Real Pod Wednesdays

In our annual Ohio State football team draft, Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope and Andy Anders went head-to-head to draft dueling lineups from OSU’s 2025 roster for a hypothetical game of Buckeyes vs. Buckeyes.Each beat writer drafted 22 players – 11 on offense and 11 on defense – with the goal of building a lineup that would defeat the other writer’s team in a head-to-head game. Each player could only be drafted once. Each writer was required to draft one quarterback, five offensive linemen and five skill-position players (running backs, wide receivers or tight ends) on offense, and at least three defensive linemen, two linebackers and four defensive backs with two flexible positions on defense.There was little suspense around who the first two picks would be, but things got interesting from there as Dan and Andy attempted to strategically outmaneuver each other to give their teams advantages at specific positions. Dan ultimately chose to go to mirror Ohio State’s base formations, drafting three wide receivers on offense and five defensive backs on defense, while Andy opted to go old-school by drafting two tight ends and three linebackers.Dan won the coin toss for our snake draft and chose to take the No. 1 overall pick, after which Andy and Dan alternated selections two at a time until both teams had 22 players for a total of 44 selections.You can read our full explanations for every pick and vote for whose team should win here: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2025/08/157238/2025-ohio-state-football-team-draft-picking-head-to-head-lineups-for-a-matchup-of-buckeyes-vs-buckeyes

We’re less than 24 hours away from the start of preseason camp at Ohio State.As the Buckeyes prepare to start their 25-practice preseason slate on Thursday, we’re previewing all of Ohio State’s top position battles entering camp on a Real Pod Wednesdays-style episode of Press Coverage.We start by sharing our thoughts on the headlining competition of camp, Julian Sayin vs. Lincoln Kienholz for the starting quarterback job, before continuing with our pre-camp thoughts on the ongoing battle at strong safety, competition along the defensive and offensive lines and challenges for Ohio State’s incumbent starters at kicker and punter.The full rundown for our Preseason Camp Preview show, which you can watch in the video at the top of the page:0:00 Julian Sayin vs. Lincoln Kienholz Headlines Ohio State’s Preseason Camp Competitions11:51 Malik Hartford vs. Jaylen McClain is Buckeyes’ Top Defensive Position Battle16:33 Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Leads Five-Man Battle for Playing Time at Defensive End23:06 Backup Defensive Tackles, Led by Will Smith Jr., Must Step Up in Preseason Camp30:36 We Can Pencil In Ohio State’s Starting Offensive Line, But Competition Remains38:02 Incumbent Starters Face Competition at Kicker and Punter 

Even we beat writers who typically prefer noon games believe Ohio State vs. Texas should be a night game.With how spectacular the atmosphere was for Ohio State’s home night College Football Playoff game against Tennessee, we want to see another primetime showcase for the Buckeyes’ season opener against the Longhorns. That doesn’t seem to be in the cards, however – unsurprisingly – with FOX set to broadcast the Cotton Bowl rematch, likely at noon.As such, Ohio State finds itself facing the possibility of playing most of its big regular-season games at noon once again this year, though we do believe Ohio State vs. Penn State is a prime candidate for the marquee home night game Ohio State and its fans covet. But we’d love to see more transparency with the Big Ten television networks’ game selection process – which could be easily achieved by televising the networks’ game draft during a time on the calendar when sickos like us are starved for more college football content.Eleven Warriors’ Dan Hope, Chase Brown and Garrick Hodge share their thoughts on the season opener’s likely noon destiny, our kickoff time predictions for the rest of the season and how the networks could bring fans into the game selection process on a new episode of Press Coverage, which is also available on the Real Pod Wednesdays feed for this episode.

