Tag: Larry Johnson

Ohio State makes transfer defensive tackle’s top 5

The Buckeyes are looking to add defensive line depth from the portal #GoBucks

Although spring practice is coming to a close, Ohio State continues looking to add depth to its defensive line, specifically the interior.

Last year [autotag]Mike Hall[/autotag] had trouble staying on the field due to injuries and [autotag]Tyleik Williams[/autotag] played sparingly behind him, [autotag]Taron Vincent[/autotag] and [autotag]Jerron Cage[/autotag]. Defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag] rotates plenty of bodies within his position group, so depth is paramount.

Enter former Maryland defensive tackle [autotag]Tank Booker[/autotag]. The Ohio native entered the portal at the beginning of March after spending his first four seasons with Maryland. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022, registering 27 tackles with two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Booker released his top five schools Saturday with Ohio State making the cut along with Purdue, South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas A&M.

According to this report from Hale McGranahan of 247Sports, Booker is set to make his choice on April 12. We will know soon where Tank will end up.

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Ohio State offers underrated 2024 defensive tackle

The big Louisianan gets a Buckeye offer #GoBucks

At the current moment, the [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] 2024 recruiting class is very heavy on offensive commitments. Of the six current verbals, just one of them, [autotag]Garrett Stover[/autotag], is projected to play on the defensive side of the ball.

There is a big need on that side of the ball and it looks like head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag] are trying to rectify the unbalanced class.

Recently they offered Louisiana defensive tackle [autotag]Jowhar Franklin Jr.[/autotag] a scholarship, his first from a team that has played in a College Football Playoff game. He is currently unranked by the 247Sports composite.

What makes this very interesting is that shortly after the Buckeyes’ offer, Franklin Jr. will be making an announcement on Saturday at noon. He already has released his top 6, but that was prior to the Ohio State offer. There very well could be an adjustment to his top list and timeframe and we will find out shortly.

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Ohio State’s Zach Harrison has high praise for two of his teammates at NFL combine

It wasn’t easy in practice for Harrison #GoBucks

Plenty of questions are being asked prior to players working out at the NFL combine and [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] defensive end [autotag]Zach Harrison[/autotag] knows he’s well prepared for the next level.

It’s not just that he is a disciple of defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag], it’s about the competition that he faced every day in practice. Both starting Buckeye tackles, [autotag]Paris Johnson Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Dawand Jones[/autotag], have played a big part in getting Harrison ready.

When asked about his teammates at the combine Wednesday, Harrison’s answer spoke a lot about the two future Sunday pros claiming that he “practiced against the two best tackles in the country every day.”

With Johnson Jr. widely thought of as the top offensive tackle and Jones steadily climbing draft boards, Harrison might end up being correct.

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Ohio State offers 2025 South Carolina defensive lineman

The Buckeyes have entered the chat #GoBucks

It may seem like the [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] football staff took a bit of a break from sending out offers but they were back at it again on Thursday morning.

Defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag] seems to be spearheading the recruitment of [autotag]Amare Adams[/autotag], a 2025 defensive line recruit from South Carolina. The lineman is viewed as one of the top 50 players in the country at this early stage according to 247Sports.

Although Adams reports just seven offers, they are big ones which include Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, South Carolina and now the Buckeyes. This list should continue to grow as more schools follow these elite programs in offering him.

Adams is a large three-sport athlete, standing 6-foo, 6-inches, and 280-pounds, which makes it easy to see why these top schools are on him so early. Just scrubbing his Twitter it looks like Adams definitely likes Georgia along with his home state school of choice, South Carolina. The Buckeyes have entered the mix but it looks to be a big battle for them to land the talented lineman from the East coast.

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Who Ohio State football offered within the last 24 hours

The Buckeyes have been busy #GoBucks

The Ohio State football recruiting machine has been burning a bit more gas over the last 24 hours. [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] and his staff have been extremely busy, as they have sent out a plethora of offers across the country.

The focus was mainly on the defensive line, but another position was offered as well. It seems like Day has identified a potential future weakness among the “Rushmen” and is looking for more bodies to join that group.

[autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag], the defensive line position coach, missed out on more than a few of his top choices during the 2023 cycle. It seems like the Buckeyes are casting a much wider net in 2024. Find out who recently got an Ohio State offer below.

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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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BOOM! Ohio State flips 2023 Indiana defense end from LSU

The first BOOM of the early signing period for the Bucks! #GoBucks

When Indiana defense end [autotag]Joshua Mickens[/autotag] visited [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] and subsequently decommitted from [autotag]LSU[/autotag], many thought his next stop would be Columbus.

He had long indicated he would announce that pledge during the [autotag]All-American Bowl All-Star[/autotag] game. Earlier this week, however, he nixed those plans and announcement Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.

Mickens has signed with the Buckeyes. It’s a big win for head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] and defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag]. They are keeping one of the best Midwest players in the region and flipping him, even if not the traditional way, from an SEC school.

Mickens joins a group of commits that rank among the best in the country and should eventually make his mark during his time in Columbus.

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Early signing period: Larry Johnson signs with Tennessee

Early signing period: Larry Johnson signs with Tennessee

The 2022 early signing period is taking place Dec. 21-23 for the 2023 recruiting signing class.

The 2022 early signing period is Josh Heupel’s second as Tennessee’s head coach. He was hired as the Vols’ head coach in Jan. 2021.

Heupel guided the Vols to a 10-2 regular season in 2022.

No. 6 Tennessee (10-2, 6-2 SEC) will play No. 7 Clemson (11-2, 8-0 ACC) in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

Kickoff between the Vols and Tigers is slated for 8 p.m. EST (ESPN) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Larry Johnson III signed with the Vols on Wednesday during the early signing period.

The 6-foot-6, 340-pound offensive lineman is from Hutchinson Community College.

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Ohio State a finalist for 2023 5-star California defensive end

The Buckeyes could score a huge recruiting win in Cali! #GoBucks

If you follow recruiting, which I know most of you do, it should come as no surprise to see this news. Five-star California defensive end [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag], DJ’s younger brother, has [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] in his top 3 along with [autotag]USC[/autotag] and [autotag]Oregon[/autotag].

Ohio State has been looking hard to fill a few spots on the defensive line, even though they already have [autotag]Jason Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Smith[/autotag] already committed. In a report by 247Sports Greg Biggins, Uiagalelei states that he is going to be making his decision on signing day and he “still don’t know where I’m going.” Buckeye defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag] will be out to see the star end playing in his state championship game this weekend also.

If [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] were to get a verbal commitment from Uiagalelei it would be a huge recruiting win as they need some depth at the position. We will know soon where the big Californian is headed.

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All-time Doak Walker Award winners by year

A look at college football’s all-time Doak Walker Award winners by year.

The Doak Walker Award is presented to the top running back in college football every year, and the award has seen some very notable winners over the years. First presented in 1990, the Doak Walker Award has been presented to players from 20 different schools, with four schools having multiple winners in the history of the award.

Three players have won the Doak Walker Award twice, with each doing so in back-to-back seasons. Ricky Williams of Texas was the first back-to-back winner of the award in 1997 and 1998. Darren McFadden of Arkansas followed almost a decade ago with back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007. Wisconsin runnign back Jonathan Taylor is the most recent two-time winner with his 2018 and 2019 seasons.

Here is a complete look at every Doak Walker Award winner.

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