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Ohio State Football Insider: 2026 Spring Practice Kicks Off · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buck Eyes tomorrow morning for Wednesday, March eleventh.
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  Speaker 1: I'm your host, Tom Moore. The ball State game in
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  Speaker 1: one hundred and seventy eight days, the game against Michigan
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  Speaker 1: in two hundred and sixty two days. Our friends with
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  Speaker 1: Grateful Grittl Columbus is a favorite food truck. They are
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  Speaker 1: Grateful Griddle there or check out Grateful Griddl oah dot
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  Speaker 1: com for more. Inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center for
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  Speaker 1: the first time in a hot minute, Buck guys just
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  Speaker 1: wrapped up spring practice number one. We get a chance
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  Speaker 1: to talk to Ryan Day for about half an hour eventually,
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  Speaker 1: and so get some takeaways. If you want to hear
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  Speaker 1: some what some observations of what we saw at practice
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  Speaker 1: during the time we were in here, you can find
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  Speaker 1: that on the Buckeye Weekly podcast feed did a live
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  Speaker 1: show on that immediately after practice. Now we're kind of
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  Speaker 1: doing a recap of what we heard from Ryan Day.
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  Speaker 1: And I think one of my first one of my
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  Speaker 1: first things that I thought, well, I'll have to talk
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  Speaker 1: about that is when we were in here, you know,
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  Speaker 1: fifty one new guys on the roster, a lot of
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  Speaker 1: guys with new numbers. It was real challenging to figure
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  Speaker 1: out who was who. And that sounds like that was
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  Speaker 1: not just an US problem either.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the good news is Day was asked, do you
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  Speaker 2: know all of the players, can you name them? Like, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: I can name them, But then the jersey number changes
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  Speaker 2: in the swaps and the new numbers are what get
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  Speaker 2: him gets them. And like he's mentioned seeing Riley Petty
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  Speaker 2: johnn in five and he's like, who's five? And then
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  Speaker 2: just you got to go through all of that, and
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  Speaker 2: he mentioned the just the consternation and the competition to
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  Speaker 2: get jersey numbers. You've got to put it sometimes. You
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  Speaker 2: got to put it request in a year in advance,
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  Speaker 2: Like you know Jalen McLain had eighteen last year, who
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  Speaker 2: was eight on defense last rvel ree, So it's like,
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  Speaker 2: you know, I want that one next you, we'll put
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  Speaker 2: it in. See how you doing in the weight room,
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  Speaker 2: See what coach Mixed says, see what you're your assistant
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  Speaker 2: coaches say.
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  Speaker 3: And and then every spring you got flowers, you got
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  Speaker 3: the birds, and you've got new numbers.
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  Speaker 2: And it's good to know that we're not the only
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  Speaker 2: one going let me check that laster again.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, a lot of a lot of new faces, a
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  Speaker 1: lot of new you know, familiar faces in new numbers,
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  Speaker 1: just a lot of a lot of everything.
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  Speaker 2: Well, so I wrote up a practice report and you
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  Speaker 2: can find out a bucke huddle dot com and I
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  Speaker 2: wrote Wisconsin transfer bo Atkinson makes a pass breakup of
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  Speaker 2: the goal line.
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  Speaker 3: But you realize why I wrote bo.
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  Speaker 1: Atkinson, Yes, because Christian Allegro is wearing fourteen, which was
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  Speaker 1: bo Akinson's number last year.
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  Speaker 3: It's not my fault, it's the kids's fault. As you
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  Speaker 3: always say.
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  Speaker 1: So one of the great traditions of day one of
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  Speaker 1: spring practice is Ryan, what are you concerned about? And yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you know, I mean you're a head football coach. You're
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  Speaker 1: gonna be concerned about everything because nothing is nothing is
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  Speaker 1: regular season ready at this point, not even clothes. But
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  Speaker 1: he kind of went through a bunch of different positions.
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  Speaker 1: I think the one that he landed on as the
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  Speaker 1: one he's maybe most concerned about after day one, which
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  Speaker 1: again it's day one, but when he where he landed,
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  Speaker 1: I kind of went, yeah, that's understandable.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, after talking about a bunch of positions and he
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  Speaker 2: was like probably running and you understand why Nobo Jackson
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  Speaker 2: this spring, no Isaiah West. So the first guy running
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  Speaker 2: the drills is retch freshman Table Rodgers, and behind him
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  Speaker 2: it's the Florida transfer Jacobe Jackson, who, while a seventh
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  Speaker 2: year guy, has not played much FBS college football basically
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  Speaker 2: just one year and four games in this time at Florida,
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  Speaker 2: and so he's a bit of a mystery. And then
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  Speaker 2: you got two true freshman Legend Bay and favor of
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  Speaker 2: Key and then walk on Stanley Jackson Junior, And that's
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  Speaker 2: your room right now, So you understand why. And he
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  Speaker 2: said it was kind of a rough day today for
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  Speaker 2: the running backs. And you know, there's so many reasons
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  Speaker 2: why you can understanderstand what might have gone poorly, whether
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  Speaker 2: it's ball protection, pass protection, like any kind of protection.
