← The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk
The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk
Ohio State Around the Shoe: James Laurinaitis at work; future star freshmen; injured Buckeyes watch
00:56:42
Talking Ohio State football topics continues on Around the Shoe into the offseason, as Doug Lesmerises and Bill Landis are joined on The Bill and Doug Show by two great OSU media members.
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- [00:02]
Doug Lay Maurice
And, Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
- [00:12]
Bill Landis
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this, your first date? Oh, no.
- [00:16]
Doug Lay Maurice
We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
- [00:22]
Bill Landis
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
- [00:24]
Doug Lay Maurice
Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
- [00:27]
Bill Landis
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.
- [00:31]
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- [01:08]
Bobby Gorbutt
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- [01:20]
Bill Landis
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- [01:20]
Bobby Gorbutt
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- [01:35]
Bill Landis
Welcome back to the Bill and Doug Show. It's around the Shoe, our Monday staple. We're running it through the off season. Just because there's no more spring football, it's. Just because it's not football season doesn't mean we're not talking about the Ohio State Buckeyes. Each and every week. Doug Lay, Maurice and Bill Landis joined by two outstanding members of the Ohio State media. Today, two folks from Buckeye Sports Bulletin, Bobby Gorbit and Greg Wilson. Bobby, it's your around the Shoe debut. Thanks for being here, man.
- [02:00]
Bobby Gorbutt
Oh, thanks for having me. Really excited to join you guys.
- [02:03]
Bill Landis
And. And how long have you been covering the Buckeyes, Bobby?
- [02:07]
Bobby Gorbutt
So, two years. I started, I think, was July, maybe of 2024, right before that, that big season, obviously, so. So, yeah, I've really enjoyed it.
- [02:19]
Bill Landis
National championship reporter Bobby Gorbert. Then, well, what do you know, Greg Wilson, you're back for return engagement. How long have you been covering the Buckeyes, Greg?
- [02:29]
Greg Wilson
Not much longer. Three years. So before that, that Sunday after the open season opening game in 2023, Indiana, that was. That was my first day on the beat. So not too long, okay?
- [02:41]
Bill Landis
Okay. Very cool. So thanks, you guys, for being here. Bill Landis, you're here. How long you been covering the Buckeyes?
- [02:47]
Bill landis, long time. 2014 was my first season. I was also a national champion in my first year.
- [02:53]
Look at you. Oh, my God, look at you. You look at you and Bobby. Yeah, yeah. First game I ever covered. They lost. Anyway, so thanks to you guys for being here. We will run through five. Five topics about Ohio State football. Actually, four topics on Ohio State football and then one on store Star Wars. But, Bobby, we'll start with you. This is something that's been percolating on my mind since spring football ended for the Buckeyes. What injured player who missed all or part of spring football are you most curious to see in August when we get to preseason camp? And like, there's a decent number of candidates here, right? I think we would talk about Riley Pettigohn at linebacker, Earl Little at safety, who missed kind of the back half of things. We talk about both running backs, we talk about Josh Padilla on the offensive line. And I'm sure there's some guys that, that I'm not thinking of, but there was like a decent handful of dudes that I kind of wish we had seen. We had seen in the spring or seen more of. Who's number one on your list, Bobby?
- [03:59]
Bobby Gorbutt
I'm going with Earl Little, as you mentioned.
- [04:01]
Greg Wilson
We.
- [04:02]
Bobby Gorbutt
We saw him for the, I think it was the first half of spring. I think anytime when you have, you know, some player, and we kind of saw this with Max Claire last year, who comes from, know maybe a poor team or something like that, or, you know, Florida State wasn't. Wasn't amazing last year. I think they were 5 and 7 there sometimes kind of, you know, some growing pains or, you know, I guess a learning curve a little bit. What? But he's. He's been really strong or he was really strong at the start of the spring. He was one of the first players to get his box stripe removed. And I think it was Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Day who had a really effusive praise for him. I'm interested to see kind of where he lines up. He was more of a safety last year at Florida State, but I think Ohio State has a couple of guys who can do that. So, you know, whether or not he'll be at nickel or, you know, maybe, maybe it's safety. I, you know, even if they could somehow maybe use him at linebacker, I guess, and you know, third down situations if you're having allegro play at edge. So all of those wrinkles, I'm, I'm sort of excited to see. And also, you know, I think one of the talking points with the defense has been, you know, they were really strong last year, but, you know, the turnovers weren't necessarily always there. He had four interceptions last year at Florida State. Can he be, you know, one of those guys that helps with that sort of production? So I think Earl Little is probably the player I'm most excited to see.
- [05:19]
Bill Landis
And I, and I will say, Bobby, I, it, it's, it's through things off a little bit when Earl Little wasn't there because like in the spring and then we saw a lot of Jermaine Matthews inside sort of at that nickel spot and, and two corners outside and it's like, well, does that mean they're going to play Jermaine Matthews in there more often or is this is just just a function of Earl Little not being here? I like the way that they kind of adapted to Earl Little not being there. But what I'm more curious about is how they adapt to Earl Little being there. Because, like, do you think it's very possible, Bobby, that like Earl Little is on the field basically constantly, but in different places and we haven't seen the full sort of unveiling of everything he might be?
- [06:05]
Bobby Gorbutt
I, yeah, I definitely think so. You know, they use Caleb Downs all over the place last year and you know, close to the line of scrimmage, obviously it's safety, so he seems like the guy, you know, he's a, he's a longer guy. I think he has the versatility to play, you know, plenty of different positions. You know, maybe boundary corner would be, would be surprising, but other than that, I could see him playing pretty much anywhere on the field.
- [06:27]
Bill Landis
Yeah.
- [06:28]
Okay. Okay, that's a good one. Greg, who's your guy that you're most curious about?
- [06:32]
Greg Wilson
I actually went with the guy you didn't mention earlier. It's a freshman legend. Bay. I, I, you know, everyone's, ever since September, whenever he first committed, it's just everyone's talking about that speed, you know, it's like Ted Ginn Jr. Style, like Curtis Samuel, like that class of guys. And it's like, I know maybe he won't play because he's a true freshman, but you got to think if he can get healthy. First of all, I just want to see it. I want to see that guy start. You know, I feel like I didn't really get to this spring, but you got to think, like, if he's really got that speed and he can use it on the football field, if he's got any vision, really, in the run game, and, I mean, it seems like he does. He had more rushing yards than he did passing yards as a quarterback in. At his Texas high school in North Forney. I just think if he's got that. If he's got any sort of ability at catching the ball, like, there's got to be a place for him somewhere in this offense. At some points, they've.
- [07:23]
Bill Landis
They continued the tease Landis by Legend Bay just, like, doing enough early in spring to get people talking, and then he vanished. It's like a. It was a great, soft open on this freshman without actually having to, like, prove what's going on. It was very strategic. I mean, he got hurt, but, like, it worked out in a way to keep teasing us.
