Ohio
Who should be College GameDay’s guest picker for Ohio State vs. Indiana football? Here are options
COLUMBUS — ESPN is sending College GameDay to Columbus for Saturday’s battle between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana.
Making the trip to a matchup between two of the best teams in the college football was likely an easy decision for College GameDay.
Now, a tougher choice awaits. Who will be the celebrity guest picker?
ESPN has a variety of routes it can take.
It could pursue a former Ohio State player now in the NFL.
Justin Fields, a backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers whose team plays on Thursday in Cleveland, is an option. Wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, who are both on a bye, could also be available.
ESPN could pursue a non-athlete with connections to OSU.
That brings Columbus natives such as Olympic gymnast Simone Biles or restaurateur Guy Fieri into the conversation.
We asked Subtext subscribers on the cleveland.com Ohio State channel who they’d like to see as the guest picker. Here are some options they presented.
Former Ohio State football players
Justin Fields
Fields spent two seasons (2019-2020) as Ohio State’s starting quarterback. He went 20-2 with 5,373 passing yards.
Jim Tressel
Tressel spent 10 seasons as Ohio State’s coach, highlighted by the 2002 campaign in which he led the Buckeyes to a national championship.
A.J. Hawk
Hawk is a former Ohio State linebacker (2002-2005). He has a connection to ESPN as a co-host on the Pat McAfee Show. McAfee is among the panelists on College GameDay.
Garrett Wilson and/or Chris Olave
Wilson played for the Buckeyes (2019-2021) before he was taken by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jets are off this week.
The Saints, Olave’s team, are also off — giving ESPN and option to bring both on the show. In a 2020 win against Indiana, Olave and Wilson combined for 270 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave played together at Ohio State before pursuing the NFL.AP
Archie Griffin
The Buckeyes celebrated the 50th anniversary of Griffin’s first Heisman by unveiling a statue outside of Ohio Stadium in August. He’s the only two-time Heisman winner.
Cris Carter
OSU receiver Jeremiah Smith has spent all season breaking Carter’s freshman receiving records. The former Buckeye also spent time working at ESPN on Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown.
Cam Heyward
Like Fields, Heyward is a former Buckeye now with the Steelers. Pittsburgh plays at Cleveland on Thursday, giving Heyward an uncommon Saturday off in November.
Orlando Pace
Pace was a two-time unanimous All-American during his time at Ohio State (1994-1996). The former offensive tackle was a Heisman finalist in 1996.
Braxton Miller
Miller, a former Ohio State quarterback (2011-2015), was twice named the Big Ten’s most valuable player.
Cardale Jones
Jones was the third-string quarterback for Ohio State entering the 2014 season with Miller as the starter. However, injuries to Miller and J.T. Barrett forced Jones into the starting role. He helped lead the Buckeyes to a national title.
Cardale Jones helped lead Ohio State football to a national title in 2014.AP
Craig Krenzel
Krenzel was the starting quarterback for Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team.
Maurice Clarett
Clarett was also part of the Ohio State team in 2002, delivering one of the best freshman seasons in program history. The running back has been a fixture around the Buckeyes this season.
Celebrities with connections to Ohio or Ohio State
JD Vance
Vance was elected earlier this month to serve as the next Vice President alongside Donald Trump. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State.
Simone Biles
Biles has collected seven Olympic gold medals in her decorated career. Her football fandom is evident too as she’s married to Bears safety Jonathan Owens.
Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles was born in Columbus, Ohio.cleveland.com
Guy Fieri
Fieri is a famous restaurateur known for his shows on Food Network. He was born in Columbus in 1968.
Jason Day
Day, a professional golfer, won the PGA Championship in 2015. He was born in Australia but lives in Westerville, Ohio.
Bryce Harper
Harper, a star for the Philadelphia Phillies, is from Nevada and didn’t attend Ohio State. However, his wife played soccer for the Buckeyes.
J.K. Simmons
Simmons spent much of his childhood living in Worthington, Ohio. The actor is known for his role in various films, including, “Whiplash” which earned him an Oscar in 2014.—
R.L. Stine
Stines is the writer of the novel series, “Goosebumps.” He was born in Columbus and attended Ohio State.
