This was a good chance to get off another round of queries before the season, and the topics covered a lot of areas. But the most common questions centered on Ohio State’s status as the No. 1 team in the country in both major preseason polls.

Do the Buckeyes d…

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COLUMBUS — There’s a play from Ohio State’s Big Ten Championship loss to Indiana last year that sums up most of its rushing woes.

Then-freshman running back Bo Jackson gets a carry on second-and-2 from the Hoosiers’ 19-yard line with less than four minutes to play in the third quarter and the Buckeyes trailing, 13-10. There’s a crease for Jackson to get up the field, and wide open green space in front of him, until an Indiana defender, while in the process of being blocked, basically hip checks Jackson. The ballcarrier goes down immediately, turning what should’ve been a 19-yard, go-ahead touchdown into a five-yard gain.

Julian Sayin was stopped on a fourth-down quarterback sneak four plays later, and the drive stalled at the Indiana 5.

We remember the failed sneak. It’s one of the missed opportunities from that game burned into the memories of Ohio State fans. However, there wasn’t much discussion about the run earlier in the drive that should’ve been a touchdown and would’ve changed the tenor of the game. Would taking the lead there have guaranteed Ohio State a win? No. There was a whole quarter left to play. But with the way the defense was playing, you would’ve liked OSU’s chances. Instead, a common issue for Ohio State’s offense reared its head at a pivotal moment.

Its running backs rarely got more than what was blocked for.

“We felt like there was a lot of good there last year, but there was also a lot of (yards) that we left on the field,” head coach Ryan Day said last week.

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COLUMBUS — We usually focus on taking your questions for Subscriber Soundoff on the weekend. This week, let’s take a bunch of questions for the Wednesday show.

Fire away. This is a good chance to get some things off your chest and get some ideas out of your head before the Ohio State opener against Ball State on Sept. 5.

These are your No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes we are talking about, with the AP poll on Monday agreeing with the previous coaches poll.

Ohio State received 78 first-place votes between the two polls. Six other teams received a combined 63 votes.

Tell us what’s on your mind about the Buckeyes, the Big Ten, the national CFB picture, other sports, food, pop culture or anything else.

You can ask us in the comments or over in the chat.

COLUMBUS — As I watched Ohio State receiver Chris Henry Jr. for an entire practice last week, observing the 6-foot-5 freshman work his way through every drill, teammate interaction and gathering of the receivers, two stories about Jeremiah Smith stuck in my head.

One was Smith, at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, saying he didn’t talk to anybody his freshman year. The other was OSU strength coach Mickey Marotti explaining how Smith, as a true freshman, was the player who set the standard for the 2024 national champs with how he worked.

Talk softly and carry big praise from Mick.

Henry isn’t Smith, in part because he’s taller (by an inch). Watching him at practice is easy. You can always find 15, usually at the edge of every huddle. He hangs back in groups, the tallest peak of every receiver discussion, but never the center of one. He’s not talking. He’s working.

If Smith came to a boil as a freshman with undeniable skills and desire, Henry is percolating. It’s not fair to compare a freshman to the best player in college football. But we also don’t need to avoid the obvious similarities. Because something might be happening here.

I watched Henry for the entirety of the second practice on Aug. 7, and I’m sorry it has taken me this long to share my thoughts. But the time added context. As I watched, the first-team receivers for almost every snap were Smith and transfer Devin McCuin on the outside and Brandon Inniss in the slot. Henry’s first-team reps were limited. Nine days later, that’s not an accurate reflection of how the receivers might be deployed when the season starts.

In talking to people around the team, the freshmen receivers have a real chance — a very real chance right now. Watching the 5-star freshman helped explain why. Here are a few stories from a day observing CHJ.

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On this subscriber show (standing in for the Soundoff this weekend), Bill and Doug run through the most interesting parts of what’s happening with the Buckeyes.

That includes updates on Bo Jackson, Tavien St. Clair, Luke Fahey, Chris Henry Jr., the offensive line, moving Senior Day and more.

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COLUMBUS — Ohio State had its first preseason camp scrimmage on Saturday. There was rain in the morning, but the Buckeyes stayed outside. Head coach Ryan Day spoke afterward and seemed generally pleased with the scrimmage performance, especially from the offense and the kicking game, which operated, at times, in the elements.

