Jake Trotter covers college football for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2011. Before that, he worked at The Oklahoman, Austin American-Statesman and Middletown (Ohio) Journal newspapers. You can follow him @Jake_Trotter.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two days after the Michigan Wolverines paraded through Ann Arbor with the national championship trophy in January, Ross Bjork met Ohio State coach Ryan Day for the first time.
Bjork was in Columbus, finalizing a deal to become Ohio State’s next athletic director. There and then, Day revealed a plan that ultimately produced one of the most prolific offseasons in college football history.
Since taking over as Ohio State’s head coach five years ago, Day has a sensational record of 53-8; among active FBS coaches, only Georgia‘s Kirby Smart owns a better winning percentage.
But for the Buckeyes, that hasn’t been nearly enough. Day has yet to win a national championship. Far worse, he’s suffered three straight defeats to That Team Up North, something that hadn’t happened this millennium. Stinging further, rival Michigan rolled to its first national title in 26 years. Only a week after maize and blue confetti showered the celebrating Wolverines inside Houston’s NRG Stadium, Day showed Bjork exactly how he planned to rebound.
“I was really just struck by his intensity, his thoroughness at the time,” Bjork recalled. “No one’s been happy with the last couple seasons and how they’ve ended. There’s a reset that had to take place. Coach Day was at the forefront of activating all of that. He had a methodical, intense, intentional plan. … To hear it directly from Ryan, I thought it was really exciting and encouraging.”
Day’s vision became a reality. Buoyed by a name, image and likeness war chest this year of $20 million, according to Bjork, the Buckeyes struck gold in the transfer portal, landing two of the SEC’s top players in safety Caleb Downs and running back Quinshon Judkins. Ohio State inked another star-laden recruiting class, featuring the country’s most hyped freshman wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith. Several key players from last year’s team, including preseason All-American wideout Emeka Egbuka, also put off the NFL to come back for a final season. Day even convinced sitting Power 5 head coach Chip Kelly to bolt UCLA and become his offensive playcaller.
One NFL scout called this the most talented team he’s ever evaluated at Ohio State, with more depth than the 2021 national champion Georgia team that set a draft record with 15 players selected in 2022.
“Pound for pound, player for player,” the scout said, “they have as many good players as any [college football] team that I can remember.”
Ohio State’s previous two head coaches, Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel, who each guided Ohio State to a national championship, agree on just how talented these Buckeyes appear to be. On his podcast last week, Meyer said it “might be the best roster in college football in the last decade, as far as NFL talent, as far as depth. … They are loaded.”
An offseason for the ages has only enhanced the pressure to deliver a team for the ages — pressure that a Columbus title parade alone can quash.
“We’ll find out what this foundation looks like as we get into the season and get some of those storms that are coming our way,” Day said. “They’re coming. We’ve got to be ready.
For Day, the storm has already arrived.
“To the masses of Buckeye nation, I would argue it’s national championship or bust,” said Cardale Jones, the last Ohio State quarterback to win a national championship in 2014, who later cofounded one of the school’s two primary collectives, The Foundation. “I don’t think beating Michigan, I don’t think winning the Big Ten championship game and just going to the playoffs is enough.”
ONLY TWO YEARS ago, Day told boosters it would cost $13 million in NIL money for the Buckeyes to put their team together.
Tyvis Powell, the director of player engagement for Ohio State’s other collective, the 1870 Society, said in the past the Buckeyes missed out on players they wanted because they didn’t have enough NIL money. Now, industry sources believe that Ohio State is among college football’s biggest spenders in NIL.
Both Powell and Jones, former teammates, said losing to the Wolverines again and then witnessing them win a national championship “lit a fire under more people’s butts” to get involved in giving to NIL.
“This was the first year that people were very generous donating money to collectives,” said Powell, the defensive MVP of the Buckeyes’ national title win over Oregon in 2014. “There’s something about watching your rival win it all that’s very inspiring to a lot of people. It was like, that can’t happen anymore.”
Together with longtime athletic director Gene Smith, who retired this summer, Day rallied prominent boosters to increase their commitments. Money began pouring in from small donors, as well. Suddenly, the Buckeyes had the means to execute Day’s offseason plans.
Out of the transfer portal, Ohio State snagged Kansas State quarterback Will Howard along with Downs and Judkins.
Howard, who started 28 games for the Wildcats and led K-State to the 2022 Big 12 title, was named Ohio State’s starter earlier this month. Judkins topped the SEC with 2,725 rushing yards for Ole Miss over the past two seasons. At Alabama, Downs was the SEC Freshman of the Year; the NFL scout called Downs the Crimson Tide’s “best player” last year.
Downs entered the portal Jan. 17 after Alabama coach Nick Saban stunningly announced he was retiring. Powell claimed NIL played a role in Ohio State not getting Downs out of high school. Many believed Downs would return to his home state and play for Georgia, which had just hired Downs’ Alabama position coach, Travaris Robinson. But this time around, Ohio State sold Downs on coming to Columbus (the Buckeyes also added Julian Sayin, the top quarterback recruit in 2024, and center Seth McLaughlin from Alabama’s roster). Downs, a preseason All-American, said last week that Ohio State’s talented roster played a role in him joining the Buckeyes.
“I feel like that was a major piece of it,” said Downs, who called Ohio State’s talent level “above or right at the same level” of any SEC team, including the Crimson Tide. “That’s always a plus to know that you’re walking into a real brotherhood and a real team.”
OFF LAST YEAR’S team, only wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. left early for the NFL draft. Defensive end Jack Sawyer said he and the other draft-eligible prospects came back “for one last ride” after coming up short against Michigan and in the playoff hunt these past three years.
“I wanted to go to the NFL and chase my dream more than the next guy,” Sawyer said. “But I haven’t won a championship. I haven’t beat the team up north. And you walk around the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] and all you see is championships and championship posters and banners. Having been here for three years and not helped our team win any of those, it’s something that wears on me and it’s something that motivates me every day.”
Day said Sawyer and the upperclassmen who returned have led the way in setting a tone, keeping one another accountable. Egbuka added that the “scars from the past” have generated a new collective focus.
“Nobody on this team has won a big game in their career at Ohio State. We just haven’t done it. It sucks to say, but that’s the reality. We don’t really have anything that counts, anything that matters,” Egbuka said. “But this has been the hardest working team that I’ve been a part of. And we’re also the most tight-knit group I’ve ever been a part of. … We’re really locked in on getting to our goals this year.”
“No gold pants [handed out for beating Michigan], no natty, that was a big part … of why we came back,” Burke said. “We’ve got to win every single game — no ifs, ands or buts about it.”
DAY INITIALLY TARGETED former Penn State and Houston Texas head coach Bill O’Brien to be his offensive coordinator. But when O’Brien accepted the head job at Boston College, Day turned to Kelly, his longtime mentor. Day, a former quarterback, played for Kelly at New Hampshire, and later coached with him there.
Day surrendered playcalling duties to Kelly, who took a pay cut of around $4 million to leave the Bruins and join the Buckeyes. Before becoming an NFL head coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers, Kelly elevated Oregon into an offensive juggernaut. With Kelly as head coach, the Ducks averaged 45 points per game from 2009 to 2012, leading the nation in scoring over that span.
Both Kelly and Day grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire. During Big Ten media days, Day said he didn’t just trust Kelly with Ohio State’s offense, he trusted Kelly with his life.
“I feel the same way,” Kelly said. “There’s a long history. We grew up in the same hometown, we’ve known each other for almost 40 years now. … The same coaches that coached him in youth sports coached me in youth sports. There’s always going to be that connection.”
Kelly will have plenty of playmakers to deploy.
In Judkins and returning leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson, Kelly will have arguably the top running back duo in college football at his disposal. Kelly might have the country’s top receiving duo to work with, as well. Jeremiah Smith dazzled in the spring and preseason.
“You’re like, all right, this team has four guys that can kill us with the ball in their hand — what do we do?” the NFL scout said. “You should destroy everybody when you have that many good players at every position.”
With what figures to be another elite defense with stars at every level, the Buckeyes show no apparent weaknesses, on either side of the ball.
“There’s a great energy around this team,” Day said. “They know what they want. There’s an urgency, there’s a purpose and they’ve come together. You can just see it. … You can just feel it when you’re around the guys. It’s real. So what does all that mean? We’ve got to earn everything we get next year. Nothing is going to be given to us.”
That plan Day laid out to Bjork has come together. All that’s left is to earn what matters most.
“We’ve got the best. Every position group is stacked, with depth. So we have no choice but to win the national championship,” Powell said. “A lot of people love Coach Day. I think he’s a really good coach. [He has] all the resources that he possibly needs to win it all. And if he doesn’t, then the writing’s on the wall. … Nobody’s really hearing any excuse.
With most participants already committed, it’s a valuable window into how these prospects will fit into their future college systems and translate to the next level. Here are the top 10 committed quarterbacks attending the event later this month ranked by system fit.
Tennessee’s scheme is plug-and-play friendly and fits Brandon’s big arm and sneaky mobility. There’s a clear trend emerging in Knoxville when it comes to quarterback traits in terms of stature, athleticism and arm strength. Brandon checks all three boxes. He’s very similar to former Vols standout Hendon Hooker and is further along developmentally than Hooker was at Brandon’s age. Though not quite as polished as Nico Iamaleava coming out of high school, Brandon throws a great deep ball, which Tennessee coach Josh Heupel requires from all his quarterbacks. By the time he arrives on campus, it’s likely at least one quarterback currently on the Tennessee roster will have hit the transfer portal.
One week from today the @Elite11 Finals get underway ⏳
UCReport will have on-site coverage. Looking forward to seeing plenty of high-level quarterbacks and evaluating how they’ll fit in their college system.
Duke offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer is looking for a run-pass option quarterback with consistent accuracy and high-level production in the run game. Walker is that guy. He’s strikingly similar to Darian Mensah, the quarterback Duke brought in via the transfer portal, only Walker has a stronger arm. The Blue Devils want a dynamic runner at quarterback — something former QB Maalik Murphy wasn’t — and that’s what Walker is. A true playmaker, he also has a sky-high ceiling for development as a passer. Walker’s commitment is more evidence that the perception of Duke is shifting among top-tier recruits.
ESPN 300 ranking: 157
It’s easy to see why Arizona State’s coaching staff loves Fette considering he’s a mirror image of current quarterback Sam Leavitt. Fette is a sandlot-style riverboat gambler who thrives when the play breaks down. He looks like a pocket passer, but has the athleticism of a runner and can stress defenses with his legs. Coach Kenny Dillingham will use a lot of smoke and mirrors with shifts, motions, personnel groupings and backfield action to maximize Fette’s dynamic skill set and make him a threat both inside and outside the pocket.
ESPN 300 ranking: 6
Bell enters an ideal situation. The Longhorns don’t need to rush him, and instead can allow him to develop at his own pace. His fit is quite akin to Arch Manning‘s, and if Bell follows a similar blueprint he will get bigger, stronger and more mature over time. He already displays the tools of a high-level passer and adds value as a more capable runner than Quinn Ewers did in Steve Sarkisian’s system. Bell is a naturally gifted passer with a long track record of performance against elite competition, so he is ready to make the jump.
ESPN 300 ranking: N/A — three-star
Regardless of Carson Beck‘s production this fall, Coleman will be able to deliver the dynamism that Miami showcased with Cam Ward at the helm, which will make the Hurricanes much more difficult to defend. Coleman is the type of player Miami will prefer at quarterback in the long run. He has moxie, a gunslinger’s mentality and a live arm capable of making off-platform plays look routine. Remind you of anyone?
ESPN 300 ranking: 155
It’s easy to see shades of former Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams when watching Jonas Williams. He’s a naturally creative and improvisational quarterback. The play is never over, sometimes to a fault, but often to devastating effect. Williams can move the launch point and change arm angles, especially when asked to get the ball out quickly on screens and underneath throws. He thrives in chaos and can run the play-action offense Lincoln Riley loves to employ.
ESPN 300 ranking: 16
Henderson is another signal-caller with similarities to Darian Mensah, who played for current Houston coach Willie Fritz at Tulane. Landing Henderson was a huge win for Fritz. Henderson is a terrific athlete who can reach 20.6 mph max speed, an elite number for a quarterback. We’re intrigued to see whether he sticks at quarterback or moves to another position. For that reason, he’s more of a developmental player who needs to get more consistent in the passing game, but he has a high ceiling regardless of position.