Greg Oden
Oden is a native of Indiana who attended Ohio State before becoming the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Greg Oden played basketball at Ohio State for one season before becoming the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.ASSOCIATED PRESS
Buster Douglas
Douglas is a decorated former heavyweight boxer. He was born in Columbus.
Matt Rife
Rife is a comedian and actor who was born in North Lewisburg, Ohio.
Graham Rahal and/or Bobby Rahal
The Rahal name is famous around racing. Graham Rahal was born in Columbus and is an Ohio State fan. His father, Bobby Rahal, is a former Indy 500 champion (1986) who was born in Medina, Ohio.
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots, which features Columbus natives Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, once stopped a concert in 2021 to watch an Ohio State game.
John Legend
Legend, a singer and songwriter, was born in Springfield, Ohio.
Jack Nicklaus
Former professional golfer Jack Nicklaus attended Ohio State. His 18 major championships are most all-time.
Gene Smith
Smith serves as Ohio State’s athletic director for 19 years before retiring in June.
Patricia Heaton
Heaton attended Ohio State and was born in Bay Village, Ohio. She’s an Emmy-winning actress who appeared in shows such as, “Everybody Loves Raymond” and, “The Middle.”
Jake Paul
Paul, a YouTuber and boxer who recently beat Mike Tyson, is a Cleveland native.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Thousands of people are expected to head to downtown Columbus for the 23rd annual Home Improvement Show this weekend.
Organizers say visitors can find ideas for everything from small interior design projects to major renovations.
The event is being held at the Ohio Expo Center and includes seminars, exhibits and demonstrations from local and national companies.
The show begins at noon Friday and runs until 6 p.m.
It continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Adult tickets cost $5 at the door.
Matt Patricia’s contract extension earlier this offseason included a pay raise that figures to make him the highest-paid assistant coach in college football this year.
But Patricia, who will make $3.75 million in guaranteed compensation as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator in 2026, also held an appreciation for his situation.
“Ohio State is such a special place, not only just the history, the tradition, the football program, the school, but the people here,” Patricia said. “Having a chance to have a little stability with my family, it’s hard when you have to move your family around, your kids and the new school and all that.”
Before he joined Ryan Day’s staff last year, the 51-year-old Patricia had bounced around as an assistant in the NFL for much of the decade.
He spent 2021 and 2022 in a variety of roles with the New England Patriots, then a year as a defensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles. He took off from coaching in 2024. The frequent relocation gave him perspective.
“We had an unbelievable experience settling into Columbus,” Patricia said. “Everybody’s been so nice and welcoming. It feels like home. It’s a big deal for us to be in a place where everybody’s happy. That’s really important.”
Patricia had a significant impact on the Buckeyes in his first year replacing Jim Knowles. Despite heavy roster attrition following their national championship season, he kept the defense atop the Football Bowl Subdivision. For the second straight season, no one allowed fewer points than Ohio State.
The 9.3 points per game allowed by the Buckeyes were the fewest by any defense since Alabama in 2011.
The success made Patricia a hot commodity on the coaching market, rebuilding his reputation as a sharp and creative football mind only a decade removed from his tenure as a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the Patriots. He was a finalist for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant.
Patricia said he heard about opportunities in the NFL and elsewhere across the college football landscape, though none of them would pry him away from Ohio State.
“It wasn’t necessarily something where you’re looking to leave,” Patricia said, “but you do have to listen when those things come up. I’m just glad everything worked out.”
His challenge in his second season mirrors his previous one, as the Buckeyes are again managing the loss of eight starters on defense.
But unlike 2025, they have fewer returning pieces, relying on a larger class of transfers to help fill the holes on the depth chart.
“With as much coming into the program for the first time, not only are you trying to catch them up on the football scheme, but you’re also trying to catch them up on everything else,” Patricia said. “This is how we work, this is how we do things, this is the standard we’re looking for, this is how we practice, this is how we prepare, this is how we go to school. That has to be also taught. It becomes a lot, but that’s why you bring in the right guys that have the mental makeup to do all that.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
Gahanna Lincoln High’s principal shares thoughts on new building
Principal Jessica Williams speaks about the new Gahanna Lincoln High School on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in Gahanna, Ohio.
