Folks, the boys are back in town and the local team returns to spring practice at 8:35 a.m. Follow Eric Seger, Tim Shoemaker, Andrew Lind, and Kevin Harrish for Twitter reports from the scene.
Urban Meyer is a man too busy to meet with reporters for 20 minutes, so we're not expecting him. New quarterbacks coach Ryan Day, new linebackers coach Bill Davis, and a "strong selection" of linebackers will be made available afterward.
ICYMI:
- Tom Herman slandered Columbus' weather, and Ohio State, including five-star linebacker Baron Browning and four-star running back J.K. Dobbins, struck back with a "Wanna Be a Baller" remix. The only way the Longhorns come back from this is Tim Beck unleashing a "Hit 'Em Up" verse.
- Better Know a Buckeye: Four-star athlete turned wide receiver Brendon White.
Word of the Day: Felicity.
LOCAL TEAM FAVORED. Penn State won the Big Ten and returns 103% (rough estimate) of their team in 2017. James Franklin has as many B1G championships as Urban Meyer. I can't hate on any Penn State fan who thinks their team is the favorite this year, even if they play OSU outside their den of blood magic.
HOWEVER, there's a case to be made that the Buckeyes are the B1G favorites.
From espn.com:
- Talent
- J.T. Barrett
- Kevin Wilson
- Loaded Front Seven
- Urban Meyer
Meyer wrecked Jim Tressel's best team and it felt like OSU may never win another game. Despite OSU losing the 2016 Fiesta Fiasco worse than 2007, my faith in the combination of Meyer, Wilson, and the defensive line remain steadfast.
That's equity with the populace for which a dictator would murder.
THE GAME AIN'T CHANGED. Luke Fickell left Ohio State to go raise Hell at Cincinnati.
Meyer hired longtime NFL assistant Bill Davis to replace him. And though Kerry Coombs will have an "expanded role" in the game plan, Greg Schiano is the only one rocking the title of defensive coordinator.
Even with the loss of a co-defensive coordinator, Schiano still expects collaborative game-planning.
From cleveland.com:
"It's not different. Really it wasn't Luke (Fickell) and I bouncing (off of each other), it was all four of us -- always," Schiano said during the first week of spring practice.
That won't change. Fickell is gone to Cincinnati, and his co-defensive coordinator title hasn't been assumed by anyone else on the staff. On paper it's Schiano's show. In reality the operation of putting together the Buckeyes' defense will remain the collaborative effort among the defensive line, linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties coaches that it's always been.
So what's the big deal?
Titles and money.
I expect Ohio State to make Schiano its first million dollar man, with Wilson becoming the second shortly thereafter. Fans won't have a problem with that until they raise ticket prices.
I'm just glad the "co-" titles are gone on both sides of the ball.
GENE SMITH LOVE. Some people hate on Gene Smith. I'm of the opinion he's good, although I'll go to my grave salty about the 2011 TaxSlayer.com Bowl. But hey, one bad decision usually doesn't break a career, and it hasn't in Smith's case.
Pitt hired Eastern Michigan athletic director Heather Lyke earlier this week. Lyke started at Ohio State and cited Smith as a mentor. It's just another sign of the impact he's made in his post.
From sportsbusinessdaily.com:
In many ways, Smith is the standard for the modern-day AD who also operates like a CEO. The old model of winning games, hiring coaches and managing the budget might keep the boosters off your back, but it’s never been enough for him. Playing football at Notre Dame in the 1970s changed Smith’s life, and it remains his inspiration to pay it forward.
Smith, as much as anyone in the business, has remade the AD job by creating professional development opportunities for his staff and putting programs in place that make it mandatory for Buckeye athletes to leave campus with a résumé, a set of contacts and an internship. He’s a mentor for aspiring ADs, as Lyke attests, and he’s quick to share ideas, some of which can be found on other campuses.
Smith is the SportsBusiness Journal AD of the Year because of $70 million-plus worth of new facilities for Olympic sports, a then-record $252 million shoe and apparel deal with Nike and a high level of competitive success across the Buckeyes’ 36 sports.
Ohio State will miss Smith whenever he retires. The good news is the university will have plenty of Smith protégés from which to pick when that sad day befalls us.
SMITH STILL DREAM CHASING. Like Dontre Wilson, Corey Smith failed to earn an invite to the Senior Bowl or NFL Combine. The former JUCO transfer isn't ready to hang up his cleats just yet.
He's been preparing for Ohio State's pro day, set for Thursday afternoon at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center:
Smith never put it all together in Columbus, yet he's still an interesting athlete. I could see him catching on in Canada, which as I've said before, is lightweight silky.
LET THE CASE PLAY OUT. Back in late February, crunken Oklahoma starting quarterback Baker Mayfield made the mistake of trying to run from Little Rock police, who promptly ganked him into public architecture.
Mayfield stands charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. He likely won't plead to all those, which is why Sooner coach Bob Stoops is willing to let the justice system adjudicate the case before rendering his own decision.
From espn.com:
"Very disappointed that Baker put himself in that situation," Stoops said Monday, as the Sooners prepared to start spring practice. "His reaction -- he's very hurt he put himself in that situation, as well. I'm sure it's hurt him, embarrassed him."
Stoops said Mayfield would practice this spring, and that a full determination on his status would not be made until the case is resolved. According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, Mayfield has a court date scheduled for April 7.
I too would be disappointed if my starting quarterback partied in Little Rock and not, say, the majestic Ozark Mountains. Doubt Stoops drops the hammer, though.
THOSE WMDs. New "basic economy" airfares may not be as cheap as you think... First-generation college students starting to disappear from college sports... "Bat Man" case: A lurid tale of love and death... Sorry for the delayed response... The long history of the Vietnam novel.
