Real Pod Wednesdays

There’s been no shortage of Ohio State football and basketball happenings over the past week.

On the gridiron, Ohio State has now completed 10 of its 15 spring practices, highlighted by its Student Appreciation Day scrimmage on Saturday. Jeremiah Smith and C.J. Hicks are among the Buckeyes turning heads on the practice field while quarterback and offensive line remain Ohio State’s biggest question marks with a week-and-a-half of spring ball to go. Who will coach the running backs is no longer a question, though, with the hiring of Carlos Locklyn to replace Tony Alford.

On the hardcourt, postseason roster movement is in full swing for Ohio State men’s basketball as the Buckeyes made a big splash in the transfer portal by adding Meechie Johnson but subsequently lost one of their top players with the departure of Roddy Gayle Jr., who joined Scotty Middleton and Bowen Hardman as Buckeyes who have gone portaling since the season ended last week.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:58: It’s no longer a question of whether Jeremiah Smith will start but how good he’ll be right away
• 5:27: Will Howard leaving the door open for Devin Brown, maybe even Julian Sayin to be starting QB
• 12:43: C.J. Hicks seems to be making a move toward a breakout season
• 16:21: Ohio State’s defensive tackle depth looks promising with emergence of second-year players
• 18:54: Bryson Rodgers doesn’t have a clear path to the field yet, but he’s making a case for himself
• 21:05: Luke Montgomery, Josh Fryar looking likely to be starting right side of offensive line
• 26:28: Ohio State’s offensive line doesn’t look great yet, but it at least looks better than last year
• 28:47: Carlos Locklyn looks like a good running back coach hire despite his limited experience
• 35:03: Tim Drevno should be valuable asset for offensive line, adds pressure for Justin Frye
• 39:00: Meechie Johnson is a great addition, but transfer portal has been a net loss for OSU so far
• 42:15: Ohio State still in the market for another transfer guard (Matt Allocco? Bronny James?) 
• 45:28: Is Meechie an upgrade over Roddy Gayle? That depends on how you look at it
• 46:50: Adding a wing becomes an even bigger portal priority with Scotty Middleton gone
• 47:51: Ohio State needs to add another player in the frontcourt, too
• 49:40: OSU could put together a quality lineup with its current players, but proven depth is lacking
• 51:35: Bowen Hardman’s departure comes as no surprise
• 52:32: Jake Diebler must now prove he can land impact transfers without clear Ohio State ties

The offseason is officially underway for both Ohio State basketball teams.

Ohio State’s men’s basketball season ended Tuesday with the Buckeyes’ loss to Georgia in the NIT quarterfinals while the women’s basketball season concluded with an upset defeat to Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. While both teams had hopes of continuing their seasons further, the focus for both teams now turns to the offseason – particularly what they will do in the transfer portal to bolster their rosters for 2024-25.

After starting this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays with some shoutouts for Ohio State’s newly crowned national champions, we dive into what next year’s rosters could look like for both Buckeye basketball teams and what they both need to add in the portal. Later in the show, we talk about the latest developments for Ohio State football including Jeremiah Smith’s historically fast black stripe removal, the emergence of Jason Moore as a defensive tackle to watch and the ongoing search for a new running backs coach.

The full rundown of where you can hear us talk about a variety of topics in this week’s show:

• 0:07: Ohio State women’s hockey and pistol teams are elite
• 5:14: Ohio State wrestling’s future looks bright with national champion Jesse Mendez leading the way
• 9:20: The end of Ohio State’s men’s basketball season felt like a success despite Tuesday’s loss
• 15:11: Ohio State has a good core to build around if it can retain key juniors and sophomores
• 19:57: Adding a forward to replace Jamison Battle is Ohio State’s biggest transfer portal need
• 22:18: Meechie Johnson, Jalen Sullinger, Matt Allocco among potential transfer guard targets
• 29:12: The start of the offseason will be telling of Jake Diebler’s readiness to be a head coach
• 30:43: Jake Diebler’s hiring will be judged by if his Buckeyes outperform Dusty May’s Wolverines
• 34:34: Rebounding, lack of depth among flaws that cost Ohio State women’s basketball
• 40:05: Ohio State women need to add transfer center, guard who can make immediate impact
• 46:11: Jeremiah Smith’s black stripe removal adds more fuel to the hype train
• 49:24: Brandon Inniss, Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins hype also continues to grow
• 52:11: Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks expect to be on the field together in some situations
• 53:44: Jason Moore emerges as a player to watch in defensive tackle rotation
• 55:23: Ohio State should be able to rotate more on defensive line this year, but how much should it?
• 57:18: The running back coach search continues, but Ohio State doesn’t need to make a panic hire
• 1:01:00: C.J. Stroud’s pro day appearance shows why he’s an ideal ambassador for Ohio State

Ohio State men’s basketball has a new head coach while Ohio State football has an unexpected opening for a running backs coach. Both teams have championship expectations.

