It's late June (!) which means we're not too far away from Ohio State opening up fall camp ahead of the 2017 season. The Eleven Warriors Offseason Mailbag is here in the meantime to help bridge that gap.
The Basketbucks will no doubt take a large 2018 recruiting class. That being said, how many young men come on board and who do you think they will be? — 703Buckeye
Chris Holtmann said he doesn't usually like to use all 13 scholarships due to the logjam it creates. If you've got 13 scholarship guys, well, you can't play all 13 so it usually causes some unhappiness which leads to a transfer or two.
With that said, Ohio State has five open scholarships for the 2018 class as of right now and I'd expect this group to have at least four players in it. There are three in-state targets I think are crucial for the Buckeyes to land: Dwayne Cohill, Dane Goodwin and Jerome Hunter.
Holtmann also said he'd like to add a big man in this group since Ohio State is rather thin and it'd also probably be beneficial if the Buckeyes landed another guard, too. I'm not ready to predict who those will be at this point.
I'll say they take at least four, but wouldn't be surprised if this class is five.
Is the more basketball recruiting news due to the staff being new or are they doing more work on the recruiting trail? — Smanpoint10
It's more that the staff is new.
There were quite a few players this staff was tied to at Butler who didn't have Ohio State interest — or at least an offer yet — so right now, it's about letting those prospects know the staff is still interested despite the change. They're also targeting other players they didn't at Butler because of the Ohio State brand.
It's been kind of a hectic couple of weeks for sure, and we'll start to see who the staff is really serious about when the July evaluation period begins.
Give us your early impressions of our new basketball coach — Seattle Linga
I think he's doing and saying a lot of the right things. It's a difficult situation, taking over a team at this point in the offseason, but it appears Chris Holtmann is off to a fine start. The addition of Kyle Young was huge.
Ultimately, though, it's going to come down to that 2018 recruiting class. That group will shape the future of this program and Holtmann and Co. have to nail it.
Do you believe Ohio State will have a successful season despite the present situation with depth? — ICouldNotGoFor3
I guess that depends on how you define successful. Do I think Ohio State will make the NCAA tournament? I'd be surprised if that happened. But I still think it could have a successful first season under Holtmann. As long as there is visual evidence of the team improving, I think that's a successful season on the floor.
Who is the best football player the Bucks will face this season? — Bucklox
Saquon Barkley and I'm not sure it's all that close. That dude is a monster.
Who is Weber's primary backup, and how many carries do you see them getting per game? — Stuckupnorth
I think both Demario McCall and J.K. Dobbins will be used — McCall in more of a hybrid role and Dobbins as more of the true No. 2 running back. I also think Parris Campbell will see a few carries out of the backfield.
That's a pretty crowded backfield with Weber receiving the majority of the touches. I'm not sure how any of the other options see more than five carries a game on average unless someone emerges as the true complement to Weber. That's impossible to tell right now.
Who's the one (or a few) players you are most looking forward to seeing suit up this fall either for the first time as true freshmen — JohnnyKozmo
I've heard nothing but good things about J.K. Dobbins, so I'm excited to see if he gets the chance to carry the ball this fall. I'm also interested to see if Chase Young can crack the absurdly talented defensive end rotation because I think Young is crazy good. And I've always been intrigued by Jeffrey Okudah and Shaun Wade. I think they can be a first-round tandem by the time they're both finished in Columbus.
What's more likely to happen, Mike Weber rushes for more than 1,300 yards or Ohio State has 2 WRs combine for over 1,300 yards? — RunEddieRun1983
I think the answer here is Weber. He ran for nearly 1,100 yards last season as a freshman and I anticipate he'll get more touches this year as a sophomore. I don't know that Ohio State's passing attack will be centered around one or two guys — I anticipate it being much more balanced — so I'm not sure two guys total 1,300 yards together.
What, if anything, can be done to make Value City Arena an intimidating environment to visiting teams? — FitzBuck
To be honest, nothing really.
If the team is good then more people show up and it becomes a bit louder that way. But the arena is entirely too large for a program like Ohio State to have it consistently filled. Win more games and it will become as intimidating as it can be, but it doesn't hold a candle to some of the other arenas around the league.
I guess they could allow students to have more tickets but Ohio State seems pretty content with the number it allows right now.
Who's your preseason defensive MVP? — MAVBuck
Tyquan Lewis, perhaps the most under-appreciated defensive player in the last three years.
Despite the consistent news that J.T. has improved his passing game or that Wilson or Day commenting about that improvement, why should hold out hope our WR play will improve? — Mjfiore
This might not be the answer you were searching for, but I wouldn't be overly optimistic about the wide receiver improvement. I think there is talent but I need to see it first before I actually believe it. The staff likes to hype up a lot of players who don't often produce big-time results on the field; a lot of that hype comes from the wideouts.
I do, however, think the offensive change with Kevin Wilson calling the shots will help things and open them up a little. Still, though, the receivers have to find a way to get open.
I just have to know, what are the odds that Dane Goodwin rejoins the class? — Rosenbuck
Fairly decent, I'd say. He was really high on Notre Dame after his decommitment but the addition of Robby Carmody probably eliminated the Irish from consideration. Seems to me it's between Ohio State and Villanova right now and I think it's pretty clear Ohio State would offer him the better chance to see the floor early.
What do you believe to be the best vacation options staying inside Ohio's borders? — Toad1204
Saved this for last, but during the summer it's definitely Put-In-Bay for me. I also enjoy a weekend in a cabin in Hocking Hills, as well. Both are wonderful spots in this great state.
