Ohio
Will reigning champion Ohio State football land five-star lineman Jackson Cantwell?
Jackson Cantwell: Football prospect breaks down upcoming decision
Jackson Cantwell, the No. 1 football prospect in the 2026 class, updates his recruitment ahead of his upcoming decison.
Days after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship, Ohio State coach Ryan Day sat in the Nixa High School coaching offices alongside five-star prospect Jackson Cantwell. It was his first recruiting stop after lifting the trophy over his head.
Ohio State is one of four teams hoping the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class will choose them come April 30. The Buckeyes are the only program that can sell Cantwell on being the reigning champion.
“They’re the best team in the country right now,” Cantwell said. “Ohio State’s a really good situation.”
The 6-foot-8, 300-pound Nixa High offensive tackle will select between the Buckeyes, Georgia, Miami (Florida) and Oregon. He’s made two visits to Columbus in the last five months while trying to gather as much information as possible about the turnover at the offensive line coach position.
Day, who is more hands-on with the quarterbacks, had to hire a new offensive line coach this offseason after Justin Frye left the program to take over the same position for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Frye had been with OSU since 2022 and helped make offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. the sixth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Frye’s departure led to three Ohio State hires who will impact Cantwell’s decision.
Tyler Bowen, formerly the offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, was brought on as the new offensive line coach. Bowen hasn’t served as an offensive line coach since 2017, when he was at Maryland. Marcus Johnson, who was Purdue’s offensive line coach last year before the Boilermakers’ staff was fired, is the team’s assistant offensive line coach. Charlie Dickey will also serve as an offensive line assistant, having held main roles at Oklahoma State and Kansas State in recent years.
“They’ve hired a lot of great offensive line coaches,” Cantwell said. “They’re putting a lot of emphasis on it and are trying to make sure they develop those guys.”
What Jackson Cantwell has said about Ohio State football, Ryan Day
Cantwell in February: “Ohio State’s an interesting one for me. They have Ryan Day, who has done a fantastic job and is probably the most underrated coach in college football. He’s one of the best coaches in college football. I still sometimes don’t even think Ohio State likes him, and I couldn’t tell you why. I think they have a great offense year in and year out.
“Their offensive line did incredible last year, but I think the interesting thing is that they’ll have a different offensive line coach because he left to go to the Cardinals, and now they have a guy who hasn’t coached O-line since 2016. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out.”
When Ohio State football offered Jackson Cantwell
Ohio State offered Cantwell in October 2023. When announcing his offer, he said he received it from Buckeyes general manager Mark Pantoni.
When did Jackson Cantwell visit Ohio State football?
Cantwell has visited Ohio State twice in the last five months.
The first came in mid-December ahead of the Buckeyes’ first-round College Football Playoff win over Tennessee. He returned to Columbus for a two-day visit in March, where he was able to meet with Bowen, the new OSU offensive line coach, for the first time.
Ohio State football offensive linemen NFL Draft picks since 2020
Ohio State will likely have multiple offensive linemen selected in this week’s NFL Draft.
ESPN ranks Josh Simmons as the fourth-best offensive tackle, Donovan Jackson as the fourth-best guard and Seth McLaughlin as the second-best center.
- 2023 – Paris Johnson Jr. (Sixth overall pick)
- 2023 – Daward Jones (Fourth round)
- 2023 – Luke Wypler (Sixth round)
- 2022 – Nicholas Petit-Frere (Third round)
- 2022 – Thayer Munford (Seventh round)
- 2021 – Josh Myers (Second round)
- 2021 – Wyatt Davis (Third round)
- 2020 – Jonah Jackson (Third round)
Ohio State football 2025 offensive line roster makeup
- Seniors – 3
- Juniors – 4
- Sophomores – 5
- Freshmen – 4
Ohio State football 2025 offensive line recruiting class
Carter Lowe — Four-star offensive tackle ranked as the No. 72 player in the 2025 class.
Jake Cook — Three-star interior offensive lineman.
Jayvon McFadden — Three-star offensive lineman.
Ethan Onianwa — Offensive tackle transfer from Rice.
Phillip Daniels — Offensive tackle transfer from Minnesota.
Ohio
Police release video showing person of interest in killing of Ohio dentist and his wife
Authorities investigating the apparent shooting deaths of a dentist and his wife in Ohio released security video Monday of a person of interest in the case.
Columbus police said the video was recorded between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Dec. 30 in an alley next to the Columbus home of Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, and Monique Tepe, 39.
In a statement, the police department said investigators believe the couple were killed on the top floor of their home during that three-hour window.
The brief video shows a person walking in the alley wearing light-colored pants and a hooded dark jacket.
The department asked the public for information about the identity of the person and said detectives are following up on numerous tips.
Authorities discovered the Tepes’ bodies after several 911 calls from colleagues and loved ones on the morning of Dec. 30. Among the callers was a friend who reported having found Spencer Tepe’s body next to his bed.
The couple appeared to have been shot, according to an incident report.
The Franklin County coroner’s office told NBC Chicago on Monday that the pair died in an apparent homicide by gunshot wounds, adding that the case is not finalized and that additional reports are pending.
Three 9 mm shell casings were found in the family’s home, a preliminary investigative report shows. The couple’s two young children were in the house unharmed.
Authorities have not identified a possible motive. The police department previously said it does not believe the killings were a murder-suicide.
Spencer Tepe worked at a dental practice in Athens, Ohio, where he focused on comprehensive dentistry and implant therapy, according to a company biography.
The Tepe family has described the pair as “extraordinary people whose lives were filled with love, joy, and deep connection to others.”
“Our family is devastated by the tragic and senseless loss of Spencer and Monique,” the family said in a statement.