Which central Ohio school districts get the most bang for their buck?
On average, school districts in Ohio spend $16,069 per-pupil for education, according to the education think tank Fordham Institute.
However, different district types spend different amounts of money. For example, large urban districts with very high poverty spend around $21,000 per-pupil, but small towns with low poverty spend around $14,900. The district type closest to the state average are those considered rural and high poverty and suburban districts with low poverty.
Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for the Fordham Institute, said that urban districts – like Columbus City Schools, the state’s largest district – often have higher spending because they can pull more in tax revenue and the state supports them at a higher rate because they are serving a higher proportion of disadvantaged students. Small, high-poverty towns on the other hand, generate less tax revenue from property values and district employee wages, the highest expense for schools, may be lowered by less market competition.
Churchill said schools should be focused on directing their funding toward initiatives that improve student outcomes and achievement.
“It’s making sure we’re focused on quality, we’re focused on performance, and that we’re rewarding performance,” Churchill said. “And we don’t do enough of that in the education system now.”
Churchill said there is a long-running debate among education researchers about whether increasing spending translates to meaningful results for students. Overall, school funding has increased on average over $2,000 per-pupil since 2015 and reached a record-high in 2025, according to the Fordham Institute.
“You can see in the numbers that we’re spending more than we ever have,” Churchill said. “The real million-dollar question is ‘Can our schools spend the money well?’”
Which central Ohio districts have the best results compared to funding?
The Dispatch compared overall spending per-pupil for central Ohio school districts to the ODEW’s performance index, using 2025 state data.
The Performance Index uses the performance level results for students in third grade through high school on Ohio’s state testing. The Performance Index (PI) score accounts for the level of achievement of every student, not just whether they are “proficient.” Higher performance levels receive larger weights in the calculation, but all achievement levels are included. Overall, the state average of performance scores was 91.8, according to 2025 state data.
The central Ohio school district with the highest spending was Columbus City Schools, which spent $24,505 per pupil and received a PI score of 60.7. The district with the highest PI was Grandview Heights Schools, which received a 106 PI score and spent $21,567 per pupil. New Albany-Plain Local Schools was a close second in PI at 105.1 while spending more than $4,000 less than Grandview Heights at $16,923 per-pupil.
Here’s how central Ohio schools stack up by spending versus achievements on tests, according to the Ohio Department of Education (sorted by highest spending per-pupil):
- Columbus City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $24,505; PI score: 60.7
- Grandview Heights Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,567; PI score: 106
- Bexley City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $21,025; PI score: 102.7
- Dublin City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18,702; PI score: 97.6
- Worthington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $18.573 ; PI score: 94.3
- Madison-Plains Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $17,646; PI score: 88
- New Albany-Plain Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,923; PI score: 105.1
- Westerville City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,815; PI score: 89.7
- Olentangy Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,780; PI score: 103.9
- Groveport Madison Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,236; PI score: 72.6
- Upper Arlington City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16,282; PI score: 103.6
- Canal Winchester Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $16.154; PI score: 89.1
- Average Ohio school district – Spending per-pupil: $16,069; PI score: 91.8
- Reynoldsburg City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,956; PI score: 72.2
- Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,742; PI score: 89.7
- Hilliard City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,694; PI score: 90
- South Western City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,600; PI score: 78.5
- Whitehall City Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,593; PI score: 66.95
- Johnstown-Monroe Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $15,163; PI score: 94.5
- Jonathan Alder Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,803; PI score: 95.9
- Pickerington Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,470 ; PI score: 90.9
- Big Walnut Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $14,239; PI score: 95.1
- London City – Spending per-pupil: $13,750; PI score: 81.3
- Marysville Exempted Village Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,608; PI score: 95.5
- Licking Heights Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $13,585; PI score: 85.4
- Hamilton Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,971; PI score: 82.2
- Bloom-Carrol Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,720; PI score: 90.89
- Licking Valley Local Schools – Spending per-pupil: $12,587; PI score: 85
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
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