Spring is finally in the air. Baseball season is underway. Saturday is the annual Scarlet and Grey game. Basketball has crowned its national champion. It’s Wednesday, let’s rumble!

Buckeye football

We’ve hit the stretch run of spring football and the Scarlet and Grey game is being held this Saturday at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Brown Stadium. The game starts at 1pm and you can hear it live on the flagship station for Buckeye sports 97.1FM or www.971thefan.com It will be shown on the Big Ten Network at 7pm Saturday night.

Braxton Miller

Student Appreciation Day

One of the highlights of the 2012 spring camp was the first ever Student Appreciation Day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Don’t be cynical, the name implies exactly what it is: a chance for the football team to allow unprecedented access to the students who make up the body of this great university and support it so vehemently on Saturday’s in Ohio Stadium and even on the road in opposing dojos. Read More

Tags: Braxton Miller, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carter, David Perkins, Drew Basil, Jimmy Jackson, Jordan Hall, Louisville Cardinals, Noah Spence, Ohio State basketball, Ohio State Football, One Shining Moment, Urban Meyer, Warren Ball
Categories: Analysis, Basketball Analysis, College Basketball, College Football, Football Analysis, Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Quick reflections on the Ohio State Spring Game…

• I’ve Solved Your Problem- You know how the NFL is worried about lawsuits concussions and keeps monkeying with the kickoffs? Well, what if we just got rid of the kickoff and did the Hoot And Holler between five position players on each of the two team; most “victories” gets possession at the 25 to start the game/overtime. It used to be that the NBA did a jump ball after each basket; now there’s just the one at the beginning of the game- this would be like that. Sure, it’s a little XFL, but who’s to say we can’t all learn from each other? You’re welcome.
• Whereforeart Thou Woody?  Saint Hayes of the Clouds Of Dust would have certainly been less than excited to watch yesterday’s action, as the teams focused primarily on the passing game. Given the desire to protect the quarterbacks, a true “zone read” look was off the table and Coach Meyer seemed to be most interested in assessing the play of the wide receivers. Michael Thomas continued the connection that he built with Braxton at the Under Armor game and during the spring, with 12 catches and 135 yards total (More catches than the total leader for last season). For the Gray team, Corey Brown’s 7 catches were good for an additional 90 as well. Braxton ended up taking every snap for the Scarlet and went 24-31 with one INT and and 258 yards passing; Kenny G was 17-26 with one pick, one TD, and 191 yards passing. Read More

Tags: Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Chris Carter, Corey Brown, Corey Linsley, Hoot And Holler, Jake Stoneburner, John Simon, Kenny Guiton, Kerry Coombs, Michael Thomas, Rod Smith, Spring Football 2012, Spring Game 2012, Tyvis Powell, Urban Meyer
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

Bumped back a day to cover today’s press access- one more day means even more news, notes, and inanity.

Would look great in the man cave- and Father's Day is coming up...

Buckeye 411

• You (will be) looking live… at a brand new, super hugemongous, HD capable scoreboard in Ohio Stadium in the fall of 2012. In addition to this addition, the ‘Shoe is getting HDTVs throughout the concourses and a brand new sound system. Pluses: great view of hard hits and controversial plays, as well as being able to enjoy the schadenfreude on the other sideline with more definition. Minuses: they still won’t show the plays you want to see, they’ll probably use most of that space for advertising, and the sound system will encourage them to play stuff rather than letting TBDBITL bring the heat.
• Meyer’s Musings- Coach Meyer was in front of the media twice today; once with the B1G conference call and then again after practice. And, as surprising as this might be for folks who are used to Ohio State press interviews… he actually answered questions and gave his honest opinion.  Whew, lawdy… almost got a case of the vapors.
• Topic du jour- Coach was asked about a Sporting News piece regarding his time at Florida (more after the break), and was adamant that any alleged NCAA issues were blatantly not true. His exact quote-

There was no NCAA violation. If you could bold and underline that for me, please.

Done and done, coach.

• Also, on the phone- Coach Meyer talked a bit about the process that the team was going through in learning the offense, and said that Braxton has been having success with the perimeter running game. While the passing game still behind, he’s seen that Stoneburner and Hall are playmakers and that John Simon is a  “Warhorse”. Hopefully this won’t mean he’ll be snubbed during Oscar season.
• This Week In Injuries- In the teleconference, Coach Meyer revealed that Jacoby Boren had surgery for a torn labrum suffered during his senior season, and that the surgery was done now to ensure that he would be ready for the fall. He will remain the #2 center, in spite of missed time.  Later, we heard that Se’Von Pittman will also miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Today in practice, CJ Barnett and Rod Smith were dinged up a bit, and several folks were still recovering from earlier issues and were in limited action. Read More

Tags: Adidas, Arkansas, Baylor, Bobby Petrino, Braxton Miller, Brionte Dunn, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carter, Chris Wormley, Gene Smith, Jacoby Boren, John Simon, Kerry Coombs, Ohio Stadium, Rod Smith, SBP, Se'Von Pittman, Spring Football 2012, Taver Johnson, The Game, The Shoe, TTUN, UCLA, Urban Meyer, Zach Boren
Categories: College Basketball, College Football, Humor, Michigan Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Today was the media and family day in the Horseshoe, and as always Josh Winslow brings us the best photos from the event. While the full gallery is great, here are some photos that really stood out for us:

Thunder and Lightning

A Special Moment

YOU tell him that's a penalty...

