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Ohio State Football: Defensive Playmakers To Watch In 2026 · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes tomorrow morning. From Monday, July twentieth, I'm
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  Speaker 1: your host, Tom Or the Ball State Game in forty
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  Speaker 1: slash Columbus or check out that convenient QR code on
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  Speaker 1: your screen to check out the menu and make a
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  Speaker 1: reservation today. All right, On today's show, we are continuing
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  Speaker 1: our countdown of the twenty most impactful players on this
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  Speaker 1: year's Ohio State team. Today we're going from twenty to sixteen.
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  Speaker 1: We started this countdown at forty, so we are starting
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  Speaker 1: to get into the real impact players.
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  Speaker 2: Here.
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  Speaker 1: I'm joined by a Buckeye Insider's very own impact player,
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  Speaker 1: Tony Gerdaman, the team insider at Buckeye Insiders dot com. Tony,
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  Speaker 1: next up, We're going to go to number twenty right now,
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  Speaker 1: and this is a guy that we have been talking
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  Speaker 1: about a lot recently because we keep getting told by
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  Speaker 1: folks who would be in a position know that you
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  Speaker 1: watch this space. This is a guy who is going
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  Speaker 1: to play a bigger role than people think this year.
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  Speaker 1: That is running back Isaiah West.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, being the number two guy, which we assume he
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  Speaker 2: will be the number two guy. And when you label
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  Speaker 2: him the number two guy, you also gets some like
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  Speaker 2: nudges like, hey, he you know, not that he's going
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  Speaker 2: to be starting, but he's good enough to do something
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  Speaker 2: like that, and he's good enough to get the ball whenever.
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  Speaker 2: And so when you hear stuff like that, yeah, you're
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  Speaker 2: going to take notice. He was good at times last
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  Speaker 2: year in his limited amount of time, and coming off
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  Speaker 2: of injury, he's a he's healthy now and will be
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  Speaker 2: healthy in fall camp. You would, you would hope for
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  Speaker 2: his sake, and there's every reason to believe that he's
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  Speaker 2: going to be just fine. And I know we did
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  Speaker 2: an episode of the Buckeye Weekly podcast where we talked
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  Speaker 2: about expectations for him this year. And as I recall,
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  Speaker 2: you were you were between like seven hundred and fifty
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  Speaker 2: seven hundred and fifty and eight hundred yards rushing for
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  Speaker 2: Isaiah West, and I don't think that's outrageous. If he's
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  Speaker 2: the number two guy and he's getting nine to eleven
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  Speaker 2: carries a game.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think that he's someone who you have just
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  Speaker 1: they have just scratched the surface of what he could
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  Speaker 1: be during the twenty twenty five football season. And now
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  Speaker 1: if he's healthy going into this year, and all indications
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  Speaker 1: are that he are is, I think there's gonna be
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  Speaker 1: carries there and he has the opportunity to really carve
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  Speaker 1: out a really nice role for himself. Someone else who
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  Speaker 1: was not entirely healthy last year, who I'm expecting to
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  Speaker 1: be healthy this year and have a much better season
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  Speaker 1: as a result is defensive tackle Edrick Houston. He is
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  Speaker 1: number nineteen on this list.
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  Speaker 2: You know, he's the guy that could be much higher
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  Speaker 2: on this list if he has put it puts it
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  Speaker 2: all together, Like if we were to do this list
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  Speaker 2: last year, where is Caden McDonald? Is he around this
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  Speaker 2: range and certainly he was much higher than that by
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  Speaker 2: the end of the season. So it wouldn't be unheard
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  Speaker 2: of for a junior tackle to just explode and be
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  Speaker 2: the kind of guy that is undeniably disruptive. And so, yes,
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  Speaker 2: injuries the position change like he's finally I think in
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  Speaker 2: his comfort zone, he's really in great spirits and that's
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  Speaker 2: that's kind of who he is though. But yeah, it
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  Speaker 2: wouldn't shock me if he's much higher on this list,
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  Speaker 2: but he's going to be part of a rotation as well.
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  Speaker 2: So it's also like, you know, how much higher can
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  Speaker 2: you get when you're splitting time? So I like this one,
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  Speaker 2: and I think everybody's rooting to see that position switch
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  Speaker 2: and just him embracing everything finally come to fruition for
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  Speaker 2: the Ohio State defense.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think part of the question is how does
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  Speaker 1: he fit together with James Smith because we have not
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  Speaker 1: talked about James Smith on this and a spoiler alert,
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  Speaker 1: it is not because James Smith missed the list of
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  Speaker 1: forty most impactful players. So how do they split up
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  Speaker 1: those reps? Because I think traditionally, in the four down
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  Speaker 1: you know Ohio State one gap defensive line scheme that
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  Speaker 1: you've seen for years, you would say, well, though, guys
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  Speaker 1: are gonna split snaps and so but and so, you're
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  Speaker 1: not gonna have as much impact. I think there's a
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  Speaker 1: real possibility you're going to see both of those guys
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  Speaker 1: on the field at the same time, and they're gonna run.
