The Buckeye Weekly Podcast

Is Bryce Underwood Correct?

Is Ohio State really “just another game” for Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss recent comments from Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham and quarterback Bryce Underwood about the Ohio State rivalry, including whether hatred is necessary in The Game, how coaches and players should talk about rivalry week, and why comments like these can take on a life of their own once they hit social media.

They also discuss Ryan Day, Julian Sayin, the difference between a “cloud” and a “crown” after The Game, why rivalry comments are...

Ohio State freshman nickel Jay Timmons has already lost his black stripe and appears to be running with the first-team defense during fall camp.

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss what that means, how Timmons compares to Devin Sanchez at this time last year, and why the history of true freshman nickelbacks at Ohio State is so impressive.

They look back at the freshman nickel lineage of Antoine Winfield, Nate Clements, Donte Whitner, and Malcolm Jenkins, what kind of production would be realistic for Timmons this season, and how Ohio State’s defensive personnel could change dep...

What questions are still unanswered for the Ohio State defense after the first week of fall camp?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr take stock of what they’ve seen and heard so far and break down three major areas where the Buckeyes are still sorting through personnel, roles, and rotations.

The first question comes at defensive end, where Kenyatta Jackson and Beau Atkinson appear to be leading the way, but the pecking order behind them is still unsettled. Zion Grady, Epi Sitanilei, and Qua Russaw are all in the mix, and the answer may depend on do...

One of the most unique and bizarre days on the annual Ohio State football calendar is here: hotel check-in day.

The entire Ohio State football team is arriving to check in to the team hotel for the duration of fall camp. 

This has turned into an annual event for Ohio State media and fans. Join the team from BuckeyeInsiders.com for a look at this year’s team arrival.

What questions are still unanswered for the Ohio State offense after the first week of fall camp?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr take stock of what they saw during the first three open practices, what they’ve heard from the closed practice, and which offensive storylines still need clarity as the Buckeyes move deeper into camp.

The first question is at quarterback, where Tavien St. Clair is the clear backup to Julian Sayin but still needs to show more consistency. Tony and Tom discuss why evaluating a second-team quarterback can be tricky when he is often wo...

A number of players stood out during Ohio State’s closed practice on Sunday, and BuckeyeInsiders.com's Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr break down what they heard from inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

The biggest development may be true freshman nickel Jay Timmons continuing to work with the first-team defense. Tony and Tom discuss why that matters, what it says about the freshman's place on the depth chart, and why a true freshman getting this many early reps with the ones is a significant sign.

They also talk about freshman running back Legend Bey, whose qu...

Julian Sayin was a Heisman finalist, earned a spot in the Big Ten Championship, and a top-2 seed in the College Football Playoff as a first-year starter for Ohio State in 2025, but he is aiming much higher in 2026. 

Following the third Ohio State practice of fall camp, Sayin met with the media to discuss some big physical changes he made to prepare for his second season as a starter, the growth of sophomore RB Isaiah West, some of the Buckeyes' talented true freshmen, and his relationship with star WR Jeremiah Smith. 

In this special bonus episode, yo...

The Ohio State Buckeyes opened their 2026 fall camp schedule with three practices Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. After the first one, the Buckeyes' head coach, Ryan Day, met with the media to discuss which positional battles he's watching most closely, how the new eligibility rules are changing the approach to every freshman's season, the emergence of RB Isaiah West, and much more. 

Today's episode is presented by Jeff Ruby's Columbus, the award-winning, upscale steakhouse in Downtown Columbus, named one of the Top 50 steakhouses in America by Food Network. Just go to JeffRuby.com/Columbus to check out the menu a...

After two days of Ohio State fall camp, it’s time to overreact to what the Buckeyes are showing on offense.

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr break down three early takeaways, beginning with running back Isaiah West. Could West actually rush for 1,000 yards this season and turn Ohio State’s backfield into another true two-back attack alongside Bo Jackson?

