Tag: Lathan Ransom

Two Ohio State defenders will stay in school and won’t enter the 2024 NFL draft

Ohio State defenders Jack Sawyer and Lathan Ransom will stay in school and won’t enter the 2024 NFL draft

Most of the draft news this time of year is about players who are leaving college to pursue their NFL dreams. Two Ohio State defenders who almost certainly would be drafted have made news by choosing to stay in school.

EDGE Jack Sawyer and safety Lathan Ransom both posted on social media on Friday that they are returning to the Buckeyes for the 2024 campaign. As such, they are not declaring for this year’s draft.

Sawyer racked up 6.5 sacks and 10 TFLs in 2023 and was generally projected in the 75-100 overall range if he declared. Ransom was viewed as a Day 3 type of talent. Now they both can further develop their games if they wish to pursue NFL dreams after the next college season in Columbus.

A third Buckeyes defender, cornerback Denzel Burke, made an ambiguous social media post of his own. Burke, potentially a top-40 overall talent, did not clarify his draft status.

Ohio State to be without important starter for Cotton Bowl

The secondary will be dealing with a lack of depth in the Cotton Bowl. #GoBucks

By the time the Ohio State football team takes the field in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, it will have been more than a month since it lost the last regular-season game against Michigan. That means there has been plenty of time for bumps and bruises to heal, not only physically, but no doubt psychologically as well.

However, there’s one important member of the secondary that still will not be ready to play: safety Lathan Ransom. That news was disclosed during OSU head coach Ryan Day’s Cotton Bowl arrival press conference on Saturday.

It continues the multiple week — and now multiple month — injury Ransom sustained when he had to leave the game against Wisconsin on Oct. 29. Before being sidelined, Ransom racked up 34 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss, and an interception.

So who will fill in for Ransom? Most likely the same guy that drew the nod when he was sidelined, sophomore Sonny Styles. However, with some of the transfer portal subtractions, the depth behind him is thin. Kye Stokes and Cam Martinez were both sucked in and out of the transfer portal, so that leaves Josh Proctor, Malik Hartford and Ja’Had Carter as the other three safeties available to play in Dallas.

Ohio State can most likely absorb the depth issues, but we are also still awaiting word on any opt outs leading up to game day. So far, Ohio State looks to be in pretty good shape according to comments Day and other players have made.

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Ohio State football issues availability report for Rutgers game, key players out or questionable

Ohio State football issues availability report for Rutgers game, key players out or questionable #GoBucks

The fine folks with the Ohio State Football team have issued the availability report for the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and the Buckeyes have an issue at defensive back. It is never a good time to lose two starting defensive backs, but a part of me is thankful this is happening against a team that rarely completes a forward pass.

We already knew that Lathan Ransom did not make the trip to New Jersey so that information was not new, but Denzel Burke being listed as out is a bit surprising. As always with these injury reports we get some good news and some bad and this week the good news is the return of Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka is extremely underrated in the national media as no one seems to be discussing the effectiveness of who is arguably the most consistent receiver at Ohio State. The following is the whole availability report:

Out

  • CB Denzel Burke
  • WR Kiyon Grayes
  • DE Jason Moore
  • SAF Lathan Ransom
  • TE Joe Royer

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Ten Ohio State football players who earned their Buckeye leaves against Maryland

Which Buckeyes stood out to you today? #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] shook off their first half bland play to surge ahead of [autotag]Maryland[/autotag] in the second half, to earn a 37-17 win in front of a home crowd.

While the score looks good, there were still aspects of the game that have left much more to be desired. With that said, there was still plenty of good to come out of this win. That does happen when you still come out victorious, while not playing your best.

We will see more Buckeye decals on Ohio State players helmet’s next week against [autotag]Purdue[/autotag] and here are ten players that earned their’s for their play against Maryland.

This stat shows how far Ohio State football’s pass defense has progressed

BIA is back in a big way #GoBucks

One of the biggest issues with last year’s [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] defense, was the inability to defend deep passes, it often would result in big plays that would be demoralizing to the unit.

Fast forward to the 2023 season and the Buckeyes seemingly have taken a massive step forward in that regard. Actually, it’s been the whole defense, but this was one area that many saw as a glaring weakness.

With a year under his belt, defensive coordinator [autotag]Jim Knowles[/autotag] feels much more comfortable with his safety driven defense and as CFB Film Room points out, the Ohio State secondary has not allowed a single completion on a ball thrown over 20-yards this fall.

