The Scarlet and Gray

[toysoldier00]

Louisville RB Isaac Brown Enters Transfer Portal After Promising 2025 Season

by: Tyson Montgomery - December 14, 2025 - TyMontOn3



Louisville running back Isaac Brown announced Sunday that he will enter the transfer portal, becoming one of the more intriguing offensive names to watch this offseason after flashing lead-back potential before an injury cut his year short.

Brown appeared in eight games for the Cardinals in 2025 and finished with 162 rushing attempts for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.

He was in the middle of his most productive stretch of the season when he went down, a setback that halted what had been an upward trajectory in the backfield rotation.

At his best, Brown gave Louisville a physical, downhill presence who could finish runs at the goal line while still producing consistent chunk yardage between the tackles. The combination of workload and efficiency suggests he was trending toward an even bigger role had he been able to finish the season healthy.

The transfer portal window opens Jan. 2, and Brown will now look for a new opportunity with two clear selling points: proven production and tread on the tires.

For programs searching for an experienced runner who can handle volume, Brown’s résumé, 739 yards and 11 scores in just eight games, is the kind that will draw attention quickly.

[toysoldier00]

Buckeyes Add Another Glenville Pass Rusher as J.R. Hope Commits to Ohio State
By Colten Brooks on December 15, 2025


The Buckeyes have once again gone to Cleveland Glenville to find a player worth snagging.



Ohio State dipped back into one of its most familiar pipelines Monday as Cleveland Glenville defensive end J.R. Hope committed to the Buckeyes, giving Ryan Day and defensive line coach Larry Johnson the program’s fourth pledge in the Class of 2027, and another name to add to the long-running Glenville-to-Columbus connection.

Hope, whose full name is Jamal Rollie Hope, goes by “J.R.” and brings a very specific type of upside bet to the class. He’s listed at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds, a rangy, twitchy edge athlete who is clearly still growing into his body.

He isn’t ranked by the 247Sports or On3 composites at the moment, but ScoutingOhio lists him as the No. 56 player in the state, and Ohio State’s evaluation mattered more than any number on a webpage here.

Johnson has made a career out of identifying long-levered defensive linemen early, then letting a college strength program and elite coaching do the rest.

“I’ve been waiting for this,” Hope said after committing. “I know what Ohio State is about, I know what Glenville is about, and I want to be part of that. Coach Johnson told me straight up, if I’m willing to work and put on the weight the right way, he thinks I can be special. That’s all I needed to hear.”

That “put on the weight” part is the story with Hope. He wins right now with length, burst and a motor that shows up snap after snap, but he’s going to have to add significant mass and functional strength to play Big Ten football on the edge.

That’s where Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. has been the loudest advocate, pointing less to measurables and more to temperament.

“J.R. doesn’t take plays off,” Ginn said. “That’s the thing you can’t coach. He’ll chase, he’ll fight, he’ll keep coming. When a kid is wired like that, you can build the rest.”

Hope’s commitment also keeps Glenville’s relationship with Ohio State in motion.

His teammate in the Class of 2026, linebacker Jaylen Smalls, signed with the Buckeyes earlier this month, and Hope is now the next Glenville name to jump on board.

Ohio State rarely needs help recruiting Ginn’s program, but getting another in the boat never hurts, especially with more talent in that building.

That matters when you zoom out to what this does for the 2027 class. Hope is the fourth commitment overall and the third defensive line pledge, joining Dayton Chaminade Julienne defensive tackle Thomas Ford and Cincinnati Winton Woods edge rusher Delonte Salter, who committed earlier this fall.

It’s still far too early to project exact positional numbers for this cycle, especially with another transfer portal window looming next month that could reshape how Ohio State thinks about roster math, but the Buckeyes are clearly starting to stack developmental trenches pieces early.

And there’s a potential side benefit down the road: Hope’s presence at Glenville adds one more familiar face for Tre Allen Jr., one of the top running backs in Ohio’s 2027 class.

Ohio State will recruit Allen regardless, but relationships matter, and having another committed Buckeye in his ear in the same locker room can only help.

