Ohio State spring tickets are moving:
Over 55k tickets SOLD with less than 2 weeks left! Lets get to 99k!
— Tyler Jones (@trayj08) April 5, 2016
April 16 In #TheShoe #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/k2ReZoCYr6
CLICK HERE to arrange your tickets.
THOMAS GETS TECHNICAL. Remember when Ohio State ransacked Virginia Tech? Ah, the good days in 2015.
Ohio State faced a 3rd-and-5 early in the first quarter against the Hokies. Cardale Jones was the quarterback, and Michael Thomas was lined up outside against Kendall Fuller, one of the nation's top cornerbacks.
Thomas polished off a slant route with a 22-yard reception that put the Buckeyes inside Hokie territory. It's the type of big play that is routinely forgotten through the course of a season, but it went a long way in showing why Thomas is one of the high-rated receivers entering the draft.
From mattwaldmanrsp.com:
Just goes to show that Thomas' evisceration of Fuller went further than the garbage-time touchdown we've all seen but I'm going to share anyway because I'm petty:
Can't wait to watch Thomas' body control in Cleveland while he tries to maintain the frustration of watching yet another RG3 pass sail over his head on 3rd-and-5. (The nice thing about Browns QB jokes is they're compatible with whatever unfortunate soul is thrown into the meat-grinder.)
THE UNSHAKABLE EBNER BOND. Nate Ebner never played organized football until the Dublin rugby star decided to try his hand by walking on to Jim Tressel's Ohio State team.
It was a decision he first ran through his father, as the two had developed an unbreakable bond during Ebner's youth rugby career that took him all over the globe. What he didn't know at the time is it would be the last conversation they'd have.
From espn.com:
In November 2008, during his sophomore year of college, Ebner broached the idea of walking on the Buckeyes football team to his father. Because he wouldn't be able to join the team -- if he made it -- until his third year of college, it wasn't an ideal situation. Jeff Ebner wanted to make sure it was a long-term endeavor for Nate -- not just a short-term fix to quench his competitive thirst.
"He said, 'I don't want to see you throw away all the years and potential you have as a professional rugby player just so you can play football at Ohio State,'" Ebner said. "I told him I wanted to be a professional football player and play in the NFL. He came to terms that if the main goal was to go to the NFL and be elite, then Ohio State was a great platform for that. ... He said, 'If you're going to do it, you have to go all the way. If you want to go to the NFL, you have to be committed.'
"That was the last conversation we had."
I recommend that piece in full. I couldn't imagine losing my father at that age. And while it would be a minor consolation, I think it would make Ebner's football success even more special.
Ebner has also come the full circle in that he's taking time out of football to compete in international rugby tournaments. I'd say his 2008 decision paid off, so let that be an inspiration to any third-year students thinking walking on to Urban Meyer's team.
MARSHALL BETS ON HIMSELF. Jalin Marshall arrived at Ohio State with sky-high expectations thanks to his speed and high school highlight reel, which was ridiculous. Though Marshall didn't disappoint in Columbus, Buckeye fans never saw him weaponized to his full potential.
So when Marshall declared for the draft, Urban Meyer even admitted he was surprised. But Marshall isn't apologizing for betting on himself while also hinting his decision to turn pro wasn't 100 percent football-related.
From saturdaytradition.com:
“It’s tough because you want to know what people say and what people think about you. It matters a bit, especially in the profession that we chose,” he said. “But everybody’s situation is different. They don’t know what’s going on with me. They don’t know why I chose that or why I had to do it. They’re just looking from the outside in.”
So why did he leave early? And did he regret his choice after seeing the criticism?
“I had to get my mindset off of that,” said Marshall, who had the second-most receptions by a freshman in OSU history. “It’s really not about what people say, it’s about what I do and how I perform and what I want for myself. I felt like I was ready to leave and I felt that I learned the things I needed to learn to go to the next level.
“My mindset was no matter what anybody says, I’ve got to make it happen for myself.”
I hope it works out for him. As I mentioned Tuesday, I consider him one of those guys whose success will be determined by where they land. Marshall isn't ready to start in the NFL from Day 1, and it will require a team with patience and a plan if he's to succeed.
Still, I will never hate on a young man for standing up and putting a marker down on his name.
#FF @BUCKSPECIALISTS. J.T. Barrett will be Ohio State's 2016 headliner, but if jersey sales were determined by social media presence he'd fall somewhere behind Ohio State's kicking specialists.
Caption: "This is what happens when they make us run down on the kickoff team."
This is what happens when they make us run down on the kickoff team pic.twitter.com/TGcMDW1ptL
— OSU Specialists (@BuckSpecialists) April 4, 2016
Well, it's not like Urban Meyer brought them to Columbus to shed blocks in the open field.
TO THE GUY DOING THIS: DON'T. Social media, like a lot of things in life, can be used for good or bad. One of the good things is seen above. One of those bad things is it gives someone an opportunity to role play as Ohio State's No. 1 CB on Twitter.
If you think you're following Gareon Conley on Twitter, you're not:
How much fake internet currency has this 100 percent sane person accrued? Tyvis Powell, Darron Lee, Braxton Miller, Mike Thomas, Jacoby Boren, Pat Elflein, Billy Price, and Raekwon McMillan all follow that account.
THOSE WMDs. Dung clue to Hannibal's Alpine crossing... Super-rich discover the risks of Instagram... Afghan flees Taliban, reinvents himself in Sweden... The Voyeur's Motel... Sperm whales found full of car parts and plastic... New Vikings camp in America discovered.
