Cage Knew The Buckeyes Were The Right Fit

A text logo for Ohio State University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When his brother Daniel went through the recruiting process a few years ago, Jerron Cage watched the process closely.  This first-hand information allowed the Scout four-star defensive tackle to know exactly what he wanted.  He used this knowledge to his advantage to become a member of the 2017 recruiting class of Ohio State.

On Tuesday, Cincinnati Winton Woods junior defensive lineman Jerron Cage decided to end the recruiting process early when he placed his pledge for Ohio State.

Why did Cage pull out early?

According to Cage, after talking with friends and family prior to the process, "I knew I really wanted to go to Ohio State."

Observing his older brother's process was a benefit for Jarron, because her already knew where he wanted to go. In addition, he knew what he wants to study in college, which means he can study more about Ohio State.

At the end of the day, Cage stated that there was one thing that really set the Buckeyes above the rest of the other teams recruiting him.

"Coach (Larry) Johnson," answered Cage. He chimed that the Coach Johnson is a great coach, and that he felt, an instant connection" with the coach. The decision was made by himself and the coach.

Cage felt connection to not only the way Coach Johnson spoke, but also about the way he ran things. "I already feel that I'm there" he added, because Coach Johnson and Cage's high school coach (Coach Andre Parker) have similar practices.

The commitment that Jerron made was approved of by his parents and brother.

 His parents support his decision, and his brother is proud of him.

Cage will return to campus for Friday Night Lights later this week, not wasting any time to take his place with the 2017 Buckeyes class.

Cage was on campus in June for camp, and he will be returning to Friday Night Lights to work further with Coach Johnson.

When asked what he wanted to share with the Buckeye faithful fans, the 6-foot, 283 pound defensive tackle said, "I'm going to bring excitement! I want to bring good vibes and back this team up as much as I can. I'm a workhorse, so when it comes down to the grind, I'm going to get the work done."

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Ohio State Buckeyes And The Dayton Flyers

The NCAA Tournament is on its first round, giving fans a glimpse of how this season will play out. Two of the most talked about teams in the Buffalo South Regional will see action on Thursday: the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Dayton Flyers. Let's look at their prospects.

The Buckeyes have a decent record of 3-1 in games played at neutral territory and 13-0 outside of the conference. This is good enough to get them the sixth seeding in the South Regional and fifth seeding at the Big Ten. 

Their star player is Laquinton Ross who puts up 6.1 boards and 15.4 points average over game. He is ably supported by by teammate Lenzelle Smith Jr. with 5.1 boards and 11.1 points. Other notables include Aaron Craft and Amir Williams with 9.6 and 8.0 average points, respectively. As a team, the Buckeyes shoot 44.9% from the field, make 69.8 points, and allow 59.8 points on average. 

The Dayton Flyers has had a good streak with 10 wins out of 12 games. The team's points are fairly spread out among several talented players including Jordan Sibert with 12.5 points per game, Devin Oliver with 12.1, Dyshawn Pierre with 11.1, and Vee Sanford with 9.9. The Flyers shoot 46.6% from the field, make 73.4 points, and allow 67.6 points on average.

Ohio State Buckeyes Hope For The Big Ten Basketball Tournament

The Big Ten Basketball Tournament is just around the corner and many teams, including Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for the take. Their reward for the past tournament saw them attain number 5 seed after 23-8 overall record in the regular season and 10-8 conference play. This is what has continued to give this team hope that they can still be counted among the top four seeds.

The four day 17th annual event ought to see one of these top teams being crowned champions of the Big Ten Basketball. This annual event is scheduled to carry on at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis from 13th to 16th of March. Those ahead of Ohio State are Michigan, who were the actual number 1 seed and are still in for the battle after 15-3 record. Wisconsin follows at number 2 seed and Michigan State retailing the 3 seed position. At number 4 seed were the Nebraska who finished 11-7 the past season.
Despite all these positions, Ohio State Buckeyes believe they can make it in both NCAA tournament and the season play. As Michigan looks forward to retaining their position, other top teams are also out to do their best and advance in the coming Big Ten Basketball Tournament this season.

The Future Looks Bright For Ryan Shazier

English: Script Ohio, with the "i" dotted by Jack Nicklaus on October 28, 2006. Photo taken by Int3gr4te. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ryan Shazier's cornerback build was the subject of debate for long after he joined the Ohio State Football as a linebacker. 

Although he started attracting attention while at Columbus, many Ohio State football fans could not imagine how his small stature could survive in the National Football League. May people wondered if he would still be able to maintain his speed and power after gaining a few pounds. Even Shazier himself could not tell if the additional weight would be anything but "sloppy weight".

During the last NFL scouting combine, these issues became real.

The scouts were impressed by the extra 15 pounds that he has gained bringing his weight to 237 pounds. His workouts were also remarkable. 

Although he could not run the 40 yard dash due to a strained hamstring, he gave an astounding 42 inch leap. He also went ahead to offer the second best linebacker score in the agility drill and bench presses that matched the combine averages for the previous ten years. 

At the moment, Ryan Shazier appears comfortable and strong. He has been in training at the Bradenton in Florida with former Ohio State University tackle Jack Mewhort. 

He is hopeful of gaining a few extra pounds but is not willing to compromise his speed for the weight. He went to indicate that he has great admiration for Lavonte David, a Tampa Bay linebacker who is of the same small size as him. 


He is not bothered by choosing to bypass a senior year last season. Having received 134 tackles in the previous season, Ryan Shazier is lucky to have come out without any serious injuries. With his abilities, Mr. Shazier is indeed destined for greatness as plays in a league filled with the world's finest players.

Gabe Megginson Moving To Ohio State

English: The Ohio Union at The Ohio State University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In July of 2013, Jacksonville III's offensive tackle Gabe Megginson drove 430+ miles to Ohio State University. This journey gave him the opportunity to participate in Ohio State's Friday Night Lights. He was hoping to impress the coaches with a stellar performance that would earn him a scholarship. Luckily, he garnered attention from recruiter Chris Ash who decided to give him a call. 

Chris Ash offered Megginson the scholarship after seeing him perform. He seemed personable and kind to Meggison, but the player was still unsure about Ash. Despite this uncertainty, Meggison claims Ash and everyone else at the university is anxious to have him as a prospect. The team eagerly awaits his arrival, and they are waiting to see him in a game. 

Megginson says he is familiar with the Ohio State staff because he observed their methods during an FNL visit. He thinks the coaches are very passionate about winning because their training style is intense. Their coaching methods impressed Gabe, and he is anxious to receive this preparation and play for the team.

The 6-foot-5-inch 280 pound offensive tackle has other offers on the table. He appreciates the offers, but he seems determined to play his current position for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Flyin To The Hoop: Starting Again

English: David Merritt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Its that time again when the annual Flyin To The Hoop Basketball event starts on Friday evening. The event is expected to dominate the weekend in suburban Dayton, Ohio. For viewers, this is going to be a fun event with several top ranked teams showing off their skills. New and emerging players are also expected to dominate the event leading to top picks for the upcoming season.

Event organizers have estimated that there will be about 22 games spread out over the week and the first two games are expected to draw the biggest patrons. Roselle Catholic from New Jersey is expected to play off against resident favorites Columbus (Ohio) Northland. The Columbus team is the top ranking team and it is predicted to win the Ohio Division I State Championship. At present, the team is led by sophomore player Seth Towns but he has been selected by all of the top Midwest programs. The opposing side Roselle Catholic is led by Isaiah Briscoe who is a five-point junior point guard. 

The next best match-up is expected to be on after Saturday when the HYCA, Texas starts their play against Franklin, . The HYCA side is led by Justin Jackson who is a senior and a North Carolina pledge. THE opposing side is led by Luke Kennard one of the best juniors from Ohio. Both players are hot favorites and they are expected to really put on a show on the weekend. 

