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Why is this news?: Ohio State wrestler Nick Roberts leaves team, Drake begins presidency

All the big Ohio State news in one helpful place.

By Dan Vest

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Ohio State Athletics

"Redshirt Sophomore Nick Roberts has left the Ohio State wrestling team. "

-Land-Grant Holy Land

Land-Grant Holy Land has confirmed that redshirt sophomore 125-pounder Nick Roberts has left the Ohio State wrestling team. No announcement has been made regarding a reason, or if Roberts plans to transfer.

A look at the 2014/15 roster might shed some light on the situation. Had Roberts remained at 125 pounds, he would have been competing with Nathan Tomasello, a top-10 recruit who took a redshirt last season. Tomasello went undefeated last season in open competition and beat Roberts 8-3 in wrestle-offs. Most analysts expected Tomasello to take Roberts’ spot next season. A move up to 133 pounds may have been another possibility for Roberts, but with Johnni DiJulius the established starter, it didn't seem likely. I can’t say for sure, but the expectation is that Roberts is transferring to another school where he will have a better shot at starting.

In the event that he does transfer, whichever school he signs with will be getting a great wrestler. Roberts went 24-15 last season including a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten tournament. Had he stayed at OSU, he would’ve provided excellent depth at the lower weights should Tomasello or DiJulius get injured. He’s good enough to start, though, and it’s tough to fault him for wanting to do just that.

"(Our) priorities are to focus on the things that got us here. This is a wonderful university with a great impact over many, many decades."

-Ohio State President Dr. Michael Drake

Today marked the first day of Dr. Michael Drake’s tenure as the president of The Ohio State University. Drake, the 15th president in the university’s history, replaces the popular E. Gordon Gee who resigned last year after some "controversial" comments.

Drake told The Lantern that "The student voice is critical. One of the things that attracted me to this career is the ability to work with students and teaching, so I hope to continue to do that."

According to the Lantern, Drake will earn an annual salary of $800,000 with the opportunity to earn an additional $200,000 in bonuses each year, including other potential benefits. The university spent $610,000 on the six-month search for its President.

John Diebler is among three Buckeyes who will be coming back from Europe to play in the NBA summer league. The Houston Rockets were the last team to hold Diebler’s rights, but it is unclear which team he will be playing for this summer.

Joining Diebler in the summer league will be DeShaun Thomas, who will play for the San Antonio Spurs. Thomas has spent the last two years playing in France. Dallas Lauderdale will also be playing this summer, representing the Portland Trailblazers.

We’re less than twenty-four hours away from Rutgers and Maryland becoming official Big Ten members and both schools have massive celebrations planned. The first bash took place today in Maryland and, judging by that tweet, Jim Delaney is completely and totally ….thrilled? Yes, let’s go with thrilled.

The "welcome to the Big Ten" party seems to have been a great time. We can only guess that come October 4th when the Ohio State Buckeyes come to Byrd Stadium to give Maryland it’s real "welcome to the Big Ten," the mood won’t be quite so celebratory.

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