July 17, 2025 • 32 mins
Top 10 Ohio State Players of the Ryan Day Era | Buckeye Weekly Podcast
Join Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr on the Buckeye Weekly Podcast as they break down their top 10 players of the Ryan Day era at Ohio State. From dominating defensive stars like Chase Young to offensive powerhouses like Justin Fields and Marvin Harrison Jr., the hosts discuss and debate who deserves to be on the list. Find out if your favorite Buckeye made the cut, and share your thoughts on their picks in the comments!
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Setup
00:23 Challenges of Ranking Ryan Day Era Players
01:26 Top Player: ?
03:13 Second Best: ??
07:16 Third Best: ???
10:16 Fourth Best: ????
13:11 Fifth Best: ?????
16:05 Sixth Best: ??????
18:51 Seventh Best: ???????
21:23 Eighth Best: ????????
24:46 Ninth Best: ?????????
27:50 Tenth Best: ??????????
31:30 Conclusion and Viewer Interaction
Join Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr on the Buckeye Weekly Podcast as they break down their top 10 players of the Ryan Day era at Ohio State. From dominating defensive stars like Chase Young to offensive powerhouses like Justin Fields and Marvin Harrison Jr., the hosts discuss and debate who deserves to be on the list. Find out if your favorite Buckeye made the cut, and share your thoughts on their picks in the comments!
00:00 Introduction and Podcast Setup
00:23 Challenges of Ranking Ryan Day Era Players
01:26 Top Player: ?
03:13 Second Best: ??
07:16 Third Best: ???
10:16 Fourth Best: ????
13:11 Fifth Best: ?????
16:05 Sixth Best: ??????
18:51 Seventh Best: ???????
21:23 Eighth Best: ????????
24:46 Ninth Best: ?????????
27:50 Tenth Best: ??????????
31:30 Conclusion and Viewer Interaction
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, everybody, Welcome to the Buckeye Weekly Podcast. I'm Tony
Gerdaman here as always with Tom or Tom.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
How's it going, Tony?
Speaker 3 (00:12):
You have absolutely tricked me, trapped me whatever you want
to say this show. You sent me a text like, oh,
I'd like to do a show on this. I'm like, oh, great,
this will be easy, Tony.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
You have to tell you.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I wrote to inform you this was very much not
easy to narrow down the list of the ten best
players of.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
The Ryan Day era at Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
It's like, well, I mean, it's only been so many years,
how hard could it be? How many good players could
there be?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Tony?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
And it's like, boy, turns out the answer is a lot.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Turns out the answer is a lot, especially if it's
just a situation where the player only had to play
one year under Ryan Day as a head coach, so
like from twenty nineteen to twenty twenty four. These are
the players and they could have been anywhere in there.
And so that's we're picking from, and we're gonna go
back and forth. I'll start with the number one, then
Tom will go to number two, and then we'll talk
(01:05):
it out because there are gonna be some names on
here that don't make the list, and I'm interested to
see how our two lists after the fact compare, because
I feel like I'm right about mine, but as always
with the show, I'm willing to be wrong. Now, I
don't know that you can be right in the precise order.
I'm just interested to see how close we agree. But
(01:27):
my number one player here tom of the Ryan Day
era is Chase Young. Now, he only played one year
under the Ryan Day head coach, not counting the three
and twenty eighteen, but he was the most impactful, most
dominating player that I saw since Brian Day came aboard,
(01:50):
and it was it was a joy to watch him.
Offenses had a game plan around him and sometimes it
still didn't work. So that was my number one.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
That would have been my number one as well. He
just was such a just incredibly dominant defensive player. I
grew up watching the New York Giants during the nineteen
eighties and it was a little like watching LTLT was
sort of an outside linebacker, so not exactly the same role,
but man, it was you kind of got the same vibe.
(02:20):
It was just you could just see the opposing offense
just going Okay, where is he?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Okay? You would there were plays where you saw three.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Guys blocking him and that you don't see that. And
he was such a dominant player. He had a game
with four sacks against I think Wisconsin at one point.
And you know, Wisconsin's a school that's known for Hey
what is Wisconsin known for?
Speaker 1 (02:42):
There?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Known for having a really good offensive.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Line, and they're not against Chase Young. You don't and yeah,
he's he. I think was was very clearly the number
one to me, even with all the other stuff, just
because you saw it on the field, You saw it
in terms of stats, you saw it in terms of
where he went in the NFL draft, Like everything to
me says yes, Jay Shung is number one.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, sixteen and a half sacks, twenty one tackles for
lost in twelve games. I remember he missed a couple
of games in there for NCAA reasons. So now, Tom
the list I think truly begins. Who is the second
greatest player in the history of the Ryan Day era?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Can I just completely derail us by going so far
off the reservation that you will either agree or call
me an absolutely crazy lunatic who needs to be locked
up for his own good and for the good of society.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Sounds good to me.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Good. Okay, so Tony, I have another.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Player who's only played one year under Ryan Day. Was
it twenty nineteen? No, was it twenty twenty four? It
sure was Tony. Every time we talk about Jeremiah Smith,
I feel like we keep talking about him like, yeah,
he's a really good player, and it's like, I don't
really don't think people understand how great Jeremiah Smith was
(04:03):
in just his first year. This started when I was
just trying to sort of rank the wide receivers and.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
I had one name in my head. I'm like, well,
he's got to be on the list.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And I looked and that guy was like fifth among
this period of wide receivers in terms of total receiving yards.
We got, well, I don't know if that's gonna work.
And then I just I was looking at the list
of the guys that we were talking about, and it's,
you know, the other wide receivers from this era, from
the Brian Hartline era, Marvin Harrison Junior and Chris Olave
(04:34):
and Jackson Smith and Jigba and Garrett Wilson and Jamison Williams,
all these guys were number one draft picks. This was
a stat that came up on a morning show somewhat recently.
Jeremiah Smith's freshman year was virtually equal to the other
whatever that was five or six guys combined as true freshmen.
Like it's not even it's not even close. Like these
(04:58):
guys are so great, all of them, and you could
hear any of their names on this show and I'd
kind of go, yeah, fine, absolutely one of the ten
greatest players. And Jeremiah Smith has lapped them so many
times it's like, you know, it's like one of those cars.
It's like, you know, you're you're a go kart and
you're like you can't see her and you're stuck on
the wall and people are just zipping around behind you.
(05:18):
That's Jeremiah Smith lapping all these other guys who are
in this conversation. So, yes, it's absolutely ridiculous to have
him in this conversation. Yes, I would love to see
what he's going to do the next two years. At
this point, I almost don't care that freshman season. Even
if that was a you know, a senior season, that
would have been like wow. As a true freshman season,
(05:38):
that was so much greater than anyone else. That's in
the conversation that he's number two.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
To me, well, maybe we'll eventually do a show of
the top ten players of the Jim Tressel era because
we're Maurice Clarett being there. He played one year, but yeah,
I also had Jeremiah Smith number two, so we if
we two derailings makes a railing, I think is the
term there. But watching him, just going back to last spring,
(06:04):
Tom went the last last spring, like his first spring,
when he was just putting on a show and like
you almost have like a play, you know, like applause
and from the people watching when there are students there,
where there's parents and coaches there, Like every time he
put on a show in the spring, and you're like,
we need to readjust all of our expectations because we
(06:25):
were trying to be conservative. And then you watch him
in spring, You're like, that ain't gonna work because this
dude is he's different than everybody, and he was putting
on a show constantly, and then he goes goes out
and of course drops his first pass, but whatever, he
made up for it. Seventy six catches, thirteen hundred and
fifteen yards, fifteen touchdowns, six rushes forty seven yards another
(06:48):
touchdown there. I this, I don't know that this is
a controversial pick. It's it's projection a little, but not
much because what he did was so good. I mean,
if if we're gonna allow Chase Young one year, no
reason we can't allow Jeremiah Smith based on his one year.
