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Is CJ Hicks Ready For A New Role On The Ohio State Defense? · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to Buckeyes Tomorrow morning for Thursday, March thirteenth, I'm
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  Speaker 1: your host, Tom Or the Texas game in one hundred
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  Speaker 1: and seventy days, the game against Michigan in two hundred
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  Speaker 1: and sixty one days. If you were planning your next event,
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  Speaker 1: make it unforgettable with Grateful Griddle Thlumas's favorite food truck
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  Speaker 1: serving up Smashburger's, bourmet sandwiches and good vibes. Book your
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  Speaker 1: catering today at Gratefulgriddle, oh dot com. On today's show,
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  Speaker 1: you're going to get to hear a bunch from Higho
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  Speaker 1: State defensive line coach Larry Johnson. We had a chance
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  Speaker 1: to talk to him last week, and men, it was
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  Speaker 1: about as spirit as you ever see Larry Johnson. He's
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  Speaker 1: always a fun guy to talk to. You always as
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  Speaker 1: that sort of reassuring, calm, you know, very knowledgeable voice.
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  Speaker 1: But man, he had some interesting stuff to say. There's
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  Speaker 1: a lot of new faces on his defensive line and
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  Speaker 1: he had some big picture stuff to talk about as well.
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to get the chance to hear directly from
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  Speaker 1: him about all of that stuff on today show. Let's
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  Speaker 1: start just with the new guys. They obviously lost all
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  Speaker 1: four starters from last year's team. Michel Meltain lost her canoe,
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  Speaker 1: So a lot of new faces up front this year.
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  Speaker 1: So what's the expectation for production for those new starters.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know where you can put production those
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  Speaker 2: guys yet.
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  Speaker 3: You know they've played a lot, but you know what
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  Speaker 3: you got to look at is that they haven't played
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  Speaker 3: forty plays or fifty plays in the game. They played
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  Speaker 3: twenty twenty five plays. Coming in as a substitute. When
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  Speaker 3: you're a starter, that's a different that's a different ball game.
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  Speaker 3: And so those guys got to learn how to play
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  Speaker 3: on the field longer. And that's something we got to
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  Speaker 3: build through spring and in the summer and get ready
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  Speaker 3: to go and fall camp. And so we're not there yet,
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  Speaker 3: but their opportunity to kind of build this it's going
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  Speaker 3: to be a challenge.
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  Speaker 2: That's what we're working out right now.
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  Speaker 1: With an entirely new defensive line comes well, you got
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  Speaker 1: to have some entirely new leaders there. So who can
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  Speaker 1: be the leaders up front for that defensive line.
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  Speaker 3: It's hard to say, you know, point one guy out.
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  Speaker 3: It's got to be the whole unit. I mean, you
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  Speaker 3: got to move the whole unit in the right direction. Right,
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  Speaker 3: You can't move one guy without moving ten guys, and
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  Speaker 3: so my philosophy is we got to move the whole unit,
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  Speaker 3: final leader as we go.
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  Speaker 2: But right now everybody's got baby stuff.
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  Speaker 3: Everybody's work on trying to learn how to do it
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  Speaker 3: the right way because now there's nobody in front of him.
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  Speaker 2: They're at and so that's a different mindset.
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  Speaker 1: One of the most intriguing players on this team, not
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  Speaker 1: just in the defensive line, but on the team on
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  Speaker 1: the whole is Edrick Houston. He came in as a
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  Speaker 1: five star prospect last year, was supposed to start as
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  Speaker 1: a defensive end, and by the end of the year
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  Speaker 1: he was contributing as a true freshman at the three
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  Speaker 1: tech spot and the defensive line inside. So what's the
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  Speaker 1: plan for Edwrick Houston this year?
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  Speaker 3: He's a going to play three technique, that's where you
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  Speaker 3: feel comfortable playing. Now he's in a two eighty five
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  Speaker 3: two ninety and then we don't want to switch him again,
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  Speaker 3: and so I think that he'll give us some inside
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  Speaker 3: rush at a three tech position. So I think he's
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  Speaker 3: very comfortab with doing that now. He helped us out
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  Speaker 3: to get through our stretch and now you feel like,
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  Speaker 3: you know, a coach I could do this. I have
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  Speaker 3: a chance to start in the fall. So that's kind
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  Speaker 3: of motivation for him.
