This newsletter would have been sent much earlier today if not for this breaking news.

(On the bright side, it gave me a potentially trending story to whip up for MensJournal.com: Find that here.)

The way these coaches and administrators jump jobs is pretty icky to me, but I guess that’s just the way of the world now.

I covered Ohio State’s blowout loss to Michigan in Columbus in February, and it was an interesting experience.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but the vibe was just sort of… off. Like he was already sort of the conquering hero because they were dominating just about everyone they saw, but there was sort of a feeling he wanted to make sure he got credit for his coaching prowess rather than anyone focusing on the fact the way the team was assembled (via the portal).

Prior to the national title game, he also had a quote about the world of recruiting now that I found off-putting.

The upshot here is basically, “Now that we can pay the players, we don’t have to spend as much time developing relationships with them.”

Is that what anyone really wants?

What’s next for Michigan?

ESPN has a good breakdown of the Wolverines roster: In short, they return starting point guard Elliott Cadeau and sixth man Trey McKenney, who looked like a future star as a freshman playing behind a bunch of veterans last year.

May had reloaded through the portal, of course, with three more big college big guys, but he also had a top five recruiting class coming in.

Now the new coach will have five days to work to keep the roster together, but everyone will have a chance to enter the transfer portal at a time when not many other payers are still out there to add.

Will be fascinating to see how this plays out.

Hair dye works. That's not the debate. The debate is what it costs you: the box every few weeks, the smell, the roots that give it away, the hairline that starts looking painted instead of real. You fixed the gray and created new problems.

Particle Anti-Gray Serum works differently. It targets the root cause of graying — restoring pigment gradually, naturally, without dye. Hair and beard. Results that look like yours, not like a product. Five seconds a day. Thirty-day money-back guarantee if you don't see a difference.

Over a million men trust Particle. This is the product that earns that number. Get 20% off and free shipping now with the exclusive promo code BH20.

Start Reversing Gray Risk-Free

Ohio State had a media availability late last week.

That gave reporters a chance to talk to coach Jake Diebler and some members of the team about their preparation for the 2026-27 season.

They also got to see everyone in action on the court, including transfers such as Justin Pippen, Curtis Givens III and Andrija Jelavic.

Of even more interest was five-star freshmen Anthony Thompson and LJ Smith.

Potential negative: Center Josh Ojianwuna was only a partial participant as he continues to recover from a knee injury that occurred more than a year ago when he was still at Baylor.

Almost nine months out from the grossly expanded NCAA Tournament, the main focus is developing team chemistry and individuals skills, but those who attended practice said it was physical.

(I had a conflict so I wasn’t able to make it, but I expect to be doing more on both the men’s and women’s basketball teams in the coming year.)

They were also impressed by the general athleticism on display, which is no small thing because being bigger, faster and stronger would have benefited a lot of Ohio State basketball teams over the last decade or so.

Of note, Diebler said he expects Smith to be able to give them more size in their three-guard lineups, and he is looking for Pippen to provide a lot of leadership as a veteran whose dad happens to be an NBA Hall of Fame player who was the ultimate glue guy.

Every Wednesday at 5 PM CT, Gauntlet AI professors teach a live, hands-on AI engineering session — completely free. If you're nontechnical, this isn't for you. New topic every week, built for engineers who want to build, not just watch. See upcoming sessions.

Browse Free Sessions

As mentioned on This Week in Ohio State Football on Friday, the Buckeyes had a big weekend for recruiting.

Among the official visitors was Brady Edmunds, a 2027 quarterback from California who has been verbally committed to OSU for more than a year but is still going through the recruiting process.

(Yes, that seems contradictory, but it is the way of the world in recruiting these days. Read more here.)

Trying to interpret terms from a teenager is often a fool’s errand, but Edmunds sounded fairly satisfied with what he learned in Columbus.

Per 247Sports.com ($$ link):

Perhaps most importantly, Edmunds said Ohio State made it clear they want him to be part of the class, though he isn’t ready to completely shut down his recruitment.

Edmunds told Bucknuts a final decision likely will come in within the next few weeks.

What will it come down to?

Apparently the prestige of Ohio State and Ryan Day’s reputation as a developer of QBs vs. the potential to help new coach Bob Chesney turn UCLA into a power program to be reckoned with.

One way or another, it’s safe to assume the Buckeyes end up with a quarterback to build around in this class, and the more immediate future is under control with Julian Sayin and Tavien St. Clair.

Flashback: Ohio State hires Jim Tressel