Happy Monday!
After an eventful and emotional week of Ohio State news, we head into the week of the 2022 Spring Game.
Here’s what I’m thinking about.
When did Dwayne Haskins become Dwayne Haskins?
I was at all but two of Dwayne Haskins’ appearances in an Ohio State uniform.
In 2017, I wasn’t at the Rutgers game where he checked in completing 50% of his passes for 47 yards and a touchdown in a 56-0 win, and I wasn’t at the Nebraska game, where he completed all three of his pass attempts for 25 yards, along with a four-yard rush in a 56-14 win.
But I saw everything else: his first 14-yard completion to C.J. Saunders against Army, his firs 38-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Berry against UNLV, that comeback he led against Michigan in Ann Arbor, his first record-breaking start against Oregon State, his loss to Purdue where he attempted 73 passes, his 499-yard performance against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship and his send-off against Washington in the Rose Bowl.
Everyone has their own specific moment to where they thought the Haskins of 2018 became THE Haskins of 2018, and all of those answers are right to a sense. And my answer is not a shocker.
I remember what it was like to experience that comeback win against Penn State from press row.
Haskins had already shown up to an extent, averaging nearly 300 yards passing in his first four games — including a matchup against No. 15 TCU in Dallas — completing 75.7% of his passes with 16 touchdowns compared to one interception.
But that night in Beaver Stadium was the redshirt sophomore’s first taste of adversity, the first true road game atmosphere.
It wasn’t easy, completing 22 of 39 passes for 270 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and a sack against the No. 9 team in the country.
That’s not what people remember about this game. It was that final touchdown drive.
Starting with the ball at his own 4-yard line with 4:34 to go, trailing by five points, Haskins went to work. He dumped the ball off to J.K. Dobbins on a screen, taking it 35 yards for some breathing room, as both Dobbins and Mike Weber used runs to get the ball in Penn State territory.
Getting to the Penn State 24 after a 14-yard pass from Haskins to Parris Campbell and a 5-yard run from Dobbins, Haskins faced the moment of the game: third down with five yards to go with 2:03 left.
The next play wasn’t a play for Haskins to show off. He took what the Penn State defense was giving him and let the receiver do the work.
He took the snap, pitching it out to K.J. Hill in the flat, who sped through multiple tacklers for the 24-yard touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a one-point lead it would keep, with the help of a sack and a tackle-for-loss by Chase Young on the final Nittany Lions’ drive.
After that point, Haskins became Haskins, with five 400-yard performances, six games with at least three passing touchdowns, including six against both Indiana and Michigan, tying the single-game record for the Buckeyes.
He was good in his first four games. Very good, even. But that Penn State game seemed to wake up the record-breaker inside, the quarterback who would set the tone for the Ohio State offense even to this day.
So how similar were Haskins’ and C.J. Stroud’s first seasons as the starting quarterback at Ohio State?
The comparisons were clear all year long: Haskins and C.J. Stroud.
On a personal level, that’s really all I could do. Heading into the Oregon game — my first game on the beat in two years — the last Ohio State quarterback I saw play in person was Haskins, walking off the field after a Rose Bowl win against Washington. But as the season went on, the similarities in terms of path were uncanny.
I mean, just look at the season ending stats for each in their first season as an Ohio State starter:
Haskins: 70.2% completion rate, 4,580 passing yards (327.1 per game), 47 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
Stroud: 71.9% completion rate, 4,435 passing yards (369.6 per game), 44 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Haskins and Stroud each had five games with at least five passing touchdowns, along with two games with six passing touchdowns, tying the Buckeyes’ single-game record.
Stroud broke Haskins’ single-game record for passing yards, becoming the first Ohio State quarterback to eclipse 500 passing yards in a single game.
Both Stroud and Haskins finished their first seasons hoisting a Rose Bowl trophy.
Heading into his second season as a starter and his third with the program, Stroud is expected to have the best season a quarterback had ever had in a Buckeye uniform, breaking the single-season records that Haskins set in 2018.
But without Haskins, Stroud’s success would not have been possible.
On to the spring game.
After 14 practices since March 8, Ohio State’s spring camp will officially conclude at Ohio Stadium with the annual spring game.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said last week that he and the rest of the coaching staff haven’t started to script out what they want the team to showcase at the scrimmage, but that the process would be starting late last week.
