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Alabama Transfers Thriving As Buckeyes: James Smith & Qua Russaw · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckey's tomorrow morning for Saturday, August fifteenth. I'm
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  Speaker 1: your host, tom Or the ball State game in twenty
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  Speaker 1: one days, the game he gets michigand one hundred and
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  Speaker 1: five days. We're sponsored today by our friends at Jeff
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  Speaker 1: food and sushi and peckable service, live entertainment, and an
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  Speaker 1: Jeffruby dot com slash Columbus to check out the menu
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  Speaker 1: and make a reservation today. All right, a couple quick
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  Speaker 1: notes before we get started. Number one On Saturday, right
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  Speaker 1: around noon or so, maybe a little beforehand, we will
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: have the Ryan Day press conference for you following practice.
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  Speaker 1: It'd be some interesting stuff to hear from him. We'll
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  Speaker 1: have probably an instant reaction show, I would guess as
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  Speaker 1: well immediately after that. You can find that all on
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  Speaker 1: our YouTube channel YouTube dot com, slash at Buckeye Insiders,
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: and of course at Buckeye Insiders dot com as well.
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  Speaker 1: Something else you can find at Buckeye Insiders dot com.
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  Speaker 1: Right now, Joannie Gerderman had a really really interesting report
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  Speaker 1: on Friday about a true freshman taking a big step forward.
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  Speaker 1: And this is not someone we've talked about a lot before.
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  Speaker 1: So this is not Legend Bay or Jay Timmins or
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  Speaker 1: rock Boyd or Chris Henry Jr. To someone else on
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  Speaker 1: the defensive side of the ball who was repping in
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  Speaker 1: a spot where you would not have expected to see
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  Speaker 1: him during practice on Friday. That is on our Insiders
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  Speaker 1: board to report from Friday's close practice. Tony had some great,
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  Speaker 1: great inside information there. If you were not signed up,
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: this would be a great time to do it, because
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  Speaker 1: this is not the first time we've had some great
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  Speaker 1: information from inside a closed practice this week. So you
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  Speaker 1: want to know what's really going on with the Ohio
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: State football team, that is a place to do it.
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  Speaker 1: Sign up today at Buckeye Insiders dot com. All right,
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  Speaker 1: so on today's show, I want to let you hear
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  Speaker 1: from a couple guys on the defensive line. You're gonna
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  Speaker 1: hear from three different guys, really, mostly from two guys.
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  Speaker 1: There's one clip at the end that I just thought
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  Speaker 1: was kind of funny and so I shared that in
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  Speaker 1: there as well. But two guys who transferred to Ohio
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  Speaker 1: State from Alabama defensive tackle James Smith defensive end Quay Rusau.
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  Speaker 1: So we're gonna start with James Smith. These two guys
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  Speaker 1: have been friends for a long long time, going back
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  Speaker 1: to when they were in high school. Then they played
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  Speaker 1: together in high school, they worked out together in high school,
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  Speaker 1: then they went to Alabama together, and then when they
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  Speaker 1: went in the portal, they went in the portal together,
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  Speaker 1: and they ended up going to Ohio State together. So
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  Speaker 1: we'll start with James Smith and just what it's like
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  Speaker 1: to be doing all of this stuff with his good
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  Speaker 1: friend Nikuway Rusau.
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  Speaker 2: Very special because you know, it's like my room Maye.
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  Speaker 2: We we basically do everything together. So it's like very
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  Speaker 2: special to really have somebody on my side to really
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  Speaker 2: understand me, like and know me from a long time,
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  Speaker 2: so he understands or number when I'm getting in my
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  Speaker 2: head too much or he getting his head too much
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  Speaker 2: and we can just petty pat off that like we
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  Speaker 2: need to get up at this time, you need to
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  Speaker 2: get up be here like stuff like that.
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  Speaker 1: When they went in the portal after last season, was
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  Speaker 1: there any thought of those two guys maybe going to
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  Speaker 1: different places.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it was.
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  Speaker 2: It was in the process it's definitely thoughs going different places.
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  Speaker 2: But when we came here that it was all I
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  Speaker 2: visited together. But like it was one place was like,
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  Speaker 2: oh cool, I could see you here and I could
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  Speaker 2: see me here, and he like, yeah, but in this
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  Speaker 2: side set up because he's like, you gotta take your
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  Speaker 2: good with your bad, because every place is not gonna
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  Speaker 2: be good good. You gonna have even places you gotta take.
