Ohio State Makes Surprising Quarterback Move on Tuesday
There's no doubt that after winning the national championship last season, the Ohio State Buckeyes are beginning to undergo some major roster changes, which include trying to find a replacement for quarterback Will Howard.
Throughout the offseason, it's become a clear two-man race between sophomore Julian Sayin and junior Lincoln Kienholz, which is a decision that still has time as their first matchup isn't until Aug. 30 against the Texas Longhorns.
Advertisement
However, even with these two cementing themselves as the frontrunners, head coach Ryan Day continues to be active focusing on other quarterbacks, and on Wednesday, the Buckeyes landed a commitment from Eli Brickhandler via the transfer portal.
Brickhandler now becomes just the ninth player that Day and Ohio State have brought in through the transfer portal, for a group that ranks No. 10 in the nation, per On3.
Coming out of high school, he didn't get much attention from any top programs, as On3 Industry Rankings had him as a zero-star recruit.
Brickhandler originally started his career with the North Carolina A&T Aggies, where he spent two seasons and had limited production, completing 35-of-67 passes for 434 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Ohio State Buckeyes football head coach Ryan Day© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
In 2024, he spent the year with the Houston Christian Huskies, where once again his numbers were far from impressive, completing 38-of-77 passes for 557 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 122.1 passing efficiency rating.
Advertisement
It becomes a relatively surprising addition because, based on his past performance, it becomes very unlikely that he is joining Ohio State with the idea of seeing any playing time and will rather just be a depth piece filling in as a backup.
Related: Georgia, Kirby Smart Receive Big Update on Nation's No. 1 Recruit
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Texas Tech shows value of investing in softball, plus colleges can begin paying athletes
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic's daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Share some revenue today. The Women's College World Series was great theater. Texas beat Texas Tech, 10-4, last night in a decisive third game of the championship series. It was the Longhorns' first title. Nearly as big a highlight came in the semifinals, when Texas Tech ended Oklahoma's four-year championship streak. As this captivating tournament ends, the runners-up raise a compelling point about what should happen next. Advertisement The Red Raiders were onto something this year. Just as Tech boosters have plowed money into football players the past few years, they have rallied around softball of late. The key to Tech's run was NiJaree Canady, the pitcher who came close to throwing every single pitch of the team's postseason run. She started her career at Stanford and was a star there, winning USA Softball Player of the Year in 2024. Tech's people offered her $1 million to leave Palo Alto for Lubbock, and after an intense recruitment (chronicled in detail by The Athletic), she took them up on it. It was a savvy investment, so much so that she has just agreed to another seven figures to stay for next year. Canady has become the face of the sport, even a potential softball version of Caitlin Clark. Tech hadn't made the NCAA tournament since 2019 and was the worst team in the Big 12 as recently as two years ago. With Canady leading the way, Tech went supernova. She got hit around on Friday, allowing five runs in her only inning of work, which raised her season era to … 1.11. That's the kind of pitcher she was this year. There's a roadmap here for athletic directors and donors with the eyes to see it. Softball looks like a sport on the rise, with trendlines going up in WCWS attendance and viewership. Major League Baseball sees enough upside to back a new professional league. Other college athletic departments and their boosters might learn a thing or two from Texas Tech. A million NIL bucks wouldn't even get you a good quarterback in the Big 12, but it got Tech the best player in the country and a College World Series run. Plus, very soon, schools themselves will be able to openly invest in athletes in a new way. Last night (more below), a federal judge approved a settlement that allows schools to share up to $20.5 million next year with their athletes. Big-time athletic departments will spend most of it on football. But seeing how much a softball team can get for so little, why shouldn't an enterprising AD try a different tack? There's a market inefficiency here. Exploit it. Colleges can begin paying athletes Judge Claudia Wilken granted final approval of the House v. NCAA settlement last night, paving the way for schools to pay athletes directly for the first time. The settlement establishes a 10-year revenue sharing model that allows each school to distribute up to roughly $20.5 million in revenue to athletes this season — in addition to any NIL money from boosters. Here's a comprehensive explainer on the widespread ramifications of the settlement, but we'll have much more this week. Advertisement Marchand the hero in Game 2 This Stanley Cup Final is setting up to be an all-timer. The Panthers led 4-3 in the third period last night until 40-year-old Corey Perry sent Game 2 to overtime with 17.8 seconds to play. Florida had chance after chance to bury the Oilers once more in overtime. No dice. Eight minutes into double overtime, with both teams running on fumes, deadline acquisition Brad Marchand scored his second of the night to finally bury Edmonton. We have a 1-1 series heading to Florida. Incredible drama. Alcaraz, Sinner advance to French Open final Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are simply levels better than everyone else at the moment. Alcaraz dropped the first set in his semifinal yesterday, then hit another level