Bold prediction, picks for the 2026 Ohio State spring game

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Hello, everyone.

Welcome into another edition of the Letterman Live Podcast.

It's just going to be me today.

Myself, Mick Walker here from Letterman Row.

I know Spencer's our great, great host,

but he's all taken some time off right now to be

with his newborn baby and his wife during this time,

so we're wishing them all the best.

But as a result, that's going to be me just leading the show here

for a couple of weeks.

I understand that's probably not ideal to everybody.

I don't have the cool graphics or the cool setup,

but hey, we want to be able to do shows

and get them to you guys on the YouTube channels

and on the podcast channels.

So we'll just take some time every week.

And so I'll come on here at least once a week

and talk about whether it's recruiting

or spring bra fallout or different things that have happened.

Today, we're going to, because it's for the Friday

of the four spring, the spring game.

We're going to talk about the spring game itself.

I'm going to give three picks.

I'll give you a little prediction

on what I think will happen off in defense.

And I'll go a little bit into the depth

of the recruiting visitors list here,

just because I know there's a lot of people

that go to me for the recruiting stuff more

than the team stuff, and I totally understand

that that's much more my realm.

So I'll touch on that at the end.

Well, let's get started here with the spring game picks.

First and foremost, I got three picks.

One offense or two offense, one defense,

because it's going to be an offensive game.

First and foremost, I have favorite key,

the freshman early and enrollee running back,

going for 100 plus yards on the ground on Saturday.

I know it's not the cool flashy pick,

but he's been really good.

He's been emerging with Bo Jackson and Isaiah West

out of the line up here for Ohio State.

So I'm expecting big things from favorite key.

I could also be a little bit of a Jacobi Jackson

instead of the floor transfer.

He was very good on student appreciation day.

The most recent full practice we got to see.

Austin Ward, a German Birmingham from Let him

are currently at the shoe,

watching the Buckeyes penultimate spring practice.

I'm back here reporting because I'm about

the depart for vacation,

which I'll talk about here at the end of the show as well.

But I'm buying stock and favorite key

after what we saw earlier this year.

He was good in spring.

He was good on student appreciation day.

He's just looked good compared to what I think.

Most people thought he was going to be coming in

with some injuries that he had dealt with this senior year.

I'm excited to see what favorite key can do in the shoe

this weekend.

There's a couple other guys.

Like I said, Jacobi Jackson collided up.

Stanley Jackson Jr. can be another guy.

We could even see some of the wide receivers

getting involved whether it's Philip Bell

or Desi Jones or Chris Henry Jr.

who got his black stripe off this week.

More on those guys than a little bit.

But I'm all in on favorite key.

Having 100 plus Russian yard day.

I think big things are going to come for the central Ohio native

at the running back spot.

This might be a couple of years before we fully see it

on game days, on Saturdays and the fall.

But I think he'll line it up in the spring game.

So that's my first pick.

Before we get to my second pick,

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All right, thank you bear skin.

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Going back and going to our second pick here

for the Ohio State Spring Game picks.

I'm going to go over the defensive side of the ball.

And while I think there will be points scored

on the offensive end,

I think the defense also has opportunity to score points.

And that's by creating turnovers.

I think guys like Christian and Aliega are a linebacker.

I think Eli Lee are a linebacker.

Jordan Thomas, Jay Timmons, a defensive backer.

A couple guys that are early and really freshman

that have started to generate some buzz here recently

on these last couple of practices.

It's just because they're getting their hands on the ball.

Jordan Thomas, the Bergen Kathleen standout.

He has been on one of the last guys off the practice field

ever since like spring practice started.

Him and Amari Miller are just out there grinding

every day, going through different sets,

going through different things for the takeoff here

for what they got going on at corner backs.

I was really impressed by him.

I was really impressed by Jordan Thomas.

I think Amari Miller is a good walk on as well,

but really Jordan Thomas.

I'm excited to see what he can do

see if he can kind of get his hands on a ball

and maybe return something and get an interception.

Same thing with Eli Lee.

He's not somebody that's been talked about a lot.

He can probably fall in that category

since he or Johnson or some of the other

freshman linebackers.

He hasn't been talked about a ton.

But I think when he's going to get into this game

and they're allowed to go full contact and not just dud,

he's going to get his hands on the ball a little bit,

maybe punch some stuff out and create some problems

for other teams or for the opposing offense.

I'm excited to see what Eli Lee can do.

Cristiano Eager, I think he's going to be kind of a turnover

machine for a high state this season.

So those are two guys that linebacker,

a couple guys that DB.

I'm really excited about Carl Wilder as well,

the defense five star freshman defense event.

He's come on, would not be surprised

and see him get a couple of strips,

maybe punch the ball out as well.

At least get a couple of tapsacks

because he's that talented.

So I'm all in those four guys

creating at least three turnovers.

That's my second prediction for the show.

Three defensive turnovers from Ohio State.

So I'm excited by this defense.

And then finally my third prediction here,

my third prediction of the three spring predictions

is when we, I think we'll see a 60 plus yard touchdown

in my apologies there for the stumble.

60 plus yard touchdown.

These Ohio State freshman wide receivers,

Brock Boy, Chris Henry Jr.

Quayton Gilford and even a guy like Desi Jones

or Philadelphia, who I mentioned earlier,

who are red shirt freshmen, they're explosive.

They're explosive, whether it's in the slot or out wide,

they're gonna have some opportunity,

just kind of break the game open a little bit,

at least in the spring game category.

So I'm excited to see what those guys can do.

Tavian St. Clair also, he's got in comparison

to Julian Stain or even some of the other guys

on the roster, whether it's Justin Martin

or anything like that.

Tavian St. Clair might have the biggest arm,

might have the most talented arm on the roster.

So I think if they give Ohio State gifts

in the opportunity in the second half,

second quarter, whatever it may be,

to air it out offensively, I think we'll see

some long passes down the field.

And again, I don't think that's at the detriment

of the defense, like I'm not selling out there

as they defensive, even the freshmen defensive backs

or the younger defensive backs.

I talked about those lonely in my last pick,

but I just think Brock Boyd, who I heard a lot

about at the coaches clinic on Thursday night,

we've all heard a lot about all spring.

I think there's gonna be a moment for Brock Boyd

that he can break a long one.

If it's not him, Desi Jones, Philip Bell,

percent of junior, I think those guys

are kind of all in that category

of being able to break big play.

So I think we'll see a 60 plus yard touchdown.

That's my third and final pick.

We're gonna go for one more ad break, one more ad break.

Then we'll come back and talk about some recruiting lists.

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That's, and again, I apologize for all the stumbles here.

But go to Bed MGM, go to Bear Skin.

And if you want Letterman Road,

if you want on high-stay recruiting content,

go to Letterman Road,

because we're going to have you covered on that.

Big day coming up here on Friday, as I released this,

this will be coming up before the time comes.

But Jimmy Kaylis, the four star offensive lineman

from Pittsburgh, Central Catholic.

He is going to announce his commitment at 6 p.m.

on the rivals recruiting channel on the rivals

with YouTube recruiting channel.

My apologies there.

I think it's going to be a high state.

I think they're battling Georgia here kind of down

to the last second.

Georgia's trying to drive at the price at least.

Kind of create some confusion down in the line.

But I think in the end,

it's going to be a high-stay winning out.

They'll beat Texas, LSU, Georgia again,

Clemson for the light for Jimmy Kaylis,

who's an NFL legacy,

who's a four star to the offensive lineman.

Just continue to shoot up really.

He was six foot six last summer.

Seems like he's turning up towards six foot eight.

I talked to his coach Ryan Lamer.

At the coach's high-stay coach is clinic on Thursday night.

And he was talking about how big Jimmy's got.

How big he's gotten.

How he's still kind of weighing sub 300.

He's really looking good.

And I think Tyler Bowen's fired up to get his commitment.

He'll be in the shoe on Saturday as well.

Offends a line, commits counter-wimer.

Mason Will, quarterback, Mick Brady.

He had an until-be-back.

Safety committee, like Johnson will be back.

Those are the commits that'll be in town as far as the targets.

You're looking at my near Lewis,

the brush standout from up there in Linhurst, Ohio.

Highest data offered him in March.

I think he's a big target for Larry Johnson

that they're just trying to find these developmental guys

in Ohio that you can really get and work on

and see if they can become something more in a couple of years.

That's what my near Lewis falls into.

I think he's going to be somebody that can get a lot of attention

on Saturday.

Another guy that'll be in that category as well is Jaden Carey

from Lauderdale, St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

He's a four-star cornerback.

He's Visitor of Ohio State.

This will be his third time.

He's a Miami legacy, but Tim Walton's

been recruiting him very hard.

He'd fit great in kind of a nickel role

that I think Jordan Hancock made popular for Ohio State fans

and then for Ohio State defense.

So Jaden Carey, he's going to come up with this teammate

four-star defense fan, Wyatt Smith.

He's somebody that has a Visitor of Ohio State

at an offer in March.

But I think there's a chance that they could really

start picking up steam in that recruitment at some point.

So I'm interested to kind of talk with Wyatt

after I get back and kind of hear how his visit went.

So those are the main 2027 guys that are coming.

And then 2020, Lucas Proc is a big time titan

Eric quarterback from Jersey that they like.

Ryan Day was able to see him last week

at the early 11 regional in New York

because his son, R.J. was participating in the camp.

R.J. threw it well, but so did Lucas Proc.

Both those guys were really big standouts from that camp.

So I think it'll be interesting to see

what the perception is and how it's received

on how the Visitors goes with Lucas Proc

because he's somebody that I think Ohio State fans

are going to get very familiar with in the 2028 class.

2029, even Tyson El, the quarterback from Maryland, Texas.

He's going to be back on campus.

He's a big time target for the buck guys in that class.

I know what's early.

I know none of you guys want to be talking.

2029, heck, I don't because I'm a 2019 graduate

of walking through Ohio School.

But hey, we got to do it because Tyson El

was that big of a priority for Ohio State.

So those are some of the headliners on the Visitors list.

We'll have full coverage of it over at Leaven and Row

with Jeremy Birmingham out of excitement.

Austin War will have you covered on the team side as well.

We'll spend turns out.

Again, I am sorry about if this was rough, if this was choppy.

It's the first solo show of what will probably be a handful

because we'll have them every week over the next couple weeks

as we get through into June, maybe into the recruiting camps.

But I think I appreciate you guys bearing with me.

I appreciate you guys listening, watching.

Make sure you like, subscribe, head over to Leaven and Row.

We have a sale going on right now for our spring sale.

Give 50% off a subscription.

It's normally 120.

You can get it for 60 bucks now.

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So I would go take advantage of that

if you want complete coverage of Ohio State athletics.

Thank you guys for watching.

Thank you guys for listening.

And make sure you drop a like, drop a comment

if you're enjoying the show.

Thanks.