Buckeye Talk: Ohio State Podcast By Cleveland.com

Ohio State and Michigan play this weekend, with the winner potentially taking the driver's seat for the Big Ten championship and rising even higher than its current lofty national stature. That is how we should be talking about The Game every November, but alas, the Wolverines are not living up their end. Of course last football season, we did not even get to have The Game. But Sunday's men's basketball matchup at Value City Arena between No. 4 OSU and No. 3 Michigan gives us a small taste of the rivalry. We use this big weekend for the Buckeyes to jump into a conversation on where the program stands and where it could be headed under Chris Holtmann. But it's not all football talk, as we discussed how the programs complement each other and what it means when both are among the best in the nation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many months ago, a text subscriber posted the question: What one quarterback, one running back and three receivers would you pick from the year 2000-on for Ohio State football? We decided that challenge was not tough enough. Doug, Nathan and Stephen picked TWO quarterbacks, TWO running backs and FOUR receivers from that era. Even better, the did so via a draft, so they could take the players each other hoped to get and critique the picks their podmates ended up making. Also, what one album, one book and one male and female celebrity would you take if stranded on a deserted island for one year? All of that and more on the Big Wednesday edition of Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Al Washington stays put in Ohio. Ohio State adds analysts to staff. C.J. Barnett hired as director of player development. Minor adjustments to 20-21 college football season. Ohio State vs. Michigan face off in basketball this coming Sunday.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're kicking off the week with a rapid-fire edition of Buckeye Talk. Among the Tuesday topics: What role does diversity play in hiring assistant coaches, is an Alabama-like dynasty attainable for the Buckeyes, would you take Ryan Day over other national coaches to lead a program over the next decade and who would win an arm wrestling match between Nathan and Stephen? (Notice no one asked how Doug would fare in that competition.) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a week of speculation, Al Washington is staying at Ohio State as linebackers coach -- and, we assume, some other change in title and duties. The Tennessee defensive coordinator job will not be the only one dangled in front of the Buckeyes' rising young defensive assistant in the coming years. But for 2021, would losing Washington have potentially punched a hole in Buckeyes' season that would have been difficult to repair? Doug, Nathan and Stephen also discuss the addition of analysts on offense and defense and the return of C.J. Barnett in a player development role. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the second installment of Buckeye Future Fridays -- BFFs if you're short for time -- Nathan and Stephen take a look at the national recruiting map. Ohio State has enjoyed great success in both California and Texas, but major programs in those states are in the process of turning things around. OSU has also exploited other areas when home-state programs take a dip, such as New Jersey. So where could the Buckeyes next make similar inroads and pick up some big recruiting wins over multiple years? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Thursday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, the episode is split into two parts. Up first, Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss fifth-year seniors in the OSU program, how they help the Buckeyes, which members of the 2017 recruiting class now in Year 5 could help in 2021, and how fifth-year seniors could help playoff pushes in 2022 and 2023. Is the transfer portal lessening the chances of finding Buckeyes who pop in Year 5? And are Ohio recruits more likely to be those Year 5 guys? Then, Doug interviews Clay Raterman, because he's ripped. Not Doug, but Clay. He walked on the Ohio State football team in 2017 while at the same time competing in American Ninja Warrior competitions. Clay talks about why he was so motivated to try to play football at Ohio State, how he balanced football and Ninja Warrior at the same time, and the difference between training for football and for warrior competitions. Fun stuff. Thanks for making Buckeye Talk part of your week. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out informa

For this week's Big Wednesday episode we are taking a big leap into the future. We already projected the 2021 depth chart, but that was child's play. What will Ohio State's starting offensive and defensive lineups be in 2023? Obviously, accuracy is not the goal here. A similar exercise in 2017 only predicted 11 of 22 spots for 2020. However, it opened some interesting discussions of what we expected from the good young players on the current Buckeyes roster and how quickly we think incoming recruits and prospects -- some of whom remain uncommitted -- will make an impact. Also, we discussed Tennessee's pursuit of Al Washington to be its defensive coordinator, including why or why not the Volunteers make sense as his next destination and why his departure would be a big loss for Ohio State. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL season is over, and the 2021 draft in Cleveland is two months away. Buckeye Talk wanted to wrap up one and look ahead to the other by taking stock of the best Buckeyes in the pros as of the end of the 2021 season. Doug, Nathan and Stephen each ranked their top 10, as did our Buckeye Talk text subscribers. Would you still rank Michael Thomas No. 1 despite his odd and injury shortened 2021 season? Which pass rusher would you rank the highest? How high should Ezekiel Elliott rank coming off of a sub-par performance? Doug also lists his man team of current OSU NFL players, and we speculate which other college programs could put together a similar team. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State shifts attention to 2022 recruiting season. Ohio State coaching staff changes. Ohio State spring football practice right around the corner. NFL award for former Ohio State defender Chase Young. Ohio State assistant coach Al Washington targeted by Tennessee as potential defensive coordinator. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wrapping up the week on Buckeye Talk we delve back into the 2021 quarterback battle. The Buckeyes know they will have an unproven quarterback from Day 1, which is something no playoff team from the previous seven seasons can say. However, some of those teams had great success or won national championship games with true or redshirt freshmen quarterbacks. One example was Ohio State in 2014, which made its playoff push with redshirt freshman J.T. Barrett. What does that season tell us about what might lie ahead for Kyle McCord, Jack Miller and C.J. Stroud? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fridays will be all about recruiting on Buckeye Talk throughout the offseason. Nathan and Stephen teamed up to take a look around the Big Ten Conference in the wake of Wednesday's national signing day. Things were quiet for Ohio State, but other teams landed some notable names or signed a big portion of their class. Which teams had strong recruiting cycles for 2021, and which ones lacked impact? Then they take a closer look at what the Buckeyes still need to accomplish in the 2022 recruiting cycle. Ohio State already has 10 commitments for the class, but some positions with major needs are still looking for their first pledge. Stephen and Nathan rank 10 position groups based on urgency to complete this class. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ohio State signed a grand total of ... no one on Wednesday's national signing day. But the Buckeyes still gave us plenty of news to talk about as Ryan Day made official the promotion of Matt Barnes to secondary coach and former quality control coach Parker Fleming to special teams coordinator. Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss what this means for defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and why focusing on the secondary made sense. But they also scrutinized Day's obvious preference for promoting and bringing back familiar faces and whether that could be a problem down the road. Also, Nathan and Stephen wrap up the show with a deeper look at Ohio State men's basketball, which plays a huge game at Iowa on Thursday night. Could this Buckeyes team be Final Four caliber? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Time for another Big Wednesday pod, and this one happens to fall on the first day of the late signing period. So we continue our week-long recruiting theme with a look back at Ohio State's 2018 signing class, which remains mostly intact entering those players' fourth seasons in 2021. Doug Lesmerises provides historical perspective on what else was happening in the Buckeye program on February's signing day in 2018. That class was OSU's second in a row to be ranked No. 2 in the nation. However, unlike the heralded 2017 class, the top prospects in the 2018 group did not achieve individual success as quickly. Which 2018 players who have yet to secure a major role are best poised to finally break through in 2021? More to the point, which players does OSU NEED to break through this fall? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The late signing period for the 2021 class begins Wednesday, and Class of 2022 recruiting is already well underway for Ohio State. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means take a look at the national landscape and debate whether the Buckeyes -- a runner-up for the nation's top recruiting class a handful of times in the past decade, can ever sign the No. 1 class. More specifically, is Alabama such a different animal from a recruiting standpoint that OSU should not even compare itself to the perennial champ. They break down how class size plays a role, and specifically, why a smaller class size in 2022 may play a factor in future rankings. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Four Buckeyes play in the Senior Bowl. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this Saturday Buckeye Talk Podcast, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means ask questions about one of the most controversial former Buckeyes in recent years -- Tate Martell. But it's not only about Tate, for those who are tired of the one-time OSU quarterback who transferred two years ago without starting a game. The guys, with the help of a texter survey, dig into how OSU fans feel about players who transfer, and whether that might change in the future. They also look at some other transfer quarterbacks in the Big Ten this offseason, discuss how successful the Buckeyes might have been with Martell at quarterback, talk about where Martell should go next now that he's transferring again, and then end the pod with how many marshmallows they could fit in their mouths. It's Martell and marshmallows on Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We critiqued the Ohio State offensive assistant coaches earlier this week. Now it's time to tackle the other side of the ball. Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means give their A-F grades for each defensive assistant, and so do our text subscribers. Also, which assistant on the entire staff did the best job in 2020, and which one has the toughest challenge ahead for 2021? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some Ohio State fans were probably surprised that Michigan opted to give Jim Harbaugh a new contract -- even one with nearly unprecedented terms. Over the past couple of weeks he has also revamped his entire staff. Almost every position either turned over with a new coach coming in or saw a change in duties. The staff is also almost entirely comprised of coaches in their 30s. Could this be a turning point for the Wolverines? Doug, Nathan and Stephen discuss the possible benefits of this new approach, and debate whether or not it can put Michigan back in position to compete with Ohio State and beyond. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this big Wednesday Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means run through 15 rapid fire questions from Ohio State text subscribers. Most of them are about the offense, with a few focused on the looming QB battle. Other question topics include which Buckeye might wear the Block O jersey in 2021; linebacker K'Vaughan Pope; receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba; potential replacements for athletic director Gene Smith; which player might make for an interesting position switch; the best QB Ohio State has ever beaten; and something we could eat 1,000 of in a year. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices