Thisssss^. I've posted multiple times about this very thing... there are alot of question marks surrounding the running game right now. It very clearly regressed last year, despite having a passing game that every defense had to focus on. What kind of run/pass balance will Day's offense have? Will Day (and OSU) continue to be a top tier coach and program? 

I have zero doubt that all the question marks surrounding the program right now were used to recruit the top tier RB's away from OSU this cycle. Alford and Day have to produce this season, otherwise the same questions will linger into the next cycle.

Queue another RunDMC article from 11W...

Glad he didn't drag out the "competition" any longer.. this needed to happen. Now go to work young man and make the state of Ohio proud!! 

I commented in another thread last week, but my personal belief is the top RB’s in the country, that literally can choose any school they want, probably need a solid year out of the RB’s this year before they’ll be willing to commit. The running game regressed last year, we have a new HC, a new QB, and a more pass-oriented offense being put in place. That’s a lot of questions for a 5 star kid that has offers to every blue blood out there... I can’t really blame them either.

Lawrence would have been a high first round pick this year.. poor kid has VERY little incentive to play the next two seasons. He has alot more to lose than he does to gain this year and next..

The sad part is that he basically really did get screwed... he was recruited for Meyer’s “spread to run offense”, but was basically made obsolete last season when Coach Day brought his more pass-oriented offense. He never had a chance in Day’s system, and I believe Day basically told him as much. Choosing Miami was probably the wrong decision.. but it was likely a decision he wasn’t prepared to be making at that time. He absolutely could have conducted himself better at the time.. but I’m not going to throw rocks when I can’t say I would have handled it any better at his age. 

I’ll be lazy.. how much eligibility would be have if he transfers again? Nooooo way the NCAA would grant immediate eligibility, as doing so would pretty much validate the portal as just another name for free agency... they can’t afford to set that precedent.

Nope... not stoned at all. I just prefer a motivated team with an early loss to a team that limps along until they finally drop one (2015, 2018, etc.). 2014 was magical because they dropped one early, then had something to prove... last hear was basically the opposite... a bunch of close calls until they finally lost one. 

IF, and thats a big "if", this is true.. I (kind of) hope they drop one early.. ala Va Tech in 2014. Perhaps a loss early on will make it painfully obvious that we don't have a first round QB this year to bail the team out, and that instead of waiting for a QB to step up and take control... the whole team will need to step up in unison. I think the 2014 team very much had an "underdog" mentality, while the 2015 team had the "we can out-talent everyone" mentailty.. we all know how that played out. If we truly don't have a leader at the most important position on the field.. let them get punched in the mouth sooner rather than later.

Totally not meant as an insult, just a statement of observation. We can all agree he struggles with social interaction, add in his preoccupation with khakis, steak and milk, "his" offense, chicken being "a weak bird", etc. 

I apologize if that read as an insult, that was not my intention. I wish your son the best of luck in all his future endeavors.. and an upvote for you.

Harbaugh is absolutely on the spectrum. I've spoken with more than few UM fans, even they find it difficult to disagree.

Perhaps “hard sell” is a little strong, I’ll change it to “more challenging sell”. We’re asking 5 star, go anywhere they want kids to commit to a program that will have an (as yet) unproven dual threat QB their first season, then (likely) an unproven pro style QB the rest of their career, as well as an unproven first time HC. I don’t have the time to look up the link, but Dobbins all but said he regressed last year in that offense. Add in that OSU is on a slightly lower tier than the Alabama’s and the Clemson’s and the Georgia’s of college football (for now, hopefully we’ll make some CFP noise this fall), and also the traditional higher degree of difficulty in getting kids to move to the Midwest... it’s not surprising to me that 5 star kids aren’t tripping over themselves to come play at OSU. That’s a lot of question marks for someone who has all the options in the world.

