Tag: Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Notre Dame statistical leaders through one game

The first of many updates this season.

Notre Dame looked like a team that was ready for the season against Navy. Hardly any weaknesses were on display. Now, we get to see if the Irish can repeat that performance or at least mimic it in their home opener against Tennessee State. To get you started for the week, here are the team’s statistical leaders after the first game:

Former Ohio State defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste lands at Notre Dame

Former Buckeye has gracious words for Ohio State coaches, teammates, and fans before heading to South Bend. #GoBucks

Javontae Jean-Baptiste has found a new home for his final season of college football. The former Ohio State Buckeye will finish his career at Notre Dame.

Jean-Baptiste put his name in the transfer portal shortly after the Peach Bowl loss to Georgia. Jean-Baptiste was a top 300 player coming out of high school but could never break out while with the Buckeyes. He did, however, have a solid career in scarlet and gray. This year he recorded career highs with 19 tackles, four sacks and one fumble recovery.

The former four-star prospect is heading to South Bend for his final season, following former Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington. Washington now serves as the Irish defensive line coach.

Jean-Baptiste earned his degree from Ohio State in May and had nothing but wonderful things to say about his time in Columbus.

“Thank you, Ohio State, for all you have done for me. The relationships and connections I have built will last forever. To my brothers, I love you boys to death. We have a bond that will last a lifetime. Thank you, coach Johnson, Mick and Day for all that you poured into me in turning me into the man I am today – a proud alumni. I’m ready to start my next chapter and I will be playing my final season of college football at Notre Dame.” Javontae Jean-Baptiste post on Twitter

It will not take long for a reunion to happen. Ohio State will travel to Notre Dame for another epic matchup on Sept. 23. Wishing this former Buckeye all the best in his new endeavor.

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Ohio State loses defensive end to the transfer portal

We wish him the best of luck #GoBucks

It was assumed the reason [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] hadn’t suffered many transfer portal losses was it’s berth in the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] semifinal. Unfortunately as we all know, the Buckeyes couldn’t hold off Georgia late and their season came to an end.

The first significant portal domino fell Monday. Fifth-year senior defensive end [autotag]Javontae Jean-Baptiste[/autotag] has entered. A rotation player for Larry Johnson’s group, Jean-Baptiste saved his best for his last season with the Buckeyes. He registered 19 tackles, 4 sacks and recovered a fumble, all career highs.

Although Jean-Baptiste has not made a formal announcement about transferring, multiple sources have confirmed his entrance into the portal.

A top-300 prospect from New Jersey, he didn’t make the impact many though he would, but Jean-Baptiste still had a very solid Ohio State career. We wish him the best as he looks to finish his collegiate football eligibility somewhere other than Columbus.

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ESPN names this 2023 Ohio State verbal as their key commit

Who do you believe is the most important commit in the ‘23 class for Ohio State? #GoBucks

With the early signing period just around the corner and the fact that many players opt to end their recruiting at this time, it is time to look at who will be linchpins for every class. ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren looked at the top 25 classes and selected one recruit from each as their key verbal (subscription may be required).

For Ohio State, it was defense end [autotag]Jason Moore[/autotag], ESPN’s 53rd overall ranked player. VanHaaren views Moore as “a player who has room to refine his game, can be important in the pass rush.” He also mentions the possibility of adding [autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag] (don’t expect it) and [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag] to the defensive line haul. He fails to mention [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag], who I believe is much more likely to join the class than Keeley.

VanHaaren is correct about depth at the position, as the Buckeyes have three seniors ([autotag]Zach Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Javontae Jean-Baptiste[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Friday[/autotag]) as the position. [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] will have to find some younger players to step up next year to play opposite [autotag]J.T. Tuimoloau[/autotag].

The improvements on the defense do warrant a defender to be selected, but in my eyes it’s a member of the secondary that needs to be highlighted. The defensive back commits of [autotag]Calvin Simpson-Hunt[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Hartford[/autotag], [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Bonsu[/autotag], [autotag]Cedrick Hawkins[/autotag] or [autotag]Jermaine Matthews[/autotag] would be on the list, but they are ranked lower than Moore.