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  Speaker 2: Like there's so many different things that the running backs
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  Speaker 2: have to do in this offense that any one of
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  Speaker 2: them can go wrong.
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  Speaker 3: And it's like, keep that guy out of there.
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  Speaker 2: Then we saw him doing up and updowns here just
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  Speaker 2: because they're they're like finishing a drill and standing kind
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  Speaker 2: of standing around, and Lachlan knocked one of the balls
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  Speaker 2: out of the one of the running back's hands.
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  Speaker 3: So they all you know, up down.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you've got to be You've got to be on
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  Speaker 1: your p's and q's at all times. And you know,
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  Speaker 1: I think we need to once again or mind every one,
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  Speaker 1: this is like syllabus day. This is they're not in pads.
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  Speaker 1: Everyone's new here. They're all still trying to figure out
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  Speaker 1: what is practice. Look like, I'm sure they've talked about it,
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  Speaker 1: but you haven't gone through a full practice yet. So
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  Speaker 1: think about the first time you you know, you're first
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  Speaker 1: day at a new job, your first day, what I mean,
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  Speaker 1: that's a that's a challenge. So this is you know,
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  Speaker 1: it's going to look a little rough. However, there were
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  Speaker 1: also some new guys who made some positive impressions on
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  Speaker 1: the offensive side of.
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  Speaker 2: The ball, like you no, well you did mention, you know,
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  Speaker 2: even Chris Henry Junior had a nice catch. Yeah deep
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  Speaker 2: post your Quaden Guildford had one over the middle.
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  Speaker 3: I think you said. Brock Boyd had a nice catch too.
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  Speaker 2: So like the freshmen were standing out early at least
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  Speaker 2: uh some of those freshman receivers. We didn't get in
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  Speaker 2: who involved in talking about all the new guys just
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  Speaker 2: because we needed more time, oh than we had, and
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  Speaker 2: so it's kind of a rapid fire, one question deal.
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  Speaker 2: Not everybody gets gets to ask stuff. But yeah, it
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  Speaker 2: was good to hear about Chris Henry Chick, Quaydon Guildford,
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  Speaker 2: what do you call him?
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  Speaker 3: Quaid Quaid yep, and then Quay and.
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  Speaker 2: Then of course Brock Boyd and you know, we saw
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  Speaker 2: a little bit of them, and practice didn't see them struggling.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they were catching everything, but they weren't going
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  Speaker 2: against anybody while we were watching.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Devin mcchown and Kyle Parker, the transfers as well.
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  Speaker 1: He he mentioned those as also guys who had some
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  Speaker 1: early good plays. There. Part of the reason that they
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  Speaker 1: have all these new faces is they lost a whole
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  Speaker 1: lot of guys, a whole lot of guys who would
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  Speaker 1: have been you know, he he talked about Sonny Styles.
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  Speaker 1: He kind of considered Sonny Styles a third year departure
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  Speaker 1: because he had that early year. But you lost r
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  Speaker 1: Vel Reese, you lost Kaden McDonald, you lost Carnel Tate,
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  Speaker 1: you lost Cale Down. Almost all these guys who could
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  Speaker 1: have been senior leaders on this team. And that was
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  Speaker 1: one of the reasons why they went into the portal
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  Speaker 1: and really seemed like they were focused on bringing in
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  Speaker 1: so many of the veteran guys.
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  Speaker 2: I thought Rian did a good job of explaining the
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  Speaker 2: math there where it's different if you're losing fifth year
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  Speaker 2: guys because they're fourth year guys and third year guys
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  Speaker 2: behind them. When you're losing your third year guys who
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  Speaker 2: are the leaders. The guys behind them, you know, are
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  Speaker 2: maybe coming into their third year if you're lucky Alec
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  Speaker 2: and Jalen McLain who So you needed to get older.
