Cleveland, OH
Nick Saban’s retirement presents a potential home run opportunity for Ohio State football’s future rosters
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nick Saban spent 17 years turning Alabama into college football’s ultimate juggernaut, whether that be on the field or on the recruiting trail.
Ohio State has felt the impact of both of those things since Ryan Day took over the program in 2019 and, now as Saban walks away from the sport to retire, the Buckeyes have a chance to recoup from the losses that came as a result.
On the field, that came in the form of a lopsided 54-24 thrashing in a national championship game to conclude a 2020 season marred by a global pandemic. That’s been the only time Day got a chance to face Saban and the second time OSU’s done so since Saban got to Alabama. The other was a 42-35 Sugar Bowl win in 2014 under Urban Meyer on the way to winning a national title.
The more common matchups have come on the recruiting trail where the Buckeyes have often fallen victim to the Crimson Tide. That started with Jordan Battle in 2019, when he flipped following Meyer’s retirement. Those moments continued in 2021 when Alabama killed off OSU’s momentum for J.C. Latham and landed the five-star while also flipping Ohio cornerback Devonta Smith. Alabama left Ohio State alone for the most part in 2022 but picked right back up in 2023 with Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes, Keon Keeley and Kadyn Proctor.
So far, the loss of Downs is probably the most significant given that he quickly became one of Alabama’s more productive players as a true freshman this past season, but Latham has also been a starter the last two years.
It was realistic to think most of those players would end up Buckeyes during their recruitments, but each instead chose to go play for arguably the greatest head coach in the history of college football. But now that he’s gone, maybe there’s a chance to revisit some of those losses and just turn them into delayed wins.
The same can even be said of 2024 defensive backs Zabien Brown and Peyton Woodyard. It maybe even would’ve had a more realistic shot of getting five-star quarterback Julian Sayin if he was committed to anyone other than Saban. Though the Buckeyes are clearly excited about what they ended up with in five-star Air Noland.
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The transfer portal has become a prominent part of modern college football and teams can use it for numerous reasons. Ohio State has often used it to fill a hole with a one-year plug that doesn’t interrupt its future recruiting plans. But the departure of a head coach leading a program that’s home to a roster constantly among the nation’s most talented could change that equation.
Saban’s retirement could open a window for the Buckeyes to use the portal for not just quick fixes to its recruiting miss, but a way to potentially correct those misses with the very players you planned to have fill those holes in the first place.
Plenty of teams will be looking to raid Alabama’s roster. Don’t be surprised if Ohio State finds itself being among them, looking to make up for a few losses at the hands of a legend now that Saban is gone.
The Buckeyes have already taken one player from the Crimson Tide’s roster this offseason in center Seth McLaughlin. Maybe he won’t be the last.
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CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – For the second day, Northeast Ohio school districts are receiving bomb threats.
On Friday morning, two schools in the Elyria City School District, the high school and Ely Elementary, received bomb threats.
Both schools are evacuating students, and emergency responders are on the way, according to a social media post.
All other district schools are in a lockout status as a precaution.
The district asks that family members not come to the schools or call school offices at this time so emergency communication lines remain available.
Elyria Police said that the department is working with the district to ensure the safety and security of students and school personnel following the threats.
“We are aware that neighboring school districts experienced similar swatting-related incidents yesterday, and our investigative personnel are working diligently with our law enforcement partners to identify the source of these threats,” police said.
Five Northeast Ohio school districts received bomb threats on Thursday, including:
- Alliance City School District
- Amherst Exempted Village Schools
- Cleveland Metropolitan School District
- Lorain City School District
- Shaker Heights School District
Below are the details from each district and the protocols in place to protect students and staff.
ALLIANCE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Alliance Police Department confirmed there was an ’anonymous’ robo-voice style call that came into the high school saying there were ’20 pipe bombs’ outside of the school” before 12:30 p.m.
Officers rushed to the high school and Rockhill Elementary School campuses “due to an alarm in which we were not getting a response from the school,” according to APD.
APD shared that the schools evacuated the students temporarily as officers conducted a sweep of the area.
“Nothing was found, thankfully,” APD Lt. Christopher McCord stated. “The school staff, and especially the students, did a great job of staying calm and making everyone’s jobs easier, smoother, and safer.”
