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BREAKING: Ohio State Wide Receiver Enters Transfer Portal · Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning

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  Speaker 1: Welcome to a special breaking news episode of the Buckeyes
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  Speaker 1: Tomorrow Morning Podcast. I'm Tom Or joined by Tony Gerdaman
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  Speaker 1: if Buckeyehuddle dot com. Tony, it is Transfer Portal season.
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  Speaker 1: We did the Gabe Powers has entered the Transfer Portal
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  Speaker 1: Show about twenty four hours ago, right on the nose. Now, Tony,
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  Speaker 1: we get to do the Jayden Ballard has entered the
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  Speaker 1: Transfer Portal Show.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, fourth year junior for the buck guys hits the portal.
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  Speaker 2: I almost want to say finally hits the portal because
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  Speaker 2: it's a guy that fits the profile of somebody who
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  Speaker 2: normally does it a little bit earlier than their fourth year.
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  Speaker 2: But yeah, a special teamer for Ohio State. Another special
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  Speaker 2: teamer for Ohio State hits the portal. And now you've
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  Speaker 2: got guys that get to all move up one spot
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  Speaker 2: in the receiver pool. Doesn't mean they get to play
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  Speaker 2: this year, but they move up one spot well.
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  Speaker 1: And it's funny because in the Michigan game, you saw
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  Speaker 1: Jaden Ballard make one of the biggest plays of his career,
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  Speaker 1: and that was downing a punch at the two. It
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  Speaker 1: was in the what third quarter, I believe, and they
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  Speaker 1: killed the punt down inside the inside the two huge
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  Speaker 1: play and during that game and it was kind of
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  Speaker 1: you saw him and it was kind of like, oh yeah,
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  Speaker 1: Jayden Ballard. Haven't thought about him for a little while.
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  Speaker 1: He had two catches this year for the buck Eyes.
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  Speaker 1: He had two catches eighteen yards this season, zero catches
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  Speaker 1: last year, played a bunch, played twelve games in his
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  Speaker 1: sophomore season in twenty twenty two, played twelve games in
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  Speaker 1: his junior season in twenty twenty three, seven games this year,
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  Speaker 1: but only two catches eighteen yards. You go back to
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  Speaker 1: when he was coming out of high school and probably unfairly,
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  Speaker 1: I will raise my hand and say probably unfairly as
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  Speaker 1: a massilin wide receiver who was a speedy guy who
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  Speaker 1: went down the field and caught a lot of touchdowns
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  Speaker 1: on high school and I think wore the same number
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  Speaker 1: perhaps as Devin Smith. You know, he got sort of
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  Speaker 1: tagged with the you know, hey, is this guy the
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  Speaker 1: next Devin's. He came out of high school ranked higher
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  Speaker 1: in his recruiting class than Marvin Harrison junior was, which
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  Speaker 1: is you know, you look back on then now and
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  Speaker 1: it's like, oh boy, but he came in and was like,
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  Speaker 1: oh boy, if you know, as soon as this guy
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  Speaker 1: sort of puts it together, this is going to be
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  Speaker 1: so you know, he's really going to be a weapon
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  Speaker 1: for them. And then it was just sort of every
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  Speaker 1: year around spring ball, it's like, well, we'll see what
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  Speaker 1: Jayden Baller does this spring. And then it was just
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  Speaker 1: kind of like you just it was groundhog Day. You
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  Speaker 1: kind of had the same conversation at the beginning of
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  Speaker 1: each spring, and then you left the spring and went, well,
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  Speaker 1: he's probably behind some other guys and then lather, rinse, repeat.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and redcher died as a true freshman, played his
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  Speaker 2: four games. But then you see as a retro freshman
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  Speaker 2: eight catches one hundred and fifty five yards. Now, most
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  Speaker 2: of that was in the Toledo game, but you saw
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  Speaker 2: something and then you okay, okay, all right, then you'll
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  Speaker 2: build on this. And the story that I would always
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  Speaker 2: tell is that Terry McLaurin, Harris came Johnny Dixon didn't
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  Speaker 2: get their first catch as a Buckey until their third year,
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  Speaker 2: so like this is don't worry, that's all good. And
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  Speaker 2: then he plays his retro sophomore year, his third year
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  Speaker 2: and does not get a catch sees offense in seven
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  Speaker 2: games last year. I've seen offense in only six games
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  Speaker 2: this season. Hasn't seen the offensive an offensive snap since
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  Speaker 2: those two plays against Penn State where Brandon Innis scored
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  Speaker 2: and the head that Jaden Ballad and Bryson Rodgers and
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  Speaker 2: Brandon in Us all three of the backups in the
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  Speaker 2: game for a couple of plays. That was the only
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  Speaker 2: time he saw offense in h since since the Piowa game.
