Latest news with #SpringGame
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Ohio State football 2025 projected depth chart on offense, summer edition
We are less than a month away from Big Ten football media days, and less than two months away from the start of the 2025 college football season, meaning you'll get to watch YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes defend their College Football Playoff national title very soon. To do it, though, Ohio State will have to replace several key starters off of a team that saw 14 players selected in the 2025 NFL draft. There's never a talent shortage in Columbus, but breaking in a new starting quarterback, some key skill position players on offense, and a slew of defensive veterans will be no easy task. There isn't time either for a slow boil development this coming fall, because the Buckeyes host what will most likely be a top-three ranked Texas Longhorns team to break the seal on the season. At a place like Ohio State, simply reloading and having grace for the program to rebuild after an all-timer of a team won't cut it because of the expectations the fanbase, alumni, and administration heap on broad Scarlet and Gray shoulders. Here at Buckeyes Wire, we like to take a stab at projecting the starting two-deep depth chart, and now that we're getting closer and closer to the season with spring ball and the Spring Game past us, we have a decent idea of what the depth chart will look like. Yes, there are still key position battles to hammer out, but here's how we see things looking when Ohio State runs out of the tunnel on Aug. 30 to get things crankin' again this fall. We start on the offensive side of the ball with defense and special teams to follow in the coming days. Quarterback Starter | Julian Sayin Backup | Lincoln Kienholz Ryan Day is still holding to the notion that this is a close competition between the former 5-star Alabama transfer in Julian Sayin, and Kineholz, who is about as athletic as they come and can provide the Buckeyes with a little more when it comes to dual-threat ability. Ultimately, it'll come down to which quarterback gives Ohio State the best chance to move the ball. With guys like Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on the outside, we like Sayin to get the nod with his accuracy, command, and release. Running Back Starter | James Peoples Backup | CJ Donaldson You can bet that Day and staff will try to replicate a two-back backfield going forward with this new model. To try and accomplish that, Ohio State went out and got veteran running back CJ Donaldson from West Virginia to pair with Peoples. This could go either way, with Donaldson being a bigger back and Peoples being more of the shifty option, with both getting significant playing time barring any surprises. Wide Receiver (X) Starter | Jeremiah Smith Backup | Quincy Porter Smith has this position locked down on any football team -- including maybe NFL clubs until he moves on. The best player in college football will be a problem again for defenses. Behind him aren't options with a lot of experience, but Porter has the skill to spell Smith when he isn't in the game. He had a great spring and we should see him on the field, it just remains to be seen how much. Wide Receiver (Z) Starter | Carnell Tate Backup | Mylan Graham Much like Smith is locked in as the No. 1 option on the outside, Tate will be written in ink on the other outside position. He showed off his skill set and upside last year in several spots, and now that Emeka Egbuka is off to the NFL, he'll be the next man up. With all the attention Smith will command, Tate could have a very big year. Behind him, depending on where the coaching staff wants to slide him, Mylan Graham has to also see the field with what we saw from him in the spring. Wide Receiver (Slot) Starter | Brandon Inniss Backup | Bryson Rodgers While Smith and Tate have things nailed down on the outside, the slot position is a little more open. While Bryson Rodgers will push for playing time, Inniss has the best combination of skill and experience to round out the starting rotation. Don't be surprised if Rodgers starts to cut into some of the snaps as the season goes on. Tight End Starter | Max Klare Backup | Will Kacmarek Kacmarek and Jelani Thurman would have been a very good one/two combination at the position, but then Ohio State went out and got one of the best tight ends in the country when it lured Max Klare to Columbus from Purdue. He should immediately be a playmaker in an offense that already has a wealth of options in the passing game. He'll get many more opportunities as the starter, but the other two guys will also rotate in from time to time. Center Starter | Carson Hinzman Backup | Joshua Padilla Hinzman was the starter here before Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin showed up and took the spot over to start last season. Karma was kind to Hinzman after perhaps being in the doghouse, though, when McLaughlin was lost for the year because of injury. He stepped back in and was an anchor on a line that continued to improve through the memorable CFP title run. There's little doubt that he'll be the man in the middle again in 2025. Padilla is a talent waiting for his turn, and he will be ready to provide relief when needed. It gets pretty thin beyond that without shuffling the deck. Left Tackle Starter | Ethan Onianwa Backup | Ian Moore Ohio State went out and got Onianwa out of the transfer