Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Latest Episodes:

Ohio State rapid fire: Coaching succession plans, Big Ten divisions, Jim Knowles recruiting and more Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, it's a load of Ohio State football questions in rapid fire and a little nonsense with Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means.

The topics:

(0:30) Will a Big Ten with no divisions be good or bad?
(27:35) Who's the next defensive line coach after Larry Johnson?
(40:59) What's wrong with freshmen offensive linemen playing?
(49:58) Eating food off the bone
(56:11) Greg Studrawa's health in his last years at OSU and what the effect was
(1:03:27) What to think of Jim Knowles' recruiting?
(1:13:44) Will any schools ever get punished over NIL?
(1:24:19) Eliminating hurdling over tacklers?
(1:32:00) Angry Bama vs. Angry Doug

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Will Marvin Harrison Jr. break Jaxon Smith-Njigba's receiving record? Mark It Down Monday Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

Jaxon Smith-Njigba set Ohio State's single-season receiving record with 1,606 yards in 2021. Will Marvin Harrison Jr. break that record in 2023?

On this edition of Mark It Down Monday, where Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means make specific predictions for Ohio State's football season, the subject is MHJ receiving yards.

Last season he had 1,263 yards, the fourth-most in any Ohio State season. What will he do now?

The guys discuss everything that will affect his stats:

The quarterback play of Kyle McCord or Devin Brown
What the Buckeyes want their offensive style and strategy to be
The role of Emeka Egbuka, who had 1,151 receiving yards last season, and how that will affect Harrison's numbers
How much defenses will try to take Harrison away
How many times the Buckeyes targeted Harrison last season and if they'll do it more this season
How many games Harrison should play this season, whether it be 12, 14 or 15

And then Doug, Nathan and Stephen Mark It Down -- predicting the Marv yards and whether he'll top JSN's mark.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Is a national title Ohio State's standard of success? A fiery debate Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

An Ohio State text subscriber asked Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means this question;

How should Ohio State (and by extension its fans) handle national championship expectations?

That question created a lot more questions, and that created a lot of debate on this Friday episode of Buckeye Talk.

Looking at Ohio State's history and Ohio State's current place in college football, Doug, Nathan and Stephen got into what fans should expect and how they should look at this recent run of Ohio State history, which in the last 52 seasons includes two national titles in 2002 and 2014.

With the help of some interesting survey answers from Ohio State text subscribers, the guys dug deep on whether a national title is the standard of Ohio State success.

This one got a little off the rails, which is nothing new, so thanks as always for listening to Buckeye Talk.

The latest from Ohio State assistants Brian Hartline, Justin Frye and Corey Dennis on the offense Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

It's time to talk Ohio State offensive assistants on this Thursday Buckeye Talk as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means discuss their conversations with staffers this week.

That starts (0:30) with offensive line coach Justin Frye and what he's thinking about the offensive line, including his first chance to discuss the offensive tackle the Buckeyes added in the portal after spring football, Josh Simmons.

Then it's onto (21:37) offensive coordinator and receivers coach Brian Hartline. That includes his few comments on the recent off-road vehicle accident that sent him to the hospital, plus the addition of his former NFL head coach, Joe Philbin, to the OSU staff.

Finally (56:00), it's quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and his comments on the QB battle, plus check-ins with tight ends coach Keenan Bailey, running backs coach Tony Alford and special teams coach Parker Fleming.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

Jim Knowles changes his mind, and 11 Tommy Eichenbergs May 31, 2023

Show notes

Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has adjusted his view on at least one aspect of the Buckeyes' defense, and that was among the topics discussed when OSU coaches met with reporters on Tuesday.

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means debate everything they learned from the defensive coaches. The offensive coaches discussion will be on the Thursday pod.

That starts with (0:30) Knowles, the defensive coordinator, changing his view on something about the players who could be on the field. That relates both to linebacker C.J. Hicks and to (23:16) the safeties.

