Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.
Jonathon Cooper boosting draft stock with impressive Senior Bowl
Jonathon Cooper had a remarkable, storybook career at Ohio State.
He played his best football during the final stretch of his time with the Buckeyes, which certainly boosted his draft stock through the eight-game season. A week at the Senior Bowl is having the same impact for Cooper, as his impressive play is turning heads of NFL scouts at the pre-draft event.
Cooper has taken on some of the best offensive linemen in the country this week at the Senior Bowl — and won, providing a glimpse of what he can do at the next level when he’s healthy. After redshirting for the 2019 season, Cooper came back as a captain to make another run at the College Football Playoff — which he did — and show he can play defensive end at an NFL level. He did that.
He’s showing his skillset to the scouts at the Senior Bowl this week, too.
New Talking Stuff: The Ohio State Recruiting Podcast
The NCAA has begun discussions about a recruiting quiet period starting on April 16 — meaning the currently-imposed dead period would remain until April 15 — and end on June 30, providing a window for players around the country to make college visits for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began last March while still barring coaches from making visits to recruits.
Now that there’s the potential of spring visits on the table, there’s at least some hope from the Ohio State side of things that the No. 1 player in the country, J.T. Tuimoloau, will be able to finalize some kind of timeline for his own visits and ultimately his college choice. There’s no doubt the Buckeyes will have a spot available for him, but beyond that, there are questions about exactly how much more roster management they’re interested in doing this spring.
And that’s why the continued pursuit of linebacker Raesjon Davis and recent Tennessee transfer Henry To’oto’o is worth paying attention to.
Lettermen Row recruiting analyst Jeremy Birmingham and co-host Spencer Holbrook address those topics and more in the latest edition of Talking Stuff: the Ohio State Recruiting Podcast.
ICYMI: Lettermen Live hosted by Roosters
The offseason is already in full swing for the Buckeyes as they make their way into the spring, and Lettermen Live was back Monday afternoon for another big episode with plenty to discuss.
Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward was joined by former Buckeyes linebacker Bobby Carpenter, former Ohio State defensive lineman Michael Bennett and former Buckeyes quarterback Justin Zwick to break down the latest news at Ohio State, including the retirement of Greg Mattison and who the Buckeyes might hire in his place. They also discussed the NFL draft decisions and how they will impact the roster for next season.
As always, Lettermen Live is hosted by Roosters on Olentangy River Road in Columbus.
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