While there’s not a ton happening with Ohio State football right now, there’s a lot to look forward to over the next eight months.Right now, the most anticipated event of the summer for Buckeye fans might be Michigan’s Committee on Infractions hearing that’s set to take place in one month as the Wolverines could finally face punishment from the NCAA this summer for their impermissible scouting scheme orchestrated by former staffer Connor Stalions.The height of recruiting season will also come soon as Ohio State prepares to host official visitors and camps in June, while we’re personally excited to make our way to Las Vegas in July for Big Ten Media Days, the unofficial kickoff to football season.Ohio State’s season opener could be its most highly anticipated season opener ever as the Buckeyes host Texas in a Cotton Bowl rematch that could be a 1 vs. 2 game. Ohio State’s Nov. 1 home game against Penn State will be one of its most-anticipated games against the Nittany Lions ever as the Buckeyes look to spoil Jim Knowles’ return to Columbus. And of course, everyone in Columbus has Ohio State’s Nov. 29 trip to Ann Arbor circled on the calendar with hopes that Ryan Day’s Buckeyes will finally end their drought against Michigan.Add in road trips to Washington, Illinois and Wisconsin and Nico Iamaleava’s return to Columbus with UCLA, and the Buckeyes’ regular-season schedule is loaded with games we can’t wait for. As fun as the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff was, we’re also excited for year two of the expanded playoff race.Of course, we’ll be excited to watch Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs play every game as the Buckeyes’ superstars have the potential to be even better than they were last year. And there’s no shortage of players with the talent to emerge as stars around them, such as Max Klare, James Peoples and Jermaine Mathews Jr., just to name a few.With Ohio State in the quietest part of its offseason and us preparing to take an early summer break on Real Pod Wednesdays, we highlight all the biggest things for Buckeye fans to look forward to this season.The full rundown:0:00 Why There Won’t Be Real Pod Wednesdays for the Next Few Weeks4:52 Anticipation Builds for Potential Michigan Punishment12:53 Big Summer Ahead for Ohio State Recruiting18:45 Big Ten Media Days in Vegas Will Be Fun21:46 Season Openers Don’t Get Any Bigger Than Ohio State vs. Texas26:28 Jim Knowles’ Return Makes Ohio State vs. Penn State Extra Spicy32:00 Beating Michigan Still the Big Hurdle Ryan Day Must Clear38:07 Illibuck Game in Champaign, Trip to Camp Randall Among Other Exciting Matchups43:35 Why Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs Should Be Even Better in 202548:11 Buckeyes Will Have Potential Breakout Stars All Over the Field

Ohio State’s quarterback competition is real, as is Austin Siereveld’s surge on the offensive line.Those two things were made clear by Ryan Day on Tuesday, when he revealed that Lincoln Kienholz led Ohio State’s quarterback competition entering the spring game – until Julian Sayin evened it up with his spring game performance – and that Siereveld has already earned a starting job this offseason even though Day doesn’t know where he’ll line up on Ohio State’s offensive line yet.Day’s press conference Tuesday also included excitement for the Buckeyes’ recent transfer addition of North Carolina transfer defensive end Beau Atkinson, who we view as a high-quality addition that gives Ohio State the ability to deploy a deep rotation on the edge and get creative with its pass rush personnel this season.Ohio State’s defensive tackle depth is a much bigger question mark, and that concern was only exacerbated by Day’s acknowledgement of the reality that the Buckeyes’ options to upgrade that position through the transfer portal are dwindling – though there is still one available defensive tackle, Oklahoma State’s Justin Kirkland, who would be exactly what the Buckeyes need at nose tackle.Regardless of how that plays out, though, there are many reasons to feel good about the state of Day’s program after the Buckeyes retained their entire scholarship roster during the spring transfer window and had 14 players selected in the 2025 NFL draft.We talked about all of those topics on the newest episode of Real Pod Wednesdays. Here are the timestamps for each chapter should you want to listen to a specific segment first:0:00 A Great Week for Ohio State in the NFL Draft and the Transfer Portal2:02 Ryan Day Makes It Clear Julian Sayin vs. Lincoln Kienholz is A Real Competition10:56 Austin Siereveld Has Earned A Starting Job, But Will It Be at Tackle or Guard?19:21 Adding Beau Atkinson Should Allow For Creative Pass Rush Packages23:19 Ohio State Still Needs A Transfer DT, But It Might Be Justin Kirkland or Bust29:54 Buckeyes Could Still Add Another OT, Kicker to Well-Stocked Roster36:05 Roster Retention, NFL Draft Class Show Strength of Ryan Day’s Program

