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Avery Gach commits to Michigan over Ohio State. Is OSU’s 2025 offensive line class in trouble?

Published

8 months ago

May 3, 2024

Avery Gach commits to Michigan over Ohio State. Is OSU’s 2025 offensive line class in trouble?

Ohio State seemed to have an idea of what Avery Gach would become.

The Buckeyes offered Gach in the middle of his sophomore season at Groves High School in Birmingham, Michigan, when the 2025 offensive lineman held one offer: Toledo.

Ohio State was first, followed days later by Michigan, months later by Michigan State and Wisconsin, and nearly a year later by programs such as Georgia, Southern California, Oklahoma and Florida State.

“In my mind, (OSU offensive line coach Justin Frye) did a tremendous job of identifying a talent not because everyone else had identified him, which is what happened afterward,” said Groves offensive coordinator Matthew Turner. “But he took the first step to make the identification.”

Ohio State made Gach a priority. But on Friday, Ohio State finished on the outside looking in as the four-star, 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle committed to Michigan.

“It’s 45 minutes from my house,” Gach said before his Michigan commitment. “They just came off a national champion win. They brought 18 guys to the combine, which no team has done. And my main goal is to go to the NFL … so that just shows that they can do it.”

Per 247Sports’ composite rankings, Gach is the second-best Michigan prospect in the 2025 class behind five-star quarterback and LSU commit Bryce Underwood. Gach is also ranked as the No. 236 player in the country.

Groves coach Brendan Flaherty said Ohio State made Gach feel he was a priority throughout his recruiting process, from impromptu school visits by OSU assistant coaches to a tandem visit with offensive line coach Justin Frye and head coach Ryan Day.

Through multiple camp, game-day and unofficial visits to campus, Gach, Flaherty said, saw firsthand Ohio State’s pitch of how the program would get him better and help him get to the NFL.

“He’s a down-to-earth guy,” Flaherty said of Frye. “Like he’s been open and honest with Avery from the get go. I think one of Justin’s first comments was like, ‘Hey, I’m part of the process. But this is a business. You shouldn’t make a decision on picking a school on just your position coach or one coach. There’s a lot of factors here. I’m going to take care of you. Here’s how I coach, here’s what I do.’ ”

Gach said Ohio State “took a chance” on him as his second offer and that the Buckeyes were always good to his family.

But to Gach, no school provided the relationship Sherrone Moore provided him, having recruited him initially as Michigan’s offensive line coach before filling Jim Harbaugh’s shoes as the team’s head coach.

“There’s not a school that has done that,” Gach said. “I don’t think there’s a head coach that I’ve built a relationship with as well as coach Moore.”

What’s next for Ohio State offensive line recruiting in 2025?

Ohio State has already started its 2025 offensive line class with a prospect it desperately needed to secure.

Carter Lowe, a Toledo four-star tackle and the No. 50 prospect in the country, committed to the Buckeyes over Michigan in February. Lowe said after the OSU spring game he feels “completely at home” with Ohio State.

Of Frye’s eight signees in the 2023 and 2024 classes, five have been from Ohio, including the state’s top option in 2023, Luke Montgomery.

When it comes to out-of-state signees under Frye, one has entered Ohio State as a top-200 prospect: Indiana 2024 four-star Ian Moore. Ohio State finished as finalists for five-star Kadyn Proctor (Alabama) and four-star Olaus Alinen (Alabama) in 2023 and five-star Brandon Baker (Texas) in 2024.

In 2025, with Lowe already in the fold, Frye and Ohio State find themselves in a similar situation.

Ohio State is a finalist for David Sanders Jr., a 6-6, 285-pound five-star offensive tackle out of Charlotte, North Carolina, who is the No. 2 prospect in the class.

Providence Day School coach Chad Grier said Sanders is an NFL shoe-in and already puts up testing numbers that “would have been exceptional at the NFL combine.”

Grier said Ohio State has “done a great job” recruiting Sanders.

“The program speaks for itself,” Grier said. “David knows that and surely knows the pedigree of the guys that have come out of there and the guys that coach Day has been a part of producing.”

But Ohio State is one of six finalists vying for Sanders’ services along with Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“It was no small feat to cut a list from 130 to six,” Grier said. “He left some really great programs and coaches he cared about off that list. But the final six were thoughtful and deliberate, and Ohio State earned the right to be on that stage with David.”

Sanders may be at the top of the list. But he’s not the Buckeyes’ only offensive line target in 2025. He’s joined by four-star Micah DeBose, four-star Douglas Utu and five-star Josh Petty, each of whom are top-100 linemen from outside of Ohio.