Sunday will be showing up another set of interesting games. However, the most eagerly awaited match of the week happens to the University (Ill.) against the Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary. The game will have sophomore V.J. King showing off his impressive skills and he will be showing off his skills against Keita Bates-Diop from Ohio. 
All games are expected to be at the Kettering Fairmont High School and you can get a complete review of games at the www.flyintothehoop.com Website.

Buckeye Football Still Paying For Tressel

English: Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel talk on the field before their teams played on November 14, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ohio State, and Buckeye football, have yet again backed down to former football coach, Jim Tressel. Now they are taking back their demand that he pay them back the 250,000 dollars in fines that he cost them for dodgy dealings, and in a jaw-dropping addition to the story, the university is going to pay Tressel 52,000 dollars, or the amount of money he would have earned in June had he not resigned in shame.

After being head coach for ten years at the university, Tressel quit on the thirtieth of May, rather than risk being fired. Universety President, E. Gordon Gee had previously said that the ex-coach would be made to pay for the fine no matter the terms of his leaving were.

It is not known why the school officials changed their stance on the payment of the fine. If Tressel had not resigned he faced a 250,000 dollar fine from the NCAA, plus a suspension of five games.

Tressel had claimed that he was unaware that at least two of his players had traded sports memorabilia in order to receive tattoos. However, it later became apparent that not only had Tressel known about the transgressions, he had covered them up for the players.

When it became known what Tressel had done, he tried to spin it, and say that he was just trying to protect his players. However, it seems more likely that Tressel was just trying to protect his chances of winning a national championship. Tressel had maintained an image as someone who always demanded personal accountability.

Ohio State Football 2010 Preview

English: Third quarter of the major regular season college football game between the visiting No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 1 USC Trojans at the L.A. Coliseum on September 13, 2008; USC would win, 35-3. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The excitement this year for the defense is the fresh young prospects. Last year was a great year for the team's run defense, which allowed 186 yards or less every game--and the only game where they allowed 186 was the opener when they played Navy. Last year was a good year for the secondary defense and with enough returning players from last year this year\'s defense should be strong but the big question--is this defensive team capable of performances that win national titles? The answer could lie in these great young defensive new-comers such as sophomore John Simon who will be probably starting. He looks like a star-quality tackle ready for his greater role this year. Red shirt freshman Dorian Bell, a linebacker, Orhian Johnson, sophomore safety, and the experienced junior Nathan Williams all show promise of being the new team's additions that, if this defensive unit gels, could be the team\'s stars.

Real improvement this year depends on how much the running game can keep up consistency. In the five losses last year when the team went 21-5, the team exceeded 88 yards only once, during the Fiesta Bowl. The loss to Texas, which rushed for 203 yards, came because Colt McCoy pulled off a great classic late drive for their win. A look at the importance of running to victories over the previous two seasons shows that when the Buckeyes rush for at least 125 yards in a game they are unbeatable--20-0. When OSU lost to USC they ran for only 71 yards. During the loss to Penn State in 2008 the running game could only muster an anemic 61 yards. In 2009, the OSU offense managed only 88 yards in the loss to USC and 66 in the defeat by Purdue. They did, however, beat Wisconsin with a 97 yard rushing performance by 31-13. This despite the fact that the Badger offense controlled the ball for 42:47. Obviously, Tressel Ball works.

This could be an unbeaten year for Ohio State if they perform like they should. However, the competition this year lined up should not be underestimated as many of them have the capability to mess up any unbeaten streak. The schedule includes a very talented Miami team which will be an early test in Columbus. The rest of the schedule should not be that big a test, with just Ohio and Eastern Michigan as the two MAC teams and Marshall. Northwestern and Michigan State are two Big Ten teams missing from the schedule and they both made it two bowl games the previous year. They could have been dangerous opponents, expected to be contenders again this year who will probably be in the top five of the conference. The road schedule is pretty friendly--no two weeks away from home in a row. The game against Wisconsin on the road comes after the Indiana game which should not challenge OSU's team. However, the team will have to face two tough opponents in a row- Penn State and then Iowa one week later.

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