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  Speaker 2: You gotta take you with and this place like just
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  Speaker 2: even up for both of us, like we both had
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  Speaker 2: to both we have both what.
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  Speaker 3: We wanted to do, and it was just a positive.
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  Speaker 3: It was great.
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  Speaker 1: Anytime you've talked to a guy who has played football
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  Speaker 1: in the South, you always gott to ask him about
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  Speaker 1: the weather. So in the winter, the question is, boy,
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  Speaker 1: isn't it cold out there? In the summer, it's boy,
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  Speaker 1: it's not quite as hot out there as it was
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  Speaker 1: down in Tuscalusa. So is the fall camp weather any
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  Speaker 1: better in Columbus than it was in Tuscaloosa.
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  Speaker 3: I don't know what they say. I feel like it
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  Speaker 3: all feel the same to me.
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  Speaker 2: You go out there, you run around for a couple
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  Speaker 2: of hours, you're gonna feel the exact same here day
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  Speaker 2: he's gonna even gonna hit the same So they feel
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  Speaker 2: like the same heat feel like you know there with
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  Speaker 2: the helmet on and order everything flying. It's just but
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  Speaker 2: it's just it's just a great feeling because it's I
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  Speaker 2: feel like it's a moment that you really got a
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  Speaker 2: hone in on because you I feel like you really
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  Speaker 2: want to get these moments back, like even hard most
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  Speaker 2: because we can really sit back and talk about the
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  Speaker 2: like when we back in the day, like, hey, remember
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  Speaker 2: those you know what I'm saying, those hard times.
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  Speaker 1: So James Smith is someone who the Buck guys are
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  Speaker 1: talking about is potentially being a pretty significant piece of
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  Speaker 1: the defense this fall, maybe being a little bit of
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  Speaker 1: a leader on that defense as well. Is that something
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  Speaker 1: that James Smith really feels.
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  Speaker 3: I necessarily wouldn't even say that, man.
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  Speaker 2: I just I'm just trying to do whatever for the team, bro,
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  Speaker 2: Like whatever my guys need for me, like day in
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  Speaker 2: and day out. And I know, like, like I tell
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  Speaker 2: my young guys, I need you to look when you
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  Speaker 2: look at me when I leave her. I need you
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  Speaker 2: to understand what it suposed to look like so you
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  Speaker 2: can tell them like nah, because I've seen it this
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  Speaker 2: way and it's right here work. So what James did,
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  Speaker 2: and I've seen how I got. I need to do
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  Speaker 2: the same thing, you know, like kind of like leaving
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  Speaker 2: like Coach had to say, them leaving a jersey in
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  Speaker 2: a better place than you. You can't then came in
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  Speaker 2: like you came in, leaving the jersey in a better place.
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  Speaker 1: Anytime you talk to guys on the defense, they are
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  Speaker 1: quick to tell you about how great their relationship with
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  Speaker 1: defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is. So all right, James Smith,
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  Speaker 1: how often do you talk to Matt Patricia?
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  Speaker 3: Every day?
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  Speaker 2: Every we get out at nine, I'm here ten thirty
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  Speaker 2: talking with coach pe Wee watching film watching but we
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  Speaker 2: watch it, Jay, We're watching everything we did watch the NFL.
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  Speaker 2: We go from college to NFL back to college. Do
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  Speaker 2: every watch the NFL? Watch the NFL and it's like
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  Speaker 2: it's plays that you already seen, but it's like it's
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  Speaker 2: kind of it's that repetition of seeing it over and
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  Speaker 2: over and over, and that really helps.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't really understand that.
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  Speaker 1: Sometimes it takes guys a little while to get acclimated
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  Speaker 1: to life in Columbus or life on a new team.
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  Speaker 1: He was pretty serious this spring, but now it feels
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  Speaker 1: like he's sort of starting to come out of his show.
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  Speaker 1: You're seeing his personality a little bit more. This summer
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  Speaker 1: is James Smith feeling a little more comfortable as a
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  Speaker 1: buck eye.
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  Speaker 2: Now I wouldn't even necessarily say it was hard. It
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  Speaker 2: just I felt like coming in it was like kind
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  Speaker 2: of about a respect thing. I feel like respect is
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  Speaker 2: not earned, is given, I mean not given, it is earned.
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  Speaker 2: So I come in. I wasn't expect to give any
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  Speaker 2: get anything. I inspect nobody like the Oh I'm James,
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  Speaker 2: so you supposed to give me this, supposed feel this
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  Speaker 2: way about me.
