Category: BuckeyeWIre

After Tunmise Adeleye decommits from Ohio State, the replacements

Tunmise Adeleye pulled his commitment to Ohio State, but there are some potential big names to replace him in the recruiting game.

Before final word on the 2020 season for the Big Ten was announced, the Buckeyes received word that defensive end recruit Tunmise Adeleye had pulled his commitment. Adeleye was the sixth rated defensive end coming out of high school for the 2021 class, and the fourth-highest recruit for the Buckeyes. The defensive line is stacked, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to replace the loss.

There are really two top guys the Buckeyes should, and one they have, tried to recruit to replace the loss of Adeleye. There are still plenty of options behind the ranking of Adeleye, but there are two that stand out above him and one has been recruited by Ohio State.

The first name on the list, well everyone’s list, is Korey Foreman. The consensus top recruit for 2021 is on a lot of teams’ recruiting efforts. The top spots that have been reported so far are USC, Oregon, Alabama, LSU, and some others. If I had to guess, it would be hard to pull Foreman from his choice of schools, possible, but it doesn’t seem likely.

That leaves us with the second and most possible name on the list. J.T. Tuimoloau has already, reportedly, been visited by assistant head coach Larry Johnson. While Tuimoloau is listed as a defensive tackle, many see him as a defensive end, and he has played quite a bit there in high school. With a stacked defensive tackle roster, enticing him to defensive end is beneficial to both sides.

If both possibilities fall out, there are still options like Monkell Goodwin, but Foreman and Tuimoloau need to be targeted. Luckily, the Buckeyes have stocked the cupboard on defensive line and have outstanding coaching. Adeleye leaving hurts, but it could be worse. We wish nothing but the best to Adeleye, and look forward to who the Buckeyes bring in to replace him.

 

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Ohio State has best offensive line in college football

Ohio State has a plethora of talent on the offensive line, with Wyatt Davis leading the way, it’s best offensive line in college football.

The Ohio State football team has always been known for its offensive lines. Year in and year out one of the most consistent units, it has a gathering of riches on the offensive line yet again in 2020.

This year the Buckeyes added Paris Johnson to an already stacked line with Wyatt Davis, Nicholas Petite-Frere, Josh Myers, Thayer Munford, and Harry Miller. Six players into the list and we still haven’t named Gavin Cupp or Jeremy Ruckert (technically a tight end, but yeah, he blocks too). A stacked position group for sure with a lot of five-star recruits.

Last year, Pro Football Focus, ranked the Buckeyes the fourth most efficient offensive line in college football. Keeping pass rushers off of Justin Fields on 67.4% of his dropbacks and allowing for 3.11 seconds of time before pressure started getting to Fields. With Davis leading the way, they only figure to get better in 2020.

Keeping Fields clean will be key in 2020 and there is no reason to believe the beef eaters up front can’t do so. With a slightly revamped wide receiver corps and a new starting running back, allowing Fields to make plays and stay mobile is something Ryan Day would welcome.

Having Paris Johnson as the backup/swing, and potentially starting, tackle allows for some flexibility for Day to call plays to allow Fields to roll to one side or the other without having to tip his play when Johnson is in the game. Having three starting quality offensive tackles is a problem most coaches would relish.

With a season in question, and teams playing conference games only, offensive lines will be asked to handle a little more as teams will have more tape from having to play more of the same teams. The Buckeyes have that much-needed luxury of having a top-flight offensive line that can simply out-talent the opposition despite the film study.

Only Munford is a senior this year, which means even if the season doesn’t go off like it is expected, then there’s still the possibility of bringing back some experience again if the others eschew the NFL and want another crack at it. So while everyone talks about the wide receivers, linebackers, or defensive line, don’t forget the guys in the trenches, the best offensive line in college football.

It does remain to be seen how the potential cancellation of high school football effects recruiting next year, however, with the amassed talent the Buckeyes should be in good shape. The offensive line is an absolute strength of this team.

Ohio State included in 5-star 2021 offensive tackle’s top five

Five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh out of Fairfax, Virginia includes Ohio State in his top five released Thursday.

The Ohio State football program has already put together one whale of a recruiting class for 2021, but there’s still a little more room left with some big fish still out there to hook.

One of those is five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh out of Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. The six-foot, five-inch, 270-pounder is rated as the No. 3 offensive tackle and eleventh overall recruit for in the entire 2021 class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He would be a huge addition to what is already widely considered the top recruiting class in the country.

And as a bit of good news for Ohio State, Leigh included the Buckeyes in his top five released on Thursday.

The other four schools in Leigh’s announcement include Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, and LSU.

The Buckeye staff has begun to increase its efforts for Leigh as of late, and where he ends up is pretty wide open, though most experts believe he is a slight lean to Clemson at the moment.

We’ll stay on top of any further developments with his recruitment.

Ohio State resumes voluntary workouts for football and other sports

Ohio State released a statement Monday confirming the resumption of on-campus voluntary workouts for football and other sports.

According to a release from the Ohio State athletic department, the university has resumed on-campus voluntary workouts for football and other sports as of today.

“Our Buckeyes are excited to be headed into a new school year and were disappointed last week when we had to temporarily suspend training,” athletic direct Gene Smith said in the statement. “These young people come from across the nation and the world to be part of our Ohio State family, and we do everything we can to create a safe, healthy environment so that they have a chance to study and compete. Our medical team will continue to evaluate, and we will share decisions as we move forward.”

On a go-forward basis, athletes will be tested routinely and training decisions will continue to be re-evaluated by medical staff to protect the health and safety of students. A strict set of protocols will also be in place requiring physical distancing, masks, hygiene and cleaning procedures.

The voluntary workouts were put on pause as a result of a round of testing done on July 7. The exact number of positives for COVID-19 were not made publicly known by the university, but Letterman Row has cited sources putting the number in the single digits.

The decision to reopen workouts on campus was a result of the latest round of testing completed on Monday. Teams with student-athletes on campus taking part in training activities are men’s and women’s basketball, field hockey, football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball.

 

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Ohio State Football Profile Card: Justin Hilliard

A profile of Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard entering the 2020 college football season.

Name: Shaun Wade

Number: 47

Position: LB

Class: Senior

Height: 6’1″

Weight: 231 lbs

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH

High School: St. Xavier

2019-2020 Stats:

GP Solo Tackles Ast Tackles TFL Sacks Int
10 7 6 3.0 0.0 1

Overview

Hilliard is hoping to be the next in a long line of Ohio State great linebackers. No Buckeyes might have made BTN’s list of top linebackers of the decade, but the list of great Ohio State linebackers is long. And while players like Malik Harrison, Darron Lee, Joshua Perry, or Ryan Shazier might not have been top of the conference in the decade, they certainly were elite linebackers.

247Sports recently determined that, at the moment, Ohio State is the second-best school at producing NFL linebacker talent, behind only LSU.

Ohio State has a solid linebacking corps this year, with some definite NFL talent in the max. Struggles at linebacker were the Ohio State’s achilles heel during some of their worst losses the last few years of the Urban Meyer era, but that seems to be well behind the Buckeyes as we move further along with Ryan Day. Between Tuf Borland, Baron Browning, and Hilliard, expect some serious production from this group. And don’t be surprised when two or three Buckeye linebackers find their way into the NFL the following year.

Highlights

There aren’t many highlight videos of Hilliard on YouTube, but don’t miss his great interception from last year.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laU7K6X6tco&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sZxqLY8SsM&w=560&h=315]

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

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Ohio State athletes must go through COVID-19 testing and other protocols as part of return to campus

The Ohio State athletic department released safety measures and protocols for athletes return to campus, including COVID-19 testing.

Ohio State football players are set to return to campus starting Monday, June 8 to participate in voluntary workouts. OSU had already announced the plans to welcome student-athletes back, and that was further confirmed in an email release from the athletic department Friday. It was only possible after the NCAA D-1 Committee voted to allow voluntary workouts beginning June 1.

As a part of that return, according to the release, there will be measures put in place to keep all of the student-athletes healthy, including COVID-19 testing and other health and safety procedures.

The principles included in the safe return include education and communications, a student code of conduct, COVID-19 testing and surveillance, systems for tracking, isolation and quarantine, physical distancing, personal protection, mental health, and cleaning and disinfecting according to the release.

These precautions and measures are a result of guiding principles from the Ohio State COVID-19 Transition Task Force and its Safe Campus and Scientific Advisory Subgroup. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ohio Department of Health, on-campus partners, the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference also helped shape the university’s decision-making.

To date, here is what has been approved for athletic department activities:

  • A May 18 return to work for a limited number of football coaches at the WHAC;
  • A June 8 return to voluntary workouts at the WHAC for members of the football team;
  • A June 15 return to voluntary workouts at the Schottenstein Center for members of the men’s and women’s basketball teams;
  • A June 15 return to work at the Schottenstein Center for men’s and women’s basketball coaches, at the Schumaker Complex for men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey coaches, and at the Covelli Center for women’s volleyball coaches; and
  • A June 22 return to voluntary workouts at the Schumaker Complex for members of the men’s and women’s soccer teams, field hockey team and women’s volleyball team.

Though individual athletes will be allowed to participate in voluntary workouts, they must go through a measured approach to being allowed to do so. According to Ohio State, all athletes must go through the following protocols before being cleared to resume activities.

Next … The protocol for athletes to be cleared to workout on campus

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Revisiting and projecting the Ohio State basketball 2020-2021 lineup

Ohio State had a ton over roster turnover from last season. We are revisiting and reprojecting what the 2020-2021 lineup might look like.

The Ohio State basketball season came to an abrupt end because of the coronavirus measures put in place, so that leaves us no choice but to look ahead to next year. This season feels a lot like an unfinished story with some ups and downs, a little drama and a cliff-hanger, but that’s what we’re left with.

