Ohio State Football

Class of 2023 5-star wide receiver Brandon Inniss committed to Ohio State on Tuesday.

According to Hayes Fawcett of On3, Inniss said the following about why he chose to become a Buckeye:

"The coaches there. I built a great relationship with them over time. I know [wide receivers] coach [Brian] Hartline will develop me to be the best version of myself on and off the field. Also the competition in the WR room is going to be great. I will have other top guys like me pushing me everyday and that's what I need."

Inniss chose Ohio State over schools like USC, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Alabama, Auburn, Arizona State and Arkansas, among others.

A 6'0", 190-pound receiver out of American Heritage in Florida, Inniss is ranked as the No. 2 wideout prospect and No. 18 overall player in the nation in 247Sports' composite. He was named a Max Preps All-American in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

247Sports recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins describes Inniss as "one of the most college-ready wide receivers to come out of the high school ranks in recent years. An elite route-runner with a competitive edge that can take over games and beat double coverage."

Ivins added that Inniss "should be viewed as a high-floor type of prospect and someone that is going to be able to contribute very early on for a Top 25 program. Will likely have a voice in the locker room given his dog-eat-dog mentality. NFL upside."

Inniss projects to be a strong contributor as soon as he steps on the field for Ohio State. His addition gives OSU one of the top recruiting classes in the country. Ohio State now has two 5-star prospects and nine 4-star prospects in its 2023 class, per 247Sports.

Inniss is set to join an Ohio State program that has been dominant in recent years, losing two or fewer games in each of the past 10 seasons.

That includes three seasons under head coach Ryan Day, who led the Buckeyes to an 11-2 mark and a Rose Bowl win last season.

Ohio State has churned out top wide receiver prospects such as Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Parris Campbell and Terry McLaurin over the past several years as well, which likely contributed to Inniss' decision.

Class of 2023 5-star wide receiver Carnell Tate announced his commitment to Ohio State on Monday.

ESPN 300 wide receiver Carnell Tate just committed to Ohio State, giving the team 7 ESPN 300 commits in the class.

The #Buckeyes have landed 10 ESPN 300 receivers since the 2020 class, they also had the second and third receivers taken in the draft this year at No. 10 and 11.

— Tom VanHaaren (@TomVH) June 20, 2022

"It was the coaching staff," Tate told John Garcia Jr. of Sports Illustrated. "I love the coaching staff and have built a strong bond with them. I know that my future is in great hands with them, and they will help me develop into a potential first-round pick and achieve all of my dreams and aspirations. It is a great program, overall."

Tate especially praised receivers coach Brian Hartline while making his commitment.

"Coach [Brian] Hartline this what made Ohio State right for me," Tate told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. "His development is very important to me. I know he would help develop me into a first-round pick and a great receiver."

Tate chose the Buckeyes over finalists LSU, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

A 6'2", 185-pound wideout from IMG Academy in Florida, Tate is the No. 3 receiver in the nation, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He was named a MaxPreps All-Florida Preseason second-team selection on offense prior to his junior season. Tate spent his freshman year at Marist High School in Chicago.

Tate is described as "the type of wide receiver that always seems to be open" by 247Sports recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins, who also pointed to Tate's ability to win at the line of scrimmage against both zone and man-to-man coverage.

Ivins added that Tate "should be viewed as one of the top pass-catchers in a deep 2023 wide receiver class and a potential all-conference type of player for a Top 25 program. Ability to consistently shake defenders and generate big plays will eventually have him on the radar of NFL scouts."

Tate is a strong get for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. His addition gives the Buckeyes their first 5-star recruit in the 2023 class.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has clarified the comments he made about academic standards at Ohio State.

Appearing on Morning Juice on 97.1 The Fan in Columbus on Wednesday (h/t ESPN's Adam Rittenberg), Freeman said he would "never discredit the quality of education" at Ohio State.

Freeman caused a stir in an interview with CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd that was published June 10.

"I'm not saying from top to bottom, but the majority of our kids, they—I want to say this the right way—are pushed to learn and their study habits are formulated every day. You can't cheat academics at Notre Dame," he said.

To emphasize his point, Freeman mentioned his alma mater of Ohio State as an academic institution where there were more avenues available to students to pass classes.

"If you don't go to class [at those places], OK. Take some online classes. Show up for your final," Freeman said rhetorically. "At Notre Dame, you're forced every day to go to class."

