simon, LB (Griffin)38. Jakob James, C (Dan)39. Zen Michalski, OT (Dan)40. Brandon Inniss, WR (Griffin)41. Victor Cutler Jr., G (Griffin)42. Tywone Malone, DT (Dan)43. Chip Trayanum, RB (Dan)44. Devin Brown, QB (Griffin)Listen to the podcast to hear our rationale for picking each player where we did and our arguments in favor of our respective teams. For written explanations of every selection, a side-by-side lineup comparison and to vote for whose team would win, visit elevenwarriors.com.In the final minutes of the show after completing our draft, we also talk about Pat Fitzgerald’s dismissal from Northwestern, what Griffin learned from interviews with the Ohio State women’s basketball team and what he’s hearing about how the offseason is going for the men’s basketball team.

On the latest edition of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss another massive commitment for Ohio State's 2024 class and take a look at what's on the horizon for the Buckeyes.With regular podcast co-host Dan Hope on vacation, resident Eleven Warriors recruiting expert Garrick Hodge joins the show once again as Griffin Strom returns from a trip to Florida. While we usually record the show on Tuesday, the Fourth of July pushed things back a day, so we hope you don't mind a rare Thursday edition of RPW.Ohio State kicked off the new month with a bang before the holiday, landing a commitment from five-star defensive tackle Justin Scott – OSU's highest-rated DT prospect in the modern recruiting era. Garrick breaks down just how surprising Scott's decision was, what the Buckeyes are getting in the Chicago native and how important his commitment was for Larry Johnson.Although Ohio State missed on Chicago defensive end Marquise Lightfoot, who committed to Miami on Monday, Garrick believes Scott's commitment – and where the Buckeyes stand with multiple five-star pass rusher prospects – will go a long way and making OSU fans forget all about it.Next, we take a look at upcoming commitment dates for a slew of priority targets for the Buckeyes and the likelihood that they could end up playing for the scarlet and gray. Garrick previews the potential commitment of Arizona cornerback Miles Lockhart, who will announce his collegiate destination on Thursday, and several other coveted 2024 recruits.We wrap up the show by discussing a number of headlines around the world of Buckeye sports, including recent NFL betting suspensions, Ohio State men's basketball's charity exhibition game against Dayton and contracts for the Buckeyes' non-conference foes on the hardwood.The full rundown for this week’s episode:0:32: Griffin is back from vacation, but with Dan enjoying some well-deserved time off, we welcome Garrick back to the show2:27: The surprising nature of Justin Scott's commitment and what it means for Larry Johnson and the Buckeyes9:43: Ohio State is starting to stockpile five-star talents in 2024 with Scott giving the Buckeyes four such commits in the cycle10:47: How stability on the NIL front could be helping shape Ohio State's star-studded class after landing just one five-star prospect in 202313:02: Marquise Lightfoot chooses Miami over Ohio State, but should that be any cause for concern for Buckeye fans?17:45: Where Ohio State stands with five-star 2024 defensive ends prospects Eddrick Houston and Dylan Stewart22:05: Ohio State's recent trio of defensive commitments has gone a long way to dispel any notion that defensive recruiting was lagging in 202425:48: Miles Lockhart appears to be trending toward the Buckeyes with a commitment announcement coming on Thursday29:13: Breaking down Ohio State's chances with several other 2024 recruits that have set commitment dates this month, including Kyngstonn VilIamu-Asa and Aaron Scott37:36: Nicholas Petit-Frere and Rashod Berry receive suspensions from the NFL for sports betting40:59: Ohio State's charity exhibition game against Dayton to benefit the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Ohio42:35: How much Ohio State's non-conference basketball opponents will be paid to appear at the Schottenstein Center in 2023-24

The summer official visit season is now over, but more BOOMs could still be coming to Ohio State.Ohio State already landed three big BOOMs from in-state prospects over the past week as quarterback Tavien St. Clair committed to the Buckeyes’ 2025 class last Wednesday and Glenville teammates Bryce West and Damarion Witten joined Ohio State’s 2024 class on Saturday. With Eleven Warriors recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge filling in for Griffin Strom on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we start the discussion by talking about each of those three commitments and why they were all priority targets for Ohio State.Then, we predict who will join West, Witten and Ohio State’s other 14 commits in the 2024 class by playing another round of “In or Out” with the Buckeyes’ top 18 remaining targets in the class. A brief summary of our predictions for each player, with more rationale for each of our picks in the podcast:Player | Garrick | DanCB AARON SCOTT JR. | IN | OUTS KJ BOLDEN | IN | INDE EDDRICK HOUSTON | IN | INDE DYLAN STEWART | IN | INS PEYTON WOODYARD | OUT | OUTCB KOBE BLACK | OUT | OUTCB MILES LOCKHART | IN | INLB KYNGSTONN VILIAMU-ASA | IN | INDT JUSTIN SCOTT | OUT | OUTDT JAYDEN JACKSON | OUT | INDE MARQUISE LIGHTFOOT | IN | INDE NIGEL SMITH | OUT | OUTOT BRANDON BAKER | OUT | OUTOT GUERBY LAMBERT | OUT | OUTOL DANIEL CRUZ | OUT | OUTWR JEREMIAH MCCLELLAN | IN | INWR ELIJAH MOORE | OUT | OUTWR JOSHISA TRADER | OUT | OUTLater in the show, we also talk about a few of the players who impressed us most across Ohio State’s six high school football camps, our expectations for Brice Sensabaugh with the Utah Jazz and our thoughts on who did and didn’t make Ohio State’s Four Kings at linebacker.The full rundown:0:47: Tavien St. Clair’s commitment a prime example of how quickly things can change in recruiting3:52: Ohio State will continue to recruit Ryan Montgomery, but he’ll probably end up elsewhere7:13: Buckeyes took St. Clair because of his potential – and because they knew he wanted in15:53: Bryce West and Damaron Witten were always likely Buckeyes, but closing the deal matters19:43: Vince Marrow’s “groan man” tweet was not a good look for Kentucky21:16: Witten’s potential as a pass-catcher is obvious, but will he be a true tight end?28:14: The race to land Aaron Scott Jr. remains too close to call between OSU and Michigan31:18: Ohio State looks well-positioned with KJ Bolden, Eddrick Houston and Dylan Stewart36:40: A Peyton Woodyard flip from Georgia to Ohio State looks less likely than it once did37:56: Ohio State has gained ground with Kobe Black, but he’ll still be tough to pull out of Texas39:26: Miles Lockhart, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa trending toward OSU after visiting this past weekend42:05: Chances of landing Justin Scott appear to be improving, but his recruitment is far from over43:45: Jayden Jackson appears to be most likely DT commit, but he’s not an Ohio State lock45:26: Marquise Lightfoot is likely in at defensive end, which could leave Nigel Smith out46:44: Top remaining offensive line targets could all end up elsewhere50:10: Ohio State still in a good spot with Jeremiah McClellan, but Elijah Moore could be trending away52:42: Buckeyes not out of the race for Joshisa Trader, but they have to get him back on campus first53:51: Mylan Graham, Devin Sanchez, Jordon Davison among biggest stars of camp season59:13: Brice Sensabaugh went around where we thought he’d go, though not a team we expected1:00:44: Just establishing himself in the rotation will be Sensabaugh’s top objective for year one1:03:06: Tom Cousineau should have been one of the Four Kings at linebacker