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  Speaker 1: They're gonna line up a bunch of different ways up
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  Speaker 1: front this year, so that could end up with more
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  Speaker 1: impact coming out of both of those guys, And if
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  Speaker 1: they can play together, that might be the best version
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  Speaker 1: of the Ohio State defensive line James Smith and uh
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  Speaker 1: and uh Edwrick Houston playing together at the same time.
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  Speaker 1: Next up, I'm going to go with number eighteen and
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  Speaker 1: this is linebacker Christian Allegro, and I had a heck
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  Speaker 1: of a time figuring out where to put him on
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  Speaker 1: this list because I like Christian Allegro a lot. I think,
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  Speaker 1: you know, you go back to the postgame coverage of
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  Speaker 1: the Wisconsin Ohio State game last year when Christian Alego
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  Speaker 1: was playing for Wisconsin, and it was like, and that
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  Speaker 1: would be a player that I bet Ohio State would
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  Speaker 1: love to have. And now Ohio State has him, and
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  Speaker 1: with Sunny Styles gone, with Rvel Reese gone, there are
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  Speaker 1: certainly snaps available and it feels like he's someone who
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  Speaker 1: might be able to do some really interesting and creative
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  Speaker 1: things with the opportunity he gets this year.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I kind of feel like, if you were to
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  Speaker 2: like layout, who is the most likely player to start
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  Speaker 2: alongside Peyton Pierce at linebacker. I think for me it's
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  Speaker 2: it's gonna be Christian Legro because he was there all
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  Speaker 2: spring long. Now he tj Alford rotated and we know
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  Speaker 2: Riley Penny John wasn't out there. But also there were
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  Speaker 2: times when all three of tj Alford and Christian Legro
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  Speaker 2: and Peyton Pierce were out there where Garo Stover was
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  Speaker 2: in for Peyton Peters, Like they had three linebackers out there,
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  Speaker 2: and he's the guy that can be that third linebacker.
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  Speaker 2: He can be that second linebacker. He can play on
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  Speaker 2: the line. He did it at Wisconsin, like when I
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  Speaker 2: was I wrote a linebacker's spring camp preview piece at
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  Speaker 2: Buckeynsenters dot com and it's like he can do all
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  Speaker 2: of the things. He can play the positions that Rvel
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  Speaker 2: rees played last year. But I'm careful not to say
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  Speaker 2: he can do what r vel Reese did last year.
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  Speaker 2: These we're talking two different things. He can play inside linebacker,
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  Speaker 2: he can play on the edge as the sam because
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  Speaker 2: he did that at Wisconsin. There's proof of concept there
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  Speaker 2: and he was one of the three or four top
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  Speaker 2: tacklers last year. I think he led them and led
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  Speaker 2: Wisconsin in sackson tackles for loss or the second second
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  Speaker 2: in those categories for them last year. Tough, hard nos
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  Speaker 2: veteran players. So I think if he's eighteen, look we're
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  Speaker 2: looking for, you know, there's twenty two starters. If he's
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  Speaker 2: one of the eighteen most impactful players, I think that
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  Speaker 2: would be a pretty good thing for Ohio State.
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  Speaker 1: And number seventeen another guy who is obviously certainly going
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  Speaker 1: to start this year and someone who was I think
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  Speaker 1: surprisingly good last year by really needs to take a
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  Speaker 1: big step forward again this year to shore up the
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  Speaker 1: offensive line, and that's right tackle Philip Daniels. We talked
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  Speaker 1: about him as potentially a guy who might move to
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  Speaker 1: right guard this spring. That didn't happen. It feels like
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  Speaker 1: you can probably pretty confidently pencil him in at right
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  Speaker 1: tackle again this year. But he was way ahead of
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  Speaker 1: where I expected him to be last year. If he
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  Speaker 1: could be ahead of where every expectations are this year,
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  Speaker 1: that would be a very big deal for Ohio State.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and everybody loves his physicality and the way he plays.
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  Speaker 2: He is tremendous to talk to. He's confident but not cocky,
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  Speaker 2: but a little cocky, and it's just he tells you
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  Speaker 2: how he sees it, and he doesn't apologize for it.
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  Speaker 2: He came to Ohio State last year fully intending to start.
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  Speaker 2: We were pointing at him as and I say we
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  Speaker 2: all of us were pointing, the entire media, the Buckeye fans,
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  Speaker 2: whatever pointing at him. Is like maybe a guy that
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  Speaker 2: starts in twenty twenty six. But he satthanonian went down
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  Speaker 2: on the bench, and he took over and him and
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  Speaker 2: Austin Sereveld obviously held the tackle spots. And this year,
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  Speaker 2: I think somebody posted on the message board a buckeysiders
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  Speaker 2: dot com, like one of the draft knicks thinks that
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  Speaker 2: Philip Dangels be the top rated guy on the High
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  Speaker 2: of State offensive line. And we'll see, like he love
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  Speaker 2: the way, you love how hard he plays. Sometimes it's
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  Speaker 2: a little too hard, but you'll you'll take that as
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  Speaker 2: long as it doesn't you know, cost you a drive
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  Speaker 2: or something like that. But yeah, I think he's a
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  Speaker 2: guy that maybe got a little bit too much grief
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  Speaker 2: last year. And I'm sure he heard some of that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, the right side of the offensive line
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  Speaker 1: last year he did not catch the most strays there.
