Right now NIL is just a euphemism for salary negotiation. The fact that the HCs have to somehow navigate this insanity is nuts. Overnight, coaching in the NFL has become far preferable to coaching in Div 1 college. At least the NFL has some kind of structure to Free Agency Transfer Portal and compensation NIL  money issues. 

Re Weiss, I'm really curious as to what he was doing. Even the dumbest dolt has to know that hacking emails at the university where you work is risky business. Why would he do that? It would be hard to adjust grades that way. Students don't communicate with each other by email so that doesn't wash. He wasn't spying on players private info, is what I mean. Was he going into accounts to scrub things out that he didn't want to see the light of day? Was he trying to get a read on administrative decisions? It's strange that scUM did not support him at all. Never said a word, really. He kind of did a lot for that program and now it's, like, 'who? Weiss? I don't recall any Weiss". 

Those who stay will become scUMbags.

Hell no. Get fields an O-line and better receivers.

It's the chance to be in those killer Heisman House commercials that will tip the scales here. That Nissan shit is GOLD. 

He's not coming back people. He doesn't have anything left to prove after that Georgia game.

Have a great time in Southern California, Jarrett. Especially enjoy watching your defense get torched in big games such that, no matter how well you play or how many points the offense puts up your opponent will put up at least one more point. And you'll never win the conference. And you'll never even smell the CFP. But, really, sincerely, enjoy the Cali sunshine, Jarrett. Eat fresh.

Also logged on to down vote you, Hoody. 

Au revoir, Reeeckie Beaubie.

If those three guys come back that's Monster Huge. Go Bucks.

Nothing against Knowles or our players who were playing in their third different scheme in three years. Still, I'd be interested to know how common the 4:2:5 is at the premier high schools and academies that the top Div 1 programs recruit from. We tried to run it at our HSchool and it was a disaster. It seemed to confuse other teams but they just torched us anyway. What do I know but I think if you're going to make this your base defense you need to be able to revert or convert to a standard 4:3:4  and play Cover 2 or Quarters when you get in games where you don't match up at the corners. That's a big ask of players right out of high school. Which leaves the transfer portal where it should be not to hard to find safeties but maybe really difficult to lure corners and linebackers to a 4:2:5 system. The "Mad Scientist" handle has always made me nervous. That just seems like it translates to complex assignments that are prone to coverage breakdowns or somebody not getting the memo and setting the edge. Just couch coaching here so take it with a grain of salt. 

Kyson, it's 'chickens come home to roost". But Jimi Kax doesn't eat chicken 'cause it's a scared bird. So, in a way, you nailed it. Sort of.

Truth

Up vote that twenty times. I played Safety (poorly) and our corners were taught to read the hands, the stride, the eyes then attack the arms, hands and ball.

THIS^^^^.

And Cornholio's comment about the limited role Corners have in Knowles defense.

We will struggle to recruit top flight corners out of HS. We will have to develop the ones we get. Hope we have a DB coach who can do that. 

Transfer Portal Giveth, Transfer Portal Taketh Away.

Out Honer defend we will fight to the end for O-hi-o. GO BUCKS.

Meh.

Until we fix our own problems we should stop getting all giddy about the potential problems others have. And we have problems. We are still recruiting at a high level but with our late season woes, due almost exclusively to coaching errors, and NIL (who said "jar of coins"? That was a good one) we are treading on thin ice. 

Go Bucks. Men of the Scarlet and Grey!

Noted genius Desmond?

Incredibly proud of the players who balled out on  both sides of the ball. CJ Stroud had the game of his life. Marvin Harrison was a killing machine until they cheap-shotted him outside of the field of play and got away with it. That was a different Ryan Day out there, jacked out of his mind and making a lot of great calls. I love the Buckeyes no matter what but this:

The defense did not get fixed this year. You can point the finger at a player here or a player there who made this or that mistake but the system, the 4:2:5, doesn't really work against top level teams. Instead of a slot corner you have a cover safety and that's not the same thing. It asks too much of the corners and it puts the 2 LBs in difficult straits too many times. Hence the big plays. It's a gambling defense that works in the Big12 where most games come down to shoot outs and defense is optional. It will be hard to win a Natty with this scheme. Everything needs to line up. 4 guys up front that can get pressure without blitzing and are good at stopping the run. Lock down corners on both sides. Fast, disciplined and big safeties that can blitz and get home but also cover wide receivers and TEs that play like wide receivers. It's gimmicky and a good coaching staff will find a way to beat it every time. Maybe not in the first half but before the game is over. 

