Vo. 1, No. 2
This week in Ohio State football, the preseason begins.
I’m sorry. I hate to do it. I don’t want to be cynical, but it’s Grambling. And then Ohio U. Then a week off.
This is the way of the world.
Also I actually like preseason football a lot because I’m a nerd and want to watch young players play and develop. (That also goes for the NFL preseason.)
So Ohio State starting the season with Texas is cool, and winning was a major bonus that should pay off all season, but I also like seeing a team do some developing in public rather than behind closed doors in practice.
To that end, Ryan Day had some interesting comments about what he’ll be looking for over the rest of this month.
“There's a lot of improvements that have to happen in all three phases.
“And so that's going to be the thing as we get back to work here. We've got a team meeting at 2.30. We're going to get into our game week routine, because leading up to the first game typically isn't always like a game week routine. So a lot of things to work on. And again, when you have guys who are a little bit more inexperienced who haven't done it before, now, OK, we've won a game. But now we have to get in a routine and start bringing it every week and the consistency of what comes with that.”
As for players to watch, I am anxious to see how sophomore James Peoples looks after getting his first chance at real playing time at running back (and not looking great), and freshman Bo Jackson also reputedly had a strong preseason.
Mylan Graham is an intriguing prospect at receiver — a big, strong guy who looked great in the spring.
Of course it will also be interesting to see Lincoln Kienholz get some time running the offense, and Day did not rule out Tavien St. Clair seeing the field at some point this season (he can play four games and still redshirt).
On defense, I’d like to see Malik Hartford at safety and Aaron Scott Jr. of Springfield at cornerback. I’m a bit surprised Scott was not in the dime package (freshman Devin Sanchez was the third outside corner instead), but it sounds like a lot of spots are still being worked out.
C.J. Hicks is learning defensive end on the job, and they need to find out if he or anyone else can bend the edge and get to the quarterback without blitzing. (Kenyatta Jackson is definitely a candidate, but not sure he will play after appearing to leave the Texas game with a head injury.)
Hey, maybe we’ll get a punting competition, too…
Other notable things this week:
You might want to get on the Phillip Daniels bandwagon now
Daniels transferred into the program from Minnesota with little fanfare in the winter, but he could end up being a key player.
The third-year sophomore won the starting right tackle job in training camp then went out and helped shut down the Texas pass rush, including star end Colin Simmons.
Simmons had no sacks but did commit a crucial personal foul when he ripped Daniels’ helmet off, helping Ohio State extend a scoring drive.
Daniels, it turns out, also brings a lot of energy to the interview room, something he did both when we got a chance to talk to him in the preseason and again this week.
He was overshadowed by the acquisition of Ethan Onianwa because Onianwa was a multi-year starter at Rice, but Daniels is the type of guy who can certainly go from three-star to NFL Draft pick.
Linemen are hard to evaluate anyway as many grow and mature differently, but I like to collect guys from good Ohio programs (Cincinnati Princeton in this case) who want to work hard and dreamt of being Buckeyes.
Improving the running game?
C.J. Donaldson ran for 67 yards on 19 carries against Texas, and he shed a little light on how he thinks the Buckeyes can run the ball better going forward.
“I think the O-line did a great job. I think honestly, my eyes in the run game wasn't perfect. I was definitely missing a lot of things out there and those guys, they blocked their ass off. So I just got to be better each and every week, like Coach Lock, he tells me, ‘Stick to the details. The little things create the big plays.’”
“So I just got to be better in my tracks and my run reads to create those bigger plays.”
I’m buying the idea the running game just needs reps, but also Texas probably has a pretty good run defense, and they went into some stacked boxes at times whether it was because they were in the shadow of their own goal line or trying to run out the clock late.
Arvell Reese: Man of few words
Many things were said about Arvell Reese after the junior linebacker wrecked Texas all over the field Saturday, but he did not have a lot to say about himself during interviews Wednesday (not that there is anything wrong with that).
Some guys are just all about ball, but he did light up when asked about his alma mater, Cleveland Glenville.
De-horning Texas
I wrote here and at Press Pros about how Ohio State added some new wrinkles on defense and worked on the power running game on offense, but there are many writers and analysts out there who are better able to identify the hard-core Xs and Os stuff than I am.
Here’s a good look at the defense from Ross Fulton for BuckeyeHuddle.com:
I also think it’s worth pointing out again Matt Patricia seems to have done more to put his stamp on the defense in a few months than Jim Knowles did in three years.
Not only did the Buckeyes run an odd front a significant portion of the afternoon after that was a point of contention for multiple seasons, Fulton also suggests they disguised coverages more than they did for most of Knowles’ tenure.
Why is that interesting? Because those were supposed to be hallmarks of the defense Knowles brought with him from Oklahoma State, and we barely saw them in Columbus.
Ryan Day again credited the players after Ohio State’s win over Texas, but his spin on the role of the defensive coaches was interesting in light of the last 3 years
— #Marcus Hartman (#@marcushartman)
2:16 PM • Sep 3, 2025
What about Grambling?
Oh yeah, there is an opponent, isn’t there?
Expect some preview notes in this space every week, but it is a little different when they are facing an FCS opponent. Nonetheless, the Tigers romped Langston in the Shreveport Kickoff Classic on Sunday.
C’zavian Teasett competed 20 of 25 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns last week while six players combined to carry the ball 42 times for 215 yards, so it was a balanced attack for second-year head coach Mickey Joseph.
The Tigers were 5-7 last season under Joseph. You might remember him as the interim coach for the second half of the season at Nebraska after Scott Frost was fired in 2023.
This could also be one of the few weeks the Ohio State Marching Band is challenged for best in the stadium, though that is a bit dependent on what style you prefer. (No, next week won’t be one of those weeks, either).
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