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  Speaker 3: I wanted to come in and earn it about my work,
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  Speaker 3: so you see what I do.
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  Speaker 2: So it's like when I say something, it's like, okay,
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  Speaker 2: I've seen what he has done, so I can kind
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  Speaker 2: of listen to him, give him some grace and me
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  Speaker 2: just having a conversations with my teammates, talking to everybody,
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  Speaker 2: no matter walk on anybody, talking to them and understand
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  Speaker 2: and let them know you're my teammate no matter what
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  Speaker 2: end of the day, I'm with you. So it's all
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  Speaker 2: I got. You know what I'm saying and understand that
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  Speaker 2: just Matt brought us closer together.
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  Speaker 1: And Jeremiah Smith told Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors last
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  Speaker 1: month that James Smith is the funniest guy on the team.
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  Speaker 1: So is that something that James Smith agrees with.
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  Speaker 2: I would definitely agree. I'm the more like top of
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  Speaker 2: the funny guy. Like it's with some really some real
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  Speaker 2: funny guys on the team that quiet though you are
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  Speaker 2: really just kids when I say, I connect with everybody.
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  Speaker 2: So it's like people you really wouldn't necessarily think it's funny,
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  Speaker 2: they're funny to me. So like I probably put somebody
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  Speaker 2: else above me and be like, yeah, I see me.
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  Speaker 2: My pick could be probably Jason Moore and he's so quiet,
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  Speaker 2: like you wouldn't even think it, Like he's just quiet
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  Speaker 2: every day he is just look at you, like or
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  Speaker 2: Grady or Zion Grey bro It's just every day. But
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  Speaker 2: it's like just a positive energy, you know, like.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, all right. So now from James Smith to Quai Rusaw.
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  Speaker 1: Quay Rusaw is just one of a number of guys
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  Speaker 1: who has made that trip from Tuscaloosa to Columbus over
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  Speaker 1: the last few years. Caleb Downs Julian saying, James Smith
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  Speaker 1: and now Quay Russa as well, among others. Seth McLaughlan,
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  Speaker 1: is there a pipeline from Tuscaloosa to Columbus.
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  Speaker 4: I mean, I want to say pipeline. Uh, this is
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  Speaker 4: this a great place to come to get developed. You know,
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  Speaker 4: you got coach Patricia, coach Day, coach Nicker Murati. Uh,
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  Speaker 4: it's a great place to learn ball, uh, to get
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  Speaker 4: ready to play for the next level. And I say, like,
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  Speaker 4: we just got all the right people around here to
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  Speaker 4: help us out.
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  Speaker 1: You heard James Smith earlier talking about the fact that
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  Speaker 1: he wasn't sure if he was going to go to
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  Speaker 1: the same school as Kwai Rusaw this cycle or not,
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  Speaker 1: and it wasn't If you asked Kway Rusa, a sure
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  Speaker 1: thing by any means that Kuai Russol was gonna end
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  Speaker 1: up coming to Columbus.
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  Speaker 3: I mean, I'm not gonna lie.
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  Speaker 4: When I left here, I was kind of like, I
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  Speaker 4: don't know if I'm I don't want to go here.
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  Speaker 4: I went to at Tennessee and Notre Dame, and then
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  Speaker 4: like after talking to the coaches there, I kind of
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  Speaker 4: like knew like Coape Srish would like have had a
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  Speaker 4: lot of guys like at the outside linebacker position, and
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  Speaker 4: he's smart enough like to move everybody around, so like
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  Speaker 4: I was like, gotta be the best fit.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, So what was it that Kwa Roussol wasn't quite
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  Speaker 1: sold on right away when he came to Ohio State.
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  Speaker 4: I'm from the South, like, so like just just just
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  Speaker 4: looking at like coming out of high school, like I
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  Speaker 4: saw like all they had was like six six guys
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  Speaker 4: six seven like ends, big ends. So like with coach Patricia,
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  Speaker 4: he got different packages and so he moved people around.
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  Speaker 4: So that's why.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Roussel has kind of got an interesting role on
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  Speaker 1: this year's team where he's working with Larry Johnson, the
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  Speaker 1: defensive line coach. But he's not a hand in the
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  Speaker 1: dirt defensive end. He's really kind of the one guy
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  Speaker 1: who's a little bit in the between the linebackers and
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  Speaker 1: the defensive end. So what kind of role could we
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  Speaker 1: maybe see him in.
