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Kirk Herbstreit thinks he knows the root of Ohio State football’s Michigan problem: Buckeye Breakfast
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State quarterback Kirk Herbstreit went on the Rich Eisen show in preparation to discuss the National Championship Game and the two couldn’t help but to talk about The Game,
Eisen — a Michigan alum — asked Herbstreit about the state of the Buckeyes’ program coming off a third straight loss to a Wolverine team who went on to win the national title by beating Washington heading into the offseason. The question sparked a long soliloquy from Herbstreit which started with him pointing how the difficulties Ryan Day deals with as OSU’s head coach.
“I like Ryan,” Herbstreit said. “I know him. I know what he is about. I think this has been hard on him when you go 11-0 and lose to Michigan and get ridiculous treatment from your fans. It’s not just, ‘Oh, man, you have to beat Michigan.’ It’s when it gets personal and the attacks on him and his family, I know are not something he and his family signed up for, but he understands it.”
What started as a way to discuss what this offseason might be like for Day, turned into a discussion about the fundamental difference between the two programs and why that difference has led to Ohio State being on the losing side of this rivalry for the last three years saying that the program ‘has to look in the mirror’ and make adjustments.
“With Ohio State, the adjustment is that they recruit on a national level and they get great individual talent,” Herbstreit said. “I think if there’s one thing that’s gotten away from them a little bit it’s this: Is everybody pulling the rope together? Is it a bunch of individuals that they are trying to talk into understanding Ohio State and Ohio State’s history, or is it a landing spot for three years to propel them into the NFL? That’s what they have to face.
“Recruiting great talent is one thing. But trying to get them to buy into being a great team and playing for Ohio State has got to be the number one thing. The NFL should be a big goal of yours. It’s great. NIL should be a big goal of yours. That’s great. But it’s not in front of what we’re doing as a team. … If they’re already in a good place there, then so be it, but that, to me, when you look at them against Michigan, that has stood out the past couple of years. Michigan plays for each other. … That matters.”
You can watch the full interview on the subject below:
Ohio State’s early enrollees arrive
Ohio State signed yet another top-five class under Day with 20 players in its 2024 recruiting class. That class featured five players classified as five-star recruits plus three others among the nation’s top 105.
A few of those players started their college careers over the week arriving as early enrollees including all but one of the five-star recruits. Early enrolling can often lead to a player getting on the field faster, some even doing so as true freshmen.
Here are the players from the 2024 recruiting class who early enrolled:
| Player, Position | State | Rank (Position) | Rating | Star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith, WR | Florida | No. 1 (No. 1) | 0.9994 | 5-Star |
| Eddrick Houston, EDGE | Georgia | No. 26 (No. 5) | 0.9903 | 5-Star |
| Aaron Scott, CB | Ohio | No. 34 (No. 2) | 0.9873 | 5-Star |
| Air Noland, QB | Georgia | No. 36 (No. 4) | 0.9835 | 5-Star |
| Bryce Young, CB | Ohio | No. 58 (No. 4) | 0.9714 | 4-Star |
| James Peoples, RB | Texas | No. 95 (No. 7) | 0.9532 | 4-Star |
| Garrett Stover, LB | Ohio | No. 105 (No. 9) | 0.9493 | 4-Star |
| Ian Moore, IOL | Indiana | No. 137 (No. 6) | 0.9400 | 4-Star |
| Payton Pierce, LB | Texas | No. 204 (No. 16) | 0.9214 | 4-Star |
| Jaylen McClain, SAF | New Jersey | No. 269 (No. 28) | 0.9107 | 4-Star |
| Miles Lockhart, CB | Arizona | No. 388 (No. 32) | 0.8958 | 4-Star |
| Deontae Armstrong, OT | Ohio | No. 428 (No. 34) | 0.8925 | 4-Star |
| Devontae Armstrong, IOL | Ohio | No. 465 (No. 30) | 0.8900 | 3-Star |
| Eric Mensah, EDGE | Virginia | No. 779 (No. 89) | 0.8742 | 3-Star |
| Sam Williams-Dixon, RB | Ohio | No. 780 (No. 60) | 0.8738 | 3-Star |
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Buckeyes in the UFL
The United Football League is the latest professional football league to show hope hoping to carve out an interest for the sport in the spring. The league’s existence is the result of a merger between the XFL and the USFL and features eight teams.
Those initial rosters were announced on Monday following its initial player dispersal draft on Friday, allowing g the eight teams to protect 42 players from XFL and USFL rosters while adding up to 20 players from the rosters of teams within their previous league that will not be a part of the new league.
Six former OSU players will be on rosters in tight end Marcus Baugh, cornerbacks Cameron Brown and Gareon Conley, defensive tackles Antwuan Jackson and Taron Vincent and wide receiver Binjimen Victor, and Taron Vincent.
Brown, Conley and Victor were retained by teams they had already signed with while Baugh, Jackson and Vincent were drafted to new teams after their previous teams disbanded.
The initial season of the new UFL is scheduled to begin March 30. Teams will play 10 regular-season games, televised on ABC, ESPN, FOX or FS1.
Key dates
- NFL Draft underclassman entry deadline: 6 days, Jan. 15, 2024
- Regular signing period: 30 days, Feb. 7-April 1, 2024
- NFL Scouting Combine: 57 days, Feb. 27-March 4, 2024
- 2024 opener vs. Southern Miss: 235 days, Aug. 31, 2024
- The Game 2024: 326 days
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