Ohio
Ohio State vs Nebraska live score updates, highlights, how to watch game
Ohio State’s men’s basketball players were on the bus to the airport after having won at Rutgers when they switched on the Nebraska-Michigan State game. The drive from Piscataway to Trenton allowed the Buckeyes to see the Cornhuskers prevail in the final seconds and improve to 14-0 with a 58-56 win against the Spartans.
Now, Nebraska brings the nation’s longest winning streak to the Jerome Schottenstein Center, presenting a challenge Ohio State coach Jake Diebler said is one his team is excited for.
“When they saw they won, (our players were) was excited about how big of an opportunity this is for us,” Diebler said Jan. 4. “It’s an early-season Big Ten game, but it’s one at home and it’s one against a team that’s established themselves. You have a top-10 team coming into your building, it’s a huge opportunity and our guys know that. We’ll be ready for it.”
Ohio State is 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten after the Jan. 2 win against Rutgers.
Follow along with all the action at our Dispatch live game blog below.
The Buckeyes will be wearing some new Nike shoes for the Nebraska game, as the team showed in a video posted to social media.
Neither team has any surprises on its official availability report. Ohio State is still without Josh Ojianwuna (knee surgery) and Myles Herro (redshirt), while Nebraska’s Henry Burt is out. None of the three have played in a game this season.
Ohio State vs Nebraska score updates
This section will be updated when the game begins.
- Date: Monday, Jan. 5
- Start time: 5:30 p.m. ET
The Ohio State vs Nebraska game starts at 6:30 p.m. from the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.
- TV Channel: FS1
- Livestream: Fox Sports App
- Radio: WBNS-FM (97.1)
The Buckeyes’ 14th game of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season will air nationally on FS1. Brandon Gaudin and Steve Smith will call the game from the Jerome Schottenstein Center. Streaming options for the game include Fubo, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Stream Ohio State vs. Nebraska
- Series record: Ohio State leads 22-8
- Ohio State’s last win: March 4, 2025 (116-114, 2OT, in Columbus)
- Nebraska’s last win: Feb. 9, 2025 (79-71 in Lincoln)
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Sunday, Jan. 4
Spread: Ohio State by 2.5
Over/under: 154.5
Moneyline: Ohio State (-140) | Nebraska (+115)
Ohio State men’s basketball schedule
- Oct. 26 – Ohio University (exhibition) W, 103-74 (takeaways)
- Nov. 3 – IU Indy, W, 118-102 (takeaways)
- Nov. 7 – Purdue Fort Wayne, W, 94-68 (takeaways)
- Nov. 11 – Appalachian State, W 75-53 (takeaways)
- Nov. 16 – Notre Dame, W 64-63 (takeaways)
- Nov. 20 – Western Michigan W, 91-58 (takeaways)
- Nov. 25 – Mount St. Mary’s W, 113-60 (takeaways)
- Nov. 28 – at Pitt L, 67-66 (takeaways)
- Dec. 6 – at Northwestern W, 86-82 (takeaways)
- Dec. 9 – Illinois L, 88-80 (takeaways)
- Dec. 13 – vs. West Virginia (Cleveland Hoops Showdown, Cleveland) W, 89-88, 2OT (takeaways)
- Dec. 20 – vs. North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta) L, 71-70 (takeaways)
- Dec. 23 – Grambling State W, 89-63 (takeaways)
- Jan. 2 – at Rutgers W, 80-73 (takeaways)
- Jan. 5 – Nebraska
- Jan. 8 – at Oregon
- Jan. 11 – at Washington
- Jan. 17 – UCLA
- Jan. 20 – Minnesota
- Jan. 23 – at Michigan
- Jan. 26 – Penn State
- Jan. 31 – at Wisconsin
- Feb. 5 – at Maryland
- Feb. 8 – Michigan
- Feb. 11 – USC
- Feb. 14 – vs. Virginia (Nashville Hoops Showdown, Nashville)
- Feb. 17 – Wisconsin
- Feb. 22 – at Michigan State
- Feb. 25 – at Iowa
- March 1 – Purdue
- March 4 – at Penn State
- March 7 – Indiana
Buy Ohio State vs. Nebraska men’s basketball tickets
- In ‘fascinating’ hoops era, Ohio State’s Jake Diebler wants clarity
- At Rutgers, Jake Diebler, Ohio State celebrated another Big Ten road win
- Could Ohio State men’s basketball add a player to its roster midseason?
- After last year, Ohio State enjoying less chaotic locker room situation
- Ohio State’s ‘loyal, humble’ Bruce Thornton to have prep jersey retired
- How is Ohio State’s Devin Royal handling his position change so far?
- Pointed talks with Jake Diebler fueled Brandon Noel’s breakout game
- Ohio State’s Christoph Tilly, John Mobley battle injuries at Northwestern
- What will happen to the naming rights to Ohio State’s Value City Arena?
- Freshman Amare Bynum bringing dunks, scoring and ‘joy’ to Ohio State
- Ohio State’s Devin Royal gifts new jerseys to Pickerington Central
- On memorable evening, Ohio State pays tribute to Jerry Lucas with statue unveiling
- Alex Smith celebrates reaching milestone, signing to play basketball for Ohio State
- After signing for Ohio State, five-star forward Anthony Thompson has prolific game
- BTN analyst Raphael Davis says Ohio State will earn double bye in conference tournament
- Who is Ohio State’s best shooter? Dunker? Dresser? The Buckeyes sound off in annual poll
- Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton talking trash, playing freer and ready for his senior year
Ohio State men’s basketball beat writer Adam Jardy can be reached at ajardy@dispatch.com, on Bluesky at @cdadamjardy.bsky.social or on Twitter at @AdamJardy.
Ohio
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