Meechie decided to officially enter the transfer portal by making the following announcement on his social media pages: Meechie "Bad News" Johnson entered the Ohio State program as an early enrollee eager to play for the team that he grew up watching. Covid-19 offered a unique opportunity where Meechie would be able to forgo his senior season to join the Buckeyes while essentially allowing him to play two freshman seasons. How is this possible? The NCAA granted a "Covid year" to all players allowing each athlete an extra year of eligibility. Meechie Johnson took full advantage of the opportunity by improving most notably his strength. Playing 17.7 minutes per game for the Buckeyes this season, Meechie Johnson showed a huge improvement from his Covid freshman season to his true freshman season. Putting up a single-game career-high of 14 points against Xavier following a 13-point game against Bowling Green showed promise that the young guard belongs at the major division one level. Meechie Johnson went into his final decision narrowing his list down to Pittsburgh, South Carolina, LSU, and DePaul. Taking an official visit with each of the schools, Meechie found his best fit to be South Carolina. Best of luck to Meechie Johnson. Andrew Boszor @osuhoopsinsider

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!

Quote Of The Day: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer" - Sun Zhu With the conclusion of another weekend in April, college football saw more spring games played across the country. Some of the headliners for this weekend included USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, and Oregon. With a big September 3rd matchup against the Irish, it may have piqued the interest of some Buckeye fans to see what they had going on over in South Bend Irish Spring Game Takeaways It is never easy to get a gauge on how a team is actually going to perform in the fall based on a spring game, but there are definitely some observations that were easy to make The first thing that was obvious in Notre Dame's scrimmage on Saturday is that they sorely need Tyler Buchner to be 100% healthy this season. Buchner suffered a sprained ankle just a couple days before the spring game, and was withheld for that reason. The QBs that did play on Saturday did anything but impress. Buchner when healthy is definitely a difference maker as a signal caller, being rated as a 5-Star prospect in the class of 2021. He saw some action last season from time to time, and he is a name Ohio State fans should keep a close eye on. Jim Knowles and his defense are going to have to make sure they bring it on September 3rd. Offense last year wasn't Notre Dame's strength, but their defense really started to play some good football later on in the season. They lose 2021 All American Safety Kyle Hamilton to the draft, but have replaced him with Northwestern transfer Brandon Joseph, who was an All-American in the 2020 season. Al Golden has been hired at defensive coordinator after Marcus Freeman was promoted to Head Coach, but this unit will very much have Freeman's fingerprints on it. Golden was most recently the Linebackers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, and his last gig as a defensive coordinator was at Virginia from 2001 to 2005. His first game back in the defensive coordinator role will come against Ryan Day and CJ Stroud... good luck Al. Quinn Ewers Makes His Debut For Texas Quinn Ewers is probably the weirdest recruiting story surrounding Ohio State in the past ten years. Committed back in the fall of 2020, Ewers was originally a class of 2022 prospect before reclassifying to 2021 in late July of last year. Whatever transpired, transpired, and Ewers found himself in the portal just a few short months later. Ewers, who originally committed to Texas, transferred back home to play for the Longhorns, and this weekend we got our first glimpse at him in the Burnt Orange. In the Spring Game, Ewers was able to connect for a 62-Yard TD that was awfully impressive, but outside of that, he looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. This doesn't mean much going forward, as we've seen countless QBs be inconsistent in a spring game, and go on to have great seasons (Justin Fields in 2019). Texas has a lot of weapons coming back this season, and should have one of the top offenses in College Football. If Ewers is able to win the starting job over Hudson Card, he should have no problem racking up stats in Austin. Quiet Week For Ohio State After the spring game in Columbus last weekend, that earned the Buckeyes a couple commitments on Easter Sunday, all has been pretty quiet. Outside of Ohio State getting left out of Cedric Baxter Jr's top 5, which came as a bit of a surprise, nothing much has changed. We will be keeping a close eye this week on the class of 2024, as Dylan Raiola is still on #BoomWatch. There is no set timeline for a commitment, but I would not be surprised if it comes this spring or summer. Thanks for stopping in. Don't let Monday get to you. Greet it with a smile, and kick some ass. Go Bucks!