Game is set for 12 p.m. Saturday, and I will be there, along with Zack Carpenter and our trusty photographer Scott Stuart for everything that goes down, from the field to the recruits visiting to all the other shenanigans that could happen.
In other words, keep your eyes locked to the board all day Saturday. We’ll have loads and loads of content.
Who knows who we will see, or how much we will see. But here’s a few storylines I’m looking forward to when I head to the stadium Saturday.
Here’s one storyline for the Ohio State defense.
Basically, it’s how much of Jim Knowles’ defense is installed.
A few weeks ago when we talked to Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator, he said he wants to have 80-85% of his playbook on film this spring, using as a baseline to work from over the summer and heading into the fall. Even to safety Tanner McCalister, who followed Knowles from Oklahoma State to Ohio State, it was a lot.
“I was like, ‘Hey Coach, you putting in a lot.’ And he’s like ‘No, I want to get it in,’” McCalister said. “‘I know they are going to mess up. I just want to get it in so the guys, they get a feel for it.’”
With all of these different storylines surrounding the defense, whether it’s the three-safety look in the backfield or the Jack position, it will be interesting to see how much is shown off in this scrimmage setting and how much will be kept under wraps until Sept. 3 rolls around against Notre Dame.
Here’s three defensive players to watch in the spring game.
Jack Sawyer: When asked about the Leo position, what he quickly referred to as the “Jack” because “Leos” are the “king of the jungle,” Knowles pointed to the sophomore defensive end as one of the main go-to guys when those plays have been installed. For a defensive end/linebacker hybrid that could need to do anything at a moment’s notice, Knowles also mentioned Mitchell Melton and Caden Curry, but Sawyer seems like “the guy” at the position at this point. It will be interesting to see what that could look like.
Steele Chambers: To me, he’s the key to this defense, which should not be a surprise to any of you if you read my stuff. First of all, for all the attention that the safeties and the Jack are getting in Knowles’ defense, the outside linebacker has always been the one to stand out statistically. Just ask Malcolm Rodriguez. And for a player who’s had a whole calendar year to learn the linebacker position after switching from running back in camp last season, I think Chambers could be the main piece of this defense when it’s all said and done.
Kourt Williams II: Knowles LOVES Williams and his potential. When he talked about pairing the safety with Ronnie Hickman in the defensive backfield, the Ohio State defensive coordinator almost got giddy. But for as much as he talks about Williams, the redshirt sophomore could play a big role, serving as the bandit for the Buckeyes’ defense, where he will be that linebacker/safety hybrid his body-type signifies. With the right development, Williams could play a special role for Ohio State’s defense in 2022, something folks could get a preview of Saturday.
Here’s one storyline for the Ohio State offense.
It’s too early, I know. And it’s not something that Day, Stroud or Corey Dennis will bring up when the game is played Saturday.
But it’s the statistical battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord.
We know where both stand right now. McCord is clearly the No. 2 guy behind Stroud, based off the in-game experience from last season where he showed himself to be the heir apparent likely in 2023.
But Brown has something to prove too, heading into his first action inside Ohio Stadium. And Saturday, with Stroud likely not seeing a lot of playing time, if any, it will likely be his show to run opposite McCord.
How close will the freshman be to the sophomore? Will he show that he could give McCord a run for his money in 2023? We’ll see, but that’s really the main storyline heading into the spring for an offense that seems relatively set.
Here’s three offensive players to watch in the spring game.
Paris Johnson Jr.: It’s not clear how much starters will play in this game, but Johnson looks like one who would play a bit more considering the shift in positions, moving from right guard to left tackle. The former five-star tackle has played primarily guard at the college level, and all indications from people around the team have been that the transition has been smooth. Saturday may not be a clear indication of what progress there looks like, but it could be a start.
The second and third string offensive line: Day made it clear: he didn’t trust the depth of his offensive line. The Ohio State head coach said last week that he feels offensive line coach Justin Frye’s room was only six players deep where he would like to see it up to nine players deep heading into the fall. It’s a room without a lot of proven talent behind Johnson, Luke Wypler, Dawand Jones, Matthew Jones and Donovan Jackson. Who steps up behind them?