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Fortnite Tournament features eight current Ohio State stars

@FortniteGame Tournament features eight current Ohio State stars #OvMFortnite #GoBucks

This Sunday, streaming superstar and Michigan football fanatic, NICKMERCS has partnered with Columbus’ own, eFuse and Epic Games to host one of the most exciting Fortnite tournaments in history and the first tournament to feature both current and former Ohio State and Michigan football players for up to $55,000 in prizes.

“Gaming deserves a place in rivalries as grand as this,” said Matthew Benson, CEO of eFuse. “Alongside our partners are Epic Games, we’re going big with a tournament featuring the rivalry’s biggest names, putting real money on the line and broadcasting this out to millions of viewers. Our proprietary platform was built exactly for major moments like this and we can’t wait to see how the gaming community responds.”

“Football and gaming have long been synonymous,” said Zach Beebe, Founder of NIL Management, a management and consulting agency supporting college football’s top stars. “The Rivalry Week Fortnite tournament is celebrating the past while looking to the future and building new traditions within gaming and modern entertainment. Our collegiate clients are super excited and can’t wait to battle. This series will be one for the history books!”

It gives me chills to think of this rivalry extending to yet another arena and my mouth dropped when Team Ohio State was announced. There will be 16 players on the roster, with eight being former stars and eight being current and I wanted to dive into the eight current stars jumping on the sticks to defend the great state of Ohio.

The tournament will air Sunday, November 20, at 7 p.m. ET on NICKMERCS’s MFAM Gauntlet Twitch channel: twitch.tv/mfamgauntlet.

Ohio State vs Michigan: Rivalry Week kicks off next week with Esports Fortnite Tournament

Ohio State vs Michigan: Rivalry Week kicks off with Esports @FortniteGame Tournament #OvMFortnite #GoBucks

On Saturday, November 26, the Ohio State football team will take on the Michigan Wolverines on the gridiron, but on Sunday, November 20 rivalry week officially kicks off and the greatest rivalry in sports will extend to the virtual battlefield.

This Sunday, streaming superstar and Michigan football fanatic, NICKMERCS has partnered with Columbus’ own, eFuse and Epic Games to host one of the most exciting Fortnite tournaments in history and the first tournament to feature both current and former Ohio State and Michigan football players for up to $55,000 in prizes.

“Football and gaming have long been synonymous,” said Zach Beebe, Founder of NIL Management, a management and consulting agency supporting college football’s top stars. “The Rivalry Week Fortnite tournament is celebrating the past while looking to the future and building new traditions within gaming and modern entertainment. Our collegiate clients are super excited and can’t wait to battle. This series will be one for the history books!”

This tournament is going to feature the following current and former Ohio State stars:

Ohio State vs Michigan: Rivalry week starts with Fortnite Tournament

 

The tournament will also feature the following current and former Michigan stars:

As you can see above there are eight current stars and eight former stars and there will be 16 teams of four. Each team will have one current star along with a former star and current esports athlete from the school and a celebrity guest.

The teams will battle for $25,000 in cash while the winning school will take home a $5,000 trophy plus $25,000 for their esports program. The rivalry will also feature a traveling trophy that will be passed between winners and will be presented before The Game on the field.

The tournament will air Sunday, November 20th, at 8:00 EST on NICKMERCS’s MFAM Gauntlet Twitch channel: twitch.tv/mfamgauntlet. Each athlete will also have their own personal point of view camera streaming to their social media.

So, set some time aside, get the DVR all set up and watch some scarlet and gray vs. maize and blue battle it out before the big one next Saturday.

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Five Ohio State Buckeyes who could break out on defense next season

Five Ohio State Buckeyes who could break out on defense next season #GoBucks

The Ohio State Buckeyes should be ready to rock and roll in 2022 and the defense should be much improved, mostly considering it doesn’t appear it can get any worse. I am exaggerating of course, but there were more than a few pathetic outings last season by this unit.

The 2021 season was more or less a disappointment, but the 2022 Ohio State football should be primed to make a legitimate national championship run. Now spring football hasn’t even begun, but I like everyone else like to make bold predictions and wild speculations and the following are five Ohio State players that I expect to make a bigger impact during the 2022 season.

Some of these selections are going to be insanely obvious, but I would be a fool to leave them off. With that said, some of these players may raise an eyebrow, which I welcome.