Here are the four biggest takeaways from Day.

1. The search for the best five offensive linemen remains unsettled thanks to an injury setback for Austin Siereveld. Day said Siereveld has missed the last few practices with an undisclosed injury. He is expected back for practice next week, but his absence has limited the staff’s ability to get all the information it needs to determine the best starting combination.

“It wasn’t as streamlined as we would have liked it to be in terms of the evaluation,” said Day, who initially said at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago that he’d like to have the starting five locked in after practice nine or 10.

Saturday’s scrimmage was practice No. 9. There are two more weeks of camp before the game week ahead of the opener against Ball State on Sept. 5. As long as Siereveld is able to return to practice this week, that should allow plenty of time to figure out the best configuration and give that group two weeks to practice together before they have to play a game.

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COLUMBUS — In the new world of college athletes the concept of a senior may not really exist anymore.

If an Ohio State football player can play his last season as a third-year, fourth-year or fifth-year player, with a decision on the future not decided until after a “final” home game is played, who should get honored?

If you can’t determine what a senior is, what should you do with Senior Day?

Ohio State, for one thing, is moving it.

The Buckeyes on Friday announced their game themes for this season, and Senior Day will be the opener against Ball State instead of the traditional final home game of the season against Michigan.

With the new five-for-five plan in college sports, which gives all athletes the chance to play five full seasons of competition, a Buckeye could now be playing his final season in Year 3, Year 4 or Year 5. How exactly Ohio State will handle the senior designations for Year 4 and 5 is undetermined.

A list of players taking part in Senior Day will be provided before kickoff against Ball State on Sept. 5. And then those Buckeyes will each get a moment to have their name announced in Ohio Stadium, to have a solo opportunity to run onto the field, to hear the cheers from the crowd, and to meet their families on the field for an embrace.

Jeremiah Smith still won’t get to do it, though.

The Buckeyes won’t open the day to third-year players, even if everyone knows this is their final year in the program.

That’s why I still favor Buckeye Legacy Day instead of Senior Day. Make it for every player who is entering at least his third year in Columbus. If some guys get to go through it three times, so be it. But that would make sure Jeremiah Smith gets his day. And it would mean that one-year or two-year transfers would not get to run out, even if they are ending their college careers as Buckeyes.

Because what should be honored? Where you play your last season, as long as that last season is Year 4 or 5 in college? Or at least three years of contributing to Ohio State football, which would loop in the best Buckeyes headed early to the NFL?

I’d rather focus on the latter group than the former.

As for the timing of Senior Day, this may take some getting used to. Will it perhaps allow a greater focus on the opponent at the end of the season, especially when for half of Senior Days that opponent is Michigan? Perhaps. We can ask Ryan Day if that’s part of the reason for the switch.

But if the Buckeyes are changing up part of their Senior Day traditions, I’d reconsider the whole thing. Admittedly, finding the perfect Senior Day solution is difficult … almost as difficult as figuring out what really is a senior.

All game themes for 2026

Sept. 5, Ball State: Senior Day; Alumni Band & Spirit Day; Jim Tressel enshrinement in Ring of Honor

Sept. 19, Kent State: Helmet Stripe Game (fans wear gray, students wear scarlet)

Sept. 26, Illinois: Hall of Fame Weekend

Oct. 10, Maryland: Homecoming

Nov. 7, Oregon

Nov. 14, Northwestern: Military Appreciation

Nov. 28, Michigan

COLUMBUS — I squeezed it in as the last question for Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia on Thursday.

Do you think you could play more guys this year?

“Yeah, it’s probably a good way to look at it,” Patricia said. “I think we have a lot of really good depth players this year. I really do. I want to make sure they’re in the right spots. I want to do the best I can to make sure that I’m putting them in the position to make plays.”

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COLUMBUS — Qua Russaw left his visit to Ohio State back in January unsure if it was the place for him. Recounting his feelings on Thursday, Russaw made it sound like coaches on his subsequent visits to Tennessee and Notre Dame had a real chance of landing him. He was open to anything.