Julian Fleming: That third wide receiver spot is up for grabs alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. And Fleming has all the tools to step up and grab it. He’s been talked up throughout spring ball, along with Emeka Egbuka, Kamryn Babb and Jayden Ballard in what seems to be a room bursting with talent. Could Fleming emerge as the clear No. 3?
Let’s head to the hardwood. Justice Sueing is back. What does Ohio State’s lineup look like?
I’ve already written on this, but I wanted to give you my starting lineup as it stands now:
G Meechie Johnson Jr.
G Tanner Holden
G Eugene Brown III
F Justice Sueing
F Zed Key
Note: Bruce Thornton is going to push for playing time in that guard spot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Buckeyes target a veteran point guard for some depth there. Also, watch out for Brice Sensabaugh in that four-spot with Sueing moving up to the three and Brown and Holden serving as the two main guards for a bigger look.
The student on the bike.
I wanted to see for myself what the shrine to Dwayne Haskins looked like.
Sunday evening, I drove to Ohio Stadium to look at what has been left in honor of Haskins: the jerseys, the flowers, the Terrible Towel for his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The rotunda on the northside of Ohio Stadium was busier than usual with Ohio State fans decked out in the Scarlet and Gray, along with upcoming college graduates taking photos with their caps and gowns.
But as I walked up to see it for myself and to grab some photos, I saw a person on a bike.
He wasn’t approaching the display. He was seemingly immovable, only staring, seemingly still trying to process what seeing those jerseys displayed meant. I could see the tears welling up, the emotion clear on his face. He missed Haskins. He was having his last moment with the quarterback who meant a lot to him.
And he rode off.
Haskins meant a lot to Ohio State. It’s a simple statement to make, one that seems overly simple in a time like this, but one that still carries a lot of weight.
To many, Haskins, Stroud, these players that don the Scarlet and Gray each week are superheroes. And from the emotion of that man’s face, the student on the bike, Haskins was his.
It was an honor to experience that moment with him.
Here’s my song of the week.
No real reason for this one, except its the track used in the climax of the best sports movie of all time and maybe my favorite movie of all time “Warrior” — if you haven’t seen this movie, watch it immediately.
This performance is stunning. Give it a watch.
See you on the board.
After an eventful and emotional week of Ohio State news, we head into the week of the 2022 Spring Game.
Here’s what I’m thinking about.
When did Dwayne Haskins become Dwayne Haskins?
I was at all but two of Dwayne Haskins’ appearances in an Ohio State uniform.
In 2017, I wasn’t at the Rutgers game where he checked in completing 50% of his passes for 47 yards and a touchdown in a 56-0 win, and I wasn’t at the Nebraska game, where he completed all three of his pass attempts for 25 yards, along with a four-yard rush in a 56-14 win.
But I saw everything else: his first 14-yard completion to C.J. Saunders against Army, his firs 38-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Berry against UNLV, that comeback he led against Michigan in Ann Arbor, his first record-breaking start against Oregon State, his loss to Purdue where he attempted 73 passes, his 499-yard performance against Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship and his send-off against Washington in the Rose Bowl.
Everyone has their own specific moment to where they thought the Haskins of 2018 became THE Haskins of 2018, and all of those answers are right to a sense. And my answer is not a shocker.
I remember what it was like to experience that comeback win against Penn State from press row.
Haskins had already shown up to an extent, averaging nearly 300 yards passing in his first four games — including a matchup against No. 15 TCU in Dallas — completing 75.7% of his passes with 16 touchdowns compared to one interception.
But that night in Beaver Stadium was the redshirt sophomore’s first taste of adversity, the first true road game atmosphere.
It wasn’t easy, completing 22 of 39 passes for 270 yards with three touchdowns, an interception and a sack against the No. 9 team in the country.
That’s not what people remember about this game. It was that final touchdown drive.
Starting with the ball at his own 4-yard line with 4:34 to go, trailing by five points, Haskins went to work. He dumped the ball off to J.K. Dobbins on a screen, taking it 35 yards for some breathing room, as both Dobbins and Mike Weber used runs to get the ball in Penn State territory.
Getting to the Penn State 24 after a 14-yard pass from Haskins to Parris Campbell and a 5-yard run from Dobbins, Haskins faced the moment of the game: third down with five yards to go with 2:03 left.
The next play wasn’t a play for Haskins to show off. He took what the Penn State defense was giving him and let the receiver do the work.