Freeman clarified he wasn't talking specifically about Ohio State as much as every big school in the country.

"When you really look, what exactly I said, I was talking about if you don't go to class at these big schools that have 60,000, 40,000 students, OK, you can take online classes," he told Morning Juice. "We can't. The majority of our kids cannot take online classes here because it's a smaller school and you're forced to have in-class attendance. That's what I wanted to get cleared up."

Freeman played linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2004 to 2008. He was a two-time All-Big Ten second-team selection in his final two seasons at the program. The 36-year-old also earned two degrees from Ohio State.

After a heart condition forced Freeman to retire as a player in 2010, then-Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel hired him as a graduate assistant.

Freeman went on to be an assistant at Kent State, Purdue and Cincinnati before Brian Kelly hired him as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2021.

After Kelly left the Fighting Irish to become LSU's head coach, Freeman was named his replacement in December.

Buckeyes fans will have the opportunity to let Freeman know they don't appreciate his comments, even if something was lost in translation.

Ohio State will host Notre Dame in the season opener for both teams Sept. 3. This will be the first meeting between the two storied programs since the Buckeyes' 44-28 win in the Fiesta Bowl in the 2015 season.

C.J. Stroud will be arriving to Ohio State football practices in style.

According to Joey Kaufman of the Columbus Dispatch, the star quarterback received a pre-owned Bentley Bentayga, valued at $150,000, as part of an NIL deal with Sarchione Auto Gallery, a car dealership in Canton, Ohio.

"When you talk to people, whether it’s in the community or at the game, our brand awareness is what we're building, so when you have the best-of-the-best promoting your brand, it only does good things," Sarchione Auto Gallery general manager Ryan Burton told Kaufman.

As a part of the agreement, Stroud will make public appearances at the dealership and promote the business on social media platforms. He also will be able to lease a different vehicle after 45 days.

Stroud is the first college athlete to partner with the dealership.

Per Kaufman, Stroud became interested in the partnership after seeing his former teammate, New Orleans Saints rookie wideout Chris Olave, driving a BMW X7 before this year's NFL draft as a part of his own deal.

"If somebody is that adamant about it, and they’re going to be a Heisman front-runner, top-10 pick in the draft, we're interested," Burton said. "That's how it all came together."

Stroud, 20, was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season after throwing for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 71.9 percent of his passes. Alabama's Bryce Young beat him out for the award and already has his own collection of NIL deals, including one with BMW of Tuscaloosa.

Young's portfolio also includes Cash App, Subway and Logan’s Roadhouse, while Stroud has deals with Express and Athletic Brewing.

Compared to the cost of running an NFL team, Ohio State football might be a bargain.

According to Cleveland.com's Doug Lesmerises, Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day told local businesspeople in Columbus that $13 million in name, image and likeness deals might be the cost for the program to retain the players on its roster.

It's not just that the NIL era has put a price tag on the best high school recruits in the country. The one-time transfer rule means schools also have to placate their top stars.

Using Day's valuation, Lesmerises speculated OSU looking for an average of $500,000 for its 26 best players or some calculation to that degree.

Per Lesmerises, Day also told the local business leaders how $2 million might be the going rate for an elite quarterback, while top-tier offensive tackles and edge-rushers could command $1 million.

In general, Day pressed the need for Ohio State to balance its NIL priorities.

"If the speed limit’s 45 mph, and you drive 45 mph, a lot of people are going to pass you by,” he said. “If you go too fast, you’re going to get pulled over."

While he specifically targeted a conference rival in the process, this was the basic subtext Nick Saban wanted to get across when he said Texas A&M "bought every player on their team."

The Alabama head coach had a similar audience (local businesspeople) when he made those remarks and was clearly trying to express how important NIL money will be.

"We didn't buy one player, all right?" Saban said to the group. "But I don't know if we're gonna be able to sustain that in the future because more and more people are doing it. It's tough."

Because the full details of NIL deals aren't disclosed, it's difficult to know how accurate Day's projection is. Lesmerises noted the $13 million figure goes beyond what's raised by the collectives specific to OSU football.

The NIL landscape still resembles the Wild West a bit as all of the parties adjust to the new normal. For Day and his peers, getting a level of buy-in from the booster base has never been more important.

Ohio State announced Wednesday it agreed to a two-year extension through 2028 with football coach Ryan Day.