For now, the headline is simple: Ohio State took a bet on length, twitch and relentlessness, and trusted Larry Johnson to turn it into something more.

Rank	Pos	Name	Height	Weight	High School	Home Town
	WR	Zion Meeks	6'2"	190 lbs	St. Xavier	Cincinnati, OH
	DE	Delonte Salter	6'3"	225 lbs	Winton Woods	Cincinnati, OH
	DE	J.R. Hope	6'6"	205 lbs	Glenville	Cleveland, OH
	DT	Thomas Ford	6'3"	275 lbs	Chaminade Julienne	Dayton, OH

[Soapy]

If you add Isaac Brown to this roster

[toysoldier00]

The Scouting Report: The Top Offensive Players in Ohio for 2027
By Colten Brooks on December 16, 2025


Bishop Watterson (Columbus, OH) RB Cameron Karves is the highest rated running back in the Buckeye state, but he has competition.



Now that national signing day for the 2026 class is in the rearview and Ohio State has a brief breather between the Big Ten Championship Game and the Buckeyes’ first-round playoff matchup, the focus in recruiting naturally starts to drift forward. For Ohio State fans, that means getting acquainted with what’s shaping up as a strong offensive group in Ohio’s 2027 class, one with high-end star power at the top, real depth at the skill positions, and a running back board that’s already as complicated as it is talented.

The Running Back Dominoes: Three Names, Two Spots

If Ohio State takes two running backs in 2027, and most around the program believe that’s the plan, the early board is being defined by a trio that has already separated from the pack. Glenville (Cleveland, OH) RB Tre Allen Jr. (Pictured Right), Huber Heights Wayne (Dayton, OH) RB Ty Mays, and Bishop Watterson (Columbus, OH) RB Cameron Karves each carry four-star projections and each offers a slightly different pathway toward becoming the first back in the class to truly “set” the board.

Karves is the headliner right now, at least from a pure ranking and upside standpoint. The Columbus-area back has the kind of profile that can flirt with five-star status if the next year goes the way scouts think it can, and proximity matters here too, Ohio State never has to “introduce” itself to a player who grew up right in the shadow of the Horseshoe.

Mays, meanwhile, feels like the most advanced recruitment at the moment. He’s the name you hear most often as the potential early-commit candidate, the one who could decide he’s seen enough and wants to lock it down before the process gets too loud.

And Tre Allen Jr. is the wild card in the best possible way: Glenville is one of Ohio State’s most reliable pipelines, and when a Glenville back has the talent and production to match the offer sheet, the Buckeyes always feel like a serious factor.

It’s early, but the push-and-pull is obvious. If Ohio State wants one in-state back, which most people expect, who becomes the priority? And if the Buckeyes decide they want two of the three, which one ends up being the odd man out? That’s the kind of question that won’t be answered in December, it’ll be answered in visits, in spring evaluation windows, and in the moments where prospects decide whether they want to be the first domino or wait to see where the board tilts.

Can Ohio State Close on Ohio’s Offensive Crown Jewels?

Ohio State already has St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) WR Zion Meeks committed, which would normally feel like the first piece of a potential trifecta atop the in-state offensive board. The complication, of course, is the Brian Hartline factor. With Hartline leaving, the obvious question becomes whether Meeks’ commitment holds firm through the next phase of the cycle, not because Ohio State’s receiver development pitch suddenly disappears, but because recruiting at that level is often about relationships and long-term trust as much as it is about resumes.

The other two premium names Ohio State fans should keep circling are Clayton Northmont (Clayton, OH) WR/DB Vonn Fuller and Trotwood-Madison (Dayton, OH) IOL Garrison Volk. Fuller is viewed as the No. 1 player in the state and a true five-star type because he can take over a game on either side of the ball. Volk, meanwhile, is the kind of interior lineman evaluators love early: powerful, technically advanced for his age, and the type who projects as a multi-year starter at a program that cares deeply about the trenches.

If Ohio State can keep Meeks in the fold and add Fuller and Volk, you’re talking about a three-player offensive nucleus that could define the in-state class and give the Buckeyes a foundation they can build the rest of the national board around.

Quarterback Watch: Does Ohio State Stay Home?