They also discuss the early emergence of Devin McCuin, who has been one of the biggest standouts of camp. Is McCuin capable of becoming Ohio State’s clear No. 2 receiver — and could he even develop into an NFL firs...

Ohio State has landed its quarterback for the 2028 recruiting class — and he’s one of the best in the country.

Five-star quarterback Christopher Vargas, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2028 class, has committed to the Buckeyes. Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr react to the breaking news and discuss what Ohio State is getting in the 6-foot-4-plus standout from St. John’s Prep in Massachusetts.

They break down what stood out when Vargas camped at Ohio State, his arm talent and mobility, why Ryan Day continues to be such an attractive option for elite quarterbacks, and what Vargas...

After two days of Ohio State fall camp, it’s time for some defensive overreactions.

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr take an early look at what the Buckeyes are showing on defense and ask whether Christian Alliegro could be headed for a massive role at linebacker, whether Jermaine Mathews might be Ohio State’s starting nickel, and whether freshman Jay Timmons could force his way into the starting conversation sooner than expected.

They also discuss Riley Pettijohn’s cross-training, T.J. Alford’s role, the possibility of a deeper linebacker rotation, how Ohio State is searching for its...

Ohio State’s second practice of fall camp produced a couple of major offensive standouts, with wide receiver Devin McCuin and running back Isaiah West continuing to make strong impressions.

Tony Gerdeman and Juck Miletti break down what they saw on Day Two, including McCuin’s big-play ability and growing case to become Ohio State’s clear No. 2 receiver. They also discuss another impressive day from West, who is making the Buckeyes’ running back competition look increasingly interesting.

The conversation also covers Jeremiah Smith, Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd, the latest offensive line combinations, Ohio State’s tight en...

Ohio State opened fall camp, and Tony Gerdeman and Juck Miletti were on campus for the Buckeyes’ first practice to break down the biggest takeaways.

They discuss the absence of freshman running back Legend Bey, a strong day from Isaiah West, the early look at Ohio State’s running back rotation, Devin McCuin’s encouraging start, Chris Henry Jr.’s growing role, and the first-team linebacker combination.

The conversation also covers Devin Sanchez’s confidence entering Year Two, the early offensive line configuration, buzz around Jay Timmons, Beau Atkinson’s physical development, freshman defensive linemen to watch, and m...

Which Ohio State freshmen are ready to become major contributors during the 2026 season?

Tony Gerdeman and Juck Miletti examine the Buckeyes’ incoming freshmen and predict which players will join the 100 Snap Club. They look back at recent Ohio State classes, explain why 100 snaps is such a meaningful benchmark for a true freshman, and compare this year’s group with the loaded 2021 class that helped build the 2024 national championship team.

The discussion includes Sam Greer’s opportunity on the offensive line, the expectations for Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd at receiver, Legend Bey’s potential role at runni...

Ohio State has plenty of talent entering the 2026 season, but which position groups are most likely to fall short of expectations?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr examine the Buckeyes’ most vulnerable rooms, beginning with wide receiver. Jeremiah Smith is a proven superstar, but can Devin McCuin, Kyle Parker, Brandon Inniss, or one of Ohio State’s talented freshmen provide the kind of secondary production Buckeye fans have come to expect?

They also discuss the uncertainty at cornerback, the challenge of replacing Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese at linebacker, and how Ohio State will adjust in the seco...

Tony Gerdeman and Juck Miletti take a deep dive into the greatest rivalry in college football. The guys share their personal memories of growing up with Ohio State vs. Michigan, rank the biggest Wolverine Killers and Buckeye Killers, discuss Bryce Underwood and Michigan's 2026 outlook, and examine whether the Wolverines are positioned for long-term success under Kyle Whittingham.

0:00 – Welcome to The Time and Change Will Surely Show
0:45 – Growing up with The Game: Tony and Juck's rivalry memories
4:28 – Juck explains his "Wolverine Killer" ranking formula
5:20 – No. 5: Texas' best
6:47 – Tony begins his "Buckeye Killers" list
8:36 – No. 4: Missouri's b...