Now if he goes out the next two years and
has thirty six catches, you're like, well, we can reassess.
(07:12):
But right now, yeah, he's my number two as well.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
So now now.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Maybe the list truly begins with my number three player
overall of the Ryan Day era, and at his quarterback,
Justin Fields. And see this is one where there's some
good quarterbacks to choose from. But Justin Fields was two
and oh as a starter against Michigan. That's where he
(07:38):
gets the nod over CJ. Stroud in my mind. But
was also really freaking good. Three for thirty two hundred
and seventy three yards and forty one touchdowns, three interceptions
that the first year. And I remember that first year.
We're talking. We're trying to like again, maybe we're idiots
trying to be conservative, Like, hey, there's gonna be some
bad games here, you know, he might, you know, like
especially coming off of the spring game where he's like
(07:59):
three or fourteen, you know that, don't expect Dwayne Haskin
type numbers. Don't expect seventy five percent completion percentage. Then
he goes out and has a really good year, plays injured,
is tough, and then the next year saves the sport
of college football all by his you know, lonesome with
the with what he was doing. And so he is
(08:19):
my number three player. I think there's an argument that
he is. He's one of the best O High state
football players of all time. I don't know where where
you put him, but man, give me that guy every year,
and I'm gonna like my chances.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Yeah, I had him number three as well, and you know,
you can look at the stats and there's certainly an
argument for CJ.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Stroud in this spot.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You you know, the.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
The record against Michigan is such a fraught conversation given
some of the gestures vaguely that may have been happening
during CJ. Stroud's two years as the starting quarterback.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
And I feel like the.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Conversation if the defense plays a little better, or Marvin
Harrison doesn't get knocked out against the against Georgia and
the Peach Bowl.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
The CJ.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Stroud conversation is, you know C Straud's probably ahead of
Justin Field's and is that.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Fair to c J. Stroud? No, absolutely it is not.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
But I think you just you're you're going based off
of the results, and the results are that Justin Field
beat Michigan, twic Well, beat Michigan in every opportunity that
he was given to, right, Yeah, I think I said, yeah, well, correct,
we were all there or weren't there as the case
maybe two Big Ten championships, and you know again that
(09:35):
that the Fiesta Bol against Clemson was you know, he
threw the interception at the end that wasn't really on him.
There were plenty of opportunities. That's the game they should
have won, almost.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
One didn't quite win.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
But yeah, I have I would have Justin Fields here
just because just on the whole, what he meant to
the program, what he did on the field, the results
that you saw, I think he's a pretty good number three. Now, boy,
there's there's a couple different thing, couple different directions I
could go here.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
There's a guy I.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Could say fourth here, and there's a guy and I
could also see him not being on the list, but
we'll save him for later.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Let's just do CJ. Stroud right here, because c J Stroud, you.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Know, I think the stats just the overall, you know,
go back to the Rose Bowl against Utah and you
know the numbers that he put up in that game,
and just the first half of that Michigan State game
in twenty twenty one, what that looked like. And you know,
even the Georgia game in twenty twenty two, no one,
no one did that to Georgie's, to Georgia's defense, and
(10:42):
you know, this is a Kirby Smart defense and it's
an s CC defense, and they're tough, and they.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
He just lit them on fire.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
And you know, in that game, one of the last
things she saw c J. Stroud do was something you
never saw c J. Stroud do, which was run. He
had what a twenty five issuer run to get them
into field goal range and then they probably played it
a little too conservatively after that and ended up missing
the kick. But you know, he did everything he could
(11:09):
do to win that game. And boy, if they win
that game, if that kick goes in if they get them,
if they get you know, a ruggle ten yards closer
and that kick goes in, then they almost certainly beat
TCU this in in the National Championship Game and cgs strout.
The legacy at Ohio State is very different. And you know,
you look at where he got drafted in the NFL,
(11:31):
and you look at how his NFL career has gone,
and it's you know, the talent is just so obvious
right there. And I think, you know, given some of
what we have learned in retrospect about the Michigan games,
that that cost him a lot of his legacy during
his time at Ohio State. I think, you know, this
is this is probably a career that's worth revisiting to
(11:52):
a certain degree.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
But you know, even.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Before you get to that, just the numbers to play,
everything was just he was just so great, right.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
I have an issue here where it's like he is.
I think he's the best quarterback to ever play at
Ohio State, just like I feel like Sean Springs, I
think is a better cornerback than Antoine Winfield. But if
you want me to choose one or the other, I'd
say Antoine Winfield is arguably the best player and defensive
player in Ohio State history. So it's like, I think
Justin Field's maybe a better offensive player, but c J.
(12:22):
Stroud as a quarterback, the accuracy that the time. I mean,
he was also tough. Let's not you know, let's not
kid ourselves like he would. He got beat up a lot,
and then he just kept coming back. And I know
people wanted him to run more and that was always
a complaint, but there's never been a better thrower at
Ohio State than c J.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Stroud.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
So I'm with you there as well. The first four
we agree on, and now Tom, now the list truly begins.
Is it your turn?
Speaker 4 (12:55):
No, it's your turn.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
So this is number five. This is number five.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
This is a guy who.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Was arguably one of the greatest of all time until
he was bypassed last year. Number five. Marvin Harrison, junior
wide receiver Ohio State, who before there was Jeremiah Smith,
there was Marvin Harrison for two years putting on a show,
a guy that he needed to bracket and would make
(13:27):
ridiculous catches on the sidelines and we'd chuckle up in
the press box about how is that even possible? And
we'd make bold predictions about him, and then it's like,
well is that bold enough? Well, probably not, so you
got to add something else to him. But Marvin Harrison walked,
so Jeremiah Smith could run something to that effect. But yeah,
I have Marvin Harrison number five, the fifth greatest Ohio
(13:49):
state bucke have all time behind of the rhyin DA era.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Yeah, I like this one.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
And I have four wide receivers Jeremiah Smith listed by himself,
and then I hit four other wide receivers listed here
as name slash, name slash, name slash, and it's just
kind of like what order do you want to pick
these guys in? So, yeah, Marvin Harrison, I think is
a very good argument for the greatest who's not named
Jeremiah Smith of the Ryan Day era. He was, you know,
(14:17):
he was the standard bearer where you saw, you know,
you saw Garrett Wilson, and you saw Chris Olave, and
you saw Jackson Smith and Jigba sort of succeed them
and it was like, wow, I can't believe the stuff
that he's doing. And then you saw Marvin Harrison succeed
Jackson Smith and Jigbad's like wow, I can't believe the
stuff he's doing. And yeah, Jackson Spith, the JIGBA might
(14:38):
be higher on this list had he had a final
season like you thought he was going to.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
You know, the the twenty twenty two Jackson Smith.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
And Jigba season is going to be one of the
great what ifs of Ohio State football history, I think.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
But yeah, with what we with what we know, I
have no issue.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
With Marvin Harrison Junior being here.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Yeah, he's He's one of those guys.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
You know, when jack when Jeremi Smith showed up, we
were saying, it's not fair to say he's going to
be the next Marvin Harrison Jr. There is not going
to be a next Jeremi Smith. I'm just going to
say that right now, like period, full stop. There is
don't don't say the next Jeremiz Smith not happening.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
That's okay.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Marvin Harrison Junior is of the you know, non complete
alien wide receivers, and he was sort of an alien
in and of himself just the stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Is able to do.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Yeah, the stuff he was able to do. You know.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
He he came to Ohio State as the son of
an NFL Hall of Famer and it's like, well, boy,
that's going to be impossible to live up to and
just was just an incredible player, absolutely lived up to
the standard of his dad. I think probably exceeded his
dad's college stats.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
I would guess.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So that going back and looking and you know has
now gone on and is planning for the Cardinals in
the NFL. But yeah, I think this is a great
this is a great pick here. So all right now
I'm going to decide if a to go back to
the guy who was about to mention before or someone else,
you know what I'm going with Paris Johnson.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Okay, I think we got to think we've.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Got to show the big fellows some love. And he
was someone who came in as a true freshman five star.
