Category: Buckeyes Wire

Ohio State football players named to All-American teams in 2021

All the Ohio State football players that have been named to All-American squads in 2021. #GoBucks

The Ohio State football program churns out All-Americans at a rate hard to match by almost every other college football team. It’s rare to have a year when OSU doesn’t have players littered across the various All-American publications, both new and old.

It’s been the same in 2021. From Freshman All-American teams to consensus squads, and more, the Buckeyes have once again had their fair share of players recognized as some of the best in the game.

The list is getting increasingly lengthy, so thanks to the OSU athletic department that keeps a tidy list of these sorts of things, we thought we’d do the same so that you can keep track of which Ohio State players have been recognized on various All-American teams.

We break it down by player, and what the recognition was in 2021 … so far.

4-star 2022 offensive lineman, Carson Hinzman, having tough time deciding between Ohio State and Wisconsin

Does Ohio State have a shot to land this 4-star OL? #GoBucks

The first day of the early signing period is over, and there weren’t a ton of surprises for Ohio State. There was a flip that was a disappointing development for the Buckeyes when 4-star cornerback Terrance Brooks flipped to Texas, but everything else was pretty much as expected.

OSU brought in 18 recruits all told for the 2022 class, but it’s still looking to add to what is considered another top-five haul. One of the names out there that the Buckeyes have a legitimate shot at is 4-star interior offensive lineman, Carson Hinzman, out of Hammond, Wisconsin.

Yes, you heard that right. An offensive line prospect out of Wisconsin has not signed with the Badgers yet and is apparently having one whale of a time deciding between Wisconsin and Ohio State. He is generally torn and was supposed to make his final decision Friday.

But that’s all changed based on an announcement on Hinzman’s Twitter account. He has clawed back that date as wrestles with the decision between presumably Ohio State and Wisconsin. Hinzman is ranked as the No. 6 interior offensive lineman, and 134th overall recruit in the class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Hinzman did not provide a timetable for his decision but you have to think that it’ll come soon. The fact that OSU is still in the running for a kid from Wisconsin has to bode well for the Buckeyes. You can never have too many offensive linemen, especially on the interior, and to get one of Hinzman’s quality would be huge, most notably if Ohio State could take one right out from under the nose of the home state team that has a pedigree for developing guys in the trenches.

However, there’s the other side of the coin as well. When things are appearing fairly even with a kid wrestling with a decision, that pull to stay home can usually be the deciding factor.

We’ll continue to stay on top of this as we hear more.

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Cornerback Cameron Brown returning to Ohio State for one more year

Cameron Brown isn’t done in Columbus just yet.

Cameron Brown was a four-star recruit in the 2018 class for Ohio State. During his time in Columbus, Brown has unfortunately faced a series of injuries including an Achilles tear last year. But when he’s been healthy, the cornerback has shown flashes of brilliance that could lead to NFL riches.

However, Brown made it clear that a career in professional football is going to have to wait as he shared he’ll be heading back to OSU for another year. The defensive back battled injuries again this year but was able to see action in eight games this season tallying 22 total tackles and an interception.

After seeing Terrance Brooks flip his commitment to Texas on signing day, having another experienced corner in the fold makes a world of difference. Brown will be looking to stay healthy and help build the Buckeye secondary back into the solid unit fans are used to seeing.

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Ohio State basketball game vs. Kentucky canceled for Saturday

Ohio State travels to Las Vegas for a matchup in the CBS Sports Classic against Kentucky. Here’s how to find the game.

Ohio State basketball’s game against Kentucky on Saturday has been canceled because of concerns with positive COVID-19 results. The news came via a statement from the program on Thursday.

OSU was to travel to Las Vegas to take part again in the four-team CBS Sports Classic. North Carolina and UCLA were to play in the other matchup in the T-Mobile Arena in a series that has been going on since 2014. The game between the Wildcats and Buckeyes will not be rescheduled.

“The safety and well-being of the student-athletes, coaches, staff and Ohio State community is the highest priority,” the statement from OSU read. “All team related activities have been suspended and the players and staff will continue to be tested according to Ohio State protocols in consultation with the Big Ten Conference.”

