ESPN REPORT: Another Mega-Star Commits to Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
OVER THE KING, FEB 24 The basketball team of Ohio State, the Buckeyes, hasn’t exactly had it easy lately. Still, there are a few promising aspects that could propel the effort forward.
At the Staples Center on Friday night, former Ohio State wing Malaki Branham produced what was maybe the play of the night in the NBA when he dunked over LeBron James, the great player for the Lakers.
Branham, who is averaging 8.2 points and 2.2 assists per game, concluded the game with 17 points in 23 minutes.
JANUARY 23 IN THE GAME The news that a new collegiate video game would be launched for the first time in ten years set the college football world on fire in recent days.
Naturally, NIL was the one who made it happen; each person who chooses to participate will receive a copy of the game and a payment of $600 when it launches.
Currently, more than 5,000 players have chosen to participate in the game, including Quinshon Judkins and Denzel Burke, two Ohio State standouts who are predicted to be highly regarded.
Feb. 16: STRONG TALKS Since 2014, the Ohio State Buckeyes have struggled to advance past the first round of the College Football Playoffs. Since winning the national championship that season, the team’s postseason record is actually just 1-4.
The Buckeyes most recently lost to Georgia in the Atlanta Peach Bowl 2022 semifinals.
And when former Florida running back Fred Taylor, in an interview on The Pivot Podcast, challenged Ohio State standout and Houston Texans rookie quarterback sensation C.J. Stroud regarding the program’s difficulties, the Buckeyes defended their position.
Stroud enquired, “Where did you go?,” before learning that Taylor was a Florida graduate. “Man, what are we talking about, come on? — I assumed you had visited Alabama or something.
ESPN Maintains the CFP on February 13 The College Football Playoff and ESPN have agreed to a seven-year, $7.8 billion deal to keep the competition and the network together, according to reports from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
But according to the article, the deal is still pending the settlement of particular CFP issues.
“The completion of the entire contract is still pending CFP leaders settling on specifics of the enlarged format following the collapse of the Pac-12,” Marchand stated. The CFP’s board of managers and management committee will convene the following week as they continue to go through the challenging process of resolving their unresolved concerns.
“Until the commissioners and presidents cast their votes on the composition and budget of the expanded CFP, the ESPN arrangement will not be approved. Both Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoff, and Josh Krulewitz, senior vice president of communications at ESPN, declined to comment.
Among the most accomplished teams to compete in the CFP since its establishment are the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have participated in five CFP title games overall (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2022). In 2014, they also won the inaugural CFP title game. After seven postseason games, they have a record of 3-4 overall.
Next season, the playoffs will include 12 teams in a new format.
STROUD ROY, FEB. 8 At the NFL Honors on Thursday night, C.J. Stroud, a quarterback for the Houston Texans and former Ohio State standout, was named the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
With his leadership, the Texans finished with a 10-7 regular season record—their most victories since 2019.
With his postseason total of 4,557 passing yards, Stroud concluded his rookie season with the second-highest total of any rookie quarterback in NFL history, only surpassed by Andrew Luck’s 4,662 yards in 2012.
He completed 63.9 percent of his passes, adding 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. Stroud made history on October 8 by starting his career with the most pass attempts without an interception ever—192—by any player at the start of their career.
FEBRUARY 6: SPRING HOCKEY With an unparalleled number of returning starters returning to Columbus, one of the nation’s top hauls in the NCAA Transfer Portal, and a top-5 recruiting class, the Ohio State Buckeyes are poised to begin one of the most exciting offseasons in recent memory this spring.
Conversely, spring football will probably be one of the most, if not the most, watched camps in Ohio State’s history under Ryan Day’s leadership.
It is now official that the highly anticipated spring football game will go off on April 13 at Ohio Stadium at Noon ET.
General admission tickets for the game will run $10 and go on sale this Friday at 10 am ET. There will also be a restricted quantity of reserve seats available for $22 and $37 each.
There is free parking for the event.
ALL AMERICAN BUCKS JAN 23 The Ohio State Buckeyes will be stacked in 2024 because of an exceptional recruiting class, a dynamic transfer portal group, and an unparalleled quantity of returning NFL players.
They have therefore already topped numerous way-too-early lists, including the Heisman Trophy odds and the national title odds for 2024.
According to the most recent list from ESPN, Ohio State ranks first among all teams with six players selected as way-too-early All-Americans.
Of those, four were selected to the first team: defensive tackle Tyliek Williams, safety Caleb Downs, offensive guard Donovan Jackson, and running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Michigan and Georiga each had three players selected for the first team.
Quinshon Judkins, a running back, and Denzel Burke, a defensive back, were both selected for the second team.
HARBAUGH TO NFL ON JAN 15? Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of Michigan, is scheduled to interview with the Los Angeles Chargers for their open head coaching post, according to reports from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is meeting later today with the Los Angeles Chargers in his first interview of this hiring cycle, per league sources,” tweeted Schefter. “Neither side anticipates making a decision very soon. When it comes to making decisions on his future, Harbaugh will not hurry. The Chargers have additional prospects they intend to speak with while they continue the interview process.”
It had been speculated for some time that Harbaugh was considering a move to the NFL, and with Michigan’s recent national championship, those whispers gained even more steam.
In the previous three seasons, Michigan has advanced to the postseason each time under head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has defeated the Buckeyes.
JUDKINS IN COLOGUS, JAN. 6 Quinshon Judkins, a standout running back transfer from Ole Miss, is reportedly visiting Ohio State, according to sources from On3.
Judkins was maybe the best running back in the SEC during his two years at Ole Miss, carrying 545 times for 7,725 yards and 31 touchdowns, including three receiving scores.
After Ole Miss defeated Penn State in the Peach Bowl and he ran 34 times for 106 yards, he recently left the school.
HOWARD TO BUCKS, JAN 2? Pete Nakos of On3 reports that Will Howard, the transfer quarterback from Kansas State to Ohio State, is the subject of growing interest.
