Cleveland, OH
Alabama hire weakens Ohio State’s Big Ten opponent but stabilizes national power
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Which would benefit Ohio State football more — one fewer Big Ten championship challenger, or the long-term weakening of the sport’s most elite program of the last two decades?
Neither outcome is guaranteed after Alabama’s hire of Washington’s Kalen DeBoer to succeed Nick Saban on Friday. Other big-time coaching candidates — Oregon’s Dan Lanning, Texas’ Steve Sarkisian, Florida State’s Mike Norvell — reaffirmed their commitment to their programs after their names came up in the wake of Saban’s retirement Wednesday.
DeBoer, though, pulled the trigger on Friday — four days after coaching the Huskies against Michigan in the national championship game. He built a pristine 104-12 record over nine seasons at Sioux Falls (with three NAIA championships), Fresno State and Washington.
Now he succeeds the best to ever do it.
Washington must now replace one of the profession’s rising stars as the program moves into Big Ten membership later this year. We don’t yet know the effects of extra travel and the repercussions for recruiting for the Huskies and their fellow West Coast additions. We can assume someone with DeBoer’s background helped the chances for a smooth transition.
Ohio State is already engaged in a battle for Big Ten supremacy with Michigan — one it is currently losing. Penn State looms as a potential power waiting to be taken for granted in the wrong season. Oregon, USC and Washington enter the league as nationally relevant programs with proven abilities to find and develop quarterbacks at or near the same level as the Buckeyes.
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If DeBoer moving to the SEC forces Washington to regroup or stalls the momentum of this playoff run, that on the surface looks good for Ohio State.
However, what if DeBoer passed on Alabama, which then had to look farther down its candidate list after all of the above pulled out of contention?
What if Alabama went the way of Texas and USC for the next decade — once mighty powers seemingly happy to nap as sleeping giants? Ohio State’s recruiting took full advantage of those deficiencies in recent years, pulling in numerous major prospects from those states.
If a weakened Alabama opened up more prospects from the deep south, that could arguably help OSU more than Washington taking a hit. With no Big Ten divisions to worry about, and an expanded College Football Playoff on deck, maybe tougher early levels are preferable en route to facing a softer final boss.
The less compelling the hire at Alabama, too, the more likely significant Crimson Tide players would enter the NCAA transfer portal. (A new 30-day window opens for any players whose team loses its coach.) With 2024 recruiting essentially wrapped up, DeBoer’s first order of business is making sure talents such as safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Keon Keeley stay in Tuscaloosa.
Washington players can enter the portal now, too. Two defensive backs did so as outlets confirmed DeBoer’s departure. Perhaps that last point becomes a wash.
Regardless, Ohio State will feel the effects of this game of musical chairs. it plays Washington in Seattle in 2025 and at home in 2028. It is also scheduled to play Alabama in 2027-28.
Does this switch lower a hurdle to a Big Ten championship, or does it stabilize — or even bolster — an impediment to a national championship?
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Cleveland, OH
Wanted sex offender arrested at the same Cleveland home where missing Tennessee mother found dead
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – U.S. Marshals say a wanted sex offender was arrested early Friday morning at the same home where a missing Tennessee mother was found dead on July 3.
Matthew Hensley, 43, was wanted by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for failing to register his address after a conviction of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.
“Today along with Cleveland Police SWAT, Deputy Sheriffs from Cuyahoga County and my Deputy Marshals, we hit that house and we found Hensley in that house hiding in a bench area and a wall and a secret compartment that he had constructed,” said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott
According to the U.S. Marshals, he had additional charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor from an indictment in 2022.
Law enforcement has been searching for Hensley for over two months, according to a release.
Hensley was featured on Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted on Thursday.
The task force said it received numerous tips about Hensley’s whereabouts all across the Cleveland area.
He was found hiding in a cabinet at a home located at 3490 Bosworth Road and taken into custody without incident.
On July 3, Amber Graham, 37, of Spring Hill, Tennessee, was found dead outside at the same address.
Police and fire personnel discovered her body covered in a sheet.
In the Cleveland police report connected to Graham’s death, Hensley is listed as a involved person.
Child found alone at fire station
Graham’s friend told 19 News she had brought her 8-year-old daughter with her on a trip to meet a man she had been communicating with through an online video game.
On July 1, the child walked into a Cleveland fire station alone.
Officials would not confirm the child’s relation to Graham but confirmed an 8-year-old did arrive at the fire station last week.
“They assessed her for any medical issues that she would have. She appeared uninjured, but she had a phone number in her pocket for her grandmother in Tennessee. It’s my understanding. But in that situation, we called police. They called Child Protective Services,” said Lt. Mike Norman of the Cleveland Fire Department.
A friend of the victim’s said the child was Graham’s.
Friends raise alarm
Joshua LaCroix, a friend of Graham’s who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, said Graham had told him and his wife she was planning the trip to Cleveland to meet a man she had connected with through a video game.
During the trip, Graham called LaCroix, saying he heard a man in the background who was angry with her.
“That was the last conversation that me and my wife had with her,” LaCroix said.
When Graham stopped responding, friends and family grew concerned.
“She never misses a shift. No one can reach her. Last thing we know, she was in Cleveland. So like, something’s not right. She’s supposed to be here at work and she’s not,” LaCroix said.
Graham’s family reported her missing to authorities on July 2.
Facebook group helps locate home
LaCroix said he reached out to a Cleveland Facebook page for help tracking down Graham. Members of the group identified a home they believed she may have visited.
“The police were able to get to the house and, you know, discover what they discovered,” LaCroix said.
LaCroix described Graham as someone who cared for others.
“She’s just a genuine person. And she’s a good person. She’s the kind of person who will care for you without much reason to do so,” he said.
Investigation ongoing
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner is investigating Graham’s cause of death. No arrests or charges have been made.
Cleveland police said they are awaiting the medical examiner’s ruling before potentially opening a criminal investigation.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -This week’s Cuyahoga’s Most Wanted features a Cleveland man on the run for failing to maintain his sex offender registry.
According to Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County, Matthew Hensley was convicted of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor in a 2002 case.
It’s reported his victim was under the age of 16-years-old.
He has failed to register, and failed to notify the sheriff’s department of his change of address.
He is now facing the following charges:
• Unlawful sexual conduct with a minor
• Failure to provide notice of change of address
Hensley is 5’8” and 159 lbs. and has a tattoo of Jesus on his neck as well as a tribal dragon on his left arm and praying hands with roses on his right arm.
He was last known to be staying in the 1200 block of W. 65th Street in Cleveland.
If anyone knows where Hensley is, call Crime Stoppers of Cuyahoga County.
All calls to 216-252-7463 can remain completely anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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