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  Speaker 4: I'll say, uh coming here on third down the buck position,
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  Speaker 4: uh pass rushing, and I say, uh okie, uh okie
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  Speaker 4: package playing the outside linebacker.
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  Speaker 1: As I mentioned, he has just been with Larry Johnson
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  Speaker 1: and the defensive line the whole time. So what has
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  Speaker 1: it been like after being a linebacker at Alabama to
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  Speaker 1: sort of try and get up the speed with working
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  Speaker 1: with the defensive line at Ohio State.
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  Speaker 4: The standard here is pretty high. Like coach got us
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  Speaker 4: running to the ball. That standard's high. So like just
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  Speaker 4: compete every day, come out here, trying to draw to
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  Speaker 4: the best of the abilities, and like I said, just
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  Speaker 4: soaking up all the all the stuff coach a give
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  Speaker 4: us and even Kanada like he been there for a minute.
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  Speaker 4: He gives like tools and different stuff to use.
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  Speaker 1: And then Russell was of course asked about his friendship
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  Speaker 1: with James Smith and why those guys are so close.
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  Speaker 4: I mean we went to the same high school. Uh,
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  Speaker 4: we trained at the same facility. We was kind of
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  Speaker 4: with each other every day, and like we know what
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  Speaker 4: we're looking for, like and coaches, and we both want
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  Speaker 4: to get to the next level.
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  Speaker 1: Last thing, this is always interesting when you talk to
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  Speaker 1: guys from other schools, especially other really successful schools like Alabama,
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  Speaker 1: about Ohio State's culture and what's maybe different about it
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  Speaker 1: and what it's really about to be part of the
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  Speaker 1: Ohio State football program.
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  Speaker 4: That's interesting because like when I was on a visit
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  Speaker 4: because they was like, if you want to if you
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  Speaker 4: come here for nil to get to the next level
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  Speaker 4: and go to the Winter National Champisode. You're here for
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  Speaker 4: the wrong thing. Do you want everybody on the team
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  Speaker 4: to miss together? He wanted the brether here, bretherhood here,
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  Speaker 4: strong and fuss like all to be on the same page.
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  Speaker 1: Finally, just one more and this is John Walker, who
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  Speaker 1: transferred defensive tackle from UCF to Ohio State. And this
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  Speaker 1: is really just kind of a funny exchange. I thought
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: you guys might enjoy a little bit. It is between
• 10:51
  Speaker 1: Bill Landis of the Bill and Doug Show and John Walker, who,
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  Speaker 1: as I mentioned, was the transferred defensive tackle from UCF
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  Speaker 1: to Ohio State. And you know, sometimes when you're in
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  Speaker 1: new program, guys will gain weight or lose weight as
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  Speaker 1: they're sort of reforming themselves and they're part of a
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  Speaker 1: new training program at a new school. So Bill somewhat
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  Speaker 1: innocently asked Walker if he was maybe a little lighter
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  Speaker 1: than he had before. Walker had a great response.
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  Speaker 3: Then you have in the past a lot lighter. Yeah, Wait, wise,
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  Speaker 3: no sense, no ugas bank you pretty propeciate in line
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  Speaker 3: up in front of me, you find out I think
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  Speaker 3: guys will lose.
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  Speaker 1: So there you go, do not get in John Walker's way,
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  Speaker 1: and do not suggest that John Walker looks a little
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  Speaker 1: lighter than he did last year. So that's good advice
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  Speaker 1: for you. Thanks to Bill for saving us all that lesson.
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  Speaker 1: If you guys enjoyed that show, make sure you check
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: us out at Buckeyeinsiders dot com. We have a lot
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: of coverage from inside Fall Camp this week. We're gonna
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: have some bonus shows coming up in the next couple
• 11:51
  Speaker 1: days as well. Let you hear a little bit more
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: from Matt Matricia, a little bit more from Arthur Smith,
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: and again, of course we will have that Ryan Day
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: press conference for you on Saturday. But if you want
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: to go really deep with the Ohio State football team,
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: the way to do it is become a member at
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  Speaker 1: Buckeye Insiders dot com. That's where we've got Tony and
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• 12:30
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• 12:33
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• 12:35
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• 12:37
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• 12:40
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• 12:53
  Speaker 1: it for today. Thank you guys all for joining us.
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: Have a great day. We will talk to tomorrow.