Michigan’s Excellence in Dusty May’s Second Year Puts Pressure on Jake Diebler, Ohio State to Contend for Championships

Dan Hope — Monday, April 6, 2026 - 08:35

Two years after Ohio State hired Jake Diebler and Michigan hired Dusty May, there’s no debating which coach and program have performed better.

While Diebler is still seeking his first NCAA Tournament win as a head coach, May and the Wolverines will play for a national championship on Monday night. The Wolverines are favored to beat UConn after a dominant run to the national championship game, in which Michigan has won all five of its NCAA Tournament games by at least 13 points, including a 91-73 win over fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in the Final Four semifinals.

Jake Diebler vs. Dusty May Through Two Years
Stat	Diebler	May
Overall record	46-31	63-13
NCAA Tournament record	0-1	7-1
Furthest round reached	1st	Final
Big ten record	26-20	33-7
Best big ten finish	8th	1st
All stats before Michigan/UConn title game

Regardless of Monday night’s result, Michigan is now firmly established as one of the top programs in college basketball just two years into May’s tenure. Ohio State, on the other hand, has gone four years without an NCAA Tournament win and 13 years without making it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Ohio State’s struggles in recent years have led to repeated debates about what the standard of expectation for Buckeye basketball should be. Ohio State’s only national championship in program history came in 1960; the Buckeyes have made just three Final Fours in the last 58 years. Football always has been and always will be king in Columbus, and in an era where schools have to decide how to split revenue-sharing money between sports, Ohio State isn’t allocating as much money to basketball as the sport’s perennial powers.

Michigan’s dominance this season, however, pokes holes in most of the excuses used to justify Ohio State’s lack of recent success.

While Michigan had a more recent history than Ohio State of competing for national championships – it made the 2018 national championship game under John Beilein, while Ohio State hasn’t even made the Sweet 16 since 2013 – the Wolverines, like the Buckeyes, had missed back-to-back NCAA Tournaments when May took over. Yet May needed only one year to rebuild Michigan into a contender, winning the Big Ten Tournament and making the Sweet 16 in 2025, and is now on the precipice of cutting down the nets in year two.

May and the Wolverines did all of that on the heels of Michigan winning a football national championship three seasons ago, all the while Michigan continues to invest in competing with Ohio State and others for Big Ten and national championships in football.

Ohio State took a step forward in Diebler’s second season, finishing 12-8 in a conference that had six Sweet 16 teams and making its first NCAA Tournament in four years. But both Diebler and Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork have acknowledged that the Buckeyes’ expectations should be much higher than just making the dance. Bjork told Eleven Warriors in February that he expects Ohio State to make the NCAA Tournament every year and “make a long run.” At Ohio State’s preseason media day last year, Diebler pointed to the banners on the back wall of Ohio State’s practice gym – which highlight the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championships and Final Four appearances – and identified those as the standards “this program should be tracking towards.”

With the heights Ohio State’s northern rival has already achieved under May, nothing less than making a serious run at a Big Ten championship and/or winning multiple games in the NCAA Tournament should be considered a successful result in 2026-27.

Whether Ohio State can become a legitimate contender next season will depend in large part on what happens over the next few weeks after the transfer portal opens Tuesday. Exceptional transfer recruiting is the biggest reason why Michigan will play for a national championship on Monday, as all of the Wolverines’ top four scorers – Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara and Elliot Cadeau – transferred to Michigan last offseason. May’s first transfer class at Michigan included Nimari Burnett and Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr., who have also been key contributors for the Wolverines this season, along with a pair of All-Big Ten bigs last season in Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf.

All of those players have made a bigger impact at Michigan than anyone Diebler has landed out of the transfer portal in two years as Ohio State’s head coach. That has to change in a big way this year for the Buckeyes, who will return just two of their top seven scorers (John Mobley Jr. and Amare Bynum) from this past season.

Ohio State is expected to spend more money in the transfer portal this year than it did last year, and there should be no greater source of motivation for the Buckeyes and their boosters to put more resources into the program than watching their hated rival compete for a national championship. That was certainly the case for Ohio State football two years ago, which followed up Michigan’s national title with a championship run of its own after signing a transfer portal haul that included Caleb Downs, Will Howard, Quinshon Judkins, Seth McLaughlin, Will Kacmarek and Julian Sayin.

Realistically, it’s hard to envision that level of success from Ohio State men’s basketball next season. Even with the arrival of a top-10 overall recruit in Anthony Thompson, the Buckeyes would need to land at least three or four impact players in the transfer portal and have just about everything go right to go from losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to making the Final Four. Considering the strong possibility that Thompson could be a one-and-done, however, it would be a major disappointment – and quite possibly a firable offense for Diebler – if the Buckeyes don’t make an NCAA Tournament run.

Diebler and May were always going to be compared to each other from the moment both of them were hired at rival schools, especially since May was considered the top external candidate to replace Chris Holtmann before Bjork promoted Diebler from within. While it’s a bit of an oversimplification to say Ohio State chose Diebler over May, as May might have chosen to go to Michigan even if Ohio State had offered him its job, a Michigan win on Monday night would serve as the ultimate validation for everyone who thought the Buckeyes should have hired May two years ago.

Ohio State’s success will always be measured in part by how it performs in comparison to Michigan, and the Wolverines are one win away from making a national championship the only result that can get the Buckeyes back on even footing with their rivals, at least in the sport of men’s basketball. And that makes the pressure on Diebler as high as it’s ever been to get Ohio State closer to that goal if he’s going to convince his detractors that he’s the right man to lead the program.

