The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Football Talk

Ohio State Cotton Bowl Media Day: Reactions & Insights

Date: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Doug Lesmerises & Bill Landis (Blue Wire)

Overview

Bill Landis and Doug Lesmerises bring fans onto the field at AT&T Stadium for the Ohio State Buckeyes’ media day ahead of the Cotton Bowl. This episode is packed with insights from candid conversations with coaches and players, focusing on coaching responsibilities, offensive line battles, injury updates, and how the Buckeyes are preparing as defending national champs. The tone is a mix of expert analysis, relatable frustration at media day time constraints, and a deep connection to Ohio State football culture.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Realities of Media Day

[01:06-02:42]

• Short on time, long on questions: Both hosts vent about the stress of only having 45 minutes to speak to every player and coach.
  • Bill Landis: “I wish media day was three hours... It’s torturous.” [01:36]
  • Doug Lamoris: "You look down, it's like, oh, I've been talking to you for 12 minutes... so neither one of us got all of what we wanted." [02:12]
• Rare opportunity to talk with assistant coaches after a season with limited access.

2. Play Calling and Sideline Dynamics

Brian Hartline’s Role

[02:49-07:46]

• Hartline wants to be on the sideline:
  • Hartline tells Landis he’d prefer to call plays from the sideline rather than the box:
    “I want to see, I want to look in their eyes.” [03:19]
• How play calling will actually work:
  • Despite collaborative talk, Ryan Day will be the definitive play caller for the Cotton Bowl:
    • “...when we get to the play, like, there’s one voice and that voice will now be Coach Day’s.” —Keenan Bailey (paraphrased by Doug, [05:56])
• Booth vs. field coaching:
  • The hosts analyze who might go into the booth if Hartline moves down:
    • Keenan Bailey looks likely to resume his role upstairs [03:53].
• Collaborative culture:
  • Hartline: “If you think Ryan Day was just sitting there silently on the headset, you’re crazy. That’s not what it was.” [04:34]
  • “There was less yelling this year, so take that for what it’s worth.” —Bill on Hartline’s input [04:51]
• Potential impact:
  • Doug suggests receiver development could benefit from Hartline being on the field:
    • “I do think Brian Hartline can give you that when he’s down on the field...he just can’t give you that when he’s up in the booth.” [07:24]

3. Offensive Line Decisions: Right Guard Battle

Gabe VanSickle vs. Josh Padilla

[07:46-10:00]

• VanSickle’s confidence:
  • “He felt confident from the start of fall camp...moving people more than he thought he would.” —Doug [07:51]
• Strengths of each contender:
  • VanSickle is larger and physically stronger (“Pillar of strength”—Luke Montgomery, relayed by Doug [08:28])
  • Padilla, a natural center, is praised for wrestling mentality and grit but undersized:
    • “In terms of like, I mean, VanSickle’s got about 20 pounds on him, doesn’t he?” —Bill [09:07]
• Who will play?
  • Both likely to see action, but VanSickle probably starts due to matchups and size [08:39, 09:43].
  • “Matchups might dictate Gabe VanSickle playing a little more, if not every snap.” —Doug [09:43]

4. Receiver Updates: Carnell Tate’s Health and Attitude

[10:00-13:37]

• Carnell Tate is ‘100% healthy’:
  • Injury first appeared during Purdue pregame; he and staff targeted a playoff return:
    • “He and the training staff were thinking then about the playoff...that was their target.” —Bill [10:14]
  • Tate never considered shutting it down:
    • “I said like, ever a thought of, like, this is it, I'm done shutting it down? And he said, like, never. I don’t know where that came from.” —Bill [11:11]
• Frustration over injury updates:
  • Doug wishes for more transparent communication:
    • “There’s nothing wrong with giving a timeline...it would have gone a long way in calming people down.” [12:46]
• Tate’s confidence:
  • Bill: “How many receivers in the country are better than you?”
  • Carnell Tate: “None.” [13:18]
  • When did you start feeling like that?
  • Tate: “Always.” [13:27]

