Former Ohio State tight end Marcus Baugh signs with the Carolina Panthers

“Baugh, from Ohio State, caught 13 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns in the AAF. He was in camp with the Raiders last year.”

— Darin Gantt | ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports)

When the Alliance of American Football filed for bankruptcy in mid-April, things looked bleak for the players who were caught in the sudden cancellation of the league. However, things are looking slightly better for some of the former AAF players, as the NFL has come knocking. In one case, a former Ohio State Buckeye will make the leap back onto an NFL roster.

Tight end Marcus Baugh, who snagged 13 passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the AAF’s San Diego Fleet, is back in the NFL—signing with the Carolina Panthers. Baugh wasn’t the only AAF TE signee of the day for the Charlotte, N.C., football organization, as they also brought in Cole Hunt.

Prior to arriving to the Panthers and Fleet, Baugh was an undrafted free agent signed by the Oakland Raiders in 2018. At OSU, Baugh played in 59 games and saw his role with the team increase year after year. In his final go-round with the Bucks, he made big plays under the spotlight; one such of those plays came against Penn State, where he caught the game-leading score with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Greg Olsen is the main TE target for Carolina, but an injury last season sidelined him. A 2007 draft pick, Olsen’s career may be on the backend—especially if more serious leg injuries occur—and it makes sense for the Panthers to try and find their next great catcher and blocker.

We don’t know if Baugh will be suiting up in the Panther blue, black and silver come September, but at least he gets another chance at keeping his NFL dream alive.

“Proctor has special skills, there is really no question about that. But Fuller is a returning captain who elected to put off his professional career for another season with the Buckeyes, and he’s obviously no slouch at the position either.”

— Austin Ward | Letterman Row

Last season, the Buckeye defense was inconsistent. Normally, the defensive secondary and linebacking units are unstoppable against Big Ten foes, and are big reasons for why Ohio State is in the conversation for a Big Ten title, College Football Playoff berth, and top draft picks. But the 2018-19 squad looked vulnerable at times in those units, and nearly had collapses against Nebraska, Maryland and Washington.

With the Ryan Day era beginning, new coaches have arrived, and those personnel problems are trying to be addressed. One question that’s popped up is this: What will the OSU defense look like when they take the field against Florida Atlantic? Austin Ward at Letterman Row elaborated on that, and came up with an answer for who should be seeing playing time next fall.

Josh Proctor, in the eyes of Ward, should be on the field at safety. Last year, Proctor was involved in 10 games, but only recorded one tackle (vs. Nebraska). The Owasso, Okla., native absolutely has the ability to play elite football for OSU, but he’s not the only talented member of the secondary. Brendon White and Jordan Fuller are there too, so decisions will have to be made by Day and co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley going into the summer and Week 1.

“Coming off a 14^th consecutive Big Ten title and a fourth Big Ten Tournament crown in a row, the Ohio State men’s tennis team will enter the NCAA Tennis Championship as the No. 1 overall seed. The Buckeyes are set to host Cleveland on Friday at 2 p.m.”

— Ohio State Athletics press release on Men’s Tennis

Head coach Ty Tucker has done another phenomenal job with the Ohio State men’s tennis squad. For the 20th time, Tucker has the Buckeyes in the NCAA Championship. And this time around, the Bucks are trying to win it all one year after finishing as runners-up.

On the season, OSU is a remarkable 29-2, and have eight wins against top-15 programs. It’s no wonder that they cruised to another Big Ten crown.

JJ Wolf is the key cog in the machine; he was the top-ranked player throughout the spring, accumulating a 30-1 record on his own. He’s been nearly an automatic point for the Buckeyes in every contest this season. But Wolf isn’t the only Buckeye doing work. John McNally and Kyle Seelig are both top-60 players. Between the three of them, they are the leaders for Ohio State this season—and they’ll need to keep that up over the next weeks.

Ohio State gets to host their first round contest against Cleveland State on Friday. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET, which is after Notre Dame-Vanderbilt. The winners from the two contests will meet at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in the second round.

“The Ohio State women’s tennis team has received an at-large berth into the 2019 NCAA Championship and will travel to Nashville for the opening rounds of the tournament.”

— Ohio State Athletics press release on Women’s Tennis

The OSU women’s team is also in the NCAA Championship. However, they won’t be at the Varsity Tennis Center—they’ll have to travel to Nashville. Ranked No. 25, the Buckeyes picked up an at-large bid, and will face No. 39 Georgia Tech in the first round at 1 p.m. ET Friday. Vanderbilt, the host institution, faces Miami (OH) at 4 p.m. ET Friday. The winners of the two contests will meet each other in the second round on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET.

Ohio State ended the season with a 19-6 record, and tied for third in the Big Ten. Isabelle Boulais, Shiori Fukuda and Kolie Allen have been the go-to leaders on the singles circuit, while the combos of Boulais/Fukuda and Boulais/Danielle Wolf have been the key in doubles contests.

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