There's talk of defensive players added to the roster recently in Tywone Malone and Lorenzo Styles Jr.

And (51:12) there's another explanation from Knowles about last year's defense that tells you something about this year's defense. That's where the 11 Tommy Eichenbergs come in.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Ohio State football's next head coach? Here's the list May 30, 2023

Show notes

On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, an Ohio State text subscriber asked where Ohio State might turn if Ryan Day and the Buckeyes win the national title this season and Day is lured away to the NFL.

Doug Lesmerises thinks the next OSU head coach would come from this list. And he offered these categories for candidates:

Huge names you'd have to call
OSU connections who might not have the experience ... yet
Established coaches currently not working
Current head coaches who are winning but without direct OSU ties
Current head coaches with direct OSU ties

Maybe there's a name in your head that Doug doesn't mention, but the hope is that this list covers the bases, because an AD always needs to be prepared.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Ohio State vs. Michigan football recruiting -- How big is the gap? May 26, 2023

Show notes

It's an Ohio State-Michigan recruiting discussion on this Buckeye Talk with Doug Lesmerises and Stephen Means.

(0:30) An overview of where things stand in the 2024 class
(4:12) Buckeyes vs. Wolverines with their future quarterbacks
(15:19) How the teams landed their running backs in the 2024 class
(29:26) A lot of the offensive line recruits know each other
(36:32) Michigan recruiting efforts in Ohio
(44:44) The Buckeyes still generally recruit better than Michigan in the rankings, but how big is the gap?

Thanks for listening to another Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Jim Tressel, Kevin Warren, 9-3, and Michigan's mistake: Ohio State rants May 25, 2023

Show notes

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises is back with Ohio State rants ranging from Kevin Warren to Jim Tressel.

The topics:

(0:30) How much did former Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren confuse things with the new Big Ten TV deal and what does it mean for fans?
(16:40) Doug was wrong about a 9-3 season in 2019 -- but could it happen this season?
(26:48) Comparing this OSU offensive line to the 2014 offensive line
(33:54) Jim Tressel as a title-winning play caller
(44:09) Should Tressel dot the i against Youngstown State?
(48:06) What could the ACC's future mean for the Big Ten?
(53:28) Michigan making a hiring mistake

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

Ohio State QB confusion -- What's normal and what's not? May 24, 2023

Show notes

On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking Ohio State quarterbacks.

Specifically, what should have fans concerned or confused about this OSU quarterback competition and where it stands, and what is an absolutely typical part of the process?

Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss the evolution of Kyle McCord, and how it compares to quarterback battles at places like Georgia and Alabama. And they look at some good teams with established quarterbacks, like Week 4 OSU foe Notre Dame, and ask if the Buckeyes should follow that plan, maybe with a transfer quarterback, or whether the way they are handling it is better for them with bigger upside.

This isn't as much about quarterback play -- it's about quarterback feelings. And it was time to analyze how OSU fans might be viewing this.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

The 2023 Ohio State Buckeyes as a super team -- Is it still possible? May 23, 2023

Show notes

In July 2021, with five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers among the major recruits just committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes, Buckeye Talk considered the idea of 2023 Ohio State as a national title team.

As a super team. As potentially one of the best teams in college football history.

Now, with the start of the 2023 season just over three months away, an Ohio State text subscriber wanted to know if Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means still thought that was possible.

If not, what changed? If so, what kind of season could these Buckeyes?

Over the last two years, the guys have referenced that 2023 super team pod a few times. On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, they dug back into.

The strength of that 2021 recruiting class, the players who are now preparing to be third-year Buckeyes, drove that conversation, and on this episode, Doug, Nathan and Stephen went back through all those recruits, how their careers have gone, and how the reality has compared to the initial perception.

From quarterback to cornerback, from defensive end to running back, and of course at receiver, how on track are the Buckeyes from what they were projected to be?

That’s the Tuesday Buckeye Talk. Thanks as always for listening.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected