Buckeye Talk: Ohio State podcast by cleveland.com

Ohio State invited its student body to get a sneak preview of its 2024 football team for spring practice No. 11 and Buckeye Talk is here to tell you what happened. Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis break down the play of all three quarterbacks who had positive and negative moments throughout the day. While the quarterback competition is the most pressing issue, plenty of other thin...

Could Ohio State be adopting a new philosophy on the offensive line? Tyler Bowen is taking over the position at a pivotal time, needing to replace a handful of starters, but the group still has plenty of experience. There’s a chance that this spring he could be building a depth of options that could allow for an approach OSU isn’t necessarily new to, but could do from a place of strength for the f...

Ohio State is a little more than a week away from its 2025 Spring Showcase, providing the general public an early look at its 2025 roster. But the students are getting an even earlier look. When OSU goes through its second scrimmage of the spring, it'll open its doors to the student body to come watch. As a result, the media will also be in attendance. While it's unrealistic to think Saturday's pr...

Ohio State has spent years recruiting its defensive backs at a high level and developing them behind the scenes. Now it's spending this spring hoping to reap the benefits of that. OSU is using this spring to explore its options on the back end of its defense. The 15 practices are about trying everything to figure out what could be possible in the fall. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Mean...

Ohio State has reached the midpoint of spring practice with one scrimmage down and two more to go. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis discuss where Ryan Day thinks his team stands two weeks out from the Spring Game. That includes an update on the quarterbacks and how he feels about the depth on the defensive line. Plus, a short discussion about how D...

Keenan Bailey is excited about Ohio State's 2025 tight end room and he has good reason to be. Even with the loss of Gee Scott Jr., Bailey returns three players with quality experience while throwing a high-end transfer on top. There is a chance that Bailey has more options at tight end than any other assistant coach has at their respective position groups. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen...

Ohio State's 2025 starting linebacker tandem might have the highest ceiling of any duo in quite some time. James Laurinaitis has developed the room to the point that a group that lost its leader and most productive player can essentially not be missed. That's not a knock on the now-departed Cody Simon. It's a salute to a player who clearly left the room in a quality place. Now guys are ready to ta...

Key members of Ohio State's 2024 national championship team just finished up their last event as Buckeyes as they went through pro day. As the former OSU standouts prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft, a few helped themselves with their performances on Wednesday. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis discuss those players. Plus some early thoughts on Ohio Sta...

Ohio State has added another member to its 2026 recruiting class as the early returns on its new offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, continue to be good. The Buckeyes' class is now up to six commits after adding four-star offensive tackle Sam Greer. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss the latest addition. Then they talk about OSU's young defensive line, which is...

Ohio State has started Week 2 of spring practice as it prepares for the 2025 season. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss what head coach Ryan Day, offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia had to say after one full week. Plus, some offensive line recruiting talk. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad c...

Ohio State heads into Week 2 of spring practice as it continues its early preparation for the 2026 season. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis discuss the most intriguing topics on their minds heading into the week pertaining to OSU's defensive line, linebackers and tight ends. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...

This Friday episode of Buckeye Talk is brought to you solely on behalf of the texter community, which delivered questions about practically everything under the sun. Among the topics discussed by Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis: What kind of Ohio State quarterback battle is happening in 2025; What will OSU still need to address in the spring portal window; Is another five-star fr...

After two days of spring practice Ohio State's quarterbacks and running backs spoke with the media as the two position groups hoped to have new stars emerge. For the quarterbacks, it was a chance to not talk about the looming battle since no one seems to be focused on that element of this offseason. Instead, it turned into conversations about replacing Will Howard's best skill as QB1 in 2024. for...

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, we take a small break from spring football to discuss an Ohio State basketball program stuff in a weird spot. As the NCAA Tournament starts this week, the Buckeyes will be watching from home for the third straight year despite a change in leadership. They finished the season 17-15 and 9-11 in Big Ten play being bounced in the first round of the conference tournamen...

Ohio State went through its first spring practice, providing the first opportunity to look at a new team following its 2024 national championship run. On this episode of Buckeye Talk Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gillis discuss what they saw in the hour-long open window. Then they react to what Ryan Day had to say about a team looking to the future, hoping to defend its title. Thanks...

Spring practice has arrived, bringing with it the official start of Ohio State football's national title defenses. Ryan Day and the rest of the coaching staff spoke publicly to preview the start of practice, detailing why certain hires were made, visions for the future and what the 'Spring Showcase' on April 12 will look like. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik, and A...

One can argue that no Ohio State position group is dealing with more 'new' in 2025 than its offensive line. OSU must find a way to replace four Day 1 starters from its 2024 lineup and the man in charge of doing that is new offensive line coach Tyler Bowen. Plus, there are three new freshmen and two new transfers who are both expected to push for starting roles. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Ste...

Keenan Bailey might have his deepest group since becoming Ohio State's tight end coach. He returns three of the top four players in snaps from last season, with the only departure being wide receiver-turned-tight end Gee Scott Jr. He's been replaced by what might be the most talented player OSU's seen at the position in some time thanks to adding Purdue transfer Max Klare. This group has a handful...

Ohio State lost its all-time leading pass-catcher after the 2024 season and it might not skip a beat in 2025. But that isn’t the most intriguing thing about the room. While OSU’s wide receivers spend this spring building on all the young talent that established itself amongst the nation’s best, Brian Hartline will have a new focus. The former player-turned-coach is taking over play-calling duties,...

Carlos Lockslyn's first year as Ohio State's running back coach was a success as he perfectly maximized TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins while restocking the room for the future. His reward was a national title and now his focus shifts to 2025, where he must replace both players in a room featuring four new faces. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew G...

Ohio State will debut its fifth starting quarterback of the Ryan Day era when it faces Texas on Aug. 30 to open up the 2025 season, but the road between that date and now is long. OSU heads into spring with three scholarship players all vying to be the person who succeeds Will Howard, hoping to accomplish what the Kansas State transfer did last season. Each has a different mission to accomplish ov...

Ohio State's safety room is home to the nation's best returning defensive player in Caleb Downs. Then a lot of questions after that. Downs is the only known commodity at a position that arguably had the nation's best tandem in 2024 with him and Lathan Ransom. With Ransom off to the NFL, this becomes an important spring for position coach Matt Guerrieri in finding not only Ransom's replacement. But...

Tim Walton has spent the last three years rebuilding Ohio State's cornerback room and now it's time to see if he made the right evaluations. Key pieces have left for the NFL, leaving Davision Igbinosun behind as the only returning starter. But behind him is a bunch of high-end talent that's patiently waited its turn. Now the time has come. The previous regime was charged with bringing 'BIA' back....

James Laurinaits has spent the last year restocking Ohio State's linebacker room with high-end talent while also developing a few others. Now it's time to see the fruits of that labor play out. A room that lost its leader and best player will need others to step up beside returning starter Sonny Styles and be the playmakers of a new look defense. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Ste...

Ohio State has to replace a ton of production on its defensive line after losing all four starters to graduation, plus another depth piece to the transfer portal. The path has been paved for new stars to emerge and fresh ideas to be introduced for a group where very few have much experience heading into spring practice. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Stefan Krajisnik and Andrew Gi...