The Ohio State basketball coaching search ended over the weekend when Jake Diebler was promoted from interim coach to head coach. While Diebler has never been a full-time head coach before, making it anyone’s guess how he will ultimately fare as a long-term head coach, Ohio State is projecting nothing but confidence in Diebler, making it clear they believe he can build the Buckeyes back into a championship contender.

Ohio State football, meanwhile, had a surprise staff vacancy pop up last Wednesday when Tony Alford left the Buckeyes to become the running backs coach at Michigan. Ryan Day didn’t seem too concerned about Alford’s exit during his press conference on Tuesday, though, stating that Ohio State has already identified an “excellent” group of candidates and that he believes the Buckeyes can have “the best offensive staff in the country.”

Day also showed confidence on Tuesday in several players who are currently competing for starting jobs in spring practice, namely right tackle Josh Fryar, tight end Gee Scott Jr. and wide receiver Brandon Inniss, who all drew considerable praise from Ohio State’s head man after the Buckeyes’ third spring practice.

With spring practice back in full swing for Ohio State football, Ohio State men’s basketball looking to make an NIT run with its head coach, Ohio State women’s basketball hoping to make a deep NCAA Tournament run and three other Ohio State sports teams having a chance to win national championships this weekend, it’s an extremely busy week in Ohio State sports, giving us lots to talk about on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

The full rundown:

• 1:08: Jake Diebler’s hire came a bit sooner than expected, but it had good reason to make a move now
• 5:37: Ross Bjork makes it clear the expectation for Diebler is to win championships
• 7:08: Jake Diebler’s authentic passion for Ohio State can help him succeed as OSU’s head coach
• 15:12: Rebuilding the coaching staff, adding transfers among Diebler’s first tests as head coach
• 25:09: Getting back to the Sweet 16 should be the goal for Diebler’s first season
• 26:04: Tony Alford’s departure was a surprise, but Ryan Day expects an “excellent” replacement
• 27:25: Ohio State could be trying to pry DeMarco Murray away from his alma mater
• 29:33: It seems like both Day and Alford were ready for a change
• 30:35: Ohio State can afford to take its time with RB coach search because of who it has at RB
• 33:54: Robert Gillespie, Deland McCullough, Stan Drayton also among logical RB coach candidates
• 35:03: Ryan Day is smart to involve the current running backs in the RB coach search
• 37:15: Ohio State’s Jim Tressel-inspired special teams coaching plan appears to be a sound one
• 41:21: Buckeyes getting used to helmet communication, which could lead to more creative play calls
• 44:09: Josh Fryar solidifying his status as Ohio State’s starting right tackle so far this offseason
• 47:17: Gee Scott Jr. is putting himself in position to be Ohio State’s starting tight end
• 50:28: Brandon Inniss showing Ryan Day and us that he can be an impact player this year
• 55:12: Pro Day will give us our first real glimpse at Will Howard vs. Devin Brown
• 56:25: Ohio State women’s basketball can beat anyone at its best but faces tough road to Final Four
• 1:01:08: Women’s hockey, pistol and synchronized swimming are all on natty watch this weekend
• 1:03:02: Houston and UConn are our NCAA Tournament picks (plus a bonus NIT pick from Andy)

It’s a season-defining week for Ohio State men’s basketball.

The Buckeyes are headed to the Big Ten Tournament with a chance to earn their way into the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to win at least two games in Minneapolis – which means beating an equally desperate Iowa team and a top-15-ranked Illinois team – to have a real shot of landing a spot in the bracket on Selection Sunday.

Meanwhile, Ohio State’s search for its next head coach continues to unfold behind the scenes. Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May seems to be emerging as the frontrunner while Alabama’s Nate Oats has entered the conversation and Xavier’s Sean Miller remains in the mix. Jake Diebler could continue to build his case for the job, too, if he leads Ohio State on a Big Ten Tournament run that gets the Buckeyes into the Big Dance.