Part of the drama came after the season with the decisions of freshmen D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney. But we also had a couple of veterans leave the team with the surprising transfer decision of Luther Muhammad, and the announcement to enter the NBA draft by Kaleb Wesson. Those have now been offset with the addition of graduate transfers Seth Towns, and Abel Porter. The program also got an undergraduate transfer decision from Bucknell’s Jimmy Sotos, but he won’t be available until the following season. That now puts the Buckeyes back to the thirteen scholarship limit — back where it needs to be for the 2020-2021 season.

We projected what the OSU roster would look like a few weeks ago, but with so many changes recently, it’s worth going through the exercise one more time. Let’s hope nothing else changes.

So here we go. Here’s the projected lineup for Ohio State basketball for the 2020-2021 season once again, way ahead of time, but with a ton of new information that came out of the blue.

Next … Ohio State likely starting five

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Ohio State Football in a different top 5, and it has everything to do with money

The Ohio State football program wins on and off the field. It is once again one of the richest in the country.

Having more money doesn’t always equate to success, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. Penn Live recently conducted its annual study of the richest college football programs (based on revenue and profits) with data from Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act.

In the study, you’ll find the usual suspects as college football’s blue bloods top the list. What is interesting is that great wealth doesn’t guarantee wins on the field.

The Top Five:

No. 1: Texas – $156.1 million

No. 2: Georgia – $123.1 million

No. 3: Michigan – $122.3 million

No. 4: Notre Dame – $115.5 million

No. 5: Ohio State – $115.1 million

This might be the only poll we see Michigan ahead of the Buckeyes for quite some time. But putting the right people in the right place at the right time might have more to do with winning national championships than money. That and a little luck… good or bad.

Defending champ, LSU comes in on the list at No. 11 with $92 million. Right people, right place, right time with a little bit of good fortune.

Other Big Ten schools on the list include: No. 64 Rutgers – $26.7 million, No. 39 Maryland – $46.6 million, No. 32 Indiana – 52.6 million, No. 31 Purdue – $54.8 million, No. 28 Illinois – $58.2 million, No. 26 Minnesota – $63 million, No. 24 Northwestern – $63.2 million, No. 18 Michigan State – $75.6 million, No. 16 Iowa – $81 million, No. 13 Wisconsin – $89.9 million, No. 10 Nebraska – $94.3 million, and No. 6 Penn State – $100.1 million.

Seems like Buckeye Nation is doing a pretty good job in the one poll that we, the fans have control over. Keep up the good work and maybe we’ll jump TTUN in this poll as well. O-H!

 

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.

We have a forum and message board now. Get in on the conversation about Ohio State athletics by joining the Buckeyes Wire Forum.

Ohio State Basketball: Projecting the 2020-2021 starting lineup

The season has completed prematurely for the Ohio State basketball team. Time to project the starting five and key reserves for next year.

The Ohio State basketball season came to an abrupt end because of the coronavirus measures put in place, so that leaves us no choice but to look ahead to next year. This season feels a lot like an unfinished story with some ups and downs, a little drama, and a cliff-hanger, but that’s what we’re left with.

Part of the drama came after the season with the departures of freshmen D.J. Carton and Alonzo Gaffney. That was offset a bit with the addition of graduate transfer Seth Towns, and that leaves the Buckeyes with thirteen scholarships — right where it needs to be for the 2020-2021 season.

What better time to look at what the projected lineup could be this winter when it appears everything is much more solidified. There’s still word on what Kaleb Wesson will do as far as the NBA draft, but we’ll make a guess on that too.

So here we go. Here’s the projected lineup for Ohio State basketball for the 2020-2021 season, way ahead of time.

Next … Ohio State likely starting five

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Ohio State offers Ohio-native Devonta Smith to add cornerback depth

Ryan Day’s Ohio State team will lose two of college football’s best cornerbacks to the draft, and Devonta Smith may help replace them.

Ryan Day’s Ohio State program will lose two of college football’s best cornerbacks to the draft.

Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette are the two entering the draft with Shaun Wade hanging back for another season in Columbus.

Wade will be a top safety during the 2020 season, but he’ll be leaving the team following this coming season. The team will be lacking secondary play for the foreseeable future.

That may be why the Buckeyes offered three-star, Ohio-native Devonta Smith. The long-awaited offer will likely be quickly accepted as the La Salle high school star is thrilled about the offer.

“Blessings On Top Of Blessings. Honored & Ecstatic To Have Received An Offer From THE Ohio State University,” Smith posted on Twitter.

The Buckeyes will be needing Smith’s help too. A top-15 player from the state of Ohio in the Class of 2021 and the No. 1 cornerback from the state, Smith is a well-respected recruit who should only rise in the rankings.

Already with one four-star cornerback committed from the class, Ohio State will look to bolster the team’s secondary in the near future. The Buckeyes only have just one true cornerback commit from the Class of 2020.