Mood?
Have a nice Monday.
A BIG… After James Laurinaitis got a commitment from five-star linebacker Riley Pettijohn on Saturday, I think… I think I need to see Justin Frye pull off a Big One… or else… Why not replace him with a former Buckeye who knows how to recruit?
In five seasons as Ohio State’s wide receivers coach, Brian Hartline has recruited five-stars Jeremiah Smith (2024), Chris Henry Jr. (2026), Julian Fleming (2020), Emeka Egbuka (2021), Brandon Inniss (2023), Mylan Graham (2024) and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2020), as well as four-stars Noah Rogers (2023), Quincy Porter (2025) and Carnell Tate (2023), among others.
In two seasons as Ohio State’s secondary coach, Tim Walton has recruited five-stars Devin Sanchez (2025), Na’eem Offord (2025) and Aaron Scott Jr. (2024), as well as four-stars Jermaine Mathews Jr. (2023), Calvin Simpson-Hunt (2023) and Bryce West (2023), among others.
In four months as Ohio State’s linebacker, Laurinaitis has recruited Pettijohn and four-stars Tarvos Alford (2025) and Eli Lee (2025). He was also instrumental in the Buckeyes landing four-star Payton Pierce in the 2023 class.
Do you see the trend?
Former Buckeyes know how to recruit like no one else.
To be clear, Hartline, Walton and Laurinaitis have done some hard work for Ohio State. These commitments didn’t happen simply because all three coaches were former Buckeyes, but if I had to guess, that was a big part of their recruiting pitch. Been there, done that — or something like that.
If Frye can’t land a Big One soon — cough David Sanders Jr. cough — could Ohio State look for an alumnus to coach the offensive line after 2024?
I think it’s worth thinking about!
WELCOME HOME, MUSA. After the 2020-21 Ohio State men’s basketball season, Musa Jallow transferred to Charlotte. He averaged five points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game in 10 appearances before tearing his ACL.
Two years later, Jallow is back in Columbus, but it’s not for basketball. It’s for his career as an exercise psychologist at Ohio State Ross Heart Hospital.
From Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch:
“It’s funny to be back,” he said. “Everything’s the same, but I feel like I’m in a completely different mindset, obviously not playing college basketball anymore.”
Jallow attended a few men’s basketball games at Value City Arena and watched the Buckeyes win over No. 2 Purdue in the first game with Jake Diebler as interim head coach. He eventually received his senior jersey, which he said now hangs on his apartment wall, and was happy to see that doors were still open to him within the program, even though those who knew him personally as a player were mostly gone.
This winter, Jallow said he plans to apply to medical school next year, so he’s finishing up prerequisite classes and studying for the MCAT. While he’s at the hospital, Jallow said he’s interacted with “a lot” of doctors who were season ticket holders and who watched him play for the Buckeyes.
“It’s a warm welcome,” he said.
The same was true for his return to the Kingdom Summer League. Playing for Team NWFG, Jallow was surprised to learn that he was lining up with two former teammates, Andre and Kaleb Wesson. Before the game began, the three hugged, sat in the stands, and chatted as if no time had passed.
“I haven’t played with Musa in a long time,” said Kaleb Wesson, who played in Bulgaria and France last year. “He’s my guy, though. You know what you’re going to get from Musa. He’s going to give you 100 (percent) every play. He’s going to make shots and do what any coach asks him to do. Musa’s a great guy.”
So far, his ankles have held up and Jallow has enjoyed dipping his toes back into the game alongside his friends. There is a general plan for what comes next, depending on his health, academics and job opportunities. After leaving Ohio State to return, nothing would surprise Jallow.
“I give God credit for bringing me back,” he said. “I didn’t expect it, but it’s good to be back.”
The 148th-ranked prospect in the 2017 class, Jallow spent four years at Ohio State, including a medical redshirt season in 2019-20. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward appeared in 104 games and started 28 times for the Buckeyes, averaging 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 14.8 minutes per game.
For whatever reason, whether it was health concerns or Chris Holtmann’s refusal to train players during their time with the Buckeyes, Jallow never worked as a member of the Ohio State men’s basketball team. I’m grateful, though, that his association with the school didn’t end there. Back in Columbus, Jallow has spent the last few months helping others get back to full health as an employee of Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center.
Kudos to him and kudos to the full circle moments.
MY BOY IS BAD! “How do you like those apples?” Ohio State men’s lacrosse alumnus Trent DiCicco asked every Big Ten athlete (except Michigan State’s Ashley Harlock) after winning the 2024 Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award.
(I can neither confirm nor deny whether DiCicco said these words. However, I can confirm that Good Will Hunting is the best movie of all time.)
Last week, DiCicco won the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award and was awarded a $10,000 scholarship for his academic, athletic, extracurricular and leadership achievements as a member of the Ohio State lacrosse program.
“Trent has been a tremendous representation of what it means to be a student-athlete at Ohio State,” Kaitlin Davis, associate director of academic athletic services, said in a statement. “He has continued to dedicate himself to his academic goals while being a leader for his teammates. He is a special individual and I couldn’t think of a better Buckeye to win this award for our program and this university.”
DiCicco was a four-year letterwinner and captain of the Ohio State men’s lacrosse team. In 47 appearances for the Buckeyes, the Guelph, Ont., native had 17 points on 10 goals and seven assists, 88 ground balls and 10 forced turnovers. DiCicco was also a member of Team Canada’s youth program during his collegiate career and won a silver medal at the 2022 World Under-21 Championships in Limerick, Ireland.
DiCicco, a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, majored in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in robotics and autonomous systems, posting a 3.94 GPA. DiCicco also participated in research projects focused on the biomechanics of human movement as applied to law enforcement and athletes and a multidisciplinary project related to human performance optimization, injury prevention and rapid rehabilitation.
On top of all that smart stuff, DiCicco also co-founded and co-owns a small fashion brand called Modern Crown and volunteers at the Second and Seven Reading Foundation and the Dream Center Food Service.
After his senior year at Ohio State, DiCicco plans to pursue a master’s degree in mechanical and systems engineering at Stanford in the fall.
Wait, Stanford is the school Skylar is leaving Harvard for…
Should DiCicco go see a girl?
Am I kidding or not?
In the 17-year history of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award, DiCicco is the fourth Ohio State student-athlete to receive the honor. Other Buckeyes include swimmer Chelsea Davis (2010), soccer player Lindsay Agnew (2017) and track and field athlete Sade Olatoye (2020).
Congratulations to him. This boy is really great!
THIS AND THAT. Another skull session, another this and that™.
You know the drill.
Ohio State men’s basketball head coach Jake Diebler and his wife, Jordyn, welcomed their fourth child, Julien, this weekend. The Dieblers also have two daughters, Jaymes and Jessa, and another son, Jackson.
Dawand Jones was the honorary grand marshal of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio this weekend. The former Ohio State offensive lineman and current Cleveland Browns player kicked off the race Sunday with his “Start your engines!”
Former Ohio State quarterback and current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is completely shredded two months before the start of the 2024 NFL season.
Ohio State women’s basketball star Cotie McMahon will represent the United States at the FIBA 3×3 Nations League Conference of the Americas in Mexico City. The tournament will mark the third time the Centerville, Ohio native and All-Big Ten forward has represented the United States in international competition.
That’s all, friends!
SONG OF THE DAY. “Stuck in the Middle with You” – The Thieves Wheel.
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