Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 383

Ohio State Buckeyes LIVE 383 Voice of College Football | Hosts: Mark Rogers, Steve Helwagen (Bucknuts 247), Tony Gerdeman (Buckeye Weekly) Wednesday episode, mid-August camp (roughly 2.5 weeks from season opener vs. Ball State; Week 2 at Texas)

00:00–00:31 — Intro and camp context

Mark opens noting everyone in college football is grinding through August camp. Ohio State is working to justify the No. 1 ranking, though championship expectations in Columbus exist regardless of preseason polls. Steve and Tony join after a slight delay. Season is close enough to “taste it.”

00:31–07:47 — Running back room

Steve spoke with the RBs and TEs. Isaiah West opened camp as the No. 1 back. Ryan Day indicated Bo Jackson has come on strongly. Possible explanations: Bo was slower returning from a shoulder procedure than West, or coaches were sending a message.

Day wants Bo to finish runs and run over defenders—things they didn’t see enough of last year. Bo rushed for 1,000 yards as a freshman but mostly in 4–5 yard chunks rather than explosive or punishing runs. Coaches are optimistic about the leap.

Isaiah West and Jacoby Jackson (Florida transfer, valued as a pass-catcher out of the backfield) will both play; they’re likely 2 and 3. Depth includes freshman Legend Bay, redshirt freshman Turbo Rogers, and true freshman Favre Aki. The group has limited experience beyond the Jacksons and West but is expected to take a step under Carlos Locklin and become a top position group.

Mark notes Bo had a fine freshman year as the main back at Ohio State, but elite OSU backs must create extra yards (make someone miss in the backfield or turn a 6–8 yard gain into 15–50). Competition is healthy. Ohio State historically features one featured back (Zeke, J.K. Dobbins) more often than a three-headed committee like Alabama/Georgia, though Henderson/Judkins sharing 1,000-yard seasons in the title year showed it can work.

07:47–12:22 — Biggest worries and offensive line

Steve’s top concern: injuries to key players. Camp has been relatively clean. Austin Sereveld missed some practices last week but was in full uniform after practice and appears back. The 64,000-dollar question is whether he plays left tackle or right guard.

Possible alignments: Ian Moore at LT + Sereveld at RG, or Sereveld at LT + Josh Padilla at RG. Steve leans toward Moore at LT. The running game (line, play-calling, and backs) needs to become more dynamic than last year.

12:22–21:26 — AP preseason poll