Buckeye Bits: Wyatt Davis and Billy Price make BTN All-Decade First Team, TBT game times announced, more

Man, I don't know about you, but the month of June seemed to really fly by. This has been one hell of a year, and it seems like each time the calendar flips over a new world issue arises. Lets hope July doesn’t bring with it the resurgence of the dinosaurs or any Australia-sized meteors.

On a more lighter note, this month should (hopefully) mark the beginning of preseason practice for your Ohio State Buckeyes. We have a bunch of content planned here at Land-Grant Holy Land for when camp ramps back up, so make sure to stay tuned for everything you’ll need to get you prepped for the 2020 season. With that being said, let’s get to today’s headlines.

From around Land-Grant Holy Land...

• Ohio State five-star CB target to commit today
  (Dan Hessler, LGHL)

The Buckeyes have long been linked to the nation’s top cornerback target in the 2021 class — five-star CB Tony Grimes. The Virginia native listed Ohio State among his top four, however he already announced his decision as he planned to do today at 5 p.m. ET, selecting North Carolina as his college destination. With Grimes joining the Tar Heels, the Buckeyes still have other options if they wish to pursue an additional defensive back.

• Play Like a Girl podcast: College athletes, Lebron James, Malcolm Jenkins making a difference
  (Tia Johnston, LGHL)

Gone are the days where athletes are told to ‘stick to sports’. Now more than ever, athletes in both college athletics and the pros are realizing just how powerful of a platform they truly have, and they are using their voice to speak out for change in the realm of social justice. Tia and Meredith highlight a bunch of the ways these athletes are making a difference in their communities, and how these prominent figures in society are helping to combat racism.

• Jae’Sean Tate’s TBT status up in the air after positive COVID-19 test
  (Brett Ludwiczak, LGHL)

Just days after the announcement that former Buckeye Keyshawn Woods would miss the TBT after being exposed to the coronavirus, yet another former Ohio State player’s status in The Basketball Tournament is up in the air. The second member of Big X to be exposed to the virus, it was announced on Tuesday that Jae’Sean Tate could potentially miss the entire tourney after testing positive. Tate says he feels fine, and all of his family members and his girlfriend that he’s been in contact with recently have tested negative.

• Leaders of the Room: If Justin Fields goes down, who’s taking over?
  (Tia Johnston, LGHL)

Kicking off some of our preseason camp coverage, Tia began what will become a postion-by-position series looking at Ohio State’s leaders in each unit. The leader of the QB room is pretty obviously Justin Fields, but what happens if disaster strikes and he is unable to go for whatever reason? Will Ryan Day call on one of his highly-touted freshman, or turn to the seasoned grad transfer?

• Yesterday’s Buckeye Bits
  (Tia Johnston, LGHL)

ICYMI, catch up on all the Ohio State headlines from around the beat on Monday, which included Ezekiel Elliott being snubbed from the BTN All-Decade First Team by two running backs that he was unequivocally better than, a medical expert’s take on the 2020 college football season, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in 2022 heading to the Big Ten, and much more.

From around the gridiron...

• If you needed any indication of just how good offensive guard Wyatt Davis is, look no further. The junior was named to the BTN All-Decade team after just one year as a starter, an incredible feat especially given all of the talented offensive lineman that have come through the Big Ten from 2010-2019. Already named a First-Team All-American in 2019, Davis is a sure-fire early first round NFL Draft pick if he has a repeat performance in 2020.

He wasn’t the only Buckeye to make the cut, as Billy Price was also named to the First Team.

• Kevin Wilson wouldn't be denied Cade Stover
  (Spencer Holbrook, Lettermen Row)

Ohio State’s defensive staff prohibited offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson from going to watch Cade Stover play basketball in high school, because they knew if he saw the kind of athlete the 6-foot-4, 255 defensive end was, he would want to steal him for his room. However, Wilson now gets his wish, as Stover has transitioned from the defensive line to the TE position. He only got three practices in at the new spot before everything got shut down, but Stover has the talent and ability to be a key piece at the position moving forward.

• In addition to Davis and Price, another former Buckeye made the BTN All-Decade team. Pat Elflein, an Ohio State center that was named All-Big Ten three times during his career and was a member of the 2014 National Championship squad, was named to the All-Decade Second Team. In addition to these accolades, Elflein was the Rimington Trophy winner and 2016 Big Ten OL of the Year.

Joining Elflein on the Second Team is former Buckeye OT Taylor Decker.

• Tommy Togiai brings star potential to lineup as Ohio State’s new starting nose tackle
  (Dan Hope, Eleven Warriors)

There’s been a running theme at Ohio State when it comes to recruits reaching their maximum potential. The mantra in Columbus has always been that the first two years are on the coaching staff, but the third year is on the player. Year three of your collegiate career is when you should be able to make a big impact for the team, and Tommy Togiai is hoping to become one of those third-year breakout guys. Togiai was a member of the 2018 class — the highest-rated group in program history — as the nations No. 3 DT and the No. 55 player overall.

• I’m letting you know right now to look out for it. It’s definitely coming.

From around the hardwood...

• The schedule for this year’s TBT is now officially set, with The Basketball Tournament releasing the official start times and networks on Tuesday afternoon. Beginning July 3, the single-elimination winner-take-all tournament will tip off in Columbus. Ohio State has a bunch of alumni that will compete in the coming weeks, mostly split between Big X and Carmen’s Crew. We’ll be covering all the action for those two squads here at LGHL, so make sure you stay tuned for that.

• You may not think of Ohio State as a basketball powerhouse these days, but they have recruited quite well historically. It’s been a little while, but the Buckeyes are actually tied with Indiana for the most five-star recruits signed all-time in the Big Ten. The most recent five-star prospect to suit up for OSU was D’Angelo Russell in the 2014 class.

• What does Emoni Bates’ commitment to Michigan State mean for Ohio State?
  (Stephen Means, Cleveland.com)

In case you haven't heard, Emoni Bates, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit in the 2022 class, has committed to Michigan State. Looked at as one of the greatest high school basketball prospects since Lebron James, Bates is the first No. 1 overall recruit to commit to a Big Ten school since Eric Gordon committed to Indiana in 2008. However, theres a chance he never actually suits up for the Spartans, as many of the nation’s top recruits the past few years have elected to spend a year overseas instead of playing a year of amateur ball. Means has all the details over at Cleveland.com.

From everywhere else...

• Michael V. Drake has a message for Buckeye Nation in his final day as president of Ohio State. He will be succeeded by Kristina M. Johnson, who was the former chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY) since 2017. Johnson become’s Ohio State’s 16th president.

• Someone please explain to me how Brian Hartline has the time to ride his bike 118 miles while also hauling in every top wide receiver recruit in the country? The man’s a wizard.

• Apparently it’s Social Media Day, and Brutus is celebrating accordingly.