He took the snap, pitching it out to K.J. Hill in the flat, who sped through multiple tacklers for the 24-yard touchdown, giving the Buckeyes a one-point lead it would keep, with the help of a sack and a tackle-for-loss by Chase Young on the final Nittany Lions’ drive.
After that point, Haskins became Haskins, with five 400-yard performances, six games with at least three passing touchdowns, including six against both Indiana and Michigan, tying the single-game record for the Buckeyes.
He was good in his first four games. Very good, even. But that Penn State game seemed to wake up the record-breaker inside, the quarterback who would set the tone for the Ohio State offense even to this day.
So how similar were Haskins’ and C.J. Stroud’s first seasons as the starting quarterback at Ohio State?
The comparisons were clear all year long: Haskins and C.J. Stroud.
On a personal level, that’s really all I could do. Heading into the Oregon game — my first game on the beat in two years — the last Ohio State quarterback I saw play in person was Haskins, walking off the field after a Rose Bowl win against Washington. But as the season went on, the similarities in terms of path were uncanny.
I mean, just look at the season ending stats for each in their first season as an Ohio State starter:
Haskins: 70.2% completion rate, 4,580 passing yards (327.1 per game), 47 touchdowns, 8 interceptions
Stroud: 71.9% completion rate, 4,435 passing yards (369.6 per game), 44 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Haskins and Stroud each had five games with at least five passing touchdowns, along with two games with six passing touchdowns, tying the Buckeyes’ single-game record.
Stroud broke Haskins’ single-game record for passing yards, becoming the first Ohio State quarterback to eclipse 500 passing yards in a single game.
Both Stroud and Haskins finished their first seasons hoisting a Rose Bowl trophy.
Heading into his second season as a starter and his third with the program, Stroud is expected to have the best season a quarterback had ever had in a Buckeye uniform, breaking the single-season records that Haskins set in 2018.
But without Haskins, Stroud’s success would not have been possible.
On to the spring game.
After 14 practices since March 8, Ohio State’s spring camp will officially conclude at Ohio Stadium with the annual spring game.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said last week that he and the rest of the coaching staff haven’t started to script out what they want the team to showcase at the scrimmage, but that the process would be starting late last week.
Game is set for 12 p.m. Saturday, and I will be there, along with Zack Carpenter and our trusty photographer Scott Stuart for everything that goes down, from the field to the recruits visiting to all the other shenanigans that could happen.
In other words, keep your eyes locked to the board all day Saturday. We’ll have loads and loads of content.
Who knows who we will see, or how much we will see. But here’s a few storylines I’m looking forward to when I head to the stadium Saturday.
Here’s one storyline for the Ohio State defense.
Basically, it’s how much of Jim Knowles’ defense is installed.
A few weeks ago when we talked to Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator, he said he wants to have 80-85% of his playbook on film this spring, using as a baseline to work from over the summer and heading into the fall. Even to safety Tanner McCalister, who followed Knowles from Oklahoma State to Ohio State, it was a lot.
“I was like, ‘Hey Coach, you putting in a lot.’ And he’s like ‘No, I want to get it in,’” McCalister said. “‘I know they are going to mess up. I just want to get it in so the guys, they get a feel for it.’”
With all of these different storylines surrounding the defense, whether it’s the three-safety look in the backfield or the Jack position, it will be interesting to see how much is shown off in this scrimmage setting and how much will be kept under wraps until Sept. 3 rolls around against Notre Dame.
Here’s three defensive players to watch in the spring game.
Jack Sawyer: When asked about the Leo position, what he quickly referred to as the “Jack” because “Leos” are the “king of the jungle,” Knowles pointed to the sophomore defensive end as one of the main go-to guys when those plays have been installed. For a defensive end/linebacker hybrid that could need to do anything at a moment’s notice, Knowles also mentioned Mitchell Melton and Caden Curry, but Sawyer seems like “the guy” at the position at this point. It will be interesting to see what that could look like.
Steele Chambers: To me, he’s the key to this defense, which should not be a surprise to any of you if you read my stuff. First of all, for all the attention that the safeties and the Jack are getting in Knowles’ defense, the outside linebacker has always been the one to stand out statistically. Just ask Malcolm Rodriguez. And for a player who’s had a whole calendar year to learn the linebacker position after switching from running back in camp last season, I think Chambers could be the main piece of this defense when it’s all said and done.
