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Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ohio State Fans Buzzing After New Photo of Star Playmaker Emerges
The buzz around the Ohio State Buckeyes' 2026 recruiting class is getting louder, and fans have every reason to be excited. With official visits just a couple of weeks away, the Buckeyes are targeting some of the most electric prospects in the country. Head coach Ryan Day and his staff have zeroed in on major needs, from quarterback to defensive tackle, and progress is being made swiftly. Running back recruiting, in particular, has become a focal point, and one name is quickly rising to the top, Savion Hiter. Hiter, a gifted playmaker, made headlines with a visit to Columbus on Wednesday, that sparked excitement among fans and coaches alike. A photo of him at Ohio State alongside coaches like Brian Hartline and Locklyn Montgomery made waves online, further fueling speculation. Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks during the Ohio State Buckeyes College Football Playoff National Championship celebration at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Jan. 26, 2025Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 'Appreciate @Locklyn33 and @brianhartline for making the trip #GoBucks 🌰,' Hiter posted on social media, giving a nod to his strong relationship with the Buckeye coaching staff. Advertisement The buzz isn't just about pictures, it's about performance. Hiter has already turned in a monster junior year, rushing for 1,698 yards and 26 touchdowns, averaging a staggering 10.8 yards per carry, per On3. At over 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, he's already physically built for the next level. His 11.11-second 100-meter dash and near-45-foot triple jump reflect the rare blend of speed, power, and athleticism that has coaches drooling. Ohio State is expected to go all-in for Hiter, possibly pairing him with fellow top running back Favour Akih. As the summer heats up, so does the race to lock in elite talent, and with Hiter's interest and growing bond with the program, Buckeye Nation might just be in for another star in Scarlet and Gray. Related: Ohio State Makes Early Push to Land Coveted Quarterback
New York Times
12-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Ohio State spring game notes: Julian Sayin has QB battle edge, WR depth on full display
The last time Ohio State played in Ohio Stadium, it beat Tennessee 42-17 to start its national championship run. Now, the Buckeyes are in the process of trying to move on and defend their title. Saturday's spring game was the next step in that pursuit. With over 40,000 people in attendance at Ohio Stadium, the offense won 50-31, a more convincing win from the 1-point victory last season. Advertisement In the midst of a quarterback battle, Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz continued more of what we saw throughout the spring, some highs and some lows, in a competition that will continue into the summer. Sayin finished the day 17-of-24 with 175 yards and one touchdown. Kienholz completed 12 of 18 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Another Spring Game in the books! Nothing better than a football Saturday in the 'Shoe. 🏈🏟️ #GoBucks 📸: @OhioStAthletics, @OhioStateFB — Ohio State (@OhioState) April 12, 2025 Ohio State rested most of its standout starters after the first few drives, but here are thoughts from the game. Ohio State's quarterback battle was never going to be finished by the end of the spring, but Sayin did a nice job of positioning himself in the lead going into the summer. This spring has had a lot of ups and downs for both quarterbacks, with Kienholz looking like the better of the two in last week's scrimmage, and even slightly better in Friday's practice. But Saturday, Sayin was definitely the better of the two. The redshirt freshman led touchdown drives on his first three drives and threw a nice ball to tight end Max Klare, splitting the safeties in the first quarter. He didn't throw an interception, looked poised in the pocket and on time with his throws. Sayin, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 class, has always been praised for his quick release, but it seems like his decision making is picking up to the speed of the game, as well. Kienholz had a fairly good day as well. He struggled early, going three-and-out on his first drive, and missing a few passes like a curl to Jeremiah Smith on the opening drive. He seemed to settle down in the second half, though, with 88 yards and two of his touchdowns coming in the second frame. Advertisement Neither quarterback was perfect, but that's not what the spring game is about, especially in a quarterback battle. It's about progress. The version of Will Howard that showed up for preseason camp looked nothing like the one who finished the spring in April last year. The offseason improvement can tilt this thing one direction, but for now, the spring game has to be the best outcome for the Buckeyes when it comes to the quarterbacks. Ohio State can go into the summer knowing that Sayin might have the lead, but Kienholz is close enough to push him throughout the offseason. And when the team returns in preseason camp, both will have a chance to close the door and seize the job. If they can't, that's a problem for a later date, but for now, with how inconsistent the spring was, this was as good of a day as the Buckeyes could've asked for. 