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  Speaker 2: They needed to get older, and that was the plan,
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  Speaker 2: losing all of those juniors. And so you lose juniors
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  Speaker 2: and they would be seniors this year. So what do
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  Speaker 2: you do. You go get some seniors, and that's what
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  Speaker 2: they did. And I think you said they got They're
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  Speaker 2: older by a year and a half or so at
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  Speaker 2: this point, then they were either going you did mention
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  Speaker 2: I thought we were too young last year.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think you go back to this time
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  Speaker 1: last year and we're talking about the fact that boy,
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  Speaker 1: it's a young team, it's a rebuilding year. And then
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  Speaker 1: with the way the season played out, you ended up
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  Speaker 1: kind of not remembering that by the time the end
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  Speaker 1: the season was sort of wrapping up. But that was
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  Speaker 1: a very young team. You had a second year player
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  Speaker 1: as your starting quarterback, right cherd freshman. You had, your
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  Speaker 1: best running back was your best wide receiver was a
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  Speaker 1: second year player in Jeremiah Smith. Your best running back
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  Speaker 1: was a true freshman last year. I mean it was
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  Speaker 1: a young team and even the offensive line there were
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  Speaker 1: guys who had played the year before, but it was
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  Speaker 1: still you know, all those guys are back other than
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  Speaker 1: Tiger Shabola, and he could have come back too. It
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  Speaker 1: was all you know, you didn't have. You'll see these teams,
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  Speaker 1: you know, Michigan or Notre Dame or whatever. We'll have
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  Speaker 1: these offensive lines where it's like commind your starting offensive
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  Speaker 1: line has been in college for like twenty three years,
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  Speaker 1: and that was not at all the case for a
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  Speaker 1: high state last year. So now you're older upfront, and
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  Speaker 1: Julian Saying is older now at quarterback. And that was
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  Speaker 1: the last thing I wanted to talk to you about,
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  Speaker 1: was Julian saying. Because Arthur Smith came in, and Arthur
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  Speaker 1: Smith is a longtime NFL coach. He came in and
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  Speaker 1: was immediately very impressed with Julian.
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  Speaker 2: Saying now that I'm thinking about it, we talked about
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  Speaker 2: Julian Sane with the mustache. Yes, do you think he
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  Speaker 2: did that to impress Arthur Smith, who is now without
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  Speaker 2: a mustache?
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that it was a trade they worked
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  Speaker 1: out a deal.
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  Speaker 3: I don't know. We didn't get enough questions in to
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  Speaker 3: see if that was the case.
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  Speaker 1: That's been a very good follow up, right right right, Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, You've got this guy, Arthur Smith, and everybody
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  Speaker 2: talks about his running game.
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  Speaker 3: The Ryan's like, he knows.
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  Speaker 2: How to throw the ball as well, and they've got
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  Speaker 2: a quarterback that can do and that first year of
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  Speaker 2: learning and processing, he's only going to be better. And
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  Speaker 2: so I think he's excited about that matchup with those
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  Speaker 2: two guys working together and Arthur Smith exploring the room
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  Speaker 2: of the college football game.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: So, and that's going to be a whole I mean,
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  Speaker 1: we will get presumably to talk to him later on
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  Speaker 1: in the spring. We don't have our full spring interview
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  Speaker 1: schedule yet. That will probably come out after the Black
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  Speaker 1: Eyes have spring break. Just to give you kind of
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  Speaker 1: the lay of the land for the spring. We will
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  Speaker 1: back in here on Thursday for practice number two. We'll
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  Speaker 1: get to watch about an hour of that. Should have
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  Speaker 1: a whole bunch of more photos and video from that,
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  Speaker 1: and then we'll get a chance to talk to Julian
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  Speaker 1: Saying to ask him whether he stole Arthur Smith's mustache
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  Speaker 1: and probably some other stuff as well as Kenyatta Jackson.
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  Speaker 1: Now weorring number two on the defensive side of the ball,
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  Speaker 1: and then the Buckeyes will go on spring break for
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  Speaker 1: a week. So then we have like a twelve day
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  Speaker 1: gap between practice number two and practice number three, which
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  Speaker 1: would be a good chance to kind of reset, go
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  Speaker 1: through all of what we saw, all of what we learned,
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  Speaker 1: maybe change some assumptions that we came into the spring with,
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  Speaker 1: and then practice number three will kick off the two
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  Speaker 1: weeks from today, two weeks from Tuesday, so that's when
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  Speaker 1: things will kind of really get going. Right now, it's
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  Speaker 1: no pads, it's you don't draw too many conclusions at
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  Speaker 1: this point, but definitely always a good way to start
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  Speaker 1: the spring and a really interesting day here. I feel
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  Speaker 1: like I'm walking away with a lot of information and
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  Speaker 1: a lot that I'm going to go home and go wow,
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  Speaker 1: I didn't even notice that while I was watching it live, So.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I go back and watch.
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  Speaker 2: We got twelve minutes of sights and sounds from practice
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  Speaker 2: that you can go watch. I'll go back and rewatch
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  Speaker 2: and see where everybody was, uh huh when I can.
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  Speaker 1: And you also can find a whole a full recap
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  Speaker 1: of some of our observations from uh from the actual
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  Speaker 1: practice on the Buckeye Weekly podcast feed and of course
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  Speaker 1: on YouTube dot com slash Buckeye Huddle. That will do
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  Speaker 1: it for today. Thank you guys all for joining us.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Have a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.