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BONUS: How Payton Pierce Has Earned A Central Role For the 2026 Buckeyes · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Got another show coming for you and a little bonus action.
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  Speaker 1: And this is a chance to hear from Ohio State
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  Speaker 1: linebacker Peyton Pierce. He was voted one of the team's captains.
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  Speaker 1: Sort of came out that Peyton Pierce was the leading
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  Speaker 1: vote getter among all of the captains. He was someone
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  Speaker 1: who you look at his resume and he hasn't started
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  Speaker 1: a game yet. but is very much a respected leader
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  Speaker 1: in that room already. He's the guy wearing that green dot,
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  Speaker 1: the helmet communication. He is the middle linebacker. So yeah,
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  Speaker 1: he is viewed as a leader on the defense. So
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  Speaker 1: not a big surprise that he was voted one of
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  Speaker 1: the team's captains. So one of the things that really
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  Speaker 1: stood out about Peyton Pierce already this fall was the
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  Speaker 1: first scrimmage. This is something we talked about a bunch
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  Speaker 1: with our members on the Insiders Board at BuckeyeInsiders.com. The
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  Speaker 1: first scrimmage, did not go well for the defense. The
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  Speaker 1: offense really dominated that scrimmage. And after that scrimmage, Peyton
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  Speaker 1: Pierce got up in front of the defense and let
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  Speaker 1: them know, not acceptable, not okay, need to do better.
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  Speaker 2: That's kind of a gutsy.
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  Speaker 1: Thing to do when you haven't actually started a game
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  Speaker 1: yet at Ohio state. And you're not someone who is
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  Speaker 1: necessarily a captain yet at that point.
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  Speaker 2: So what made that something that Peyton Pierce was willing
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  Speaker 2: to do?
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  Speaker 3: I mean, I think just my parents, um, you know,
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  Speaker 3: teaching me right from wrong and always telling me to
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  Speaker 3: stand up for what you believe in. And, uh, that
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  Speaker 3: day wasn't our standard. And so I just felt like it,
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  Speaker 3: I needed to say something to the group that it
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  Speaker 3: wasn't our standard. And, um, yeah, I mean, that was,
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  Speaker 3: I just, I feel like it comes naturally. Like, you know,
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  Speaker 3: when something doesn't seem right to speak up about it. And, uh,
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  Speaker 3: I just give that credit to my, my family and
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  Speaker 3: my parents that have kind of instilled that leadership in me,
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  Speaker 3: you know, always seeing my dad standing up for what's right,
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  Speaker 3: you know, and leading our family and leading his company
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  Speaker 3: and stuff like that.
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  Speaker 1: Now, after Peyton Pierce got up and talked to the
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  Speaker 1: team and the defense about the fact that they needed
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  Speaker 1: to step their game up, guess what? Second week, defense
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  Speaker 1: played a lot better. Second scrimmage, defense played a lot better.
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  Speaker 1: That was Peyton Pierce. Peyton Pierce asked about that. How
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  Speaker 1: much of a step forward was there after that happened?
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  Speaker 3: I think we had a really good second scrimmage, you know,
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  Speaker 3: it showed the guys could bounce back and we had
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  Speaker 3: a really good second week. So, I'm just super excited
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  Speaker 3: to see what this defense can do. And, you know,
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  Speaker 3: we're getting better every day and just, you know, working
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  Speaker 3: things out every single day.
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  Speaker 1: So what did it mean to Peyton Pierce to be
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  Speaker 1: voted a team captain this year?
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  Speaker 3: It means a lot. I'm, you know, that was a
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  Speaker 3: that meant a ton to me. I didn't know that
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  Speaker 3: if I was going to be voted captain or not,
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  Speaker 3: you know, the night before I was kind of thinking
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  Speaker 3: about it a little bit. So it was it was
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  Speaker 3: relieving hearing my name, you know, being being called. And
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  Speaker 3: it just, it means a ton to me. It means
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  Speaker 3: more than, you know, a lot of things because being
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  Speaker 3: voted by, you know, your peers to lead them is
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  Speaker 3: a huge honor. It's like one of the biggest honors
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  Speaker 3: in this program. And, you know, seeing the captains before me,
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  Speaker 3: it's a huge role. And I know a standard I
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  Speaker 3: have to play at and lead at. And so I'm
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  Speaker 3: ready to go do that.
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  Speaker 1: Team captain, obviously a leadership role on the team, but
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  Speaker 1: that's sort of a natural thing. It's a lot like
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  Speaker 1: your quarterback on the offense, kind of a natural leadership position.
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  Speaker 1: That's true of the mic or middle linebacker on defense
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, 100%. I think as a middle linebacker, you got
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  Speaker 3: to be a leader. You got to get guys lined
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  Speaker 3: up and got to encourage guys and be the calm
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  Speaker 3: within the storm, but also go downhill and make some plays.