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  Speaker 2: So like this is this has been I'd say a
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  Speaker 2: long time coming for somebody who has athletic ability. He's
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  Speaker 2: fantastic basketball player, very fast, arguably the fastest player on
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  Speaker 2: the team. Just never really came together in terms of
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  Speaker 2: all of I guess the consistencies that you need to have,
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  Speaker 2: the fundamentals, the precision that you can be trusted on
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  Speaker 2: breaking you route at this yard marker, this speed clearing out,
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  Speaker 2: this angle, and just the I don't know if it's spatial,
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  Speaker 2: it's a field awareness, the hands there. I guess a
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  Speaker 2: number of reasons and you could just never put it together.
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  Speaker 2: Continually being recruited over just because of the Brian hartline recruiting,
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  Speaker 2: although I would say he was a twenty one class
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  Speaker 2: of twenty twenty one guy the class of twenty twenty
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  Speaker 2: two hasn't moved over anybody, so there were opportunities for
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  Speaker 2: him to get in there. But we saw Cardinal Taate
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  Speaker 2: last year move ahead of him as a true sophomore,
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  Speaker 2: Brandon Ennis or as a true freshman last year than
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  Speaker 2: Brandon Nis has gotten in there as well. And even
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  Speaker 2: Bryson Rodgers playing playing more than Jaden Ballard this season.
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  Speaker 2: So there's been writing on the wall for a while.
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  Speaker 2: And I was surprised that he came back this year
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  Speaker 2: after not catching a pass last year and so two passes,
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  Speaker 2: two receptions over two years. This feels like a smart
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  Speaker 2: move for him, even though the Ohio State's going to
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  Speaker 2: be losing. I'm Ata Abuka, but he has to be
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  Speaker 2: looking at things saying it probably doesn't matter.
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  Speaker 1: Right, you're losing a Mecca Abuka, But who are you
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  Speaker 1: sliding into the slot there? I will take Brandon Innison,
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  Speaker 1: you can take the field, and you know, and he's
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  Speaker 1: and Ballard is really more of an outside receiver anyway,
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  Speaker 1: so you still have Jeremiah Smith, you still have Cartinel Tate,
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  Speaker 1: and Brian Hartline can used to stack good wide receiver classes.
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  Speaker 1: You've got Quincy Porter coming in this year. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: this is another talented class coming in this year. And
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  Speaker 1: you know you mentioned Bryson Rodgers. Bryson Rodgers has been
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  Speaker 1: sort of on track to get a little bit more
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  Speaker 1: playing time. Jaden Ballard seems like almost the prototypical guy
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  Speaker 1: who he can probably just out athlete people at a
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  Speaker 1: lower level. You know, I don't know if he's going
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  Speaker 1: to Cincinnati and just like running past people. But if
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  Speaker 1: he you know, if Jaden Ballard goes to you know
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  Speaker 1: he's from Maslin. If he goes somewhere, you know, stay
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  Speaker 1: somewhere in the state and plays in the MAC, to
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  Speaker 1: go to Toledo, go to Ohio University, go to Miami,
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  Speaker 1: like you can probably just straight up out athlete people.
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  Speaker 1: He's going to return if he goes, you know, somewhere
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  Speaker 1: in the MAC, he's returning a kickoff or a punt
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  Speaker 1: for a touchdown next year, Like no question, he's he's been.
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  Speaker 1: They have run him back there as a kid as
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  Speaker 1: a punt returner a bunch over the last couple of years.
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  Speaker 1: If you're good enough to be back there for Ohio State,
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  Speaker 1: you were certainly good enough to be back there at
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  Speaker 1: a lower level, so he's you figure the productivity probably
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  Speaker 1: going to go through the roof for him at a
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  Speaker 1: lower level. And you know, there are a lot of
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  Speaker 1: receivers who have come into the Ohio State wide receiver
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  Speaker 1: room and not being able to crack the rotation, because
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  Speaker 1: that is probably the single most talented room on the team,
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  Speaker 1: outside of maybe the safety room this year maybe, but
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  Speaker 1: I mean there's there is That is a deep, deep,
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  Speaker 1: very very talented room, a lot of future first und
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  Speaker 1: owners there. You can be a very good player and
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  Speaker 1: not be able to crack that rotation. That to me
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  Speaker 1: feels like kind of what happened to him. It just
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  Speaker 1: he was an incredible athlete. You could just out athlete
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  Speaker 1: people at the high school level. That doesn't really work
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  Speaker 1: at Ohio State given everyone else who's in there.