But something surprising happened. Those visits actually clarified for Russaw that Ohio State was the right fit after all. After concluding his visits and taking everything he heard into account, he believed in the Buckeyes’ plan the most. More specifically, he believed in the vision defensive coordinator Matt Patricia had for him.

“It was definitely Coach Patricia, him coming from the NFL and having a multiple defense, having a lot of guys on the field who can earn a job,” Russaw said Thursday after OSU’s seventh practice of preseason camp.

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COLUMBUS — Ohio State held its sixth practice of preseason camp on Wednesday morning. We were able to watch three practices last week. You had some questions about what’s happened so far. Let’s get into the mailbag.

Sulley Clem: How much confidence do you have in the kicking game? Didn’t look great on Saturday. Plus, what are the odds the Notre Dame transfer kicker is the kickoff specialist this year? His leg was insane but wasn’t very accurate.

I’ve seen Jayden Fielding make too many kicks in practice only to miss nearly every high-leverage, in-game attempt. So, I’ll try not to put too much stock into what we saw at one practice. But, yeah, it would’ve been nice to see a higher percentage of the kicks go through the uprights on Saturday. It would be concerning to me if we get to Ball State week and Ryan Day seems unsure about who the field goal kicker is. Connor Hawkins was paid to come here and make clutch kicks. We’ll see what happens when he gets the chance. Notre Dame transfer Marcello Diomede attempted one field goal in three seasons with the Irish, a 54-yarder against Virginia in 2024 that he missed. I’d be pretty worried if it was determined he was the better field goal option over Hawkins.

Diomede handled 16 kickoff attempts last year at Notre Dame, and Hawkins didn’t handle any last year at Baylor (he had two in 2024). I’d expect Diomede to be the kickoff guy, and he has the leg to boot most of his kicks through the end zone.

Matt Gifford: Based on what you have observed so far and talking to players and coaches, how do you expect the Arthur Smith offense to differ from previous versions of the Buckeye offense?

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This episode features the Buckeyes you believe in the most for 2026 — and the name that we landed on for that. Thanks to a suggestion from Jessica, which was backed by many others, this is our first official preseason BADwagon on The Bill and Doug Show.

You named a player you were all aboard the Badwagon for this year.

More than 30 Ohio State players were put forth, and we broke them all down with many of your comments. Doug did so in the first half of the show with a numb face. You’ll see.

After that football talk, it was on to Whatcha on donuts, frozen cheesecake on a stick, the state fair, electricity mishaps at the barbershop and AI slop wars.

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COLUMBUS — In the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana last year, six Ohio State defenders played all 59 snaps. Another four played at least 51 snaps. The only real change in the defensive look was a rotation at defensive tackle between Eddrick Houston and Tywone Malone.

Those 12 players were the only Buckeye defenders to play even 11 percent of the snaps against the Hoosiers. Only one defender who didn’t start really mattered.

Two years earlier in the Big Ten Championship Game, 19 different Michigan defenders played at least 32 percent of the game. With rotations and sub-packages, there were eight Wolverine defenders that didn’t start that still mattered.

Now, 19 is a lot of defenders to meaningfully work in. The Wolverines had a comfortable lead in that game, while the Buckeyes were down to the wire against Indiana.

In the 2023 Ohio State-Michigan game, 16 Michigan defenders played meaningful roles. Still a lot. And for the 2023 season, it was 19 Wolverines that played at least 25 percent of the defensive snaps.

That Michigan defense, in stats and team success, was the best in the country. That national title team featured 11 defenders that have reached the NFL, but only two that were first-round picks. There were many very good players. There was no elite trio like Caleb Downs-Arvell Reese-Sonny Styles, but the whole group was deep and productive.

I wonder if Ohio State could go 19-deep on defense this year.

I’ve set that vaguely arbitrary ratio of 25 percent of the total defensive snaps as a guide. That, to me, indicates more than just some playing time in blowouts. Get on the field a quarter of the time over the season, and you matter to that defense.

While Michigan in 2023 was 19, here’s how many defenders have reached that 25 percent threshold for the Buckeyes recently:

2021: 19

2022: 17

2023: 14

2024: 14

2025: 16

Last year, Beau Atkinson’s roles vanished in the second half of the season, and Will Smith Jr. player very little in the last three games, which were the three biggest games. So I take that 16 with a grain of salt. It was closer to 14 — the 10 main starters, the defensive tackle rotation to make it 12, Payton Pierce as a third linebacker, and Devin Sanchez as a third corner.

