Nathan Baird was in New York on Friday, talking with Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud, and Stroud's friends and family, as the Buckeyes' redshirt freshman spent the day going around the city as a Heisman Trophy finalist. On this special Saturday Buckeye Talk, Nathan talked with Doug Lesmerises about what he saw and heard from Stroud.
Then, Nathan and Doug covered the news of Ryan Watts' transfer and of the announcement of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' salary.
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C.J. Stroud in NYC; plus Ryan Watts and Jim Knowles news

The latest analysis on Ohio State football, basketball and recruiting from cleveland.com's Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis. Usually, quite a good time.

Sports

Football

This episode of Buckeye Talk is all about getting to know thy enemy, which matters when discussing the greatest rivalry in sports.
Ohio State closed out its spring session last week with the first nationally televised spring game, and now Michigan is set to become the second on Saturday. In preparation, Stephen Means is joined by Jimmy Watkins as the two discuss what's going on in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines embark on a new era under Sherrone Moore.
Plus, an unnecessarily long conversation about why JJ McCarthy was the perfect OSU villain and how Michigan plans to follow that up. 
Lastly, they look at the reasons why the Wolverines could still be a threat in 2024.
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Why Ohio State football fans should care about Michigan's spring game

This Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk is brought to you solely on behalf of the texter community delivering questions.
Among the topics discussed by Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis:

The impact of Ohio State's first two losses to the post-spring transfer portal window.

Players and people within the OSU athletic department they’d love to interview knowing they’d get 100% honesty.

Which position group would they buy stock in?

What are their favorite sports teams and how they became passionate about them?

Is the defensive line’s success more about its upside or problems with the offensive line?

Who would they start at quarterback if it were up to them?

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An Ohio State stock watch, two early transfers and who should be the 2024 starting quarterback

Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class is off to a strong start, and its class added two more members over the weekend.
On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis break down OSU’s latest commitments and what they bring to the program. Then the two look ahead for a class featuring 13 commits and sitting in the top spot in the recruiting rankings.
While Ohio State has started great, it's far from finished putting together its 2025 class. As it heads into the next few months where recruiting in the only priority, the two look at what are the most important needs still left on the board.
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Two new commits and Ohio State’s most important positions left on the recruiting board

This Monday episode of Buckeye Talk features a rewatch of Ohio State's 2024 spring game.
Stephen Means and Nathan Baird look back at the performances of quarterbacks Will Howard, Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Air Noland looking at how they played and what comes next. Plus a transfer portal conversation on how many quarterbacks they think will still be on the roster in the fall.
Then a conversation about the bevy of options Jim Knowles and the defense previewed and whether they think OSU needs to find another offensive lineman in the transfer portal
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Ohio State spring game rewatch and pending roster moves

Ohio State wrapped up Phase One of its quest for a national title with the spring game providing a first public look at its 2024 roster.
On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis break down where OSU stands following the spring and what they saw in the game. They start with a discussion on the quarterback battle between Will Howard and Devin Brown and which player is in the lead heading into the summer. Then they look at the other three quarterbacks involved.
After the break, they discuss the offensive line as the only significant question mark on offense heading into the summer. Then they wrap things up with a glowing review of the defense led by a secondary who spent the afternoon getting the better of the wide receivers.
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C.J. Stroud in NYC; plus Ryan Watts and Jim Knowles news

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