Per Matt Zenitz at On3 Sports, Redshirt Junior Defensive End Noah Potter has entered the transfer portal. Potter entered Ohio State as a freshman in 2019, and has been looking to crack the rotation for the Buckeyes for the past couple years. In what could have been a breakout year in 2021, Potter sustained a detached retina in his right eye, that nearly resulted in complete loss of vision in that eye. This forced him to miss the entire season. Potter had been repping at both DE and DT for the Buckeyes this spring, but had spent a majority of the time at DE. In the Spring Game last Saturday, Potter recorded 6 tackles and 2 sacks, in what was a welcome sight after having an injury riddled 2021. With the return of Zach Harrison, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Tyler Friday and the emergence of J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer at defensive end, the path to playing was extremely limited for Potter. He is a good player with a high ceiling, but he is looking to make a difference for someone now. Whoever lands him will get an instant impact player that has 4 years of training under Larry Johnson. That will be very appealing to a lot of coaches across college football. Ohio State is now at 86 Scholarships for the 2022. Expect to see at least one more player hit the transfer portal in the coming weeks. Best of luck Noah, Buckeye Nation wishes you well.

Quote Of The Day: "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Weeknd" - Daniel Craig Recruiting Updates With Spring Football now coming to a close, we will begin to shift our focus for the next couple months to the recruiting trail. While many story lines from this spring were focused on the revamp of Ohio State's defense, the coaching staff was busy on the recruiting trail as well as the practice field. The spring is one of the busiest times of the years for prospects to make their visits, and the Buckeyes had plenty stop into Columbus this spring. This is where they stand with some of their biggest targets. Carnell Tate (2023 5-Star WR): While Ohio State has long been considered the leader in this recruitment, things are certainly tighter than they once were. The competition had mostly been Notre Dame and Georgia, but a recent surge by Tennessee has made things interesting. About a month ago Tennessee landed a commitment from 5-Star 2023 QB Nicholaus Iamaleava, and the reports for an $8 Million NIL deal have all but been confirmed. With this type of money being thrown around, and this type of caliber of offensive recruit on his way to Knoxville, there is no wonder why the Volunteers have made a huge jump recently. I think the further Tate gets away from his visit to Knoxville, the better the news is for Ohio State. This one will go down to the wire, but I still have the Buckeyes earning his signature on NSD. Brandon Inniss (2023 5-Star WR): A few months ago, this is a recruitment that felt like it was all but over, then Lincoln Riley decided to jump ship from Oklahoma and go to USC. Since the Ohio State has put itself in a great position with Inniss, and his recent visit to Columbus couldn't have gone much better. USC is viewed as the leader here, and Miami is definitely a threat, but Brian Hartline has definitely given him something to think about. If Inniss isn't sure what to make of Ohio State, I think tuning into the NFL Draft next Thursday should put his mind at ease. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave are about to get PAID. Matayo Uiagalelei (2023 5-Star DE): If you want to talk about Ohio State surging in a recruitment, look no further than Mateo Uiagalelei. Fresh of a visit to Columbus, there is one thing that the Uiagalelei family has emphasized, and that is Ryan Day is exactly as advertised. The honest, family oriented program has been paying off for Ohio State greatly on the recruiting trail since Day took over the program 3 and a half years ago. USC is considered the leader here, but I think locking in an official for Uiagalelei can go a long way for the Buckeyes chances here, and I think they win out. Uiagalelei will be a Buckeye, book it (please don't be mad at me if he goes somewhere else). Richard Young (2023 5-Star RB): While I felt very optimistic about Ohio State's chances in this recruitment, today I am a little more concerned than I was before. Now, before I explain that, just know that Mark Fletcher's commitment has no bearing on Richard Young's status with Ohio State. This class is being approached the same way the 2021 class was with Pryor and Henderson, and Young has known this from the beginning. The biggest challenge here is that Ohio State is fighting with Georgia