You know, we're talking about the next you don't want
to say the next. I had a picture of Paris
Johnson in one of his recruiting visits walking down the
tunnel with Orlando Pace, and I remember saying to you, like, well,
this is going to get used you irresponsibly a bunch.
And he wasn't Orlando Pace because no one's Orlando pays.
(16:31):
But you know, instead of being a first year starter
on day one and going number one in the draft.
He was a first year starter towards the end of
the season in the College Football Playoff and went number
three in the draft. And you know, you can you
can be not the next Orlando Pace and still be
an incredible player.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
He stepped in. He played where they needed him to play.
He was a guard.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
He didn't you didn't start at tackle until his third year.
He didn't wun the left tackle of the team until
his third year. But then was great there as well.
You know, this is one where you don't have the
numbers to put on it like you do where you
can just say, like here's Jeremai Smith's stat's, like, wow,
look at these numbers. But man, he just he came
in with some probably a little bit unfair expectations, contributed
(17:15):
early starred late went on, you know, and went on
to to, you know, be a top five I was
thinking number three, I think pick by the Cardinals in
the NFL draft. So yeah, that one is that's one
that I think you have to you have to have
an offensive lineman on this team, and I think he's
an easy pick for.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
That, the number six pick overall. Just looking at his
Wikipedia page, but again, what would he have done as
a freshman if twenty twenty wasn't COVID season, because that
was his freshman year. So what do you have eventually
broken into the lineup and Ben an everyday kind of guy,
but second team All Big Ten as a right guard
as a sophomore, first team All Big Ten con sets
(17:55):
us All American as a left tackle. He is still
the guy that I point you when people think you
need to pay an offensive line recruit two million dollars,
you know, two million dollars or whatever to get them
to sign, and it's like you got one year of
starting left tackle out of Paris Johnson, who was a
five star Ohio offensive tackle recruit, and you only got
(18:16):
one year of him there. But again there was the
COVID shorten year. And then also he not saying he
was he wasn't wasted at right guard. But sometimes just
the rest of the lineup has to allow this guy
to play left tackle, because I have no doubt he
could have played left tackle as a sophomore, probably could
have done what Jordan Seaton did last year at Colorado.
(18:38):
When you're the most talented of the guys. He had
to go ahead and go out there and learn how
to swim out there. So I actually had him as
my number seven right behind my number six player, who
now becomes our number seven player because Tom picked these
guys out of order. JK.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Dobbins.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
JK Dobbins only one year under Ryan Day, but it
was the best year in the Ohio State running back
history two thousand and three yards. Getting injured in the
Clemson game probably cost them or certain probably so many
things probably cost Ohio State in that game in twenty twenty.
So he was seventeen, Yeah, that was the nineteen season. Sorry, yeah,
(19:24):
but him getting injured in that in that game in
the nineteen season cost them. But when he was he
was incredible as as a junior after he figured out
the issues going on as a sophomore where he had
the slump with him him and Mike Wepper, but outstanding
as a freshman, like fourteen hundred and three yards right
(19:45):
out of the gate in twenty seventeen. But that twenty
nineteen season where he was also a tremendous pass catcher,
was everything that was promised when he was, you know,
one of the top running backs in the nation and
you're never I don't think you'll ever see another two
thousand yard rushier at Ohio States. It probably takes sixteen
or seventeen games to get it done.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Though.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Yeah, he was the guy I had earlier and thought
I could say him fourth or I could see.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Him going a little later.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
He's The numbers he put up are just like, as
you said, just completely ridiculous compared to what you've seen
since then. Two thousand and three yards, three hundred and
one rushing attempts, twenty one touchdowns. That was basically Travon
Henderson plush queen Shawn Judkins from twenty twenty four, and
it was just one dude doing it all and that
(20:36):
he was just such an incredible player that year, and
it really that was a year that kind of came
out of nowhere because he really did have a he
had a good freshman year and a little of a
step back as a sophomore, and it was like, well,
you know, I guess we'll see what he does in
his final year. And I just remember him talking about, yeah,
just the changes that he had made and really focusing
(20:57):
going into that final.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Year, and man, oh man, there.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Was no question about whether he had really done that,
because it was just it was a different dude, and
he's had injuries in the NFL that have probably limited
him to a certain degree. But yeah, that that year,
unquestionably he belongs on this list. So yeah, he's he's
a good one and maybe.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
One we should have said a little earlier.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I feel like we have to have another defensive player
on this list, Tony, And to me, I mean, there's
there's a lot of guys you could you could name here,
but I look at Jeff Okudah and his career at
Ohio State. I mean, they've had a lot of good
corners over the years. Jeff Okudah, he did go number three.
I did double check that I was right on this one.
He's went number three in the NFL drop.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
But man, he on that twenty nineteen team.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
There were a couple things where, you know, Jeff Haffley
left after one year and you could kind of, you know,
it was like, well, it's probably not gonna be this
good next year because you don't have a Chase Young,
you don't have a Jeff Okudah man.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Oh Man.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Jeff Ocudah just locked down his half of the field,
just was just very reliable, always there, just great, great
dude like just but just did everything they needed him
to do that year. That twenty nineteen Ohio State team,
I think is going to go down in history is
one of the more underappreciated ones because they were so
(22:16):
great in so many areas and they just, you know,
they just fell just that much short. Because in that
Fiesta Bowl, that one is always going to be one
of the great what ifs, because like you said, there
are probably ten different things that if this one thing
doesn't happen, and you know JK.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Dobbins twisting his ankle.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Or or boy if they just if they just score
one touchdown in that first half and they stopped kicking
the field goals in the first half, or you know,
Chris Alve doesn't break off his route. I mean, there's
just so many different things in that game. And would
they have beaten that LSU team in the national championship
game in New Orleans, I don't know. I think they
would have given him a better game than Clemson did.
(22:56):
And that's a year where I think the three top
teams and year probably win the national championship in several
seasons since then. That was just a very v that
was a dominant just an incredible team which had the
great misfortune of playing in a year where there were
probably two other dominant, incredible teams, and so they probably
they fell short of where they would have an in
(23:17):
normal year. But Jeff Okuda, I think was a big
part of.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
That that That's one of the one matchups that I wish,
wish wish we could have seen twenty nineteen LSU offense
versus twenty nineteen Ohio State defense, because I think if
any defense in the nation was equipped to keep LSU
under forty points, it was it was the Ohio State defense.
