Category: Buckeyes Wire

Khaleke Hudson hilariously believes Michigan football has more talent than Ohio State

Michigan senior Khalike Hudson believes Wolverines’ roster has more talent than what Ohio State does.

Here’s one that’ll make you chuckle Buckeye fans.

According to quotes from Michigan linebacker/safety (viper) Khaleke Hudson, he believes there’s more talent on the Wolverines’ roster than what’s impressing NFL scouts on the banks of the Olentangy at Ohio State. This despite two consecutive blowout losses suggesting otherwise.

When speaking to reporters this week according to our sister site Wolverines Wire, Hudson took offense to any talk of a gap between the Buckeye program and Michigan. He first spoke to the facilities that have come a bit under fire since former Michigan videographer criticized the facilities in Columbus to what he was used to in Ann Arbor.

“I’m not sure what they got at their facility, but I know we got one of the best facilities in the world,” Hudson said. “And we’ve got one of the best coaches in the world. We got the best teammates in the world.

“I don’t know where they’re at, but I know we’re higher up.”

Hudson was then redirected about the perceived talent gap on the field, rather than the facilities and doubled down further.

“I feel like our talent is better,” he said.

Michigan gets a shot to try and back that up and wash out the sour taste of the Ohio State game when it travels to Orlando to take another team that many feel has a gap in talent far superior to Hudson’s team — the Alabama Crimson Tide.

 

Former Ohio State linebacker Randy Gradishar named finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Ohio State and Denver Bronco linebacker Randy Gradishar has been named a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This is something that’s probably a bit overdue. Former Ohio State and Denver Bronco linebacker Randy Gradishar was named as a finalist for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame Friday along with a few others on an expanded list.

Gradishar played for Ohio State under Woody Hayes from 1971 to 1973 and was a two-time consensus All-American. After graduating from the Buckeyes, he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 1974 NFL Draft as the No. 14 overall pick.

With the Broncos he made the Pro-Bowl seven times, and was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1978.

The Hall of Fame’s selection committee has put together a list of eight coaches, 10 contributors and 20 senior finalists for next year’s class. Of those finalists, 15 members will be selected to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio.

Ohio State wide-receiver Garrett Wilson is starting to realize his potential

Ohio State freshman wide-receiver Garrett Wilson has started to realize his potential, and perhaps just in time.

It may have taken him a bit to get cooking this year, but freshman wide-receiver Garrett Wilson has begun to live up to the hype, especially since he came into a program with a deep receiving corp already in place.

Many fans thought that he would be the next Ted Ginn, Jr. or Santonio Holmes, and it’s still possible considering next year he might be featured along with Christ Olave. But just how big of an impact has he this year as a true freshman, let’s dive into the stats?

 

To date, Wilson is fourth on the team in total receiving yards with 385 yards. combine that with five touchdowns and the team responsibility of being the team’s punt returner, and one could say this has been a solid freshman season.

Wilson seems to be making similar strides as what Chris Olave did with his breakout game against That Team Up North. With a College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup coming in the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson, Ohio Sate might be hoping to hear his name called even more.

Ohio State vs. Kentucky 2019 basketball game preview and prediction

Ohio State heads out to the desert to take on another blue blood of the sport Saturday. Check out our preview and prediction.

Aside from one blip so far, the Ohio State basketball team has gotten off to a fantastic start. There are wins against Cincinnati and Villanova at home, and a blowout win over North Carolina at the Dean Dome. The lone blemish is the loss on the road in The Barn at Minnesota.

Now the Buckeyes are headed out to the desert to take on an athletic and talented Kentucky Squad. The Wildcats have looked inconsistent at times this year, but there’s no doubt they have the horses per usual to beat anyone in the country.

Ohio State has put together quite the resume early on here in the 2019-2020 season, and a neutral court win over SEC and national power Kentucky would only bolster the belief that this team can do damage both during the regular season and beyond.

We’are about to roll the dice in Las Vegas.