We discuss all of that on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays. We also talk about the most interesting things we learned from last Thursday’s Ohio State football interviews with Jim Knowles and eight of his defensive veterans, including the revelation that Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau could play some snaps at outside linebacker, Denzel Burke’s high praise for Jeremiah Smith and his less positive assessment of Will Howard’s first two days of spring practice.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00: Ohio State must win at least two games in Minneapolis to have an NCAA Tournament shot
• 4:33: It’s good to see Jake Diebler publicly vouching for his team to make the NCAA Tournament
• 6:54: Recent results might not carry as much weight with selection committee as OSU would like
• 9:24: Defensive improvement has keyed OSU’s recent success, and that must continue this week
• 10:19: Bench production, aggressive play will also be important factors for OSU in Minneapolis
• 14:12: Yes, a first-round bye is good for OSU; a win over 8-23 Michigan wouldn‘t have helped
• 18:24: Weighing Dusty May vs. Sean Miller vs. Nate Oats vs. Jake Diebler as coaching candidates
• 27:38: Ohio State must firmly commit to new coach rather than giving Diebler a one-year tryout
• 38:56: Does it make sense to use Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau as OLBs in “double eagle” package?
• 47:20: How Ohio State could utilize Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks on the field together
• 51:22: Denzel Burke is unafraid to set huge expectations for Ohio State and himself
• 54:50: Burke’s uncertainty on Will Howard serves as early reality check for transfer quarterback
• 59:55: As Jeremiah Smith hype keeps growing, what should we expect from him as a freshman?
• 1:04:54: OSU women’s basketball has a lot to work on after Big Ten Tournament loss to Maryland
• 1:09:44: OSU women’s hockey still favored to win it all, but path could go through Wisconsin again

Ohio State doesn’t have as many holes to fill this spring as it usually does, but there’s still plenty to talk about after the Buckeyes’ first spring practice.

The biggest headlines from the first day of spring practice included Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker, Luke Montgomery starting the spring as the first-team right guard and Devin Brown getting his shot to compete for the starting quarterback job.

Tuesday also brought Chip Kelly’s first press conference as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, which came after a weeklong stretch in which Eleven Warriors spoke with nearly 30 current or recent Ohio State football players between last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, Saturday’s Open House at the Woody hosted by The 1870 Society and Monday’s pre-spring interviews with three Ohio State quarterbacks and three returning seniors on offense.

All of that gave us plenty to talk about on our first Real Pod Wednesdays of the spring football season, which we also capped off with some basketball talk as the Ohio State men look to continue their end-of-season surge and earn their way back into the NCAA Tournament bubble while the Ohio State women head to Minneapolis this week in search of a Big Ten Tournament title.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00: Attending practice drives home just how much talent Ohio State has on its 2024 roster
• 1:02: There aren’t many major lineup questions except Will linebacker, right side of offensive line
• 5:06: Sonny Styles vs. C.J. Hicks is now officially a competition, and it will be a fun one to watch
• 8:12: Luke Montgomery at right guard is an intriguing option if OSU sticks with Josh Fryar at RT
• 10:16: There’s a whole lot of fan excitement to see this team in action
• 11:57: Ohio State is slow-playing other transfers into the starting lineup, but not Caleb Downs
• 12:37: Devin Brown isn‘t going to back down from competing with Will Howard at quarterback
• 20:35: It’s striking to see how deep with talent Ohio State’s quarterback room is right now
• 21:55: Lincoln Kienholz is in his first spring at OSU, so this isn’t a make-or-break year for him
• 23:48: First practice serves as reminder that Julian Sayin, Air Noland are just freshmen
• 25:00: Last year showed why it’s best if a clear starting quarterback emerges this spring
• 27:42: Jeremiah Smith is already turning heads
• 31:15: Brandon Inniss could be top punt returner option if Caleb Downs isn’t used there
• 34:31: Caleb Downs draws huge praise from former Alabama teammates at NFL Combine
• 38:28: Chip Kelly, Ryan Day both seem very comfortable in new roles working together
• 47:15: Combine features introspective Tommy Eichenberg, Cade Stover defending his blocking
• 55:21: Ohio State will have a real NCAA Tournament shot if it can win its next three games
• 57:51: Ohio State’s new identity under Jake Diebler has led to its improved performance
• 1:03:24: Diebler will be a head coach somewhere next year if he wants to be
• 1:04:38: Dusty May gaining traction as candidate to be Ohio State’s next head coach
• 1:07:53: No. 1 seed could be on the line as OSU women play for Big Ten Tournament title
• 1:12:52: Don’t forget about women’s hockey when discussing OSU’s most exciting teams