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Why Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy’s NFL Draft decision matters so much to Ohio State and The Game

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Why Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy’s NFL Draft decision matters so much to Ohio State and The Game


COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the biggest thorns in the side of the Ohio State football program is finally walking out the door.

J.J. McCarthy once vowed to kill the Buckeyes after they chose Kyle McCord over him, and in doing so he helped with a one-sided rivalry in Michigan’s favor while taking the program to new heights. Now, three years later, he walks away to the NFL Draft with three Big Ten titles, a national title and a 27-1 record.

McCarthy played a vital role in why Ryan Day is 1-3 against the Wolverines, with Day’s only win happening in 2019 when McCarthy was just a junior in high school. As a freshman in 2021, he backed up Cade McNamara but came to throw one 31-yard pass while rushing for another 12 yards in a 42-27 home win. The next year he headed to Columbus as a starter, leaving with a 45-23 win after throwing for 263 yards and three touchdowns and adding another 27 yards and a rushing score. Then he completed the three-peat this past season with a 30-24 win while throwing for 148 yards and a score.

That last win cut the deepest for OSU. It could’ve used that game to change the narrative of what had happened the previous two seasons thanks to a sign-stealing scandal. It also faced a Michigan team that was without its head coach on the sideline. But McCarthy made that not matter. Instead, he got another win, snatched away the Buckeyes’ spot at the top of the Big Ten quarterback hierarchy, and helped the Wolverines close out the four-team College Football Playoff era with a trophy.

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He represents the lowest moments the Ohio State football program has endured on the field in the last 25 years. But his departure might be yet another sign that maybe this dark time is coming to a close.

McCarthy is the latest key player on Michigan’s roster who is leaving either because of graduation or NFL Draft declaration. Where the Wolverines go next at quarterback will be a topic all offseason. Its options are Alex Orji — who was used in a wildcat package this past season — Jayden Denegal, Jack Grusser or incoming freshman Jadyn Davis, who was once viewed as a five-star prospect and also had high interest from OSU.

That offseason quarterback battle is where the Wolverines and Buckeyes are alike. But everywhere else, Ohio State seems to be trending upward while Michigan’s peak played out with a win over Washington in the national championship game. Ohio State is busy having all but a handful of its best players choose to “reload the clip” in 2024. Michigan’s best players are leaving one by one.

Plus, there’s still the most important variable in all of this. It’s still unclear whether Jim Harbaugh’s time in Ann Arbor is done, and plenty are leaning toward the answer to that question being yes.

Ohio State just watched its worst nightmare play out in front of it this season, with a third-straight loss to its rival who now sits at the top of college football. But maybe this season is the worst its ever going to get. Michigan heads into an offseason where it could have to completely reset.

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McCarthy’s decision only gets us one step closer to that reality coming true, while the Buckeyes look geared up for a season of now or never.

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Cleveland, OH

Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026

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Ohio high school girls basketball scores: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026


CLEVELAND, Ohio — OHSAA girls basketball scores from Tuesday in Ohio, as provided by The Associated Press.

Ada 37, Lima Cent. Cath. 19

Amanda-Clearcreek 61, Bloom-Carroll 51

Archbold 51, Holgate 10

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Ashland Mapleton 58, Ashland Crestview 40

Baltimore Liberty Union 58, Lancaster Fairfield Union 50

Bay (OH) 56, Westlake 29

Bluffton 49, Lima Shawnee 48

Bryan 72, Van Wert 34

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Bucyrus Wynford 58, Sycamore Mohawk 55

Carey 48, New Washington Buckeye Cent. 33

Castalia Margaretta 48, Norwalk 28

Circleville Logan Elm 62, Cols. Hamilton Twp. 29

Cle. E. Tech def. Cle. Max Hayes, forfeit

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Cle. Hay 89, Cle. Collinwood 4

Cle. John Marshall 68, Cle. Glenville 4

Clyde 46, Port Clinton 42

Cols. Eastmoor 54, West 39

Cols. Franklin Hts. 63, Bishop Ready 41

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Cols. Grandview Hts. 59, Worthington Christian 39

