The rumors are true – today is the day of my birth. I have now plagued this earth for 26 years. Have an Arby's in my honor.
Let's just go ahead and skip a step and direct any and all monetary gifts directly to my beautiful wife, because lord knows that's where it's gonna go anyway.
Word of the Day: Maelstrom.
DIGITAL 'KROOTIN. It ain't easy to convince a top football teen to come to your school in the first place, but there's an added level of difficulty when you can't even let said football teen visit your campus due to a global pandemic.
Thankfully, Ohio State's already well-versed in what's currently one of the only remaining communication options: social media.
For nearly four months, in-person recruiting has been suspended due to the pandemic, leaving college coaches unable to invite prospects to campus for the usual springtime visits or summer camps.
That leaves social media feeds as one of the few visible windows into Ohio State for prospects, one of the limited forms of engagement.
“There are a lot of ways we use our social media,” said Zach Swartz, OSU football’s director of creative media and post-production, “but one of the big ways is to be that front door for recruits to see what it’s like, to want to come on a visit, want to see what the culture is like firsthand.
“Usually, they have that opportunity to come right after that. Now, we’re really having to rely heavily on digital.”
Hey, with the number of kids firmly committed to the program before they've even stepped foot on campus, I'd say whatever Zach and his team are doing is working wonders.
“I WOULDN'T DO IT.” My brain's never wanted to entertain the possibility, but it's becoming more and more real to me that we might never see Justin Fields play in a Buckeye uniform ever again.
If football season is moved to the spring, I just can't see why a sure top-10 or top-5 pick in the draft – which is currently slated to take place during what would likely be the middle of a spring season – would seriously entertain playing.
I know I sure as hell wouldn't advise him to play, and neither would his personal quarterback trainer, Quincy Avery.
"I know what I'll tell them. I'll say it doesn't make sense for you to play this upcoming year. I wouldn't do it. It's not going to help you."
At the end of the day, Fields can do what he'd like, and I'd certainly welcome him with open arms if the season's moved to spring and he wants to play anyway. But I also remember that he openly admits his decision to come to Ohio State was primarily a business decision to get to the NFL. I'd fully expect him to make another business decision, if given the chance, and I certainly couldn't fault him for it.
But let's just make all this talk moot by having a fall season, eh?
FUN POLICE. Ohio State's vice president of student life, Melissa Shivers, drew the short stick and now has the unfortunate and impossible task of convincing college students to refrain from partying.
In all seriousness, I have a feeling this is going to go over about as well as when I was in school and her predecessor politely requested that we all stop jumping in a frozen pond. She tried her best, and even erected fences to stop us, but then a guy delivered the Braveheart Speech, we kicked down the fences and that was that.
Personally, I think that the students definitely should stop partying – I can think of fewer better transmitters of The Very Bad Virus than shared cups of warm beer – and I certainly don't fault Dr. Shivers for her earnest efforts. But when I was in school, it took somebody dying to get us to stop doing something that was very clearly a much worse idea than gathering as a group for a house party. Nothing's going to change after this.
Do I think it's particularly wise to throw bangers amid a global pandemic? Of course not. But college students have never been accused of being wise, and if Ohio State's only gameplan to stop it is a YouTube video from a vice president, then folks, I think we should probably pack it up and go home.
2020 AIN'T ALL BAD. It's been an impressively shitty year, but as a newly married man, I can attest that there are certainly pockets of joy to be found.
Tyvis Powell found one.
Today my life just got better. At 9:09am @lwalk32 and I welcomed our baby girl Leiliana(Lay-Lee-Ah-Nah) Marie Powell to this world. God is truly good! Best blessing in the world. 6lbs. 19.5 inches
— Tyvis Powell (@1Tyvis) July 8, 2020
With Tyvis welcoming the beautiful Leiliana, it's natural to question how his large adult son is going to adjust to change. But so far, he seems to be taking it like a champ.
Wait what? Boi dong make me cry on Twitter https://t.co/DLXSeclUpS
— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) July 8, 2020
Congrats, Tyvis and Lauren!
BIA. Here's a gentle reminder that Ohio State's secondary last year was just ungodly good.
Fewest receptions allowed among Big Ten CBs with 50+ targets:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 8, 2020
1. Jeffrey Okudah - 23
2. Damon Arnette - 25 pic.twitter.com/4ZHlvpCv5Y
Next do Shaun Wade!
SONG OF THE DAY. "In Da Club" by 50 Cent.
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