This Friday episode of Buckeye Talk is brought to you solely on behalf of the texter community delivering questions. Among the Ohio State topics discussed by Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis: Has NIL impacted the way freshmen athletes interact with the media and build their personal brands? Real life doppelgängers. Which football players could make the basketball team? Comparing Jeremiah Smith to other versions of great OSU wide receivers. What the summer months look like...

This episode of Buckeye Talk is all about getting to know thy enemy, which matters when discussing the greatest rivalry in sports. Ohio State closed out its spring session last week with the first nationally televised spring game, and now Michigan is set to become the second on Saturday. In preparation, Stephen Means is joined by Jimmy Watkins as the two discuss what's going on in Ann Arbor as the Wolverines embark on a new era under Sherrone Moore. Plus, an unnecessarily long conversation...

This Wednesday episode of Buckeye Talk is brought to you solely on behalf of the texter community delivering questions. Among the topics discussed by Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis: The impact of Ohio State's first two losses to the post-spring transfer portal window. Players and people within the OSU athletic department they’d love to interview knowing they’d get 100% honesty. Which position group would they buy stock in? What are their favorite sports teams and how they...

Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class is off to a strong start, and its class added two more members over the weekend. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis break down OSU’s latest commitments and what they bring to the program. Then the two look ahead for a class featuring 13 commits and sitting in the top spot in the recruiting rankings. While Ohio State has started great, it's far from finished putting together its 2025 class. As it heads into the next few months...

This Monday episode of Buckeye Talk features a rewatch of Ohio State's 2024 spring game. Stephen Means and Nathan Baird look back at the performances of quarterbacks Will Howard, Devin Brown, Lincoln Kienholz, Julian Sayin and Air Noland looking at how they played and what comes next. Plus a transfer portal conversation on how many quarterbacks they think will still be on the roster in the fall. Then a conversation about the bevy of options Jim Knowles and the defense previewed and whether...

Ohio State wrapped up Phase One of its quest for a national title with the spring game providing a first public look at its 2024 roster. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis break down where OSU stands following the spring and what they saw in the game. They start with a discussion on the quarterback battle between Will Howard and Devin Brown and which player is in the lead heading into the summer. Then they look at the other three quarterbacks...

Ohio State will wrap up its spring practice schedule on Saturday with the 2024 Spring Game providing fans the first chance to see its roster. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means takes rants from the Subtext subscribers on everything they want to see from the Buckeyes on Saturday. That list includes everything from what the quarterbacks look like, the development of the offensive line freshman Jeremiah Smith and even a few thoughts on what OSU can do to add to the game's...

Is a third player beginning to emerge as a candidate to win Ohio State football's starting quarterback job? Ryan Day spoke highly of Julian Sayin as the five-star has turned heads since he arrived as a transfer from Alabama. So on this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means asks Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis to follow him into his hypothetical world and map out what it would look like for him to beat out Will Howard and Devin Brown to win the job. But first, the three give their initial...

Everyone is healthy and ready to play Saturday in Ohio Stadium in this version of an Ohio State spring game draft from Buckeye Talk. There are two full 22-player teams to be drafted, and Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis go head-to-head with their selections while Stephen Means moderates. With so many options on both sides of the ball, we’re splitting things up and doing just the starting 11 on defense. This should tell you something about the 2024 Buckeyes with spring football winding down, it...

Everyone is healthy and ready to play Saturday in Ohio Stadium in this version of an Ohio State spring game draft from Buckeye Talk. There are two full 22-player teams to be drafted, and Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis go head-to-head with their selections while Stephen Means moderates. With so many options on both sides of the ball, we’re splitting things up and doing just the starting 11 on offense. This should tell you something about the 2024 Buckeyes with spring football winding down, it...

Ohio State's gearing up for its 2024 Spring Game, and there are several important players visiting campus. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis take a look at the visitor list for the final practice of the spring session. The two discuss who Andrew thinks are the most important or most interesting people expected to. be in Columbus and why. Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss Ohio State football's linebackers, safeties and running backs. They discuss the possibility of rotating four or five linebackers during the season and the challenges of finding the right combination of players. They also talk about the transition of Caleb Downs to Ohio State and his commitment to staying with the team. The conversation highlights the importance of building depth at safety and mentions...