portal from Rice for a reason. His experience will be counted on to be penciled in as the starter to protect the quarterback's blind side. Behind him, Ian Moore showed very well in the spring and could even push for a starting spot somewhere else on the line, but right now, he's waiting in the wings should Onianwa go down. Right Tackle Starter | Austin Siereveld Backup | Philip Daniels The coaching staff has already come out and awarded Siereveld a starting spot, and right tackle looks and feels like the option he'll land at. His development and steady play is being rewarded and he should be solid option to help lock down the right side of the line. Daniels could really flash in the fall and push for time here or guard, but there's not much time for that to happen. He'll be a big part of things in future years. Left Guard Starter | Luke Montgomery Backup | Devontae Armstrong Coming off a strong late-season performance, including more and more excellent play as the postseason wore on, look for Luke Montgomery to be the answer here. Behind him is a little more unknown. For now, we'll pencil in Devontae Armstrong, but don't be surprised if there is shuffling up and down the line as needed, especially with the depth positions. Right Guard Starter | Tegra Tshabola Backup | Gabe VanSickle This is the position less locked in than the rest on the line. Tshabola got the bulk of the reps in spring, so unless someone else jumps out in the fall, he'll probably run out as the guy in Week 1. However, look out for Ian Moore to through a wrench in all of this if he flashes in preseason camp and pushes Tshabola out by moving here as the coaches try to get the best five in the lineup. VanSickle got a decent amount of time in the spring and could be the answer here if depth is needed. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
10-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Previewing the 2025 season for Penn State RB Tikey Hayes with his player profile
Previewing the 2025 season for Penn State RB Tikey Hayes with his player profile Going into the 2025 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will examine each player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover the player's background, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season. The newest addition to Penn State's running back room, freshman Tikey Hayes enrolled on campus early and has already hit the ground running. During a recent media availability, Franklin said "He's tough. This isn't too big for him. So a lot of things to like about him, a lot of things to like about him that have showed up already." Hayes saw limited playing time in the team's annual Spring Game but was able to get his first touches in Beaver Stadium ahead of his first college season. Preseason Player Profile Hometown: Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Height: 5-11 Weight: 205 lb Class in 2025: Freshman Recruiting Rankings Class of 2024: 4-star recruit by Rivals, 3-star recruit by 247Sports, On3 and ESPN, No. 32 running back (247Sports) Hayes was on the border between a 3- and 4-star per recruiting services. He put up big numbers at Aliquippa High School, leading to an offer from the Nittany Lions. After several visits to campus, he decided to commit, even after Ja'Juan Seider's departure. Depth Chart Overview Coming in as a true freshman, Hayes has his work cut out for him. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen will hold down the top two spots on the depth chart, while players like Corey Smith, Quinton Martin and Cam Wallace battle for the next spots. Still, Hayes is off to a good start and may become a larger contributor in the coming years.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ohio State Coach Ryan Day Fires Salvo at 'Cheap' and 'Easy' NIL Money Criticisms of National Title Team
The Ohio State Buckeyes won the 2024-2025 National Championship in football with four straight wins in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame. The run has Ohio State media calling it the most impressive four-game stretch of all-time and has helped the Buckeyes to become the odds-on favorite to win the 2025-2026 national title in some circles. Advertisement On Thursday, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day sat down for an interview with college football host Josh Pate during which he gave credit to his players and coaching staff for their hard work, touched on a wide variety of topics and ultimately fired back at critics who assert that the Buckeyes won on the strength of their offseason NIL spending spree. Ryan Day speaks at the Ohio State Spring Game on April 12. © Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images "There was this perception out there that, oh, any team that wins now, well they're just winning because they went out and paid guys a lot of money," Pate said to Day as he lauded the Buckeyes' for gelling together as a team during their historic run. "Yeah, I think that's just easy for people to say, well, you know, Ohio State had NIL for this amount of money or whatever that just so cheap and so easy for someone to say," Day says around the 34 minute mark of the video below. Advertisement "If you actually do the research, all it does is really tell you the value of an Ohio State football player. "When you look at a brand that has just south of 12 million fans in the city of Columbus with two million people and the power of Ohio State, yeah our guys are