Let’s recap. Urban Meyer<\/strong><\/a>: not a coach. Tate Martell<\/a><\/strong>: all about the U. Greg Schiano:<\/strong> left for the NFL. Recruiting class: outside of the top ten. Justin Fields<\/a><\/strong>: eligible immediately. Ohio State has had an eventful offseason, to say the least, and there is a very long time before kickoff against Florida Atlantic on August 31st<\/sup>. Let’s catch you up on what you have missed so far.<\/p>\n The last month of 2018 did not start off kindly to Buckeye Nation. On December 2nd<\/sup> the College Football Playoff Committee left Ohio State out of the semi-finals and instead took Notre Dame and Oklahoma \u2013 both of whom failed to match the level of play of the other two semi-finalists Clemson and Alabama. Hindsight is 20\/20 but the outcome of the semifinal games bolstered the Buckeyes argument to be included as one of the top teams in the country. Also, it led to many people asking if eight team tournaments are the way to go. \u00a0Being sent to Pasadena for The Rose Bowl is about as good as consolation prizes get (but still wasn\u2019t as sweet as it should have been) but nonetheless served as another chance to play on one of college football\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n The Rose Bowl opened with some program altering news; Meyer would be coaching his last game and Ryan Day<\/strong> would be taking over the helm. Other than his short stint as interim while Meyer was on suspension, Day has no head coaching experience. This is a first for an Ohio State new head coach since Paul Bixler<\/strong> in 1946. Day was great in his three-game stint but following the path and charting new territory is not the same thing. Still, expect a great first year from Day as he is ready. Though, trepidation is a normal feeling to have when a team replaces one of the best coaches in college football.<\/p>\n If the Rose Bowl wasn’t drama enough, reports of Fields\u2019 transfer began heating up and Columbus was his preferred destination. Martell, heir apparent to Haskins, welcomed all competition and reminded everyone he was a former five-star quarterback. Martell also made it clear he had a great relationship with the coaching staff. Martell\u2019s comments were met with skepticism, but a Martell-Fields quarterback battle sounded great. No such luck, Fields announced that he was coming to Columbus on January 4th.\u00a0It took Martell three days to announce he was transferring; he would eventually choose Miami, where things probably haven\u2019t went the way he thought they would<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fields, the nation\u2019s top quarterback from the 2018 recruiting class, applied for a hardship waiver as while he was at Georgia, he was a victim of a verbal racial attack. Georgia dismissed the player from the team. Immediate eligibility for Fields via hardship waiver drew the ire of some, including Chris Fowler<\/strong> of ESPN, who while not speaking of the specifics of the case but in general terms of transfer rules said \u201cit\u2019s a Pandora\u2019s box, I think you could always go to whatever tribunal exists, and make whatever case you want, to get the result that you desire\u201d. The NCAA granted Fields immediate eligibility. Ohio State\u2019s early betting odds to win the National Championship rose from 12\/1 to 8\/1.<\/p>\n 14th<\/sup> is not a typical recruiting class ranking for Ohio State, a stalwart of the top 10 on signing day. After highly rated recruits\u00a0Jackson Carman<\/a><\/strong> and Doug Nester<\/strong>\u00a0spurned the Buckeyes, a feeling of panic set in about recruiting in a post-Meyer world. The class is small; not due to recruiting but rather to the number of available scholarships. This was always going to be a small class regardless of who the head coach was. Not counted in the rankings, Fields transfer greatly bolsters the class.<\/p>\n When you catch your breath after the shock of seeing Ohio State with the 14th<\/sup> rated class and look a little closer you see that Day and the staff were able to secure Ohio\u2019s top player in Zach Harrison<\/strong>, Garrett Wilson<\/strong> (the number two WR in the country out of Texas) and Harry Miller,<\/strong> a five-star Offensive lineman from Georgia. 4 star\u00a0Enokk Vimahi <\/strong>from Hawaii showed Ohio State can go anywhere and get a states best player. This class is not anything to balk at.<\/p>\n Now that you\u2019re caught up it\u2019s important you know; they served eight tons \u2013 yes sixteen thousand pounds \u2013 of nacho cheese at the Horseshoe last year. Do what you will with that information.<\/p>\nCollege Football Playoff<\/h2>\n
Coaching Change<\/h2>\n
Quarterbacks<\/h2>\n
Recruiting<\/h2>\n
Upcoming Dates<\/h2>\n
February 26th: The NFL Combine has 10 former Buckeyes showing their stuff<\/h4>\n
April 13th: Ohio State Spring Game<\/h4>\n
April 25th: Could Nick Bosa<\/a><\/strong> and Dwayne Haskins<\/a><\/strong> go one-two?<\/h4>\n
Fun Fact<\/h2>\n