“We will be looking into the source of the threats to hold those responsible accountable, if possible,” McCord added.
AMHERST EXEMPTED VILLAGE SCHOOLS
The Amherst Exempted Village School confirmed at 10:25 a.m. that Marion L. Steele High School and Walter G. Nord Middle School received a bomb threat.
AEVS said all district facilities were placed on a level 1 lockdown before the two schools were evacuated to a safe location under the supervision of administration and staff, according to district protocol.
The Amherst police and fire departments teamed up with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office to perform perimeter and building sweeps to determine if the threat was substantiated, said AEVS.
The perimeter sweeps of the two schools were complete by 11:34 a.m., and law enforcement then conducted the interior sweeps of the buildings, AEVS explained.
Amherst Junior High School and Powers Elementary School lifted their lockdowns at that time and resumed normal procedures, according to AEVS.
AEVS also confirmed at that time that all students and staff were accounted for and safe.
The Amherst Police Department completed its sweep of Steele High School and cleared the building of any threat by 11:51 a.m., AEVS updated.
Students were dismissed for the day at that time, according to AEVS.
AEVS instructed student drivers to leave the campus, and students unable to immediately leave were to stay at the school until they could be picked up by a parent, guardian, or approved emergency contact.
The bus routes were running at the scheduled normal dismissal time for students who need a ride home, AEVS added.
APD completed its sweep of Nord School and cleared the building of any threat by 12:32 p.m., AEVS updated.
Nord School students were safely escorted back into the building, according to AEVS, after evacuating to the New Beginning Church as a safe location.
AEVS instructed parents, guardians, and approved emergency contacts who wanted to pick up their student to report to the school’s front entrance, where staff and APD officers would help.
Classes, activities, and normal dismissal procedures resumed as scheduled for students who stayed at the school, AEVS shared, and bus dismissal also proceeded per usual.
“We appreciate the cooperation, patience, and support of our families and community throughout today’s situation,” AEVS stated.
According to AEVS Superintendent Mike Molnar, all evening activities at the school will continue as scheduled, and school will resume on Friday.
Molnar added that AEVS will have an increased police presence at schools on Thursday night and Friday.
CLEVELAND METROPOLITAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District confirmed two threats were received on Thursday morning. The threats were against East Tech High School and Buhrer Dual Language Academy.
According to CMSD, Cleveland police and CMSD’s Department of Safety & Security conducted an investigation and found the buildings to be safe.
From the information gathered during the searches, Cleveland police believe both calls were swatting incidents.
Classes at both schools were uninterrupted, and the school day progressed normally.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Communications Officer Jon Benedict added that parents were informed about the incident.
LORAIN CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Lorain City School District confirmed the high school has been evacuated due to a bomb threat on Thursday afternoon.
This is the third Northeast Ohio school district to receive a bomb threat on May 7.
The district announced the evacuation of Lorain High School at 12:23 p.m., and dismissed students at 12:40 p.m.
Bus riders were escorted to the buses waiting to take them home, according to LCSD.
LCSD said many elementary and middle school students were at the high school for the dance showcase.
Those elementary and middle school students were brought back to their home schools, said LCSD.
All students and staff are safe and following established protocols, LCSD stated, and these measures are being taken out of an abundance of caution.
The district safety team and law enforcement partners continue to investigate this threat.
“Your students’ and our staff’s safety is our top priority,” LCSD stated.
A 19 News crew is on their way to the scene to learn more.
SHAKER HEIGHTS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Shaker Heights High School received its second threatening phone call this week on Thursday, the district confirmed.
Shaker Heights School District said it immediately teamed up with the Shaker Heights Police Department to investigate the threat and determined its credibility.
SHSD said it was aware of the other Northeast Ohio school districts that received similar threats on Thursday.
“Based on the SHPD’s assessment and established safety protocols, the decision was made to continue normal school operations rather than initiate a shelter-in-place,” SHSD stated.
Additional SHPD officers and a K-9 unit were sent to the school out of an abundance of caution to support the safety and security of the building as the investigation continues, SHSD added.
Orrville City Schools were also placed on a soft lockdown on Thursday.
However, this was not a bomb threat, nor any direct threat to the school.
The soft lockdown was a precautionary measure for an incident that happened not just off school property, but out of the town.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
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