going to make a lot of money in NIL. "We did add six or seven guys, but not 15, not 20, where we went out there and just went and got the best players in college football that wasn't the case, and that's not what won us a championship, I think it's easy for people just to kind of say that because it's easy and it's cheap," Day added. Day mentioned Buckeyes holdovers Denzel Burke, Donovan Jackson, Emeka Egbuka, Jack Sawyer and others as players who formed the foundation of Ohio State's title team along with Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins as key contributors who were added in the portal. Advertisement "I'm pretty defensive of that because these guys who came through here and have scars, you don't always remember the wins until you win championships. "That really didn't affect us in the end because we knew that wasn't the case, it wasn't like we just had the best players money could buy, if anyone actually did their research." Related: Jeremiah Smith Teases Big Ohio State Announcement With Curt Message
USA Today
27-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
‘Just give 18 the ball;' Kenyon Sadiq shines at TE1 at Oregon football spring game
'Just give 18 the ball;' Kenyon Sadiq shines at TE1 at Oregon football spring game The Oregon Ducks have had a tradition of great tight ends over the years, but Kenyon Sadiq may be on a whole other level. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound junior out of Idaho Falls could be the most athletic tight end in Duck history and, with a good season, could very well be a first-round draft pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Sadiq showed off his unique talents in last season's Big Ten Championship Game when he scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, one in which he hurdled a defender on his way to the end zone. He had to play behind Terrance Ferguson for the previous two seasons, but here in 2025, it will be Sadiq's time to shine. According to quarterback Dante Moore, Sadiq is a special talent, and building a rapport with him on and off the field is going to be beneficial for everyone involved. In the end, he just needs the opportunities. 'Just give 18 the ball," Moore said. "I mean, that's what I tell Coach (Drew) Mehringer every day when I see him. I mean, give him the ball. He just makes plays, man. I mean, every opportunity in this offense, you got to find the best player. Of course, you have multiple of them, but I just got to give 18 the ball. He's gonna make a play." That chemistry between the two players showed itself during the Spring Game. Sadiq led all receivers with seven catches for 102 yards. He even hurdled a defender during the second half. "I was glad to have him on my team during the spring game. We have a really good connection," Moore said. "He used to live by me, you know, my neighbor. So we're pretty close, but overall, I'm just blessed to have him. He's a freak, with him running 23 miles per hour, it's insane. So glad to have him on a team.' Seeing Sadiq do special things on the field isn't anything new to head coach Dan Lanning. While Duck fans have been clamoring to see more of Sadiq over the past couple of years, this is something that Oregon players and coaches have known was coming for a while. 'I have seen it every day that he's been here. He's a guy that has constantly improved, worked really hard, and embraced whatever role he's wearing for the team," Lanning said of his TE1. "He has been able to help us since the day he got here. I think you saw some of Kenyon that we get to see every day in practice.' When practices become tougher than the actual games, opposing Big Ten teams will have a rough time stopping Sadiq, and the Ducks can't wait for the regular season to start. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything head coach Dan Lanning said after the Oregon Ducks Spring Game
Everything head coach Dan Lanning said after the Oregon Ducks Spring Game The Oregon Ducks took the field at Autzen Stadium on Saturday afternoon for their annual spring game, giving the new-look roster in Eugene a chance to showcase what they can do in front of a packed Autzen Stadium. For the most part, it was an entertaining afternoon of football, with the defense looking like the far dominant unit throughout the day, forcing a couple of turnovers and getting after the quarterbacks. Both teams combined for a total of 11 sacks on the day, with a fumble recovery for a touchdown and a game-ending interception. After the game, head coach Dan Lanning met with media members to discuss the day's work and give some insight into how some of his players performed. He talked about the quarterbacks, the play of the offensive and defensive line, and what he saw from a number of the young players on the roster. Here is everything that he had to say on Saturday after the spring game: Opening Statement Dan Lanning: Awesome day to be a Duck man. Just a lot of fun to experience the atmosphere that this place creates big win by softball every day. About to have an awesome baseball game here in a second. And our crowd was absolutely unbelievable, right? They always show up and show out. Really proud of that. A lot to clean up, right? Film wise, right? I know you guys will over-critique it, right? You won't critique it harder than us. That's okay, right? A lot of positives, but certainly some stuff for us to improve. That's why they call it a spring game. Quarterbacks Question: What was