The Buckeye Weekly Podcast

The punt might be the most important play in football, at least in Big Ten country, but it might not matter nearly as much if this year's Ohio State offense is as explosive and efficient as expected.

But there are several other big questions looming about the Buckeyes' special teams this fall.

Tony Gerdeman of BuckeyeHuddle.com joins host Tom Orr to discuss all of them.

- With three kickers on scholarship, how will the team split up the kicking roles?

- Will having a big-legged kicker change the way Ryan Day approaches field goals?

- Which explosive young players will get a chance to shine on kick returns this year?

Fall camp has started for the Ohio State Buckeyes. In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr give their thoughts on what was seen on day one during the media's viewing window and then discuss what head coach Ryan Day had to say afterward. Among the topics covered are the following.
- A kicker at cornerback?
- The offensive line four-deep?
- Questions are already answered about who is where on the OL, but how much does it mean after one day?
- Who is at punt returner?
- What did the linebacker depth chart look like?
- Why there is no need to worry about a defensive line depth chart right now.
- Is there a known pecking order at safety right now?
- What to expect from Sonny Styles?
- Who might be the four Jacks?
- Jack Sawyer growing as a leader?
- Why is CJ Hicks no longer a freshman?
- Is his path to the field now a little clearer?
- Why does Ryan Day like guards Donovan Jackson and Matt Jones?
- The usage of indifferent evaluators in-house.
- Julian Fleming had his best offseason as a Buckeye and what that means for the season to come.

The top of the sport of college football can be a little too predictable at times. If you're a fan of Ohio State or Alabama or a handful of other "haves" that can be a good thing. But fans of a lot of other teams are left hoping that their team can put together a surprising season and sneak their way into the top level of the sport.

Last year, Michigan and Cincinnati were first-time entrants into the College Football Playoff. So who's likely to be the next team to earn a spot in college football's final four this fall?

Brett Ciancia of PickSixPreviews.com joins host Tom Orr to discuss the surprising team he thinks could earn a spot in the Playoff this fall.

Plus, a look at where he thinks the Buckeyes could finish, the biggest questions surrounding Notre Dame entering the massive season opener in Columbus, how much of a step back will Michigan take, and much more.

Ohio State's offense gets most of the headlines, but the Buckeyes' defense might be what determines the difference between whether it's a very good 2022 season or one for the ages.

With new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles now in charge, the sky is seemingly the limit, and with a talented group of second-year players in line to potentially play much bigger roles, Buckeye fans are dreaming big.

Tony Gerdeman of BuckeyeHuddle.com joins host Tom Orr to discuss five big questions for this year's defense, including just how much of a role second-year standouts like JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams, Denzel Burke, and others could play.

Plus, with a big positional shuffle, and several key players coming back from injury, what is the safety position going to look like this fall?

Ohio State starts fall camp on Thursday and with the start of camp comes a slew of media availabilities. In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tom Orr and Tony Gerdeman share OSU's practice schedule and interview schedule, going back and forth with various questions they want answered when they speak with each of OSU's coaches this month.

It's pretty much a given that almost no one really knows what constitutes a targeting penalty in college football. It's a well-intentioned rule that has had an outsized and controversial impact on some crucial games. So is there a way to fix it while still protecting players?

Bill Carollo, the Big Ten's Director of Officiating, weighed in on that and much more during Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis. Carollo is always entertaining and informative, and discussed the impact the national referee shortage is having at different levels of the sport, what the league is doing about "disconcerting signals" from the defense, and how he wants to wipe out the wave of teams faking injuries during crucial moments in games.

Ohio State football opens its fall camp on Thursday as the Buckeyes gear up for another run at the Big Ten Championship, College Football Playoff, and even a potential national championship.

This season's offense is shaping up to potentially be the best in program history, with Heisman candidate CJ Stroud on track to totally rewrite the record books with TreVeyon Henderson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and absolutely loaded position groups.

Tony Gerdeman of BuckeyeHuddle.com joins host Tom Orr to preview five of the biggest storylines to watch on offense in fall camp.

- Who will back up Stroud at the quarterback position?

- How will they split up carries among the running backs?

- With an absolutely loaded wide receiver room, which young receivers are set to break out?

- And much more.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss what has happened the last couple of weeks with Ohio State recruiting. Top targets have committed elsewhere following official visits to OSU at the end of June. The Buckeyes have also had a decommitment from cornerback Dijon Johnson. The fellas look back at the decommitment trends for Ohio State over the last decade. How many decommitments are standard in a given year and where do they usually come from? Tom and Tony discuss all of this, as well as the lessons learned on the recruiting trail for the Buckeyes' new coaches. All of this and much, much more.

One of the most chaotic weekends in Ohio State recruiting memory ended with two new commitments, a decommitment, and more drama potentially on the way soon for the Buckeyes.

Alex Gleitman of BuckeyeHuddle.com joins host Tom Orr to try to sort it all out.

- Ohio State now has its 2023 quarterback. So what are they getting in Brock Glenn?

- What made a cornerback from Georgia decide that he would be the first Buckeye commit for 2025?

- Cornerback Dijon Johnson decommitted from Ohio State's 2023 class. Can they possibly win him back?

- Both of the Buckeyes' 2023 tight end commits visited SEC programs in the last few days. Which one is a bigger threat to flip?

- Plus, a 2023 safety is set to announce his decision in two weeks. Are the Buckeyes the favorite to land Jayden Bonsu?

The last week or so has been a rough one for the Buckeyes on the recruiting trail. They’ve missed out on two of their top linebacker targets, a top defensive line target, a 5-star safety, and a top offensive tackle.

So is there something wrong? Or is this just some unlucky timing and a small bump in the road on the way to another top-5 recruiting class?

Recruiting analyst Alex Gleitman of Buckeye Huddle joins host Tom Orr to discuss that and much more.

- Is the fact that the new coaching staff hasn't been able to show on-field results holding this class back?

- Could the program be just days away from landing its 2023 quarterback?

- Plus, which young wide receiver could be on the verge of a massive breakout season?

- And are fans sleeping on just how good the offensive line could be?