(23:42):
I had a difficult decision because I had him just
outside of my top ten and he's just like holding
the spot at eleven until Caleb Downs takes it with
one more year. So Chase Young is the only defensive
guy on of my top ten because we got to
(24:04):
get to the rest of the wide receivers basically, and
so then it's like, we've got two spots left, and
I'm going with my last guy on this list, and
you could put any guy here. What I keep going
back to is I think I think Garrett Wilson is
one of the most underrated players in Ohio State history.
(24:25):
Like he's better than he was able to show, even
though he showed how good he was, Like he also
had the COVID short year that kind of ruined some
of his numbers. But it's hard for me to ignore
me asking Garrett Wilson about Jackson Smith and Jigbud and saying, yeah,
he's the best of all of us. So my number
(24:49):
nine player in the Ryan Day era, Jackson Smith and
Jigba who showed the world how good he was in
the Rose Bowl and didn't get it chance to do
that the following season, and that's truly unfortunate. But we
saw enough of him when we had an opportunity, and
then we continue to see more. Not that the NFL
(25:10):
matters in any of this, but he is. I still
go back to that the Nebraska game his true freshman
season every now and again I will retweet this because
it's video of him getting absolutely lit up by Nebraska
on the pass and the ball goes, you know, gets
knocked out, and you can see his eyes like following
(25:31):
the flight of the ball as he just got targeted,
like he's still focused on the ball, and it's like
that is the level of like concentration and ball awareness
that this guy has, and then like two plays later
is when he has the toe touch in the back
of the end zone and you see, like this guy
is different.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Now.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
He only had ten catches for forty nine yards and
twenty twenty but again, that was a rough year for everybody,
and then he came out the next year and lit
it up. And it's just unfortunate that we didn't get
to see him at full strength in twenty twenty one
because that would have been an incredible passing attack for
Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
Yeah, he was the number one wide receiver in terms
of yardage in a season in Ohio State history by
more than one hundred and fifty yards. He is, he
had sixteen hundred yards in that twenty twenty one season,
ninety five receptions, both of those are school records. Had
the incredible Rose Bowl, just absolutely insane Rose Bowl.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
He was just.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
An unbelievable, unbelievable player where it just sort of keeps
getting better. You go through the years with the Ohio
State wide receiver and it's like, man, you'll never see
another one as good as Chris Alave. Oh, You'll never
see another.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
One as good as Garrett Wilson.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Oh you'll never see another one as good as Jackson
Smith and jigbl Oh, you'll never see another one as
good as as Marvin Harrison Junior. I think we finally
hit the end of that cycle now where it's like, no,
you really really are never going to see another one
as good as Jackson as Jeremiah Smith. But yeah, I
have I could make a very good argument for any
of the three wide receivers here, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave,
(27:08):
Jackson Smith, and Jigba. Jackson Smith and Jigba had like
the one season where he just went absolutely Thermo nuclear
and that last you know, that twenty twenty two season
is just one of the great what ifs. You know,
you look at that Georgia game and it's like, well,
what if Jackson Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Was out there for Ohio State?
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Boy, that's how would Georgia have defended that?
Speaker 3 (27:26):
And the answer is, well, they wouldn't have, So that
would have you know that, you know, how great would C. J.
Stroud's numbers look at that point? But yeah, you had
that one that weird hit right out of bounds against
Notre Dame in the season opener, and the whole thing
just kind of what pear shape from that point.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
So yeah, I like that one. I think that's a that's.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
A very good, easily defensible choice there. I I started
this list with Garrett Wilson being my number one, right,
you know that the first wide receiver whose name I
wrote down on this list.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
I don't know if he's to make the list, because, man,
I look at Chris A.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Lave stats and it's you know, I think you're really
it's just it's just kind of take your pick here.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
But you look at Chris A. Lave stats for.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
His career at Ohio State, and he's right at the top.
He's fifth in career receiving yards twenty seven hundred and
eleven yards. You think of the big plays over the years,
starting with that twenty eighteen Michigan game with the true
freshman he scored a couple of touchdowns in the first
half as a receiver and also blocked the punt for
(28:30):
a touchdown, and just was just such an impactful player
over and over and over again. You mentioned the h
You mentioned the Chase Young two game suspension. That reminded
me why, for oh no reason whatsoever, of the incredible
on side kick that he recovered against.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Maryland in that game.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
That was that was just.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Incredible and just you go all the way through to
the end of his career and we're out at the
Rose Bowl at the end of the twenty twenty one
season and Garrett Wilson is opted out and you know,
you there, but Chris Alove is still out there practicing
with the team and he didn't play in the game,
but he's still out there practicing with the team, like
in uniform, and it like what is he doing? Like
we kept getting told like, no, he's not going to play.
(29:15):
You know, he's not gonna play, Like, well, why is
he practicing? He's like, well, he just wants to be
out there and and you know, just practice with the
team and get get it, get a few more days
of work in with his teammates, and uh, you know,
I you could you could tell me that you know
you want to you want to go with Garrett Wilton
instead of him, Fine, Like that's fine. You want to
tell me you want to put Caleb downs on this list.
(29:36):
I'm not going to fight John that like I had his.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Name written down.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
One other that I had written down that is.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
A little bit more of a soft factor thing. I
think we should have a little bit of a Donovan
Jackson conversation because Donovan Jackson is not you know, he's
not the top five NFL draft pick. He's not the
you know, first team All American. He doesn't have that Kyne.
He obviously didn't have the stats as an offensive lineman.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
But man, I.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
Don't think the twenty twenty four O High State football
team wins the national Championship if Donovan Jackson doesn't go
play left tackle and play left tackle the way that
Donovan Jackson played left tackle. So I don't know if
he was the greatest, but you know, if you want
to have a low key MVP, you know, designation and
have him on this as an honorable mention, I would
(30:26):
I would vote for that.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
That's a pretty good one. Like other names that didn't
make the list of Mecca Abuka, who has all kinds
of stats at Ohio State, I think even a guy
like Josh Myers or Pete Warner like those, those are
some of the guys. Because I put a list together,
like the top one hundred, and it's not in a
great order because I stopped after like thirty, because it's
just very jumbled but you know, like, and as I said,
(30:52):
Caleb Downs is just holding it. He'll be well. And
then to crack into this top ten, like what does
that take? Like that's that's not an easy thing to do,
you know. Trevon Henderson another guy that you know deserves
some some mention, But I think I'm okay with this ten.
(31:13):
Chris o'lave never, he's one of the rare, maybe the
only Ohio State Buckeye to never have eight thousand yard
receiving season and yet average over one hundred yards receiving
in the game, which he did in twenty twenty. All
he had seven hundred and some yards receiving in those games.
But there you go. The the top ten players in
the Ryan de Era number one, Chase Young, number two,
(31:34):
Jeremiah Smith, number three, Justin Fields, number four, C. J. Stroud,
number five, Marvin Harrison Junior, number six, Paris Johnson, number seven, JK. Dobbins,
number eight, Jeff Oakuda, number nine, Jackson Smith and Jigba
and number ten Chris o'lave. When you start talking it out,
you're like, well, how could you leave out Garrett Wilson?
How could you leave out this? And it's like well we.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Just did the other guys are good. Sorry it's not
my fold.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Send your letters to Tom or but let us know
how you thought this, how what's your top ten look like?