Which Ohio State defenders have the most to gain during fall camp?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr continue their fall camp preview series by identifying five Buckeyes who could dramatically improve their roles, secure starting jobs, or force their way into the defensive rotation before the 2026 season begins.

The discussion starts at defensive end, where Zion Grady has an opportunity to establish himself opposite Kenyatta Jackson. But he is not alone. Beau Atkinson, Epi Sitanilei, and Qua Russaw are also fighting for meaningful snaps in a position group still searching for answers.

Tony and...

Which Ohio State offensive players have the most to gain during fall camp?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr identify five Buckeyes with major opportunities to improve their roles, win starting jobs, or force their way onto the field before the 2026 season begins.

The discussion starts along the offensive line, where Ian Moore could either emerge as Ohio State’s starting left tackle or remain outside the starting five. Josh Padilla also has an opportunity to win the right guard job and potentially allow Austin Siereveld to remain at left tackle.

Tony and Tom then tu...

The 2026 college football season will be an enormous one for Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans, and their showdown with Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Coliseum on Halloween will go a long way toward determining whether the Trojans can earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Riley about his personal history against Ohio State and the historic rivalry between the Buckeyes and Trojans, and whether this could be the start of a rekindled rivalry. 

Plus, you'll hear his thoughts about a 24-team Co...

Penn State's new head coach Matt Campbell has extensive ties to Ohio, from his playing and early coaching career at Mount Union, to his time as the head coach at Toledo, so it wasn't surprising that he was asked a couple of questions involving Ohio State during 2026 Big Ten Media Days.

In this special bonus episode, you'll get to hear Campbell discuss the impact that former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel has had on his career, and his decision to take the Penn State job, as well as the role that former OSU running back James Peoples...

New Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham's first Big Ten Media Days featured plenty of rivalry talk, the unnecessary need for hate in a rivalry, his happiness with being at Michigan, the development of quarterback Bryce Underwood, the depth at defensive line, the search for an offensive line, and more.

In this episode of the Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning podcast, Marcus Hartman of BuckeyeInsiders.com joins host Tony Gerdeman to discuss their biggest takeaways from Whittingham's sitdown with the media.

Today's episode is presented by Jeff Ruby's Columbus, the award-winning, upscale steakhouse in Downtown Columbus, named one of...

There is a ton of excitement around Ohio State freshman running back Legend Bey. The former Texas quarterback was one of the most dynamic runners in the 2026 recruiting class. Now he's a Buckeye and there are significant plans for him this season. But how significant? In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman is joined by Buckeye Insiders' Juck Miletti to discuss their thoughts on what to expect from Legend Bey this season.

Florida State transfer safety Earl Little earned some high praise for his play in the spring, but what does that mean for this season? In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, host Tony Gerdeman is joined by Buckeye Insiders' Juck Miletti to talk about Little and the expectations they have for him this season.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr talk about the likelihood of once again having three Ohio State All-Americans attending Big Ten Media Days. They accomplished the feat last year with Sonny Styles, Jeremiah Smith, and Caleb Downs. Will they do it this year with Julian Sayin, Jaylen McClain, and Jeremiah Smith? The fellas discuss those possibilities and answer who is more likely to earn the honor between Sayin and McClain.

The Big Ten Media Days are now over and fall camp is less than a week away. What did we learn? 

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, host Tony Gerdeman is joined by Buckeye Insiders' Juck Miletti as the two recap what they learned, how Juck's first-ever media days went, their thoughts on some of the things the Michigan contingent had to say, their Ohio State takeaways, and much more.

Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain met with the media at 2026 Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Wednesday, and had a lot of interesting thoughts on how the Buckeyes will replace Caleb Downs, the roles that Earl Little and Terry Moore will take on, what to expect from sophomore cornerback Devin Sanchez, his impressions of new OSU wide recievers Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker, and more. 

