Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Ohio State football has only offered eight running backs in the 2023 recruiting class with hopes of landing two. Mark Fletcher was the first to come on board doing so in April but others on the list have committed elsewhere or cut down their options with the Buckeyes on the outside looking in. As the cycle heads into May, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird take a look at OSU's top remaining options, its chances of landing each and whether it should widen the field to reach its goals. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football came out of the spring with a lot of optimism about the work it accomplished on defense. If the Buckeyes reverse the slide of last season, who will receive more credit -- the young players who might improve regardless in 2022, or the revamped coaching staff? Doug and Nathan debate that on this Monday Madness-themed episode. Also, are coaches like Villanova's Jay Wright bailing on college sports because of the transfer portal and NIL? If so, what needs to change? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Friday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird answer more questions from text subscribers, starting with one texter who is worried about overthinking the Ohio State offense. Could the Buckeyes, with all that skill talent, be overhyped? Doug and Nathan go through the reasons of why that could or couldn't be true as the idea applies to the receivers, to TreVeyon Henderson, and to C.J. Stroud. Also, other topics include: A breakout year for J.T. Tuimoloau? Would you eat bread off the ground? The best player on the team at doing his job Attacking areas in recruiting where teams have a new coach The potential weak spot of the defense Developing a superstar tight end And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK, maybe you don't want to hear a ton about a Michigan player on Buckeye Talk, but we wouldn't be bringing you this interview if we didn't think it provided value to Ohio State listeners. On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird interview Austin Gayle of PFF about the PFF four-part podcast series on Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson called "Hutch." And then Doug, Nathan and Austin discuss the draft prospects of several Buckeyes. Among the topics in this episode: How Ohio State tried to block Hutchinson last year How Hutchinson compares as a prospect to Chase Young and the Bosa brothers Garrett Wilson as a prospect and an area he could work on Chris Olave and good NFL comp for him What C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba could look like as draft prospects next year And more. Thanks for listening. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird delve into a post-Spring Game rapid fire edition. Topics include: • What about the Spring Game surprised us the most, and what development did not come as a surprise at all? • Should OSU be concern about how the No. 1 defense looked vs. the No. 1 offense? • What did we eat on Easter Sunday? • What to make of Julian Fleming and Kourt Williams not being on the field Saturday. And much more from our Buckeye Talk Subtext subscribers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

C.J. Stroud loves talking ball, and the Buckeye Talk crew kept hitting him with football film-watching questions at Wednesday's media session with the quarterbacks. Ohio State's returning starter provided some insight into how he sees the game going into his third year in the program. What did that conversation tell us about the kind of quarterback Ryan Day ultimately wants for this program? Also, this once seemed like a crucial decision-making spring for Kyle McCord. Instead, he goes in knowing he must prepare to be ready on a moment's notice but also potentially setting himself up to be the clear starter in 2023. We discussed how things are lining up for the sophomore. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the NFL Draft one month away as of Monday, Doug and Nathan reset where Ohio State's players sit in national mock drafts. What did we learn from Pro Day that suggests Buckeyes could move up or down? Also, how do the first-round projections for the Big Ten compare to recent years? Is the conference's identity beginning to shift? Finally, a round of Whatcha Watchin' Whatcha Eatin' that leads us to the Chris Rock-Will Smith Oscar altercation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jaxon Smith-Njigba surprised many by turning in the most prolific receiving season in Ohio State history in 2021. Could he be on the verge of something even more history this fall? Smith-Njigba would need to average 137.3 yards over 15 games, or 147.1 over 14 games, or 158.5 over 13 games to break the FCS record of 2,060 receiving yards. Since he averaged 157.1 over his last eight games of 2021, the question is worth asking. Is the Buckeye receiver set up for a record-shattering season, and what would that mean for his Heisman Trophy chances? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State football's defensive tackles and edge rushers already have a wager on the board for who will finish with more sacks in 2022. What those players do this spring will help decide that question. On Thursday we updated the progress of J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyliek Williams, Mike Hall and several other defensive linement. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

C.J. Stroud threw at Ohio State football's Pro Day to give Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson some familiarity when running routes for NFL coaches, general managers and scouts. But he also acknowledged the experience gave him an early glimpse for when he gores through the process as early as next year, as well as a chance to showcase his own talents for those evaluators. Nathan and Stephen discuss what they saw from the receiver drills as well as Master Teague's impressive performance, the potential of players like Tyreke Smith and Nicholas Petit-Frere and more. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug, Nathan and Stephen were all at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for Tuesday's third practice of the spring -- the first in full pads, and the first since spring break. What caught their eye during the periods open to reporters, and what did coach Ryan Day say they shed light on the team's progress? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another Friday Fiasco (aka an off-season Monday Madness). Today's topics: • Ohio State has the third-best betting odds right now to win the 2022 college football national championship. Should it actually be the front-runner? • From Cinderella upsets to bracket pools to party atmospheres, March Madness is arguably the best American sporting event. Could a 12-team football playoff ever come close to matching it? • A rundown of some of the best bracket names in the Buckeye Talk pool, including one with an extra special meaning. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With football, basketball and real life all colliding this week, we decided to go rapid fire on today's episode? • Who is Ohio State football's best defensive player right now, and who will it be at the end of the season? • Could Jim Knowles debut with a top-10 defense? • Does OSU need to change its approach to be better in the red zone? • Is OSU basketball's recruiting class a big reason why Chris Holtmann has job security? • Plenty of nonsense, including worst road trips, OSU football coach fashion trends and our pick for our emergency frozen food choice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yesterday we drafted all of the Big Ten football and men's basketball coaches. Today we are taking another combined look at those sports. Which Big Ten school has the best current pairing of football and men's basketball programs? Also, where does Ohio State rank, and how much is basketball really holding it back? Doug, Nathan, Stephen and our Buckeye Talk text subscribers give their answers. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doug and Nathan recap what they learned from Ohio State's running backs after practice on Thursday. They also discussed offensive lineman Harry Miller's retirement and increased awareness for mental health struggles among college athletes. Then they wrap things up with a round of Whatcha Watchin' Whatcha Eatin', including discussion about a suitcase full of chicken tenders. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices