Another signing day survived. Thank you to all the #teens who made that a mostly painless process with *almost* everything going completely as planned (looking at you, Terrance Brooks)
Word of the Day: Bout.
BEST OF THE BEST. After all the offseason talk about how Ohio State had the two best receivers in the country, neither one of them turned out to be the best receiver on their own team this season.
That certainly wasn't because they were bad, because both of them are going to end up with trees in Buckeye Grove. It was just that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is an absolute monster and just put up the best receiving season over the past seven years.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 90.2 overall grade in 2021
— PFF College Football (@PFF_College) December 15, 2021
Highest by an Ohio State WR since 2014 pic.twitter.com/25kO3KaAZF
This Tweet is a tad ambiguous. 2014 is the season PFF began grading college players, so I'm not sure if this Tweet means there was a higher-graded receiver in 2014 (Devin Smith?) or if JSN is simply the highest-rated Buckeye receiver since PFF started grading.
Either way, he'll be back next year and that doesn't feel fair to anybody involved.
ONCE AGAIN... In a completely unshocking turn of events, Eli Ricks – who is the top cornerback on the transfer market and is considered by some to be the nation's best cornerback, period – is going to Alabama.
Done deal, lets work ! #RollTide
— Eli (@eliasricks) December 16, 2021
I'm sad to say that I called the absolute shit out of this last month.
This would be extremely cool and good, especially if Sevyn Banks and Cameron Brown both leave after this season, but I'm gonna go ahead and refrain from getting my hopes up. I've seen this movie way too many times to not believe he's going to end up at Alabama.
I should feel better about this knowing Ohio State was the one that passed on him and not the other way around, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to have to watch yet another guy who could have (should have?) been a Buckeye absolutely ball out at Bama.
Jameson Williams, Henry To'oto'o, and now Eli Ricks. Extremely cool! Very good!
“BUILD MY OWN LEGACY.” Four-star running back Dallan Hayden would have been welcomed with open arms at Tennessee as a legacy running back after his father, Aaron Hayden rushed for over 2,000 yards for the Volunteers during his own playing days.
Instead, the younger Hayden chose Ohio State for a chance to write his own story.
I picked Ohio State over a lot of my choices because, all around, it fits me. I wanted to go play for one of the best colleges and have a good track record with the position I play. They have been recently one of the best schools to produce great running backs that have done well in the NFL. It goes from Carlos Hyde to Ezekiel Elliott and JK Dobbins. The list goes on and on.
I wanted to go somewhere where I can build my own legacy. In the state of Tennessee, my family and I are well known. My dad played at the University of Tennessee from 1991-94 and built a great legacy during his time. I felt like I could build my own legacy at Ohio State.
Additionally, I wanted to go to a great academic school where they have a good business program. Ohio State ranks in the top 15 with their business school. A degree in business from there will help me down the road.
Tough to argue with any of that, but I'd still be punching air if I were Tennessee, especially when you end up with the No. 654 player in the country instead.
CLAP BACK. Yesterday, most of Ohio State's incoming 2022 class changed their profile pictures to throwback photos of their respective coaches.
After signing day, Ryan Day made sure he got the last laugh.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/1y1EcD35Vc
— Ryan Day (@ryandaytime) December 15, 2021
You always have to respect a head coach that's willing to clap back at you.
SONG OF THE DAY. "The Percolator" by Cajmere.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. Uber will now let drivers and riders record audio during trips for safety... North Koreans were executed for watching K-pop... What happens if you just simply ignore your student loans... Headlights are too damn bright... Kraft will pay you $20 not to make cheesecake for Christmas... A Harvard scientist, accused of lying about his links to China, goes on trial...
