clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Why is this news?: Jamal Marcus to Akron, Maryland is not Ohio State

All the big Ohio State news in one helpful place.

By Ian Cuevas

"Everything in life, whether good or bad, I feel are life lessons that God places on us to help us become better and wiser men and women. This fall, I will be attending and playing football for The University of Akron. Blessed and thankful for the opportunity. Can't wait to give my all to this team and help get Akron football back on top."

- Former Ohio State defensive end Jamal Marcus

Per his Instagram account, the standout rush defensive end from last year's Orange Bowl (in which he filled in for the suspended Noah Spence on quasi-short notice) is headed for Terry Bowden and #MACtion. Marcus had missed Ohio State's spring game this past April with academic issues before ultimately deciding a change of scenery would be in his best interests. There had been conflicting reports over whether he was dismissed or came to that conclusion on his own.

Best of luck to the former Buckeye in the next steps with his new school. He should have a great opportunity after sitting out a year to make an immediate impact for the Zips.

"We're not going to be Ohio State, we're not going to be Michigan and we're not going to be Penn State or Michigan State. We're going to be Maryland."

- Maryland head coach Randy Edsall via Ari Wasserman, Cleveland.com

The above quote is a response to the question regarding whether or not Maryland could take anything away from Ohio State or Michigan to emulate. Edsall seems pretty confident that the Terrapins are going to enter the Big Ten and play with their own style. I can't blame the coach for wanting his team to leave their own footprint on their new conference.

Edsall was also asked about any possible rivalries that could come to fruition. The Maryland head coach mentioned that Penn State, being that they're a neighboring state, could eventually blossom into a rivalry but cited that the Terrapins are only 1-35-1 against the Nittany Lions all time, so there's work to be done before they can consider it a real rivalry.

"Rutgers is like a lot of places: When the team is winning, the atmosphere is great. When it's not, you'll see an empty stadium in the fourth quarter."

- Steve Politi, via Doug Lesmerises, Cleveland.com

Despite scheduling conflicts (Rutgers coach Kyle Flood was initially supposed to be interviewed), there's still a great Q&A with Steve Politi, a columnist for NJ.com, about the Scarlet Knights. His quote above is in response to a question asking him to describe what a Rutgers home game is like for someone that hasn't been. I found his response pretty interesting. He makes a fair point about a losing team and their stadium being empty.

Rutgers could possibly enter the Big Ten facing a tougher schedule than what the team is accustomed to, which could mean empty stadiums in the fourth quarter. Of course, there's always a chance Rutgers has a better season than most might think too, so you can't count them out. But I'm looking forward to seeing how these new teams are going adjust to life in the Big Ten.

"By last summer, Buckeyes players were wearing rubber wristbands with Kight's E+R=O formula. The E represents event, the R is for response and O refers to outcome."

- Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch

Head coach Urban Meyer has a tough job, plain and simple. Having to produce wins and meet high expectations is hard enough without adding in the responsibility of leading and teaching college kids to become adults on their own, and not just in football. So it should be no surprise that coach Meyer is having his coaching staff learn from Tim Kight, a leadership development consultant.

Kight has been working with the coaching staff and the players since 2013, but has increased his work after the losses to Michigan State and Clemson at the end of last season. The whole goal is that while coach Meyer would love to have close relationships with each and every player on the roster, it's not as easy as it sounds. Therefore, by teaching the coaching staff about leadership and whatnot, there is hope it will lead to more team unity as the players and coaches develop those relationships.

I like the idea, especially if it helps make the team closer and trust each other more. Usually, those traits can lead to wins and the one goal on everyone's mind at all times while at Ohio State: a national championship run.

"We are still best friends off the field. On the field, we go at it."

- C.J. Hilliard, brother of Justin Hilliard, via Ari Wasserman, Cleveland.com

When the Buckeyes landed the top player in the state of Ohio, five star linebacker Justin Hilliard, some fans may have taken a sigh of relief. C.J. Hilliard is Justin's older brother and one of the reasons why the younger Hilliard was considering making his decision in favor of Iowa, over the Buckeyes. C.J. plays for the Hawkeyes, but did his best to let Justin "have his moment" and let him make his own decisions.

The two will now go head-to-head in the future, although C.J. believes that if he really wanted to, he could have convinced Justin to commit to Iowa, seeing as he had the advantage being an older sibling. C.J. But in the end, he told Justin just to do what he thought was best. I certainly look forward to these two meeting on the field in the future.

STICK TO SPORTS

More From Land-Grant Holy Land