Chat Wrap: Defensive line recruiting; Schedule set-up; Big Ten teams on rise
Bucknuts.com’s Steve Helwagen hosted his weekly Chat on Monday night on The Front Row message board. Check out the archive below.
Programming Note: Steve will again participate in Ohio State Buckeyes Live at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Check out The Front Row at 11 a.m. Tuesday for access details.
ButlerBuck: How many CB will Ohio State take this year? If Kobe Black or another CB wants to commit before Aaron Scott, will OSU take that commitment?
Helwagen: Good question. They have Bryce West and Miles Lockhart committed and Aaron Scott due to announce July 30. Kobe Black is another great prospect, ranked top 30 nationally. I think most have him headed to Texas, but who knows? They would definitely take them both and sort it out later. Those guys are too good to let go.
MannekenPis: How about a mock '24 Buckeye hoops recruiting class?
Which of these three in-state players will make the biggest impact first for the program-Etzler, Hardman, or Parks? And at what point?
What is the latest on Zed Key as far as health?
Helwagen: Well, they have John Mobley Jr. obviously and hoping to add Aiden Sherrell or Jayden Quaintance or Jalen Shelley. That may be it because then they can still get 1-2 transfers to fill needs and keep space open to take 3-4 in star-studded 2025 class.
I think everything was going good with Zed's rehab last I heard. Should be full go well before start of preseason practice.
I'd say Austin Parks pretty clearly. Probably in his second year as a backup and then maybe more his last two years. They don't need him to play big minutes this year.
walterT: Do you think if Fitzgerald would have gone 11-1 last year instead of 1-11 he'd still be the Coach? I do. I can't believe the players would want to do some of the things the said they did to the new players let alone being the new guys.
Helwagen: You make a good point, you don't see guys who win big get whacked like this. But if anybody should have been insulated from this type of situation you would think it would be him. He's been the program for over 15 years and he's won enough to keep that job under normal circumstances.
But what was alleged was certainly not normal, not in any way shape or form. Just ridiculous.
CLbuck123: Thoughts on- will this be the last year to set/break records ( rushing, passing, etc) as the 12 team playoff starts and more playing time management ( save a player / health wise) will come into play? Thank you.
Helwagen: No because some guys will play 15 or 16 games and set these single-season records into the stratosphere. It kind of cuts both ways.
Total exploitation of the athletes. They should be compensated for going deep in the playoff. Again, ridiculous.
dgrins1996: We can probably pencil in Bruce Thornton, Roddy Gayle, and Jamison Battle in as starters this season. Do you think Felix will steal the starting center position from Zed(I think Zed is probably best in a 6th man role anyway), and who do you think starts at the 3? I think Middleton is probably the best fit since he can defend well and is already a capable shooter.
Helwagen: I'm good with everything you said. They need to play Felix as much as he can handle because he impacts the game so much. They probably do need Middleton's defense, but I do think Royal could make a case there as well. We heard both of them came in ready to play and impact the team, so we'll see how it all shakes out.
ButlerBuck: We've recently wondered how cutthroat the various leagues would be.
Let's say Northwestern returns to their 70's football performance. Rutgers continues to stink. ACC schools find a way to wiggle out of their grant of rights the same year the Big 10 package comes up for bidding and the economy hasn't had a complete meltdown. Or Oregon and Washington are still available. In that scenario, could you see the league and broadcast partners saying siyonara to Northwestern and Rutgers and replacing them with better programs? We know that the rest of the league (OSU and the khakis) hated giving money to Northwestern through gate receipts back then.
A group of former players have now filed suit against the university. Go to trial and let's see who needs to be charged for criminal behavior.
Helwagen: No I don't see the Big Ten dismissing schools. I just don't think that's going to happen. They kept Penn State through all of that turmoil. Say what you will but Rutgers and NW do represent large TV markets, even if they are the eighth or ninth choice in those markets.
bucksgrad: Hi Steve, are you aware of any rule changes of note, for the upcoming football season ?
Thanks again for doing this article each week!
Helwagen: Thank you for the kind words. No earthshaking changes. Here are three of them stolen from Wikipedia:
* Mirroring the NFL rule adopted in the 2005 NFL season, teams may not call consecutive timeouts during a single dead ball period.
* Accepted penalties committed on the last play of the first or third quarter will no longer result in an untimed down before the period ends. The penalty enforcement will be marked off and the second or fourth quarter will begin with the ball at the new spot.
* Modifying a rule adopted in the 1968 season, the game clock will no longer be stopped for first downs on offense except inside of the final two minutes of each half. This is similar to a rule used in the current incarnations of the USFL and XFL. The NFL does not stop the game clock for first downs at any time in the game. This rule was adopted for all NCAA Football divisions except Division III, they will still use the previous rule of clock stoppages on first down for the entire game.
