On this Wednesday Buckeye Talk, transfer news opens (0:30) the pod -- one transfer that could affect teams that matter to Ohio State, plus one Buckeye leaving in the portal, and another that could be interested in coming in as a transfer.

Then (15:29) it's onto the main topic of the episode -- the Ohio State run game, how the Buckeyes use their running backs and how often, and what that might look like this year.

How will the OSU running backs factor into the offense compared to last season? Compared to J.K. Dobbins' 2,000-yard season in 2019? Compared to the run game history of Ohio State? Compared to how the pass game is used?

There are some numbers about the frequency of the running back usage a year ago that might surprise you. And Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means dig in deep on this topic, as spurred on by text subscribers.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

This episode is a full first-round mock draft featuring eight cleveland.com reporters. It's a crossover pod of Buckeye Talk, Orange and Brown Talk, and Strictly Stripes, as the cleveland.com experts on Ohio State, the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals come together for one monster episode.

All 31 picks in the first round are here, and in this mock four trades are made (including one involving C.J. Stroud), five quarterbacks are taken in the first round, and a good time is had by all.

The drafters:

You'll find the same pod on our Browns and Bengals feeds. But for Ohio State fans wanting to get a feel before Thursday on how Stroud, Paris Johnson and Jaxon Smith-Njigba fit into the bigger picture, we think this is worth your time.

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On this Monday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are going on the clock in the 2023 NFL Draft.

They're predicting where they think Ohio State players will be drafted this week. Listen to their picks for:

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It's time for a break from OSU-Michigan talk, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means get back to rapid fire questions about everything related to Ohio State football on this Saturday edition of Buckeye Talk.

First up, (0:30), who do the guys list as their stars of spring football?

Then (13:38) it's suggesting one thing they would change about Ohio State football.

Next (23:00) is a deep discussion about whether Ohio should have spring football in high school and what it would mean for the Buckeyes.

Then (41:14) the fallout from Brian Hartline's UTV accident is discussed, and what it might mean for Hartline and the Buckeyes, and how Ryan Day might handle it.

Next (57:35) is the ongoing discussion about offensive line options in the transfer portal.

Finally (1:02:20), would an OSU-UM national title game overwhelm the rest of the rivalry?

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

It's the final episode of our three-part Ohio State-Michigan miniseries here in April on Buckeye Talk, as Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and Jimmy Watkins turn the discussion toward intangibles.

Part 1 was feelings in the rivalry.

Part 2 was football in the rivalry.

Part 3 is how the feelings affect the football.

First (0:30), the guys talk about Michigan's current trash talk in the series after two straight wins and what, if anything, Ohio State can do about it. That includes a discussion (25:14) about some social media words exchanged recently by recruits on both sides.

Then (32:44), it's what Ohio State might be like as an underdog in The Game this season, if that happens.

Then (35:29) comes a long discussion about what happens in the rivalry when the talent is pretty equal. That includes a look at history and the record in the series, since Woody Hayes, when both teams are ranked in the top 10.

Finally (1:06:53) there's an insider vs. outsider discussion, and a debate (1:13:45) on whether the last two wins for the Wolverines were more about what Michigan did right or what Ohio State did wrong.

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On this Thursday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and cleveland.com rivalry reporter Jimmy Watkins are here for the second Ohio State-Michigan episode this week.

This pod is about the football -- the strengths and weaknesses of both teams on the field, how they match up, and why they both might be among the four best teams in the country again.

Off the bat (0:30) Doug asks the other three about his theory that these very well could be two playoff team.

Then (2:07) it's a discussion of Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy, what the Wolverines need from him, and how he compares to the Ohio State QBs and to other returning QBs around the country.

Next up are breakdowns of the offensive lines (32:03), running backs (38:44) and receivers (43:22) on both sides.

Answers from texters about how these teams compare (53:06) are then followed by a more thorough discussion (1:00:24) of whether an Ohio State-Michigan national title game is really possible this season.

Then it's a dive into both defenses (1:13:44) and which should be better this season.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk, and come back for part three of this OSU-UM series on Friday.

It's the start of a three-episode series on the Ohio State-Michigan game on this edition of Buckeye Talk. First up, Doug Lesmerises asked Ohio State text subscribers for their feelings about the state of the rivalry after the conclusion of spring football for both the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

The next pod on Thursday will deal with the football matchup between the two teams, and the Friday pod will focus on the intangibles within the rivalry. But first, the fans check in.

To do that, Doug focused on three areas with survey questions and responses from texters.

First (0:30), how much does the fact that Ohio State has lost the last two games to Michigan affect the everyday lives of OSU fans?

Then (35:46), are fans optimistic or worried about Ohio State's chances of winning in Ann Arbor in November, and how have their thoughts changed over the last five months?

Finally (1:04:31) what do fans think are some of the reasons that Michigan has won the last two games, and is Ohio State doing the right things to change that?

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.co, and don't miss the next two episodes on The Game, as Doug will be joined by Nathan Baird, Stephen Means and cleveland.com rivalry reporter Jimmy Watkins.

On this Monday Madness edition of Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises and Nathan Baird are here with:

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Spring football is over for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are here to wrap up what they saw at Ohio State's spring game Saturday, with more than 75,000 fans in attendance.

First (0:30), Ohio State added two football recruits on Saturday.

Then (6:29) it's into the game and how quarterback Kyle McCord looked. Devin Brown couldn't play because of an injury, but does the QB battle continue?

That continues into a discussion about the offensive line (46:35) and how that group looked.

Then it's the receivers (54:38) and the defense (57:19).

There are some final overall thoughts (1:04:00) from spring, then a final take on the play-calling handoff (1:11:45). Finally, the transfer portal (1:22:50) is open again.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk from cleveland.com.

On this Friday Buckeye Talk on the eve of the Ohio State spring football game, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are talking recruiting.

First (0:30), the guys check in on texter thoughts from two previous podcasts.

There are texter survey results on the idea of Haskins Heisman Hill in Buckeye Grove (3:30), and there are the answers about whether Ohio State could put together a mini-dynasty in the next decade (10:10).

Then it's onto recruiting (14:19) and whether Ryan Day is feeling momentum after six commits in the last three weeks.

One is quarterback Air Noland (20:46) and another is linebacker Payton Pierce (26:29). What do their pledges mean?

Then the guys get into a debate about the current offensive line recruiting strategy (35:07) and what needs to happen next at that position.

Finally (1:05:17) the talk turns to the latest collective and if it might be more effective in helping Ohio State get the NIL money to land some major national recruits.

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk, and talk to you after the spring game on Saturday with a postgame pod.