Skull Session: Ryan Day Signs an Anti-Michigan Shirt at Student Appreciation Day, Jeremiah Smith Makes the Play of the Day During Ohio State’s Scrimmage and Buckeye Baseball is On Fire

Chase Brown — Monday, April 6, 2026 - 05:00

Welcome to the Skull Session.

Go Huskies.

pic.twitter.com/Jy1mtqD3Ol
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 5, 2026

Have a good Monday.

STORY TIME! I’ve got a hilarious one to kick off today’s Skull Session.

While recording Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day scrimmage on Saturday, Ryan Day walked over to two students standing right in front of me and asked how they were doing. They answered enthusiastically as he kept moving toward them.

Then he asked if they wanted him to sign something.

Naturally, they said yes.

First, Day signed a commemorative football.

Then, he signed this:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eleven Warriors (@elevenwarriors)

That’s right — the head coach of Ohio State put his signature directly on the state of Ohio logo on a crewneck that reads “F*** Michigan.”

Incredible. No notes.

With Day now within arm’s reach, a crowd quickly formed as other students tried to get in on the action. He politely declined, though, turning back toward practice as the offense and defense squared off in the red zone.

At the time, I hadn’t even seen the crewneck. So afterward, I tracked down the student and asked to check out the shirt. The second I read it, I knew I needed a picture to document the moment. The student, a delightful young man named Gabriel, happily obliged.

You can’t script it.

Just legendary stuff from the head ball coach — the kind that will certainly add to his favor among Ohio State fans.

HOLY, AURA. This photo and design of Jeremiah Smith is incredible.

pic.twitter.com/Evj6rB1guU
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 5, 2026

This video was special, too.

.@Jermiah_Smith1 Always. Open. pic.twitter.com/BcvYgoJ9Xg
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 4, 2026

The Ohio State football creative team continues to bat 1.000.

THE PRESSURE IS ON. The pressure is officially on Jake Diebler — and now there’s no hiding from it.

Ohio State’s offseason reset is here. Devin Royal, Colin White, Gabe Cupps and Taison Chatman are gone, leaving Diebler to rebuild a roster that was already a work in progress. What remains is a foundation: John Mobley Jr. (if he returns from testing the NBA waters), Amare Bynum and five-star freshman Anthony Thompson. But calling it complete would be generous.

Through two seasons, Diebler’s results have been mixed. Year one ended without an NCAA tournament bid. Year two saw Ohio State return to the Big Dance, but only for one song as a first-round loss to TCU sent them home quickly.

Progress?

Sure.

But not enough to quiet questions.

Especially when you factor in the portal track record.

Diebler hasn’t struck out completely — Micah Parrish was a home run, and Christoph Tilly was… I don’t know… a single? — but there have been enough swings and misses to keep this roster from taking a real leap. And now, with even more spots to fill, the margin for error is gone.

That’s the reality of the job now.

Ohio State didn’t hire Diebler for a long runway rebuild. Not in this era. Not in this conference. And definitely not when Michigan is either winning a national championship or finishing runner-up in just year two under Dusty May. The same Dusty May the Buckeyes passed on.

That comparison isn’t going anywhere.

If anything, it’s getting louder.

So this offseason becomes defining. Not just for next season, but for Diebler’s trajectory as a head coach. He has a core. He has resources. He has openings.

Now he has to deliver.

Moving forward from the Bruce Thornton era is one thing.

Proving Ohio State made the right choice is another.

THE BUCKS ARE HOT. Whenever I use the video of former Ohio State baseball pitcher Andrew Magno saying “The Bucks are hot,” it’s usually about another program — football, basketball, you name it.

Today is not one of those days.

For the first time in what feels like forever, Ohio State baseball is hot. Radioactive hot.

In Justin Haire’s second season, the Buckeyes have already surpassed last year’s totals in both overall wins (17) and Big Ten victories (seven). And they haven’t just been winning — they’ve been rolling, stacking three straight weekend sweeps over Butler, Minnesota and Maryland.

Those Big Ten sweeps over the Golden Gophers and Terrapins?

Ohio State’s first back-to-back conference sweeps since 2009.

That’s 17 years!

Another great weekend with Buckeye Nation #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/jB6bC2OWuP
— Ohio State Baseball (@OhioStateBASE) April 5, 2026

The Buckeyes have won seven straight and 11 of their last 12, powered by a lineup full of standout bats: Henry Kaczmar, Noah Furcht, Mason Eckelman, Dane Harvey and Alex Bemis. Kaczmar is slashing .344/.411/.576 with 43 hits, 14 doubles and five home runs. Furcht isn’t far behind at .310/.428/.504, tallying 35 hits, eight doubles, a triple and four homers.

On the mound, Pierce Herrenbruck, Gavin Kuzniewski and Chris Domke have anchored the staff. Herrenbruck leads the starters with a 3.82 ERA, while Kuzniewski tops the team with 44 strikeouts. Out of the bullpen, Jake Michalak, Andrew Edrington, Luke Carrell and Ryan Zamora have all delivered steady, reliable innings.

Ohio State will look to keep its hot streak rolling this week with a nonconference home game against Bowling Green, followed by a three-game homestand against Penn State. The Buckeyes should feel good about their chances in both matchups — the Falcons enter at 11-17, while the Nittany Lions are just 8-21.

A quick note for the future: I’ll do my best to keep Skull Session readers updated on the baseball team. That said, there are only so many sections in a day, and I devote most of them to football.

Thankfully, 11W user Bucks2K18 has you covered. They track this team religiously and consistently provide updates in the forum. It’s excellent work, so if you want to follow along as the Bucks stay hot, that’s a great place to start!

NEW DUBCAST. The first Eleven Dubcast of the week discusses Dusty May and Michigan advancing to tonight's national championship in the final game of the NCAA tournament as Ohio State watches several players hit the transfer portal.