Going through it in the comments in the YouTube, or
just send time an email or hit us up on Twitter.
We always appreciate that. Hit the thumbs up if you're
watching on YouTube, give a five star writing and review.
If you're doing a podcast version of this, we would
appreciate it, and of course find us at Buckeheadle dot
com where we will be talking about this list. On
(32:26):
the buck iehad a message board presented by Jeffreyby's Columbus
So thank you for tuning in and we'll talk to
you guys later
Hello, everybody, Welcome to the Buckeye Weekly Podcast. I'm Tony
Gerdaman here as always with Tom or Tom.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
How's it going, Tony?
Speaker 3 (00:12):
You have absolutely tricked me, trapped me whatever you want
to say this show. You sent me a text like, oh,
I'd like to do a show on this. I'm like, oh, great,
this will be easy, Tony.
Speaker 4 (00:24):
You have to tell you.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
I wrote to inform you this was very much not
easy to narrow down the list of the ten best
players of.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
The Ryan Day era at Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
It's like, well, I mean, it's only been so many years,
how hard could it be? How many good players could
there be?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Tony?
Speaker 4 (00:39):
And it's like, boy, turns out the answer is a lot.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Turns out the answer is a lot, especially if it's
just a situation where the player only had to play
one year under Ryan Day as a head coach, so
like from twenty nineteen to twenty twenty four. These are
the players and they could have been anywhere in there.
And so that's we're picking from, and we're gonna go
back and forth. I'll start with the number one, then
Tom will go to number two, and then we'll talk
(01:05):
it out because there are gonna be some names on
here that don't make the list, and I'm interested to
see how our two lists after the fact compare, because
I feel like I'm right about mine, but as always
with the show, I'm willing to be wrong. Now, I
don't know that you can be right in the precise order.
I'm just interested to see how close we agree. But
(01:27):
my number one player here tom of the Ryan Day
era is Chase Young. Now, he only played one year
under the Ryan Day head coach, not counting the three
and twenty eighteen, but he was the most impactful, most
dominating player that I saw since Brian Day came aboard,
(01:50):
and it was it was a joy to watch him.
Offenses had a game plan around him and sometimes it
still didn't work. So that was my number one.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
That would have been my number one as well. He
just was such a just incredibly dominant defensive player. I
grew up watching the New York Giants during the nineteen
eighties and it was a little like watching LTLT was
sort of an outside linebacker, so not exactly the same role,
but man, it was you kind of got the same vibe.
(02:20):
It was just you could just see the opposing offense
just going Okay, where is he?
Speaker 4 (02:25):
Okay? You would there were plays where you saw three.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Guys blocking him and that you don't see that. And
he was such a dominant player. He had a game
with four sacks against I think Wisconsin at one point.
And you know, Wisconsin's a school that's known for Hey
what is Wisconsin known for?
Speaker 1 (02:42):
There?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Known for having a really good offensive.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Line, and they're not against Chase Young. You don't and yeah,
he's he. I think was was very clearly the number
one to me, even with all the other stuff, just
because you saw it on the field, You saw it
in terms of stats, you saw it in terms of
where he went in the NFL draft, Like everything to
me says yes, Jay Shung is number one.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Yeah, sixteen and a half sacks, twenty one tackles for
lost in twelve games. I remember he missed a couple
of games in there for NCAA reasons. So now, Tom
the list I think truly begins. Who is the second
greatest player in the history of the Ryan Day era?
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Can I just completely derail us by going so far
off the reservation that you will either agree or call
me an absolutely crazy lunatic who needs to be locked
up for his own good and for the good of society.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Sounds good to me.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Good. Okay, so Tony, I have another.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Player who's only played one year under Ryan Day. Was
it twenty nineteen? No, was it twenty twenty four? It
sure was Tony. Every time we talk about Jeremiah Smith,
I feel like we keep talking about him like, yeah,
he's a really good player, and it's like, I don't
really don't think people understand how great Jeremiah Smith was
(04:03):
in just his first year. This started when I was
just trying to sort of rank the wide receivers and.
Speaker 4 (04:10):
I had one name in my head. I'm like, well,
he's got to be on the list.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
And I looked and that guy was like fifth among
this period of wide receivers in terms of total receiving yards.
We got, well, I don't know if that's gonna work.
And then I just I was looking at the list
of the guys that we were talking about, and it's,
you know, the other wide receivers from this era, from
the Brian Hartline era, Marvin Harrison Junior and Chris Olave
(04:34):
and Jackson Smith and Jigba and Garrett Wilson and Jamison Williams,
all these guys were number one draft picks. This was
a stat that came up on a morning show somewhat recently.
Jeremiah Smith's freshman year was virtually equal to the other
whatever that was five or six guys combined as true freshmen.
Like it's not even it's not even close. Like these
(04:58):
guys are so great, all of them, and you could
hear any of their names on this show and I'd
kind of go, yeah, fine, absolutely one of the ten
greatest players. And Jeremiah Smith has lapped them so many
times it's like, you know, it's like one of those cars.
It's like, you know, you're you're a go kart and
you're like you can't see her and you're stuck on
the wall and people are just zipping around behind you.
(05:18):
That's Jeremiah Smith lapping all these other guys who are
in this conversation. So, yes, it's absolutely ridiculous to have
him in this conversation. Yes, I would love to see
what he's going to do the next two years. At
this point, I almost don't care that freshman season. Even
if that was a you know, a senior season, that
would have been like wow. As a true freshman season,
(05:38):
that was so much greater than anyone else. That's in
the conversation that he's number two.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
To me, well, maybe we'll eventually do a show of
the top ten players of the Jim Tressel era because
we're Maurice Clarett being there. He played one year, but yeah,
I also had Jeremiah Smith number two, so we if
we two derailings makes a railing, I think is the
term there. But watching him, just going back to last spring,
(06:04):
Tom went the last last spring, like his first spring,
when he was just putting on a show and like
you almost have like a play, you know, like applause
and from the people watching when there are students there,
where there's parents and coaches there, Like every time he
put on a show in the spring, and you're like,
we need to readjust all of our expectations because we
(06:25):
were trying to be conservative. And then you watch him
in spring, You're like, that ain't gonna work because this
dude is he's different than everybody, and he was putting
on a show constantly, and then he goes goes out
and of course drops his first pass, but whatever, he
made up for it. Seventy six catches, thirteen hundred and
fifteen yards, fifteen touchdowns, six rushes forty seven yards another
(06:48):
touchdown there. I this, I don't know that this is
a controversial pick. It's it's projection a little, but not
much because what he did was so good. I mean,
if if we're gonna allow Chase Young one year, no
reason we can't allow Jeremiah Smith based on his one year.
Now if he goes out the next two years and
has thirty six catches, you're like, well, we can reassess.
(07:12):
But right now, yeah, he's my number two as well.
Speaker 4 (07:15):
So now now.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Maybe the list truly begins with my number three player
overall of the Ryan Day era, and at his quarterback,
Justin Fields. And see this is one where there's some
good quarterbacks to choose from. But Justin Fields was two
and oh as a starter against Michigan. That's where he
(07:38):
gets the nod over CJ. Stroud in my mind. But
was also really freaking good. Three for thirty two hundred
and seventy three yards and forty one touchdowns, three interceptions
that the first year. And I remember that first year.
