Latest / Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning / Ohio State Transfer Portal: 2 Buckeye Corners Leave, 2 Targets To Watch

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Ohio State Transfer Portal: 2 Buckeye Corners Leave, 2 Targets To Watch · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes tomorrow morning for Sunday, January fourth, I'm
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  Speaker 1: your host, tom Or the ball State game in two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and forty four days, the gaming It's Michigan in
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  Speaker 2: So there you go.
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  Speaker 1: Exciting news for our friends at Grateful Griddle. Exciting news
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  Speaker 1: for the Buckeyes as well, both good exciting and bad exciting.
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  Speaker 1: Over the weekend, as we're gonna be taking a look
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  Speaker 1: at the cornerback position, not quarterback, cornerback position and what's
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  Speaker 1: going on there with the Buckeyes because it has been
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  Speaker 1: an eventful couple of days.
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  Speaker 2: There.
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  Speaker 1: I'm joined by Tony Gardamant of buckey Huddle dot com. Tony,
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  Speaker 1: let's start with the bad news. Two Ohio State corners,
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  Speaker 1: both guys who just finished up their second season with
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  Speaker 1: the Buckeyes, both hitting the portal.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Aaron Scott and Brians both off to the transfer portal,
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  Speaker 2: both in line to play a significant amount of time
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  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty six, you would think, so this was
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  Speaker 2: an interesting decision by both And so now it leaves
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  Speaker 2: Ohio State with a couple of voids that I don't
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  Speaker 2: know if they're planning on. I know coaches always have
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  Speaker 2: a decent idea and also coaches can never just assume
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  Speaker 2: everybody's going to come back. But certainly two guys that
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  Speaker 2: had two years to make a mark and didn't necessarily
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  Speaker 2: do that, but that doesn't mean they can't. They were
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  Speaker 2: being written off. And of course Bryce West a read
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  Speaker 2: your freshman this year, Aaron Scott a true sophomore this year,
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  Speaker 2: despite the fact that both of them played seven games
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  Speaker 2: as freshman. It's just at Bryce West four, five, six,
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  Speaker 2: and seven came into playoffs and Scott's did not.
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  Speaker 1: And both guys who felt like they were maybe on
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  Speaker 1: the way to bigger roles this upcoming season. They're certainly
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  Speaker 1: be some opportunities there for the Buckeyes in that secondary.
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  Speaker 1: You know, Lorenzo Styles junior is gone, you know Davis
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  Speaker 1: enigmuin Nosen has gone. We're still sort of waiting to
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  Speaker 1: hear what's going on with Jermaine Matthews, but you know,
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  Speaker 1: there were certainly opportunities there and Aaron Scott especially and
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  Speaker 1: particularly made quite a name for himself on special teams
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  Speaker 1: this year. They talked about him and being the you know,
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  Speaker 1: the first guy down the field on kickoff coverage and
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  Speaker 1: all that, so you know, that is generally a decent
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  Speaker 1: sort of predictor of ultimate success. Not always, but they
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  Speaker 1: definitely a decent predictor of potentially a bigger role. But
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  Speaker 1: also someone who got jumped by Devin Sanchez, true freshman
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  Speaker 1: this year, who was kind of playing ahead of him.
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  Speaker 1: So you know, not not a total shock to see
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  Speaker 1: those guys go in the portal, but definitely not news that,
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  Speaker 1: ohiosate he was probably hoping for. So then the question becomes, Okay,
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  Speaker 1: what next Jermaine Matthews. Obviously that is one potential piece
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  Speaker 1: of the puzzle here, depending on whether they can you know,
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  Speaker 1: whether they can end up getting him to come back.