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  Speaker 1: That was Tager Shabol the right guard from last year,
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  Speaker 1: and Tagrin now is at Kentucky. He transferred out. But
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  Speaker 1: a lot of times when you saw the issues, it was,
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  Speaker 1: you know, guys stunts between the right guard and right tackle,
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  Speaker 1: and that did not fall on one person or another,
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  Speaker 1: you would assume. And we are right now sort of
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  Speaker 1: projecting Austin Siravelda as your right guard this year. He
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  Speaker 1: and Philip Daniels on the right side of that offensive line.
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  Speaker 1: You have taken these sliders for physicality and nastiness and
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  Speaker 1: pushed them all the way to the top. That is
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  Speaker 1: that is going to be a that is not going
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  Speaker 1: to be a finesse right side of the offensive line
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  Speaker 1: if those two guys are over there next to each other.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, that's going to be a real, real, potentially
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  Speaker 1: consequential You know, how much has he improved this year?
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  Speaker 1: Kind of question? There one more to do on today's show,
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  Speaker 1: and that is number sixteen. This is someone who coming
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  Speaker 1: out of the portal, I think you and I were
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  Speaker 1: both very very high on this player. And there were
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  Speaker 1: certainly some questions about Terry Moore, the transfer safety out
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  Speaker 1: of Duke. He had missed all of last season after
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  Speaker 1: suffering a knee injury in the Bowl game the previous year,
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  Speaker 1: and he started spring a little bit slowly as they
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  Speaker 1: were sort of working him back into things. But you know,
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  Speaker 1: by the end of the spring, I kind of found
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  Speaker 1: myself looking at him and going, yeah, I think they
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  Speaker 1: got what they were looking for there in the portal.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's gonna be interesting because he was somebody that
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  Speaker 2: during the first half of spring, Leroy Roker was with
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  Speaker 2: the ones ahead of him. Second half of spring, it
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  Speaker 2: was Terry Moore. And whether that's that was by plan
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  Speaker 2: or that was by progression, you got to see more
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  Speaker 2: of I'm and he's a guy that was a could
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  Speaker 2: cover a lot of ground four or five interceptions, was
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  Speaker 2: a know all acc type of player at Duke. And
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  Speaker 2: I'm thinking now when we're talking about the three safeties
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  Speaker 2: that they have, Jalen McLain and Earl Little are probably
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  Speaker 2: going to be your more active, disruptor types and in
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  Speaker 2: the box type of stuff. So then you've just got
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  Speaker 2: the guy at the back end that you trust implicitly,
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  Speaker 2: and Jalen McLain was great at that last year kind
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  Speaker 2: of the Jordan Fuller don't let anything get beyond you
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  Speaker 2: make all of your tackles, and if you come up
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  Speaker 2: with some of thereceptions, great, but just be that last
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  Speaker 2: line of defense. And I'm thinking maybe that's that's kind
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  Speaker 2: of what he's going to be, this calming influence back
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  Speaker 2: there while all of chaos is happening in front of him.
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  Speaker 2: He's going to be the guy who calms everything down
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  Speaker 2: if something happens, you know, to get to him.
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  Speaker 1: Well, you kind of have that smart, veteran guy on
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  Speaker 1: the back end that is just such a valuable piece.
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  Speaker 1: And he is the lowest of the three safeties on
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  Speaker 1: this list. We have not talked about Earl Little or
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  Speaker 1: Jalen McClain yet, and you know, we're still we're relatively
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  Speaker 1: high at this point. That was number sixteen on the list,
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  Speaker 1: and you've got a couple other guys who I think,
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  Speaker 1: as you said, I think may draw more of the attention,
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  Speaker 1: may draw more of the highlight reel plays or the
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  Speaker 1: stat sheet plays, but I do I just continue to
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  Speaker 1: think Terry Moore is going to be a real difference
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  Speaker 1: maker on the back end, even if it is just
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  Speaker 1: the plays that you don't see the opponent make, because
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  Speaker 1: he's back there to just sort of As you said,
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  Speaker 1: Jordan Fuller is one of those names that we throw out,
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  Speaker 1: and that is a name that we throw out with
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  Speaker 1: tremendous respect after seeing the difference that he made on
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  Speaker 1: the back end of that Ohio State defense as opposed
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  Speaker 1: to some of the years where they haven't had that
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  Speaker 1: kind of guy. And you've seen what that can look like.
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  Speaker 1: So if you have that kind of a racer on
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  Speaker 1: the back end of the defense, that makes a huge difference.
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  Speaker 1: So something else that makes a huge difference is if
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  Speaker 1: and quality of the basketball coverage we've already had for
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  Speaker 1: you this summer. We're going to have much more of
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  Speaker 1: a suspicion that you might be, it is a great
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  Speaker 1: Thank you guys all for joining us. Have a great day.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk to you tomorrow.