This is a developing story and we’ll stay on top of any further disruptions that occur.

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Ranking Big Ten teams by number of historical bowl appearances

A look at each Big Ten program ranked by how many bowl appearances they’ve historically been in. Can you guess where Ohio State is? #GoBucks

The Big Ten has rich history and tradition in bowl games. From the Rose Bowl, to the BCS bowls, to the more recent New Years Six and beyond, teams from the conference have played in a large portion of the postseason games available throughout history.

But not all programs are created equal. Some have been to a lot more bowl games than others. When you think of the postseason, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, and Penn State come to mind, while other schools are lucky and blessed for a year that simply gets them enough wins to get into a bowl game.

This season, with nine of the 14 teams headed to play in a bowl, we thought it’d be fun to go through and rank Big Ten teams based on which ones have gone to the most bowls from worst to first.

So here we go, all fourteen current Big Ten schools and how many bowl games they’ve each been to throughout their history.

After first year marked with controversy, Urban Meyer out as Jacksonville Jaguars head coach

Urban Meyer let go after just 13 games into his first season.

Urban Meyer has been fired as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In a move that most have seen coming for quite some time now, Jags owner Shad Kahn made the move official in the early morning hours while many were sleeping. The last staw seemly was a report that Meyer kicked Jacksonville kicker Josh Lambo prior to a preseason game, although Meyer claims the accusation was exaggerated.

It was just the latest in a sad saga that lasted less than one year. The former Ohio State head coach and third all-time winningest coach in NCAA football history seemed to be in over his head from the get-go. From hiring a coach who had been accused of racist language and actions, to signing Tim Tebow as a tight-end, to reports of calling his assistant coaches losers, it’s been a bad look for the first-year NFL coach.

Of course, maybe nothing was more damning than the encounter with a young woman, who was not his wife, after a Thursday night loss in Cincinnati. Meyer decided to stay in Ohio to see his grandkids instead of traveling back with the team. Only seeing the grandkids took a backseat to a video that surfaced of Meyer and the woman being a little too friendly at the bar. Most felt like Meyer’s days were numbered after the incident embarrassed the organization and team owner.

With so many coaching accolades, Meyer joins an elite club no head coach wants to be part of. He is one of only four NFL head coaches not to last at least one season before leaving. Not a club anyone would want to join.

It’s an entirely different ball game when going from college to the pros as a coach. Just ask the likes of Nick Saban and Steve Spurrier. Talent is equal across the board and a coach becomes more of a manager of million-dollar egos than that of an X’s and O’s mastermind.

Meyer didn’t seem to fully grasp that idea. With a psychology degree in hand, Meyer might have been able to use mind games on a 19-year-old kid who has nothing and will do anything to get where he wants to be. But to try to use those same tactics on grown men, most of whom have already reached the pinnacle of professional sports, isn’t going to produce the same results.

Urban Meyer will still go down as one of the all-time coaching greats in college football history, at least by the numbers. Most Ohio State fans will still be thankful for his seven years in Columbus and the 2014 national championship. But the luster has certainly worn off.

Will Meyer ever coach again? Not in the NFL. He’ll most likely end up back in front of a camera next year breaking down college football games. But it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if a program in desperate need of a big splash hire will make a pitch and try to lure the coach back to the sidelines. And he’ll probably accept the challenge… because some that have been involved in the game, have a hard time staying away from it.

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Buckeyes in the NFL: Notable former Ohio State football players Week 14 defensive performances

#Buckeyes in the NFL: Notable former Ohio State football players Week 14 defensive performances

The only FBS college football game that was completed this weekend was the Army-Navy game and although that was a fantastic game, it was no what most Ohio State fans desire on their fall Saturdays.

The lack of Buckeye football forces us to focus even more on the NFL and watch former Ohio State legends strive for greatness at the professional level.

Most fans are probably aware of the Urban Meyer drama saga building in Jacksonville, but we try and keep things positive on this piece. The list of former Buckeyes in the NFL is so large, we have broken down the lists into two, with this one focusing on the defense.