Cols. Linden-McKinley 53, East 14

Cols. Walnut Ridge 53, Columbus South 28

Continental 47, Defiance Ayersville 45

Delphos Jefferson 41, Wapakoneta 40

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Dublin Coffman 47, Marysville 38

Elida 52, Ft. Jennings 16

Gahanna Cols. Academy 66, Whitehall-Yearling 20

Grove City 43, Hilliard Bradley 17

Hamler Patrick Henry 54, Leipsic 23

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Haviland Wayne Trace 35, Delta 26

Hilliard Davidson 42, Dublin Scioto 30

Independence 43, N. Ridgeville Lake Ridge 19

Ironton Rock Hill 30, Grace Christian, W.Va. 28

Jackson Center 55, Lima Perry 6

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Johnstown 34, Pataskala Watkins Memorial 17

Kalida 50, Van Wert Lincolnview 34

London Madison-Plains 89, Tree of Life 10

McComb 56, McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley 37

Mt. Blanchard Riverdale 47, Dola Hardin Northern 39

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Mt. Vernon 64, Newark Cath. 37

N. Robinson Col. Crawford 41, Attica Seneca E. 37

Newark 60, Dublin Jerome 52

Norwood 47, Cin. Seven Hills 42

Oak Harbor 48, Pemberville Eastwood 22

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Ottoville 47, Lima Bath 31

Paulding 48, Convoy Crestview 33

Portsmouth 46, Ashland Blazer, Ky. 32

Seton 46, Cin. Oak Hills 44

Sherwood Fairview 53, Metamora Evergreen 37

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South Point 53, Portsmouth Notre Dame 49

Spencerville 32, St Marys 31

Streetsboro 56, Lodi Cloverleaf 48

Tiffin Calvert 57, Vanlue 28

Tol. Ottawa Hills 61, Lakeside Danbury 24

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Upper Sandusky 52, Bucyrus 10

Utica 43, Pataskala Licking Hts. 39

Van Buren 36, Harrod Allen E. 27

Wauseon 43, Defiance 39



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Cleveland Cavaliers get Max Strus injury update that fans won’t want to hear

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Cleveland Cavaliers get Max Strus injury update that fans won’t want to hear


Cleveland Cavaliers fans are going to have to wait a bit longer until Max Strus makes his debut.

Strus suffered a Jones’ fracture in his foot during the offseason and has yet to suit up for the Cavaliers this season.

On Tuesday, the Cavs issued a statement that said Strus could be sidelined at least another month due to that injury to his left foot. According to the statement, Strus has made progress in his recovery, but additional time is required in order for the fracture to be fully healed.

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“Strus will continue to advance in the rehabilitation and conditioning phase of his recovery along with ongoing medical treatment,” the statement from the Cavaliers said. “He is scheduled for a follow-up evaluation with Dr. David Porter, who performed the procedure, in conjunction with the Cavs’ medical and training staff, within the next four weeks.”

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Following that evaluation within the next four weeks, further updates and next steps for Strus returning to the hardwood will be revealed.

Injury bug has plagued Cavs

The Cavs have dealt with a plethora of injuries this season, as Darius Garland was late to make his season debut due to the toe injury that he suffered in the postseason last year. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have both missed extended time as well.

Recently, the team has worked towards better health and has played better basketball. Unfortunately, the Cavs find themselves 20-17, just three games above .500 as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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A four week evaluation timeline could put Strus’ season debut after the NBA trade deadline on February 5. Even though the Cavs have struggled, they might have a difficult time making significant upgrades to their roster due to constraints set forth by the second apron.

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Certainly, head coach Kenny Atkinson and President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman will be keeping their fingers crossed that the Cavs can keep their head above water until Strus returns. Last season, Strus started with the Cavaliers. Upon his return, he’s expected to come off of the bench, which could be an adjustment. 

Strus played in 50 games for the Cavaliers last season, averaging just under 10 points per game. His three-point shooting ability will be a welcomed addition to the Cavs, who have struggled from deep all season long.

Additionally, outside of Donovan Mitchell, Strus was Cleveland’s most reliable player during the team’s last two postseasons. The Cavs have a lot of pressure mounting to get through the second round this season. 

Surely, the Cavs will hope that Strus will be healthy enough to have an impact when games matter most. In the meantime, the team needs to make sure they’re in a comfortable postseason position.

