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Ohio State defensive end Jalyn Holmes has shown flashes of greatness.
- Ryan Ginn, Land of 10
Jalyn Holmes has done just that since joining Ohio State in 2014, where he immediately got some burn in the Big Ten championship and the College Football Playoff finale. Last year, he had 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. It seemed at times when the defense really need a play, he was there.
“If you go back and watch film on Jalyn last year, I thought he plays the most consistent of all the guys,” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said. “He is a starter in my mind. He practices like a starter and practices with the 1s, so to me, he is a 1.”
“I think he brings a lot to the table. He has got high energy, great leadership skills and he wants to be great. And a guy who works as hard as he does to be in [his] position, I am really excited about what Jalyn can bring to the table.” It’ll be Holmes’ second year as a starter, and past Buckeyes have shown that’s typically when you can see greater improvement.
Best picks of the century from Ohio State
- Chase Goodbread, NFL.com
Ohio State has had 115 players selected in the draft since 2000, most among all FBS programs, according to Goodbread. The top three players in his rankings were Nick Mangold, Ezekiel Elliott, and LeCharles Brantley at No. 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
Mangold should be no surprise at the top spot, despite Elliott’s monster rookie season. He spent 11 years with the Jets before being released his offseason, and started all 16 regular season games for the first five seasons of his career. If Elliott proves to have a consistent career in the Dallas backfield, there’s no doubt that he’d jump Mangold.
At No. 4 and No. 5 are Joey Bosa and Donte Whitner. Bosa also had one heck of a rookie season in 2016 for the Chargers. His presence immediately improved their defense, and had 10.5 sacks in 12 games. Much like Elliott, if he keeps that type of production up, he’ll move on up the list.
The Big Ten moving its conference tournament up a week to play at Madison Square Garden has left CBS in need of a new lead-in to its annual NCAA tournament selection show.
- Mike Rutherford, SB Nation
This could be a mighty big pain for Ohio State and its fans if the Buckeyes can compete next season. The Big Ten will be moving their conference tournament a week in order to play at Madison Square Garden. That now means we’ll have another week to wait and see if the Buckeyes make the tournament, if they’re even able to make it on the bubble.
To replace the Big Ten, the American Athletic Conference will be aired on CBS on March 10, along with the championship game on Selection Sunday. The Big Ten will return to its normal role in 2019, so this could end up not being a big deal for Ohio State after all.
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