As the Buckeyes’ defense returned to elite status after 2021 — it was a Top-10 group in 2022 and a Top-3 defense the last three years — the rotation consolidated. The last time the Buckeyes played 19 defenders, in 2021, it came from weakness, not strength. Of those 19 defenders, only two (J.T. Tuimoloau and Zach Harrison) were drafted in the first three rounds.

Five years ago, the Buckeyes went deep on a mediocre defense because they didn’t have stars.

This season, could they go as deep more from strength?

The Buckeyes had five 2025 defenders drafted in the first two rounds. The star quotient is down. The number of guys you don’t want to take off the field is lower.

But I’m not sure going deeper into the roster would be weakness. It might be a necessity but also smart strategy. It also would be a bet on youth. Six of the potential 19 players I’m suggesting could play are first- or second-year players.

The best chance to replace the lost superstar snaps is with depth — putting players in roles to succeed and keeping them fresh.

Sure, you’d take the stars first. But I think it’s possible the Buckeyes could go 19 deep on defense as part of a plan they actually like.

Based off what we saw and heard from the first three practices, here’s a player ranking of each position group, and a guess on who could play 25 percent of the snaps this season, and why.

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COLUMBUS — Who is your guy?

That’s the callout for this Wednesday’s subscriber show.

Give us the Buckeye that you believe in for 2026 more than the average fan.

If people think this guy is an All-American, then you think he’ll be the greatest college football player ever.

If people think this guy is a solid starter and All-Big Ten candidate, then you think he’s going to become a superstar.

If people think this guy might contribute in some way, you think he’s going to be on the field a ton making plays.

If people think this guy doesn’t really have a role, you think he’s going to be a real part of the Buckeyes winning in 2026.

This is the Buckeye you love for this season. Give us your ONE guy, and the reason why, in a comment at the bottom of this post. Or drop it in the specific chat for this topic.

This concept formed when I was on Buckeye Talk in 2020 and we understand it still exists on that show as Driving the Bus. We haven’t defined the nomenclature for The Bill and Doug Show, though we have received suggestions. And we could keep Driving the Bus, too.

When we discuss this, what should we call it?

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COLUMBUS — Julian Sayin threw a ball over Jeremiah Smith’s head at practice on Friday. Smith was running an in-breaking route probably 8-10 yards down the field. Sayin fired over his head, and a little behind. Then the three most important people to Ohio State football’s success this season held a meeting on the indoor field of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

Sayin, Smith and Ryan Day stood together for a few minutes while another group of players went through a split-team period. Day did most of the talking, but Sayin and Smith had input. It wasn’t contentious. Just three minds working together early in camp to make sure misses like what happened on the play preceding the conversation don’t happen often, or at all, once the games start.

That scene — Sayin, Smith and Day convening after a play — played out two or three times over the first three days of practice. I asked Sayin on Saturday what those chats are like, and what he, Smith and Day are trying to get accomplished.

“How can we improve our timing and get on the same page on everything?” Sayin said. “A lot of that work was done in the offseason. Communication is the best thing for our offense. How can we get to the point where we know what each other is thinking? Being able to take the points from Coach Day, who’s an elite developer of quarterbacks and somebody who knows the passing game really well, so Jeremiah and I always come together with him to talk about a certain route or certain coverage; what can we do to beat this?”

Sayin is carrying himself differently this offseason. I could envision the same scenario playing out last year, and Sayin just nodding along without saying anything. He wasn’t the confirmed starter at this time a year ago. It’s taken him some time to find his voice.

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COLUMBUS — A running diary of everything I saw and thought on the third day of Ohio State preseason camp.

8:44 a.m.: Practice hasn’t really started yet, but specialists are on the field kicking and punting. A few other media members and I are standing behind the uprights on the north end of the outdoor practice area, but Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook and I are the only ones brave (stupid?) enough to try catching a ball off the foot of one of the kickers.

I attempt to snag one off the foot of Connor Hawkins (it went through the uprights first), but the ball smacks off my hands and hits the ground. Turns out that catching end-over-end kicks isn’t easy. I have a newfound respect for kick returners.

