@AustinWard I heard you and Birm talking about the crowd in The Shoe on today's episode of The Beat. I was at the 1st Penn State Whiteout against OSU in 2005. To this day I still don't know why Ohio State can't create that same atmosphere in The Shoe.

I've had an idea from a while now on how the athletic department could team up with the Ohio State engineering department to maximize the crowd noise. If somebody did a study of the acoustics on the field level of the stadium, the athletic department could find the best location for students to sit. The engineering department could even place speakers around the stadium to try out different combos. It sounds like a great project for a thesis.

If you have the football team's ear it might be an idea to throw out there. I'm tired of dead crowds in The Shoe for big games. I was at the Oregon game in A Deck in 2021, surrounded by quiet gray-hairs sitting on their butts. The stadium didn't get loud until the end of the 3rd Quarter. There's no excuse for that in a stadium that holds 100K+.

AUG • 31 • AKRON
2026 CA WR Chris Henry Jr. • Ohio State Commitment
2026 CA WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt
2026 OH WR Jaeden Ricketts
2026 SC WR Donovan Murph
2026 OH DL Jamarcus Whyce
2026 CA LB Shaun Scott
2026 MI LB Nathan Gersh
2026 OH DB Jakob Weatherspoon
2026 OH DB Victor Singleton
2026 OH DB Elbert Hill
2026 GA DB Nassir McCoy
2027 OH TE D'Angelo White

SEPT • 7 • WESTERN MICHIGAN
2025 OH QB Tavien St. Clair
2025 OH OL Jake Cook
2025 OH OL Carter Lowe
2026 OH OL Sam Greer
2026 IL TE Mack Sutter
2027 OH OL Reed Gerken
2027 OH OL Mason Wilt
2028 FL QB Neimann Lawrence

SEPT • 14 • MARSHALL
2025 OH QB Tavien St. Clair
2025 OK TE Nate Roberts
2025 FL DL Jarquez Carter
2025 OH ATH/EDGE Chaz Coleman
2025 OH PF Niko Bundalo
2026 OH LB Cincere Johnson
2026 OH RB Anthony McMullen Jr.
2026 NY WR Messiah Hampton
2026 MO DL Titan Davis
2026 OH LB CJ Sanna
2026 OH DB Jakob Weatherspoon
2026 NC ATH Amari Sabb
2027 MD WR Myles McAfee
2027 MI WR Dakota Guerrant
2027 NC ATH Xavier Sabb

OCT • 5 • IOWA
2025 OH QB Tavien St. Clair
2025 NJ WR Dezie Jones
2025 NJ WR Quincy Porter
2025 OH WR Bodpegn Miller
2025 OK TE Nate Roberts
2025 OL Carter Lowe
2025 OL Jake Cook
2025 DE Zion Grady
2025 DE Trajen Odom
2025 OH LB Eli Lee
2025 FL LB Tarvos Alford
2025 TX LB Riley Pettijohn
2025 NJ DB Deshawn Stewart
2025 TX DB Devin Sanchez
2025 OH DB Cody Haddad
2025 IN K Dominic De Frietas
2026 OH QB Jarin Mock (Wisconsin commit)
2026 OH RB Shahn Alston
2026 OH WR Jaeden Ricketts
2026 IN WR Jerquaden Guilford
2026 VA WR Conner Salmin
2026 OH OL Max Riley
2026 OH OL Will Conroy
2026 OH OL Adam Guthrie
2026 IA TE Evan Jacobson
2026 OH TE PJ MacFarlane
2026 IN DE Jerimy Finch Jr.
2026 AL LB Ellis McGaskin
2026 GA LB Zach Weeks
2026 KY LB Karsten Busch
2026 OH SAF Kaden Gebhardt
2027 CA QB Brady Edmunds
2027 OH WR Brayden Bryant
2027 SC WR Sequel Patterson
2027 PA OL Jimmy Kalis
2027 PA CB Larry Moon III
2027 OH SAF Darius Dennis

2025 NE PF A'mare Bynum (basketball)
2025 OH SG Jerry Easter (Official, Basketball)

OCT • 26 • NEBRASKA
2025 OH QB Tavien St. Clair
2025 PA DL Zahir Mathis
2025 AL DB Na’eem Offord
2025 GA OL Damola Ajidahun (official, Georgia Tech commit)
2026 AL RB Ja’Michael Jones
2026 FL TE Corbyn Fordham
2026 MI TE Lincoln Keyes
2026 OH OL Maxwell Riley
2026 OH LB Storm Miller
2027 GA RB Mikel Stephen
2027 IL QB Trae Taylor
2027 PA OL Maxwell Hiller
2027 CA ATH Caden Jones
2027 NC LB Quinton Cypher
2027 MI ATH Dakota Guerrant
2028 FL DL Asher Ghioto

NOV • 9 • PURDUE
2025 AL ATH/RB Anthony “Turbo” Rogers (Bama commit/OFFICIAL)
2026 FL ATH/RB Derrek Cooper
2026 VA RB Savion Hiter
2026 FL OL Da’Ron Parks
2026 NJ DL Jermaine Kinsler
2026 NJ DB Jordan Thomas
2027 NY RB Elijah Kimble
2027 FL LB Kaden Henderson