The 2025 NFL draft is just one day away, and there are at least 15 reasons to be excited if you’re an Ohio State fan.Ohio State is projected to have 15 players drafted, which would break its school record and tie Georgia’s record for the most players selected in a seven-round NFL draft. It’s not out of the question that Ohio State could have as many as 17 players drafted, and we talk about all 17 of the Buckeyes’ draft prospects on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays.In the first half of our NFL draft preview episode, we build our own five-man Buckeye draft squads in which we draft Ohio State players from five different tiers based on their average mock draft position.After that, we make our picks for the Eleven Warriors NFL Draft Contest, in which we predict which round each Buckeye will be drafted in. One of us has four Buckeyes going in Round 1 while the other has only two, but both of us expect at least seven Ohio State players to be drafted in the first two rounds and nine total Buckeyes to be drafted in the first three rounds. We’re both also expecting each of Ohio State’s 15 projected draftees to come off the board no later than the sixth round.The full rundown for our NFL draft preview edition of RPW:0:00 Ohio State’s 2025 NFL Draft Class Has Something for Everyone5:54 Building Our Five-Man Buckeye Draft Squads21:44 The Most Underrated Prospects in Ohio State’s 2025 NFL Draft Class25:28 Who We Would Select If We Could Only Draft One Buckeye28:10 Predicting Which Buckeyes Will Go In the First Round35:29 Second-Round Predictions41:31 Third-Round Predictions47:00 Why We Both Think Four Buckeyes Will Go in Round 452:27 Fifth- and Sixth-Round Predictions

Spring practice is in the books and the transfer portal has reopened, which means it’s time to assess where Ohio State stands in its quest to compete for another championship in 2025.While only one of us would say we’re more confident in Ohio State’s championship chances coming out of spring than we were going in, Eleven Warriors‘ Dan Hope and Andy Anders both agree that there’s a lot to like about the Buckeyes based on what we saw this spring. Ohio State is loaded with offensive skill position talent and its defensive back seven looks like it should rank among the nation’s best once again. Ohio State’s offensive line also looks to be on a promising trajectory coming out of spring.Strong showings by Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz in the spring game left us feeling better about Ohio State’s quarterbacks than we did just one day before, but the spring game exacerbated our concerns about Ohio State’s depth at defensive tackle, the position that stands out as the Buckeyes’ clear-cut top priority for adding to its roster in the post-spring transfer window.On this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we make our assessments for what we think the Buckeyes’ biggest strengths and biggest areas of concern are coming out of spring and make our early predictions for what Ohio State’s regular-season record will be in 2025.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Are You More, Less or Just As Confident in Ohio State’s Championship Chances After Spring?6:56 Ohio State is Absolutely Loaded with Playmakers at the Offensive Skill Positions12:29 Ohio State’s Defensive Back Seven Looks Ready to Be Elite Once Again21:00 Buckeyes Building A Strong Core Along Offensive Line26:44 Ohio State Quarterbacks Finish Up-and-Down Spring on High Note in Spring Game33:55 Defensive Line Lacks Established Stars and Needs to Add Talent at Tackle43:34 Replacing Departed Leaders, Coordinators Still A Big Question Exiting Spring51:40 Why We’re Both Predicting A 10-2 Regular Season for Ohio State in 2025

Ohio State’s starting quarterback competition will be in the spotlight during Saturday’s spring game at Ohio Stadium.After Ryan Day said Monday that Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz are “pretty much neck-and-neck” in their competition to be Ohio State’s No. 1 QB this season, the biggest storyline on Saturday will be the performance of the Buckeyes’ top two quarterbacks as each of them look to make their case that they’re best the choice to lead Ohio State’s offense when it opens the season against Texas on Aug. 30.Aside from quarterback, other positions to watch on Saturday include right tackle, where Austin Siereveld appears to be making a move in the competition for a starting job, and the defensive line, where the Buckeyes are still assessing whether they have the depth they need ahead of the transfer portal reopening later this month.We discuss all of those storylines on our spring game preview episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.We also conducted a fantasy draft in which we made our picks for which offensive skill-position players will have the biggest days in the spring game, keeping in mind that established stars like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate will likely see only brief action. In a snake draft format, each of us drafted five players – one quarterback, one running back, one wide receiver, one tight end and one flex player (a spot each of us elected to use on a second wide receiver) – based on who think will score the most fantasy points using standard fantasy football scoring (one point per 25 passing yards, four points per passing touchdown, one point per 10 rushing/receiving yards and six points per rushing/receiving touchdown).Our picks, which are explained in more detail in the show:1. Dan - Bo Jackson, RB2. Andy - Max Klare, TE3. Andy - James Peoples, RB4. Dan - Mylan Graham, WR5. Dan - Quincy Porter, WR6. Andy - Lincoln Kienholz, QB7. Andy - Brandon Inniss, WR8. Dan - Tavien St. Clair, QB9. Dan - Jelani Thurman, TE10. Andy - Bryson Rodgers, WR Finally, we wrap up the show by breaking down the two newest transfer additions for Ohio State men’s basketball – Christoph Tilly and Brandon Noel – and assessing what the Buckeyes should still be looking to do to round out their roster for 2025-26.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Playing A True Spring Game Completes Physical, Competitive Spring for Buckeyes4:47 Competition Between Julian Sayin, Lincoln Kienholz Looks Quite Real Entering Spring Game16:28 Austin Siereveld Making A Push to Be Ohio State’s Starting Right Tackle This Season24:08 Defensive Line, Emerging Linebackers In Focus for Ohio State Defense in Spring Game31:55 Spring Game Fantasy Draft42:54 Assessing Ohio State Basketball’s Roster Build with Christoph Tilly, Brandon Noel Additions