ESPN 300 ranking: 198
At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Huhn has the kind of stature coach James Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki love. Though not as mobile as Drew Allar, Huhn is very athletic in the pocket. He can extend plays and shows strong anticipation off play-action. Huhn loves to play under center, which is a valuable trait in a Penn State offense that blends shotgun and traditional looks. With a scheme that frequently shifts the launch point through varied play-action concepts, Huhn’s footwork and functional mobility make him a natural fit.
ESPN 300 ranking: N/A — three-star
It’s still unclear exactly what North Carolina’s offense will look like under Bill Belichick, but recent quarterback additions offer a clue. The Tar Heels brought in dual-threat options in South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez and 2025 commit Bryce Baker. Neither is a traditional pocket passer, nor is Burgess. He’s a great get for North Carolina with his athleticism, live arm, quick release and developmental upside. He also won’t be thrust into action immediately. Once the staff understands his strengths, he’s the kind of player it can build a system around. Though not as tall, he’s reminiscent of NC State’s CJ Bailey.
ESPN 300 ranking: N/A — three-star
Cherry is the prototypical athletic pocket passer for Jeff Brohm’s system. He’s decisive, releases the ball quickly and anticipates plays well. Combine that with Brohm’s tried-and-true scheme, and it’s easy to see why Louisville is a destination for quarterbacks such as Cherry who are looking to up their game. He is similar to Cardinals transfer quarterback Miller Moss in both skill and style. Cherry thrives in quick-game concepts, excels in the intermediate passing attack and is highly effective off deep play-action. Louisville is attractive for Cherry because it always layers good skill players around its quarterback.
Will Tuesday night’s matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers be the final game of the 2024-25 season? Or will there be one more on Friday?
The Panthers lead 3-2 in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final ahead of Game 6 (8 p.m. ET, TNT/Max). If they win, they skate the Cup on home ice. If the Oilers win, Game 7 is back in Edmonton.
Here are notes on the matchup from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:
With a 3-2 lead ahead of Game 6 on home ice, the Panthers are now -400 favorites to win the Cup and the Oilers are +300; those numbers are adjusted from prior to Game 5, when both clubs were -110. As for the Conn Smythe Trophy, Sam Bennett remains the leader, but his odds have shifted from +150 to -190. Brad Marchand (+300), Connor McDavid (+700) and Leon Draisaitl (+700) round out the top four.
The Panthers are seeking to become the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions by beating the same team since the Montreal Canadiens did so against the Boston Bruins in 1977 and 1978 — for the Habs, those were titles No. 2 and 3 of four straight earned between 1976 and 1979. A Panthers win would be the fourth Stanley Cup for a team based in the state of Florida this decade (the Tampa Bay Lightning won in 2020 and 2021).
The Oilers are facing elimination for the first time in the 2025 playoffs. Last year, they were 5-1 when facing elimination — including three wins in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final after falling behind 3-0. Road teams facing elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final have gone 6-6 in the past 12 occurrences.
Marchand is having a superb Stanley Cup Final, scoring six goals thus far. That marks the most goals in a Cup Final since Esa Tikkanen (1988, also six). Marchand is the first player to score five or more goals with multiple teams in a Cup Final, and his five road goals in this series are the most in a single Cup Final since Jack Adams had six for the Vancouver Millionaires in 1922. With multiple multigoal games in the Cup Final, Marchand joins Jeff Friesen (New Jersey Devils, 2003) and Max Talbot (2009, Pittsburgh Penguins) as the only players to pull off that feat in the past 30 years.
Teammate Sam Bennett is also entering historic territory. With a goal in Edmonton in Game 5, he became the fifth player in NHL history with a streak of six straight road games with a goal. He is also the fourth active NHL player to score 15 goals in a single postseason, joining Zach Hyman (16, 2024), Alex Ovechkin (15, 2018) and Sidney Crosby (15, 2009).
McDavid scored a point in every home game he played since the 4 Nations Face-Off break — a run of 17 straight games, with 36 points in that span. He reached 150 playoff points in 95 games, the third-fastest player in NHL history to reach that benchmark, behind Wayne Gretzky (68 games played) and Mario Lemieux (86).