I have a sinking feeling about where our defense is headed with Jim Knowles. I'm proud of my Buckeyes but feel awful for them because they had that game. They so HAD THAT GAME. 

We will cheer you wherever you go.

These are our young men who have played their guts out all season, many through painful injuries. They have stuck together and kept the faith. I have no idea how this game will play out and neither does anyone else. But whatever the outcome, these are, first, last and always our Ohio State Buckeyes. Let them get through this game healthy and victorious. Let us stand by them and stand up for them whatever the outcome. 

Men of the Scarlet and Grey, we will cheer you wherever you go. 

Go Bucks.

What the hell happened to Dallan Hayden? He's the forgotten Buckeye in a RB room of 3 with one who is "under the weather". 

The Wishbone without a running QB is a wish to get boned.

I've got a good feeling about this game. The guys played super tight against scUM and I think the coaches overcompensated for last year. scUM hit some big plays and we didn't answer. But I don't think I saw us getting pushed around. I didn't see us getting dominated physically. And I saw guys balling out until those last big runs which sucked the air out of the stadium. When that happened they were just demoralized and kind of broken psychologically. It happens. 

This game has a 2002 Miami Hurricanes, 2014 Alabama vibe to it. 

Our guys are salty after listening to people talk shit about them non-stop since the Meechy game. They're going to win this one but it will be a barn-burner.

Ohio Against the World.

GO BUCKEYES! We will cheer you wherever you go.

If the coaching staff cares at all about Trey Henderson's career going forward they don't put him on the field. Those kinds of injuries don't heal that fast and it they don't heal correctly they can snuff a promising career. We have two, maybe three healthy running backs. They are not going to win the game for us. Georgia is very good at stopping the run. That doesn't mean we can't keep them honest by running north-south, counter and  inside zone. What will win this game is a different approach on defense, better eye discipline, maybe less leaving the corners on islands, more 3 linebacker sets with zone behind. And on offense more creativity, get the ball to the playmakers and take what Georgia gives you, including green grass for CJ to run through even if your pocket is clean. If we don't do that on offense they will sit back with two high safeties in zone and blitz all day. There is no way Georgia is going to waste a guy spying a QB who never pulls it down and runs. CJ, love the guy. But he hasn't beaten Meechy, he's been to New York twice and hasn't won the Heisman. If he wants to be remembered as a college football player he needs to sell out, body and soul, put the team on his shoulders and win this game. 

College football awards have been a joke for a while. The recency bias and hypocrisy are off the charts. The Heisman is the worst of them all. "Awarded each year to the best player in College Football". Where 'College Football' has evolved into a mercenary follow the  money pursuit. Coaches follow the money. The players follow the coaches through their transfer portal. But also they have started to follow the NIL money. Then a bunch of voters get together and decide who the best one was that year. What a joke. 

Go BUCKS.

I see your point, 'Tron, but what about when the team you love is getting truck-dragged by a team that you KNOW bought a bunch of 5 stars and transfers that your team can't compete with? I don't really get that much out of watching games when I don't care who wins. But that's just me. I'm not a sportscaster.

Money changes everything. Its corrupting influence cannot be avoided once enough of it starts washing around. College Football is eating itself alive. First with the giant TV contracts that make the games really long and difficult to watch as the networks demand their advertising time to make back their investment. And now NIL, which started out as an 'innocent' way for the players to be compensated for the use of their name, image or likeness and, in the blink of an eye, has morphed into straight Pay for Play. This will force a lot of programs to close down. It detracts from the whole spirit of College Football. I had stopped watching the pros but, now? It's actually more palatable. As for 'Joe Fan' kicking in 50 bucks a season or whatever, seriously, who would do that? The player you are 'buying' might well end up in the portal in a year and you're out your 50 bucks. 

BTW, tell me what Denzel Burke has done, on the field, this year that justifies giving him a Lamborghini to drive around in, even if it is a loaner. Tell me one thing he has done that would prompt me to say, 'get that young man in a Lamborghini'. You can't, so don't even try. 

So well said. Your last two points are way out ahead of where things are now but, in my opinion, they are spot on.