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  Speaker 1: Larry Johnson has been around through a number of different
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  Speaker 1: defensive coordinators at Ohio State over the years, So how
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  Speaker 1: much change is he expecting with Matt Patricia now in
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  Speaker 1: charge of the defense.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I think, first of all, coach Bavasi is a
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  Speaker 3: great coach vers are and he's done a good job
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  Speaker 3: of introducing what he feels his foss to be trying
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  Speaker 3: to merge two different things together, see like not take
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  Speaker 3: a lot away, but kind of do his own thing.
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  Speaker 2: And it's a great defensive scheme to play in, you know.
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  Speaker 3: But he's more I guess he talked earlier more about
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  Speaker 3: getting guys in the right position to really contribute in
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  Speaker 3: the game. I think that's the biggest thing you take
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  Speaker 3: from it. So I think it's coming together real well.
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  Speaker 3: I mean he's on a ground three where he's trying
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  Speaker 3: to put this thing together. We got a really great
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  Speaker 3: staff and in a room with us to kind of
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  Speaker 3: pull this together.
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  Speaker 2: But I'm really excited about what he brings to the
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  Speaker 2: table and where we go from here.
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  Speaker 1: Defensively, Larry Johnson said later on in the interview that
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  Speaker 1: they're expecting to be a very multiple defense under Patricia.
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  Speaker 1: That's something they showed more last year under Jim Knowles.
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  Speaker 1: So how much of an adjustment is that going to
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  Speaker 1: be for Larry Johnson and his defensive line.
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  Speaker 2: Well, you know, four to three, You know, you take
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  Speaker 2: a four to three.
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  Speaker 3: Everybody's choose confusing that I'm a four to three guy,
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  Speaker 3: but really, you know, you take a four to three,
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  Speaker 3: you take in and stand them up.
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  Speaker 2: You can slide to three four just like that.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, and that's multiple defense without changing any personnel.
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  Speaker 3: And so it's a four brant, but we can go
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  Speaker 3: to a three man, a four man, five mat, six man,
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  Speaker 3: and a heartbeat with the guys on the field.
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  Speaker 2: So I think that we've been multiple.
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  Speaker 3: We keep saying it's a four man front, but it
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  Speaker 3: can be a hit unchanged before it fronts. Yeah, listen,
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  Speaker 3: this is awesome, man, that's how you look at it.
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  Speaker 3: You know, everybody can say it's four man front, four
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  Speaker 3: man in front, not really. When you kind of sert pieces,
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  Speaker 3: the four guys can stay on the field and you
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  Speaker 3: can pop JT or pack kJ up and I see,
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  Speaker 3: you know, there's like a three four, but it's four
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  Speaker 3: guys on a field playing that's been in the game.
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  Speaker 3: And so I think that we kind of lose how
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  Speaker 3: you can play defense now because you can't substitute every
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  Speaker 3: play to get a new personal So those guys gotta
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  Speaker 3: be to play from four man to a three man
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  Speaker 3: or whatever it happens.
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  Speaker 2: You have to be ready to do that.
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  Speaker 1: Talked earlier about Edward Houston being one of the most
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  Speaker 1: intriguing players on this year's team and on this year's defense.
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  Speaker 1: Here's another one, c J.
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  Speaker 2: Hicks.
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  Speaker 1: He's another guy who came in as a five star
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  Speaker 1: prospect and it's just kind of never really found his
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  Speaker 1: role yet as a linebacker. So this year they're trying
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  Speaker 1: something new. They're going to have him in the defensive
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  Speaker 1: line room. So what is Larry John and expecting from CJ.
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  Speaker 1: Hicks as a defensive end.
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  Speaker 2: Well, he's with me right now.