Records

Ohio State 10-1,  Kentucky 8-2

All-time series record

11-9 Kentucky leads

Last meeting

Ohio State won 74-67 in 2015

Broadcast, TV, Game Time

Date: Saturday, December 21
Game Time: 5:15 PM
Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Network: CBS

Next … The Ohio State Game Plan

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Buckeye Battle Cry: Why can’t any other Big Ten team recruit at the level of Ohio State?

Ohio State once again pulled in the top rated recruiting class of any Big Ten team. Why can’t other teams compete? We discuss.

Another top-flight recruiting haul is in the books for Ohio State, one that’s a consensus top five class. It’s heavy on offensive lineman, wide-receivers, and defensive backs. But more than anything, it is heavy on talent once again.

The Buckeyes once again signed the best recruiting class in the Big Ten, and it’s not really even close. Michigan and Penn State tried to keep up, but you have to go down pretty far to find a Wolverine or Nittany Lion commit that has a rating at the top of what OSU pulled in.

But why? Why does Ohio State continue to recruit at an elite level while other programs in the conference can’t? We know it’s not for trying, but the Michigans of the world will never compete on a consistent level with the Buckeyes until they can close the gap in the talent coming in.

We’re throwing this out for our weekly Buckeye Battle Cry roundtable, and like usual, we’ll let Mark kick it all off.

Next … Mark’s theory

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Ohio State is staring down a complete rebuild in the secondary for 2020

All four DBs for Ohio State could head to the NFL after this season, and the Buckeyes could be staring at a rebuild there in 2020.

The Ohio State Buckeyes lost Clarke Phillips III yesterday, and it may end up hitting them hard as the NFL Draft could take the bulk of their star defensive backs.

All three cornerbacks for Ohio State could head to the NFL after this season, and the Buckeyes could be in trouble if that happens. At the very least, Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette are expected to leave. The secondary will also lose All Big-Ten performers Jordan Fuller at safety to graduation.

Okudah is a projected top-five pick while Arnette may be able to sneak into the first round as well, and will certainly be selected before the draft’s final day.

The wild card for Ohio State is Shaun Wade.

Will the Buckeyes third-string corner leave as well?

Wade, a five-star recruit coming out of high school, is projected as top-50 pick according to USA Today’s Draft Wire. After missing the 2017 season, Wade’s tenure hasn’t been what many had hoped, but the skill is still there, and he’s been coming on. He would be the most talented and experienced pass-defender heading into next season.

The loss of the entire back end of the defense could be back-breaking for the team that’d have to figure out their defensive sets without the help of a superstar roaming the field.

With four-star cornerback Ryan Watts inbound and four-star safety Lathan Ransom also coming in, the Buckeyes should have a capable secondary taking the field next season, but it certainly won’t be the same strength we’re currently seeing. There will need to be some development, and likely a lot of growing pains with so much youth.

Guys like Cameron Brown, Amir Riep and Sevyn Banks return and will factor in, but they too will need an offseason of development and seasoning.

Clark Phillips would also be a young one, but it would be one more talented and athletic DB to drop into a competitive situation. That can never hurt. Now Ohio State will need to have a plan for all the losses in the secondary, and it’ll be doing it without Jeff Hafley.

Todd McShay’s first mock draft has Chase Young and Jeff Okudah as top-five picks

In his first mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Ohio State Football’s Chase Young and Jeff Okudah both as top-five picks.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been a hotspot for first-round picks over the last few seasons.

With Nick Bosa and Dwayne Haskins both drafted in the first round last year, the Buckeyes should have at least two more this year. However, it’s likely both of them come on the defensive side of the ball.

Widely regarded as the best defensive player in college football, Chase Young is almost a guaranteed top-two pick. Cornerback Jeff Okudah is the wildcard. He could go in the top three or dip outside the top five.

That said, in his first mock draft, ESPN’s Todd McShay has Ohio State Football’s Young and Okudah both as top-five picks. He has Young as the No. 2 overall pick while Okudah is taking at No. 5.

The two players are respectively taken by the Giants and Lions, both three-win teams. Both teams also seem relatively confident in their offenses and could use the added weaponry on defense.