Quarterback recruiting is always its own ecosystem, and Ohio State will evaluate nationally as it always does. But if the Buckeyes decide the best fit is in-state, Elder (Cincinnati, OH) QB Eddie Simms (Pictured Left) is the name that looms largest.

He’s widely viewed as the top quarterback in Ohio’s 2027 class, and the question for Ohio State isn’t whether Simms can play, it’s whether the staff sees him as the right long-term fit relative to the out-of-state options they’re also tracking.

The Next Layer: Offers Are Already Out

Beyond the headline names, Ohio State has already made its interest clear with offers to a handful of other Ohio offensive prospects who could surge as the spring and summer camp circuit arrives. Clayton Northmont (Clayton, OH) WR Dion Chosen is one. Reynoldsburg (Reynoldsburg, OH) WR Zeke Veal is another.

In the trenches, Lakota West (West Chester, OH) IOL Jaywone Audell and Mason (Mason, OH) IOL Jakobe Cone are both names to file away as the evaluations continue. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) OT Clifton Good and Dublin Coffman (Dublin, OH) OT Zac Earl give Ohio State two more in-state tackle bodies worth tracking closely, while Olentangy Liberty (Columbus, OH) TE Anton Randall adds a tight end name to the early board.

For Ohio State fans, that’s the fun of the 2027 cycle right now: the top is already strong, the running back board is already complicated, and the next layer is full of players who could jump a tier with one strong spring. The Buckeyes have a chance to make Ohio the backbone of their 2027 offense, but with big names and big decisions coming, they’ll have to earn it.

[toysoldier00]

If you add Isaac Brown to this roster

[toysoldier00]

The Scouting Report: The Top Defensive Players in Ohio for 2027
By Colten Brooks on December 17, 2025


Northmont (Clayton, OH) Superstar Vonn Fuller is the jewel of the class in Ohio, but he might be the jewel of the class in America.



Now that national signing day for the 2026 class is in the rearview and Ohio State has a brief breather between the Big Ten Championship Game and the Buckeyes’ first-round playoff matchup, the focus in recruiting naturally starts to drift forward. For Ohio State fans, that means getting acquainted with the top defensive prospects in Ohio’s 2027 class, one with a name that headlines everything.

The Headliner: The One Everyone’s Chasing

If you’re trying to understand Ohio State’s 2027 defensive priorities in Ohio, start with one name and don’t overthink it: Clayton Northmont (Clayton, OH) WR/DB Vonn Fuller. He’s the state’s top prospect and, depending on which service you’re reading, already flirting with “best player in the country” territory.

The projection that keeps coming up is a first-round cornerback, the kind of long, twitchy, erase-a-side defender who shows up in the NFL as a rookie and looks like he belongs immediately. The wrinkle is that Fuller is such a freak athlete that the “two-way” conversation won’t go away.

There’s real talk that he could play both receiver and corner in college, at least early, and Ohio State’s pitch will have to balance the dream scenario (let him do it) with the developmental reality (corner is where the money is). Either way, landing Fuller is priority No. 1 in the state, and it’s not particularly close.

Ohio State Already Has Three Defensive Commitments in the State

The good news for the Buckeyes is that they’ve already gotten started defensively in Ohio for 2027.

They already have Winton Woods (Cincinnati, OH) DE Delonte Salter (Pictured Right) committed, a four-star edge rusher who gives the class real teeth up front. Salter is the kind of prospect Ohio State has leaned on for years: explosive first step, violent hands, and the upside to become a problem once he grows into his frame and learns how to sequence moves like a college pass rusher has to.

They’ve also locked in Chaminade Julienne (Dayton, OH) DT Thomas Ford, the three-star interior lineman with production that pops and a motor Ohio State’s staff clearly values. Ford feels like the type of developmental take that looks a lot different in two years than it does on a December ranking sheet.

And then there’s Glenville (Cleveland, OH) DE J.R. Ford, the lanky, long-armed edge prospect Ohio State is betting on because the raw tools are obvious. He’s not a finished product, and he’s not supposed to be yet. The pitch is simple: add weight, keep the burst, and let Larry Johnson mold the rest.