In this episode of the Buckeyes TomOrrow Morning podcast, Marcus Hartman of BuckeyeInsiders.com joins host Tom Orr to discuss his biggest takeaways from the 30-minute interview session with McClain. 

To...

The 2026 college football season will be an enormous one for Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans, and their showdown with Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Coliseum on Halloween will go a long way toward determining whether the Trojans can earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear directly from Riley about his personal history against Ohio State and the historic rivalry between the Buckeyes and Trojans, and whether this could be the start of a rekindled rivalry. 

Plus, you'll hear his thoughts about a 24-team Co...

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith met with reporters on Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days. He had plenty to say, including thoughts on some key defenders, some young receivers, not being battled tested as a team last year, and more. In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr react to what Smith had to say.

Penn State's new head coach Matt Campbell has extensive ties to Ohio, from his playing and early coaching career at Mount Union, to his time as the head coach at Toledo, so it wasn't surprising that he was asked a couple of questions involving Ohio State during 2026 Big Ten Media Days.

In this special bonus episode, you'll get to hear Campbell discuss the impact that former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel has had on his career, and his decision to take the Penn State job, as well as the role that former OSU running back James Peoples...

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tom Orr and Tony Gerdeman discuss some thoughts on Julian Sayin following his media session at Big Ten Media Days. Sayin talked about working with Arthur Smith, what excites him most about this offense, his responsibility as the Ohio State quarterback, and much more.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tom Orr and Tony Gerdeman discuss Michigan's appearance Thursday at Big Ten Media Days and what they want to learn about the Wolverines under new head coach Kyle Whittingham and players Bryce Underwood, Jordan Marshall, and Trey Pierce.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr share their thoughts following Ryan Day's 45-minute chat session at Big Ten Media Days. Day discussed the offensive line and how things will go there, what position group he'll be watching closely, the difficulty of the schedule, the toughest player on the team, and much more.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss some major individual matchups for the Buckeyes this season. Tony has Tom blind-rank five matchups in terms of which will be the most impactful for Ohio State this season.

In this audio-only edition of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr share their reaction to speaking with Illinois head coach Bret Bielema about the state of college football, being a Big Ten spokesman, growing up, living with failure, and much more.

In this audio-only episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tom Orr and Tony Gerdeman recap their thoughts following a conversation with new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell. Campbell talked about life at Penn State and the lessons he has learned as a head coach. What has been the hardest lesson? The fellas discuss this as well as the problem with expectations that coul hinder the Penn State football program.

In this audio-only episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss what they learned from USC head coach Lincoln Riley. Riley shared interesting thoughts on the value of high school recruiting -- particularly quarterbacks, a potential renewed rivalry with Ohio State, embracing expectations, being in alignment throughout the program, and more.

In this instant reaction episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, hosts Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss what Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti had to say about the Protect College Sports Act, how close it is, the SEC breaking away, the possibility of the Big Ten doing the same, and much more.

In this episode of the Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman gives Tom Orr five Buckeye predictions that could define the season. They then discuss each of the predictions and the likelihood that they happen.

Ohio State has the best wide receiver in college football—but does it have a proven No. 2?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr wrap up their positional concerns series by examining the three biggest questions facing the Buckeyes’ wide receiver room heading into the 2026 season.

Jeremiah Smith is the unquestioned star, but Ohio State must determine who will emerge behind him. Can Brandon Inniss finally take the next step? Will UTSA transfer Devin McCuin or LSU transfer Kyle Parker become dependable options? And could one of the talented freshmen force his way into the rotation?

Tony...

Is tight end actually a concern for Ohio State in the supposed “Year of the Tight End”?

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr examine the biggest questions surrounding the Buckeyes’ tight end room, beginning with the most familiar concern of all: can they consistently run block?

Nate Roberts, Northwestern transfer Hunter Welcing, and Ohio transfer Mason Williams are expected to lead the group, but Ohio State still has to determine which players it can trust in critical short-yardage situations and how quickly the coaching staff can identify its best combinations.

Tony and Tom also discuss whethe...