Ohio State is now past the halfway point of spring practice, and it became more apparent this week how Ryan Day is feeling about all 10 of the Buckeyes’ position groups.Day had lots of positive things to say on Monday about Ohio State’s running backs, tight ends, linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties, but indicated the Buckeyes are still looking for more than what they’ve seen so far this spring at defensive tackle, quarterback, offensive tackle, backup wide receiver and defensive end.With that, we also talk about all 10 Ohio State position groups on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays, in which we share our thoughts on what we heard from Day on Monday and what that could mean for the outlook of each of those position groups this season.Following our position-by-position spring football updates, we also talk about the transfer portal movement thus far for both Ohio State basketball teams, the momentum Ohio State is building on the recruiting trail and the top standouts from last week’s Ohio State pro day. (Note: This episode of Real Pod Wednesdays was recorded before Ohio State basketball target Jonathan Powell’s commitment to North Carolina on Tuesday night.)The full rundown for the show:0:00 Intro2:36 Defensive Tackle Remains Ohio State’s Biggest Position of Concern4:21 Ohio State’s QB Competition Likely to Continue Into August9:55 Transfer Offensive Tackles Still Acclimating to Ohio State, But That’s To Be Expected15:06 Ryan Day Looking for More from Backup Wide Receivers19:56 Could Ohio State Still Add Another Transfer Defensive End?26:55 Trajectory Keeps Pointing Up for James Peoples, Ohio State Running Backs29:11 Loaded Tight End Room Looking Like the Best in the Country31:52 Arvell Reese, Payton Pierce Turning Heads As OSU’s Second and Third Linebackers35:23 Jermaine Mathews Jr. Locking Up A Starting Job Despite Devin Sanchez Hype39:31 Malik Hartford, Jaylen McClain Both Emerging As Starting-Caliber Safeties43:46 Ohio State Men’s Basketball Still Must Add Multiple More Transfers51:12 Ohio State Women’s Basketball Suffers Huge Loss with Cotie McMahon Transfer53:41 Blaine Bradford, Chris Henry Jr. Continue Recruiting Momentum for OSU Football58:55 Will Howard, Jordan Hancock Among Standouts at Loaded OSU Pro Day

Spring practice is in full swing at Ohio State, and Buckeye fans will get their opportunity to watch the team in Ohio Stadium in two-and-a-half weeks.Ryan Day said Monday that Ohio State will have a spring game after all this year, and that’s a decision that should be celebrated at a time when other colleges are canceling their spring games. The spring game can be a great opportunity both for fans to connect with the Buckeyes and for the team to get game-like reps ahead of the season, and it’s apparent Day recognized the value of both of those things in opting to move forward with a spring game.After opening this week’s show by looking forward to the April 12 spring game, we talk about how Matt Patricia has continued to impress us in our early glimpses of Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator. Then, we share some of our early-spring thoughts on how Patricia’s defense could look this season, including the multiplicity he wants to be a hallmark of his scheme, Malik Hartford’s emergence at safety and Ohio State’s rebuild along the defensive line, where the Buckeyes’ defensive end two-deep looks promising but there’s still more questions than answers in terms of defensive tackle depth.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Ryan Day Makes the Right Decision By Moving Forward with A Spring Game5:15 Matt Patricia Continuing to Make Great Impression in First Two Weeks of Spring10:30 What the Multiplicity of Matt Patricia’s Defense Could Look Like14:05 Malik Hartford Trending Toward Playing A Big Role in Ohio State’s Secondary16:56 C.J. Hicks Seems to Be Finally Be Playing the Right Position21:31 Ohio State Has the Pieces to Rotate More Frequently at Defensive End This Season26:40 Defensive Tackle Depth Remains A Major Question Mark33:42 Ohio State’s Defense Will Likely Go As Its Defensive Line Goes