Read More

Tags: 2011-2012 Season, Antonio Underwood, Archie Griffin, Braxton Miller, Bryce Haynes, Carlos Hyde, Chris Carter, Corey Brown, DeVier Posey, Jamaal Berry, Joe Bauserman, Josh Winslow, Luke Fickell, Mike Brewster, Rod Smith, Russel Doup
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football

Good news for a Thursday… Tonight, the University announced that Cleveland Kennedy student and Senate League MVP Chris Carter had signed his letter of intent to be a part of the Ohio State class of 2011.

Carter had been expected to sign on NLOID, but an investigation into alleged misconduct kept him from doing so. In the subsequent days and weeks, he was cleared of wrongdoing by the CPD, and this announcement seems to indicate that the University has also found no concerns for his being a part of the Buckeye family.

Coach Jim Tressel was finally allowed to talk about the young man (NCAA regulations prohibit coaches from discussing student athletes who are not a part of the team), and said,

We are excited Chris will be a Buckeye.. He has had a great support system at home, as well as at his high school with the likes of his principal Maryum Sims, his athletic director Velma Pettiegrew, and his coach Scott Wodtly. They truly believe that Chris will have great success on and off the field at Ohio State.

Welcome home, Mr. Carter!

Tags: Chris Carter, NLOID
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Malibuckeye, Jim@tBBC and Joe@tBBC join Eric in another Around the Horn style podcast! We get together to discuss the current state of Ohio State recruiting, in particular the recently signed 2011 recruiting class. Of particular note are the surprises of the class, along with who they believe will step up and see the field early in their careers. The crew also discusses the 2012 recruiting class, looking at who we are most excited about along with who we believe are locks to become Buckeyes. Lastly, we discuss the Chris Carter situation, and why we feel like the coaching staff is making the right decision.

All this and more on this week’s Buckeye Battle Cry Radio Hour!

Tags: 2011 Recruiting, 2012 recruiting, Braxton Miller, Bryce Haynes, buckeyes, Cardale Jones, Chris Carter, Chris Wormley, Curtis Grant, DerJuan Gambrell, Dwayne Stanford, Ejuan Price, Ifeadi Odenigbo, Ohio State, Ryan Shazier
Categories: Buckeye Battle Cry Radio Hour, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

We talked about this in the SBP last week, but today we got word that Ohio State recruit Chris Carter will not be charged in connection with the allegations of sexual contact that emerged the day before NLOID.

In a statement from the city’s prosecutor’s office, a spokesperson said,

after a full review, there was not enough evidence of sexual contact to charge Mr. Carter with a crime.

According to the Dispatch’s Ken Gordon, Mr. Carter’s attorney stated that the 6′ 4″, 335 pound lineman could sign his letter of intent early this week, although the word “could” was prominently involved.

More as this develops.

UPDATE: A great interview with Chris on Bucknuts Radio (about 24 minutes in). Doesn’t comment on the investigation, but says confidently that he will be signing his LOI very soon.

Tags: Chris Carter
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

Highest Caliber

First glance at NLOID; both in Columbus and elsewheres.

Buckeye 411

• Tress Talk- Video from today’s Signing Day wrapup, in it’s entirety. Our friends over at 11 Warriors have it broken down even better with individual athlete interviews.

• Stylin’ and Profilin’- Best dressed recruit award goes to Ron Tanner, styling the bow tie and braces.
• Injury Report- Here’s an argument against playoffs; Terrelle Pryor may be recuperating throughout the spring following his post Sugar Bowl surgery. Methinks it’s time for some Kenny G.
• Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics- In case you missed it, Ohio State has the highest winning percentage in college football since 1904. On the recruiting front, the Buckeyes signed 23 of the 30 student athletes who made official visits (76.7%). The 2011 class is ranked #7 (ESPN), #10 (Rivals), and #3/4 (Scout).
• Stylin’ and Profilin’, The Sequel- Best dressed coach award goes to rookie Stan Drayton, who was told by others on the staff that he should wear a tie.  Of course, no one else did.
• Not All Fun And Games- The two stories of the day may have been the offensive linemen that Ohio State didn’t receive LOI from; Glenville’s Aundrey Walker is headed to USC (more on them later) and Cleveland’s Chris Carter (no relation) was unable to sign due to his incarceration for suspected sexual assault. In an interesting twist, though, a spokesman for Mr. Carter said that he won’t be charged (according to Ken Gordon), and there are reports that he was released without bond; that there wasn’t a strong case, and that charges may not be filed. We’ll keep you posted.
• Ah, Spring- In addition to the five 2011 Buckeyes already on campus, Akron’s Tommy Brown will be joining the team for practice leading up to the Spring Game.
• Tressel’s Komedy Klassic- We take this time to defer to one of the newest Buckeyes, Mr. Ryan Shazier

I got four good guys with me helping me stay warm. Wait. Not like that…

Elsewheres Read More

Tags: Aundrey Walker, Brady Hoke, Chris Carter, Joe Paterno, Kirk Ferentz, Lane Kiffin, Mark Richt, Nick Saban, NLOID, Rich Rodriguez, Ron Tanner, Ryan Shazier, SBP, South Carolina, Southern Cal, Stan Drayton, Terrelle Pryor, Tommy Brown
Categories: College Football, Humor, Ohio State Football, Recruiting