NOV • 23 • INDIANA
2025 OH QB Tavien St. Clair
2025 CA WR Phillip Bell
2025 OH WR Bodpegn Miller
2025 OH OL Jake Cook
2025 OH TE Brody Lennon
2025 OH LB Eli Lee
2025 NC OL David Sanders
2025 GA CB Jordyn Woods (Cincinnati commit/OFFICIAL)
2025 MD CB Ayden West (Michigan State commit/OFFICIAL)
2026 OH QB Nathan Bernhard
2026 PA QB Gavin Sidwar
2026 FL OT Micah Smith
2026 TX OL Marques Uini
2026 GA DL Deuce Geralds
2026 IN WR Tayshon Bardo
2026 OH WR Shawn Fishwick
2026 MI TE Lincoln Watkins
2026 GA TE Jude Cascone
2026 NC EDGE Zavion Griffin-Haynes (UNC commit)
2026 NC EDGE Cameron Melvin
2026 CA EDGE Simote Katoanga
2026 OH LB Cincere Johnson
2026 GA LB Tyler Atkinson
2026 OH CB Jakob Weatherspoon
2026 OH DB Amar'e Miller
2026 LA DB Blaine Bradford
2026 NJ DB Zaiden McDonald
2026 PA ATH Joey O’Brien
2026 OH K Jonathan Hewitt
2027 TN WR Eli Ferguson
2027 MI ATH Anthony Cartwright
2027 OH DL Jeremiah Nash

NOV • 30 • MICHIGAN
2025 OH QB Tavien St. Clair
2025 NJ WR Dezie Jones
2025 OH WR Bodpegn Miller (Official)
2025 AL DL Zion Grady
2025 FL DL Jarquez Carter
2025 NC DL Trajen Odom
2025 FL LB Tarvos Alford
2025 TX LB Riley Pettijohn
2025 OH LB Eli Lee
2025 NJ DB Deshawn Stewart
2025 AL DB Na'eem Offord
2025 TX DB Devin Sanchez
2025 LA DL Jahkeem Stewart (official)
2025 CA DL Epi Sitanilei (official)
2026 OH QB Matt Ponatoski
2026 CA WR Chris Henry Jr.
2026 NY WR Messiah Hampton
2026 FL WR Jabari Brady
2026 OH OL Sam Greer
2026 VA OL Darius Gray
2026 FL DE Jake Kreul
2026 NC DL Zavion Griffin-Haynes
2026 GA LB Anthony Davis
2026 NV LB Kenneth Goodwin
2026 OH LB Cincere Johnson
2026 OH LB CJ Sanna
2026 OH DB Kaden Gebhardt
2026 FL DB Jaelen Waters
2026 FL DB Simeon Caldwell
2026 MD DB Jireh Edwards
2026 MS DB Bralan Womack
2026 FL DB Zech Fort
2027 CA QB Brady Edmunds
2027 OH OL Reed Gerken
2027 OH TE D’Angelo White
2027 MI WR Dakota Guerrant
2027 MD WR Myles McAfee
2027 IA TE Luke Brewer
2027 OH WR Jamier Brown
2028 MA QB Christopher Vargas
2028 FL QB Neimann Lawrence

It's is finally here. An actual planned release date for something we have been waiting a decade for. I am so excited for this game.

Will play as Ohio State first just because they will be loaded.

However my favorite thing to do is pick a low level crappy team and build them in to a powerhouse.

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he was in Columbus this spring but will soon return. That offer is a major one for one of the spring's emerging top recruits (2 INTs last night)

Charles Barkley:

“I’ve given more money to Auburn, legal or illegal, than any athlete in the history of the school. And the notion that I’m going to come up with a couple million dollars every year so that we can be good at basketball and football — that’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” Barkley said Wednesday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning on WJOX-FM from the Regions Pro-Am in Birmingham, according to CBS Sports’ Mike Rodak.

“One thing I’m pretty sure of, Black and broke don’t work, in any municipality in the world. I’ve been rich for a long time. I plan to stay that way. But the notion that I’m going to give Auburn millions of dollars every year so we can be good at sports, that’s just not going to happen. I’m really proud of what I’ve given Auburn and I’m going to continue to give them money, but I’m not going to give them millions of dollars every year so we can be good at sports. That’s just stupid. People will be talking about me behind my back. ‘How did that guy go broke? How did he lose all that money?’ Because y’all wanted to be good at sports, fool!”

Good morning from the Woody!

Ryan Day will be providing a late-April update on the Buckeyes for us at noon. What’s on your mind that you want to hear from him today?

Hey all —

Know this stretch has tested your patience just like it has ours. Birm and I are thinking about an early mailbag for The Beat on Freaky Friday, and I just want to open it up to you all if there’s anything you want us to answer. Fire away …

Who I am excited to watch get after it.

Ryan Day is here already, fwiw.

Former 5-star WR fails physical with Green Bay Packers​

Coming out of high school in 2020, Julian Fleming was the top-ranked receiver per 247 Sports’ consensus rankings and was the third-ranked player in his entire high school class — only behind defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and quarterback Bryce Young, two future first-round picks in the NFL. Unfortunately for Fleming, he was never able to reach the superstardom that his recruiting profile predicted.

Over five seasons at the college level, Fleming posted just 1,139 receiving yards, nearly half of which came in 2022. Last year, he transferred from Ohio State, where he spent the first four years of his college career, to Penn State, where he recorded 14 receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown as a redshirt senior.

Immediately following the 2025 NFL Draft, it was reported that the Green Bay Packers had signed Fleming to an undrafted rookie free agent contract. When the Packers’ rookie minicamp came around, though, he was neither listed as a player who signed with the team nor as a tryout player for the squad.

So what happened with Fleming coming to Green Bay? According to Marc Malkoskie of The News-Item, a Pennsylvania newspaper stationed less than 20 miles from Fleming’s high school, Fleming failed his physical with the Packers, reportedly due to hip and back injuries.

Fleming actually took the trip to Green Bay last week, but was turned away by the team after his sub-standard medical checks. Fleming wasn’t invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, and the Packers did not reportedly bring him in on a pre-draft visit, so there’s a good chance that Green Bay wasn’t aware of the extent of his injuries when they offered him a spot on their offseason roster.