The deal will see Day's overall compensation rise from $7.6 million to $9.5 million per season. His base salary will be set at $2 million.

Following the 2021 season, Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly were both paid handsomely to leave Oklahoma and Notre Dame, respectively. And within Day's own conference, Mel Tucker (10 years, $95 million) and James Franklin (10 years, $75 million) got new deals to ward off any suitors.

A pay raise for Day was inevitable, as his old salary constituted a bargain in this market.

Handily losing to Michigan and missing the College Football Playoff put a damper on Ohio State's 2021 season, but the year still ended with a Rose Bowl victory over Utah. 

Day has also kept the Buckeyes at the heights they enjoyed under his predecessor, Urban Meyer. They're 31-4 in his three full seasons as head coach—he went 3-0 while Meyer was suspended and ultimately retired in 2018.

In the wake of falling short of lofty expectations, OSU turned over its coaching staff, most notably poaching Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State to serve as defensive coordinator. The Athletic's Bill Landis noted 1994 was the last time the Buckeyes hired four new assistants without also changing the head coach.

Still, there was no question as to the university's commitment.

And while it's difficult to envision Day would leave for another school, the NFL could be a very real threat. The 43-year-old served on the staffs of the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers prior to joining Ohio State in 2017.

For now, any speculation linking Day with a new job will be put to bed.

One of the top football recruits in the class of 2024 has made his decision.

On Monday, 5-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Chandler High School in Arizona committed to Ohio State over other prominent programs like Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Texas and USC.

Raiola is Ohio State's first commit in the 2024 class. He reportedly told Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis of his commitment during a visit to campus for the team's spring game in April.

"What the culture is, I felt it immediately when I walked in the building for the Penn State game [during the fall]," Raiola told 247Sports' Steve Wiltfong. "Going back up there and seeing things, hearing what former players of Ohio State say about the program, gathering information, all the dots connected. It felt like home, and I'm ready to be a Buckeye."

Raiola is the son of Dominic Raiola, who played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and was a Rimington Trophy winner as the nation's top center during his All-American career at Nebraska.

Prior to moving to Arizona, the younger Raiola played his first two seasons of high school football at Burleson High School in Texas under head coach Jon Kitna, a former NFL quarterback who was his father's teammate with the Lions. Raiola threw for 3,341 yards and 32 touchdowns while adding nine rushing scores as a sophomore.

"There's not a throw he can't make." Kitna said. "He understands coverages and where the weak spots are in every coverage. He knows protection. He knows how to set the run game to the right spot. He's going to be a 4.6 kid at the end of it and be someone that can hurt you running with his legs. Just an incredible deep-ball thrower. That's one of the things that really separates him."

Joe Burrow grew up in Ohio, graduated from the state's flagship university and is the quarterback for one of its two NFL teams. It should come as no surprise, then, that he considers himself a Buckeye even though he transferred to LSU to continue his football career.

"I'm definitely still a Buckeye," he told reporters Thursday. "I graduated from there."

Burrow arrived at Ohio State as a 4-star prospect in the class of 2015, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He was competing for the backup job behind the entrenched J.T. Barrett in 2017 but suffered a broken hand. That allowed Dwayne Haskins to move ahead of Burrow on the depth chart.

It ended up being a critical injury because Barrett later suffered his own injury during the rivalry game against Michigan. Haskins entered and rallied the Buckeyes to a comeback victory, essentially cementing himself as the starter for 2018 when Barrett would no longer be on the team.

Perhaps if Burrow did not break his hand, he would have been the one to come in and start building his Ohio State legacy.

But Burrow transferred to LSU and won a national championship with the Tigers during the 2019 campaign. It's not like Haskins was a bad choice for the Buckeyes, though, as he set the Big Ten record for passing yards and passing touchdowns during a dominant 2018 season while Burrow was inconsistent in his first year at LSU.

The Buckeyes also landed Georgia transfer Justin Fields for the 2019 season after Haskins went to the NFL. And Ohio State nearly faced Burrow and LSU in the National Championship Game but lost to Clemson amid a couple of questionable calls in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Burrow has been much better in the NFL than Haskins, which has fueled discussion about how things played out at Ohio State.

The No. 1 pick of the 2020 draft is now the face of the Bengals and has led them to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 campaign. They will face the Rams on Feb. 13.