We're talking. We're trying to like again, maybe we're idiots
trying to be conservative, Like, hey, there's gonna be some
bad games here, you know, he might, you know, like
especially coming off of the spring game where he's like
(07:59):
three or fourteen, you know that, don't expect Dwayne Haskin
type numbers. Don't expect seventy five percent completion percentage. Then
he goes out and has a really good year, plays injured,
is tough, and then the next year saves the sport
of college football all by his you know, lonesome with
the with what he was doing. And so he is
(08:19):
my number three player. I think there's an argument that
he is. He's one of the best O High state
football players of all time. I don't know where where
you put him, but man, give me that guy every year,
and I'm gonna like my chances.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Yeah, I had him number three as well, and you know,
you can look at the stats and there's certainly an
argument for CJ.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Stroud in this spot.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
You you know, the.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
The record against Michigan is such a fraught conversation given
some of the gestures vaguely that may have been happening
during CJ. Stroud's two years as the starting quarterback.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
And I feel like the.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Conversation if the defense plays a little better, or Marvin
Harrison doesn't get knocked out against the against Georgia and
the Peach Bowl.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
The CJ.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Stroud conversation is, you know C Straud's probably ahead of
Justin Field's and is that.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
Fair to c J. Stroud? No, absolutely it is not.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
But I think you just you're you're going based off
of the results, and the results are that Justin Field
beat Michigan, twic Well, beat Michigan in every opportunity that
he was given to, right, Yeah, I think I said, yeah, well, correct,
we were all there or weren't there as the case
maybe two Big Ten championships, and you know again that
(09:35):
that the Fiesta Bol against Clemson was you know, he
threw the interception at the end that wasn't really on him.
There were plenty of opportunities. That's the game they should
have won, almost.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
One didn't quite win.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
But yeah, I have I would have Justin Fields here
just because just on the whole, what he meant to
the program, what he did on the field, the results
that you saw, I think he's a pretty good number three. Now, boy,
there's there's a couple different thing, couple different directions I
could go here.
Speaker 4 (10:08):
There's a guy I.
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Could say fourth here, and there's a guy and I
could also see him not being on the list, but
we'll save him for later.
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Let's just do CJ. Stroud right here, because c J Stroud, you.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Know, I think the stats just the overall, you know,
go back to the Rose Bowl against Utah and you
know the numbers that he put up in that game,
and just the first half of that Michigan State game
in twenty twenty one, what that looked like. And you know,
even the Georgia game in twenty twenty two, no one,
no one did that to Georgie's, to Georgia's defense, and
(10:42):
you know, this is a Kirby Smart defense and it's
an s CC defense, and they're tough, and they.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
He just lit them on fire.
Speaker 3 (10:48):
And you know, in that game, one of the last
things she saw c J. Stroud do was something you
never saw c J. Stroud do, which was run. He
had what a twenty five issuer run to get them
into field goal range and then they probably played it
a little too conservatively after that and ended up missing
the kick. But you know, he did everything he could
(11:09):
do to win that game. And boy, if they win
that game, if that kick goes in if they get them,
if they get you know, a ruggle ten yards closer
and that kick goes in, then they almost certainly beat
TCU this in in the National Championship Game and cgs strout.
The legacy at Ohio State is very different. And you know,
you look at where he got drafted in the NFL,
(11:31):
and you look at how his NFL career has gone,
and it's you know, the talent is just so obvious
right there. And I think, you know, given some of
what we have learned in retrospect about the Michigan games,
that that cost him a lot of his legacy during
his time at Ohio State. I think, you know, this
is this is probably a career that's worth revisiting to
(11:52):
a certain degree.
Speaker 2 (11:53):
But you know, even.
Speaker 3 (11:54):
Before you get to that, just the numbers to play,
everything was just he was just so great, right.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
I have an issue here where it's like he is.
I think he's the best quarterback to ever play at
Ohio State, just like I feel like Sean Springs, I
think is a better cornerback than Antoine Winfield. But if
you want me to choose one or the other, I'd
say Antoine Winfield is arguably the best player and defensive
player in Ohio State history. So it's like, I think
Justin Field's maybe a better offensive player, but c J.
(12:22):
Stroud as a quarterback, the accuracy that the time. I mean,
he was also tough. Let's not you know, let's not
kid ourselves like he would. He got beat up a lot,
and then he just kept coming back. And I know
people wanted him to run more and that was always
a complaint, but there's never been a better thrower at
Ohio State than c J.
Speaker 4 (12:41):
Stroud.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
So I'm with you there as well. The first four
we agree on, and now Tom, now the list truly begins.
Is it your turn?
Speaker 4 (12:55):
No, it's your turn.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
So this is number five. This is number five.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
This is a guy who.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Was arguably one of the greatest of all time until
he was bypassed last year. Number five. Marvin Harrison, junior
wide receiver Ohio State, who before there was Jeremiah Smith,
there was Marvin Harrison for two years putting on a show,
a guy that he needed to bracket and would make
(13:27):
ridiculous catches on the sidelines and we'd chuckle up in
the press box about how is that even possible? And
we'd make bold predictions about him, and then it's like,
well is that bold enough? Well, probably not, so you
got to add something else to him. But Marvin Harrison walked,
so Jeremiah Smith could run something to that effect. But yeah,
I have Marvin Harrison number five, the fifth greatest Ohio
(13:49):
state bucke have all time behind of the rhyin DA era.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Yeah, I like this one.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
And I have four wide receivers Jeremiah Smith listed by himself,
and then I hit four other wide receivers listed here
as name slash, name slash, name slash, and it's just
kind of like what order do you want to pick
these guys in? So, yeah, Marvin Harrison, I think is
a very good argument for the greatest who's not named
Jeremiah Smith of the Ryan Day era. He was, you know,
(14:17):
he was the standard bearer where you saw, you know,
you saw Garrett Wilson, and you saw Chris Olave, and
you saw Jackson Smith and Jigba sort of succeed them
and it was like, wow, I can't believe the stuff
that he's doing. And then you saw Marvin Harrison succeed
Jackson Smith and Jigbad's like wow, I can't believe the
stuff he's doing. And yeah, Jackson Spith, the JIGBA might
(14:38):
be higher on this list had he had a final
season like you thought he was going to.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
You know, the the twenty twenty two Jackson Smith.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
And Jigba season is going to be one of the
great what ifs of Ohio State football history, I think.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
But yeah, with what we with what we know, I
have no issue.
Speaker 2 (14:56):
With Marvin Harrison Junior being here.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
Yeah, he's He's one of those guys.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
You know, when jack when Jeremi Smith showed up, we
were saying, it's not fair to say he's going to
be the next Marvin Harrison Jr. There is not going
to be a next Jeremi Smith. I'm just going to
say that right now, like period, full stop. There is
don't don't say the next Jeremiz Smith not happening.
Speaker 4 (15:17):
That's okay.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
Marvin Harrison Junior is of the you know, non complete
alien wide receivers, and he was sort of an alien
in and of himself just the stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
Is able to do.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Yeah, the stuff he was able to do. You know.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
He he came to Ohio State as the son of
an NFL Hall of Famer and it's like, well, boy,
that's going to be impossible to live up to and
just was just an incredible player, absolutely lived up to
the standard of his dad. I think probably exceeded his
dad's college stats.