'We talked about this as the spring went on, we need more 11-on-11 football,' Day said. 'You saw the growth. We had the ability to watch them every day and I wish I could say we need to get better at one, two and three but we just need to play football with these guys. We're young, we have a lot to work on, but I will say there was growth today.' One thing we definitely learned was that the Buckeyes have an abundance of playmakers that would make every coach in the country jealous. Everybody knows about star receiver Smith, the second-team All-American as a freshman. Carnell Tate is back for a bigger role. They were both five-star recruits out of high school. Five-star junior Brandon Inniss started in the slot and tallied two catches for 35 yards in the game, but the star of the spring game was five-star Mylan Graham. Graham wasn't on campus last spring — he arrived in the summer — but the coaching staff has raved about his growth and it was on full display Saturday. He had four catches for 104 yards, which included a 51-yard touchdown catch that came off of a slant and featured him making safety Malik Hartford miss in the open field. Advertisement 'The biggest thing with Mylan is just finishing the catches which you saw him do some today,' Day said. 'That's his emphasis, finish contested catches, catch it clean and then put it away. He had the run after the catch, that was loose, but he has a bright future here. He has the tools it takes to be the next great one.' Beyond the receivers, Saturday was the first chance the public got to see Klare, the transfer TE from Purdue. He has the potential to be one of the best tight ends in the country. Ohio State is already getting creative with him, as his touchdown catch came with Klare lined up in the slot as he streaked right down the middle of the defense. The entire tight end room had a good day, too. Will Kacmarek was out on Saturday, and was seen at Friday's practice on a scooter, but he will have a full summer, Day said. Aside from him, Jelani Thurman, Nate Roberts and Bennett Christian all showed enough to Day to make him think Ohio State may need to play with two tight ends more, at times, next season. As for the running backs, Day said it's hard to judge them until they start getting hit, but the top two guys, James Peoples and C.J. Donaldson, looked good, but the most impressive player was freshman Bo Jackson. The Cleveland native had 13 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown, while adding another touchdown through the air. This was a big spring for him after the injury that ended his senior year early. If he can stay healthy and continue to grow this offseason, he could give the Buckeyes the depth they need. It was hard to truly judge what new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's plans are as the Buckeyes kept things pretty basic both up front and in the secondary, which isn't uncommon for spring games. It just makes it difficult to judge on that side of the ball. It is obvious, though, that the Buckeyes have to get more impact from the defensive line. The pass rush was all simple one-on-one moves, so nobody really did too much. Transfer Logan George had two sacks, a decent game with limited stunts called up front. Advertisement The problem was in the run game, where Day said he saw more knockbacks from the offensive line. 'We have to take a hard outlook at it,' Day said. 'I don't have the answer right now. … I don't want to make any judgments until we watch the film.' Ohio State will likely dip into the portal when it opens April 16, the question will be how many impact players go into the portal. The Buckeyes lost five defensive linemen from last year's roster: Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Ty Hamilton, Tyleik Williams and Hero Kanu, who transferred to Texas. Because of the national championship run, Ohio State didn't get into the portal much to replace all those bodies, especially Kanu. The problem right now isn't so much the top-end talent, though. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry are talented edge rushers, Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald are good defensive tackles, as well, but it's about the depth. Those players are stepping into starting roles for the first time, so there's a question of how much impact they can have playing 40-50 snaps, especially if the depth behind them isn't there. Depth questions come when elite players leave and the team doesn't replace them on the back end, so expect Ohio State to be very active in the portal this time around. For the first time in a few years, Ohio State's offensive line talent and depth look good coming out of spring practice. Barring any crazy portal movement, the starting group when they open against Texas will likely be Austin Siereveld at right tackle, Tegra Tshabola at right guard, Carson Hinzman at center, Luke Montgomery at left guard and Ethan Onianwa at left tackle. Behind them, though, Day feels good about his depth. Preseason camp will still be important for the Buckeyes, as they want to go into the season with four tackles, but between last year and this offseason, their position flexibility is helping in a massive way right now.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ohio State basketball drops tough contest to Michigan at home