8:53 a.m.: The first position group to trickle out onto the field after the specialists is the offensive line. They’re in full pads. There will be some thumping today, but the Buckeyes still don’t tackle to the ground.

9:01 a.m.: Running backs coach Carlos Locklyn walks onto the outdoor field, and my eyes follow him all the way to his position group on the far end of the nearest grass field. There, going through early warmups with the backs, is freshman Legend Bey. Bey has missed the first two practices for what head coach Ryan Day said was a violation of team rules. He’s in full pads today. He’ll be a full participant. There won’t be any hesitation about mixing him in with the first-team offense.

9:08 a.m.: Every practice starts with a formations period, which is basically just a walk-through, but it’s a chance to get a look at potential starting lineups. That’s meant clocking what’s happening on the offensive line these last three days. This morning, it was Austin Siereveld at left tackle, Luke Montgomery at left guard, Carson Hinzman at center, Josh Padilla at right guard and Phillip Daniels at right tackle … but the Buckeyes will continue to mix things up today.

Defensively, things start out in a 4-3 look with Payton Pierce, Christian Alliegro and Riley Pettijohn at linebacker. After a couple reps, Pettijohn runs off the field and is replaced by freshman defensive back Jay Timmons, who puts the defense into a 4-2-5 nickel look. Everything we’ve seen so far suggests that Timmons will play with the starters in the 4-2-5, but we also might see an uptick in 4-3 snaps this year. There are at least four guys who seem like they’re going to play with Pierce: Alliegro, Pettijohn, and TJ Alford (who also gets looks with the ones throughout the day).

9:26 a.m.: Punter Joe McGuire still isn’t practicing. He’s around and always with the specialists; he’s just not kicking and not running. Not sure what’s up with him. We won’t speak to Day again until next weekend.

Quarterbacks and centers are going through snap exchanges. The centers are Carson Hinzman, Max Riley, Simon Lorentz, Mason Wilhelm and Josh Padilla.

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On this live show with subscribers, brought to you now after the fact Bill and Doug broke down basically every position fueled by live subscriber questions.

From Bey to Jay Timmons to the pieces on the defense to the receivers to the offensive line to quarterback Julian Sayin, The Bill and Doug Show dove in for more than 80 minutes.

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COLUMBUS — Ryan Day was busy during Ohio State’s 7-on-7 recruiting camp in mid-June.

He was watching one team quarterbacked by his son, RJ. He was watching another quarterbacked by Ohio State’s 2027 quarterback commitment from California, Brady Edmunds. And he was watching another quarterbacked by Christopher Vargas, the Buckeyes’ top quarterback target in the Class of 2028.

Vargas’ team won that event. Saturday, Vargas announced his intention to be a Buckeye.

The 6-foot-5 quarterback from Massachusetts picked the Buckeyes at noon Saturday in a social media announcement, to no one’s surprise. His visit to Ohio State this summer was his fourth trip to Columbus. He also visited USC and UCLA in June, and his other finalists included Oregon, Miami, Washington, Boston College, Virginia Tech and Alabama.

Vargas is ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in his class by Rivals and ESPN and the No. 2 quarterback by 247sports. Assuming he maintains his ranking, he’ll be the fourth 5-star quarterback recruit the Buckeyes have landed out of high school in the Day era, joining Kyle McCord, Quinn Ewers and Tavien St. Clair.

By the On3 Industry ratings, St. Clair’s recruiting score was at 99.16, Julian Sayin (who went to Alabama briefly before transferring to Ohio State) was at 98.61, and Vargas is 95.98.

(Christopher Vargas completes a deep ball at an OSU camp this summer as Ryan Day and Brady Edmunds look on.)

After not landing a top quarterback in the last two classes, the Buckeyes re-focused their quarterback future with Vargas. Current freshman Luke Fahey was the No. 37 quarterback in the Class of 2026. Edmunds, who reaffirmed his pledge to the Buckeyes this summer after much wondering about his future, is the No. 18 quarterback in 2027.

Vargas more fits the recruiting profile of Sayin and St. Clair, and he could follow them as an OSU starter.

