So let’s just get right to it.
Last night, Ohio State lost an in-state player they were heavily recruiting whose father and friends grew up rooting for the Buckeyes when he decided to commit to Michigan instead.
My honest take on this situation is that this really isn’t a big deal in a vacuum and from a pure football perspective. I personally think James Peoples is the better back anyway and would happily take him instead. I also don’t really think it matters who Ohio State puts at running back in their offense (I mean, look how many different players successfully rushed the ball for the Buckeyes this year, including a backup linebacker).
But if that’s your justification for why this is actually fine and not a problem, you’re missing the point.
The point isn’t that missing this individual player is a massive recruiting failure and a loss that the team can’t possibly overcome. The point is that for the first time in over a decade, Michigan came in and took a recruit out of Ohio that the Buckeyes wanted. And that’s concerning any way you slice it.
If you don’t think this is a big deal, take a look at the way Michigan fans are celebrating this. Better yet, think about how *you* would be celebrating this if roles were reversed. Think about how this looks after getting curb-stomped in back-to-back years, and how much of a pain in the ass it’s going to be to hear about this when he inevitably scores against Ohio State in three years.
And the most concerning part thing to me is that this came *after* Michigan already beat the Buckeyes on the field in back-to-back years. They’re already kicking Ohio State’s ass with worse players. What the hell is going to happen when they have the more talented roster, too?
- LET HIM COOK
In a very strange turn of events, one of the players I am most excited to see play next year is a sixth-year former walk-on player that doesn’t really have a full-time position.
Yes, given the dozen or so top-100 recruits stockpiled in the wide receivers room right now, I am extremely excited to see what Xavier Johnson does this season and I’m beyond stoked he decided to return this year.
From Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch:
“Coach Day and coach Hart, they laid out a plan that they have for me, and I was very comfortable with the plan that they had set before me,” Johnson said. “I just kind of felt like there was some more meat left on the bone. There are still a couple of things that I want to do at Ohio State, and I feel like those all those things are within reach, so coming back was the best choice for me. I think I can really help this team this year.”
I want to be very clear that 99 times out of 100, I would vehemently oppose Ohio State using a scholarship to bring a former walk-on skill player back for a sixth season of eligibility, taking snaps away from blue-chip young players.
But he’s that one percent.
I promise there will be people complaining about Xavier Johnson stealing snaps from some of the younger wide receivers. Those people are morons.
- AT LEAST SOMEONE MADE A SWEET 16
Wanna see what it looks like for an Ohio State basketball team to make back-to-back Sweet 16s?
If you couldn’t tell from the clusterfuck of a play that left Jacy Sheldon needing to dribble through a triple team and make a contested floater with the game on the line, the play didn’t go as planned!
From Griffin Strom of Eleven Warriors:
“The plan was to get it in Jacy’s hands, for sure,” McGuff said. “It didn’t go exactly the way we wanted it. We got a little fouled up on our timing. And they guarded it well, they guarded the initial action really well. Eboni made a great decision not passing the initial one to Jacy, because she really wasn’t open. And then we swung the ball back around and got it back in her hands. I told ’em in the locker room, sometimes it’s about X’s and O’s and sometimes it’s about having the best player on the court.”
Next up, the Buckeyes have got a matchup with the UConn Huskies, whose best player is an Ohio State transfer. Funny how that goes.
- PRO DAY MENU
Today is the most famous group job interview in Columbus.
I’m gonna shoot straight with you – as someone who has attended several Ohio State pro days, it’s boring as hell. The six video clips Dan Hope shares on Twitter will be sincerely all there is to see.
But hey, at least it won’t be as bad as USC’s was yesterday.
On one hand, I want to make fun of the alleged powerhouse that doesn’t even have a 40-yard straightaway in their indoor facilities.
On the other hand, I’m extremely jealous that they can be so confident in their weather that they don’t even bother with an indoor facility for a sport that’s played during some of the shittiest weather months of the year.
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