Obviously, no longer stopping the clock on first downs for most of the game is a big change, although they had shortened that to only 5-6 seconds each first down in recent years. Probably means a difference of 6-7 plays a game maybe.
ButlerBuck: I think that by the end of the regular season, Mr. Thurman may have OR next to his name for the starting TE spot, especially if he can make the tough questions.
Agree or disagree??
Helwagen: Tough catches? Yes, he needs to play some type of role. He did not look like a freshman. He is a fully grown man and he had a very good spring. We will see how many two-tight end sets they use this year. But this guy has stud written all over him.
foxr2001: I saw two different top 10 lists today, one of the easiest schedule (as per last year's records of the opponents) and one of the hardest schedule (ESPN based on FPI). Maryland appeared on both lists. Don't you love how data can be interpreted in two completely opposite ways? Anyway, who would you say has a harder schedule, us because of playing @ND, @Wiscy and @scUM, or any other B1G team?
What do you think of UGA's unbelievably lame schedule?
Day said in an interview with Joel Klatt that he would prefer to see the playing field evened out with respect to conference scheduling (that is, all conferences play the same number of conference games and presumably the same number of P5 teams) but he didn't seem to agree with Klatt's suggestion that CFB should follow the NFL scheduling strategy where a team's schedule is based on how they did the previous year (e.g., first place in the conference means the toughest schedule the next year). Would you prefer that the B1G play 8 or 9 conference games? And do you think there will be a time when all the P5 teams agree on how to set up schedules?
Thanks Steve.
Helwagen: I have not studied all the schedules to say anybody's is tougher or easier than anybody else's. OSU has four tough games against three teams in the top 10-11 and one more with Wisconsin, which is typically ranked in the teens.
So it's all just fun to look at now. A team you think will be great may not be and vice versa.
Georgia plays their 8 SEC games and Georgia Tech then 3 pushovers, certainly. It is what it is. If they beat a highly ranked team from the West in the SEC title game, they will get whatever they deserve.
I'd like to see all of the Power Five leagues play nine conference games and one high major nonconference opponent as well. But you can't legislate that. Ohio State, itself, will not play a Power Five nonconference opponent next year.
Just win your games and it all takes care of itself.
ilosufan1: Steve, I know you are not the football recruiting guy but I am curious about how many scholarship offers a team can make? Is it unlimited and then they have to be to 85 by the time the season starts? With NIL can't they just give them money for tuition? If this it true Woody would have had 300 football players on the team just to keep the talent away from TTUN, thoughts?
Helwagen: Yes, there is no limit to the number of players a school can offer. Communication is important as to whether offers are "committable" and the timing and such.
Yes, it all has to be settled by the time the season begins. It always seems to work out, one way or another.
Labattblue: Hi Steve, Walk me through this and point out my faulty thinking. With the new clock rules on first downs in place won't the scoring be reduced significantly this year? OSU games averaged about 39 first downs last year. If the clock now continues to run for 20 seconds (a guess) more for most of those 39 plays doesn't that reduce the game time about 15 to 20 %? If so, doesn't reduce OSU's point output from 44.2 (2022 avg.) to somewhere in the 35-38 point average? In addition, I think most of us believe OSU will try to run the ball more this year further reducing scoring opportunities. Can we expect to see a team that averages 30 to 35 points a game this year?
A follow up. Do you believe scoring in college football will be significantly reduced this year and will that lead to more upsets?
Helwagen: That goes along with the earlier question. I'm not sure we will see the number of plays decrease a ton because of this. The clock was only stopping for 5-6 seconds on most first downs anyway and teams are running good tempo a lot of times. Maybe 5-10 fewer plays per game but that ought to be it.
In terms of scoring, maybe it will be down an average of 5 points per game, but can't imagine it has that big an impact, really. The end of half timing remains the same.
JoeZipp: Is it Monday already??? Where did the weekend go!
Prayers for Carnell Tate and his family. Horrible, just horrible!
Who do you see in the Big Ten (football) being sufficiently better this year than last (improves by 3+ wins)? Folks talk about trap games. Does the Buckeyes have in your opinion a trap game? Thanks.
Helwagen: Yes, just terrible news regarding Carnell Tate's mother. I think I saw her at Ohio State's camp last summer. Just a tragic situation all the way around.
Who will be improved? Hmmm ... maybe Wisconsin. I picked them to win the West and they did not do that last year. And Nebraska, too. I think Matt Rhule will build a good program there. Time to get a winning team back at Nebraska.