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‘What are you doing here?’ Cleveland transplants say why they stay in Northeast Ohio – The Land

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‘What are you doing here?’ Cleveland transplants say why they stay in Northeast Ohio – The Land


The Cleveland skyline has become a familiar sight for transplants to the region. But why do so many people who visit Northeast Ohio choose to stay? (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

On Felton Thomas Jr.’s first day of work at the Cleveland Public Library, the temperature was eight degrees below zero. 

“I walked down here in my Las Vegas coat,” Thomas recalls, “and everybody waiting for me said, ‘Oh, this is a normal winter day.’”

The library’s new leader was relieved to learn that his colleagues were kidding, sort of. And he’s become one of Cleveland’s many converts: people who come, stay and praise a town that many lifers pan.

So, over his 17 years here, has Thomas acclimated? “Acclimated? That’s not a word in my vocabulary,” he retorts. “When we have those super-cold days, I’m ‘Omigod!’ And three months of no sunshine drives me crazy.”

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And he still hasn’t adjusted to Cleveland’s hours, either. “In Vegas, all the supermarkets are open 24 hours.”

So why has Thomas stuck around? Because of our library, of course, and lots more. “I love Las Vegas, but there’s an inauthenticity to the people. Here, people are who they are.”

And most have roots here. In Vegas, “Everybody came from somewhere else. Here, everyone wanted to know what high school I’d gone to.”

When they find out, they marvel that Thomas has come and stayed. He replies by extolling the library, the Rock Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he’s on the board. He also tells them that Superior Pho beats every restaurant he’s tried in Vietnam. 

But some locals still don’t understand. “A lot of times,” he says, “folks don’t want to talk about the good things in the city of Cleveland.”

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Felton Thomas Jr. from Las Vegas has led the Cleveland Public Library since 2007. [Photo courtesy of Cleveland Public Library]

Love that Cleveland climate

It might surprise locals, especially this time of year, but President David Sharkey of Progressive Urban Real Estate says that plenty of people move to Cleveland for the weather. “People like the seasons. A young guy moved here from San Diego because he couldn’t stand the sun anymore. And I get quite a bit of people who love seeing storms come over the lake.”

Jen Ferger from Illinois finds our weather at least interesting. She’s a meteorologist who studies weather risks for insurers. “I love watching the radar here. It’s so true that the East Side gets more lake effect than the West Side, like six inches versus a dusting. That’s fascinating to me.”

She also calls Cleveland “ a mini-Chicago” without the traffic or prices. She lives near our lake and says she could never afford to live near Chicago’s coast. 

From Down Under to Up Over 

Craig Hassall from Australia leads Playhouse Square and lauds Cleveland. [Photo by Keith Berr]

Most Cleveland newbies echo Thomas about being welcomed with wonder by natives. Craig Hassall, a native Australian who leads Playhouse Square, says, “I get that all the time from locals, not from other transplants: ‘What on earth are you doing here?’”

Not surprisingly, Hassall replies by praising our arts. “Cleveland punches above its weight in its presentation and consumption of culture.” He also talks up the West Side Market, Wade Chapel at Lake View Cemetery, and the Cleveland Metroparks. “I walk every day to Edgewater Park.”

Any complaints about Cleveland? “I don’t understand why Cleveland hasn’t leveraged the asset that is Lake Erie. I went out to Sandusky and took a boat out onto the lake. There were almost no boats on the water. In Sidney or Vancouver, you’d be cheek to jowl with other watercraft.” 

From transplant to ambassador

Allison Newsome from Alabama has become a Cleveland ambassador. [Photo courtesy of Allison Newsome]

Allison Newsome from Montgomery, Ala., came here to study law at Case Western Reserve University. “A lot of people who grew up in Cleveland have constantly heard it put down,” she says. “So everybody kind of had a tour guide hat on and told me lists of fun activities.”

Newsome was happily surprised by Cleveland’s green spaces, Cultural Gardens and Playhouse Square. She also found that “it was easy to make friends. People were very inviting.”

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She likes it here so much, she volunteers as a resident ambassador for the Cleveland Talent Alliance, advising prospective and recent arrivals.