and Alabama to earn Young's pledge, and he is coming off of a fantastic visit to Tuscaloosa this past weekend. This visit went well enough to earn the Crimson Tide a crystal ball from Steve Wiltfong in their favor. This one is obviously far from over, but Ohio State needs to get him back on campus soon. Dylan Raiola (2024 5-Star QB): I have already touched on Raiola in The Morning Bell on Wednesday, but this is one that Ohio State wants badly, and it appears they are going to get. Landing Raiola this early in his cycle could immediately pay dividends since Ohio State is in on about a dozen 5-Star prospects in the class of 2024. We will do a more in depth breakdown of the prospects for this class next week, but Raiola is likely to be the first domino to fall. QB prospects don't get better than this, and getting Raiola into this class ASAP will give them a powerful recruiter within the class. There are obviously more players to get into outside of these five guys, and we will dive into that next week, but Ohio State has put themselves in a great position with almost everyone on their board, and a strong summer and results on the field in the fall should keep the Buckeyes right near the top of the recruiting rankings. Thanks for stopping in and enjoy your weekend. Gonna be 80 degrees in Columbus, so enjoy it before winter eventually returns for the 75th time this year.

Quote Of The Day: "Nobody in football should be called a genius. A genius is a guy like Norman Einstein" - Joe Theismann Silver Bullets Back? Speaking of Football Geniuses like Joe Theismann eloquently stated in our Quote Of The Day, there is no question that the biggest storyline of this offseason was the addition of Jim Knowles as the defensive coordinator here in Columbus. Three out of the last four seasons have left Ohio State fans wondering "What could have been?" if the Buckeyes could have put together some sort of cohesive group on that side of the ball. Kerry Coombs may not have a lot of success, but there is one thing that is very different between he and Jim Knowles: Experience. With the offense that Ohio State will have this fall, the defeoing to cut it for Jim Knowles, and it isn't going to cut it for the players in the WHAC. The Buckeyes were flawed last season, but what was so uncharacteristic was how inconsistent they were at getting to the QB. At times it felt like the secondary had to cover for way to long on every single critical down, and seeing a stop in the backfield or a sack felt like watching that 2016 team try to throw the ball down field. It was few and far between. Getting to the QB is priority #1, and it always should be. You get the signal caller on the ground, and you make everyone's job a million times easier. How does Ohio State get back to this level though? Part of the answer is the guy in the thumbnail. J.T. Tuimoloau showed up to the Spring Game on Saturday looking like a player who had finally been in Mickey Marotti's dojo. After showing up to campus last July, and quickly making a splash with meaningful snaps in the fall, Tuimoloau looks to make the next step. Unique bend for his size mixed with a fantastic get-off of the line, strong hands, and speed to get around the edge are all reasons why Tuimoloau should be a household name for anyone that calls themself a college football fan. He will show up ready in the fall, and he isn't the only guy from the class of 2021 looking to make a splash. Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams, and Mike Hall are all waiting in line along with Tuimoloau to get going for the Buckeyes, and the wait may be about over. They may not have the seniority of Harrison, Cage, Jean-Baptiste, or Vincent, but these guys are talented, and need to be on the field if they can truly make an impact. I thought it was evident on Saturday that the two most impressive DEs on the field were #44 and #33. Tyleik Williams, is consistently heralded as a freakish athlete, with one of the fastest 10-Yard splits on the team regardless of position (he weighs 315 lbs!), and Mike Hall is the definition of a savage game breaker on the line of scrimmage. Are there other guys in the room with talent? Absolutely, but it is time to let the Class of 2021 cook on the defensive line. Guys like this make Jim Knowles job as defensive coordinator so much easier. If the Buckeyes get back to their old ways of getting to the Quarterback this fall, then send your prayers to the rest of the B1G, because Ohio State will be back in Death Star mode. Get the defense clicking along with the offense, and you get one word: Trouble. Happy Thursday and thanks for stopping in. Have a great day and Go Bucks!