SONG OF THE DAY. "Play That Funky Music" - Wild Cherry.

CUT TO THE CHASE. Watch Artemis II livestream as crew travels towards the moon... UCLA storms past South Carolina to claim its first NCAA women's basketball title... "I will destroy you": The battle inside a midwestern media dynasty... Uar Bernard, the NFL Draft’s most explosive prospect, grew up in a Nigerian village.

The Weekender: NCAA Tournament Expected to Expand, NCAA Proposes Rule Change to Ban Players After Remaining in Draft, and Geno Auriemma Lashes Out at Dawn Staley During Postgame Handshake

11W Staff — Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 14:45

Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.

NCAA Tournament Expected to Expand to 76 Teams

Money. Money. Money.

College basketball fans didn't ask for it, and neither did the majority of coaches and players. However, money talks, and the NCAA is expected to expand March Madness from 68 teams to 76 as early as 2027, according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

Barring something unforeseen, “it will happen,” says one high-placed source.

According to a proposal socialized with members last year, eight games would be added to the current “First Four” played over Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week of the event. This new “opening round” — the verbiage used to describe it — would feature 24 teams playing in 12 games over the two days at two sites (Dayton and another). Those involved in the negotiations caution that plenty of this could change through the course of continuing talks with TV partners Warner Bros. Discovery and CBS.

The 12 winners of the opening-round games — likely six games pitting lower-seeded automatic qualifiers and six pitting at-large teams — advance to an awaiting 52 teams in the original bracket. Under this concept, eight teams are extracted from the main bracket, plus the eight new at-large selections from expansion.

Whether we like it or not, this will likely mean more mediocre high-major teams rather than mid-major programs.

NCAA president Charlie Baker believes that giving more high-major teams a chance is a net positive, as evidenced by No. 11 seeds Texas and Miami (Ohio), who proved it in their own respective ways over the last couple of weeks.

“There are every year some really good teams that don’t get to the tournament for a bunch of reasons,” Baker said last fall. “One of the reasons is we have 32 automatic qualifiers [for conference champions]. I love that and think it’s great and never want that to change, but that means there’s only 36 slots left for everybody else.”

The NCAA Tournament has expanded over the last nine decades, but has done so more rapidly over the last 15 years, much like it did in the 1979-80 season.

1939: The tournament started with eight teams
1951: Expanded to 16
1975: Expanded to 32
1979: Expanded to 40
1980: Expanded to 48
1985: Expanded to 64
2001: Expanded to 65
2011: Expanded to 68, introducing the "First Four"

For what it's worth, the bubble teams this season, who barely missed the NCAA Tournament but will surely make it if it expands by six teams yet again, included Auburn (17-16), Indiana (18-14), New Mexico (23-10), Oklahoma (19-15) and San Diego State (22-11).

NCAA Proposes Rule Change to Ban Players From Playing at Collegiate Level After Opting in, Remaining in Professional Sports Draft

In one of the most common sense, "well, duh" rule changes in recent memory involving college sports, the NCAA Division I Cabinet is considering proposed changes to eligibility rules, including a rule that would make it so athletes who have entered and remained in a professional sports draft cannot return to college and play at the collegiate level.

"These proposed changes reflect ongoing work by Division I members to modernize our rules to align with the current era of college sports," said Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, chair of the cabinet. "As Division I members proceed with reviewing all eligibility rules in the months ahead, our focus will be on establishing rules that have objective criteria that can be consistently applied for both prospects and current student-athletes."

The potential changes were proposed on Wednesday, and the cabinet will take action within a few weeks.

One of the proposals would require prospects to withdraw from opt-in professional league drafts, including the NBA draft, to bring pre-college enrollment draft rules in line with post-college enrollment draft rules. Men's ice hockey and baseball would not be affected because athletes don't opt in to those sports' drafts.

The potential rule change and proposal come after two players, Alabama's Charles Bediako and Baylor's James Nnaji, played for their respective programs this season after entering the 2023 NBA draft.

UConn's Geno Auriemma Lashes Out at South Carolina's Dawn Staley During Postgame Handshake

The Gamecocks upset the Huskies in the Final Four Friday night, ending UConn's undefeated season, but it was Auriemma's actions after the game that were the biggest storyline despite the blowout win by South Carolina.

Crazy moment between Geno and Dawn. pic.twitter.com/CspinsnxDz
— Kareem Copeland (@kareemcopeland) April 4, 2026

Auriemma seemed to be on one Friday night, likely due to his team struggling to get anything going offensively and inevitably falling in the Final Four despite previously being unbeaten.

He also had this to say ahead of the fourth quarter of the game:

"I'm not making excuses because we can't make a shot. But this is ridiculous."

Geno Auriemma had this to say on the officiating in the Final Four. pic.twitter.com/47cefDEj2O
— ESPN (@espn) April 4, 2026

Unfortunately for Auriemma, with social media, the truth eventually gets revealed, and it appears that what the two things he was most angry about in the postgame handshake line weren't true, considering there's photographic proof that Auriemma and Staley did, in fact, shake hands before the game and UConn's Sarah Strong ripped her own jersey.

Two legendary coaches meet again #WFinalFour pic.twitter.com/yB1EdTOxTC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) April 3, 2026

"Ripped it by accident."

Sarah Strong on tearing her jersey and switching to No. 55. pic.twitter.com/NBMW13gyLR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 4, 2026

Auriemma apologized for his actions (and words) on Saturday.

Statement from Head Coach Geno Auriemma pic.twitter.com/q8La6lMqN6
— UConn Womens Basketball (@UConnWBB) April 4, 2026

ICYMI

Cortez Hankton Saw Ohio State As “The Place to Come To” With Excellent Culture, “Loaded” Wide Receiver Room

Ohio State emerged as a dream destination for Cortez Hankton, who's excited to work with the Buckeyes' "loaded" wide receiver room: "It's even better than I would ever have imagined.”

