Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Latest Episodes:

Garrett Wilson vs. David Boston vs. Chris Olave: Ultimate Ohio State Draft of NFL prospects, Part 2 Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

Which Ohio State receiver is the best NFL Draft prospect ever at that position? That's one of the debates and discussions on Part 2 of The Ultimate Ohio State Draft of NFL draft prospects conducted by Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means.

Don't miss Part 1, in which Doug, Nathan and Stephen made Picks 1-16 on a previous Buckeye Talk episode. This episode is the continuation of that, and there are still plenty of all-time Buckeyes to come off the board, including Garrett Wilson, Eddie George, A.J. Hawk, David Boston and more.

The rules are that the real 90 Buckeyes who have been drafted in the first round in NFL Draft history are eligible to be picked. The guys then act like current NFL GMs and draft for the modern day based on the skills and draft places of Buckeyes across the decades.

Major Buckeyes like C.J. Stroud, Orlando Pace and Nick Bosa came off the board in the previous episode. Now it's time for the second half of this all-time first round, and that means the first receiver will be drafted. Is it Boston? Wilson? Olave?

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Ohio State's greatest NFL Draft prospect ever: The Bosas, Orlando Pace, Justin Fields and The Ultimate Ohio State Draft Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

Who is the greatest Ohio State draft prospect ever? How do the best Buckeyes compare to each other in how they were viewed by the NFL coming out of college?

On this Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means try to answer those questions with The Ultimate Ohio State Draft. This is the first of two parts as the guys make picks 1 through 16 from the 90 Ohio State Buckeyes who were actual first-round NFL choices.

Where will quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields go in this Buckeye-only draft? Who is the first cornerback off the board? Where do the Bosa brothers fit in with Chase Young and other OSU defensive stars? How about all the great OSU offensive tackles, including Orlando Pace?

This is the difficult idea of drafting these Buckeyes as NFL prospects -- not based on how good or accomplished they were in college, or how much they succeeded in the NFL, but on how the pros viewed them at the time they were leaving Columbus.

Only those first-round players were eligible for this ultimate draft. Part 2 will follow soon, but for now, enjoy this start of The Ultimate Ohio State draft from Buckeye Talk.

Air Noland vs. Dylan Raiola and Tavien St. Clair vs. Ryan Montgomery for Ohio State's QB future Jun 16, 2023

Show notes

Air Noland and Dylan Raiola will forever be linked as Ohio State's quarterback commits in the 2024 class. They went head-to-head this week at the Elite 11 showcase, where Noland showed where he stands next to now-Georgia commit Raiola and the rest of the best.

Back home, in-state Class of 2025 quarterbacks Tavien St. Clair and Ryan Montgomery worked out for Corey Dennis and Ryan Day prior to one of OSU's summer camps. Both will be back on campus next week. Has St. Clair's physical development over the past year made him the likely front-runner to be the Buckeyes' QB in that class?

Finally, an update on in-state cornerbacks Bryce West and Aaron Scott, who are also both scheduled to camp with the Buckeyes next week. How big of a threat is Michigan to OSU pulling off a sweep of these top-100 prospects?

Being an Ohio State fan isn't fun? Strong reactions to the joys and burdens of following the Buckeyes Jun 15, 2023

Show notes

Are the expectations for Ohio State football creating a burden that fans feel, and that affects their enjoyment of their very successful program?

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises once again dives into talk about his joy initiative and the hope that all OSU fans can love following their team. Some texters are sick of this topic already, and maybe so are you. But there are some interesting survey answers in this episode to questions like:

Does the burden of expectations make rooting for the Buckeyes less fun at all?
Have you ever thought you cared too much about Ohio State football?
What is the best type of team to root for?
Is Ohio State the most successful team you root for?
Do you root for a second college football team?
On a scale of 1-10, what's your joy vs. angst when it comes to rooting for the Buckeyes?

There are comparisons made to the best teams in North American sports, and strong words on both sides when it comes to how OSU fans should view and handle expectations.