The Ohio State basketball team is in an extremely important stretch of its schedule with the season winding down. A loss or win here or there could mean the difference between remaining squarely on the bubble, and getting off it and away from the slippery slope it has seemingly lived on through the last few years. Enter in the game against arch-rival Michigan on Sunday. The Wolverines were in great position as the No. 20 ranked team in the country sitting on top of the Big Ten standings coming into the contest at the Schott. A win would have been huge, but that didn't quite happen despite a great effort against a varied and well-coached Wolverines squad. It was a nip-and-tuck affair throughout, and Ohio State had plenty of chances to knock off Michigan, it just didn't make enough plays down the stretch to get it done, losing a hard-fought battle 86-83 in front of a sell-out crowd in Value City Arena. The game was decided when Bruce Thornton had a shot to tie it in the lane but came up well short with a subsequent foul on the Wolverines with 0.2 seconds left. The game was more or less lost on the boards. Michigan, with its size and effort, controlled the paint, winning the rebounding battle by a 45-29 margin, resulting in extra possessions for the Maize and Blue. Ohio State had a decisive advantage at the free throw line but failed to take advantage, making just 18-of-27 from the line to Michigan's 14-of-17. That all spelled doom in a game this close. Devin Royal led the Buckeyes in scoring with 26 points on 10-of-16 from the field. Thornton (17) and John Mobley Jr. (16) were the only other OSU players in double figures. Final at the 83U❌: 86Buckeyes back in action Thursday Night vs. Northwestern at 6:30. #GoBucks — Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) February 16, 2025 The loss puts Ohio State in a more precarious position when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. The Buckeyes' overall record now falls to 15-11, and the conference record moves to 7-8. It was clearly and opportunity lost and now there is some significant work to do. The Buckeyes will next be in action on Thursday, as they host Northwestern at home. This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Ohio State basketball drops close contest to Michigan at home
USA Today
28-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Internal hire for defensive coordinator maybe obvious choice for Ohio State football
Ohio State football fans weren't able to bathe in the afterglow for too long after the glorious national championship victory as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles is officially out the door. What makes this departure even more depressing is the fact that he is heading to State College, Pennsylvania, to take over the defense for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Rumors are swirling around on social media as to possible drama on the coaching staff and why Knowles may have wanted to leave, but all we really know is he is gone. It is time to move on and as it stands there is one very obvious choice already on staff. Now there are a number of candidates, but few who strapped on equipment for the Buckeyes with this kind of experience. Tim Walton is currently the defensive backs coach for Ohio State and played for the Scarlet and Gray from 1990 through 1993. As far as recruiting goes, since he has been back, the defensive back recruiting has been phenomenal and there is no doubt the unit has elevated as well. Walton has an extensive background in both the college game and the NFL. He already has coordinator experience as he held the position with Miami in 2007 , Memphis in 2008 and even the St. Louis Rams in 2013. Now none of those three stops would be considered successful, but that was a long time ago and he has no doubt grown as a coach since then and grown from those opportunities. There are a number of good options, but Walton would be a hard choice to pass up. Tim Walton would be my absolute first choice as the replacement DC for Ohio State! ⭕🌰 He's a former NFL defensive coordinator and one of the best recruiters in the country. Not to mention, the players love him! He should be hand picked for this promotion!#GoBucks — DynastyCLE (@DynastyCLE) January 26, 2025 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.