Speaker 4 (15:45):
I would guess.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
So that going back and looking and you know has
now gone on and is planning for the Cardinals in
the NFL. But yeah, I think this is a great
this is a great pick here. So all right now
I'm going to decide if a to go back to
the guy who was about to mention before or someone else,
you know what I'm going with Paris Johnson.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Okay, I think we got to think we've.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Got to show the big fellows some love. And he
was someone who came in as a true freshman five star.
You know, we're talking about the next you don't want
to say the next. I had a picture of Paris
Johnson in one of his recruiting visits walking down the
tunnel with Orlando Pace, and I remember saying to you, like, well,
this is going to get used you irresponsibly a bunch.
And he wasn't Orlando Pace because no one's Orlando pays.
(16:31):
But you know, instead of being a first year starter
on day one and going number one in the draft.
He was a first year starter towards the end of
the season in the College Football Playoff and went number
three in the draft. And you know, you can you
can be not the next Orlando Pace and still be
an incredible player.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
He stepped in. He played where they needed him to play.
He was a guard.
Speaker 3 (16:52):
He didn't you didn't start at tackle until his third year.
He didn't wun the left tackle of the team until
his third year. But then was great there as well.
You know, this is one where you don't have the
numbers to put on it like you do where you
can just say, like here's Jeremai Smith's stat's, like, wow,
look at these numbers. But man, he just he came
in with some probably a little bit unfair expectations, contributed
(17:15):
early starred late went on, you know, and went on
to to, you know, be a top five I was
thinking number three, I think pick by the Cardinals in
the NFL draft. So yeah, that one is that's one
that I think you have to you have to have
an offensive lineman on this team, and I think he's
an easy pick for.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
That, the number six pick overall. Just looking at his
Wikipedia page, but again, what would he have done as
a freshman if twenty twenty wasn't COVID season, because that
was his freshman year. So what do you have eventually
broken into the lineup and Ben an everyday kind of guy,
but second team All Big Ten as a right guard
as a sophomore, first team All Big Ten con sets
(17:55):
us All American as a left tackle. He is still
the guy that I point you when people think you
need to pay an offensive line recruit two million dollars,
you know, two million dollars or whatever to get them
to sign, and it's like you got one year of
starting left tackle out of Paris Johnson, who was a
five star Ohio offensive tackle recruit, and you only got
(18:16):
one year of him there. But again there was the
COVID shorten year. And then also he not saying he
was he wasn't wasted at right guard. But sometimes just
the rest of the lineup has to allow this guy
to play left tackle, because I have no doubt he
could have played left tackle as a sophomore, probably could
have done what Jordan Seaton did last year at Colorado.
(18:38):
When you're the most talented of the guys. He had
to go ahead and go out there and learn how
to swim out there. So I actually had him as
my number seven right behind my number six player, who
now becomes our number seven player because Tom picked these
guys out of order. JK.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Dobbins.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
JK Dobbins only one year under Ryan Day, but it
was the best year in the Ohio State running back
history two thousand and three yards. Getting injured in the
Clemson game probably cost them or certain probably so many
things probably cost Ohio State in that game in twenty twenty.
So he was seventeen, Yeah, that was the nineteen season. Sorry, yeah,
(19:24):
but him getting injured in that in that game in
the nineteen season cost them. But when he was he
was incredible as as a junior after he figured out
the issues going on as a sophomore where he had
the slump with him him and Mike Wepper, but outstanding
as a freshman, like fourteen hundred and three yards right
(19:45):
out of the gate in twenty seventeen. But that twenty
nineteen season where he was also a tremendous pass catcher,
was everything that was promised when he was, you know,
one of the top running backs in the nation and
you're never I don't think you'll ever see another two
thousand yard rushier at Ohio States. It probably takes sixteen
or seventeen games to get it done.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
Though.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Yeah, he was the guy I had earlier and thought
I could say him fourth or I could see.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Him going a little later.
Speaker 3 (20:13):
He's The numbers he put up are just like, as
you said, just completely ridiculous compared to what you've seen
since then. Two thousand and three yards, three hundred and
one rushing attempts, twenty one touchdowns. That was basically Travon
Henderson plush queen Shawn Judkins from twenty twenty four, and
it was just one dude doing it all and that
(20:36):
he was just such an incredible player that year, and
it really that was a year that kind of came
out of nowhere because he really did have a he
had a good freshman year and a little of a
step back as a sophomore, and it was like, well,
you know, I guess we'll see what he does in
his final year. And I just remember him talking about, yeah,
just the changes that he had made and really focusing
(20:57):
going into that final.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
Year, and man, oh man, there.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Was no question about whether he had really done that,
because it was just it was a different dude, and
he's had injuries in the NFL that have probably limited
him to a certain degree. But yeah, that that year,
unquestionably he belongs on this list. So yeah, he's he's
a good one and maybe.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
One we should have said a little earlier.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
I feel like we have to have another defensive player
on this list, Tony, And to me, I mean, there's
there's a lot of guys you could you could name here,
but I look at Jeff Okudah and his career at
Ohio State. I mean, they've had a lot of good
corners over the years. Jeff Okudah, he did go number three.
I did double check that I was right on this one.
He's went number three in the NFL drop.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
But man, he on that twenty nineteen team.
Speaker 3 (21:43):
There were a couple things where, you know, Jeff Haffley
left after one year and you could kind of, you know,
it was like, well, it's probably not gonna be this
good next year because you don't have a Chase Young,
you don't have a Jeff Okudah man.
Speaker 4 (21:54):
Oh Man.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Jeff Ocudah just locked down his half of the field,
just was just very reliable, always there, just great, great
dude like just but just did everything they needed him
to do that year. That twenty nineteen Ohio State team,
I think is going to go down in history is
one of the more underappreciated ones because they were so
(22:16):
great in so many areas and they just, you know,
they just fell just that much short. Because in that
Fiesta Bowl, that one is always going to be one
of the great what ifs, because like you said, there
are probably ten different things that if this one thing
doesn't happen, and you know JK.
Speaker 4 (22:32):
Dobbins twisting his ankle.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
Or or boy if they just if they just score
one touchdown in that first half and they stopped kicking
the field goals in the first half, or you know,
Chris Alve doesn't break off his route. I mean, there's
just so many different things in that game. And would
they have beaten that LSU team in the national championship
game in New Orleans, I don't know. I think they
would have given him a better game than Clemson did.
(22:56):
And that's a year where I think the three top
teams and year probably win the national championship in several
seasons since then. That was just a very v that
was a dominant just an incredible team which had the
great misfortune of playing in a year where there were
probably two other dominant, incredible teams, and so they probably
they fell short of where they would have an in
(23:17):
normal year. But Jeff Okuda, I think was a big
part of.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
That that That's one of the one matchups that I wish,
wish wish we could have seen twenty nineteen LSU offense
versus twenty nineteen Ohio State defense, because I think if
any defense in the nation was equipped to keep LSU
under forty points, it was it was the Ohio State defense.
(23:42):
I had a difficult decision because I had him just
outside of my top ten and he's just like holding
the spot at eleven until Caleb Downs takes it with
one more year. So Chase Young is the only defensive
guy on of my top ten because we got to
(24:04):
get to the rest of the wide receivers basically, and
so then it's like, we've got two spots left, and
I'm going with my last guy on this list, and
you could put any guy here. What I keep going
back to is I think I think Garrett Wilson is
one of the most underrated players in Ohio State history.