While there will certainly be variation in the projected top-five before the draft, which is currently scheduled to start on April 23 and run through the 25, we can rest assured that Young and Okudah will both at least be first-round picks.

Five Ohio State players recognized as FWAA All-Americans

Ohio State had five players total appearing across the First and Second-Team FWAA All-American squads.

The Football Writers Association of America released its All-American Teams Thursday, and five Ohio State players have been named. Defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah were named on the First Team defense, while J.K. Dobbins was named as a First Team All-Purpose performer.

Quarterback Justin Fields and offensive lineman Wyatt Davis also made the cut, both being named as FWAA Second-Team All-Americans.

Ohio State tied Wisconsin for the most First Teamers with three each, but the Buckeyes led all programs with five total players being named between the two teams. LSU was second with four players being recognized.

As a side note, with Chase Young and Jeff Okudah appearing on the FWAA squad, that makes both consensus All-Americans. The two also appeared on the AP, AFCA, Sporting News, and Walter Camp All-American teams.

Ohio State offensive lineman Jonah Jackson to play in Senior Bowl

Senior Ohio State offensive lineman Jonah Jackson has accepted an invite to play in the Senior Bowl in late January.

We’ve got another Ohio State player that’s been invited and agreed to play in the annual Senior Bowl down in Mobile, Alabama. The latest is senior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson.

You know Jackson’s story by now. After playing — and starting — for Rutgers for three years, he graduated last year and entered his name into the transfer portal. After a brief courtship, he then moved to Ohio State where he won the competition to start immediately on the offensive line.

Jackson helped provide stability and experience on a line that had to be rebuilt this year and earned All Big-Ten accolades. He joins fellow Buckeyes Malike Harrison, Davon Hamilton, and Damon Arnette who have already accepted invites to participate.

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The Senior Bowl will take place in Mobile on January 25.

Complete Ohio State football 2020 recruiting class

All the dust has settled and we have your complete Ohio State football 2020 recruiting class from the early signing period.

The Ohio State 2020 recruiting class is mostly in the books save for the potential additional signing from athlete Cameron Martinez in February, or another surprise somewhere along the way. It’s the way of the college football world now, when most of the work is signed, sealed, and delivered during the first day of the early signing period.

Now that we know what’s official, we’ve got the entire 2020 recruiting class including position, hometown, and national/position rankings and star ratings.

It’s a consensus top five class, and one that should keep Ohio State as one of the premier programs in the country. Here’s your complete 2020 Ohio State football recruiting class.

Ohio State Football 2020 Recruiting Class
Name Position Hometown National Rank/POS Rank Star Rating
Julian Fleming WR Catawissa, PA 2/1 *****
Paris Johnson, Jr. OL Cincinnati, OH 7/1 *****
Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Rockwall, TX 33/5 ****
Gee Scott, Jr. WR Sammamish, WA 62/12 ****
Lathan Ransom DB Tuscon, AZ 79/5 ****
Mookie Cooper WR Maryland Heights, MO 82/15 ****
CJ Stroud QB Rancho Cucamonga, CA 83/2 ****
Luke Wypler OL Montvale, NJ 96/2 ****
Cody Simon LB Jersey City, NJ 123/9 ****
Kourt Williams LB Bellflower, CA 153/11 ****
Jacolbe Cowan DL Charlotte, NC 161/15 ****
Darrion Henry DL Cincinnati, OH 166/16 ****
Ryan Watts DB Little Elm, TX 258/17 ****
Lejond Cavazos DB Bradenton, FL 259/26 ****
Jack Miller QB Scottsdale, AZ 290/14 ****
Joe Royer TE Cincinnati, OH 406/11 ***
Josh Fryar OL Beech Grove, IN 428/20 ***
Grant Toutant OL Warren, MI 464/37 ***
Mitchell Melton LB Olney, MD 541/37 ***
Miyan Williams RB Cincinnati, OH 621/46 ***
Ty Hamilton DL Pickerington, OH 753/36 ***
Jakob James OL Cincinnati, OH 834/53 ***
Trey Leroux OL Norwalk, OH NA/89 ***
Jake Seibert K Cincinnati, OH NA/2 ***

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