Greg Mattison settling in at Ohio State

“Mattison raved about the chemistry that has developed among the coaches. Mattison’s background is largely with defensive linemen, and he’s excited about working with line coach Larry Johnson, who’s regarded as one of the best in the country”.

- Columbus Dispatch, Bill Rabinowitz

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sold on Greg Mattison when the Ohio State Buckeyes hired him, and while I’m still not in love with the addition of a nearly 70-year-old coach to a staff with an average age of just over 47, Mattison’s value is beginning to become a bit more clear. It seems especially when looking at a piece like this one, that Mattison is meant to serve as a bit of a steadying force on defense.

That makes some sense. Ohio State has three coaches at or under 40 years old on that side of the ball, and all three of them are new to Columbus. Mattison is obviously also new, but he’s been coaching in the Big Ten for decades. He knows the area, and he can help acclimate the new guys to running a defense that pretty desperately needed a fresh look.

On top of that, it sounds like Mattison and Larry Johnson are getting together pretty well at this point. That could serve as a bridge for the gap between the veteran coaches (Johnson and Mattison) and the fresh faces (Hafley, Washington, Barnes). Would I make the hire of a coach that seems to be primarily focused on chemistry? Probably not. But that’s why I don’t make the big bucks, and Ryan Day does—so I’ll trust his judgement.

How to follow: Darrion Henry commitment

Ohio State is going to be on high Saturday evening, because one of their top recruiting targets, Cincinnati defensive lineman Darrion Henry, is set to announce his pledge. For those who, like the Buckeye staff, would like to be up to the minute, we’ve got you covered.

Firstly, keep your eyes on Land Grant Holy-Land dot com, where we’ll have immediate coverage of whatever decision Henry makes. We’ve got everything you need if the Buckeyes pick up a new member of the 2020 class tomorrow. If you want to be at the source of the info, Henry is set to announce his pledge around the 5 p.m. ET hour on Facebook Live.

Ohio State is the favorite, and I’d be pretty surprised if the Buckeyes aren’t the choice tomorrow.

Lacrosse Buckeyes honored

It was a bit of a disappointing season for the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team, but the postseason awards have served as a bit of solace for a number of Ohio State standouts. Yesterday, three Buckeyes were included on the USILA scholar All-American list. Matt Borges, Jack Jasinski and Logan Maccini were given the honors. They’re the 16th, 17th and 18th Buckeyes to qualify, per Ohio State Buckeyes dot com.

While the Buckeyes would likely prefer an on the field result to this, it’s always good to see Buckeyes excelling off the field, as well as on it. Nick Myers has made it a priority to have his players thriving in the classroom as much as they do on the field, and it appears that his approach is paying off.

Stick to sports

• Are these quotes from Marianne Williamson or Metal Gear Solid?
• Super Mario Maker 2 review.
• This week in music.