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Hey Buckeye fans, it’s Nick again. That was a packed week for Ohio State: spring practice started, Julian Sayin grew a mustache, assistant coach salaries were announced, and a new university president was hired. Bill and Doug were busy covering everything noteworthy from the past week.

With so much exciting content, consider this newsletter your guide to help you keep up with all the great articles and podcasts Bill and Doug put out last week. We got lots of good information from the two practices Bill and Doug watched and the press conferences afterward. Also, karma came for Doug after his ignorant take on Marty Supreme. There were a surprising number of Timothée Chalamet mentions, which begs the question: will Doug ever give it a second chance with an open mind?

Another highlight of the week came at the end of Around the Shoe: Doug passionately encourages us to appreciate Jeremiah Smith and his talent while we have it. It helped me realize that Smith is the type of player I may be telling my kids about someday. It was a good reminder that as tempting as it is to focus on Legend Bey and other up-and-coming talent, I need to appreciate the last season of Jeremiah Smith as a Buckeye.

My article pick this week

This is an awesome article from Bill. He evaluates nearly the entire roster one by one, breaking down where each player stands heading into this season. Whether you go through each player or skip around to your favorites, this is definitely worth a read.

My podcast pick this week

Let It Rip Buckeyes, Ohio State more NFL than ever, Matty P gets paid, and Whatcha on movie watching and more (Subscriber only)

This week’s Wednesday podcast is great! Bill and Doug talk about the salaries of Ohio State assistant coaches and how that affects expectations for this team. Doug also shares his theory about the Buckeyes letting it rip more on offense and defense this year. Then the guys do Whatcha, including Bill’s first experience at Texas Roadhouse and the subscriber survey results about going to the movies.

Other podcasts this week

• Behind Jeremiah Smith, who will be Ohio State’s second-best player in 2026? Bill and Doug look back at some of their previous Top 22 Buckeyes lists and discuss who they think will be No. 2—after Jeremiah Smith, of course—at the end of the 2026 season. Personally, I wouldn’t have been upset if Connor Hawkins’ name was brought up, but unfortunately that did not happen.

• Ohio State Around the Shoe: Don’t take Jeremiah Smith for granted, Julian Sayin’s legs and more Sam Cipriani of Buckeye Sports Bulletin and Joey Kaufman from The Columbus Dispatch were the guests on lat week’s Around the Shoe. The panel talks about spring practice and which players stood out on Day 1. Cipriani brings up Sam Greer, the Akron native freshman offensive lineman; he is the tallest and the second-heaviest player listed on the roster. Greer could be someone to keep an eye on. Toward the end, Doug gives a great take about appreciating Jeremiah Smith and his greatness.

• Inside Ohio State football’s No. 2 spring practice: Julian Sayin’s growth and a safety to watch After the second spring practice, the guys give their analysis on Julian Sayin and the entire QB room, including mustache-gate and F-Word-gate. After getting eyes on Chris Henry Jr. running with the threes, Doug wants to make sure fans temper their expectations for this season. The 6-foot-5 WR will undoubtedly become a major part of Ohio State’s offense, but Bill and Doug don’t expect that to come this year.

• Inside Ohio State football’s first day of spring practice: Offensive line plans, guys who jumped out Some great spring practice analysis on this podcast. The guys share insights from Ryan Day’s first press conference since last season ended. They also discuss who caught their eye on the practice field. Toward the end, they get into the Legend Bey discussion.

• The dawg of Ohio State’s defense, Tavien St. Clair’s future, the Jake Diebler hire and more: BAD Solo sessions Doug covers a bunch of topics, including why he doesn’t eat Cane’s more often.

Other articles this week

• Ohio State spring practice observations: Depth chart, who stood out At the first practice, Bill focused on the offense while Doug watched the defense. They share some early thoughts and observations from Day 1 of spring ball. Three things caught my eye specifically: QBs working under center, Leroy Roker’s speech to the team, and the transfer punter from Houston Christian not looking very promising. We also get an early look at the depth chart.

• Ohio State football assistant coach salary surpasses $15 million for 2026 Here we get a breakdown of the Ohio State assistant coaches’ salaries. Matt Patricia becomes the highest paid assistant in the country and Arthur Smith isn’t too far behind.

• Ryan Day Debrief: Early Ohio State spring thoughts on Legend Bey, offensive line Ryan Day spoke to the media following Tuesday’s practice and Bill gives his four takeaways from the press conference, including the position group Day seems most concerned about.

• Ohio State spring football practice observations and video highlights: What stood out on Day 2 For Thursday’s practice, Doug and Bill switched sides of the ball; Bill focused on defense and Doug analyzed the offense. They share their thoughts and what caught their eye from the Buckeyes’ second spring practice.

• Ohio State QB Julian Sayin growing in confidence (and growing a mustache) as he enters year three Julian Sayin is intentionally stepping up and becoming more of a vocal leader for the Buckeyes. He spoke about the changes he has made to prepare for this season. Bill highlights how these changes could propel Sayin to a new level of quarterback play in 2026.

• Ohio State battles Michigan but loses in Big Ten Tournament: 16 thoughts on what’s next for the Buckeyes in March Madness A quick preview of what was ahead for the OSU hoops teams after giving the Wolverines a tough game in Chicago.

• Matt Patricia got paid after leading the nation’s best defense -- and now he needs to be even better (and more aggressive) Doug continued his Patricia take from the Wednesday show with a longer look at what a second season in Columbus means for the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator.

• Ohio State men’s basketball a No. 8 seed in NCAA Tournament, will face TCU on Thursday: What you need to know Watch the Buckeyes in the first game of tournament on Thursday at 12:15.