- [07:44]
Yeah, it's like the. The kind of the. It's almost the perfect spring to like, to kind of keep the buzz going because. Because he remains a mystery. You did. There was nothing that happened in the spring to slow down the momentum of what people think Legend Bay could be. I. I often think, like, sometimes that can be helpful for freshmen. It's like, all right, everyone's really excited about you being here. But then you do some things during spring where you're reminded that the guy is still a very young player, and then you, like, just kind of pump the brakes a little bit in a way that, like, might be healthy overall for the player and his trajectory. But then we didn't really get that with legend like Ryan Day. Ryan Day compared on the Tyree Kill and Curtis Samuel. And then we didn't see him. It's like, all right, I gu. He's still Tyree Kill and Curtis Samuel until somebody shows me something different.
- [08:31]
Like, when we get to August, Greg, is this going to be. Are all of us at all of our sites going to be doing, like, Legend Bay watches? Like, here's the number of snaps where he lined up here. Like, here's. Here's what's. Like, how nuts do you think this could be when he's on the field in preseason camp? You guys probably already had the Legend Bay counter going over at bsb. You have probably a meeting about this already.
- [08:59]
Greg Wilson
Yeah, I mean, listen, like I said, I just. I don't know how likely it is we actually see him on the field for. For games? Maybe we do in. In those two, against those two Mac opponents, but it's just, you know, with. With the. The two guys coming back at running back and then plus Jacoby Jackson and then the depth at wide receiver, maybe we don't see him. But like I said, with that speed, that's a different tool than any of these other guys have. So maybe we see him in the return game. He did that too, in high school, so that's. That's another thing. But, you know, I'm looking forward to it, whatever it is.
- [09:31]
Bill Landis
Bobby, is there any potential harm here for us to just be intrigued and excited about this guy? Should we do some preemptive break pumping this summer, or can we be put the gas pedal all the way down on Legend Bay and then we'll just see what happens in August?
- [09:48]
Bobby Gorbutt
Listen, I like the excitement, especially when you're dealing with a guy who's super fast. Like Greg said, I have no idea how much of a player early on, but I will say, you know, a big thing for Ohio State has been, you know, guys making plays after they catch the ball, you know. You know, there's no complaints you can have about Colonel Tate and Jeremiah Smith, but, you know, last year I think there was, you know, sometimes you wanted to see guys make plays after they catch the ball. I think Legend Bay can do that, you know, as well as anyone with his speed and clearly elusiveness.
- [10:19]
Bill Landis
Yeah. Okay, Landis, were you gonna say Legend Bay, or did you have somebody else lined up?
- [10:23]
I had somebody else lined up, I think. Okay, Legend. I have several answers to this question. Legend. Legend is certainly one of them. Riley Pettigon is as well, but. But for the. The sake of, like, throwing a different name out there, I would have liked to see some of Phil Daniels this spring. Oh, yeah, I thought so. So I asked Ryan Day. I believe it's on the first day of spring, just, like, trying to get an idea of sort of all the different offensive lines, mechanicians, and how things could. Could potentially move around. And. And I thought that a door would have been open for Phil Daniels to play guard, perhaps. And Ryan Day, like, kind of shut that down, I thought, pretty emphatically, like, no, Phil. We think Phil's a tackle, which is like, okay, so then let's see an improved version of him in the spring. And. And we just didn't get an opportunity to do that. So I am very much interested in seeing what that looks like in August. I think for him, like, you want to see how much his body has changed and you want to see. I think his. One of his issues was just like foot speed at tackle and just being a little. A little slow to kind of get to the spots that he needed to get to last year in pass protection. So players can work on that and players can improve that. And he seems like a pretty athletic guy, so I'm not saying that he didn't make improvements there, but we just never really got a chance to see it in the spring. So I'm pretty eager to see that once he's back on the field.
- [11:43]
Yeah, for all the guys that I mentioned at the beginning, I forgot to mention Legend Bay, I forgot to mention Austin Serval at left tackle. I forgot to mention Phil Daniels at right tackle. It's interesting that. I mean, it's a very appropriate bill for you to bring him up because when it was announced that Sarah Belt and Daniels had these minor procedures and they were going to be out for the rest of spring, we, I think all of us not incorrectly jumped to the opportunity that was now being presented for the guys behind them, primarily Ian Moore at left tackle and Carter Lowe at right tackle. But by the way, Austin Servant and Philip Daniels are going to play in this season when it matters for Ohio State, trying to win. And I think we know what Austin Seravel is pretty much. We maybe don't know exactly where he's going to play, but we know Austin Servelt is good. Yeah, you would say you don't. Even though he started basically all last year, we still don't exactly know what Phil Daniels is. Right.
- [12:39]
At least less so than. Than Saraval. I. I would say definitely like. Like Phil Daniels has played a thousand snaps now combined at Minnesota and Ohio State. So it's not like he doesn't have a body of work, but. But he was always to me, just sort of kind of like a. Kind of like a raw lump of clay type of player. Like, great frame, good athleticism. But you have to. You have to mold something out of that. And, and I think he maybe in some instances and even ended up playing a little bit early last year. And I don't think he was terrible all season. He had. He had some rough games, he missed a game, and when he came back on the other side of missing him, I thought he was a little better. But. But I know he had like an injury thing too that was maybe impacting some of. Some of the movement that at times appeared to be lacking, but he to me just feels like he's still Got a lot of Runway in his development. And. And I think, like, you know, if you get totally to the far end of that, you could have something pretty. Pretty good. But I think for a guy who's quasi experienced missing this spring was probably a little detrimental to that development.
- [13:41]
Okay, okay, we have some good answers here. Like, Bobby, this is the point. There's a lot of. I mean, this is not unusual. Teams have injuries, but for the fact that, you know, Ryan Day said a million times, 51 new guys and they have all this stuff to figure out. There's a decent number of guys who were just not out there this spring that we have questions about. I'm. I'm kind of surprised, Bobby. This many questions are lingering.
- [14:05]
Bobby Gorbutt
Yeah. I mean, especially that running back position. Just felt like it was never ending with all those injuries. I mean, Bo Jackson, it's a physical position, obviously Bo Jackson, Isaiah west not being available. But then you had like the three or four different players that are like, still going down. It's like, I genuinely don't know what they're gonna do at running back. And we're two days before the spring game. That part was stunning. But, yeah, you know, I mean, obviously they have a long way to go before the season, so, you know, get. Get those guys as healthy as possible. I think Ryan Day was saying that, you know, there's no better time than now to, to clean up some of these injuries.
- [14:37]
Bill Landis
Yeah. And they're not long term.
- [14:38]
Greg Wilson
Right.
- [14:39]
Bill Landis
Like Ryan Day was saying, everybody will be back for the summer. But Greg, I will give you guys, you can take this at BSB if you want it. In retrospect, spring football, gigantic failure for Ohio State. Numerous questions linger into August. You guys can take that if you want that. Is that. Is that too far to say? Is that too much?