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  Speaker 3: So CJ's with me right now and trying to learn
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  Speaker 3: how to play the position, you know, and I want
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  Speaker 3: him to learn how to play position as a defensive end.
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  Speaker 3: Stand up if we get to that moment and not
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  Speaker 3: as a linebacker. I think that's the transition he's mentally
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  Speaker 3: he's got.
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  Speaker 2: To go through.
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  Speaker 3: He's done an outstanding job thus far. He's bought in
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  Speaker 3: it's what we're doing. And I think that's the key
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  Speaker 3: when it got buy in, is like, this is what
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  Speaker 3: I want to do. And he has a really good
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  Speaker 3: skill set, so we can use him in by the ways,
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  Speaker 3: but we don't want to use him just third down, right.
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  Speaker 2: We want to use him first and second down.
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  Speaker 3: And so my job is to get ready to play
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  Speaker 3: to run from on the line instamers supposed to being
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  Speaker 3: in space.
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  Speaker 2: That's different.
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  Speaker 3: And once we accomplish it as we go, then I
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  Speaker 3: think you'll give a chance to give us some great
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  Speaker 3: depth there and really do some good things for us.
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  Speaker 3: I'm excited about him because he's really sad about the
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  Speaker 3: position change.
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  Speaker 1: With the defense being multiple and showing a bunch of
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  Speaker 1: different looks. How impactful could a guy like CJ. Hicks
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  Speaker 1: potentially be this year?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's that's that's a bonus if he can do
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  Speaker 3: that right, because he stays on the field, you know
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  Speaker 3: we're going to got from space. You can drop him
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  Speaker 3: from space or you can blitz them. And I think
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  Speaker 3: that as we go forward. I think we're trying to
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  Speaker 3: build that. We just can't build it around one guy.
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  Speaker 3: You got to build out what a capable he can
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  Speaker 3: do on the field. And so, like I said, it's
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  Speaker 3: early stays, so it's hard to say this is what
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  Speaker 3: we're going to do because we're just putting it together.
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  Speaker 3: But I know that CJ is very happy where he's at.
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  Speaker 3: He seemed to have a really good time understanding what
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  Speaker 3: we're doing and so what the guy goes from there.
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  Speaker 1: Obviously it's still early. Spring ball doesn't even officially start
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  Speaker 1: until next Monday. But what has Larry Johnson seen from CJ.
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  Speaker 1: Hicks so far that makes him think that he could
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  Speaker 1: really be an impact guy this year.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we know we can rush. He's got great speed
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  Speaker 2: off the ads.
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  Speaker 3: You really can get off the ball that we know
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  Speaker 3: that Now, like I said, foys, can he play on
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  Speaker 3: its height end and a six technique you know, standing
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  Speaker 3: up on the two feet playing that's the thing you
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  Speaker 3: asked him, are un to do? Once he master that
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  Speaker 3: they rushed off, I'll come easy because it's on the field,
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  Speaker 3: and that's what we try to work on as we
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  Speaker 3: get going. Today, we can walk out of spring with
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  Speaker 3: him feel really good about playing a run and rushing
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  Speaker 3: the pastor and we got a bonus and that's the goal.
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  Speaker 1: Another guy to watch this bring is defensive tackle Jason Moore.
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  Speaker 1: This is the fourth year now for Jason Moore in
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  Speaker 1: the Ohio State program, and he's been stuck behind some
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  Speaker 1: very talented players. But now those guys are off the
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  Speaker 1: NFL and there's a real opportunity to take on more
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  Speaker 1: snaps and a much bigger role this year. So how
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  Speaker 1: big of a spring is this for Jason Moore?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think Jason's got to play football. He's got
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  Speaker 3: to play more football in live situation, right, So he
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  Speaker 3: didn't get a lot of shots playing in games, and
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  Speaker 3: so this off season, this is biggest offseason, you know.
