All the receivers came back....  what did they know?  I'd guess part was Hartline coaching them up, but mainly Haskins getting them the ball on time and on target... not a cut on JT. Also think Days offense will favor the passing game much more than Urbans, while still keeping a decent run/pass balance. I'm glad we got the last years of UFM at OSU and I'm also glad we're getting to witness the birth of a new superstar head coach who I believe will get us into the CFP on a regular basis with an actual chance to win it all- without the inexplicable losses that the great teams don't have.   It's all about coaching....

Aside from KJ Hill, none of the returning WRs has an iron grip on PT/starting position based solely on previous performance.  Absolutely agree with this statement. I'll start the guy who runs great routes, gets separation, catches 75% of 50/50 balls and has great hands and catch technique EVERY TIME. if Wilson does all that he's a lock to be an early contributor/starter. Only KJ has shown the consistency at receiver we need in a starter. Olave is moving up the chart; all others have clear deficits that need improvement, so we shall see who does the work and makes the jump. 

Yankovitch

First. Ever. Upvote. For an Xichigan poster on 11 W for me. Well said. 

It's the things that go on in the weight room, on the practice field, in the film room and yes, even in the classroom that make 5* and 3* players into college and  NFL stars. Or they never develop into their potential. 

Days comments about expecting 3 years out of Haskins is why this has come up.... AGAIN. Love JT and Urban but that was a seriously bad decision and part of the reason many, myself included, are so looking forward to the Ryan Day Era. Day is a bit delusional if he thought he'd get 3 out of Dwayne, but 2 would've been nice. I do like the current QB eligibility progression; Fields 2, Baldwin 1-2, Miller (or whoever shows up) 2. If Fields finishes with Haskins like numbers, top QB will be fighting to get here, just like top D linemen for coach J now. A good problem to have!

Hoping the WR room has a wide open competition after KJ gets his spot. Plenty of oortunitiy for experienced receivers to improve (and they should under Hartline) and newer receivers to compete. I believe Day will foster competition, not hierarchy going forward and I welcome that. 

The early signing period ( the new NSD) robbed college football of a major off season event that capped the HS all star games and preceded spring ball. It was the college version of the NFL draft, which is now 'must see TV'. Maybe the NCAA wants to lower the college football offseason profile and they succeeded whether or not that was their intention. So we are on to the Combine, NFL Draft and another NFL season with hardly a peep from the NCAA. Nice PR move. Did the NFL buy you off???

Thanks for keeping us stirred up and agitated entertained on an off-season Thursday after NSD. 

LJ is the key to all this, as he draws in the best prospects with his combo of character and results. He's on Medicare now, so don't expect him to stick around forever. I hope he's training someone to replace him and I also hope we find a job on campus for him to serve as Urbans Assistant Closer. He's such a great guy and I hate to see him ride off into the sunset. 

DH was rarely pressured last season and Mumford was a BIG part of that. If you're gonna have a single anchor on an O line, LT is the best place to have it, even over C. I agree with Stud that the talent is deeper than ever and fully expect this unit to become vicious in 2019. 

Santonio Holmes definitely will live on as one of the greatest super bowl performances of all time. Had a magnificent day and made a top 5 all time SB play that will stand til SB 100 and beyond. Great walk down memory lane!  And go Rams!  Keep NE from winning #6! Next year we get one for Cam and Ryan, two very deserving Buckeyes, and #7 for the team you love to hate, the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Good to see see Day mine the Buckeye state a bit more thoroughly, as he may not have the Brand to walk into anyone in America's living room off a phone call-yet.  Better evaluation leads to more hits/fewer misses, whether they be 3 or 5 star players, so maybe we get more of that also vs just chasing 4-5* list athletes. I'm sure a blend of both will be needed and am glad to see Day start at home in the Buckeye State, including Cincitucky!

Football/Life balance=NFL opportunity.  That's why we have 'Real Life Wednesday's', to throw a bit of balance into the NFL prep school that is Ohio State. I'd say if player lets mom make that choice, he made the right decision. 

Still gotta make the putt, brah!