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  Speaker 3: But You've got to lead the guys around you. All
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  Speaker 3: the other leaders on our team have been leading me
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  Speaker 3: and stuff, holding each other accountable. It's been great just
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  Speaker 3: having everyone do that.
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  Speaker 1: This is Peyton Pierce's third year as a Buckeye. He
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  Speaker 1: played a little bit on special teams as a true freshman.
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  Speaker 1: Then in his second year, played sort of as the
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  Speaker 1: third linebacker, rotating in, taking on a little bit of
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  Speaker 1: a bigger role. So this year, now he's starting. Now
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  Speaker 1: he's a team captain. So does that mean everything's sort
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  Speaker 1: of right on schedule for him?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, it's obviously like I would want to
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  Speaker 3: be a leader earlier, you know, earlier in my career.
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  Speaker 3: But I also got to learn from a bunch of really,
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  Speaker 3: really great leaders. And I felt like it's kind of great,
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  Speaker 3: perfect timing. You know, God's plan is always bigger than mine.
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  Speaker 3: Like watching Cody Simon lead as a freshman and then
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  Speaker 3: watching Sonny lead last year. And then watching Coach Laurinaitis
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  Speaker 3: lead us the last two years, I've gotten to learn
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  Speaker 3: from some of the best. And so I've gotten to
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  Speaker 3: take a bunch of different stuff from them. And then
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  Speaker 3: even having Coach Mick and Coach Day leading our program,
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  Speaker 3: I've been around so many great leaders. So I've got
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  Speaker 3: a lot of people to learn from.
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  Speaker 1: Two other captains on the defensive side of the ball.
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  Speaker 1: You've got Peyton Pierce at linebacker. You've got Kenyatta Jackson. He,
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  Speaker 1: of course, is on the defensive line. You've got Jalen McClain.
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  Speaker 1: He's at the secondary. So that's one guy at each
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  Speaker 1: level of the defense. Is that important to have a
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  Speaker 1: captain at each level of that defense?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, 100%. I think that's kind of what you want
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  Speaker 3: on a defense is having someone at all three levels
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  Speaker 3: that can get everyone together and get stuff situated. I'm
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  Speaker 3: super grateful to have Jalen and KJ being the captains.
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  Speaker 3: with me it's it means a lot and it's good
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  Speaker 3: having other guys around you because they can we can
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  Speaker 3: all enforce the same message that you know that comes
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  Speaker 3: from the coaches or from us or whatever so it
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  Speaker 3: it means a ton and and you know having leaders
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  Speaker 3: like that we can go outside of you know the
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  Speaker 3: practice field and go meet together without the coaches in
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  Speaker 3: the end in or in the meeting rooms and stuff
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  Speaker 3: like that so it's been it's been great.
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  Speaker 1: This is a new look defense for the ohio state
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  Speaker 1: buckeyes this year eight new starters on the defensive side
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  Speaker 1: of the ball so Is there any chance that this
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  Speaker 1: defense can be as good as last year's defense was?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I have 100% confidence that we can be what
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  Speaker 3: last year was. I think what we need to focus
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  Speaker 3: on is just doing our job one day at a time.
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  Speaker 3: We can't control what happens next week or the week after.
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  Speaker 3: We can just control the next practice and our alignment,
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  Speaker 3: our assignment, stance, our keys, stuff like that. And so
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  Speaker 3: I think just instilling that mentality into everyone is kind
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  Speaker 3: of the key and I think we can have a
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  Speaker 3: really good defense.
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  Speaker 1: This next one is one of these questions that I
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  Speaker 1: like a lot where guys on one side of the
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  Speaker 1: ball get asked about the other side of the ball
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  Speaker 1: and what they're seeing and going up against in practice
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  Speaker 1: every day. He was asked about Arthur Smith's impact and
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  Speaker 1: how he uses play calling and building plays on another
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  Speaker 1: to create confusion. But listen to how quickly he shifts
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  Speaker 1: his answer to a bunch of other stuff.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think they do a good job
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  Speaker 3: of you know, window dressing, different plays and stuff like that.
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  Speaker 3: But I think overall, like the offense is just playing
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  Speaker 3: very physical and their mentality, the O-line, tight ends, receivers,
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  Speaker 3: running back, Julian, they're all just, you can just tell
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  Speaker 3: they're a physical team and they're ready to go compete.
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  Speaker 3: And you can see it from Coach Smith and all
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  Speaker 3: the offensive coaches are doing a great job.