That has surely further endeared Burrow to football fans in Ohio—at least the ones who don't cheer for the Cleveland Browns—and he made sure to let everyone know he still considers himself a Buckeye.

Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day had been rumored to be drawing interest from the Chicago Bears for their head coach opening, but Day plans on staying put.

During an interview with the Big Ten Network on Wednesday, Day reiterated that he's not interested in jumping to the NFL and plans on remaining the coach of the Buckeyes for the foreseeable future.

"I love Ohio State. I love this place," Day said, per Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors. "My family loves it here. I tell recruits all the time, if I was to go take another job, I'd be going by myself because my family's not leaving Columbus. And that's the truth. They love it here."

Day is the second Big Ten head coach to decide to stay in the college ranks on Wednesday. Jim Harbaugh reportedly told Michigan that he will be returning for the 2022 season after he had interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Buckeyes went 11-2 last season. They ended the year with a victory in the Rose Bowl over Utah.

In three-plus seasons, Day has coached Ohio State to a 34-4 record. Day acknowledged that the rumors of his NFL prospects were not unexpected after his success at Ohio State.

"In this profession, in this world right now, if you're not winning, they're going to talk about replacing you," he said. "If you do well, they're going to talk about maybe you going somewhere else."

Day reiterated that he is fully committed to continuing to build the football program at Ohio State and that won't change anytime soon.

"We're very proud of our culture. And guys like to be here. And we think that we've recruited really well," Day said. "We have some really good talent, so the future is extremely bright here. We’ve brought in great people. So this is the best place in the country to be the head football coach. I love it here."

This is a critical offseason for the Ohio State football program.

After all, the Buckeyes are coming off their first failure to reach the College Football Playoff during head coach Ryan Day's tenure. It is a testament to the strength of the program that an 11-2 campaign that included a Rose Bowl victory is seen as a failure, but that is the reality in Columbus, Ohio.

Especially if that 11-2 campaign included a loss to the hated Michigan Wolverines for the first time in a decade.

Day wasted no time responding by making drastic changes to the defensive staff, bringing in former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and adding secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and safeties coach Perry Eliano. In fact, highly regarded defensive line coach Larry Johnson was the only full-time defensive coach from last season he retained for the 2022 staff.

Ohio State also hired offensive line coach Justin Frye from UCLA to replace the departed Greg Studrawa.

"It weighed heavily on me," Day told reporters when discussing the staff overhaul. "I felt like a fresh start was the right thing to do."

The next thing to do is to put the finishing touches on an impressive 2022 recruiting class during Wednesday's National Signing Day. Thanks to the early recruiting window, there is little drama remaining since much of the Buckeyes' class is already set.

Still, there are a few more question marks for a class that entered the day ranked No. 4 in the country, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

One name Ohio State fans shouldn't have to worry about is offensive lineman Carson Hinzman even though he announced he will not be signing his letter of intent until Wednesday afternoon.

Bill Landis of The Athletic suggested there won't be any last-minute "tomfoolery" for the verbal pledge.

Hinzman is a 4-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and the Buckeyes impressively won the recruiting battle against the home-state Wisconsin Badgers that are known for their ability to develop offensive linemen.

Wednesday won't bring all good news for the Scarlet and Gray, though.

Defensive lineman Christen Miller announced he will also be making his decision on National Signing Day when he chooses between Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Miami and Florida A&M.

The 4-star prospect and 14th-best defensive lineman in his class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, would be quite the addition for the Buckeyes, but the Georgia product is being recruited hard by the in-state Bulldogs, which have 100 percent of the predictions on 247Sports' Crystal Ball.

Johnson may be one of the best defensive line coaches in college football history, but he will not be able to beat out the national champions for Miller.

That makes landing defensive lineman Omari Abor all the more important. While he is a verbal commit, there are other programs that could look to make a late pitch.

"When he committed, the plan was for Abor to still take visits elsewhere," Landis wrote. "That doesn't appear to have happened, but there's also been nothing at all coming out of Abor's camp since he issued his commitment. That silence could be a good thing for OSU, but there are still some programs—Miami and Texas to be specific—that might try to flip Abor at the last minute."

That could leave some Buckeyes fans nervous, but 100 percent of 247Sports' Crystal Ball predictions for the 4-star prospect still have him headed to the Big Ten powerhouse.

Final Predictions: Hinzman and Abor end up at Ohio State, but Miller joins Georgia.