Urban gave us instant national clout and took full advantage of it, despite the SEC narrative. He raised the level of play in the B1G and jump started an entire conference. He did not come to OSU with a ton of innovation to our style of play and put us in the cutting edge of offensive and defensive schemes with the top 5 talent he was able to attract. It just wasn't who he is and until January it didn't make much difference (except when it did in the 'trap games'). If Coach Day can keep the recruiting anywhere near UFM levels, say top 8 on average, and that's still to be determined but I am cautiously optimistic as he's recruiting at the most successful program in America, his hunger to win and willingness to bring innovative schemes to both sides of the ball should lead us to the next level that Urban did not get us to- top 4 CFP level play year in and year out. That means joining Alabama and Clemson atop the college football world. We've had the talent, but we lacked the scheme and willingness to change to get there. I believe that was due to Urban playing not to lose as much as playing to win, and thinking that what he'd always done would get him a different result. I respect the hell out of Urban, but nobody's perfect. I hope Day can stand on Urbans legacy and take the next step. Become the next Dynasty in the CFP era. He's off to a great start and has demonstrated there are no 'sacred cows' in this program. I'm hoping the entire team is energized to play with abandon, knowing they're efforts will be rewarded and not held back due to the constraints of a "system" that wasn't taking them to the level of their talents. There will be growing pains and Day will make youthful mistakes, but if he's ready and hungry, he will learn fast and take Buckeye Football to the heights it's talents deserve. 

Wonder if the YSU board of regents, faculty and students call him "Coach T", not "Prez T".  I sure would!

Loving some JT!  Another great Buckeye coach drug through the mud for no serious reason. So glad to see his Star Power intact at YSU. 

Not arguing your larger point about JT v UM as special teams savant. However to be fair, the kickoff return rate was greatly influenced by the change in rules effectively eliminating the kick return, hence the .714 annual KOR for TD was probably decent. It would be interesting to see how Tress and Urban ranked nationally vs their peers in those years; there's an affseason story for ya, 11W staff!

It appears that Day has retooled the defensive coaches with a tough minded, fundamentally sound defensive approach. If we develop some heart and mental toughness on that side, nobody will beat us by 30, which has done us out of the last two CFP runs. We might lose a game or two if the opponent is playing well enough to slow down our offense, which I don't expect to be as talented as last year with Dwayne slinging it, but I do expect the offense to be fundamentally sound and capable on the ground or in the air and if the O line matures by mid season into a high performing unit we will be very hard to beat and a likely pick for CFP. My goals for 2019 are 1) no blowout losses, 2) show improvement throughout the season. If we lose to a team that outplays us while we are doing our best, I'm ok with that. I don't expect many to hang with us, but first year with many new faces will be a challenge. If we play up to potential, we are playoff bound; if we play well we are NY6 again. 

Perhaps he'd be a starter already at many schools... but the size/skill level needed to crack the Slobs is... Elite!!!  Perhaps Buckeye starting linemen are 6*s?

Is it actually possible to be both a freak AND a beast? A FreakBeast?  Or a BeastFreak. 

"After years of trying to simply overpower defenses with lesser talent, Day's vision may be to meld that style with that of Gundy, looking to always stay one step ahead of their opponents."  Buckeyes periodically have to update their offensive philosophies, as storied coaches who 'always do what they've always done' and get behind the innovation curve are replaced; often rather unceremoniously. (For the younger fan, read Hayes, Tressel, Meyer.). Their replacement often has nothing to do with their lack of innovation, as our recruiting prowess keeps us near the top of college ranks, despite our offensive antiquity.  This current change (software update for recent generations) brings an innovative HC and OC together to hopefully keep us on the leading edge of change for a while, which may very well lead to an Ohio State Dynasty in the next decade. This combo of talent and scheme can put us very quickly at the top of the pile in the CFP. Haters gonna hate us more than ever. And I LOVE IT!!!

What a great review of the talent available at one of the very best football schools in America. Next question; how will a completely (no dis to LJ the goat) revamped defensive coaching staff create a top performing defense with all this talent. That is the question that will determine our fate in 2019.  If Mattison can lead this group with a focus on fundamentals, the players will be prepared to execute a defensive scheme that makes best use of their skills. I hope we adjust scheme to the best skills, to get the best of the great doing what they do best, then fill in the remainder with a supporting cast who are fundamentally sound and full in the gaps, I.e., if Chase Young develops into an unblockable force at DE, the job of the LB behind him is to maintain the edge, not go charging in behind Young looking for opportunities to exploit the chaos. That's how, with many additional examples, we got gashed so frequently last year. It can't be an 11 man race to the QB. Not sure why it was so confusing last year, but I bet the coaching meetings were a mess on the D side. 

On offense, time for coach Stud to show his quality. If this line gels by end of "pre-season", whoever the other players are will shine brightly. We are "Slobs Powered" and proud if it!  The rest is just window dressing. 

We'd love to recruit a Hyde, Zeke, Griffin, George type back EVERY year, but they don't come along every year. Getting quality backs who can catch passes, protect the QB, run through the right holes and have a little extra when the holes don't materialize as planned is fine for our offense. Weber has a burst and outside run speed. Dobbins has a great vision, balance and power combo. If Teague is our size/power/decent speed back and DMC is our electric speed and shifty back, we can create offensive opportunities for any and all of this talent. To be able to force defenses to cover most of the field due to a legitimate passing threat creates holes for these backs to do their thing. I love it when a plan comes together!