In the days leading up to Gach’s commitment to Michigan, Ohio State’s offensive line offer list grew to include Fort Worth, Texas, three-star Henry Fenuku and Roswell, Georgia’s Andrew Stargel, who is not ranked on 247Sports’ composite rankings but holds offers from Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Like Sanders, Ohio State was “on that stage” for Gach. The Buckeyes were there at the beginning, but came up short and will instead have to face him for the next three to four seasons.

Missing Gach is not the end-all, be-all of Ohio State’s 2025 offensive line recruiting class. But Gach is another miss on a list of highly-coveted misses, one that can only end with a highly-coveted out-of-state offensive line recruiting win.

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Ohio minimum wage to increase Jan. 1 – Washington Examiner

Published

3 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Ohio minimum wage to increase Jan. 1 – Washington Examiner

(The Center Square) – Ohioans working for minimum wage will get another Christmas present in a week.

The state’s minimum wage rises by 25 cents on Jan. 1, going to $10.70 an hour to account for inflation. The current Ohio minimum wage for tipped employees is $5.25 per hour and $10.45 for nontipped workers. The minimum wage for youth workers is $7.25 per hour.

“Ohio voters are to thank for next month’s increase in the minimum wage,” Policy Matters Ohio Economist Heather Smith said. “Voters enshrined adjustments for inflation to the minimum wage law in 2006, when they voted overwhelmingly to raise the state minimum wage. Over 28% of Ohio families with incomes below the federal poverty level will get some relief from rising prices as a result.”

The Economic Policy Institute estimates about 112,700 Ohioans paid less than $10.70 will see a direct wage increase Jan. 1, and another 206,000 making just above the minimum will also see an increase when employers adjust pay scales.

A proposed constitutional amendment that would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour plus tips by 2026 failed to reach the required number of signatures to reach the ballot earlier this year.

As previously reported by The Center Square, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce opposed the proposed amendment, saying it would hurt small businesses that continue to struggle.

“The proposed minimum wage amendment to the Ohio Constitution is not only ill-advised and economically detrimental, it would be next to impossible to correct once the unintended consequences transpire,” Chamber CEO Steve Stivers said, including the potential for layoffs and reduced jours for workers.

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Ohio Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 Midday winning numbers for Dec. 25, 2024

Published

11 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 25, 2024, results for each game:

Powerball

Powerball drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m.

15-26-27-30-35, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 2-9-6

Evening: 3-2-1

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 1-6-3-5

Evening: 9-5-7-9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.

Midday: 0-9-1-4-9

Evening: 4-7-1-3-8

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Rolling Cash 5

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

09-24-26-32-34

Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Classic Lotto

Drawings are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, at approximately 7:05 p.m.

03-05-06-15-33-39, Kicker: 6-8-4-2-1-9

Check Classic Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Lucky For Life

Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 10:35 p.m.

04-10-35-42-45, Lucky Ball: 02

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.

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One Ohio State Star Who Desperately Needs Revenge vs Oregon

Published

23 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

One Ohio State Star Who Desperately Needs Revenge vs Oregon

The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing to face the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl in what they hope will serve as some desirable revenge.

Remember: Oregon defeated Ohio State back in Week 7, handing the Buckeyes their first loss of the season. The Ducks would go on to go undefeated. Ohio State went 10-2 (now 11-2 thanks to its win over the Tennessee Volunteers).

The first meeting between the two teams was close, with Oregon emerging with a 32-21 victory. For on of the only times this season, the Buckeyes’ defense looked vulnerable.

But there was one player in particular who looked particularly exposed: cornerback Denzel Burke.

Burke entered the season widely considered one of the best cornerbacks in the country and was also viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, his performance against the Ducks altered his fate.

Burke surrendered eight catches for 179 yards and was burned for a couple of touchdowns in Ohio State’s loss, and since then, the 22-year-old has not quite looked the same.

His draft stock has plummeted, and his confidence also appears to have been adversely affected.

And it all started in Eugene, Or. back in October.

Can Burke right the ship and come through with a bounceback showing against the top-ranked eam in the country?

The Buckeyes will need Burke. That’s for sure. After all, Oregon boasts one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and that’s due much in part to the Ducks’ high-octane aerial attack led by quarterback Dillon Gabriel.

Not only that, but Burke needs it for himself. A strong outing versus the Ducks would go a long way in gaining the attention of NFL scouts once again, and it could serve as a springboard for Burke the remainder of the College Football Playoff.

Burke has lost a bit of his shine since that disastrous performance at Oregon. If there is any Ohio State player who desperately needs revenge on New Year’s Day, it’s Burke.

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