Kourt Williams II: Knowles LOVES Williams and his potential. When he talked about pairing the safety with Ronnie Hickman in the defensive backfield, the Ohio State defensive coordinator almost got giddy. But for as much as he talks about Williams, the redshirt sophomore could play a big role, serving as the bandit for the Buckeyes’ defense, where he will be that linebacker/safety hybrid his body-type signifies. With the right development, Williams could play a special role for Ohio State’s defense in 2022, something folks could get a preview of Saturday.
Here’s one storyline for the Ohio State offense.
It’s too early, I know. And it’s not something that Day, Stroud or Corey Dennis will bring up when the game is played Saturday.
But it’s the statistical battle between Devin Brown and Kyle McCord.
We know where both stand right now. McCord is clearly the No. 2 guy behind Stroud, based off the in-game experience from last season where he showed himself to be the heir apparent likely in 2023.
But Brown has something to prove too, heading into his first action inside Ohio Stadium. And Saturday, with Stroud likely not seeing a lot of playing time, if any, it will likely be his show to run opposite McCord.
How close will the freshman be to the sophomore? Will he show that he could give McCord a run for his money in 2023? We’ll see, but that’s really the main storyline heading into the spring for an offense that seems relatively set.
Here’s three offensive players to watch in the spring game.
Paris Johnson Jr.: It’s not clear how much starters will play in this game, but Johnson looks like one who would play a bit more considering the shift in positions, moving from right guard to left tackle. The former five-star tackle has played primarily guard at the college level, and all indications from people around the team have been that the transition has been smooth. Saturday may not be a clear indication of what progress there looks like, but it could be a start.
The second and third string offensive line: Day made it clear: he didn’t trust the depth of his offensive line. The Ohio State head coach said last week that he feels offensive line coach Justin Frye’s room was only six players deep where he would like to see it up to nine players deep heading into the fall. It’s a room without a lot of proven talent behind Johnson, Luke Wypler, Dawand Jones, Matthew Jones and Donovan Jackson. Who steps up behind them?
Julian Fleming: That third wide receiver spot is up for grabs alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. And Fleming has all the tools to step up and grab it. He’s been talked up throughout spring ball, along with Emeka Egbuka, Kamryn Babb and Jayden Ballard in what seems to be a room bursting with talent. Could Fleming emerge as the clear No. 3?
Let’s head to the hardwood. Justice Sueing is back. What does Ohio State’s lineup look like?
I’ve already written on this, but I wanted to give you my starting lineup as it stands now:
G Meechie Johnson Jr.
G Tanner Holden
G Eugene Brown III
F Justice Sueing
F Zed Key
Note: Bruce Thornton is going to push for playing time in that guard spot, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Buckeyes target a veteran point guard for some depth there. Also, watch out for Brice Sensabaugh in that four-spot with Sueing moving up to the three and Brown and Holden serving as the two main guards for a bigger look.
The student on the bike.
I wanted to see for myself what the shrine to Dwayne Haskins looked like.
Sunday evening, I drove to Ohio Stadium to look at what has been left in honor of Haskins: the jerseys, the flowers, the Terrible Towel for his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The rotunda on the northside of Ohio Stadium was busier than usual with Ohio State fans decked out in the Scarlet and Gray, along with upcoming college graduates taking photos with their caps and gowns.
But as I walked up to see it for myself and to grab some photos, I saw a person on a bike.
He wasn’t approaching the display. He was seemingly immovable, only staring, seemingly still trying to process what seeing those jerseys displayed meant. I could see the tears welling up, the emotion clear on his face. He missed Haskins. He was having his last moment with the quarterback who meant a lot to him.
And he rode off.
Haskins meant a lot to Ohio State. It’s a simple statement to make, one that seems overly simple in a time like this, but one that still carries a lot of weight.
To many, Haskins, Stroud, these players that don the Scarlet and Gray each week are superheroes. And from the emotion of that man’s face, the student on the bike, Haskins was his.
It was an honor to experience that moment with him.
Here’s my song of the week.
No real reason for this one, except its the track used in the climax of the best sports movie of all time and maybe my favorite movie of all time “Warrior” — if you haven’t seen this movie, watch it immediately.
This performance is stunning. Give it a watch.
See you on the board.