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  Speaker 1: He has to make an NFL draft decision, and I'm
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  Speaker 1: sure where where his draft stock is at the moment
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  Speaker 1: he had it, you know, obviously had a very solid
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  Speaker 1: season for the Buckeyes. But you know, if they can
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  Speaker 1: get him back, then obviously would fill one really really
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  Speaker 1: crucial spot for them. But then the question is what
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  Speaker 1: else you got. You know, you got Devin Sanchez. You
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  Speaker 1: know they're feeling pretty good about him. But then they've
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  Speaker 1: got a couple guys who were reportedly visiting this weekend.
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  Speaker 1: One of them, Lekai Roland out of Maryland. Sounds like
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  Speaker 1: he was at Ohio State reportedly on Saturday. Could be
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  Speaker 1: one of, you know, one of their first targets there
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  Speaker 1: in terms of replacing those guys who left. What can
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  Speaker 1: you tell people about Leaki Rowland?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, six and ninety five two hundred pound corner started
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  Speaker 2: six games this past year as a true sophomore for Maryland.
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  Speaker 2: Led the team with three interceptions, including a one hundred
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  Speaker 2: yard interception return I believe against Towson, and twenty one
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  Speaker 2: tackles on the season. Tackle for loss was part of
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  Speaker 2: their rotation as I said. And so he's a physical
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  Speaker 2: good size that Tim Walton likes, and plenty of room
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  Speaker 2: to grow in terms of as a player, still still young,
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  Speaker 2: two years of eligibility remaining, but has played six games
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  Speaker 2: as a true freshman and a bunch this past season
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  Speaker 2: and intriguing prospect from Georgia that has been a state
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  Speaker 2: that's been pretty good to Ohio State over the years.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, so that is definitely one name to know. And
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  Speaker 1: then another name not someone who has a little bit
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  Speaker 1: in common with Lekia Roland other than the fact that
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  Speaker 1: he is maybe going to be visiting Ohio State this weekend,
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  Speaker 1: and that is Kay and Lee.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Cay and Lee from Auburn. I went to the
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  Speaker 2: same high school both Cedar Grove graduates with Roland and
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  Speaker 2: Cain and Lee. Ohio State fans will remember from his
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  Speaker 2: recruitment back in twenty twenty three, the twenty twenty three
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  Speaker 2: class where he was committed to Ohio State for a
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  Speaker 2: while and then I think it was a signing day
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  Speaker 2: flipped to Auburn and was seen as a guy that
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  Speaker 2: was to me kind of made for the nickelback position.
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  Speaker 2: Is five to eleven and ninety pounds or so, but
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  Speaker 2: played outside for Auburn this past year twelve games, one interception.
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  Speaker 2: He's been over thirty tackles each of the past two years,
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  Speaker 2: played as a true freshman. Played every game as a
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  Speaker 2: true freshman with eighteen tackles, two tackles for loss six PBUs.
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  Speaker 2: So he's been playing a lot seven pass breakups as
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  Speaker 2: a sophomore and then for this year, they also rotate
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  Speaker 2: at Auburn a bit, so it's something that he's accustomed to.
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  Speaker 2: But I think if at Ohio State they need to
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  Speaker 2: replace Lorenzo Styles at nickel, and to me, this might
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  Speaker 2: have been a long time, long way around to getting
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  Speaker 2: that done. In terms of Cay and Lee, as I said,
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  Speaker 2: he's played outside to Auburn, but I think he could
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  Speaker 2: be a guy that could be the answer inside if
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  Speaker 2: the Buckeyes can make their ideal.
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  Speaker 1: And then the other pieces of this puzzle are the
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  Speaker 1: two guys who they've got coming in who are corner prospects.
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  Speaker 1: Jay Timmins, the number forty two overall player in the
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  Speaker 1: class four star five star according to some services, and
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  Speaker 1: then Jordan Thomas, number one twenty five overall player again
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  Speaker 1: at four star prospect. Those are guys who you know,
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  Speaker 1: I talked to Tim Walton about a little bit at
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  Speaker 1: the Cotton Bowl, and you know, guys who he is
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  Speaker 1: very excited about, and you could see one of them.