your assessment of the quarterbacks? DL: Yeah, some, some good, some bad. It's kind of the same answer you'll get from me a lot. There was some, some really positive plays. Thought we kind of funk it a little bit in the middle. Started off a little bit hot, operated well in some situations, and then some, you know, we could have certainly could have been better. Defense vs offensive line Q: The defense was dominate vs the offensive line today. Has it been that way all through practices or was that a today type of thing? DL: You know, I wouldn't say that. No, there's been some really good back and forth throughout the spring. Nice shot, though. Dillon Gresham Q: How does Dillon Gresham factor into the receiver rotation? DL: Yeah, I would say that Dillon is probably one of our most improved players from this past season to what he's done now, he's continued to make big plays on the field and, you know, done a really good job for us. He showed up today. I think we all saw what he's capable of today Kenyon Sadiq Q: What's it like to have Kenyon live up to the hype? DL: Well, I've seen it every, every day that he's been here, right? It's a guy that's constantly improved. It's worked really, really hard, you know, embraced whatever role he's wearing for the team, and been able to help us since the day he got here. So, you know, I think you saw Kenyan, what we get to see every single day in practice. More Gresham Q: Where has Dillon improved and was hat indicative of the spring game? DL: Yeah, probably, probably biggest piece, knowing, knowing his job, and then, you know, being able to count him when the ball is coming in his direction, to come down with it. I thought he made some contested catches today. Made some great plays on the ball. He's become much better as a returner, and that's just with reps and consistency. But I think you'd be the first one to tell you, Hey, I got even more room to grow. I got more to even improve. NFL draft Q: With the success of Ducks in the draft, how do you build upon this success with the recruits? DL: Yeah, proofs in the pudding, right? I mean, you just look at it, you're setting program record for guys being able to draft it to get get drafted in the NFL this year. You know, every year our draft picks have gone up since we've been here, and that's really credit to those players that have worked extremely hard get an opportunity to live out their dream. Really excited for them and really grateful for everything they did for Oregon. Luke Moga Q: What kind of progress did Luke make this spring? DL: Yeah, and I think, you know, every quarterback has a different skill set, you know, and Luke's always been really athletic player, but I think what's where he's really come on this year is throwing on time, taking what's there, becoming a complete quarterback from that standpoint. But you know, he had some really good moments this spring, and certainly some good moments today. Blake Purchase Q: What makes Blake Purchase so dynamic? DL: Yeah, like another one that I would say, you know, great improvements this, this off season, he's worked really hard. He's changed his body. He's become really comfortable in the system, as far as what his job is and his responsibilities. You know, he's a complete outside linebacker right now for us, and if he continues to take that same growth this summer, he's gonna be a big impact player for us. Young secondary Q: What was it like to see your young secondary perform inside Autzen? DL: Yeah, I think it's a great environment for them, right? Anybody not like I said, not everybody in the nation gets to play in an environment like that for a spring game. So for them to get some opportunities, there's gonna be some stuff that we can learn from to go against, you know, some really good wide outs each day we talk about iron sharpens iron, you know, I think we have to see some of that. Things to address with young defense Q: What kind of things did you want to address with your young defense in the off season and in the spring? DL: Yeah, I mean, one, it's a completely different group, right? So I think there's a lot of new experience that's there. So I think you got to start with saying, okay, what can we operate and what can we execute? It's not going to be the same as last season, and even the season before that. Our our number one call on defense, was different than it was this past year, so we'll adapt that to fit our personnel. Biggest thing I want to see is guys out there communicating. I think we could have tackled much better than we did today. But when you don't go live tackling every day in spring, you're going to see some of that. As we get closer to fall camp, I think you'll see that improve, and they're going to get some really good play makers on the other side of the ball. But ultimately, we have to be a team that can stop the run, take the ball away. You saw a solid takeaway today, show up and make a big play, you know, actually a couple takeaways, you know, in today's game. But ultimately, assessing this group as an individual group has nothing really to do with last season, right? And there's areas of growth, and there's a lot of stuff that we put in and done differently that we didn't show you today, right? It's not, we're not trying to win when the scrimmage right, we're out there trying to see our guys play football. Jerry Mixon Q: Jerry Mixon played more snaps today than he ever has. What's your assessment of him and in the