Freshman Wide Receiver Brock Boyd Joins Elite and Rare Company By Losing Black Stripe in March

In Ohio State’s 15-year history of removing black stripes, superstar wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate are the only freshmen to shed their stripes faster than Brock Boyd.

Press Coverage: Devin McCuin, Tavien St. Clair, James Smith Among Ohio State's Student Appreciation Day Standouts

Devin McCuin and Tavien St. Clair highlighted Ohio State's passing game at Student Appreciation Day, while James Smith led a great day for the defensive line.

What's Next

153 Days: Ohio State football opens season vs. Ball State
195 Days: The Buckeyes face Indiana in Bloomington
237 Days: The Game

Ohio State Guard Taison Chatman Entering Transfer Portal

Andy Anders — Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 12:41

After finally banking a healthy season in 2025-26, Taison Chatman will try to tap into his full potential at a new school.

The Ohio State guard, a rising redshirt junior, announced Sunday that he will enter the transfer portal after three years with the Buckeyes.

BREAKING: Ohio State guard Taison Chatman will enter the transfer portal, he tells VFTSP.

He averaged 4.3 PPG while shooting 46% from the field and 47% from behind the arc.

Chatman scored 10+ points five times for OSU over his final 14 games. pic.twitter.com/2JVSWtZLCM
— Views From The Schott Podcast (@TheSchottPod) April 5, 2026

Chatman came to Columbus as the highest-rated prospect of a touted Ohio State 2023 recruiting class, ranked as the nation's No. 39 overall recruit and No. 8 combo guard by the 247Sports composite. Injuries prevented him from gaining much traction in the first two years of his career, however.

Chatman played in just 17 games and averaged a mere 4.2 minutes per contest as a freshman, dealing with nagging lower-body injuries throughout the 2023-24 season. Then, in the summer before the 2024-25 campaign, he tore his ACL and had to miss the entire year, taking a medical redshirt.

Finally healthy for most of his redshirt sophomore year, Chatman averaged 4.3 points and 0.8 assists in 13 minutes per game this past season, overtaking fellow redshirt sophomore Gabe Cupps as Ohio State's No. 3 guard behind starters Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. Chatman shot 24-of-51 (47.1%) from 3-point range.

After averaging a mere 1.9 points per game in his first 14 contests in 2025-26, Chatman emerged with a string of three double-figure scoring outings in late-January and early-February. He posted 7.8 points per game off Ohio State's maligned bench in the final 12 games of the regular season. But his season came to a difficult end when he played 14 minutes and scored no points in the Buckeyes' Big Ten Tournament win over Iowa, missed the Big Ten tourney quarterfinals loss to Michigan with an injury and scored no points in six minutes in Ohio State's first-round NCAA Tournament loss to TCU.

With Chatman joining Cupps in the transfer portal, the Buckeyes’ need to add multiple guards in the transfer portal increases. Already hunting for a starting point guard to replace Thornton and pair with Mobley, assuming he stays in school after testing the NBA draft waters, Ohio State also now has a major need for a weapon off the bench to handle the rock and provide some offense. Mobley is now the only returning guard from last season’s roster who saw more than 32 minutes of total action in 2025-26.

Chatman is the fourth Buckeye to announce he’ll enter the transfer portal this offseason, joining Cupps, Devin Royal and Colin White. Amare Bynum and Mobley have announced their intentions to return to Ohio State, while the latter declared for the NBA draft but will maintain his eligibility if he remains in college.

Guard Gabe Cupps to Enter Transfer Portal After One Season at Ohio State

Andy Anders — Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 11:12

Ohio State will be cycling through to a new backcourt depth piece in 2026-27.

Buckeye guard Gabe Cupps will enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7 after one lackluster season in Columbus. He will bring two years of eligibility to his next collegiate destination.

Ohio State guard Gabe Cupps plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agency @excelsm told @On3.

The 6-2 redshirt sophomore began his career at Indiana. https://t.co/G0aBnLxGuS pic.twitter.com/YiOKbNM34P
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 5, 2026

Cupps finished the season as the No. 4 guard in Ohio State's rotation behind starters Bruce Thornton and John Mobley Jr. and fellow redshirt sophomore Tasion Chatman. In 12.3 minutes per game, he averaged 1.7 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He shot just 37.8% from the field. Though he offered some decent perimeter defensive help, he did little to alleviate the depth issues that hurt the Buckeyes in many of their losses in 2025-26.

Cupps spent the first two years of his college basketball career at Indiana, where he started as a freshman in 2023-24. He averaged 2.6 points and 1.2 assists per game that year before a torn meniscus cost him all but four games of his second season and led to a medical redshirt. A former Ohio Mr. Basketball, Cupps was the No. 94 prospect in the 247Sports composite rankings for the recruiting class of 2023, the No. 16 point guard and No. 3 recruit out of Ohio.

Chatman becomes the No. 2 guard in Ohio State's pecking order with Cupps gone for now, though the Buckeyes are likely to add a veteran to pair with Mobley as a starter via the portal. A second guard for depth purposes would also be advised, though OSU is looking for Chatman to take another step after showing equal measures of good potential and inconsistent play in his first season in relatively good health. He averaged 4.3 points per game while shooting 46% from the field and 47.1% from 3-point range this past season.

So far, Cupps is the third Buckeye who will enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7, joining forward Devin Royal and Colin White. Amare Bynum and John Mobley Jr. have announced their intentions to return to Ohio State. Mobley declared for the NBA draft but will maintain his eligibility if he remains in college.

Devin McCuin, Dominick Kelly Headline 16 Standouts from Ohio State's Student Appreciation Day Practice

Andy Anders — Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 19:02

If Student Appreciation Day is any indication, there’s a lot to be excited about with Ohio State’s transfer portal acquisitions. And a handful of its youngsters.

UTSA transfer wide receiver Devin McCuin, Georgia transfer cornerback Dominick Kelly, Alabama transfer defensive tackle James Smith and Florida transfer running back Ja’Kobi Jackson delivered some of the most eye-popping performances during more than an hour of practice open to the students and media. Tavien St. Clair showed massive gains in his second season as a backup quarterback for Ohio State, flashing his five-star potential.

Alongside St. Clair, redshirt freshman defensive end Epi Sitanilei and freshman running back Favour Akih were among a handful of first- and second-year prospects that stood out from the Buckeyes’ backups. Many more players made waves, too.

Here’s my list of 16 Guys Who Looked Good™ at Ohio State’s open Student Appreciation Day practice.

WR Devin McCuin

McCuin transferred in after starring for the Roadrunners to see if he could contend with the best of the best in college football. On Saturday, he looked the part.

The senior caught a slew of passes from Julian Sayin and St. Clair, showcasing his speed with big runs afterward, particularly on a few mesh routes where he gained separation and turned upfield for chunks. Another deep pass he caught and shook a defender loose in one slick motion, giving his best impression of a joystick. St. Clair found him near the sideline on a well-run out route for another big gain.

A four-man battle is brewing between McCuin, LSU transfer Kyle Parker and freshmen Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd to start at the Z receiver position alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss. But McCuin showed Saturday why he might have a leg up this spring – and shed his black stripe in the process.

Zone 6 is adding elite SPEED to the room, Welcome @DevinMccuin1 pic.twitter.com/N37inrYhCN
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 4, 2026

CB Dominick Kelly

Ohio State’s cornerbacks had a strong day as a position group opposite some standout receivers, and the most impressive of the bunch was Kelly. He nearly intercepted a pass early and showed tight coverage to deny multiple completions throughout practice. No play was more impressive than the one he made against a quick receiver screen in the red zone period of practice, however, hitting his man as the pass arrived to deny any gain.

Kelly, a sophomore, is in a position to be the Buckeyes’ third cornerback this fall if he keeps playing the way he did at Student Appreciation Day. His top competition will come from Alabama transfer Cam Calhoun and freshman Jay Timmons.

QB Tavien St. Clair

St. Clair showed more accuracy than a spell check with the Oxford Dictionary on Saturday. In the pocket, rolling out, off-platform, it didn’t seem to affect his ability to drop a tight spiral into the waiting arms of a receiver. He had to make plenty of throws of the latter type, too, as in typical spring fashion, Ohio State’s second-team defensive line overwhelmed its second-team offensive line all practice.

DT James Smith

If Smith emerges as the star his recruiting and portal rankings projected him to be in 2026, it will propel the Silver Bullets back toward the top of the nation’s defensive metrics. He showed signs of that stardom on Student Appreciation Day.

He pitched a tent in the offensive backfield and collected several tackles for loss, including a sack of Sayin. Smith rolled between nose guard and three-technique defensive tackle, a versatility that defensive line coach Larry Johnson will love as he figures out the best configuration for this year’s front four. And he joined McCuin in shedding his black stripe.

R2X adds some toughness & attitude in the middle, Welcome to the Brotherhood @BigKong57 pic.twitter.com/UkUVnht8Vc
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 4, 2026

DE Epi Sitanilei

Sitanilei was the most disruptive defensive end at the practice for Ohio State, recording at least two sacks against mostly the Buckeyes’ second-team offensive line and giving St. Clair consistent headaches with his pressure. A speed rusher, his agility and bend were real problems for Carter Lowe, Sam Greer and the rest of the offensive tackles who tried to block him.

CB Devin Sanchez

The top corner to come close to outshining Kelly is the sophomore projected to start ahead of him in 2026, Sanchez. The five-star prospect is building on the opportunities he got as a freshman in 2025, and there didn’t seem to be a pass where he was out of phase in coverage. He made a disciplined play to shut down a check-down to Jackson for a 1-yard gain and broke up a potential touchdown pass in the red zone.

BIA
@Jr2Maine x @Devin2416 pic.twitter.com/AVvYeU8xbc
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 4, 2026

WR Brandon Inniss

There seemed to be at least one play each game in 2025 that Inniss got open and Sayin didn’t see him, though it was a disappointing year on the whole for Ohio State’s starting slot receiver, who lacked the explosion projected by his five-star recruiting ranking. But on Saturday, Inniss was one of Sayin’s favorite targets.

Inniss caught two touchdown passes, including one on a crisp slant route where he used his body to shield off a defender. He made a key situational catch in the Buckeyes’ third-down period. He’ll want to work on getting more separation for big plays after the catch, but he was a dependable pair of hands for Sayin to look to.

OT Ian Moore

With both Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels out with injuries at offensive tackle, Moore got a chance to play with Ohio State’s first-team all practice and didn’t disappoint. His performance in pass rush one-on-ones was especially dominant. He stonewalled both Zion Grady and Beau Atkinson, despite their spin moves, two defensive ends competing to start for the Buckeyes this fall.

DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

It was a quieter team period for Jackson as Ohio State’s coaching staff limits the fifth-year player’s reps, but in pass rush one-on-ones, he was an unstoppable force. He overpowered with his strength on a few reps and his speed on others.

DE Beau Atkinson

Atkinson got first-team work on Saturday and registered at least one sack with plenty of pressures on Sayin. Both his body and play looked markedly improved after a disappointing 2025 season following his transfer from North Carolina. Ohio State’s defensive end room is crowded between Jackson, Grady, Alabama transfer Qua Russaw, Sitanilei and talented freshman Khary Wilder. Still, Atkinson seems motivated to make an impact in his final year of college football.

RB Favour Akih

There were times it looked like Akih’s jersey was covered in cooking spray. He proved a load to bring down at several points in practice, with a jerky, downhill running style that gave Ohio State’s second- and third-team defense trouble sometimes. Others, he had difficulty finding space to run, but he broke off a couple of nice chunk plays with a couple of catches out of the backfield.

RB Ja’Kobi Jackson

Despite his status as a running back, Jackson impressed most as a receiving threat at Student Appreciation Day, possibly leading the field in receptions after Sayin and St. Clair fed him a litany of check-downs. Being a safety valve can be an important trait out of the backfield, and Jackson flexed that skill.

OG Maxwell Riley

Two highlights stuck out from the four-star freshman Riley on Saturday: A great pull and lead block to generate a 10-yard-plus run for Akih and his walling of defensive tackle Eddrick Houston in pass rush one-on-ones. He was a bright spot on a day when the depth of the front five mostly struggled, though that again is expected in spring practice.

S Blaine Bradford

Bradford delivered two big hits after flying down from his safety position. One of them came when the Buckeyes weren’t tackling in their “thud” tempo, a fact he had to be reminded of over the speakers, but the talented freshman isn’t showing any fear in his first spring.

LB Eli Lee

The biggest standout from the third-team defense was Lee, who flew sideline to sideline to make plays with emphatic hits. He stuffed Akih for no gain on one run and broke up a pass near the sideline on another play.

WR Jeremiah Smith

Smith remains the best player in college football and reminded everyone of that fact on the last play of practice. He leapt to snag a prayer of a pass from Sayin on a simulated fourth-and-goal to say his offense from gassers and instead hand them to the defense.

.@Jermiah_Smith1 Always. Open. pic.twitter.com/BcvYgoJ9Xg
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 4, 2026

Student Appreciation Day Recap: Jeremiah Smith and Connor Hawkins Come Through in The Clutch, Ian Moore and Carter Lowe Fill In at Offensive Tackle

Dan Hope — Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 15:54

In the highest-stakes rep of Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day practice, Jeremiah Smith reminded everyone that he’s the best receiver in college football.

Over an hour of practice that had been open to students and media members, it had been a relatively quiet day for Ohio State’s superstar wideout – in part because the Buckeyes had many of their other receivers taking reps in his place. But when Ohio State called its starters onto the field for a fourth-down, “gotta-have-it” play in the red zone which would determine which side of the ball would have to run post-practice gassers, Smith came through in a big way for the offense.

While Ohio State defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. got pressure up the middle, forcing Julian Sayin to throw off-balance, Jeremiah Smith outleaped Buckeye safety Jaylen McClain in the back of the end zone to haul in the scrimmage-winning touchdown, prompting a raucous celebration from the Ohio State offense.

That said, there was still a threat that the offense, students and out-of-shape media members like me would have to run gassers, too. Following Smith’s touchdown catch, Ohio State called on Connor Hawkins to kick a roughly 35-yard field goal. The consequence if he missed: “Everyone in the building” would have to run.

Fortunately, in an all-too-welcome sight for Ohio State fans, Hawkins passed the first test of his ability to kick under pressure, drilling his field goal through the uprights to conclude the practice session.

Ohio State closed its Student Appreciation Day with a high-pressure kick for Connor Hawkins. He drilled it down the middle. pic.twitter.com/eASMkj2kRb
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) April 4, 2026

Those two end-of-practice moments highlighted a practice that also included several other standouts among Ohio State’s offseason transfer additions, a test of the Buckeyes’ offensive tackle depth and a star-studded crowd, all of which we’ll recap below.

McCuin, Smith earn black stripe removals

Former UTSA wide receiver Devin McCuin and former Alabama defensive tackle James Smith became the sixth and seventh players of the spring to have their black stripes removed following Saturday’s practice. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone who watched Saturday’s practice.

McCuin was the offense’s top playmaker on Saturday, repeatedly using his speed and shiftiness to get open and make plays downfield. Following a seven-day stretch in which fellow transfer Kyle Parker was the first Buckeye of the spring to lose his black stripe, Brock Boyd was the first (and still only) freshman of the spring to shed his black stripe and Ryan Day said Chris Henry Jr.’s goal should be to start in Week 1, McCuin made his own case on Saturday for why he should be in the starting lineup alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss, adding another layer to what’s quickly become the spring’s most intriguing position battle.

James Smith was disruptive throughout the practice, recording a sack and stopping a run for a tackle for loss in team drills while also dominating his competition in defensive line vs. offensive line one-on-ones. Smith plays with a fiery temperament on the field, which perhaps went a bit too far during one-on-ones, as he struck freshman offensive lineman Mason Wilhelm on the side of the helmet following a physical rep between them. But he’s been the most consistently impressive defensive tackle during the portions of spring practice that have been open to the media and looks to be well on his way to earning a starting spot on Ohio State’s interior defensive line this season.

Other transfer standouts in Saturday’s practice included defensive end Qua Russaw and linebacker Christian Alliegro, who both flashed while lining up in various spots along the defensive front on Saturday, and cornerback Dominick Kelly, who was strong in downfield coverage and blew up a screen pass during team drills.

Moore, Lowe fill in for injured starting tackles

Ohio State was without both of its returning starters at offensive tackles from last season, Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels, after both reportedly underwent procedures for minor injuries. With Siereveld and Daniels absent from Saturday’s practice, Ian Moore started at left tackle while Carter Lowe repped at right tackle with the first-team offense.