- [14:57]
Greg Wilson
Yeah, maybe. We'll see if that'll fit. We still got our print papers. We'll see if that'll fit.
- [15:01]
On one of the.
- [15:02]
On one of the, like, in that,
- [15:05]
Bill Landis
like, declare war, like, size of headline font.
- [15:07]
Greg Wilson
Right.
- [15:09]
Bill Landis
So we like to do like it. You know, over time, I've enjoyed doing sort of like what ifs in Ohio State history. Like, what if this coach didn't come? What if this injury didn't happen? What if this player had picked Ohio State, hadn't picked Ohio State, that kind of thing. I would like to present perhaps the most minor version of this that I think perhaps could have had a sizable outcome. And my what if? And I'm going to retroactively apply it to last year so that we can talk about it going into this year. Is Landis, if Josh Padilla hadn't gotten hurt, would Ohio State have won the national championship? Maybe.
- [15:52]
No, I. It was that there was a failure across the entire offensive line against Miami, at least in the beginning of that game.
- [15:59]
Greg Wilson
So.
- [15:59]
Bill Landis
But he came in in the second half and helped fix a couple of the. Like one of the failures right at right guard. Yeah, like going back on this. So Josh Padilla was out this spring. Going back just to double check this stuff. Josh Padilla played seven snaps. He had played 19 snaps against Minnesota, 14 against Illinois, 26 against Wisconsin. He played seven snaps last year against Penn State. Got hurt. Ryan Day says the week after, we expect to have him back this week, maybe two weeks. He doesn't play for five games. He doesn't play the rest of the regular season. He doesn't play against Indiana. He doesn't play against Miami until the second half when it's like, well, our offensive line is falling apart. I guess we should put in this guy who's been hurt for two months. And then Josh Padilla came in at right guard and was pretty decent. And like, by the way, Greg, come on. Josh Padilla. What? What? Like this was a gig. I can't just looking, reminding myself of this. Like, there's like, oh, it's fine. And then I. We talked about him all the time. Like, is he. The answer is like, you got to bench Tigers your bowl. Is he going to be the answer? Is he going to be the answer? He never was the answer. That was a big deal, right? Greg, Come on. It was a big deal that he was hurt last year. Gigantic deal. Maybe Braxton Miller injury. Josh injury. Chris Carter being suspended. Like those the biggest what ifs in Ohio State history, right?
- [17:19]
Greg Wilson
Yeah. No, right up there. No, I. I don't know. I mean, listen, there's. Obviously right guard means something and that's why it's part of the reason the offensive line struggled some, you know, with Tegra there last year. But it just. I don't think that was the entirety of what caused them to lose to Indiana, lose to Miami. I mean, they were close. You know, they had a couple, like, not to not blame it on anyone. Jane Fielding missed a kick. The offense stalled a couple times in the red zone. You know, they're. They're. Maybe that's because of right guard on, on its own, but I don't really think so. I guess I, I just don't.
- [17:59]
Bill Landis
All that being said, you're wrong. Yeah.
- [18:01]
Bobby Gorbutt
Really going to be.
- [18:02]
Greg Wilson
I think If Josh was really going to be that good, we would have seen him replace Tegra a lot earlier. I think maybe he needed that extra development.
- [18:09]
Bill Landis
But
- [18:13]
Bobby Gorbutt
big thanks to our sponsor, BetterHelp, for partnering with us for this important conversation about mental health.
- [18:18]
Greg Wilson
This is Steve Smith here, former NFL wide receiver and host of the 89 show on YouTube. So having a counselor and working with BetterHelp, that gives you an opportunity to really start to unpack. But people don't understand when you unpack things, you also open up a box that you're not always sure what's inside. So I think that's why seeing a professional is extremely important. If you need someone to open up to, visit betterhelp, that's betterhelp.com89 to get started.
- [18:50]
Doug Lay Maurice
And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual, even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.
- [19:00]
Bobby Gorbutt
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird.
- [19:02]
Bill Landis
What is this, your first date? Oh, no.
- [19:04]
Doug Lay Maurice
We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
- [19:10]
Bill Landis
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
- [19:12]
Doug Lay Maurice
Anyways, get a quote@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.
- [19:15]
Bill Landis
Liberty, Liberty, Liberty, Liberty. I'm definitely going to clip out the part of Greg. Isn't this one of the great what ifs in Ohio State history? And you saying that is the perfect response to me going off, going off the rails. I do think, Bobby, there's been, I think, you know, Landis and I certainly had this discussion multiple times. I think everybody did, like, is it possible once Austin Seravel was hurt and Ian Moore's getting to play left tackle? Like, could Ian Moore at left tackle, like, snap the offensive line into place, you move Cerebell to right guard, Daniel stays at right tackle. Like everything else is fine and bang, all of a sudden you've got it. And then. I'm not saying that's not going to happen, but I am curious for August, the way Josh Padilla has been talked about, he's a fourth year guy and he's been sort of like on the bubble of maybe starting to do something and has never quite had the chance to do it. Could it be possible, Bobby, that in August Josh Padilla's back healthy, he's out at right guard and that snaps it into place. Like, I'm open for that. Yeah, it could.
- [20:23]
Bobby Gorbutt
You know, he played, he played really well last year in that, in that game against Miami when You know, pretty much nobody on the offensive line was playing well, so, you know, he should be commended for that. You know, I, I think it could help. It's a right guard, right. It's not going to change the world, but, you know, it can't hurt. I think also, you know, an important thing and that especially in that Miami game, the running backs did not pass protect at all. I mean, you know, obviously, the, the clip that made the rounds was Bo Jackson getting steamrolled. I don't know, remember, by who specifically. But that was, that was a big thing in the 2024 season. The running backs played such a huge role in that.
- [20:57]
Bill Landis
Yeah.
- [20:58]
Bobby Gorbutt
In past production on the, in that national championship run. They, they need that this year, I think. And, you know, obviously, Josh Padilla could help at right guard, but that has to be an element of past production, too.
- [21:09]
Bill Landis
All right, so, Landis, before I'll get off Josh Padilla, what do you think of that idea? Landis, again, you and I, we really think Ian Moore could be the key to all this. Is it possible Josh Padilla is the, the skeleton key of the offensive line, or is that, is that just not gonna happen?
- [21:23]
No, no, I think, I think it is. Yeah. I think, you know, I, I would still say that I, I, my bet is on Ian Moore starting, but I probably felt that a little too confidently at points during the spring and, and doing so just sort of forgetting about Josh Padilla. I, I thought he was on track to start, like after that Penn State game, and I actually think he got hurt. Maybe they were like, running the clock out and he got hurt. I think is, is what happened there. So it was like kind of the worst possible injury to, for an offensive lineman to suffer. So I think he's very much a possibility, which I, and I think maybe that's part of the reason why there wasn't sort of an emphatic like, Ian Moore's our guy coming out of spring, because how could you possibly know that without Josh Padilla participating during spring practice?
- [22:07]
Okay, that's a lot of right guard talk. That's 20 minutes of right guard talk off the start of the show. We got to get to the Star wars stuff, but first we'll get to question number two. Greg Wilson, this is for you, Ohio State. And we are starting here on the Bill and Doug show. We're going to start talking about Ohio State opponents. The plan is on Tuesday to have a YouTube show and podcast show on this feed with a Ball State beat writer talking about week one, Ohio State versus Ball State. Two Mac opponents on the schedule this year, Greg, in Ball State and Kent State. It's not the first time Ohio State's played two Mac teams in a year. They played two Mac teams in 2024. But as we think about this schedule and there's like a nice trip to Texas, potentially the number one team in the country squeezed in between those two Mac games. Is two Mac games on the Ohio State regular season schedule okay with you, yes or no?
- [23:00]
Greg Wilson
I'm gonna say yes. I think that's context dependent for me though. And it's what you said right there. It's the, it's, it's the Texas that's, you know, sandwiched right there in between them. I, I, I'm entering dangerous territory on the Bill and Duck show here, but I like the way the SEC is about to do it. You know, their nine game conference schedule with a required non conference power four team on that too. So I, I think that's something that I can get behind. And if that's the way, you know, Ohio State or any school is going to do it, that Texas is what makes it okay with me. You know, I kind of like the playing an in state opponent every year. You know, the Kent State. So you know, something like that. Kent State, Miami, Akron, whoever it may be. But, but again, yeah, when, if we're gonna see them go down to, you know, go down to Texas and, and match up against Arch Manning, match up against that, you know, that, that talented of a team, they can play whoever they want those other two games in my eyes.
- [23:57]
Bill Landis
Okay. Okay. Landis, what do you think of this? Yes or no?
- [24:01]
I do agree with Greg. Like if the Big Ten were to mandate playing a at least one power four out of conference opponent then I would be okay with this. But as long as we're not in that world, I guess I would prefer to not see two Mac teams. Although I do suppose Ohio State. So High State has Texas this year. Bama bama. And then 2029 is next year. They don't have a power Conference or P4 out of conference game. But they also don't play a Mac team that year. They play Navy, Charlotte and Youngstown State. So I think my like preferred offs or non conference slate is like an in state Mac team, a really good P4 team and then something in the middle of those two. So that's like a, it doesn't have to be like the best possible G5 team but like a halfway decent G5 team. I think I would like to see them trying to Remember like a couple years ago, was it 20, 21, before Oregon was in the Big Ten, like the non conference, I think was like Oregon, Tulsa, which is like a decent kind of middle of the pack team and then I think they played a Mac team that year. So something like that I think is probably my, my ideal. But if you're going on the road to play Texas as part of your non conference schedule this year, I'm, I'm okay with, with two Mac teams being on the docket, I do wish they were Ohio teams. No offense to Ball State. I just think it's better when Ohio State plays the Ohio back teams.
- [25:19]
Yeah, Ohio State and Ball State have never played. So this is like Ball State's chance to get a little, little piece of, of Ohio Stadium. I'm, I would say no, it's not okay. But I'm basically in agreement with the, it's not the main point. And so if I was going to corner Ross Bjork at an event and confront him about Ohio State's non conference schedule, like the number one topic is like you're still playing Bama next year, right? You're playing Bama. You're playing Bama. You're not canceling Bam. Like that was in the, that was in the rumor mill a couple months ago, right? That like as the Ohio State Bama series for 27 and 28 in jeopardy, I wouldn't be like, yeah, Bama, whatever. How are you playing Ross? Two Mac teams, this, it's just like it's, it's not the main thing. And so if the main thing is it's non game conference schedule, whether it's mandated or not, Ohio State needs to do this at least 8 or 9 years out of 10 is to play a major non conference game. Like and as you said Bill, they have that year where they're not. But then they get back on it. With Georgia. I always like big, middle, small. But is this the price? And that's the thing. Like is it connected? Right? And so is if you're, if, if you're telling Ryan Day or Ross Bjork or the program like okay, we really want to keep doing Texas or Bama, then it's like then it better be 270 to nothing games on either side of that, right? We're not setting ourselves up to go to Texas and then come back the next week and have some G6 team that we thought was going to be a walkover that all of a sudden gets a transfer from, right? Like, like Michigan's backup quarterback transfers there and Now Western Kentucky is like coming into Ohio Stadium with a future first round draft pick at quarterback to beat Ohio State, right? So like I, I can understand, I guess, maybe wanting to avoid that middle, like, okay, we'll play BAM in Texas, but we are not like, we need two gimmes. I don't like two gimmes. I think two gimmes is like, it's too many gimmes. But I'll take the trade off. So Bobby, we'll get your answer then. And then like, do we think that actually is kind of what you said at the beginning, Greg? It's like, is that what we're talking about here? Whether you like it or not, like it's worth it? Bobby, would you say yes or no? It's okay.
- [27:38]
Bobby Gorbutt
Real quick. I've worked with Greg for two years. I've never known him to be a huge SEC fan. I do now. But I will say this.
- [27:47]
Bill Landis
Throwing you under the bus. I like it. Yeah.
- [27:50]
Bobby Gorbutt
But I will say this. Two Mac, two max schools, you know, don't love it. But I will say I think there's a step up between that and you know, some of the FCS teams we've seen. Like, I think it's a total disservice when, you know, they're playing some of these, you know, FCS teams that have just pretty much no chance and they're winning by eight or nine or 10 touchdowns. Like, that's not real competition in my opinion. Like that's just a total cakewalk and kind of a waste of time. But you know, like Ohio last year, that was sort of, I mean, Ohio State was always going to win that game. But you know, they had like Chase Hendricks, Parker Navarro, some decent offensive players that, you know, could slightly test Ohio State at moments. And that was, you know, somewhat close, I think at halftime. So, you know, there's somewhat, you know, I guess meaningful moments you can have from these games. But you know, it's like you said, it's a gimme, which is to be expected when, you know, your non conference includes Texas.
- [28:44]
Bill Landis
Yeah. And I do think back to your sort of original point, Greg. When we think about the future, 2027 and 2028, they have the BAMA series and wrapped around the Bama game in 2027. It's a Mac team and an FCS team and it's actually, it's not, but it might end up wrapped around. But those are the two other non conference they're playing unh, Ryan Days Alma mater, which I actually think is cool. And then in 28. It's Mac team. Bama. Mac team. So like it's like, okay, if we're gonna play Bama, right, the other two are going to be gimmes. And then like as Bill said in 2029, it's an FCS team. And then like two middle teams in Navy and Charlotte. And like, I don't.
- [29:23]
Charlotte. Charlotte's on a middle team.
- [29:26]
Charlotte.
- [29:26]
Charlotte's terrible.