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  Speaker 3: I mean I've said some of your minute conversation that
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  Speaker 3: this is a year, this is the time forth. The
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  Speaker 3: process is now built. Now he's got to go and
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  Speaker 3: I think he's ready for that challenge. So I'm looking
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  Speaker 3: for great things for him to go forward. He seemed
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  Speaker 3: to be in a good space right now. I like
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  Speaker 3: where he's at. So, but we've got a lot of
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  Speaker 3: days to go to them, right So I'm very confident.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be right now. Even with j T, Twoey Moloow
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  Speaker 1: and Jack Sawyer on the team last year, Kenyada Jackson
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  Speaker 1: really did take on a bigger role and really splashed
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  Speaker 1: quite a bit and played some very important snaps of
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  Speaker 1: the Buckeyes throughout their run to the college football playoffs.
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  Speaker 1: So all right, now with JT Twy Moloaw and Jack
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  Speaker 1: Sawyer gone, what's the next step gey out of Jackson?
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  Speaker 3: Well, you know, he's got to be a leader. I mean,
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  Speaker 3: first of all, so that's our role from that he
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  Speaker 3: has not been in. It's going to be the leader
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  Speaker 3: to move the unit, and he's so far he's done
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  Speaker 3: a great job doing that. Now he's you know, he's
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  Speaker 3: going to be the guy who's going to have there
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  Speaker 3: demonstrate the production force and move the stick force Yorck
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  Speaker 3: stick Forest and our defense end. And I think he
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  Speaker 3: has a chance to do that now he's going to
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  Speaker 3: play forty fifty play So we'll see him more and
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  Speaker 3: I think we'll see his talent come come to front.
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  Speaker 1: With j T Twy Moloow and Jack Sawyer now off
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  Speaker 1: to the NFL. The buck guys, we're definitely looking for
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  Speaker 1: some more bodies, some more guys who can potentially contribute
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  Speaker 1: at the defensive end spot, and they brought in Logan
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  Speaker 1: George from Idaho State. Now it's quite a jump from
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  Speaker 1: FCS to the top of FBS and power for conference football.
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  Speaker 1: So what made Logan George someone that Larry Johnson wanted
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  Speaker 1: to pursue in the transfer portal?
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  Speaker 3: Well, you look for a fit, right, most important thing
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  Speaker 3: he fit doesn't fit our defense and a Finnish schemes,
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  Speaker 3: the federal culture, that's all important.
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  Speaker 2: When you bring a guy in front of port it's
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  Speaker 2: got to be a fit.
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  Speaker 3: And then sitting talking to him, talking to the family,
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  Speaker 3: talking to his coach was really really brat. I raved
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  Speaker 3: about him as a player, and then once we sit
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  Speaker 3: down on mat and talk.
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  Speaker 2: I felt like he fit our room. Did Greg Carrfter?
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  Speaker 2: You can rush, you know what I mean?
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  Speaker 3: He plays hard and everything you want to see you
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  Speaker 3: got to have he has and so I'm looking forward
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  Speaker 3: to seeing where he goes from here.
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  Speaker 1: Towards the end of the interview with Larry Johnson, he
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  Speaker 1: had some really interesting stuff to say. He was asked
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  Speaker 1: about his relationship with Jim Knowles and reports that he
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  Speaker 1: and Jim Knowles didn't see eye to eye and all
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  Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. He said, there was never an
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  Speaker 1: issue with him and Jim Knowles at any point when
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  Speaker 1: they were to get working together at Ohio State. So
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  Speaker 1: where do you think that all of that came from?
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  Speaker 3: Because you guys think he's the three four. You guys
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  Speaker 3: looked at his system at Helklahoma and the thought that
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  Speaker 3: way's gonna bring the Jack thing here, you know what
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  Speaker 3: I mean, That's what you thought, right, And so when
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  Speaker 3: you looked at that, I was looking for a three
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  Speaker 3: four defense. But you can remember, we have all these
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  Speaker 3: four three guys here, and so you have to change
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  Speaker 3: the way you recruited. You're going to change defense. The
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  Speaker 3: scheme set it right, and I think we tried jack
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  Speaker 3: sorry deposition to do it right. And then as the
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  Speaker 3: season went on and teams were playing offensively, you know
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  Speaker 3: what I mean, it was pretty gate Tomorre and having
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  Speaker 3: four guys in the field and changing up. So another way,
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  Speaker 3: I like it, Like like I don't chase stories and
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  Speaker 3: lies out there because nobody's asking me this question here
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  Speaker 3: at first. But Jim and I had a really great
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  Speaker 3: conversation about what we're doing. There was never a moment
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  Speaker 3: where we're, hey, I don't want the three start. There
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  Speaker 3: was never that because what's the best fit for our
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  Speaker 3: players and how can we get them in food and competing?