That trio doesn’t replace the need for a star, Salter might be the closest, but it does give Ohio State an early defensive spine in the class.

Linebacker Offers: Where the Buckeyes Are Actually Active

After Fuller, the most defined part of the in-state defensive board right now is linebacker. Ohio State’s early offers have gone to Hamilton (Hamilton, OH) LB DeMarco Brown, Pickerington Central (Pickerington, OH) LB Khalil Skaggs (Pictured Left), and St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH) LB Barry Wilbur.

It’s notable because it shows where the Buckeyes see early value in the state: not necessarily in a bunch of instant-impact five-stars, but in traits and development arcs.

Brown is the kind of name that fits the “modern linebacker” direction, space ability, range, and the athletic profile that lets a player stay on the field in Big Ten games that turn into track meets.

Skaggs feels like a more traditional Big Ten body type with upside, the kind of player who can grow into a dependable core piece if the instincts keep sharpening.

Wilbur is the St. Ignatius type: tough, coached, and usually ahead of the curve technically, which matters when Ohio State is trying to stack a room with linebackers who can actually play assignment football.

The Defensive Back Reality: Why 2027 Might Be a Small In-State DB Year

This is the tricky part for Ohio fans hoping for a loaded Ohio defensive back class: outside of Fuller, there just doesn’t appear to be much “Ohio State offer” caliber DB talent at the top right now. Moeller (Cincinnati, OH) CB Jaylen Hicks is the one name that keeps getting brought up as a potential riser, a player who looks like he belongs in Power 4 football and could force Ohio State’s hand with a big spring and camp circuit. But at the moment, the Buckeyes haven’t truly gone all-in there, and there isn’t another obvious in-state defensive back that feels like a must-offer today.

That may not be an accident. Ohio State loaded up in the 2026 class with six defensive backs, and roster math matters. Taking that many DBs in one cycle often means you’re willing to be more selective the next year, and if the state isn’t producing multiple clear-cut top-end DBs in 2027, it could lead to a smaller defensive back class overall, with Ohio State shopping nationally rather than forcing in-state takes.

[toysoldier00]

CFP Round 1 Preview: Blue Bloods Collide, Newcomers Swing Big

Marissa Bleday
December 19, 2025


The first round of the 12-team College Football Playoff is built like a dare.

Oregon gets the Group of Five champ on its home turf. Oklahoma and Miami meet with their brands and their trajectory finally pointed back toward the sport’s loudest stages. Georgia and Notre Dame run back a matchup that still stings, depending on which sideline you ask. And Indiana, the season’s great curveball, hosts BYU with a Heisman winner, a sold-out stadium, and the weight of a state that still can’t believe this is real.

Four games. Four different flavors of pressure.

#21 Tulane Green Wave (11-2) at #5 Oregon Ducks (11-1)

Tulane’s presence is the point: a program that has no business being here, except it earned it. Jon Sumrall’s team doesn’t show up trying to cosplay like a Power Four roster. It shows up trying to be Tulane, veteran quarterback, disciplined defense, and a calm belief that if the game stays within reach long enough, weird things can happen.

“We didn’t come this far to be a cute story,” Sumrall said this week. “We came to win a football game.”

That’s the tightrope: Tulane has to keep it ugly without letting it turn desperate. Jake Retzlaff has been around enough football to understand what a road playoff game becomes, noise, momentum, and a dozen moments where you either steady the ship or you’re done. “You can feel when a game is about to tilt,” Retzlaff said. “Our job is to stop the tilt.”

Oregon, meanwhile, gets the exact scenario Dan Lanning wanted a year ago, a first-round game that keeps his team sharp instead of sitting through a long break and trying to re-ignite the engine in a quarterfinal. The Ducks were largely forgotten nationally after their loss to Indiana, but nobody inside the program forgot it.

“We remember the feeling,” Lanning said. “That’s the point of earning another opportunity, you get to respond.”

This is a talent gap game, and everybody knows it. The question is whether Tulane can shrink the field enough to make Oregon play tight. If the Ducks get an early lead and force Tulane into a track meet, it’s hard to see how the Green Wave keeps pace in Eugene.

#9 Miami (FL) Hurricanes (11-2) at #8 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2)

This is the “welcome back” game for two brands that have spent too long either searching for themselves or rebuilding the foundation they once assumed would always be there.

Oklahoma looks like Oklahoma again in the ways that matter: defense with teeth, a quarterback who can improvise his way out of bad pictures, and a home crowd that believes it’s still the sport’s most uncomfortable place to visit in December. Junior quarterback John Mateer is the kind of player who can turn one broken play into a season-defining highlight, and he knows exactly what’s in front of him.

“This is what you dream about,” Mateer said. “We’ve earned the right to play the kind of game people remember.”

Brent Venables has been waiting for a night like this, a playoff game in Norman that feels like a referendum on the program’s move and its patience.
“We didn’t come this far to play safe,” Venables said. “You play your brand, you play it violent, and you live with the result.”

Miami arrives with its own edge. The Hurricanes finally captured an ACC title, and Mario Cristobal has leaned into the idea that this isn’t a nostalgia tour, it’s a reboot. “We’re not here for the logo,” Cristobal said. “We’re here for the work.”

Carson Beck gives Miami the kind of veteran stability that travels, but the Hurricanes’ biggest advantage might be the trenches. If Miami can protect Beck and keep Mateer off the field with long, punishing drives, it can drain the game of Oklahoma’s emotional fuel.

But if the Sooners turn this into a chaos contest, short fields, fourth-quarter desperation, a stadium that starts shaking, that’s when Oklahoma becomes Oklahoma again.

#10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) at #7 Georgia Bulldogs (11-2)

It’s the marquee game because it has everything: history, recent scar tissue, and two programs that can’t quite decide whether they’re insulted or relieved to see the other one.

Notre Dame is here because it recovered from its early stumbles and turned into a weekly survival machine. True freshman CJ Carr has grown up in public, and the Irish have ridden Doak Walker winner Jeremiyah Love like a metronome.

“You don’t get to pick the moment,” Love said. “You just show up for it.”

Georgia is here because Kirby Smart’s program still owns the muscle memory of playoff football, and because last week’s loss has been sitting in the Bulldogs’ locker room like a live wire. Smart didn’t disguise the emotion.

“We know what this is,” Smart said. “We know what happened last time. And we know what we’re supposed to be.”

The twist is that this Georgia team wins with offense more than defense, and Gunner Stockton has embraced the role. “This is why you play at Georgia,” Stockton said. “Big games, big expectations. You either rise or you don’t.”

If Notre Dame can run, shorten the game, and force Georgia into a few empty possessions, the pressure shifts quickly. If Georgia jumps out early, it can turn Carr into a freshman again and let its athletes hunt.

#11 BYU Cougars (11-2) at #6 Indiana Hoosiers (12-1)

Indiana hosting a playoff game still doesn’t sound real, and that’s exactly why it’s terrifying for the visitor. Fernando Mendoza has been the sport’s most consistent force, and Curt Cignetti has built a roster that plays like it expects to win, not hopes to.

“We’re not borrowing confidence,” Cignetti said. “We earned it.”

BYU walks in carrying two weights at once: the memory of getting handled in its biggest tests, and the weirdness of a head coach with one foot already pointed elsewhere. Kalani Sitake has insisted his focus remains on the team in front of him.

“Those guys deserve everything I’ve got,” Sitake said. “That’s not negotiable.”

True freshman Bear Bachmeier will have to be better than he’s been against elite defenses, and that’s a brutal ask in Bloomington. “You don’t get comfort in the playoff,” Bachmeier said. “You get a chance.”

If BYU is going to scare Indiana, it needs to win early downs, avoid the back-breaking mistake, and keep Mendoza from turning this into a scoreboard sport.

Because once Indiana’s crowd believes, this game stops being an upset opportunity and starts feeling like an inevitability.






[Captain Canada]

That Miami/Oklahoma matchup

[Caesar]

I wonder if Tulane can do better against Oregon here than they did against Ole Miss in real life.

[redsox907]

boomer sooner leggo