Ohio State’s first two days of spring practice are in the books, and we already have plenty of thoughts.The first two days at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center allowed us to watch the first hour of each of Ohio State’s initial two practices as well as talk to Ohio State coach Ryan Day, each of the Buckeyes’ scholarship quarterbacks and running backs and each of their respective position coaches, giving us plenty to see and hear.While we haven’t yet seen any head-to-head 11-on-11 work between Ohio State’s offense and defense, numerous players have stood out physically while there have been some interesting developments with Ohio State’s initial lineups, such as Austin Siereveld practicing at left tackle and Malik Hartford taking the bulk of the first-team reps at safety.With that in mind, we spend the majority of this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays discussing our takeaways from the first two days of spring practice. We wrap up the show with a brief conversation about the end of Ohio State’s basketball season and why we both believe it’s the right decision to give Jake Diebler a second year to turn things around.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Julian Sayin’s Release Stands Out, But He Has More to Prove to Win Starting QB Job13:17 Early Signs Are Promising for Running Back Duo of James Peoples, CJ Donaldson21:42 Jeremiah Smith, Mylan Graham Standing Out at Wide Receiver26:18 Austin Siereveld Probably Won’t Be Starting Left Tackle, But He Might Be Next Man Up31:27 Malik Hartford Getting First Shot at Safety as Secondary Rebuilds Around Caleb Downs35:10 Devin Sanchez Among Numerous Freshmen Standing Out Physically Right Away39:09 Building Depth Crucial for Ohio State’s Defensive Front Six44:24 Jake Diebler Deserves A Second Year, But Ohio State Must Be Aggressive in Transfer Portal

The spotlight will be on Ohio State’s defense as the Buckeyes begin spring practice next week.Yes, the quarterback competition will draw plenty of attention too, but it’s the defense that we’ll be watching most closely this spring as we seek to get an idea of what Ohio State’s defense will look like in 2025 with eight new starters and a new defensive coordinator.While we know the defense will be built around Caleb Downs and that Sonny Styles and Davison Igbinosun will play major roles as returning starters, there are otherwise more questions than answers about Ohio State’s new-look defense under Matt Patricia – even if the Buckeyes’ defensive talent and what we heard last week from Patricia offer plenty of reasons for optimism.We spend more than half of this week’s show talking about our expectations for Ohio State’s defense entering spring before turning the conversation to what we’re looking to see from Julian Sayin and the Buckeyes’ offense over the next four weeks. We wrap up the show by discussing what Ohio State men’s basketball needs to do in this week’s Big Ten Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Why This Spring Feels Different Than Last Spring at Ohio State5:57 Why Ohio State’s Defense is the Biggest Thing We’ll Be Watching This Spring15:19 Ohio State’s Defensive Line is Its Biggest Question Mark, But There’s Plenty of Promising Talent25:35 Lorenzo Styles Jr., Devin Sanchez, Safeties Could All Determine What Ohio State Does at Nickel34:25 Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese and Payton Pierce Lead A Strong Core at Linebacker38:23 What We Need to See From Julian Sayin This Spring to Feel Confident He’s Ready to Start43:46 Offensive Line, Running Backs Among Other Offensive Positions to Watch This Spring51:08 What Ohio State Basketball Must Do in the Big Ten Tournament to Make the NCAA Tournament