Ties of love

Bob Kimmelfield from suburban New York City followed a girlfriend to her native Cleveland. They broke up, but he stayed, married another woman and fell hard for the town. Now he plays in a band at local contra dances and leads jaunts for the Cleveland Hiking Club on our streets and our “incredible park system.”

Ivan Muzyka came from Ukraine with his mother to join relatives here. “It was lucky to move to a city with a big, strong Ukrainian community,” he says. “I was lucky to find a Ukrainian boyfriend.”

Some people want to be near family but not too near. Marjorie Preston likes being two hours away from relatives back home in Bowling Green. She chose Cleveland partly because it’s Democratic but regrets its grip by state and federal Republicans.

Boomeranging

Many locals boomerang. They go off to see the world, then come back, often with spouses from elsewhere.

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Jerome Sheriff from Chicago followed his wife to her native Cleveland. He loves downtown’s wealth of parking spaces, mostly free on weekends. He just wishes our drivers wouldn’t stop and rubberneck so much.

Jay Dumaswala from Cincinnati also followed his wife to her native Cleveland. Now he’s another Talent Alliance ambassador. “I love the Cavs,” he says. “I love the Guardians. The Browns? I don’t understand a team that abuses its fans, and people still show up.”

Louis Gideon, an ambassador too, brought his pregnant wife from New York City to his native Cleveland, partly so his family could help with the baby. Now the couple pays less rent for a place 10 times bigger in Westlake than their apartment in New York. 

Gideon likes Cleveland’s few degrees of separation. He met someone downtown who turned out to live a few doors away from him in Westlake, with kids of similar ages. “We are close friends now.”

Coming without connections

Many people move for work, school or family. But Cat Mohar and her husband moved to escape the buzzing mosquitoes and soaring home prices of Durham, N.C. After reading about Cleveland and scoping it out, they settled in Lakewood. “It’s like stuck in a 90s movie about Halloween,” she says, “where kids run freely trick-or-treating.”

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Kate Smith and her future husband came here in 2018 from Truth or Consequences, N.M., with no ties. “We fell in love with the city long-distance,” she says. “The more businesses and arts organizations I began to follow, the more we began to see how unique and scrappy and proud the Cleveland vibe is.” 

Since moving, “We have felt so welcome. The first Easter, neighbors invited us over who’d fostered over 50 kids.”

She also loves the zoo. “My husband proposed to me on the carousel.”

Stefanie and Mike English came from Albuquerque to Cleveland without connections. “We were a little tired of the desert,” she says. They chose Cleveland for its culture, lake and opportunities. They rehab homes and love our architecture. They’ve had trouble, though, finding good contractors and getting loans for properties in struggling neighborhoods.

Stephanie loves our many festivals. She loves our schnitzel. But “I don’t understand pierogies.”

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Gain some, lose some

Of course, Cleveland has plenty of outflow as well as influx. 

Rick Putka left his native Cleveland for Europe this year to flee what he sees as America’s fading economy and democracy. Michael Baron moved to New York City to enjoy its progressive politics, its energy, its diversity and his grandchildren.

Ronald Stubblefield from Baltimore came and went twice. He liked the area’s affordability, culture and strong neighborhoods. But he says, “Cleveland kept looking backward.” He saw institutions competing instead of cooperating. And “Cleveland struggles to retain ambitious Black talent that other regions readily embrace.”

Some departees still tout the town they gave up. Debbie Stone moved to California for her late husband’s career in tech law, but misses Cleveland’s art museum, orchestra and more. “I even miss the roaming deer.”

Many celebrities from Cleveland talk it up from afar. Drew Carey popularized “Cleveland Rocks.” Tom Hanks shouted “Go Tribe!” during “Saturday Night Live.” Filmmaker Joe Russo told cleveland.com that he “grew up with a real work ethic and that kind of tough-nosed Cleveland attitude… that stick-to-itiveness.”

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In Juneau, Alaska, Jeff Smith runs one of the world’s many chapters of Browns Backers. He says, “I miss the restaurants in Cleveland, live music and sports, and some of my favorite places like the West Side Market, Lake View Cemetery, etc. [But] one thing I don’t miss about Cleveland is how much people complain about the weather in winter. In Alaska, people look forward to each new season.”



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