Saturday we finally got to see some football return to the Horseshoe, even if it only was the Spring Game. For me, the Spring Game has always been a welcome sight, as it shows a shift in the offseason schedule. The next time we see the Buckeyes in their helmets and pads, it will be preseason camp in early August. You never want to wish summer away, but when it gets you closer to Gamedays, it is hard to control yourself. Even though it was a very basic scrimmage, there are still plenty of things to take away from Saturday's Spring Game Offensive Arsenal Since Ryan Day got to Columbus, Ohio State has been a national leader on the offensive side of the ball. Long gone are the days of "3 yards and a cloud of dust" in Columbus. We are in the era of quick strike offense, and last year we saw the Buckeyes hit touchdown strikes from seemingly everywhere on the field. All of that being said, with a Heisman Finalist QB returning in CJ Stroud, and the Wide Receiver room running like a well oiled machine, Ohio State should look to the ground game for a true offensive juggernaut this fall. If you look across college football, no one has a better three-headed monster in the tailback room. Henderson as the feature back broke records last year as a freshmen, rushing for 1248 yards/ 6.8 ypc/ 15 TD. Pair that with Miyan Williams who rushed for 7.2 YPC, you make a pretty nice duo. Yet with those two back in Columbus, one of the guys with the most buzz after this spring is Evan Pryor. Another full winter with Mickey Marotti seems to have really paid off, as Pryor looks like a much more physical player than he did in his freshman campaign. We had been hearing nothing but positive news from people inside the program on Pryor, as he even earned a comparison to Curtis Samuel. When the bright lights came on Saturday during the Spring Game, we all saw why he had earned so much hype out of the spring practices. Only one word could describe his play: Electric. If you run into this Buckeyes team in November, and you have to play those three running backs who will all be fresh, not many defenses are going to have a fun time trying to keep points off the board. With as explosive of an offense as Ohio State had last year, the red zone was an issue. With Donovan Jackson and Matt Jones filling the guard positions this year, and these three running backs on your squad, no one should be able to keep Ohio State from getting across the goal line. Pair this running attack with the best QB in college football, and there is no reason the Buckeyes shouldn't return to the CFP after missing in the 2021 season. Future QB? If you follow the recruiting news surrounding Ohio State at all, then you should be no stranger to 2024 5-Star QB Dylan Raiola. Raiola is a 6'3" 225 lbs prospect from Chandler High School in Arizone, and when you flip on his highlight tape, it is pretty easy to see how he came to earn his ranking. Watching these highlights, you quickly have to remind yourself that you are watching his Sophomore highlights. With some of these throws that he is making, I would be comfortable stacking these highlights against anyone from the 2022 and 2023 classes. Physically imposing already, with a lot of room to grow, it is possible Raiola enters the collegiate scene at closer to 6'5" or 6'6". All that being said, over the last week just about anyone who is anyone in the world of recruiting insiders has made a prediction for Ohio State to land the commitment of Raiola here in the near future. He would be the first addition to the 2024 Buckeyes class, and with Ryan Day's stance on visits while committed, you have to assume Raiola is locked in if he does commit. Now, this is recruiting, and we all know things can change. We are a long ways away for NSD for the class of 2024, but if he does decide to come aboard, it is hard to start off a class any better than that. He has already been seen engaging with 2024 5-Star WRs and Ohio State targets Jeremiah Smith and Jojo Trader, so we may begin to see some dominos fall very soon for the 2024 class. Happy Wednesday everyone, we are all one step closer to the weekend! Enjoy!