The NFL Scouting Combine gave us an opportunity to not only watch some of Ohio State’s 2025 draft prospects work out for NFL scouts, but to learn more about some of OSU’s returning players in the words of last year’s Buckeye stars.Garrick Hodge joined Dan Hope in Indianapolis to cover the combine last week, so Garrick joins us on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays as we talk about both the combine performances of Ohio State’s 2024 NFL draft prospects and our biggest takeaways from what they had to say about players who could be breakout stars for the 2025 Buckeyes.Former Ohio State running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson and defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton helped themselves with their on-field workouts in Indianapolis. The combine raised some concerns for quarterback Will Howard and defensive end Jack Sawyer, but we‘re still believers in both Buckeyes as NFL prospects because of how well they played in leading Ohio State to a national championship.As for what we heard about some of Ohio State’s returning players in Indianapolis, Denzel Burke added fuel to the Julian Sayin hype train while Henderson made an Andy-approved comparison for James Peoples. Jaylen McClain, Mylan Graham and Max Klare were among the other 2025 Buckeyes who received hype from OSU’s draft prospects at the combine.We talk about all of that – plus the spectacular NHL Stadium Series game at Ohio Stadium last weekend and a couple of other Ohio State-related comments by combine participants that went viral – on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.The full rundown for the show:0:00 The Stadium Series Game at the Shoe Was Awesome5:46 Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson Were Ohio State’s Combine Stars10:20 Why We Don’t Think Scouts Should Overreact to Will Howard’s Shaky Throwing Session17:04 Jack Sawyer’s Proven Playmaking Ability Matters More Than His Arm Length21:00 Tyleik Williams Proves He’s A Freak and Ty Hamilton Might Go Higher Than People Think23:34 Denzel Burke’s Endorsement of Julian Sayin Carries Weight28:04 Why Andy and TreVeyon Henderson See J.K. Dobbins in James Peoples30:36 Jaylen McClain Carrying Momentum Into Spring as Potential Starting Safety33:36 Mylan Graham Gets More Buzz, But How Much Playing Time Will He See in 2025?36:55 Lathan Ransom Expects Big Things from Max Klare, and We Do, Too40:30 Omarr Norman-Lott’s Jeremiah Smith Praise, Tez Johnson’s Rose Bowl Take Go Viral

Ohio State’s historically deep 2025 draft class will be in the spotlight at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine.15 members of Ohio State’s national championship team are in Indianapolis for the combine – the most players from any school – and all 15 of them are expected to be drafted, which would tie Georgia’s record for the most picks from one school in a seven-round NFL draft.With media interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine starting today and on-field workouts commencing at Lucas Oil Stadium tomorrow, we take a look at Ohio State’s loaded NFL draft class on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.We start the show by sharing some overall thoughts on Ohio State’s draft class, which Buckeyes boosted their NFL draft stock the most during the College Football Playoff, which Buckeyes we expect to be combine stars and which Buckeyes would benefit most from a strong combine workout.Then, we put our GM hats on and conduct our own draft of Ohio State’s draft prospects, with each of us making seven rounds’ worth of picks of which Buckeyes we’d draft if we were calling the shots for an NFL team.The full results of our draft:1. DE Jack Sawyer (Dan)2. OT Josh Simmons (Andy)3. WR Emeka Egbuka (Andy)4. G/T Donovan Jackson (Dan)5. RB TreVeyon Henderson (Dan)6. DE JT Tuimoloau (Andy)7. DT Tyleik Williams (Andy)8. QB Will Howard (Dan)9. CB Denzel Burke (Dan)10. CB Jordan Hancock (Andy)11. S Lathan Ransom (Andy)12. RB Quinshon Judkins (Dan)13. C Seth McLaughlin (Dan)14. DT Ty Hamilton (Andy)The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Historically Deep Ohio State Draft Class Heads to the Combine9:24 Donovan Jackson, Will Howard, Jordan Hancock Among Buckeyes Who Boosted Stock in CFP15:29 Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson Among Potential Combine Stars (If They Work Out)19:56 Denzel Burke, Cody Simon Among Buckeyes Who Could Benefit Most from Strong Combine22:35 A Seven-Round Draft of Ohio State’s Top 2025 NFL Draft Prospects37:23 Can Ohio State Men’s Basketball Bounce Back to Make the NCAA Tournament?