and looked well on his way to an easy four-set win before Lorenzo Musetti retired with a leg injury. All Sinner had to do to meet Alcaraz in the final was take down 24-time Grand Slam champ Novak Djokovic. The GOAT played his best tennis of the year and still couldn't take a set off Sinner. Alcaraz and Sinner will meet in a Grand Slam final for the first time tomorrow. Get used to this. More news: The Stars fired coach Pete DeBoer, who led Dallas to the Western Conference final in all three of his seasons at the helm. He dug his own grave. Canada soccer coach Jesse Marsch claimed Vancouver Whitecaps players were 'poisoned' after a significant number of players and staff fell ill in Mexico. An opposing team's spokesperson called Marsch's allegations 'damage control' after Vancouver lost 5-0 in the Concacaf Champions Cup final. Diamondbacks right-hander Corbin Burnes will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. A brutal blow. 📺 Tennis: French Open women's singles final 9 a.m. ET on TNT/truTV/Max No. 2 seed Coco Gauff against No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. This'll be good. Gauff would be the first American singles winner at Roland Garros since 2015. With Madison Keys taking the Australian Open, she'd make the U.S. two-for-two in grand slams this year. Sabalenka is the favorite, however. 📺 MLB: Cubs at Tigers 1:10 p.m. ET, MLB Network More on the Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong in tomorrow's Pulse, but for now, here's a nice matinee between the two first-place clubs in the Central divisions. 📺 Horse racing: Belmont Stakes 7:04 p.m. ET on Fox That's the post time, with Fox's main coverage starting three hours earlier. Your field guide is here, with Journalism favored over Sovereignty after they split the first two Triple Crown races. Brian Hamilton relayed the scene from Oklahoma City, where the NBA Finals and Women's College World Series created a sports vortex this week. Our excellent golf writer Brody Miller wrote a book on the Tiger Slam. It's a perfect summer sports read. You should buy it. — Chris Branch Mike Birbiglia's latest stand-up 'The Good Life' has an irreverence for human folly that sharpens its reverence for human existence. (And if you haven't watched 'The Old Man & the Pool,' start with that!) — Hannah Vanbiber The Athletic's weekly sports news quiz. 'Friendship' — A fantastically absurd and fun movie, which is wholly unsurprising when you consider it stars Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd. I saw it last week and certain scenes have been on loop in my head ever since. — Alex Iniguez Cleaning out my freezer (just do it!), then embracing its ability to help reduce food waste and save a little money. — Torrey Hart Two great Weird & Wild pieces from Jayson Stark this week: more mind-blowing Paul Skenes stats, and 10 ways the Rockies are making the wrong kind of history. There's a two-part documentary on Pee-wee Herman/Paul Reubens, called 'Pee-wee as Himself' and it is absolutely brilliant. It's on HBO/Max/whatever they're calling it these days. Highly recommend. — Levi Weaver Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our newser on Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson's injury. Most-read on the website yesterday: The Djokovic-Sinner live blog. Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
Recapping offers, happenings at Notre Dame's Irish Invasion camp
Recapping offers, happenings at Notre Dame's Irish Invasion camp It was a big day for Notre Dame football, as they welcomed in multiple top-end prospects for its Irish Invasion camp. Earlier in the day, it was Texas running back Wayne Shanks Jr. earning an offer, but that wasn't the only one send out following the event. Multiple more players were given scholarships by Notre Dame, and a good part of that was due to the boss, head coach Marcus Freeman being there. That's what separates this era of Irish football from others, the fact that this coaching staff is all-in on the program, and it has shown on the recruiting trail. It wasn't just them either, star running back Jeremiyah Love made an appearance as well. Find out below all the other prospects to earn an offer from Notre Dame during Irish Invasion. (Note: All recruits rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.) 2028 Linebacker Tahj Gray The 6-foot, 2-inch and 200-pound New Jersey native must have shown out during the camp, as the Irish are one of the first major schools to send out an offer after Ohio State and Penn State to the currently unranked prospect. Gray has the perfect size for a middle linebacker, and would look great in the Blue and Gold. 2028 Edge Jackson Vaughn Bergen Catholic has been good to Notre Dame, even though one of its former stars in Steve Angeli is no longer with the program. That didn't matter with the offer out to Vaughn, a 6-foot, 3-inch and 220-pound pass rusher. While he's not ranked at the moment, he has over 30-offers as he heads into his sophomore year. 2028 Cornerback Phoenix Evans Another New Jersey prospect getting an Irish offer, Evans is a bit on the smaller side at 5-foot, 9-inches and 160-pounds. That didn't seem to matter after his performance on Friday, showing that his size isn't going to stop him from being a high-level player. Evans also is unranked, but has over 25-offers, and should be soon. 2028 Defensive end Asher Ghioto Notre Dame has put extra focus on Florida prospects, and Ghioto is the latest from the state to earn an offer. At 6-foot, 5-inches and 240-pounds, he's got a very projectable body that could fill out even more by the time he arrives at a college campus. It's going to be tough to get him to leave his home state, but the Irish have shown that isn't an issue for them. 2027 Edge Chaz Gray It was a big day for New Jersey prospects, as Gray was added to the list that Notre Dame offered. At 6-foot, 4-inches and 225-pounds, he's the long, athletic and fast prospect that the Irish look for in an edge rusher. Gray is ranked as the No. 401 overall player in his class. 2028 Linebacker Allen Kennett Unranked at the moment, the 6-foot, 1-inch and 215-pound Californian did what he needed to earn a Notre Dame offer. He's a bit of unknown at the moment, but don't let that fool you. If Kennett is good enough to earn a scholarship, then he can play at this level.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League
The 2025 Women's College World Series just wrapped up and softball fans still riding high from the Texas Longhorns' national championship run are in luck. The inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) season gets underway on Saturday, meaning you don't have to wait long for fierce competition among world-class athletes. The AUSL officially kicks off on June 7 with an opening day matchup between the Talons and Bandits in Rosemont, Illinois, followed by a game between the Volts and Blaze in Wichita, Kansas. The Volts-Blaze game will be broadcast nationally on the MLB Network, marking the first pro softball game ever featured on the league's network. It was made possible by some heavy hitters backing the league. Advertisement The MLB announced a wide-ranging partnership with the AUSL last week, marking Major League Baseball's first investment in a women's professional sports league. MLB will leverage its broadcast partners and platforms to promote the visibility of the AUSL, which is helmed by commissioner Kim Ng, the former Miami Marlins general manager (2021–23). Athletes Unlimited Softball League players Montana Fouts, Odicci Alexander, Sis Bates, Skylar Wallace, Amanda Lorenz, Aliyah Andrews, Maya Brady and Aleshia Ocasio. 2025 SCHEDULE: How to watch Athletes Unlimited Softball League AUSL: Partnership with MLB will help 'shine light' on softball's biggest stars Not only does the AUSL have the support of MLB, the women's professional softball league will be shepherded by icons that have helped introduce the world to softball. Seven members of the 2004 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic softball team are involved with the AUSL as coaches, general managers or advisors: Lisa Fernandez, Stacey Nuveman-Deniz, Cat Osterman, Kelly Kretschman, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley. Advertisement Here's everything you need to know about the AUSL's debut on Saturday, from full team rosters, to players to watch and the opening week schedule: AUSL opening week schedule National TV/streaming networks for each game are shown below. Games are also being broadcast in select local markets; check your local listings or click here. *All times Eastern Saturday, June 7 Talons vs. Bandits, 3 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | Volts vs. Blaze, 7:30 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB Network, Sunday, June 8 Talons vs. Bandits, 2 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | Volts vs. Blaze, 5 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | Monday, June 9 Volts vs. Blaze, 7 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | Tuesday, June 10 Talons vs. Bandits, 8 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | ESPN2 Thursday, June 12 Volts vs. Bandits, 7 p.m. (Sulphur, Louisiana) | ESPN2 Friday, June 13 Talons vs. Blaze, 6:30 p.m. (Chattanooga, Tennessee) | Volts vs. Bandits, 9 p.m. (Sulphur, Louisiana) | View the full season schedule here. AUSL rosters The AUSL's inaugural season features four teams — Talons, Bandits, Blaze and Volts — playing a 24-game season across 10 metro areas, including Chicago, Austin and Salt Lake City. Here are the complete rosters: Bandits full roster Head coach: Stacey Nuveman Deniz General Manager: Jenny Dalton-Hill Advertisement Player to Watch: The Bandits went for a "franchise pitcher" with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 AUSL Draft in Lexi Kilfoyl. The Oklahoma State alum was named the Rookie of the Year in the 2024 Championship Season after finishing in second place on the leaderboard behind Bubba Nickles-Camarena, who is now her teammate on the Bandits teammate. Kilfoyl recorded a league-high 39 strikeouts and 59.2 innings pitched in 12 appearances. Blaze full roster Head coach: Alisa Goler General Manager: Dana Sorensen Player to Watch: Blaze has a veteran leader in Aleshia Ocasio, who is entering her eighth season of professional softball. Ocasio has played for Athlete's Unlimited since its inception in 2020, winning the individual championship title in 2021 and finishing third in 2024. Last year, Ocasio recorded 22 strikeouts over 39 innings with a 2.51 earned run average in 11 appearances (six starts). Ocasio is also a two-way star and it remains to be seen if she will pick up the bat this season. Talons full roster Head coach: Howard Dobson General Manager: Lisa Fernandez Advertisement Player to Watch: Bri Ellis is carrying a hot bat into the AUSL's inaugural season. Ellis was named the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the most prestigious honor in college softball, after a historic senior season where she set Arkansas' single-season program record for home runs (26) and RBIs (72). Ellis and the Razorbacks fell short of the Women's College World Series, but she was drafted second overall in the 2025 AUSL College Draft. Can't go without mentioning pitcher Montana Fouts, who is reuniting with her collegiate catcher Ally Shipman-Shrout. Volts full roster Head Coach : Kelly Kretschman General Manager: Cat Osterman Player to Watch: Two-way star Rachel Garcia has won at every level. She led the UCLA Bruins to a national championship in 2019, picked up a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic with Team USA and was crowned the 2023 AUX Season championship. Is an AUSL championship next? Kretschman said the team was built to "compliment" Garcia, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the Volts in the AUSL Inaugural Draft. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AUSL 2025: Athletes Unlimited Softball League teams, roster, schedule