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  Speaker 2: I do wonder if he looks at the Julian Fleming
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  Speaker 2: example of going to a lateral move and not getting
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  Speaker 2: the ball. This is his last go round before the NFL,
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  Speaker 2: so this this will be his fifth season next year,
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  Speaker 2: So you want to go somewhere where you can play
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  Speaker 2: and put up numbers, and I think the MAC or
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  Speaker 2: something similar would be a good move for him, because
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  Speaker 2: if you transfer over to a Penn State or something
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  Speaker 2: like that, or a Minnesota, you're pushing your luck in
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  Speaker 2: terms of getting the ball. So I'd go somewhere where
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  Speaker 2: you can be seen, but also where you can put
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  Speaker 2: up numbers and everybody can be seen. If you're putting
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  Speaker 2: up numbers.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. So we'll see where Jaden Ballard ends up.
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  Speaker 1: It's going to be interesting to see what happens. This
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  Speaker 1: is two guys in the portal now. As you mentioned earlier,
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  Speaker 1: these are two guys who are contributors on special teams.
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  Speaker 1: Gabe Powers is on all the kick coverage teams, kickoff
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  Speaker 1: coverage teams, getting Ballard on the punt coverage team like
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  Speaker 1: these here. Now you're losing guys in the middle of
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  Speaker 1: the season. With a college football playoff game on deck
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  Speaker 1: less than three weeks away. Now, based on the Tuesday
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  Speaker 1: night College Football Playoff Show, looking like the Buckeyes will
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  Speaker 1: very likely be hosting that game, quite possibly against Tennessee.
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  Speaker 1: We'll see how that all shakes out Sunday with a
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  Speaker 1: college Football Playoff selection show. But that's a big game.
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  Speaker 1: That is, you are four games right now from winning
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  Speaker 1: the national championship. I know, everyone in Columbus is all
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  Speaker 1: angry and upset, but the buck Eyes are four games
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  Speaker 1: away from winning the national championship and now you've got
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  Speaker 1: to shuffle some guys around on the coverage units. You wonder, okay,
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  Speaker 1: is this it? Are these the two contributors that you're
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  Speaker 1: gonna lose or could there be other people heading out
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  Speaker 1: the door? You know, you're probably not losing a starting
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  Speaker 1: player between now and the playoff, but you start losing
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  Speaker 1: guys off of those special teams units that could be
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  Speaker 1: something that makes an impact, and you know, you get
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  Speaker 1: the sense this is probably not going to be the
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  Speaker 1: last guy because I'm sure people are wondering why why
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  Speaker 1: would you transfer? Now, Well, the portal window closes and
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  Speaker 1: then it's going to reopen for five days after you,
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  Speaker 1: you know, after your team season ends in the postseason.
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  Speaker 1: But there are gonna be a lot of spots that
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  Speaker 1: are already taken by that point because there's a lot
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  Speaker 1: of guys who are not on college football playoff teams
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  Speaker 1: who are going in the portal right now, rosters are
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  Speaker 1: going to start filling up, and this is the point where, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure these guys would love to play in the
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  Speaker 1: playoff and love to have a shot at winning a
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  Speaker 1: national championship, but you're also kind of looking at a
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  Speaker 1: business decision and if you've only got one year left,
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  Speaker 1: well you've got to make a business decisions.
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  Speaker 2: It's a business now. I'm not sure if people are aware.
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  Speaker 1: That's yes, big if true, so also big if true.
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  Speaker 1: It would help us quite a bit if you hit
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  Speaker 1: the thumbs up on this video. Make sure you're subscribed
• 9:52
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• 9:57
  Speaker 1: on at a Buckeye Entering the Transfer portal and a lot
• 9:59
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• 10:03
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• 10:05
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• 10:07
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• 10:10
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• 10:12
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  Speaker 1: it for today. Thank you guys all for joining us.
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  Speaker 1: Have a great day. We'll talk to you tomorrow.