Now if JK goes for 1500+ yards this season and we’re back in the CFP, I’d expect a little higher success rate next summer and fall. Conversely, if we find out Justin Fields was way overrated, Day loses the team and they drop 3-4 games this year, I wouldn’t expect any 5 stars at any position to commit next summer.

It’s easy for us Buckeye fans to see all this changeover as just an opportunity to be better. Take off your scarlet colored glass though, and this changeover could just as easily go bad as it could be good. I’m betting on a better team this year, but simply put, they need to prove that.. especially to 5 star recruits.

Gotta figure we’ll only have Fields for the next two years, after that it’s all pro style QB’s committed. I’m sure that figures into a RB recruit’s decision, and so far, the only metric they have for a Day led offense with a pro style QB is last year... not a great look. 

Alford doesn’t exactly have an easy sell there..

Agree on the transfer portal.. a quiet mention that OSU is actively looking at the portal for a quality RB might get some players thinking. The Gerorgia’s and Alabama’s of the world probably have some serious log jams at the position, while OSU’s RB competition will likely be wide open next year. Come and sit this season, then compete next spring!

I’m still dreaming of a matchup with both teams wearing home Uni’s. I’d much prefer that over any alt uniforms.. how iconic would scarlet vs blue be??

In a typical work field, I’d be in 100% agreement with you... but football is not a typical field of employment. The problem lies in the fact the players don’t really have a choice in either signing or not signing their rookie contract. Football is a field with just one lucrative employer.. the NFL. It may have 32 different departments (teams), but it’s just one company. If you want to be paid commensurate to your skills, they are the only league that can afford to do so. 

To your point about paying dues and honoring the contract you signed, again.. I agree in the standard workforce. Football players face a different reality in that they have no guarantee next year, or even tomorrow, will come. You and I would treat contracts very differently if our careers were virtually guaranteed to be 10 years long or shorter (likely much shorter), and every day at the office carried a significant risk that it would be our last (career ending injury).

I appreciate the discussion either way, upvote for you!

Playing devils advocate here... so don’t come at me all crazy. I don’t know your situation, but I would ask if your contract is predicated on athletic performance? The problem with rookie contracts is they largely limit the player’s ability to negotiate.. the league does this on purpose. So now Zeke is being wildly under compensated compared to his value on an open market (i.e. what other teams would pay him if they had a chance now). If he were to sustain a career limiting or career ending injury this year, he would be effectively forfeiting millions of dollars of earning potential just because he signed a rookie contract... hence the holdout. For the most part, our career’s span 25+ years, we have time to negotiate pay and save money over the stretch. Whats an average RB’s career span, 5 years? Less? 

Get paid while you can Zeke.

NY Strip is my personal favorite. Ribeye is almost too rich and fatty for me, filet’s are incredibly tender but lack bold flavor. 1-1/4” to 1-1/2” think, medium rare, thick salted crust with a dab of butter... hell yeah!

An injury and an ejection in the same game saved us from a likely 2-3 loss season in 18'. Glad those coaches have moved on to other opportunities, they certainly didn't make the most of them here. 

It's July... they're always excited this time of year. "We'll be B1G Champs, September Heisman, Revenge Tour" etc. etc. After they lose their usual 2-3 games, the narrative turns to "at least we win the right way". Rinse and repeat... Every. Damn. Year.

That would be a great question for Trevor Lawrence... what does he have to gain by playing another season? He balled out and won a Natty as a true freshman... he literally can't raise his stock any higher unless he has a statistically better season and wins another national championship.. and lets face it, the odds don't favor him in that scenario. The prudent move would be to sit out, but he's not draft eligible for another TWO seasons. 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lEOw1RLCkC8

About the 0:40 mark... man I miss that guy.

Hahaha half the team?? They don't have that kind of talent... a few players tops!

I wonder how many players were missed in that article? Dane Sanzenbacher is missing from Lucas County, he played in HS at Toledo Central Catholic. 

Wow.. that’s certainly pertinent information the author didn’t include. I for one feel a hell of a lot better about that game knowing that... thank you.