Category: Buckeyes Wire

WATCH: Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann Minnesota preview press conference

Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann met with the media today to discuss the home matchup with Minnesota. Watch here.

Ohio State basketball will try again to begin a turnaround towards something resembling what it looked like at the beginning of the year Thursday night when it hosts Minnesota. It’s a game the Buckeyes sorely need to get some positive momentum going for a season that is all of a sudden in a downward spiral.

Chris Holtmann met with the local media to preview the matchup and to provide a status on his team heading into the crucial home matchup. We’ve got the complete press conference for you thanks to the fine folks at Ohio State and the post on OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

You can click on the below and listen to Holtmann discuss the psyche of his team, the challenge of playing Minnesota, the status of Musa Jallow, and more.

Ohio State and Minnesota will do battle at 6:30 PM on FS1.

Musa Jallow done for the year, will undergo reconstructive ankle surgery

Chris Holtmann met with media in Columbus and confirmed that Ohio State forward Musa Jallow will redshirt and undergo ankle surgery.

Ohio State Chris Holtmann met with the local media in Columbus today to preview the home contest against Minnesota and dropped a bit of a bombshell. If you’ve followed this team from the preseason on, it’s no secret that forward Musa Jallow has been out of the lineup with an ankle injury. Up until now, there was still hope that he would return at some point.

But that appears to no longer be the case.

According to Holtmann, Jallow will undergo reconstructive ankle surgery on Friday and will be out the remainder of the year. Because of the injury, he will be redshirting for the 2019-2020 season, rehab, and hope to come back 100 percent next year.

The Buckeyes have been without the services of Jallow the entire year so the news doesn’t impact much for this season. But having him back next year should be a boost for the program.

Ohio State baseball schedule for 2020

We’re just three weeks away from the beginning of the 2020 Ohio State baseball season. Here’s the full schedule.

Yes snow is falling, temperatures are freezing, and the wind is biting. Believe it or not though, college baseball season is just about three weeks away in some of the sunnier and warmer climates. And since Ohio State baseball gets a jump on the season by going to warmer locations and tournaments, the Buckeyes are set to break the seal on the season as well.

In case you are a college baseball junkie, or just a fan of all Ohio State sports in general, we’ve got your 2020 Ohio State baseball schedule. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 24 in the preseason and are expected to contend for the Big Ten title and potentially another appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

We’ve got it all for you on the next page. Print it out, plan your time, and enjoy.

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Ohio State football No. 3 in average attendance for home games in 2019

The Ohio State football program finished No. 3 in average home attendance for the 2019 season.

The Big Ten has some of the most iconic stadiums in all of college football. Part of what makes them some of the cathedrals of the sport are their sheer size as well. The three largest stadiums in all of college football reside in Big Ten country. There is of course the Big House in Ann Arbor, the largest in the country, but there’s also Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, and Ohio Stadium in Columbus as the third largest.

So it makes sense then that all three of those programs enjoyed the three highest average attendance at home in 2019, in that order. Michigan was tops, Penn State second, and YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 3.

Credit to Dustin Schutte of Saturday Tradition for uncovering these figures.

This has become an annual tradition of sorts for the Big Ten. With some of the largest venues, it’s a little easier for these three teams to continuously show well despite some of the attendance challenges college football is starting to experience.

Still, there has to be interest in the program to fill a stadium of that size, and that’s clearly there for Ohio State.

 

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Matt Carpenter, Dillon Dingler named Ohio State baseball captains for 2020

Ohio State baseball chose its captains for the 2020 season. Both Matt Carpenter and Dillon Dingler will lead the team.

In preparation for the college baseball season that’s set to open up in about three weeks, the Ohio State baseball team has named its 2020 team captains. Both infielder Matt Carpenter and catcher Dillon Dingler were chosen by their teammates last week.

“Both Carp and Ding have the pulse of the locker room,” said coach Greg Beals. “They each have a great feel for the game and they know how to win. Both are well-deserving of their roles as captain.”

Both are upper-classmen. As a fifth-year senior, Carpenter has already appeared in 67 games, including starting 41 one season ago. He batted .257 last year with eight doubles, two triples, 25 runs scored, and 15 RBIs. He is a four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.

Dingler was selected as a captain as a sophomore last year as well. He was named Second-Team All-Big Ten and was named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team last year. He has appeared in 102 games with 88 total starts. In two seasons, he has accumulated 17 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 62 runs scored, and 36 RBIs. He is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete and a 2019 Academic-All Big Ten Selection.

The team should be in good hands with this duo leading the team in 2020.

Ohio State using Clemson loss as motivation, has new sign with Fiesta Bowl score

Ohio State has installed a sign in the weight room reminding all the players of the loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl.

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Ohio State strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti met with the media today to provide an update on the team and winter conditioning. The team is Ryan Day’s, but during the offseason, it’s coach Mick’s wholly and specifically.

One of the revelations that came from the media session is the motivation the loss to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl is providing. Coaches always look for ways to get teams going. They push buttons, they try unusual tactics and prod and pry where they think they can, to mold the future state of the team.

In this case, the coaching staff has decided to install a sign of the Fiesta Bowl score in the weight room — a place where pushing that extra mile yields tangible results.

We already know about the Michigan countdown clock, and the one that show’s the time of the next opponent, but now it appears as though the players and coaches will be reminded of how close they came every time they enter the weight room.

If that’s not worth one more bench press, bicep curl, or military press, I don’t know what is.

WATCH: Ohio State return of Kerry Coombs hype video

Kerry Coombs is back on the Ohio State football coaching staff and the OSU creative team capped it off with a hype video for the ages.

Kerry Coombs is back, but of course you knew that by now. After a five year stint under Urban Meyer where every starting defensive-back he coached landed in the NFL, Coombs took a two-year hiatus to coach under Mike Vrabel with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.

I mean, who could blame him? But now, he’s getting a promotion to come back to Columbus with his high-energy, coffee, Red-Bull and all.

We’re used to seeing the Ohio State creative team put out hype videos throughout the year, but rarely do we see one centered around a coaching hire. But that was before the excitement level of getting Coombs back on staff went through the roof.

If you haven’t seen the return of Kerry Coombs hype video, you can click on the below. Just be prepared. Coombs can make about anyone want to run off a cliff into boiling water, so clear all breakables before you watch it.

Are you and everyone around you safe? Just checking.

 

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Cameron Martinez says he still plans to sign with Ohio State … for now

The Detroit Free Press caught up with Ohio State’s only early signing period holdout. He says he still plans on signing with the Buckeyes.

It’s the last remaining fish the Ohio State football staff hopes to catch for the 2020 recruiting class. Cameron Martinez, a four-star athlete out of Muskegon, Michigan had verbally committed to the Buckeyes on July 4. But he decided not to sign during the early signing period in December because of the departure of Jeff Hafley, with whom he had built trust and a relationship with.

And so it remains. Will Martinez still sign with Ohio State on February 5, or will his gaze elsewhere while he figured things out result in either Northwestern or Notre Dame landing his services?

Well, the Detroit Free Press tried to shed some light on where Martinez is leaning at the moment, and if you’re a Buckeye fan, there does appear to be some good news, at least for now.

When speaking with the Free Press, the 5-11, 183 pounder seemed to still be planning on signing with Ohio State.

“Right now it’s Ohio State, at the moment,” Martinez told the Free Press. “I plan on signing with Ohio State… “If I didn’t want to go there,” he said. “I would have decommitted back then.”

So there you have it, but with a bit of a caveat. The only recruit to not sign with the Buckeyes in December has still been listening to other schools and keeping an open mind.

“I have been hearing schools out,” Martinez said. “I’ve told some schools no. I’m still in contact with some schools. Notre Dame talks about setting up a visit, but I haven’t made a decision yet.”

If you’re reading the Buckeye leaves on this one, one could easily surmise that Martinez still wants to wear the scarlet and gray, but was taken a little aback by the Hafley news and wants to see who comes in to take his place. Now that a familiar name is back with the past development history and NFL pedigree that Kerry Coombs possesses, one would think it would only bolster Ohio State’s chances at sealing the deal for a versatile player the Buckeyes so desperately want — and need.

In fact, Coombs is already on the recruiting trail as we speak and it would be a major surprise if he hasn’t already reached out to Martinez.

It might seem a little mixed, but I’d say to be patient on this one, and Cameron Martinez will more than likely be a Buckeye when it all goes down on February 5.

 

WATCH: Ohio State receiver K.J. Hill destroy defensive backs in Senior Bowl practice

Ohio State wide-receiver KJ Hill is channeling his inner Terry McLaurin and trying to improve his draft stock at this year’s Senior Bowl.

History could be repeating itself. Last season, former Ohio State receiver Terry McLaurin showed out at Senior Bowl practices and improved his draft stock greatly. It’s why guys take part in these sorts of things. It resulted in the Washington Redskins taking a chance on him and he didn’t disappoint, becoming one of the top rookie receivers in the league.

Now, it appears another Buckeye pass-catcher is making similar waves. There have been a couple of pass-patterns shared to Twitter that shows K.J. Hill’s route-running and moves that made opposing defensive backs look awfully foolish during 1:1 drills this week.

First, here’s Hill putting a DB in the washing machine and spins him around with counter moves.

There’s also video of Hill running a sharp pattern then changing directions to blow past the DB — leaving him on the ground.

Lastly, watch as Hill runs a perfect timing route, cuts to the outside and works back to the ball, giving the DB no shot.

Just like McLaurin last year, we might want to keep an eye on Hill and his continued performance during this Senior Bowl event. Then watch as his draft status begins to improve.

How about those Ohio State wide-receivers?

 

New Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs met with players Tuesday

New Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs met with some of the Buckeye players on Tuesday. He’s hitting the ground running.

Newly minted Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs is officially back on campus, and he’s apparenlty hitting the ground running.

According to a Tweet he shared to his own Twitter profile, Coombs got to meet at least some of the Ohio State football players on Tuesday and get in touch with some old friends to re-establish relationships he had prior to leaving the program for two years.

He also is apparently ready to go out on the recruiting trail Wednesday to begin selling the virtues of the Ohio State program to potential recruits. You have to believe one of those guys he’ll be in touch with his four-star athlete Cameron Martinez who has been keeping his options open since Jeff Hafley left the program.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. There’s not a guy around that exudes more energy for something he believes in than what you’ll get from Kerry Coombs. He’s on a mission already and ready to sell the program.

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