- [29:28]
Who's. Who's the. Isn't Biff Poggy revitalized Charlotte? Yes.
- [29:32]
No, the guy. The old. The old Ohio. Yeah.
- [29:36]
Oh, he'll have them rolling by then, but that's a step up. They hired the best coach in the Mac to coach at Charlotte. So they might be good, right? That's. It's theoretically. Theoretically better than the Mac.
- [29:47]
I don't think so. Not the belief. Preseason SP plus for 2026, the 138th team, your Charlotte 49ers, they're terrible.
- [29:59]
God, I'm such a Charlotte defender. I apologize.
- [30:02]
Famously.
- [30:03]
Yeah. But like that's the point, I think Greg is like they're not playing Navy and Bama, right? Like. Like that. That's the kind of like they're not gonna do that. So it's like if this is the price of, of a Texas game or a Bama game, the price is two gimmes. Maybe we'll pay it.
- [30:20]
Greg Wilson
Right? Yeah, exactly. And I also to kind of stay on this point a little bit. It's just like I wonder what it will look like as the playoffs continue expanding too. Because it seems like that's going to happen because right now it seems like we're in a point in the 12 team playoff where teams don't really want to be having these Ohio State, Texas games or Alabama, you know, games like that. Because that might be the one like Texas losing to Ohio State last year. That keeps them out of a 12 team playoff. So that's I guess one, I guess pro maybe of playoffs expanding is like maybe we'll get to see more of those styles of games. But yeah, I don't know.
- [30:57]
Bill Landis
Yeah, okay.
- [30:59]
All right, so we'll put up with it. It's okay. It's okay. I'm excited for Texas game and be exciting. Texas game. Bill Landis, you wrote about this at Our substack billowdug osu.substack.com the other day, which is why I'm asking you about it first. James Lauranitis and the Ohio State linebackers. What word or phrase would you use to describe James Laurinaitis and what he's doing in that linebacker room right now
- [31:25]
pre heart linen, like not quite heart line but on his way for, for the linebacker. It's, it's a tough comparison and I like mentioned this in the story because there are just more highly rated like five star receivers than there are highly rated five star off ball linebackers. And then there will be more first round receivers than there will be first round linebackers. So like if you were to take whatever Brian Heartland does over the next eight years and compare it to what Brian Heartland did over the last eight at Ohio State, they won't be exactly the same but I think in the context of the position it could be. I was looking at the, the last, not including the class are currently put together, but the last three, 26, 25, 24, the top 15 linebackers in each of those classes. So 45 players where they went and Ohio State has eight of them which is by far the most. The next closest team is Georgia with four. So I don't know like Heartline was not, I don't think intimately involved with all of those recruitments necessarily. And a couple of like Simeon Caldwell's one who's like currently playing safety but was sort of rated as a linebacker. So there's a little bit of like funkiness within that. But for Ohio State to have double the next closest team and Brian, or excuse me, Brian Orland, James Laura Knights is only in his like kind of third cycle of doing this. It's pretty crazy. And then he's got the development piece working too with, with Sonny Stiles and, and Arvel Reese just accomplished going as early as they did in the draft and like all of a sudden this thing just sort of becomes a monster and a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy where like if you're a, a highly rated high school linebacker you have to consider going to Ohio State even if there's really no other reason for you to go there. No, no obvious connection between you and the program. So I, I think Laurinaitis is entering that territory. I, I wouldn't say he's quite there yet. And that's only because it's like he got the number one linebacker last year, but it was sincere Johnson and he's from Glenville and it's like that's, that's a great recruitment but it's like you're, you don't get as much credit because he's not from Florida. He's, he's just in your backyard. So I think that's like kind of the next step which he Sort of already did with Riley Pettigon. Riley was the number two linebacker in his class and he's from Texas, so he's sort of already done it. But like that's. If we're just looking at a world where every year you can bank on one of the top five linebackers in the country, no matter where they are coming to Ohio State because James Laurinaitis is that good at his job, then we're I think squarely in, I think in Heartline territory. So I don't think he's 100 of the way or 100% of the way there yet, but he's pretty close and I think he probably will be there in the next year or two.
- [34:02]
Okay, I'm going to, I'm going to make this point quickly and then. And let Bobby and Greg chime in on this. I, it is just a reminder. I think he's one of, what is he 1 of 83 time All Americans in Ohio State history? I guess Jeremiah Smith will make it nine. One of those other three time all Americans then became the head coach. Like Wes Fessler did that. But like it is just a reminder. And I, I don't have this off the top of my head, but he's among like the best players at his alma mater to then become a successful coach in any form. And it is like, I mean this to me is like well what if like Archie, Archie Griffin became like a great running backs coach or what if like Heartline was a solid Buckeye but he wasn't one of the best right receivers ever in Ohio State history. And like Mike Vrabel was really good but like he wasn't a three time all American and Luke Fickle wasn't a three time all American. Like this is, it is a reminder to me of like as Laurinaitis builds this. So it's, it's like my word or phrase would be like sort of like all like remember the all Americanness of it, right? That like this is, this is a hard needle to thread to be this accomplished as a player and then maybe look like you have a chance to be pretty darn accomplished as a coach and I'll be curious by the time he's done like what this winds up looking like because he's off to a really good start as a coach and he's one of the greatest Ohio State players ever and it's just like worth remembering. That's kind of crazy. Bobby, what are you thinking about here with Mr. Laurinaitis?
- [35:41]
Bobby Gorbutt
My one word was going to be stability. I think when you recruit as well as he doesn't especially develop the way that he does, even when you get maybe a surprise decision or two with you know, a couple linebackers going pro, he's going to have talented players waiting in the wings. He is I think two five stars right now. Petta Johnson, sir Johnson you don't really expect are going to start this year and they're going to be, you know, sort of on the bench. Bill mentioned, you know, heartline and some of the comparisons there. That's sort of what he did, you know, having those five star level players or really talented players waiting to make their impact. And I just feel like the way he recruits, the way he develops year after year, no matter, you know, if guys go go pro, even if you get a transfer or two, he's going to have, you know, talented options waiting to, to make their impact.
- [36:29]
Bill Landis
Okay, Greg, what's your, what's your word here?
- [36:35]
Greg Wilson
I guess just flat out dominant. You know, I couldn't think of anything more creative than that but I don't know that it needs to be really honestly. But it's just like you guys have already talked about, the recruiting has been there, the development has been there. And I mean I know he didn't recruit Sonny Styles or RVL Reese, but he kind of banged the table, said, you know, Sonny Styles is a linebacker. Got him moved down his same thing with Arvo Reese. They wanted to move him down to the edge and he was able to keep him a linebacker and obviously, you know, he was pretty versatile in what he did in that defense but I mean he was a linebacker and then I don't know how many coaches would have it because those are two very talented guys obviously. I mean they're top two top 10 picks in the NFL draft. I don't know how many coaches could take that talent and turn it into two top 10 picks in the same draft. I'm not sure but all I know is Laurinaitis did that and that's, that's enough for me to, to say that yeah, maybe it is pre heart linen but like that's only because we just haven't seen enough of it yet. I feel like as confident as I can be that it will continue just with the depth that they have in that room right now.