Moore had a strong showing filling in for Siereveld, holding his ground well in pass protection and winning one-on-one reps against Zion Grady and Beau Atkinson. Lowe, on the other hand, looked like a redshirt freshman who still has a way to go in his development before he’ll be ready to start at offensive tackle for the Buckeyes; he spent much of the practice going head-to-head with Kenyatta Jackson Jr., with Jackson frequently getting the best of his three-years-younger and far less experienced counterpart.

As is often the case at Student Appreciation Day, Ohio State’s defensive line got the best of the Buckeyes’ offensive line as a whole. Sayin faced a good amount of pressure behind the first-team offensive line, which also consisted of Luke Montgomery at left guard, Carson Hinzman at center and Gabe VanSickle at right guard. The second-team offensive line frequently looked overmatched; with Joshua Padilla and Jake Cook also out, that group consisted of Sam Greer at left tackle, Maxwell Riley at left guard, Mason Wilhelm at center, Simon Lorentz at right guard and Deontae Armstrong at right tackle.

In addition to James Smith, other standouts on the defensive line included defensive ends Beau Atkinson and Epi Sitanilei, who were frequently seen getting pressure on Sayin and St. Clair. Will Smith Jr. also had multiple quarterback pressures. Jason Moore was disruptive when he was on the field, though most of his reps came with the twos and threes with the Smiths, Eddrick Houston and John Walker leading the defensive tackle depth chart. Freshman defensive tackles Damari Simeon and Jamir Perez also flashed, with Perez – a 6-foot-3, 360-pound nose tackle – entertainingly rubbing his belly in celebration after he forced a Justyn Martin throw into coverage, resulting in a pass breakup by Eli Lee, with a quarterback pressure.

Additional Notes

Tavien St. Clair’s improvement from last spring to this spring was obvious. Even though he faced plenty of pressure behind the second-team offensive line, St. Clair looked composed and in command all day, extending plays with his feet outside the pocket and delivering accurate strikes down the field. Day said this week that St. Clair has shown more confidence this spring now that he’s in his second offseason, and the redshirt freshman quarterback backed that up with his performance on Saturday.
Inniss was a consistent target for Sayin alongside McCuin and Smith on Saturday, including multiple touchdown catches. It’s another indicator that chemistry between Sayin and Inniss is growing as Inniss looks to make a much bigger impact as Ohio State’s No. 2 receiver in 2026 after catching just 36 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Buckeyes’ No. 3 receiver in 2025.
Only three running backs took reps during team drills on Saturday: Ja’Kobi Jackson, Favour Akih and Stanley Jackson Jr. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West are both out for the spring with injuries. Legend Bey, who Day said earlier this week is dealing with a minor injury, and Anthony “Turbo” Rogers did not take any reps in team drills, though both were present at practice and participating in drill work.
With the defensive line bringing frequent pressure, checkdown throws to the running back were a popular play for Ohio State in the passing game on Saturday. Jackson, in particular, looked very comfortable in that area of the game, consistently catching the ball cleanly and showing his ability to make plays after the catch.
Alongside students and media, former Ohio State players were also invited to attend Saturday’s practice. Some of the many former Buckeyes we spotted in attendance: Braxton Miller, Keith Byars, Roy Hall, Josh Myers, Patrick Gurd, Miyan Williams, Matt Wilhelm (the father of Mason Wilhelm), Bradley Robinson, Davison Igbinosun and Stanley Jackson (the father of Stanley Jackson Jr.).
Recruits in attendance for Saturday’s practice included 2027 five-star wide receivers Jamier Brown and Monshun Sales, 2027 five-star offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola, 2027 four-star quarterback Wonderful Monds IV, 2027 four-star linebacker AJ Randle, 2028 five-star defensive end Kameron McGee, 2028 four-star defensive end Jermaine Smith Jr. and 2028 quarterback Reign St. Clair (the younger brother of Tavien St. Clair), among others.
As was the case last year, Jeremiah Smith drew the largest post-practice crowd of any Buckeye by far from his fellow students seeking photos and autographs. Sayin also drew a large crowd of autograph-seeking fans.

Julian Sayin draws a crowd, too. pic.twitter.com/sHDDhoAq8x
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) April 4, 2026

Ohio State Forward Colin White to Enter Transfer Portal

Josh Poloha — Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 15:34

Colin White is moving on from the school he's always loved.

The Ohio State forward will enter the transfer portal after two seasons with the Buckeyes.

pic.twitter.com/OF4qncQcL1
— Colin White (@ColinWhite21) April 5, 2026

A former three-star recruit and Ohio Mr. Basketball Award winner, White was a first-team all-Ohio selection as a junior and senior at Ottawa-Glandorf High School. He and LeBron James are the only players in state history to start on a state Final Four team in all four high school seasons.

Unfortunately, though, things never really materialized for White in Columbus, as he dealt with some injuries during his time at Ohio State.

In two seasons at OSU, the 6-6, 220-pound forward averaged just one point and one rebound in 8.4 minutes per game. White shot a mere 39.3% from the field and 11.1% from beyond the arc in 48 games.

So far, White is the second Buckeye who will enter the transfer portal when it opens on April 7, joining forward Devin Royal. Amare Bynum and John Mobley Jr. have announced their intentions to return to Ohio State, while the latter declared for the NBA draft but will maintain his eligibility if he remains in college.

A rising junior, White has two years of eligibility remaining.

Remember When: Super Sophomores Lead Ohio State to Win Over USC in the National Championship, OSU's First 1 vs. 2 Matchup

Josh Poloha — Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 14:35

In an NIL and transfer portal era where some of college football's best seem to be getting older, it was a group of "Super Sophomores" that led the way for Ohio State nearly six decades ago.