It's a feelings pod more than a football pod, which sometimes happens here. As always, thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

Talent vs. fit in the Ohio State defense, plus Marvin Harrison Jr., Mike Vrabel and more: Rapid Fire Jun 14, 2023

Show notes

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird react to some recent texter questions and comments around the topics percolating on Buckeye Talk. The discussion points:

(0:30) How should the Buckeyes gather talent for this Jim Knowles version of defense and what can be learned from the players at Oklahoma State?
(37:19) More on the TV package for the Big Ten and the outcome for OSU fans
(43:32) Why Marvin Harrison Jr. could take a statistical step back
(48:02) The type of head coach, from a media perspective, the guys would want to cover
(59:05) More discussion of Mike Vrabel and Marcus Freeman as possible future OSU head coaches

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

5-stars in Columbus, and Buckeyes get a safety commit: Recruiting Camp Insider Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

It's news and analysis from two days of Ohio State recruiting camps on this Tuesday episode of Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

The Buckeyes hosted camps last Thursday and on Monday, and Stephen Means was there. He talks with Doug Lesmerises about:

(1:40) The 2024 commit the Buckeyes landed Monday from Jaylen McClain
(7:20) The defensive 5-stars Ohio State is targeting in this class
(11:10) OSU vs. Georgia recruiting battles
(14:05) 5-star linebacker Sammy Brown choosing Clemson
(17:30) Ohio State's ranking in the 2024 class
(19:00) How many more commits OSU should get this month
(20:02) The remaining recruiting camp schedule
(21:00) The official visitors at Ohio State
(22:14) The 5-stars in Columbus on Monday
(27:30) The opponents making it harder for OSU in recruiting
(38:02) The big target for OSU OL coach Justin Frye
(39:52) Young WR Chris Henry Jr. visits again
(45:00) Previewing OSU pledge Ari Noland at the Elite 11 camp

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. Expect a couple more camp update episodes over the next week.

Faith in Ryan Day: The evolution of Ohio State's coach and how much fans believe in him Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

On this Monday Buckeye Talk, it's a deep dive into Ohio State head coach Ryan Day with Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird.

With the help of a survey of Ohio State text subscribers, Doug and Nathan look at the evolution of Day as a head coach and discuss what might be different, better or worse for the OSU boss as he enters his fifth season. The first four years included three playoff appearances and a 1-2 record against Michigan, so how much do OSU fans believe in Day right now? And how much has he changed after his hiring for the 2019 season with no previous full-time head coach experience?

The topics covered include:

Ohio State's decision to hire Day as a rookie head coach
Comparing Day and Lincoln Riley
Day's changes for the Michigan game and what he felt he did wrong last year
The plan to hand over play calling to Brian Hartline
Overall faith in Day
Faith in Day against Michigan
A comparison for his final evolution as a head coach

And more. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Is Ohio State’s new Big Ten schedule bad for the Buckeyes? Jun 09, 2023

Show notes

The Big Ten released its football opponents for 2024 and 2025 in the new 16-team conference with no divisions. For Ohio State, it’s a new world of games, with teams like Penn State, Michigan State and Rutgers on the schedule less frequently, teams like Northwestern, Illinois and Iowa on the schedule more frequently, and USC and UCLA joining the ranks as new conference opponents.

Over the 24 regular-season games in 2024 and 2025 that had been scheduled for the Buckeyes previously, eight opponents have changed. That includes the Buckeyes no longer playing Penn State every season.

Is this better for Ohio State fans? Worse? Just different? Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird break all that down on the latest Buckeye Talk.

Thanks for listening.

Ohio Stadium home-field advantage, QB plans, Notre Dame trolling and more: Rants Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

It's time for more Ohio State rants on this Thursday Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises responds to the strong words of Ohio State text subscribers.

The topics, in order:

The future of freshman QB Lincoln Keinholz and the history of quarterbacks recruited by the Buckeyes
How Michigan should be covered on Buckeye Talk
Why Josh Simmons should start at right tackle
Home-field advantage at Ohio Stadium
Fat is flavor
Is Notre Dame trolling the Big Ten?
Mobile apps are annoying
Stop talking about Big Ten money

Thanks as always to the texters for their rants and thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

Who's the leading scorer? Will a terrible season pay off? Ohio State basketball reset Jun 07, 2023

Show notes

Last season was a low point for the Ohio State basketball program as the Buckeyes finished 13th in the Big Ten. Will this season's team benefit from the growing pains of a year ago?

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means reset an Ohio State program that should have a rotation this season of three sophomores, three freshmen, three transfers and a senior. Will that work? How much will the rest of the Big Ten stand in their way? Is there an opening for the Buckeyes to take a big jump? All of that is included in this hoops discussion.

First (0:30) is a look at how the Buckeyes might fit in with the Big Ten considering what players other teams kept and lost.

Then (6:46) it's a look at the three big-time returning sophomores, headlined by point guard Bruce Thornton.

Then (19:08) it's a discussion of Brice Sensabaugh going to the NBA Draft.

Then (24:50) the potential freshmen contributors and the transfers (28:17).

Finally (46:04) what could the Buckeyes do better as program, (50:57) where does Chris Holtmann fit in among Big Ten coaches and how (56:30) should Holtmann's job status be viewed?

Thanks for listening to this basketball Buckeye Talk. Next episode is back to football.

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