5. Young Buckeyes & Scout Team Development

QB Air Noland & Cornerback Devin Sanchez

[14:43-17:48]

• Air Noland (Scout QB):
  • Very comfortable with media, credits scout team work for development. Shared funny stories about imitating Arch Manning and Bryce Underwood to help the team prepare [14:59].
• Devin Sanchez (Freshman CB):
  • Calls his season a “roller coaster,” acknowledges mistakes made in real games over practice:
    • “I had a bad game and had to deal with that. That was the UCLA game.” —Sanchez (via Bill) [15:20]
  • Confident despite adversity; teammates have his back:
    • “I asked Jermaine about Devin Sanchez getting ready to do this and he said it’s just all about confidence and this guy has it.” —Bill [16:54]
  • Hosts caution fans not to give up on young defenders who struggle early:
    • “It’s just like, okay, this guy can’t cover anybody. Show me the next one. And he would not be the first Ohio State player to go through the fire early and come out as a better player.” —Doug [17:12]

6. Keenan Bailey’s Evolving Role & Tight End Usage

[17:59-20:56]

• Bailey as future receiver coach?
  • Noncommittal, but acknowledges "big opportunity" ahead if Hartline were promoted [17:59]
• Tight end room ownership:
  • Bailey is blunt with his position group:
    • “When he took over the tight end room two years ago, told the room, ‘You’re the weakest link on this team.’” —Doug [19:09]
  • Honest about 13/14 personnel successes and failures:
    • “We own that. Like, it’s not... we just did not put ourselves in the best position to be successful.” —Bailey (relayed by Doug, 19:48)
  • Bailey wants tight ends heavily involved but is candid about issues late in the season:
    • Rested Will Kacsmarick to avoid wearing him down, referencing Cade Stover’s late-season struggles [20:19]
• Hartline’s red zone philosophy:
  • “If it’s up to me, I’d be light all the time.” —Brian Hartline on personnel [20:32]
  • Bill and Doug joke that, deep down, Hartline wishes for “nine receivers on the field all the time.” [20:39]
• Game plan takeaways:
  • Offensive approach late in the season was “put in a blender,” partly due to injuries and play-caller transitions [20:56]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If you think Ryan Day was just sitting there silently on the headset, you’re crazy." —Brian Hartline via Bill Landis [04:34]
• “Collaborative, collaborative, collaborative… but when we get to the play, there’s one voice and that will now be Coach Day’s.” —Keenan Bailey paraphrased [05:56]
• "He felt confident from the start of fall camp… was moving people more than he thought he would." —Doug on Gabe VanSickle [07:51]
• “How many receivers in the country are better than you?”
  “None.”
  “When did you start feeling that?”
  “Always.” —Bill Landis & Carnell Tate [13:18–13:27]

Segment Timestamps

• [01:06-02:42] — Media Day frustrations and limits
• [02:49-07:46] — Play-calling structure, Hartline vs. Day, sideline dynamics
• [07:46-10:00] — O-line talk: VanSickle vs. Padilla at right guard
• [10:00-13:37] — Carnell Tate’s return, injury approach, and swagger
• [14:43-15:20] — QB Air Noland’s scout team experience
• [15:20-17:48] — Devin Sanchez, trials as a freshman CB
• [17:59-20:56] — Keenan Bailey on TE use and increased role on offense
• [20:32-20:56] — Hartline’s take on heavy vs. light personnel in the red zone

Conclusion

Bill and Doug bring their signature blend of in-depth football acumen and easygoing banter to break down Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl preparations. Key issues include the handing over of play-calling duties (with all eyes on Ryan Day), offensive line changes, Carnell Tate’s resolved injury saga, and the readiness of young defenders. The episode is loaded with practical insight and player voice for Buckeye fans hungry for real talk leading into the playoff.

For more on the Buckeyes’ prep, watch for further content on YouTube, podcast feeds, and Bill & Doug’s Substack.