- [37:40]
Bill Landis
And I will say Bill, part of this to me is like I, I don't know if the word would be like like obvious or sort of like staring at you but like James was on the radio in Columbus and I think was like kind of interested in getting into coaching. And, like, it kind of didn't happen at Ohio State. So then one of his best friends is the head coach, Notre Dame. So he goes to Notre Dame, and then he's good there. So then Ohio State's like, oh, wait, no, you're good at this. Come on back. And it, like, it is like, it would. They were. I think Ohio State was a little slow on the uptick when he was interested in this. And it's lovely for all parties involved that it worked out, because if James Laurinitis was doing this with the linebacker position, and listen, Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles were going to be at Ohio State regardless, right? So it's not like he's the only reason they're here, but, like, if you looked around and said, oh, look, James Laurinaitis is one of the best linebackers coaches in the country, but he's doing it for Notre Dame or he's doing it for Penn State or he's doing it for Georgia or whatever, and it's like, well, he wanted to do it at Ohio State and Ohio State didn't want to hire him. It'd be a thing, bro. And it's not. But, like, I'm glad it worked out in the right way for everyone.
- [38:55]
It would definitely be a thing. Although, like, I. On one level, I do sort of respect. Like, we appreciate that you want to get into coaching. You don't necessarily, like, get to jump the line because you were a good player here. So, like, Like, I actually think it was great to end up going to Notre Dame and learning some things and, and showing that he can do it a little bit. And then Ohio State's like, all right, like, we'll bring it here. It's the same thing. Like, people want to la Charles Bentley to be the offensive line coach, and it's like, he's never done it before. He's a great player, and he's an incredible individual offensive line trainer. You know nothing about him and his ability to coach an entire offensive line room. You just love that he's a Buckeye. So, like, there's. There's. There's pitfalls there that, like, would make me a little wary of just, like, handing out jobs to every really good Buckeye who wants to come in and coach. But clearly James Laurinaitis is cut out for this. Like. Like, there's not. There's exception. Exceptions to every rule, and he. He certainly appears to be one of them.
- [39:47]
That's. That's. That's very well said by you, Bill. Yeah.
- [39:50]
Yeah.
- [39:50]
You can't just be like, yeah, Archie Griffin, he decided, you know what, before he fully retires, you know, like that's, let's make it the linebackers or the running backs coach. It's like, no, like, you got to be able to take that. Okay, like, good job by you, Bill. We are also doing the show for our Substack subscribers on Wednesday. We're going to look ahead to the 2028 season for the Ohio State Buckeyes. And one of the reasons that we want to do that is because we're like kind of intrigued by some of the freshmen that are in this that have shown up this spring. And we're just trying to think, and this is the question for here, as a little teaser on that, what current Ohio State freshman are you most intrigued to see in 2028 when he's in his third year in the program? Right? So it's like, okay, fall 26, fall 27, fall of 2028, these guys who we just saw for the first time, who do you think is gonna be like, oh man, I can't wait to see that guy. And I'll start with me. And it's Sam Greer. And it's just every picture that everybody took of, look, there's a 7 foot 4, 700 pound freshman left tackle standing next to the starters. And they look like, like miniatures compared to him. Like, what is that gonna be when it's all done? When Sam Greer is like, all right, I hit training table, I hit the weight room. I understand everything. I'm a third year college football player and I look like I was built to do this in kind of even at Ohio State. A little bit of a rare way that there's not as good as Ohio State is. There's not a thousand Sam Greers walking around looking like that. It's a little bit Landis, like when Chase Young got here and people were like, that guy is a heck of a freshman. Most freshmen don't look like that. It's a different version of that with Sam Greer, but it's like the same, a little bit idea, is it not?
- [41:32]
Yeah, they're. They're just like physical outliers. And, and like the Juan Jones was that. But also the Juan Jones didn't have the recruiting profile Sam Greer is, is that to some extent he's not 6 foot 9 and 400 pounds like the wand was. But to be as big as he is and as athletic as he is, and to be like as highly regarded as he is, yeah, you can't help but wonder what that's going to look like. And I don't, like, I don't know that it'll take three years. Like, it might be. Might be the end of this year. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's up with Sam Greer? Yeah.
- [42:03]
Yeah. All right, Bobby, who's your freshman? Maybe it's Sam Greer. Maybe it's somebody else.
- [42:08]
Bobby Gorbutt
This is kind of obvious, but I'm going with Chris Henry. Obviously, he looked really good in the spring game. And kind of same thing with what you guys were saying about Sam Kerr. It might not take that long. It could be, you know, the start of this season, even that, that he looks like a really good player. But, you know, I just think about, like, Student Appreciation Day and Jeremiah Smith's getting absolutely mobbed by, you know, every student, you know, wanting an autograph or a photo or something like that, you know, in two years, is that what we could see with Chris Henry, with this guy just being an absolute, you know, dominant player? Could he be, you know, I guess, the biggest celebrity on campus at that point? I think this guy's lemma for him.
- [42:42]
Bill Landis
Really good answer. And I gotta tell you, I am excited here because I don't know what's going to happen, but there is an opportunity potentially for an around the shoe first for Greg Wilson to give the same player as the answer to two entirely separate questions. So Greg Wilson, who is the freshman? I'm not trying to put any pressure on you, but it's. It's there for the taken. Who is the freshman that you're curious to see in 2028?
- [43:10]
Greg Wilson
That is a lot of pressure because that wasn't going to be my answer. I was, I was actually gonna go. He's been mentioned on the. On this show actually, before. Bill, you mentioned Simeon Caldwell earlier. He was going to be my answer. I just. Because. And it does relate back to another question because he's a safety right now, but he kind of has that body type where maybe he should be a linebacker later on. And I could see him making that transition and I just want to see what James Laurinaitis could do with him. You know, it's. First of all, is James Laurinaitis still doing it at that point? I think so. And what can he do with a guy as talented as Simeon Caldwell who can, you know, play in coverage, who can be maybe comfortable around the box, who can, you know, he is a frame of a linebacker, I feel like. So I'm looking forward just to seeing, first of all, what is he going to be doing? And second of All. How well is he going to be able to do that?
- [44:02]
Bill Landis
I guess just real quick, Greg, obviously I was referencing Legend Bay. Legend Bay, preseason favorite going into the 2028 season for the Heisman Trophy. Yes or no?
- [44:16]
Greg Wilson
I think I'll take the field.
- [44:18]
Bill Landis
Wow. Your funeral, brother Landis. Who's your, who's your freshman year about curious about for 2028.
- [44:26]
I'm gonna go off the board again if we want to talk physical outliers and what they might be a couple years down the road. Jameer Perez.