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  Speaker 1: I mean they're both high enough rated that you potentially
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  Speaker 1: could see one of them taking on a little bit
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  Speaker 1: of a role during their freshman season. But you know
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  Speaker 1: when you look at those guys, when you look at
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  Speaker 1: true freshmen potentially coming in finding some sort of those
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  Speaker 1: bridge guys, and man, Kay and Lee feels like it's
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  Speaker 1: sort of the perfect bridge guy there to sort of
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  Speaker 1: get you from okay, here's where you are right now
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  Speaker 1: to okay. When are those true freshmen ready? Because not
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  Speaker 1: everyone is ready to play right on day one, and
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  Speaker 1: that's you know, it's rare for someone to be ready
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  Speaker 1: to play right on day one.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, be a much easier as an outside corner than
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  Speaker 2: an inside guy. And you know, Jay Timmins has been
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  Speaker 2: inside for most of his high school career, but I
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  Speaker 2: think Ohio State still would like him to see like
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  Speaker 2: to see him outside, but his ability and his and
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  Speaker 2: he's played safety, he's played nickel, he's played in corner.
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  Speaker 2: I think he's made for the nickel position, but probably
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  Speaker 2: not as a true freshman. And you know, Jordan Thomas
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  Speaker 2: is a longer, bigger corner, which is what Ohio State
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  Speaker 2: has had. You know, I mean we say similar likes
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  Speaker 2: the bigger corners. Everybody likes the bigger corners. That hasn't
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  Speaker 2: stopped Jermaine Matthews from playing. Has a stopped Denzel Burke
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  Speaker 2: at five to eleven or you know, six foot from playing.
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  Speaker 2: You know, yes, everybody loves the six three corners that
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  Speaker 2: can't be thrown on. Yes, Tom, breaking news, But I
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  Speaker 2: think it's easier for an outside corner to make an
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  Speaker 2: impact as a true freshman as we've seen at Ohio
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  Speaker 2: State over the years. I just, you know, wondering if
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  Speaker 2: somebody can do that at Nickel and frankly, I keep
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  Speaker 2: trying to throw blame Bradford's name in there Nickel as well,
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  Speaker 2: that you freshman safety who has all kinds of ability
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  Speaker 2: and because that, as we know, that nickel position also
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  Speaker 2: needs to be able to play safety and corner. So
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  Speaker 2: it's a tough ask for a true freshman. That's why
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  Speaker 2: they probably shouldn't.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, and you know, you have options. Options are never
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  Speaker 1: a bad thing. And then you know, we'll see can
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  Speaker 1: they can they land one of one or both of
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  Speaker 1: these potential portal targets? And who else is gonna end
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  Speaker 1: up end up being out there? Because we do still
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  Speaker 1: have almost two full weeks until the portal ultimately closes,
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  Speaker 1: and you know it feels like there's been a flood
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  Speaker 1: of players in there already, but this is really just
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  Speaker 1: the beginning. You're going to have potentially a number of
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  Speaker 1: other guys going in there over the next week, week
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  Speaker 1: and a half, so plenty of time left. And man,
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  Speaker 1: is there gonna be a lot to talk about over
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  Speaker 1: the next couple of weeks as we get into the
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  Speaker 1: NFL draft declarations and decisions. Who's going pro, who's coming back,
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  Speaker 1: who else might be going in the portal for Ohio State,
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  Speaker 1: who else might be visiting Ohio State in terms of
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  Speaker 1: portal targets. We're gonna be talking about all of that
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  Speaker 1: with you at bucke huddle dot com and at YouTube
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  Speaker 1: dot com slash bucka Huddle. Thanks again to our friends
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  Speaker 1: at Grateful Griddle make sure you check them out at
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  Speaker 1: grateful Griddle oh dot com and on uber Eats, grubhub,
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  Speaker 1: and DoorDash. Thank you all for joining us. Have a
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  Speaker 1: great day. We will talk to you tomorrow.