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  Speaker 3: And that was always a conversation with us and I
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  Speaker 3: end this day, and.
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  Speaker 2: The story is made up about that. It's constemplate.
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  Speaker 3: There was no conflict, maybe because I said, well, no,
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  Speaker 3: I don't know about the jack. You know, I don't
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  Speaker 3: know what we at that time. We don't know what
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  Speaker 3: we're going to do with the jack, but I knew
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  Speaker 3: that we felt Jack. Sorry, it was a decision between
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: coach and I that like, let's get jack story back
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  Speaker 3: to deepens event and basketball, Well, let's go to another
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  Speaker 3: jack position.
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  Speaker 2: Got to do it, but we never did it again.
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  Speaker 3: You know, we never got back to the full defense
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  Speaker 3: because it changed what you do, no doubt question about it.
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  Speaker 3: It's a different scheme of different thing we do and
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  Speaker 3: you got to live by it. But in a big
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: ten offense, man, there are so many different ways inflamations
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  Speaker 3: that you can get that guy caught in the al
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  Speaker 3: and trying to play that.
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  Speaker 2: You know it's something.
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  Speaker 1: And finally, what is Larry Johnson's evaluation on how the
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  Speaker 1: defense played sort of down the stretch run last year
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  Speaker 1: in the lead up to that national championship.
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  Speaker 3: I think they played layoff.
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  Speaker 2: I think they played close as a unit.
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  Speaker 3: I thought they had a lot of pride about what
• 11:24
  Speaker 3: they were doing and they were on a mission.
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  Speaker 2: They really were.
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  Speaker 3: After the team of North Kay. You knew that it
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  Speaker 3: was going to change, and they did. I mean as
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  Speaker 3: a problems one. As a coach, you see guys played
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  Speaker 3: the way they play it. I mean everything came to
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  Speaker 3: the time and that's what you want at the greatest
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  Speaker 3: moment at all It happened from these guys and I
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  Speaker 3: couldn't be more proud of how they played down the
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  Speaker 3: stretch and every day they came to work, every day
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  Speaker 3: they came to were number one moment where they a coach, no,
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  Speaker 3: let's go, let's go, let's go. I mean you have
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  Speaker 3: to be in rooms and know in practice and see
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  Speaker 3: azach what's going on every day. Those guys were apparent
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  Speaker 3: for every game.
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  Speaker 2: The right way.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Larry Johnson defensive line is going to be one
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  Speaker 1: of the very hot topics all spring as they look
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  Speaker 1: to replace all four starters plus Hero Canoe plus Mitchell Melton.
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  Speaker 1: You got some really talented young players, but guys who
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  Speaker 1: are going to be asked to do a lot more.
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  Speaker 1: And then you got a bunch of guys who have
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  Speaker 1: not really done a whole a whole lot so far,
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  Speaker 1: who are going to be asked to take on bigger
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  Speaker 1: roles in sort of a depth position as well. So
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  Speaker 1: this is going to be a real interesting year on
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  Speaker 1: the defensive line and a very interesting year for the
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: Buckeyes on the whole. We're gonna be there to cover
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: all of it at bucke huddle dot com. That's where
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: Tony Kevin Nike over the team, OURK covers recruiting. We
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: got our whole team of ex's and those gurus there
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: as well to make you a smarter football fan. That's
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: all at bucke huddle dot com. We hope to see
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: you there. That'll do it for today. Thank you guys
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  Speaker 1: all for joining us.
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  Speaker 2: Have a great day.
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  Speaker 1: We'll talk to tomorrow.