Quote Of The Day: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17
Competition breeds excellence, and there is no shortage of competition in the WHAC every single day. The talent is deep within the Ohio State Football Program, which means talent alone does not get oneself on to the playing field. Over the past few weeks, the Buckeyes have lost some of their deep talent to the natural attrition of college football in todays landscape with the transfer portal.
Turrentine Hits The Portal
On Monday morning, Andre Turrentine submitted his name in the transfer portal, which came as a bit of a shock to most people. Turrentine played more snaps in last Saturday's spring game than anyone else on the roster, but it turns out it may be for other reasons. Both he and Noah Potter showed out in the spring game, but my hunch is that Ryan Day knew of their intention to transfer going into the game. Allowing them to showcase their ability and get some more film at the college level as they move forward in their careers. It is tough to see Turrentine go, who was the #9 player at the safety position in his class, but the depth at Safety is real. Kye Stokes took the WHAC by storm and shot up the depth chart in just 15 practices, and with the addition of Tanner McCallister through the portal, the snaps are most likely not going to be what Turrentine wanted. There is also a guy by the name of Sonny Styles who will be stepping onto campus in June, so the path was not going to get easier.
A native of Nashville, look for Tennessee to be a big player in landing Turrentine in the portal, as well as Alabama, who was in the hunt to land his commitment back when he was in high school. Wherever he lands, I am sure he will produce, and do so in a big fashion. Best of luck Andre!
Noah Ruggles M.I.A.
One notable absence from Ohio State's spring practices has been Rose Bowl Hero Noah Ruggles. Ruggles had an amazing 2021 season for Ohio State, that saw him only miss 1 Field Goal Attempt all season long. After contemplating heading to the NFL, Ruggles announced that he was planning to return to Columbus for another chance at winning a National Championship. However, Ruggles was never seen at practice this spring, and Ohio State recently offered USC transfer kicker Parker Lewis a scholarship.
With Ruggles being MIA, and Ohio State extending a scholarship offer to Lewis, one can only assume that Ruggles time with the Buckeyes has come to an end. Details are scarce at this time, so I do not want to say anything is certain, but if this is the end of Ruggles career as a Buckeye, he definitely went out in style.
Last year as USC's kicker, Lewis went 17/22 in field goal attempts, with a season long of 52 Yards. He also went 23/24 on extra point attempts. Ohio State should be just fine at kicker for the 2022 season.
Olave And Wilson Set For Thursday Night
Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are two of the greatest wide receivers to ever play for Ohio State, and they are about to see their years of hard work and dedication pay off on the biggest stage. With the 2022 NFL Draft set for Thursday, Olave and Wilson are going to hear their names called in the first round, being the first Ohio State WRs to go that early since Anthony Gonzales and Ted Ginn Jr. in 2007. While their college stories will have similar endings on Thursday, they most certainly didn't have similar beginnings.
Chris Olave was a 3-Star prospect coming out of Mission Mills High School in San Marcos California, and when he got to Ohio State, most fans had no idea who he was. According to the 247Sports composite rankings, he was the 68th best receiver in the class of 2018. Olave was injured his junior year, which is really when most of these players get their game tape evaluated by college coaches. Being out did him no favors, but when Brian Hartline saw Olave in practice before his senior season, he wasn't even originally there for him.
Hartline stumbled upon Chris Olave by a weird coincidence, and once he saw him running routes in practice, he knew he had to get him to Columbus. The Buckeyes offered, and Olave committed on January 28th, 2018 and since then, Olave has done nothing but prove that Hartline was right to want him. 4 years later, Chris will hear his name called by the commissioner during the 1st Round of the NFL Draft, the sweetest victory an overlooked high schooler could ever imagine.
On the other side of this recruiting coin, is the recruitment of Garrett Wilson. Wilson was a 5-Star prospect out of Lake Travis High School in Austin Texas. From an early age, Wilson flashed his potential to be an elite talent at his position, and there was no doubt that every single school in the country wanted his pledge.
Brian Hartline developed a relationship with Wilson early on in the recruiting process, and showed him all the reasons why Ohio State could be a home for him. Despite being a class behind Olave, Wilson committed to Ohio State just 3 months after Olave. Little did he know at the time, that the skinny 3-Star WR from the class before would be sharing the stage with him on NFL Draft Day.
Despite being viewed very differently in high school, they both became impact players in Columbus in their freshman years, and they are helping build Ohio State back into being WRU. They have set the standard for years to come, and with Brian Hartline at the helm of the WR room, this won't be the last time we see a Buckeye receiver's name called in the 1st Round. In fact, we will most likely see it next year when Jaxon Smith-Njigba likely declares for the draft.
Congratulations to Chris and Garrett on a culmination of their life's work. Enjoy the moment.
Thanks for stopping in! Leave a comment about what you thought of the post, and most importantly, GO BUCKS!