- [44:35]
Oh, speak to it.
- [44:37]
Yes. 664360. Does not look sloppy. In fact looks pretty athletic and pretty fluid at that size. And Ohio State just does not have defensive tackles who look like we were. We were amazed by Kaden McDonald, right, and his size in the middle and how much, how different he was in terms of defensive tackle body types. Jameer Perez is 2 inches taller and like 30 pounds heavier than Katie McDonald was. So. And, and it seems like I, I wondered what the learning curve might be for him and maybe it's a, it's not quite as long as I thought it was going to be. I'm not necessarily saying like he's going to play this year, but they might throw him out there from time to time just to like take up some space as like a big kid in the middle of defensive line. So I'm interested, interested to see what happens for him this year and if there are any signs of, of where it's going because he's just, like I said, so, so different from what Ohio State typically recruits at that position. And as long as they're going to play this style of defense with Matt Patricia, they're going to need that, that big body, space eating kind of guy in the middle. So I think if like, if Patricia frankly weren't the defensive coordinator, I don't know that Jameer Prez would, would be at Ohio State. But they're both here and I'm excited to see what, what happens with that pairing because you, you need that in the middle of this defense and he's sort of out of central casting when you're looking for, for a big old nose tackle.
- [46:08]
We didn't mention Blaine Bradford at safety. We didn't. No one picks Sincere Johnson at linebacker. We didn't say Jay Timmons at that nickel slot position and we didn't, we didn't pick Brock Boyd. It is a really intriguing freshman group. But Greg, is this is any conversation like this just fraught when the nature of the sport is if you're trying to predict, like, freshmen what they'll be like when they're juniors with the transfer portal and who knows even who will be here or do you think at a place like Ohio State? Like, we know they had a lot of guys transfer out this past offseason, but, like, if. Do you think they'll really be able to keep the guys around that matter the most and we can project three seasons ahead?
- [46:55]
Greg Wilson
I. I think at Ohio State, I think you still can do that to some extent. I mean, okay, when it comes. I know the transfer portal is still somewhat new and they're kind of still like where they just had their biggest class, I guess. So maybe it's still kind of changing, I guess. But, like, even if you look back to when the transfer portal was first allowed, I was. I wrote something on this. It was. Almost all of their first round picks have been guys that were recruited by, signed with, and developed at Ohio State. So I just think that, you know, and they've obviously got guys still the position coaches who can develop. So I think it's completely fair conversation to be talking about really, any of these guys and what they could turn into in Columbus.
- [47:37]
Bill Landis
Okay. Okay. Yeah, no, it's fine. It's fun to look ahead. I don't want it to be like, totally irrelevant. It's like, oh, do you think this guy will be a star at Florida State in two years? Like, that's not the point. Like, I'm glad that we could still do this. We'll get off football here a little bit. It is May 4, and that means it's. Is it International Star Wars Day? Is it. It's not a federal holiday, right? People don't get offered today, do they, for May 4th? No. Right. But it is, It's a. It's a day to celebrate Star Wars. May the fourth be with you. I have a lightsaber in my house, but I forgot to bring it down as a prop, so I just have to lift up my regular sword. Blown opportunity here. Can you believe? Of course I have. I mean, I met. Of course I have a lightsaber in my house. You guys have lightsabers in your houses, right? Don't you?
- [48:29]
I do.
- [48:30]
Oh, okay. Bobby does. So we'll start with you, Bobby. May the fourth be with you. What is your. This is question number five. What is your relationship to Star Wars?
- [48:40]
Bobby Gorbutt
Okay, I love Star Wars. I. I don't know if. If this will get me in trouble at all, but I love the original trilogy. I watch probably. I probably watch New Hope every year. It's one of my 10 favorite movies or so. This is going to be a little bit corny, but every time it gets to that trench run, I almost choke up a little bit. I, I love, I love that bit in Star wars. And, you know, I like the next two. Empire Strikes Back's probably my second favorite. But I, I think the prequels are absolutely terrible that we always get to this time of year. And there are kids my age who get on Twitter, Instagram, what have you, and they post about how, you know, Revenge of the Sith and all these prequels are the best things ever. I hate them. I, I've gone back and rewatched. The dialogue's terrible. The set pieces go on too long and they don't feel like they have any stakes. I, I don't like them. And the, the new ones, they're whatever. I think they're better in the prequels, to be honest, but they don't really provide much to the story. So, you know, wow.
- [49:41]
Bill Landis
Did. I had no idea. Did not know if anybody here was going to be a Star wars guy. And I think we can encapsulate Bobby Gorbutt's relationship to Star wars with chokes up at trench run. My God, even our rewatch. Thank you for being here, man. That is tremendous. You have an old Star wars soul. Do you think you're an outlier in your generation? Sort of what you're talking about, that you like the old ones better?
- [50:09]
Bobby Gorbutt
Absolutely. I, Every single time I, I look on these, like, tick tock or social media, like, you know, rankings of, of the Star wars movies and there's like two prequels in the top three. What are we doing? It's like some of the worst movies I've ever seen. The dialogue's terrible, the acting's terrible. George Lucas missed on those. He did. Let's not overthink it, you know, a new hope. As good as it gets.
- [50:31]
Bill Landis
Look at this. Old man yells at prequels. I love it. Bobby, tremendous stuff. Greg, any Star wars stuff for you?
- [50:39]
Greg Wilson
Unfortunately, nothing like that. You know, I, I've seen all the Star wars movies and I. As boring as it is, I just don't have a strong opinion on any of them. You know, I haven't seen any of. I watched all, all nine of them and that's it. I, I haven't re. Watched no re watches. No, I, I didn't, you know, I wasn't tearing up at anything. And I hate to say it, Bobby, but I think I'm in that class where revenge of the Revenge of the Sith, Episode three was my favorite because I was a kid when I watched it and I was like, oh, look at this. This is really fun. They're doing flips and stuff. Yeah, that's, that's it for me. I've watched the Mandalorian. Nothing else. There's so many, there's so many new Star wars things now.
- [51:23]
Bill Landis
Yeah, it's hard to keep track. I do like that. Perhaps we've started a little office back and forth here between Bobby and Greg. Like, you guys just be sitting around all day debating Star wars movies now. Landis, you a Star wars guy?
- [51:37]
No, not really. I, I double checked this morning. I have seen all the movies, including, like, the, like, I thought Rogue One was really good. And I saw like the Han Solo movie that I thought was awful. And I like the original, the original trilogy. I think they're really good. It's also, it's interesting to me how much they hold up. Just like in terms of the look. Like, I think those three films look far better than the three prequels that were done. The three prequels look terrible. That was sort of like the height of everything is computerized and, and looks awful. But yeah, the first three are good. Like, I respect sort of their, their place in the, in the, in the zeitgeist. Have not seen any of the series. I don't particularly care to go seek them out. And I will say, like, I, I saw the Star wars movies because, like, I thought it was important to see them and like, have an understanding of what they are and appreciate them. And then I saw Dune and I was like, oh, George Lucas just stole all this. And so like, I, it, like, it looked, it took a little away, away from my appreciation for the original Star wars trilogy after I saw Dune and realized that like, Frank Herbert had written all that before George Lucas devised the idea of Star Wars. And then I think even after the fact sort of admitted, like, yeah, I was heavily influenced by that. I don't think anyone's accused him of outrage thievery. But there are, there, there are, there, there are a lot of similarities between those two stories. And one of them came out first.