Ryan Day responds to rumors about Bears head coaching job

Does this make you rest a little easier? #GoBucks

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media Wednesday to discuss the newly anointed and signed 2022 recruiting class. After all, it was the first day of the early signing period, and OSU brought in a crop of 17, soon to be 18 players (Friday) officially with national letters of intent.

Day was on hand — as he always is — to discuss the new class in detail, but you had to know that he was going to be asked about his name appearing in a report linked to discussions about the Chicago Bears head coaching position.

We’ve already seen a denial of the report by his agent, Trace Armstrong, who was also linked to a front-office job in Chicago as a potential package deal, but we hadn’t heard directly from Day himself.

Until now.

It took a little longer in the press conference than what we thought, but sure enough, Day was asked to talk about his desire to eventually head to the NFL and his name appearing in the story about the Bears. And for OSU fans, Day’s response was short, but still music to the ears.

“There’s nothing to that,” Day responded. “There’s no truth to it. I love Ohio State, and I love being the coach at Ohio State.”

I guess the pessimist would point to that statement as coming short of a clear denial about staying with the Buckeyes, but at least it didn’t leave the door wide open. Add that to backing a BRINKS truck up to pay a new defensive coordinator, and we’d have to say that Day is pretty solid as the OSU head coach.

Besides, there’s clearly some unfinished business to take care of on November 26, and it’s colored maize and blue.

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WATCH: Ryan Day discussed 2022 recruiting class signed Wednesday

Hear what Day said about the newly inked 2022 recruiting class after the first day of the early signing period. #GoBucks

Ohio State football now has seventeen players completely official and signed to the 2022 recruiting class. One more, linebacker Gabe Powers, will be signing on Friday at a ceremony at his school in Marysville, and that will most likely put a wrap on the early signing period for now.

Now that the national letters of intent have been inked and filed, head coach Ryan Day can now discuss each individual player the Buckeyes’ brought into the brotherhood, and that’s exactly what he did in front of reporters Wednesday.

In case you missed any of his comments, we have all of them here thanks to OhioStateBuckeyes.com. The media session was far-ranging and touched on a multitude of players, but also went into other avenues such as Rose Bowl prep, Day’s name coming up in NFL circles, NIL, and more.

Click on the below and get some insight into what Day thinks of thisf recruiting class and a whole host of other topics.

As a reminder, Ohio State is currently preparing to play Utah in the Rose Bowl in the midst of all the recruiting shenanigans. We’ll have more on that as things continue to progress towards the trip to Pasadena on January 1.

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Marcus Freeman responds to perceived jab at Ohio State

What do you think of Freeman’s response? #GoBucks

Former Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman is getting acclimated to becoming the new head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Some of that includes carefully choosing his words as he found out last week in an open letter that seemed to take a subtle jab at his alma mater.

The reaction from Ohio State fans was swift and decisive. Many were shocked how a member of the Buckeye brotherhood could have come out and laid a haymaking swipe at his former team, one that he has been very complimentary about in previous conversations. One that set him up for where he is today.

Freeman took notice (how could he not), and decided to address the outcry from his comments about choosing Notre Dame presumably over Ohio State by “not making the same mistake twice.”

He obviously felt very passionate about clearing the air because he addressed it before even fielding questions from the media Tuesday.

“I wanted to address one more thing before we go open up for questions,” Freeman said. My feelings on Ohio State. I want to make sure to be very clear that the relationships, the time that I spent in Columbus have impacted me and had relationships that I built that will be with me for the rest of my life. I’m very passionate about being the head coach here, but in no way do I want to diminish my time in Columbus and the impact that time has made on me. So, I want to make sure I’m clear about that.”

What was Marcus Freeman thinking by slyly dunking on Ohio State?
Nov 27, 2021; Stanford, California, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman stands on the sideline during the second quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Good on Freeman to clear this up. He didn’t go into why he made the comments, and we’re sure many OSU fans and players would like to get more on that, but he’s his own guy and doesn’t feel the need. At least he felt it necessary to address how his comments were taken and how he really feels about Ohio State and his time there.

So now begs the question: Do you forgive Freeman? Were the comments overblown?

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