Now that Ohio State has new coordinators on both sides of the ball, one of the biggest lingering questions entering this spring is how the Buckeyes’ offense and defense will operate under Brian Hartline and Matt Patricia. We aren’t expecting any drastic changes on the offensive side of the ball – Ohio State’s offense is still Ryan Day’s offense, and Brian Hartline’s promotion comes in part because of how well he knows Day’s offense – though the Buckeyes will have to make adjustments to fit their personnel as new starters take over at quarterback, running back, tight end and offensive tackle.Defensively is where the bigger scheme questions lie. Patricia was never tied to one specific scheme as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator, so there’s reason to believe his defense will be built to fit Ohio State’s personnel, but that will require changes too as the Buckeyes break in eight new starters on that side of the ball. And while the rest of Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff returns, there are questions about how Patricia’s ideas will mesh with defensive line coach Larry Johnson and whether Patricia’s success in New England will translate to the college level.We discuss all of that on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays with Eleven Warriors scheme analyst Kyle Jones, who joins us to share his thoughts on what Ohio State’s offense and defense could look like in 2025 as well as what impressed him most about Ohio State’s national championship run this past season.The full rundown for our conversation:0:00 Why Ohio State’s Scheme, Play Calling Worked So Well in the College Football Playoff4:28 Ohio State’s Evolution from Michigan Game to CFP Might Have Simply Been A Mindset Shift6:49 What Matt Patricia Brings to Ohio State10:17 Should We Be Concerned About Patricia’s Defenses Being Too Complicated?16:07 What Ohio State Should Do Schematically to Fit Its Defensive Talent in 202519:50 Will Matt Patricia’s Defensive Line Philosophies Mesh with Larry Johnson?23:21 Player Departures Could Drive Defensive Changes More Than Coordinator Change26:08 Ryan Day Will Have Big Hand in Ohio State’s Offense, But That’s Nothing New32:08 Why Offensive Line Development Matters More Than Run Game Scheme for Tyler Bowen34:54 Less Quarterback Running Could Be Biggest Change for Ohio State’s Offensive Scheme

With Ohio State’s offensive coaching now set for 2025, the Buckeyes’ focus on that side of the ball turns toward trying to build another championship-caliber unit this season.Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey, run game coordinator and offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, running backs coach Carlos Locklyn and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler have plenty of talent to work with as their preparations for spring practice begin. The Buckeyes’ receiving corps should be the best in the country once again, hopes are high for five-star redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin and Ohio State’s offensive line has the potential to be its best in a few years.But there are also some significant questions surrounding Ohio State’s 2025 offense including its inexperience at quarterback, how effective its running game will be following the departures of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins and whether the Buckeyes’ returning offensive linemen will reach their potential with another year of development.With all of that in mind, we spend this week‘s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays assessing the state of Ohio State’s offense for the 2025 season and discussing our expectations for how we think the offense will fare in both the passing and running games come fall.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Thoughts on Ohio State’s New Offensive Coaching Staff15:16 Ohio State’s Receiving Corps Should Be The Best in the Country Again in 202523:32 Julian Sayin Has Five-Star Talent, But Inexperience Makes Quarterback A Question Mark28:34 Offensive Line Has Upside to Be Better Than It’s Been The Last Two Years40:19 Running Game Faces Questions at Both Running Back and Quarterback51:59 Ohio State Should Build Offense Around Jeremiah Smith and Its Receiving Playmakers53:46 Will Ohio State Have A Championship-Caliber Offense in 2025?

You may have forgotten, but today is National Signing Day.From Ohio State’s perspective, the real signing day happened two months ago, as the Buckeyes signed 26 high school players during the early signing period. Ohio State isn’t expected to add any more scholarship players to its high school recruiting class for 2025, making the traditional February signing day a non-event for the Buckeyes.That said, we didn’t spend much time talking about Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class on Real Pod Wednesdays during the early signing period because the Buckeyes were preparing to play in the College Football Playoff at the time. So we felt the secondary signing day would be an appropriate time for us to take a more complete look at Ohio State’s new crop of freshmen.Eleven Warriors recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge joins us on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays as we share our overall thoughts on the 2025 class and make our picks for who we think will be some of the class’ biggest stars and hidden gems.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Intro3:31 Overall Thoughts on Ohio State’s Fifth-Ranked 2025 Recruiting Class7:43 Devin Sanchez, Tavien St. Clair Headline the 2025 Class17:09 Projecting Some of the Other Future Stars from Ohio State’s 2025 Class22:19 Freshmen with the Best Chance to Play Early25:51 How Ohio State’s Transfer Class Supplements Its High School Recruiting Class29:00 Nate Roberts, Bodpegn Miller, Trajen Odom Among Intriguing Developmental Prospects34:18 Potential Commits and Priority Positions in the 2026 Recruiting Class