With one more game-winning goal this series, Draisaitl would become just the third player in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) — and first since 1977 — to have three game winners in a single Stanley Cup Final. The previous players to do so are Jacques Lemaire (1977) and Jean Beliveau (1965 and 1960), both of whom accomplished the feat for the Canadiens.
play
0:47
Oilers coach: We’ve overcome difficult situations before
Kris Knoblauch keeps faith in his Oilers as he reflects on losing Game 5 in Edmonton.
Scoring leaders
GP: 22 | G: 15 | A: 7
GP: 21 | G: 11 | A: 22
Best bets for Game 6
Evander Kane over 4.5 total hits (+107): The Oilers need to be more physical if they hope to have a legitimate shot at pushing this series to a Game 7. Saturday’s team total of 25 hits, including only a pair from Kane, isn’t going to cut it. An aggressive difference-maker when he’s at his best at nearing, but not crossing, the line as he has too often this series, the winger will be one to watch from the get-go Tuesday. Notably, he registered 17 total hits through both overtime games to open this series in Edmonton. Win or lose, Kane is going to serve as a factor. Hopefully for the Oilers, not by earning himself time in the penalty box.
Stuart Skinner under 25.5 total saves (-120): If Skinner — presuming coach Kris Knoblauch goes with his No. 1 netminder to start Game 6 — struggles, or the rest of the Oilers fail to perform well enough out front, he won’t last long enough in the crease to make 26 saves before all is said and done. The leash will be short in this must-win contest. Or perhaps Edmonton’s team defense rises to the occasion and prevents more scoring chances in support of their starting goaltender, as it did in earlier rounds versus Dallas and Vegas.
Connor McDavid first period anytime goal-scorer (+600): After Leon Draisaitl scored the opener in Game 1, the Panthers are perfect in four straight games at catching the back of the net first, outscoring Edmonton 11-4 altogether in the initial period. The Oilers understand reversing that trend would go a long way in helping them survive, particularly by forcing Florida to sway from their stifling defensive play. Who better to look to than McDavid, who finally found the back of the net this series in Saturday’s losing effort? The sport’s best player needs to shoot more, and he knows it. He’ll be revved right up to make a statement, early. — Victoria Matiash
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani jogged off the pitcher’s mound and leaned against the dugout railing while strapping on his elbow guard and batting gloves. He was thrown a towel to wipe the sweat off his face, then walked to the batter’s box to face San Diego Padres ace Dylan Cease without taking any practice swings.
With that, Ohtani began his quest to once again do what many in the sport consider impossible.
Ohtani made his pitching debut from Dodger Stadium on Monday, giving up a run in his lone inning of work, then struck out in his first plate appearance as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ designated hitter, marking the first time he has pitched and hit in a game since Aug. 23, 2023. He would eventually finish 2-4 with two RBIs in his club’s 6-3 victory.
Ohtani is close to 21 months removed from a second repair of his right ulnar collateral ligament but faced hitters only three times before essentially rejoining the Dodgers’ rotation, his last session, from Petco Park in San Diego last Tuesday, spanning three simulated innings and 44 pitches.
Ohtani communicated to the Dodgers that facing hitters hours before games, then cooling off and having to ramp back up to DH later that night, was more taxing on his body than doing both simultaneously, prompting him to return to pitching sooner than expected. These initial starts will basically function as the continuation of Ohtani’s pitching rehab. On Monday, he was basically utilized as an opener.
Ohtani reached 99.9 mph and 100.2 mph with his fastball but also uncorked a wild pitch while utilizing 28 pitches to record the first three outs. Fernando Tatis Jr. led off with a bloop single and Luis Arraez followed with a line-drive single. Ohtani should have recorded a strikeout of Manny Machado, who went around on a two-strike swing. But first-base umpire Ryan Blakney ruled otherwise, bringing the count to 2-2 and later prompting a sacrifice fly to score the game’s first run.
Ohtani followed by inducing groundouts to Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts, and with that, his pitching debut was over.
The Dodgers hope it’s the first of many starts.
Ohtani, 30, functioned as a transformative two-way player from 2021 to 2023, winning two unanimous MVPs and also finishing as the runner-up to Aaron Judge. On offense, Ohtani slashed .277/.379/.585 with 124 home runs and 57 stolen bases. On the mound, he posted a 2.84 ERA with 542 strikeouts and 143 walks in 428⅓ innings.