Ohio State still has room to pad its non-conference schedule, and if the numbers line up the Buckeyes can add as many as six more games before reaching the NCAA regular-season limit of 32.
With 20 Big Ten games already on the slate, those remaining openings are almost certainly going to be buy games at the Schottenstein Center. That doesn’t mean they have to be boring. There’s still a chance for Ohio State to bring in a few mid-majors that make for a better night than the usual tune-up.
The Buckeyes are also headed to Puerto Rico next week for an international trip that starts Wednesday. They’re set to play at least two teams there, though those opponents have not been announced.
Elsewhere around the program, former Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate re-signed with the Houston Rockets on Thursday afternoon. Tate, who played for the Buckeyes from 2014-18, has been with Houston since 2020. His role has shrunk each season since his rookie year, but he still played in 46 of the Rockets’ 82 games last season and averaged 2.8 points per game while shooting 51.4%.
He’ll also be linked this season to former Buckeye Bruce Thornton, who was drafted by the Rockets with the 31st overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Thornton averaged 18.6 points per game across five NBA Summer League games this month.
Last week’s “You’re Nuts” debate centered on who would lead Ohio State in blocked shots this season. The Buckeyes finished 16th in the Big Ten last year with 2.4 blocks per game and didn’t have a single player average at least one block per game.
Justin went with Ivan Njegovan, who posted the team’s best block rate last season and could see more minutes. Connor chose Amare Bynum, who led Ohio State with 0.8 blocks per game but was also forced into some small-ball center duty last year, a role he’s unlikely to have this season.
This week, the focus shifts to the schedule - and the question of which “buy game” would actually be worth the trip to Columbus.
Connor would like to see Grand Canyon come to the Schott. Ohio State has never played the Antelopes, according to the school’s website, and Grand Canyon has built itself into one of the more reliable mid-major programs in the country since moving to Division I in the 2013-14 season. The Antelopes have reached the NCAA Tournament four times, and they’ve won at least 20 games in nine of the last 11 seasons.
Bryce Drew has led the program for six seasons and has gone 140-52, including four NCAA Tournament appearances. Grand Canyon went 20-12 last season, finished No. 57 in KenPom, and posted a 13-7 mark in the Mountain West.
Connor also pointed to the connection between Jake Diebler and Bryce Drew, a friendship that dates back more than 20 years to Diebler’s time at Valparaiso from 2005-09. Bryce Drew was an assistant there under his father, Homer Drew, who recruited Diebler out of Upper Sandusky High School.
Connor said Diebler frequently credits both Bryce and Homer Drew for their influence on his playing and coaching career. And, yes, the red-vs.-purple uniform matchup gets a mention too.
Justin’s pick is Kent State, and the reason is as direct as it gets: he’s a Kent State alum. He also likes the idea of Ohio State facing one of the MAC’s better programs, and Kent State fits that bill. Miami, Akron, Kent State, Toledo and Ohio are the top five teams in the league right now, and Justin would rather see the Golden Flashes than any of the directional Michigans.
Rob Senderoff’s track record is a big part of the appeal. He has spent 15 seasons leading Kent State, owns a 312-186 record, and has never had a losing season. That kind of consistency makes the Golden Flashes a tougher and more interesting non-conference opponent, even if Ohio State would still be expected to win.
In Other News...
Ohio States New Receiver Is Forcing His Way Into The Conversation
Kyle Parker arrives in Columbus with a rsum that already gives him a different kind of edge than a typical newcomer. The LSU transfer has logged multiple seasons in college football, including time in the SEC, and he comes in with a built-in familiarity with Ohio State wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton that should help him settle into a new room quickly. In a spring where the Buckeyes have been sorting through fresh faces on offense, Parker has been the kind of addition that naturally draws attention.
The bigger question is how that experience translates once the offense starts asking him to operate within Arthur Smiths pro-style system. There should be chances for a receiver with Parkers background to carve out a role, but opportunities in this setup may come in a different shape than the steady volume some pass catchers prefer. For now, he is one of the more intriguing names in the mix, and the early buzz around his fit is only part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Real Plan For Legend Bey This Season
Legend Beys first spring at Ohio State offered a glimpse of why the Buckeyes were willing to keep finding ways to get him involved. The freshman running back, who arrived after originally signing with Tennessee as a high school quarterback, flashed enough promise in practice to make him a real part of the conversation as the offense starts to take shape under new coordinator Arthur Smith.
Assistant coach Carlos Locklyn has made it clear Bey is not just a developmental piece tucked away for later. Ohio State is planning specific offensive packages to put him on the field, a sign the Buckeyes want to tap into his versatility while leaning into a more physical run game this season. The only real question now is how quickly that role expands once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
What Was Said About Ohio States Five Star Miss Says Plenty
Ohio State spent a long stretch treating David Gabriel Georges like a centerpiece in its running back recruiting plan, and the Buckeyes were not alone in seeing the appeal. The five-star prospect became one of the most closely watched names in the cycle, with Tennessee ultimately landing his commitment instead of Columbus, a result that stings all the more because of how much time and attention Ohio State poured into the pursuit.
What makes the miss harder to shake is the sense that the Buckeyes may have been chasing a player who never fully embraced the idea of being in their program. When a recruitment goes on that long and ends with that kind of disappointment, it raises the obvious question for Ohio State: whether all that investment was ever going to produce the return it hoped for, or whether the real edge in this race was something the Buckeyes could not match. [Read more 🡒]