Programming note: The women's basketball team plays Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
ICYMI:
- Pro day takeaways (read this, if anything).
- Curtis Samuel is fine with lack of natural position.
- Saints coach Sean Payton on OSU players: "They come ready."
- Malik Hooker signed with Jordan Brand.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Sanguine.
BAKER LOOKS TO BUILD. Dante Booker, a former Mr. Ohio Football, waited two years before starting against Bowling Green in 2016. He promptly sprained his MCL and missed the entire season.
That's the kind of injury that could change the outcome of a season. At Ohio State, Urban Meyer's relentless recruiting filled the void. Enter Jerome Baker, a one-time Florida commit, who along with Malik Hooker, became the breakout Silver Bullets in 2016.
Hooker is off to collect his deserved millions. Thankfully for Ohio State fans, the NFL's draconian draft laws prevented Baker from doing the same. Baker looks to build on his breakout sophomore campaign.
From dispatch.com:
"Last year in the beginning I was a young guy, learning from Raekwon, learning from Worley, learning from (Booker)," he said. "This year it's only Worley and Book as far as looking up to. I have to lead by example for the younger guys."
Baker's 2016 season mirrored his team's. Being named one of the nation's 12 best linebackers as a first-year starter is undeniably impressive. The Buckeyes reaching the College Football Playoff with 15 other first-year starters was also a remarkable achievement.
But the 31-0 loss to Clemson lingers in Baker's mind, as it does with all the Buckeyes.
"I got a good taste of college football with the playoff and didn't feel I performed as well (then)," he said. "My goal is to get back there and definitely win both games."
It's too early to talk playoffs, yet that won't stop me from excitement about key players openly talking playoffs during spring ball. That 31-0 shellacking might as well have happened in 1938.
THE SLOB DIET. I mentioned Pat Elflein's body transformation, courtesy of LeCharles Bentley, back in February. Here it is again for the people too busy to read my rambling every day:
2/2 - 6 weeks... The rabbit hole is deep with this one.... It's the process.... @elflein65 #OLPBuiltToDominate pic.twitter.com/4aVR421DKe
— LeCharles Bentley (@OLineWorld65) February 23, 2017
How did he do it? You might be shocked to learn it wasn't through methamphetamine packaged as diet pills. Elflein broke it down for reporters at Thursday's pro day.
From scout.com:
“It’s all diet,” Elflein said Thursday after his Pro Day workout at Ohio State. “Diet, obviously training hard with a great trainer and a great coach in LeCharles Bentley. It’s just all about the way you eat, what you put into your body and training hard.
“Carbohydrates. Low carbohydrates, high fat, moderate protein, it’s the quickest way to get leaner without restricting your calories so you can eat as much as you want. Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat but you get leaner. You’ve just got to watch the carbs and no sugar either.”
Though his weight hasn’t changed all that much – he said he’ still around 300 – his physique did.
No carbs seems easy until you're served those hot loafs at various area restaurants. I can't deny the hot loaf... or the butter coupled with it. Thankfully for your favorite NFL team, I'm not a top offensive lineman prospect.
THE DASH TIMES. The 40-yard dash seems to be an archaic form of measurement, yet we just can't get enough of it. Here are pertinent times from yesterday's extravaganza.
From cleveland.com:
- Noah Brown: 4.57
- Dontre Wilson: 4.59
- Corey Smith: 4.68
Brown (6-2, 220) made money. NFL teams won't be impressed with Smith's and Wilson's times.
Wilson did have a nice catch, though.
From The Lantern:
A LESSON IN ARABIC. Shoutout to every American learning a foreign language. I have yet to master English, so I'm not that bold.
Here's a reminder for Arabic students:
So the word for monkey & the word for ball r similar in Arabic and that's the story of how I wrote ab the OSU foot monkey team on my exam !! pic.twitter.com/pGVb2Q9h60
— Sam (@Samiam1312) March 23, 2017
In Sam's defense, I would also blog about the foot monkey team.
COLUMBUS BOOMING. Move over, Cuyahoga County, there's a new Sheriff in the great state of Ohio.
From bizjournals.com:
Columbus is the population growth king of Ohio.
From April 2010 to July of 2016, the population in the state’s capital city grew 7.3 percent – from 1,902,003 to 2,041,520. That works out to 428 new residents added each week.
That’s according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Worst in Ohio is Cleveland. Its population shrunk from 2,077,258 to 2,055,612. That works out to a loss of 66 people a week, worst in the nation.
I love Cleveland, but those winters are too vicious. Unfortunately, this news won't stop some Clevelanders from looking down their noses at Columbus as a podunk city.
THOSE WMDs. Tom Crean off the court: Random acts of kindness... Alabama's auto boom: Cheap wages, little training, and crushed limbs... The most expensive record never sold... Twitter might build a paid subscription service for power users... Uber's secret weapon.