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COLUMBUS — A running diary of everything I saw and thought on the second day of Ohio State preseason camp.

8:57 a.m.: Practice is being held indoors today because of morning thunderstorms moving through the area. Good call. It starts pouring right as practice starts, and doesn’t relent until practice is over. Ohio State is fortunate to have a full-size indoor field. Not every team has one. But when you pack a full football team and staff, the gigantic OSU media horde, and the couple hundred fans who purchased tickets to watch practice into the facility, it gets cramped pretty quickly.

What’s unique, though, is that it gives everyone a much closer vantage point than they would have had for an outdoor practice. I think it’s a worthy trade-off. Little uncomfortable, but a cool experience. When the quarterbacks jog out from the locker room to do their pre-practice throwing routine, there are fans standing no more than 10 feet away.

Julian Sayin spends some time chatting with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler about the day’s script. Then Sayin runs his fingers through his hair a few times before shoving his helmet on and running out for the second practice of camp.

9:05 a.m.: Forget everything we told you about the offensive line on Thursday. Not really. But Ryan Day promised they would shake some things up, and he’s delivered on that promise as the team splits up and walks through formations.

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COLUMBUS — Ten thoughts on the Buckeyes and more as college football is back.

1. The transformation of Devin Sanchez is complete. The cornerback played a lot as a freshman, with moments both good and bad. We asked him during bowl practice if he’d be ready for more as a sophomore. We asked him during spring practice if he’d be ready for more this season. And we asked him again after the first day of preseason practice on Thursday. Maybe we’re not that good at asking original questions. Or maybe the progress of Sanchez is among the most crucial aspects of Ohio State’s 2026 season. Or both.

Sanchez, who said again that he wants to win the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the games, was pushed by cornerbacks coach Tim Walton to get to this point.

“He’s been on me hard,” Sanchez said. “Really hard, to where sometimes it’s uncomfortable. Coach Walt is being a hard coach on me. He’s not being afraid, he’s being that coach that I need. I respect it, I know where it’s coming from. I just gotta go out there and compete, and if I make a mistake he’s gonna get on me and I gotta go out there and fix it.

“He makes it very uncomfortable. That’s what I like. Because if I’m comfortable, then this is not the place for me.”

Compared to seven months ago at bowl prep, Sanchez (bigger, stronger, swaggier) looks like his own older brother. Watching guys grow into their game is one of the most fascinating parts of covering college sports, but it feels like Sanchez hit fast forward. We talked a bit after his interview session, and he repeatedly said the elevation in his game is all about confidence. That brings us to a new freshman in the secondary.

2. Ohio State didn’t run a nickel defense, which was their primary defense a year ago, on Thursday. Three linebackers were the typical look on Day 1. But when the Buckeyes do show nickel, and they will, freshman Jay Timmons should be part of it.

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COLUMBUS — A running diary of everything I saw and thought on the first day of Ohio State preseason camp.

8:57 a.m.: Ryan Day is the last person onto the field. He stops to chat with Dom Tiberi from 10TV and briefly interacts with some fans. Players have been on the field stretching and warming up for a few minutes. Day looks energized on day one.

9:05 a.m.: Time to get down to brass tacks. Our first look at a first-team offensive line features Ian Moore at left tackle, Luke Montgomery at left guard, Carson Hinzman at center, Austin Siereveld at right guard and Phillip Daniels at right tackle. That fivesome worked together in those spots for the entirety of practice.

Day said after practice that they’ll look at some different permutations in the search for the best five, and that the staff wanted Siereveld at guard early, mostly because he hadn’t played there in a while. That’s all great. But normally the starters are broken up onto different fields this early in camp, and that wasn’t the case on day one. This feels like the starting offensive line.

Could things change? Sure. Josh Padilla, who played center on Thursday, will have a say about potentially shuffling things up. Moore and Daniels need to show they deserve to be locked in at tackle. But my bet is that the starting five on Thursday will be the starting five against Ball State.

The team isn’t in pads yet, so I wouldn’t say this was the right day to gauge exactly how that group functioned together, but I’ll also say that Julian Sayin wasn’t under duress playing behind them, and there were creases for the running backs. Not a lot of play behind the line of scrimmage. So that’s all good.

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