Trap game? At Purdue the week before Penn State, at Wisconsin the week after Penn State and Minnesota at home the week before Michigan. Seems entirely unlikely, but Fleck has had some good teams there.
BuckeyeSalsero: With Jayden Quaintance reclassing to 2024...Do you think that increases Ohio State's chances of landing him? I saw an article by Travis Branham that mentioned Quaintance said Ohio State has increased their recruitment...What are you hearing on where Buckeyes stand with him?
Helwagen: Just what I read there, he is hoping to visit Ohio State. If they knock his socks off, it could become something real. Just wait and see, I guess.
BuckeyeSalsero: How much of an impact is NIL playing in the recruitment of basketball recruits? Is it going welll? Or needs to be better for the team to land top recruits?
Helwagen: I honestly do not know. I assume whatever is being done in football is now also being done in basketball in one degree or another. They had a great class last year, probably going to sign two this year and hope for another huge class in 2025. Money talks and the rest walks, LOL.
BuckeyeSalsero: We're only a month & half or so from start of college football season...Are there any players who won't be ready to start the season due to injuries?
Helwagen: I think everybody should be ready to go. I can't think of anybody who would already be ruled out for camp or early season. I'm not aware of anybody in that situation.
Carseye: Just a curiosity question. As an accredited media member, do you have to go through the SID office whenever you want to interview staff/players? Or does the current state of social media make that an outdated procedure? Are you allowed to text players directly?
Helwagen: Generally, you do go through the SID department to interview players and coaches. The NIL situation has created some opportunities outside of what is done strictly by the school. Not a ton but some here and there. The school has largely taken the approach that the players need and want to market themselves and interviews help them do that. So it's not necessarily open season and I don't see anybody exploiting it too much.
oneflbuck: Looking at our defensive line if they have a very good year we could lose JTT, Sawyer, Williams, Hall and Hamilton to graduation or the league. Yet we have only one recruit coming in. Seems like a disaster on LJ's position.
Helwagen: Well, they signed 4 of them last year. The one they have this year with Justin Scott is a national top-40 player. And they are in on Dylan Stewart, Eddrick Houston, Nigel Smith, Booker Pickett and a few others. Sign a total of 4 this year and they'll be fine.
Jonathanhughes: How many first round picks do you see Ohio State having? I would say we have a lot of possibilities. I’d say Harrison and Egbuka are locks. After that I could see Jackson and Henderson on offense. JTT, Sawyer, Hall and Burke on defense. That’s eight guys who have the potential. Plus there could be somebody who breaks out that we don’t expect like a Hancock or McCord. The more the better. Best thing for recruiting in addition to the NIL is for the draft to be an infomercial on the program. Thoughts?
Helwagen: Agreed, I think five is a good over/under and you covered most of the prominent ones. That would be huge to have a dominant season and a dominant first round night with the draft next April. Harrison, Egbuka, Tuimoloau and Jackson all seem to be locks. Then could be 1-3 more. Hard to really say.
GaryAZ: Do you see UCLA 2024 game being scheduled Sept, Oct or Nov? What factors will determine where future USC and UCLA games land in the schedule?
Helwagen: Nobody knows. They should assign dates for the 2024 schedule in October of this year. Could be the season opener the way they love to send Ohio State on the road to start the season. Doubt it would be week before Michigan. Any other week makes sense. My kids have never been to LA. Once they set that date, we're making the plans.
3296woody: Steve, let's talk special teams. Feeling good here? Who do you think will win the field goal job? Let's talk punting too.
Helwagen: Field goal I assume will be the USC transfer Parker Lewis. Punting will be Jesse Mirco again. Should be a strength once again, I would say.
BUCKI4LIFE18509: Hello Steve,
Do you see NIL being sustainable?
I mean, we can't depend on the same group people to keep giving $$$$$ each year. Eventually, even the biggest donors have to stop.
Helwagen: Yeah, I'm not sure how it will all shake out. I assume revenue sharing will happen at some point.
BUCKI4LIFE18509: Steve,
If you were in tag team wrestling match --- which head coach would you want on your side?
Who are some names who come to mind?
Kyle Whittingham of Utah seems like he'd be a tough guy in the ring. Mario Cristobal is a big tree that would fall hard.
Luke Fickell is a former high school wrestling phenom.
Helwagen: Fickell, probably. Been a long time since he was on a wrestling mat, though. Funny one. Ed Orgeron looks like he could wrestle a big grizzly bear.
Parting Shot: Guys and gals, we got them all. Thanks again for reading and posting!!!See you at 11 a.m. for Ohio State Buckeyes Live!
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