linebackers as a whole? DL: I feel really good about our linebacker group, like the guys we have. Jerry's a guy that's worked extremely hard, done an unbelievable job, and continues to improve, and when he keeps that his focus, he's really going to be a guy that can help us. But there's a lot of guys in that room that I think can play winning football, and it's just it comes with experience. More linebackers Q: How do you see the linebackers shaking out when it's all said and done? DL: When you talk about really our pillars on defense, we start with relentless efforts. You gotta have guys that run sideline to sideline. You know, linebackers, important job is getting everybody else lined up, and that's where lined up, and that's a really big piece of it. You saw Jeff go to the Chiefs today. That's a big piece of that. He was a great communicator, right? So these guys can grow from a communication standpoint, but when they have relentless effort, when they attack the ball, when they play for the guy next phone, those are gonna be separating factors. Progressing as a team Q: How do you see all the young guys as a team progressing from last year? DL: Yeah, excited about the entire group. I mean, this program is about growth, right? And you never know exactly what your opportunity will look like and when that will necessarily come, but you want to be ready for that opportunity. And I think we've seen a lot of guys take big steps, you know, this off season, but I'm watching the same thing you guys watch. There's a lot of room for improvement on both sides of the ball. So you see a big play, you get really excited about the offense, but then you worry about the defense, right? You see the sack, you get really excited about the defense and then worried about the offense. That's the way these things are supposed to go, right? But ultimately, overall, I feel like we have a group that attack every day really strove them to improve. What can't happen now is a stop and wait till fall camp to keep improving. What's next? Q: How do you attack the next couple months? DL: Yeah, a lot of pieces, right? Our coaches will be going on the road in May for recruiting. We'll do some exit meetings with our players so we can identify new growth areas for us post spring. What are the things that we need to attack to improve on, you know, continue to develop and get those guys strong in the weight room, and take advantage of that and really attack the classroom as well. So a lot of things going on. We're coming into the summer window, where we'll have, you know, camps where we can go evaluate guys as well. But a lot of things. Special teams Q: How would you rate the special teams? DL: That was pretty awesome to see you, right? You know, Gage hit some big kicks overall special teams, there were some positives. There were some real negatives there too. So, you know, you asked about linebacker, maybe punter, if there's a punter out there available, right? We've been more consistent. They didn't show up today. That was some of the poor kicks that I've seen here. On the same note, seeing us hit some big field was like that. I don't know what the distances were exactly. It was like, 47, 52, 54 Okay, so big, big kicks, you know, from, from those guys, and that was great to see. I was gonna actually ask you about Gage. I'm curious if that's we've seen that consistency from that distance. And kind of obviously Atticus is kind of the standard here. But is there a competition, kind of ongoing? There's a competition in every position, right? And Atticus has been a really good force and done a good job, but Gage is a guy that we are really excited for in the future. He's done a really good job. We've always felt like he was going to be a really good player, and certainly, you know, stepping up in those moments today, we're big pieces of that fourth year on the right, and we have one more. No portal quarterback Q: Why didn't you pursue a quarterback in the portal? DL: Because I like who we have on our roster. Yeah, I like the guys who we got right and, you know, that's always been something you want to create competition in every position we've we've utilized the portal at times when we felt like that helped us and enhanced and enhanced us. Had an opportunity to go have success. There's also sometimes the portal, it's not all under your control. If there's if you're lower in a certain roster spot, you need to go add guys to make sure that you can go out there and practice. Roster limits have changed some of those things. There's been some other adjustments, and we'll see how those rules continue to change and shape. But ultimately, I feel good about the guys we have at that position. Receivers room Q: How has the young receivers room taken shape? DL: Yeah, I mean, I think every one of those guys is growing and really excited about what what June had done here in the past, and really excited about what Ross has added to that. You know, we have a talented group. There's a lot of opportunities sitting there for guys to go out make plays. And I think I saw some of those guys making plays that haven't necessarily had those opportunities yet today. You know, Dillon was one that you guys mentioned earlier. Saw some big catches from Kyler, some some catches from J Max so there's a lot of guys that were out there, you know, making an impact you know we have young guys and more veteran guys really across the board, but I feel really good about that room.