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  Speaker 1: And finally, one of the ways that they always talk
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  Speaker 1: about iron sharpening iron, right? Well, one of the ways
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  Speaker 1: that can happen is just, going up against and trying
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  Speaker 1: to confuse the people on the other side of the
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  Speaker 1: ball as much as you can. Because if you can
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  Speaker 1: confuse them and have them then have to figure it
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  Speaker 1: out in practices, then when you can do it when
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  Speaker 1: you're facing a defense on Saturday or the defense is
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  Speaker 1: facing an offense on Saturday, maybe things get a little
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  Speaker 1: bit easier if it's less of a challenge on Saturday.
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  Speaker 1: If Saturday is the easiest day of the week, things
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  Speaker 1: are going to go pretty well for you. So he
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  Speaker 1: was asked about... coming up with different ways to mess
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  Speaker 1: with Julian Sane and the offense during practice, and then
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  Speaker 1: the offense in turn messing with Peyton Pierce and the defense.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot of them are, a lot of them
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  Speaker 3: happen like when we do our walkthroughs and stuff. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: like in like the evening walkthroughs in fall camp, there's
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  Speaker 3: some fun stuff and it's good having Patricia, like he'll
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  Speaker 3: be calling in different, you know, disguises and stuff, messing
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  Speaker 3: with Julian and You know, we're all like yelling at
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  Speaker 3: him and stuff, like chirping him a little bit. So
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  Speaker 3: it's it's good. But but he's he's so sharp. He's
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  Speaker 3: he knows I'm super excited for see what he's going
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  Speaker 3: to do this season. I really hope he has a
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  Speaker 3: great season because he's had a hell of a fall camp.
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  Speaker 3: All right.
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  Speaker 2: Well, hope you guys enjoyed that.
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  Speaker 1: Getting to hear from one of the captains on this
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  Speaker 1: year's Ohio State team. Very impressive group, as you would,
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  Speaker 1: I guess, sort of expect. But we'll have more of
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: these shows coming up for you over the next couple days,
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: just to sort of set the table for you for
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  Speaker 1: what to expect moving forward. In the next week, as
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  Speaker 1: we get into game week, we will be talking to
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  Speaker 1: Ryan Day at noon on Tuesday. We'll be streaming that
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  Speaker 1: press conference live for you at youtube.com slash at Buckeye Insiders.
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  Speaker 1: We'll get a chance to talk to a couple players
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  Speaker 1: as well at that press conference. That should go maybe
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: an hour or so. Wednesday evening after practice, that's usually 6.30, 6.45
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  Speaker 1: or so. We'll have interviews with some of the players
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  Speaker 1: as well. We'll get a lightning round with Ryan Day
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: as well. Then something new this year, 8 o'clock on
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  Speaker 1: Wednesday during Big Ten games, they're going to start releasing
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: availability reports. There will be one coming out Wednesday, one
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: coming out Thursday, one coming out Friday, and then one
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: coming out on Saturday before the game starts. That's just
• 9:29
  Speaker 1: for Big Ten games. So I don't think we're going
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: to technically get one this week, but that'll start coming
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: out this year. They just announced that on Friday. And
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: so then we'll have that. And then, of course, Saturday,
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: we'll have our usual pregame coverage that you've come to
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: know and expect from us. You will have that live
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: show from Ohio Stadium coming up Saturday morning. And then
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: after the game Saturday, another live postgame show.
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  Speaker 2: You can find all of.
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  Speaker 1: That at youtube.com slash at Buckeye Insiders. If you enjoy
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: those shows, and I know that most of you guys do,
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: make sure you are subscribed to that YouTube channel. Make
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: sure you hit the bell on that YouTube channel as well.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: We're going to have lots of coverage coming for you
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: all week long at youtube.com slash at Buckeye insiders on
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: your podcast platform of choice. And of course at Buckeye
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: insiders as.com as well. And this would be a great
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: time for you to sign up there, get access to
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: our whole team of insiders. Tony Gerderman and I, we
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: are your team insiders. Chuck Mileti, he is your recruiting insider.
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: We've got Ross Fulton.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: We've got Michael Pettit. They are your scheme insiders. We
• 10:32
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• 10:35
  Speaker 1: a whole lot of people who are pretty darn well
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: connected in the areas that they cover. We can share
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: a lot more information with our members there on the
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: insiders board at buckeyeinsiders.com.
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: Give it a try. Try it for a month.
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: As we say, this is the price of a Lousy
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: Chain store pizza. Give it a try for a month.
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: I think you guys are really going to enjoy it.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: If you do, great. If not, pass up one pizza
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: for it, and that's okay. So there you go.
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: BuckeyeInsiders.com, Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Buckeye Smart Morning Podcast, The Time
• 11:06
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• 11:11
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• 11:15
  Speaker 2: Find us all of those places. The season is almost here.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: We'll have lots to talk about. We will be back
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: with another show coming up very soon.