Ohio State football's 2025 recruiting class is off to a strong start, with 11 commits, including seven top 100 players. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss the latest commitments in four-star defensive lineman Lononn Merrit, four-star linebacker TJ Alford, four-star wide receiver De’zie Jones and four-star safety DeShawn Stewart. They also discuss recent three-star safety Cody Haddad’s decommitment from Wisconsin and what that could mean for OSU. The...

Ohio State has finally found a replacement for Tony Alford following his departure for Michigan with Carlos Locklyn taking over as the new running backs coach. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Biard and Andrew Gillis explore Locklynn’s background and coaching career, as well as the potential impact he could have on the team. They also delve into the challenges of recruiting running backs in the 2025 class and the importance of maintaining a strong running back room....

Ohio State invited its student body to get a sneak preview of its 2024 football team for spring practice No. 6 and Buckeye Talk is here to tell you what happened. Stephen Means, Natha Baird and Andrew Gillis analyze the hierarchy of the quarterbacks, with Devin Brown and Will Howard emerging as the top two contenders. They also discuss the performance of freshman quarterback Julian Sayin and his potential impact in the future. Then they shift their attention to the offensive line, noting that...

Ohio State lost its best tight end and one of its top defensive tackles to the NFL Draft. The Buckeyes have candidates to replace both, though this spring will answer a lot of questions. Nathan and Andrew discuss what they heard from tight ends, defensive tackles and defensive ends after Ohio State's seventh practice of the spring. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Andrew Gillis discuss Ohio State football's 2025 recruiting class. They start by discussing the implications of losing four-star wide receiver Jayvan Boggs and who the other potential targets are. Then they discuss where OSU pivots to next after losing out on its top 2026 quarterback target Jared Curtis who committed to Georgia over the weekend. Then they wrap things up by previewing the decision of four-star linebacker TJ Alford and the...

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew discuss Ohio State football's tight and defensive line positions. They highlight the different vibes from the defensive line coach and the tight ends coach when discussing their position groups. While one group seems to be confident about its options heading into a 2024 season where OSU could play as many as 17 games, the other is still trying to figure out how to replace the production of a two-year starter, who's off to...

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss the wide receiver room at Ohio State. They compare the current group to the 2022 wide receiver room and highlight the confidence Brian Hartline has in the young players. They also discuss the importance of culture and mental toughness in the wide receiver room. The conversation touches on Bryson Rogers’ decision to return to Ohio State and the potential breakout seasons of Brandon Innis and Carnell Tate. They also discuss...

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss the back seven of Ohio State's defense. The discussion highlights the cross-training and position flexibility of players like Sonny Styles and CJ Hicks. The depth and competition in the linebacker room are explored, as well as the handling of expectations and the development of CJ Hicks. The conversation also delves into the competition between cornerbacks and wide receivers, and the impact of Jim Knowles’ defensive...

Ohio State's 2024 Pro Day for the NFL Draft featured a smaller list of participants than most would've expected a year ago, with Marvin Harrison Jr. choosing not to participate in the draft process. On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss Harrison's approach and speculate on his potential draft position. They also analyze the quarterbacks' performance at Pro Day even if Will Howard and Devin Brown weren't the players being evaluated by NFL...

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird, and Andrew Gillis discuss Ryan Day’s first interview since Tony Alford’s departure as Ohio State’s running backs coach. They analyze Day’s demeanor and approach to the situation, emphasizing the need to move forward and focus on finding a replacement. The conversation also delves into the importance of recruiting and player development for the running back position. The hosts speculate on the timeline for hiring a new coach and...

Jake Diebler was hired as the Ohio State basketball team’s head coach after closing out the season in an interim role On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means and Nathan Baird discuss incoming athletic director Ross Bjork’s decision to hire Diebeler and how it impacts the program’s future. They also discuss whether Bjork’s decision was the best possible choice and if the way he came to this decision tells us anything about how he would handle having to one day hire a new football...

On this episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means, Nathan Baird and Andrew Gillis discuss adding players to the Ohio State football's roster. The trio analyzes the potential impact of these additions and discusses the current roster's strengths and weaknesses. They each select one player from outside the roster to add to the team on both offense and defense. The offensive selections include an offensive lineman, a tight end, and a quarterback. While the defensive sections include two defensive...