Ohio State will send 11 players to NFL combine

A total of 11 Buckeyes were invited to participate in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, held Feb. 24 to March 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Cornerbacks Damon Arnette Jr. and Jeff Okudah, running back J.K. Dobbins, safety Jordan Fuller, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, linebacker Malik Harrison, receivers K.J. Hill, Austin Mack and Ben Victor, offensive lineman Jonah Jackson and defensive end Chase Young are expected to attend the annual event.

Ohio State is tied with Michigan for second most invites (11) among all teams. The only team with more are the reigning champs, LSU, with 16 invites.

“This year, Wesson leads the team in points (14.3) and rebounds (9.8) per game. He is shooting almost 50 percent from the field, and that includes a ridiculous 41.9 percent from three-point range.”

— Phil Harrison, Buckeyeswire

Ohio State basketball’s Kaleb Wesson has been named as one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, given to college basketball’s best big-man annually.

The junior has had an up and down season so far. As Harrison wrote, he either has games where he looks like he’s the best player in the country, or you’re lucky to even see him on the court due to foul trouble and conditioning.

That’s not to say the award nomination isn’t well-deserved, however, especially after he had one of the best games of his career on Tuesday when the Buckeyes needed him the most. He scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in 36 minutes of play, leading to a much-needed win on the road against Michigan.

“The athletes on this list model many of the traits that made Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a world-class player,” John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame said in a statement. “Mr. Abdul-Jabbar is unmatched when it comes to his accomplishments at both the collegiate and professional level. As an advocate for education and character, he brings a unique perspective when evaluating talent and we greatly value his input throughout this process.”

Joining Wesson as finalists are Vernon Carey Jr. (Duke), Omer Yurtseven (Georgetown), Filip Petrusev (Gonzaga), Luka Garza (Iowa), Udoka Azubuike (Kansas), Daniel Oturu (Minnesota), Onyeka Okongwu (USC), Isaiah Stewart (Washington) and Nathan Knight (William and Mary).

The winner of the award will be announced at the College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on April 10.

“I watched the whole season and how well they played, how hard they played. There’s no reason for us to make massive changes to what they’re doing defensively.”

— Ohio State football defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, via Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors

After a year or two of some pretty average Ohio State defense, it was a breath of fresh and glorious air to see them absolutely dominate last season. So when the man behind the wheel— former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley— took the head coaching job at Boston College, most feared that he’d be taking his flawless defensive philosophy along with him.

Luckily, his replacement, Kerry Coombs, was watching the same defense we were, and he doesn’t want to change a thing— or at least nothing “massive.” He likes where the defensive coaching staff left off, and, in fact, wants to learn from them.

“Greg, Larry, Al, Matt, those guys have done a phenomenal job,” Coombs said. “So for me, right now, I’m in the meeting room with them in the afternoons, learning what they did. Trying to make sure that I’m adapting their terminology and the playbook. Going to make additions to it, going to make some alterations to it but at the same time, those guys are phenomenal coaches.”

Like Hafley, Coombs will also take responsibility for coaching both Ohio State’s cornerbacks and safeties— an easy transition considering he coached the two positions at his previous position with the Tennessee Titans. Unlike Hafley, Coombs plans to coach games from the field instead of in the press box. I mean, even if you put Coombs in the press box, I think he’d some how make his way down to the field anyway.