There are multiple factors as to why this is, beginning with improved safety play from [autotag]Lathan Ransom[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Proctor[/autotag]. The back end has been great, while the corners have seen a resurgence as well. [autotag]Denzel Burke[/autotag] is playing like an All-American, and [autotag]Jordan Hancock[/autotag] and [autotag]Davison Igbinosun[/autotag] has been extremely solid in their play as well.

Don’t forget about crediting the defense line, as it has produced the most pressure in the Big Ten through the Notre Dame game (this stat could have changed during the Buckeyes bye). It’s been a team effort to limit big plays through the air and it’s safe to say that Ohio State has been very successful in doing so.

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Which Ohio State football players earned Buckeye leaves against Notre Dame

Which Buckeyes stood out to you? #GoBucks

It was one dramatic Saturday evening for Ohio State football, as they battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and outlasted them for a 17-14 road victory.

The Buckeyes had a game winning 15-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, leaving the Irish with just one second left to try to scramble for a victory. It was snuffed out and elation ensued from the Ohio State sidelines.

Some of those helmets flying around will be adding more of the famed Buckeye leaf stickers before we see them next in the longest two weeks ever. These are the players that I think will have a lot more of their helmet covered up.

Ohio State football issues availability report for Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Ohio State football issues availability report for Notre Dame Fighting Irish #GoBucks

The fine folks with the Ohio State Football team have issued the availability report for the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Ohio State looks like it is at its healthiest we have seen it all season. There is only one concerning name listed on the injury report and that is safety, Cameron Martinez.

Martinez is listed as out for the contest against Notre Dame and he is the only name listed on the report that sees significant action. Another safety, Latahn Ransom was listed on the report last week, but continued to play regardless and was fully removed from the report for the Fighting Irish. the following is the report in its entirety:

OUT

  • WR Kiyon Grayes
  • TE Zak Herbstreit
  • SAF Cam Martinez
  • DE/LB Arvell Reese
  • DT Will Smith Jr.
  • WR Reis Stocksdale
  • SAF Kourt Williams II

It is extremely comforting to see the Buckeyes at relatively full health for their biggest contest of the season thus far.

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Ohio State football issues availability report for Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Ohio State football issues availability report for Western Kentucky Hilltoppers #GoBucks

The fine folks with the Ohio State Football team have issued the availability report for the game against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and it looks fairly similar to what we saw last week against the Youngstown State Penguins, but the safeties have rotated. Last week Josh Proctor was listed as questionable and did not play and this week Lathan Ransom is listed as questionable.

With this contest being the last one before the season kicks into high gear and Notre Dame on the horizon, it may be in the best interest of the Buckeyes to keep Ransom on the sideline. Ransom played every snap on the defensive side of the ball the last two weeks, but this could be an opportunity to evaluate the depth behind him. The report is listed as follows:

QUESTIONABLE

  • SAF Lathan Ransom
OUT
  • WR Kiyon Grayes
  • TE Zak Herbstreit
  • LB/DE Arvell Reese
  • DT Will Smith Jr.
  • WR Reis Stocksdale
  • SAF Kourt Williams II

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

Multiple Ohio State football players on Mel Kiper’s latest big board

No surprise at the top, but behind that it is #GoBucks

It’s been a slow start for [autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag], and it seems like some analysts are a bit down on the Buckeyes.

Prior to the season, it wasn’t uncommon to have seen up to five OSU player’s getting projected to be selected early in the [autotag]NFL draft[/autotag]. Now, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has updated this 2024 NFL big board (subscription required) and only two Bucks made it into his top 25.

The good news is that there were multiple players in his positional top five, so it’s not all bad. Find out below which Ohio State football players are among the top NFL prospects in the country.

Ohio State defensive player-by-player PFF grades for Indiana game

We know the defense shined with the eye test on Saturday, but how did it grade out according to Pro Football Focus? #GoBucks

The season kicked off for Ohio State on Saturday afternoon with a 23-3 victory over Indiana. The performance left Buckeyes fans very satisfied with what they saw from the defense. The offense — not so much.

On Indiana’s nine drives, it kicked just one field goal, punted six times and turned the ball over on downs twice. The Buckeyes defended the run and pass very well, limiting the Hoosiers to 2.2 yards per rush and allowing  9-of-20 completed passes passes for 82 yards.

It was a great performance from a unit that was expected to improve under second-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, especially with a great deal of talent returning across the defense.

We break down each offensive position group’s performance using Pro Football Focus grades for each player. Though not the ultimate measuring stick, PFF is a good tool because it gradse every player on every play.