The Buckeye Weekly Podcast

This year's Ohio State men's basketball team is an interesting mix of returning standouts like John Mobley and Amare Bynum, a 5-star true freshman in Anthony Thompson, some veteran portal additions like Justin Pippen, and a whole lot more. 

But one of the most intriguing new faces is LJ Smith, who was also ranked as a 5-star recruit by some sources, and who enrolled a year early at Ohio State. So how much can he impact this year's team during what should have been his senior season of high school?

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear Ohio State men's basketball coach Jake Diebler address that and much more, including their outdoor opening exhibition game next week against Cincinnati.

The Ohio State men's basketball team is getting set to tip off its season next Wednesday in an outdoor matinee against the in-state Cincinnati Bearcats. The team from BuckeyeInsiders.com will be there to cover that game, but before then, it's time for a bonus episode to let you hear a little bit from OSU men's basketball coach Jake Diebler.

Diebler met with the media on Wednesday this week to preview the upcoming season, discuss some of the new faces on this year's team, and more.

Is Jeremiah Smith headed for another big day? Can Bo Jackson manage an average day? Will Kenyatta Jackson set a career high this week?

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr are back to compete with bold predictions for this Saturday's game between Ohio State and Iowa.

Wednesday evening after Ohio State football practice, we got a chance to talk to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for the first time since fall camp, and there were a lot of interesting questions to ask. 

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Smith about topics including: whether they ramped up their plans to get the ball to Jeremiah Smith when they saw how Illinois was defending them, how he has seen the run game continue to grow and evolve this season, and where Julian Sayin has made significant strides already this year.

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day during his interview session following Wednesday evening's practice in the lead-up to the Buckeyes' road game at Iowa. 

Day answered questions about Julian Sayin's execution of quarterback sneaks, how Jeremiah Smith handles opposing teams throwing multiple defenders at him on most snaps, what he remembers from the Buckeyes' previous trip to Iowa City in 2017, and much more.

Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz has seen it all since taking over in Iowa City in 1999. Now the dean of Big Ten football coaches, Ferentz has his Hawkeyes back in the top-15 of the national polls, following a dramatic last-second victory over the Michigan Wolverines. 

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Ferentz about that win, the difficulties ahead from facing Ohio State, and what they're doing to try to get ready for the unique challenge posed by the Buckeyes' star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

What are Ryan Day's major concerns right now regarding the Ohio State defense?

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss Day's answer to that question and how those concerns can be eased. They discuss some things that Kenyatta Jackson had to say about "hero ball" as well and talk about how quickly the fixes might take hold.

The No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes will travel to Iowa City this weekend to take on the No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes. Any trip to Kinnick Stadium can be dicey, especially for a top-15 team. In fact, the Hawkeyes are have won four of their last nine home games against top-15 opponents, and even many of their losses have come down to the final minute and a single possession. 

So what makes Kinnick Stadium such a tough place to play, and why is Kirk Ferentz's team so successful at dragging visitors into low-scoring slugfests?

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear Ohio State head coach answer that and much more, including an update on talented true freshman DE Khary Wilder's role, Day's biggest concerns on defense, and more. 

Ohio State freshman nickel back Jay Timmons was injured in last Saturday's win against Illinois. His status this week is still up in the air, but Ryan Day did discuss what the Buckeyes might do without him.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr talk about the options presented, which include senior Cam Calhoun and true freshman Jordan Thomas. What does this mean for Jermaine Mathews? The fellas discuss every possible scenario.

Ohio State QB Julian Sayin was a Heisman Trophy Finalist as a first-time starter and redshirt freshman in 2025. Now, in 2026, Sayin has shown noticeable signs of progress in a number of areas, most notably in his willingness and ability to run the football when needed.

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, and his thoughts on Sayin's season, his progress, and the passing game on the whole.