While many Ohio State fans will remember the 1968 season for being the first time the Buckeye leaves appeared on OSU helmets and Woody Hayes – supposedly – saying that he only went for two because he "couldn't go for three" while leading 50-14 over Michigan, that season ended with the Buckeyes' first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup ever.

After demolishing the Wolverines, Ohio State was set to play the second-ranked Trojans in the national championship game. Led by a group of second-year players, the "Super Sophomores," as they are known, consisted of college football Hall of Famers Rex Kern (quarterback), Jim Stillwagon (offensive lineman) and Jack Tatum (defensive back). It also included Leo Hayden, Jan White, Bruce Jankowski, Larry Zelina, John Brockington, Mark Devevc, Doug Adams, Mike Sensibaugh and Tim Anderson—twelve sophomore starters, for those counting.

“We had a lot of doubters when the season began,” Hayes said after the game. “But we knew we had an outstanding group of young men. The way they have played this year is a tribute to them. We can celebrate the championship and look forward to representing our conference in the Rose Bowl.”

USC, meanwhile, was led by Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson.

After OSU missed a 27-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, USC answered with a field goal of its own to take a 3-0 lead. The Trojans took a 10-0 lead following an 80-yard touchdown run by Simpson.

"That entire season we had only given up one run over 15 yards," Lou Holtz said while discussing the game in an interview with Ohio Magazine in 2018. "In the first half, O.J. [Simpson] went 80 yards to score a touchdown. Woody got in my face and yelled, “How did he go 80 yards?” I told him, “Because that’s all he needed.”

But the early deficit didn't last thanks to a one-yard touchdown run by Jim Otis and a 26-yard field goal by Otis, as Ohio State tied things up at 10-10 at halftime.

The Buckeyes took their first lead of the game when Roman converted a 25-yard field goal with 1:40 left in the third quarter. Following a recovered fumble by OSU's defense, Ohio State took a two-possession game six plays later with a four-yard touchdown pass from Kern to Leophus Hayden to make it 20-10.

Late in the game, Kern found Ray Gillian for a 16-yard touchdown to give the Buckeyes a 27-10 lead with 4:55 left. USC's Steve Sogge found Sam Dickerson for a touchdown late in the game, but Ohio State beat the Trojans for the national title, 27-16.

“Our practices were brutal. We had no fun in California," Brockington said. "All Woody wanted to do was kick their asses and go home.”

Even though he scored an 80-yard touchdown, Ohio State held Simpson to just 91 yards on 27 carries in the game.

"I kicked a field goal to tie the game with three seconds left before halftime. I ended up with two field goals and three extra points that day. [Dave] Foley still introduces me as the guy who outscored O.J. in the Rose Bowl," Roman said.

In all, Ohio State beat No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 USC and No. 4 Michigan on the Buckeyes' run to their fifth national championship. It was Hayes' fourth national championship and fifth Big Ten title.

Eleven players from the 1968 team earned All-America honors during their respective careers and six players were drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in either 1969 or 1971.

"Those players weren’t close because they won," Holtz said of that 1968 team. "They won because they were close, and they still are to this day.

Jeremiah Smith’s Leaping TD, Connor Hawkins’ Pressure-Packed FG Lead Top Moments from Ohio State Student Appreciation Day Scrimmage

Chase Brown — Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 14:11

Ohio State's Student Appreciation Day scrimmage had several notable highlights. We compiled the best moments into a YouTube video, which featured at the top of the page.

Here's a breakdown of all the highlights from the Buckeyes' 11-on-11 action:

0:00 – Intro
0:07 – Epi Sitanilei sack
0:24 – Will Smith Jr. sack
0:41 – Stanley Jackson Jr. carry
0:57 – Justyn Martin completion to Stanley Jackson Jr.
1:09 – Blaine Bradford sack
1:25 – Tavien St. Clair completion to Chris Henry Jr.
1:39 – Jermaine Mathews Jr. pass breakup
1:52 – Tavien St. Clair completion to Devin McCain
2:05 – Tavien St. Clair completion to Brock Boyd
2:19 – Favour Akih carry
2:34 – Miles Lockhart near interception
2:50 – Tavien St. Clair completion to De’Zie Jones
3:07 – Tavien St. Clair completion to Devin McCuin
3:23 – Mason Williams carry
3:38 – Julian Sayin completion to Brandon Inniss
3:50 – Julian Sayin completion to Ja’Kobi Jackson
3:57 – Ja'Kobi Jackson carry
4:11 – Julian Sayin completion to Jeremiah Smith
4:28 – Julian Sayin completion to Devin McCain
4:37 – Julian Sayin forced to throw the ball away
4:50 – Julian Sayin completion to Ja’Kobi Jackson
5:07 – Braxton Rembert and Damari Simeon light up Favour Akih
5:21 – Luke Fahey completion to Jerquaden Guilford
5:39 – Tavien St. Clair completion to Favour Akim
5:56 – Zion Grady, Beau Atkinson and Epi Sitanilei sack
6:13 – Julian Sayin completion to Ja’Kobi Jackson
6:30 – Tavien St. Clair touchdown pass to Max LeBlanc
6:42 – Julian Sayin completion to Ja’Kobi Jackson
6:52 – Julian Sayin completion to Nate Roberts
7:08 – Julian Sayin touchdown pass to Brandon Inniss
7:24 – Tavien St. Clair touchdown pass to Favour Akih
7:40 – Julian Sayin touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith
8:04 – Defensive line drills
10:08 – Offensive line vs. defensive line one-on-ones
10:27 – Connor Hawkins makes a high-pressure field goal
10:46 – Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith meet with students