(24:25):
Like he's better than he was able to show, even
though he showed how good he was, Like he also
had the COVID short year that kind of ruined some
of his numbers. But it's hard for me to ignore
me asking Garrett Wilson about Jackson Smith and Jigbud and saying, yeah,
he's the best of all of us. So my number
(24:49):
nine player in the Ryan Day era, Jackson Smith and
Jigba who showed the world how good he was in
the Rose Bowl and didn't get it chance to do
that the following season, and that's truly unfortunate. But we
saw enough of him when we had an opportunity, and
then we continue to see more. Not that the NFL
(25:10):
matters in any of this, but he is. I still
go back to that the Nebraska game his true freshman
season every now and again I will retweet this because
it's video of him getting absolutely lit up by Nebraska
on the pass and the ball goes, you know, gets
knocked out, and you can see his eyes like following
(25:31):
the flight of the ball as he just got targeted,
like he's still focused on the ball, and it's like
that is the level of like concentration and ball awareness
that this guy has, and then like two plays later
is when he has the toe touch in the back
of the end zone and you see, like this guy
is different.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
Now.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
He only had ten catches for forty nine yards and
twenty twenty but again, that was a rough year for everybody,
and then he came out the next year and lit
it up. And it's just unfortunate that we didn't get
to see him at full strength in twenty twenty one
because that would have been an incredible passing attack for
Ohio State.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
Yeah, he was the number one wide receiver in terms
of yardage in a season in Ohio State history by
more than one hundred and fifty yards. He is, he
had sixteen hundred yards in that twenty twenty one season,
ninety five receptions, both of those are school records. Had
the incredible Rose Bowl, just absolutely insane Rose Bowl.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
He was just.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
An unbelievable, unbelievable player where it just sort of keeps
getting better. You go through the years with the Ohio
State wide receiver and it's like, man, you'll never see
another one as good as Chris Alave. Oh, You'll never
see another.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
One as good as Garrett Wilson.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Oh you'll never see another one as good as Jackson
Smith and jigbl Oh, you'll never see another one as
good as as Marvin Harrison Junior. I think we finally
hit the end of that cycle now where it's like, no,
you really really are never going to see another one
as good as Jackson as Jeremiah Smith. But yeah, I
have I could make a very good argument for any
of the three wide receivers here, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave,
(27:08):
Jackson Smith, and Jigba. Jackson Smith and Jigba had like
the one season where he just went absolutely Thermo nuclear
and that last you know, that twenty twenty two season
is just one of the great what ifs. You know,
you look at that Georgia game and it's like, well,
what if Jackson Smith and Jigba.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Was out there for Ohio State?
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Boy, that's how would Georgia have defended that?
Speaker 3 (27:26):
And the answer is, well, they wouldn't have, So that
would have you know that, you know, how great would C. J.
Stroud's numbers look at that point? But yeah, you had
that one that weird hit right out of bounds against
Notre Dame in the season opener, and the whole thing
just kind of what pear shape from that point.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
So yeah, I like that one. I think that's a that's.
Speaker 3 (27:45):
A very good, easily defensible choice there. I I started
this list with Garrett Wilson being my number one, right,
you know that the first wide receiver whose name I
wrote down on this list.
Speaker 4 (27:59):
I don't know if he's to make the list, because, man,
I look at Chris A.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Lave stats and it's you know, I think you're really
it's just it's just kind of take your pick here.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
But you look at Chris A. Lave stats for.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
His career at Ohio State, and he's right at the top.
He's fifth in career receiving yards twenty seven hundred and
eleven yards. You think of the big plays over the years,
starting with that twenty eighteen Michigan game with the true
freshman he scored a couple of touchdowns in the first
half as a receiver and also blocked the punt for
(28:30):
a touchdown, and just was just such an impactful player
over and over and over again. You mentioned the h
You mentioned the Chase Young two game suspension. That reminded
me why, for oh no reason whatsoever, of the incredible
on side kick that he recovered against.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Maryland in that game.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
That was that was just.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Incredible and just you go all the way through to
the end of his career and we're out at the
Rose Bowl at the end of the twenty twenty one
season and Garrett Wilson is opted out and you know,
you there, but Chris Alove is still out there practicing
with the team and he didn't play in the game,
but he's still out there practicing with the team, like
in uniform, and it like what is he doing? Like
we kept getting told like, no, he's not going to play.
(29:15):
You know, he's not gonna play, Like, well, why is
he practicing? He's like, well, he just wants to be
out there and and you know, just practice with the
team and get get it, get a few more days
of work in with his teammates, and uh, you know,
I you could you could tell me that you know
you want to you want to go with Garrett Wilton
instead of him, Fine, Like that's fine. You want to
tell me you want to put Caleb downs on this list.
(29:36):
I'm not going to fight John that like I had his.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Name written down.
Speaker 4 (29:40):
One other that I had written down that is.
Speaker 3 (29:43):
A little bit more of a soft factor thing. I
think we should have a little bit of a Donovan
Jackson conversation because Donovan Jackson is not you know, he's
not the top five NFL draft pick. He's not the
you know, first team All American. He doesn't have that Kyne.
He obviously didn't have the stats as an offensive lineman.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
But man, I.
Speaker 3 (30:05):
Don't think the twenty twenty four O High State football
team wins the national Championship if Donovan Jackson doesn't go
play left tackle and play left tackle the way that
Donovan Jackson played left tackle. So I don't know if
he was the greatest, but you know, if you want
to have a low key MVP, you know, designation and
have him on this as an honorable mention, I would
(30:26):
I would vote for that.
Speaker 1 (30:28):
That's a pretty good one. Like other names that didn't
make the list of Mecca Abuka, who has all kinds
of stats at Ohio State, I think even a guy
like Josh Myers or Pete Warner like those, those are
some of the guys. Because I put a list together,
like the top one hundred, and it's not in a
great order because I stopped after like thirty, because it's
just very jumbled but you know, like, and as I said,
(30:52):
Caleb Downs is just holding it. He'll be well. And
then to crack into this top ten, like what does
that take? Like that's that's not an easy thing to do,
you know. Trevon Henderson another guy that you know deserves
some some mention, But I think I'm okay with this ten.
(31:13):
Chris o'lave never, he's one of the rare, maybe the
only Ohio State Buckeye to never have eight thousand yard
receiving season and yet average over one hundred yards receiving
in the game, which he did in twenty twenty. All
he had seven hundred and some yards receiving in those games.
But there you go. The the top ten players in
the Ryan de Era number one, Chase Young, number two,
(31:34):
Jeremiah Smith, number three, Justin Fields, number four, C. J. Stroud,
number five, Marvin Harrison Junior, number six, Paris Johnson, number seven, JK. Dobbins,
number eight, Jeff Oakuda, number nine, Jackson Smith and Jigba
and number ten Chris o'lave. When you start talking it out,
you're like, well, how could you leave out Garrett Wilson?
How could you leave out this? And it's like well we.
Speaker 4 (31:57):
Just did the other guys are good. Sorry it's not
my fold.
Speaker 1 (32:04):
Send your letters to Tom or but let us know
how you thought this, how what's your top ten look like?
Going through it in the comments in the YouTube, or
just send time an email or hit us up on Twitter.
We always appreciate that. Hit the thumbs up if you're
watching on YouTube, give a five star writing and review.
If you're doing a podcast version of this, we would
appreciate it, and of course find us at Buckeheadle dot
com where we will be talking about this list. On
(32:26):
the buck iehad a message board presented by Jeffreyby's Columbus
So thank you for tuning in and we'll talk to
you guys later
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.