- [53:08]
Well, thanks for ruining May 4th. My God. Yeah, just. We're coming for George Lucas. It's. I'm old. I was three when the first one came out. Then I was six and then I was nine. So Star wars existed to me sort of as toys like before. They existed more than they existed as movies. So, like, I didn't go see Star wars when I was three. But I'm sure I did go see the Empire Strikes Back, like when I was six and Return of the Jedi when I was nine. But I had like a Millennium Falcon, like, as big as your head. I had like all the star. I would have sat around and like played Star wars figurines like every day right from when I was 4 until I was 8 or whatever. And I don't even know if I knew that they were a movie necessarily. I didn't think of it that way. So it's like I came in kind of at a weird spot. But I will say, and people know, like, I love Disney and they have like, Star wars lands in Disney. So you're down there, you meet people in costume, right? And it's like, I know it's not the real Mickey Mouse, right? And I know it's not the real Tinkerbell. When you meet Chewbacca, it's Chewbacca, right? Like, I don't know.
- [54:26]
I'm not.
- [54:27]
I think he's from Wookieland or wherever they come from. Bobby, where's Chewbacca from? What's the name of his planet?
- [54:32]
Greg Wilson
Oh,
- [54:35]
Bill Landis
I thought you.
- [54:35]
Bobby Gorbutt
I'm a fan. I'm not a dork. All right.
- [54:38]
Bill Landis
That's an important distinction.
- [54:40]
So I will say, like, meeting Chewbacca is quite a thing. Meeting Chewbacca is quite a thing. And I am going to Star Wars Trivia on Wednesday and I don't know that much about it, but I am taking my Star wars secret weapon, who is former around the shoot guest Adam Jardi, who is a Star wars maniac. And so I'm hoping that he can bring it home. Get the 50 gift card for us at Star Wars Trivia on Wednesday night. Bobby and Greg, thank you for sharing your Star wars feelings and your Ohio State expertise and knowledge with us today. Bobby, for the folks who are like, man, this guy, you know, like, I also tear up at the trench run. I want to be. I want to know more about Bobby Gorbutt. Where can they find you? Where can they find your work?
- [55:27]
Bobby Gorbutt
Buckeysports.com we have some online stuff you can also subscribe to bsb. Get our, get our print edition, all of our hard works in there and.
- [55:38]
Bill Landis
Yeah, okay. Well, thank you. Was it. It was okay. Like you're is okay being on. Like you didn't, like you didn't hate it, right? You didn't hate it. I loved it.
- [55:45]
Bobby Gorbutt
I loved it. I love talking Star Wars. Bill kind of ruined it with, with some of the hate.
- [55:51]
Bill Landis
Sorry, I Said, sorry. Yeah, sorry.
- [55:52]
Don't watch Dune. Don't watch Dune. Greg, also. Also at bsb, anything you want to add to the folks, how they make sure they can get your work?
- [56:02]
Greg Wilson
Yeah, no, I mean, that's pretty much it. I. I said this last time when I was on if, you know, we do we have our print paper. If you want four free issues, you can get that is call 614-486-2202. You can get that for free issues. And. And then, you know, you'll. You'll get no. No credit card, no nothing. You don't have to sign up for anything. No payment required. That's simple as that. So. And also, I feel like before we finish, I have to defend myself. Bobby called me an SEC defender. I just want. I just want to be clear. I'm the Big Ten guy. Out of the two of us, he's Mr. Sec over here.
- [56:38]
Bill Landis
What?
- [56:38]
Oh, what? So what? So, Bobby, you threw shade, but you love the sec. We're learning a lot on this show.
- [56:46]
Bobby Gorbutt
I did. I didn't think Greg would go here. I thought I could just get that. That one timer in it. You know, we'd move on. I was born in Tex. Okay, so, you know, I have some, you know, but, but, but no, no, I. I'm neutral on the conferences.
- [57:01]
Bill Landis
I'm neutral, neutral on the conferences. All right. We got our eye on you, Greg. Last time you were on the show, I think you gave the phone number, then went around the shoe aired. I mean, it's just one of those in the office where, like, the phones are ringing off the hook. They're like, oh, my God, I saw you guys around the shoe, and you got like 400 new subscribers that day because this show is. Is so gigantic.
- [57:23]
Greg Wilson
Actually, you know what? It was sort of like that.
- [57:25]
Bill Landis
We don't.
- [57:25]
Greg Wilson
We don't get a lot of those for free issue subscribers a lot of the time, but when I came on here last time, it kind of, like, blew up a little bit for a few weeks, so. So hopefully that happens again.
- [57:34]
Bill Landis
Okay, well, it would happen if Bobby wasn't an SEC honk. But anyway, hopefully. All right, so thanks to Bobby, thanks to Greg, Bill Landis, we're gonna have that Wednesday show for our substack subscribers. Talking about what 20, 28 Ohio State might look like. I'm finishing a story about the Ohio State quarterback room. We're starting our opponent previews. We're going to do a written piece on the sub stack every week, starting with Ball State. Next week will be Texas and We'll have a, an interview with, with a beat writer from that team over here on this. What else? And we just, we want people to come try the substack.
- [58:08]
Greg Wilson
Right.
- [58:08]
Bill Landis
We do. The Texas one, I think will be, we'll go a little more in depth on that one, too. We'll have a couple pieces, I think, previewing Ohio State, Texas. Also, we have a Mother's Day sale going on. If you, if you can't think of anything to gift your mother for Mother's Day, which is this weekend, by the way, why not gift her Bill and Doug and their writing and their podcast. Could you like, there's not, there's nothing better. If you go to our very long convoluted URL, which is billandgoachu.substack.com I think it's Mother's Day sale 25 off an annual subscription. It's actually good for any subscription, but it's also good for a gift if you want to, you know, throw, throw, throw your mom some, some Ohio State coverage for Mother's Day. Yeah.
- [58:47]
And we'll have that for Father's Day, too. But moms are up first, so it's a great, great little gift idea. Bobby Gorbutt, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate you being here. Great stuff. Greg Wilson, again, great stuff from you. Thanks so much for your time. Thanks to you guys for making around the Shoe part of your Ohio State Week. For now, on behalf of Bobby and Greg, for Bill Landis, I'm Doug Lay Maurice. And that was around the Shoe on the Bill and Doug Show.