After recapping Ohio State’s national championship run on last week’s show, we’re beginning to look ahead to the 2025 season on this week‘s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.Ohio State’s 2025 roster is set for the spring now that the winter window for players to enter the transfer portal has closed. With that in mind, we spend the entirety of this week’s RPW taking a first look at Ohio State’s 2025 roster and sharing our initial thoughts on how the Buckeyes stack up at every position.The full rundown for this week’s show:0:00 Ohio State Fends Off Efforts to Poach Its Players, Retains All of Its Projected Starters5:22 Julian Sayin is the Projected Starting Quarterback, But He Still Has to Win A Competition12:35 James Peoples, CJ Donaldson Lead Ohio State’s Running Back Room16:56 Ohio State’s Wide Receivers Should Be the Best in the Country Again21:04 Could Ohio State Have the Best Tight End Room in the Country, Too?24:21 Offensive Line Looks Promising with Transfer Tackles, Interior Line Play in CFP31:44 Rotational Defensive Linemen in 2024 Must Step Up As New Starters in 202537:18 Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese Backed Up by Plenty of Young Talent at Linebacker40:38 Ohio State’s Cornerback Room Remains Loaded with Davison Igbinosun’s Return44:34 Jaylen McClain, Malik Hartford Both Candidates to Start at Safety Alongside Caleb Downs49:40 Ohio State Returns All Three Starting Specialists, But Nick McLarty Remains A Punter to Watch54:01 There’s Still Too Many Unknowns for Us to Call Ohio State A 2025 Championship Favorite

Ohio State is a national champion once again after one of the most impressive championship runs we’ve ever seen.The Buckeyes’ four-game run to the national title was one we won’t soon forget as Ohio State beat four of the nation’s best teams in the College Football Playoff – all by double digits – to turn what could have been one of Ohio State’s most disappointing seasons ever into one of its greatest success stories.Ohio State’s national championship run featured too many great moments and top performers to highlight them all in just one hour, but we spent our post-championship episode of Real Pod Wednesdays recapping the best of the best from Ohio State’s spectacular four-game CFP and contextualizing the legacy of the 2024 Buckeyes.The full rundown for this week’s episode:0:00 The Most Memorable Moments from Covering Ohio State’s National Championship Victory5:29 Ohio State’s Seniors Overcome Years of Disappointments to Go Out on Top7:45 Who Ohio State Had to Beat and How It Won Made OSU’s Four-Game CFP Run Special9:29 Ohio State Should Be Remembered More for Its Resiliency Than Its $20 Million Roster15:46 Does Michigan Loss Dampen Championship Season or Make the Ending More Rewarding?26:31 Ryan Day Wins Over His Haters and Establishes His Standing As An Elite Coach35:03 Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith, Quinshon Judkins Among Offensive Stars of CFP Run40:17 Offensive Line Growth Led by Donovan Jackson A Microcosm of Ohio State’s Season47:40 Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Jordan Hancock Among Defensive Stars of CFP Run52:07 Our Picks for College Football Playoff MVP

Ohio State is one game away from accomplishing the biggest goal we thought the Buckeyes would achieve when the season began.The Buckeyes didn’t always look like a national championship team during the regular season, but they sure have in the College Football Playoff. While they weren’t as dominant against Texas as they were in their first two CFP games against Tennessee and Oregon, the CFP semifinal win over the Longhorns may prove to be the defining game of a title run as the Buckeyes showed their resiliency in the fourth quarter and won the game in thrilling fashion.That gives us plenty of confidence that the Buckeyes will finish the job on Monday night and win the first-ever 12-team CFP. If Ohio State plays as well as it has throughout the CFP, the Buckeyes should have a clear advantage over Notre Dame with the Fighting Irish’s limited passing offense, though Ohio State will have to contend with Notre Dame’s strong running game and defense.We discuss what went well and what didn’t for Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and preview Monday’s national championship game on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.The full rundown for the show:0:00 Ohio State is One Win Away from What Could Be Its Best National Championship Run Ever5:18 Why Jack Sawyer Deserved His Heroic Moment in the Cotton Bowl10:31 Wins over Tennessee and Oregon Were More Dominant, But Texas Win Feels More Memorable14:38 Assessing OSU’s Offensive Line Play Against Texas and What It Needs to Do vs. Notre Dame20:51 Many Standouts Against Texas Included TreVeyon Henderson, Will Howard, Jordan Hancock27:57 Notre Dame’s Pass Defense is Really Good, But We Don’t Expect It to Shut Down Jeremiah Smith33:42 Stopping the Run Will Be Easier Said Than Done, But Ohio State Should Win If It Does39:52 Cody Simon, TreVeyon Henderson, Defensive Tackles Among Players to Watch vs. Notre Dame43:42 Why We’re Both Confident Ohio State Will Beat Notre Dame47:43 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame