Now that Ohio State has new coordinators on both sides of the ball, one of the biggest lingering questions entering this spring is how the Buckeyes’ offense and defense will operate under Brian Hartline and Matt Patricia. 

We aren’t expecting any drastic changes on the offensive side of the ball – Ohio State’s offense is still Ryan Day’s offense, and Brian Hartline’s promotion comes in part because of how well he knows Day’s offense – though the Buckeyes will have to make adjustments to fit their personnel as new starters take over at quarterback, running back, tight end and offensive tackle.

Defensively is where the bigger scheme questions lie. Patricia was never tied to one specific scheme as the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator, so there’s reason to believe his defense will be built to fit Ohio State’s personnel, but that will require changes too as the Buckeyes break in eight new starters on that side of the ball. And while the rest of Ohio State’s defensive coaching staff returns, there are questions about how Patricia’s ideas will mesh with defensive line coach Larry Johnson and whether Patricia’s success in New England will translate to the college level.

We discuss all of that on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays with Eleven Warriors scheme analyst Kyle Jones, who joins us to share his thoughts on what Ohio State’s offense and defense could look like in 2025 as well as what impressed him most about Ohio State’s national championship run this past season.

The full rundown for our conversation:

• 0:00 Why Ohio State’s Scheme, Play Calling Worked So Well in the College Football Playoff
• 4:28 Ohio State’s Evolution from Michigan Game to CFP Might Have Simply Been A Mindset Shift
• 6:49 What Matt Patricia Brings to Ohio State
• 10:17 Should We Be Concerned About Patricia’s Defenses Being Too Complicated?
• 16:07 What Ohio State Should Do Schematically to Fit Its Defensive Talent in 2025
• 19:50 Will Matt Patricia’s Defensive Line Philosophies Mesh with Larry Johnson?
• 23:21 Player Departures Could Drive Defensive Changes More Than Coordinator Change
• 26:08 Ryan Day Will Have Big Hand in Ohio State’s Offense, But That’s Nothing New
• 32:08 Why Offensive Line Development Matters More Than Run Game Scheme for Tyler Bowen
• 34:54 Less Quarterback Running Could Be Biggest Change for Ohio State’s Offensive Scheme

With Ohio State’s offensive coaching now set for 2025, the Buckeyes’ focus on that side of the ball turns toward trying to build another championship-caliber unit this season.

Offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, co-offensive coordinator Keenan Bailey, run game coordinator and offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, running backs coach Carlos Locklyn and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler have plenty of talent to work with as their preparations for spring practice begin. The Buckeyes’ receiving corps should be the best in the country once again, hopes are high for five-star redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin and Ohio State’s offensive line has the potential to be its best in a few years.

But there are also some significant questions surrounding Ohio State’s 2025 offense including its inexperience at quarterback, how effective its running game will be following the departures of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins and whether the Buckeyes’ returning offensive linemen will reach their potential with another year of development.

With all of that in mind, we spend this week‘s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays assessing the state of Ohio State’s offense for the 2025 season and discussing our expectations for how we think the offense will fare in both the passing and running games come fall.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00 Thoughts on Ohio State’s New Offensive Coaching Staff
• 15:16 Ohio State’s Receiving Corps Should Be The Best in the Country Again in 2025
• 23:32 Julian Sayin Has Five-Star Talent, But Inexperience Makes Quarterback A Question Mark
• 28:34 Offensive Line Has Upside to Be Better Than It’s Been The Last Two Years
• 40:19 Running Game Faces Questions at Both Running Back and Quarterback
• 51:59 Ohio State Should Build Offense Around Jeremiah Smith and Its Receiving Playmakers
• 53:46 Will Ohio State Have A Championship-Caliber Offense in 2025?

You may have forgotten, but today is National Signing Day.

From Ohio State’s perspective, the real signing day happened two months ago, as the Buckeyes signed 26 high school players during the early signing period. Ohio State isn’t expected to add any more scholarship players to its high school recruiting class for 2025, making the traditional February signing day a non-event for the Buckeyes.

That said, we didn’t spend much time talking about Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class on Real Pod Wednesdays during the early signing period because the Buckeyes were preparing to play in the College Football Playoff at the time. So we felt the secondary signing day would be an appropriate time for us to take a more complete look at Ohio State’s new crop of freshmen.

Eleven Warriors recruiting reporter Garrick Hodge joins us on this week’s Real Pod Wednesdays as we share our overall thoughts on the 2025 class and make our picks for who we think will be some of the class’ biggest stars and hidden gems.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00 Intro
• 3:31 Overall Thoughts on Ohio State’s Fifth-Ranked 2025 Recruiting Class
• 7:43 Devin Sanchez, Tavien St. Clair Headline the 2025 Class
• 17:09 Projecting Some of the Other Future Stars from Ohio State’s 2025 Class
• 22:19 Freshmen with the Best Chance to Play Early
• 25:51 How Ohio State’s Transfer Class Supplements Its High School Recruiting Class
• 29:00 Nate Roberts, Bodpegn Miller, Trajen Odom Among Intriguing Developmental Prospects
• 34:18 Potential Commits and Priority Positions in the 2026 Recruiting Class

After recapping Ohio State’s national championship run on last week’s show, we’re beginning to look ahead to the 2025 season on this week‘s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

Ohio State’s 2025 roster is set for the spring now that the winter window for players to enter the transfer portal has closed. With that in mind, we spend the entirety of this week’s RPW taking a first look at Ohio State’s 2025 roster and sharing our initial thoughts on how the Buckeyes stack up at every position.

The full rundown for this week’s show:

• 0:00 Ohio State Fends Off Efforts to Poach Its Players, Retains All of Its Projected Starters
• 5:22 Julian Sayin is the Projected Starting Quarterback, But He Still Has to Win A Competition
• 12:35 James Peoples, CJ Donaldson Lead Ohio State’s Running Back Room
• 16:56 Ohio State’s Wide Receivers Should Be the Best in the Country Again
• 21:04 Could Ohio State Have the Best Tight End Room in the Country, Too?
• 24:21 Offensive Line Looks Promising with Transfer Tackles, Interior Line Play in CFP
• 31:44 Rotational Defensive Linemen in 2024 Must Step Up As New Starters in 2025
• 37:18 Sonny Styles, Arvell Reese Backed Up by Plenty of Young Talent at Linebacker
• 40:38 Ohio State’s Cornerback Room Remains Loaded with Davison Igbinosun’s Return
• 44:34 Jaylen McClain, Malik Hartford Both Candidates to Start at Safety Alongside Caleb Downs
• 49:40 Ohio State Returns All Three Starting Specialists, But Nick McLarty Remains A Punter to Watch
• 54:01 There’s Still Too Many Unknowns for Us to Call Ohio State A 2025 Championship Favorite

Ohio State is a national champion once again after one of the most impressive championship runs we’ve ever seen.

The Buckeyes’ four-game run to the national title was one we won’t soon forget as Ohio State beat four of the nation’s best teams in the College Football Playoff – all by double digits – to turn what could have been one of Ohio State’s most disappointing seasons ever into one of its greatest success stories.

Ohio State’s national championship run featured too many great moments and top performers to highlight them all in just one hour, but we spent our post-championship episode of Real Pod Wednesdays recapping the best of the best from Ohio State’s spectacular four-game CFP and contextualizing the legacy of the 2024 Buckeyes.

The full rundown for this week’s episode:

• 0:00 The Most Memorable Moments from Covering Ohio State’s National Championship Victory
• 5:29 Ohio State’s Seniors Overcome Years of Disappointments to Go Out on Top
• 7:45 Who Ohio State Had to Beat and How It Won Made OSU’s Four-Game CFP Run Special
• 9:29 Ohio State Should Be Remembered More for Its Resiliency Than Its $20 Million Roster
• 15:46 Does Michigan Loss Dampen Championship Season or Make the Ending More Rewarding?
• 26:31 Ryan Day Wins Over His Haters and Establishes His Standing As An Elite Coach
• 35:03 Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith, Quinshon Judkins Among Offensive Stars of CFP Run
• 40:17 Offensive Line Growth Led by Donovan Jackson A Microcosm of Ohio State’s Season
• 47:40 Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Jordan Hancock Among Defensive Stars of CFP Run
• 52:07 Our Picks for College Football Playoff MVP

Ohio State is one game away from accomplishing the biggest goal we thought the Buckeyes would achieve when the season began.

The Buckeyes didn’t always look like a national championship team during the regular season, but they sure have in the College Football Playoff. While they weren’t as dominant against Texas as they were in their first two CFP games against Tennessee and Oregon, the CFP semifinal win over the Longhorns may prove to be the defining game of a title run as the Buckeyes showed their resiliency in the fourth quarter and won the game in thrilling fashion.

That gives us plenty of confidence that the Buckeyes will finish the job on Monday night and win the first-ever 12-team CFP. If Ohio State plays as well as it has throughout the CFP, the Buckeyes should have a clear advantage over Notre Dame with the Fighting Irish’s limited passing offense, though Ohio State will have to contend with Notre Dame’s strong running game and defense.

We discuss what went well and what didn’t for Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl and preview Monday’s national championship game on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays.

The full rundown for the show:

• 0:00 Ohio State is One Win Away from What Could Be Its Best National Championship Run Ever
• 5:18 Why Jack Sawyer Deserved His Heroic Moment in the Cotton Bowl
• 10:31 Wins over Tennessee and Oregon Were More Dominant, But Texas Win Feels More Memorable
• 14:38 Assessing OSU’s Offensive Line Play Against Texas and What It Needs to Do vs. Notre Dame
• 20:51 Many Standouts Against Texas Included TreVeyon Henderson, Will Howard, Jordan Hancock
• 27:57 Notre Dame’s Pass Defense is Really Good, But We Don’t Expect It to Shut Down Jeremiah Smith
• 33:42 Stopping the Run Will Be Easier Said Than Done, But Ohio State Should Win If It Does
• 39:52 Cody Simon, TreVeyon Henderson, Defensive Tackles Among Players to Watch vs. Notre Dame
• 43:42 Why We’re Both Confident Ohio State Will Beat Notre Dame
• 47:43 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame

As well as Ohio State’s played so far in the College Football Playoff, it feels like the only team who can beat the Buckeyes is themselves. But that doesn’t mean a win over Texas will come easily.

The Longhorns are in the CFP semifinals too for a reason, the biggest of which is its defense, which leads the nation in passing yards allowed per attempt. We’re not sure if anyone in college football can stop Jeremiah Smith right now, but the Longhorns might be the most well-equipped team in the country to at least slow Ohio State’s passing offense down.

On the other side of the ball, Ohio State faces a dangerous passing attack led by an old friend in Quinn Ewers. But we expect the Buckeyes’ defense to make life difficult for Ewers, especially considering the Longhorns’ recent struggles in the running game, and we think Ohio State might hold the quarterback advantage anyway with how well Will Howard has played in Ohio State’s first two CFP games.

We share our full thoughts on Ohio State’s matchup with Texas and make our predictions for how the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl battle with the Longhorns will play out on this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, as outlined below:

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:58 There’s Not Much to Nitpick From Ohio State’s Dominant Performance vs. Oregon
• 4:33 Texas Has One of the Nation’s Best Pass Defenses, But Can Anyone Stop Jeremiah Smith?
• 11:24 Making Texas’ Offense One-Dimensional Could Be the Key to Another Dominant Win
• 18:44 Which Quarterback Would You Rather Have: Will Howard or Quinn Ewers?
• 21:26 Colin Simmons is A Really Good Freshman, But We’ll Take Jeremiah Smith
• 23:31 Ohio State’s Offensive Line Faces Another Big Test, Will It Rise to the Occasion Again?
• 27:18 Donovan Jackson and Justin Frye Have Both Stepped Up in A Massive Way
• 30:00 Our Biggest Reasons for Confidence and Biggest Reasons for Concern in the Cotton Bowl
• 39:19 Lathan Ransom, Tyleik Williams Among Players to Watch vs. Longhorns
• 42:24 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Texas
• 45:28 Predictions for Notre Dame vs. Penn State

With the Buckeyes set to play the Ducks on a Wednesday in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays comes one day early as we discuss the keys to the game and make our final predictions for how the game will play out.

The full rundown for our Rose Bowl preview edition of RPW:

• 0:00 Setting the Stage for What Should Be A Classic Game
• 2:44 The Buckeyes Have Turned Doubters Into Believers, But There’s No Lack of Motivating Factors
• 5:05 Ohio State’s Defense Can Make the Difference in the Rematch
• 8:43 But Ohio State’s Offense Must Put Up Similar Numbers Without Key Offensive Linemen
• 13:17 Will Oregon Benefit from More Rest or Will Ohio State Benefit from Building Momentum?
• 17:39 Denzel Burke, OTs, DEs, RBs and Jeremiah Smith Among Players to Watch
• 24:50 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Oregon
• 29:57 Our Predictions for the Other Three College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

Ohio State fans got their Christmas present four days early.

In front of a raucous Ohio Stadium crowd that gave the Buckeyes plenty of energy despite a Tennessee takeover attempt, Ohio State gave its fans everything they could have asked for in a 42-17 dismantling of the Volunteers that reestablished the Buckeyes as a national championship contender and punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.

The next round could be the biggest hurdle in the Buckeyes’ path to actually winning a national championship, as they face the CFP’s No. 1 seed in a New Year’s Day battle with Oregon at the Rose Bowl, but our belief in Ohio State’s ability to beat the Ducks is much higher than it was a week ago based on its performance against the Volunteers.

We recap what made Ohio State’s showing against Tennessee so impressive and look ahead to the Buckeyes’ rematch with Oregon on our Christmas episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, which you can watch in the video at the top of the page or listen to in the audio player below.

The full rundown for the show:

• 0:00 Improved Offensive Line Play, Offensive Game Plan Leads to Tour De Force Performance
• 4:37 Will Howard Demonstrates NFL-Caliber Passing Ability in His Best Game As A Buckeye Yet
• 6:45 Did Ohio State Learn Lessons from The Game or Just Not Take Michigan Seriously Enough?
• 16:10 Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau Lead Elite Defensive Effort vs. Tennessee
• 20:32 Buckeye Fans Show Out, CFP Gives OSU Blueprint to Continue Improving Game Environment
• 26:51 Whoever Wins Ohio State vs. Oregon Will Be Our Pick to Win the National Championship
• 31:19 Three Options for Fixing the Unbalanced Seeding in the College Football Playoff Bracket
• 34:47 Pass Defense, Offensive Line Must Prove Their Improvement is Real vs. Oregon
• 43:55 Why We’re Both Taking the Over in Ohio State vs. Oregon
• 45:13 Why We’re Leaning Ever-So-Slightly Toward Picking the Buckeyes to Beat the Ducks

Three days away from the first-ever College Football Playoff game at Ohio Stadium, our confidence level that Ohio State will beat Tennessee sits at around 60%.

Ohio State’s interior offensive line remains a major concern as the Buckeyes have opted not to commit to a set trio of starters inside, and we think Tennessee is a well-rounded team capable of challenging Ohio State in all phases of the game. But Ohio State’s dominant defense and its elite receiving playmakers still make us think the Buckeyes should beat the Volunteers, though we’re both expecting a tight game at the Shoe on Saturday night.

In our pre-CFP episode of Real Pod Wednesdays, we discuss what concerns us most about the matchup with Tennessee and what gives us confidence in Ohio State, then make our official predictions for not only Ohio State vs. Tennessee but the entire College Football Playoff.

The full rundown for our game-week show:

• 0:00 We’re Three Days Away from A Historic Night at Ohio Stadium
• 2:10 Why Our Confidence Level in An Ohio State Win is at 60%
• 7:48 Why We’re Taking the Points and the Under
• 10:19 Ohio State’s Interior Offensive Line Remains A Major Concern Amid Talk of Guard Rotation
• 20:39 Jayden Fielding Will Likely Remain the Kicker Even Though OSU Hasn’t Committed to Him Yet
• 23:44 Saturday Night’s Forecast Keeps Getting Colder; How Much Will That Impact the Game?
• 30:19 Ohio State’s Elite Defense, Receivers Are Reasons to Be Confident in Buckeyes
• 33:56 Score Predictions for Ohio State vs. Tennessee
• 35:50 Ohio State Usually Plays Its Best When It’s Being Doubted, It Needs to Feed Off That Again
• 39:38 Predicting Who Will Win Every Game in Every Round of the College Football Playoff