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THE Ohio State University Portal and Paid Returnees Outcomes thread.

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When OSU first announced all of their big time 2024 signings, I was non-plussed as, at the time I felt that many of the players were overhyped.
Going back to tke a closer look:

1. QB- Will Howard. When he signed (as many on here have posted) most resonable Michigan fans were relieved that it was Howard and not Cam Ward (who ended up at Miami). Howard was a solid but not spectacular QB for a fair-to-middling KSU team. I felt that coming from KSU to the Big 12 was a huge leap, and his rushing ability was greatly decreased, dropping from 351 yards and 9 TDs on 80 carries in 2023 to 131 yards and 7 TDs on 71 carries this season. I cited lack of big game expereince as a weakness that came out to be true- He choked away the end of a probable Oregon win, and then sucked vs Michigan. The cheerleading routine he performed after being knocked into the dust by Makari Paige was as cringy and on-brand for the recent OSU program as anything I've seen. Leaves OSU 0-1 vs Michigan.

2. Sawyer and J.T.T.- The overhyped bookend DEs- Twin 5 -star signess, both ranked in the top 12 recruits in the nation who "decided to pass up being a first round pick" and take a bunch of $ to return for revenge vs Michigan...To me this was ALWAYS just media hype. J.T.T and Sawyer weren't locks as first-round picks with their lack of pass-rushing numbers- Both were eclipsed by Jalen Harrell last season, and Josiah Stewart this season. Heck even backup DE T.J. Guy with 5.5 sacks has more than Jack Sawyer...Both guys returned to lose and right now Sawyer appears in some first round projections but J.T.T, who OSU fans are still waiting to emerge as dominant, looks like a second day pick. Both leave 0-4 vs Michigan.

3. Caleb Downs- Very impressive season for OSU and will be great goiing forward, if he doesn't put his name in the draft. His run-stopping ability, however was not enough to stop Michigan when it was needed. Currently 0-2 vs Michigan with a Rose Bowl loss while at Bama.

4. Quinshon Judkins- Great on-paper pick up who had a very good season for OSU. However, considering the money spent, they could've just rolled with Trayanum on the cheap. As for Judkins himself, this was his least productive season: 805 yards and 8 TDs. He has had at least 1K yards and 15 TDs in each of his least two seasons at Ole Miss, the place he left due to losing his starting position to a freshman. He went to OSU to get around 125 less carries for 300 plus less yards? I'm sure that 12 carries for 46 yards vs their #1 rival at home wasn't what OSU shelled out all of that cash for, as Trayanum actually had far better performances vs Michigan the previous two seasons: 6 carries 37 yards (2023) and 14 carries 83 yards (2022). Waste for both parties IMO: Waste of $ for OSU and waste of time (a year of eligibility) for Judkins. Currently 0-1 vs Michigan, and it would be no surprise to see his name in the portal, since he left Ole Miss due to being underused.

5. Seth McGlaugthlin- I am "laughlin" at this one: He was terrible vs Michigan with Bama in the Rose Bowl but was hurt before The Game this season. I just picture him hiding under the bed in fear of Grant and Graham. Worth it? No. 0-2 vs Michigan with a Rose Bowl loss while at Bama.

6. Julian Sayin- Went 5-11 for 84 yards and a TD in garbage time...This minimal use really shouldn't give him an advantage over Tavien St. Clair, a more highly -touted prospect who will be coming in as a true freshman in December. So Sayin, and his 5-star 2024 QB recruit compadre Air Noland could both be beat out by St. Clair, which would render both a waste of $. 0-1 vs Michigan and if he falls behind St Clair on the depth chart, portal.

7. Treveon Henderson- Still Treveon Henderson. Still getting the vast majority of his yards on one or two big gains. Still not good between the tackles. Still without a win over Michigan. 0-4 vs Michigan.

8. The Other Returnees: Cody Simon & Lathan Ransom (5th years) and Ty Hamilton, Denzel Burke & Tyleik Williams (4th seasons). All of these guys returned and could've been drafted last season. They all played well, and will be drafted. They all lost to Michigan...a lot. All 0-4 vs Michigan

9. BONUS-Davison Igbinosun- I clearly remember when this kid chose OSU over Michigan when transferring from Ole Miss in 2022. Led the nation in PI penalties 😆 and actually did not improve as his years continued with OSU (Creer-low 18 soslo tackles this year). 0-3 vs Michigan.

Reminds me of the old Detroit Zoo commercial: "Wrong way guys! Nice going Melvin". Lots of mistakes made in retrospect by both OSU and the kids who committed to them.

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ND is an absolute joke.

The B1G & SEC MUST form this scheduling alliance ASAP to begin in 26 or 27.
Doing so will force ND to join a conference. Currently ND's schedule is the 50th
most difficult. ND's strength of schedule will drop to 75th or 100th by not being
able to play B1G or SEC schools. It will drop the USC rivalry for ND because of
scheduling. Most of ND's rivals are all in the B1G. ND dropped Michigan because
they got tired of getting their hind end's kicked year in & year out. I gravely dislike
ND with a passion. But to watch them experience the pain the buck nuts feel yar in
and year out would be an absolute joy.

Recruiting On Donaven McCulley...

Things have gone oddly quiet on the Donaven McCulley front. Not sure what is going to happen next here. Could Michigan have bigger fish to fry or are things just playing it out behind the scenes? We'll see.

I'll explain why we were prepared with a prediction and why we felt good about it when we did when I am able to. You'll understand why.

Michigan v Sparty gap good Freep article

I know this is behind a firewall in Apple news, and not for everyonebut it’s a really interesting article about the perceived gap between Michigan and Michigan State and what really happened over the last five weeks feels like a fairly balanced piece considering it is from the Detroit Freep

Sparty loses assistant coach

This is a big one.
Michigan State defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin is leaving his job at Michigan State to take the same position and title of pass game coordinator at UCLA.
Martin was a steal for Smith from Oregon, and now the MSU alum is heading to UCLA.

Martin was considered one of the better hires for Smith, a great secondary coach and monster recruiter.
The MSU NIL situation is a mess and doesn't look like it's getting fixed any time soon. Smith might be having buyer's remorse already. I'm not sure how he can turn things around there as things stand.

Sherrone eyeballs...

I have an idea of who I THINK it is but when you're dealing with like five different guys who it COULD be, you have to work with some stuff.

I THINK its Donaven McCulley, there was talk coming out of the weekend that he was close. But, again, could be anyone.

NOB is committing live on ESPN tomorrow and I don't think it's for him, Sherrone doesn't spoil announcements. He always reacts to someone who is about to go public that day. For the record, still think Michigan is going to be the choice.

We'll see what happens.

Point in time wishlist...

Obviously there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding how Michigan will finish the recruiting class and who they will add from the portal for next year. But with all the positive momentum the program has right now with the OSU win and a revamped NIL program let's take a minute to think about who the program could add to the roster. Here is my list of top 10 wants for next year at this moment. My list is a combination of transfer portal targets and high school recruits who are currently in the portal or still on the recruiting market. I'm sure there are more names that will emerge that we'll want to add too but I'm just listing the folks available at this point in time. At this current moment here is who I would like to add to the the team for next season.

1. QB - Miller Moss, transfer USC - he seems to be an ideal fit for next season
2. WR - Donaven McCulley, transfer IU - the situation at IU seems a little weird but he has been targeted by the staff two years in a row now and seems like he'd fill an important need.
3. WR - KC Concepcion, transfer NC State - would immediately become one of our top 3 WRs and drastically increase the talent in the WR room. A top four rotation of McCulley, Concepcion, and Tyler Morris/Andrew Marsh would make life a lot easier for Moss and Underwood.
4. OT - Ty Haywood 4 star, #37 overall, #5 OT - adding him to AB would be great. If a plug and play OT emerges in the portal that would be great too but the future of the tackle position should be in good hands with Sprague, Frazier, AB, and Haywood.
5. Edge - Javion Hilson 5 star, #16 overall, #1 WDE - My top recruit left on the board. He's a high level edge who I think could immediately make the rotation (similar to Derrick Moore as a freshman).
6. Edge - Zahir Mathis 4 star, #55 overall, #4 WDE - Mathis has all the tools you want in an edge. It would also be great to snag a kid away from OSU. Hilson, Mathis, and Holly would give Michigan the talent they need to continue their run as Edge U.
7. Jaheim Oatis Transfer Bama - the injuries are worrisome but he had a very good freshman season. I like Benny and Pierce a lot but another ready to play DT would be nice.
8. LB - Nathaniel Owusu Boateng 5 star, #28 overall, #2 OLB - Would be a great add at the position and could someone who could develop behind JB, EH, and JR.
9. LB - Bradley Gompers - 4 star, #25 OLB - Another talented guy who could increase the depth of the LB room.
10. CB - Julian Humphrey, transfer Georgia - I liked the improvement from Hill and Berry at the end of the year but we still need another high level corner to come in and compete. At the moment Humphrey seems like the top guy.

So that is my list. Who would you have on yours?
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