Buckeyes Speak To The Media Before Their Matchup Against The Bobcats
9/10/2025 10:42:00 AM | Football
On how he has gotten the team ready for playing Ohio University this Saturday:
“They’re going to take it one play at a time, try to get the game in the fourth quarter and then go from there. They are well coached and have a good team so we know these guys are going to come in and play really hard.”
Caleb's defensive IQs:
“He verbalized everything that went on in that play, he was anticipating everything about it, that’s who he is. His approach rubs off on others."
Skill set of Julian Sayin:
“You find what fits his skill set, take all the pieces and put them all together. He gets the ball out fast, I think we are getting a good feel for that as he’s getting on the field and playing more.”
On how his relationships with the receivers continue to grow:
“It’s awesome because the receivers, they’re all very selfless. They are not someone who’s going to come off yelling at you if you don’t see them or if you miss them, so it is good. We have conversations on the sidelines like ‘hey, this is what I saw’ and then they tell me what they saw and we are able to move on, work from there and find a way to get them the ball in the next drive.”
On Ohio University’s defense:
"They are a really good defense. They play really hard. The past two weeks they played good football, and they are going to be a good challenge for us."
On if any of the two defenses have surprised you over the last two weeks:
“Yeah, there have definitely been wrinkles in coverages, but we prepare for that. We go into our Thursday and Friday and we talk about ‘hey, what if we don’t get the look we’re looking for? What are we going to do then?’ It is kind of the what’s next scenario."
On goals for this week in preparation for Ohio:
“It's to get the ball in our playmaker's hands all around, like we've been doing this entire time. Everyone's out there and more comfortable. We have guys who have embraced their roles and showing us what they can do.”
On Emeka Egbuka's NFL Debut:
“I’m excited for Emeka. I told him congrats. I told him I liked his celebration and stuff like that. I'm happy for him. Hopefully on one of our bye weeks I can go out there and check out a game. I'm not surprised. Emeka called and said that he knew what he's doing. It's Emeka, nothing surprises me about what he does.”
On Being a Captain and showing all sides of himself:
“When you're a man of faith and you're a man of God, you're trying to embed yourself as a man in that way. It's going to improve your character, you're going to treat people the right way, and the Bible teaches you how to lead and what that looks like. I think it's going to help me be a better man and hopefully I'm setting the right example for guys on the team.”
On going against a running quarterback:
“You have to be aware of him at all times. Whether it's plus one runs, whether it's he drops back his first reach out there and he's scrambling. You have to have your eyes on him and we have to do a really good job in our pass rush plays. We can’t let them get outside of the pocket extend plays. They may play down a few or scramble for the first round and so we have to be super intentional with that this week.”
On playing at Ohio University and how it helped him get to where he is today:
"I was surrounded by a lot of good coaches, my former coach, Coach Mets. I feel like he's a really the coach that got me up to speed in college ball and just that unit in general. I think getting the speed of college football and overall technique because coming out of high school, no one's polished, so he was definitely the first person that really got me into that position and actually doing what you're supposed to do.
On the transfer portal for those who have potential but need more development:
“I think it's really important because out of high school, I really didn't have too many opportunities. I was blessed to get one from Ohio. Going through there, taking my time there with Coach Mets and the staff there, it elevated my game then down the road it opened up this opportunity.”
On appreciation to Ohio University:
“I still talk to the coaches to this day. Some of my best friends are still on that team. I talk to them. The opportunity opened up the whole world for me in the football sense, so I am forever grateful.”
On what he thinks is working for them and where they have room to grow:
“I think there is a lot left to grow on. We are only two games into the season, and we have a lot of game reps that we need. I think we have done a real good job of playing a bunch of guys. I think guys are starting to fill in different roles and we are starting to see what guys are good at and stuff. Coach Patricia has done a good job of putting us in advantageous situations based on our skill set, so I think it has been good and we’re just trying to get better every week, taking it one practice at a time.”
On what he has learned from getting more game reps:
“You have to be loud out on the field. That’s definitely one thing that I learned being in the Shoe. Against Texas, it was real loud. I think Coach Laurinaits has done a great job of getting us prepared for the game. I feel really prepared when I’m out there and it wasn’t a big shock or jump for me. We practice against the best guys every single day, so being out there is almost like a reward.”
On his opportunity to play Saturday:
“Honestly, I made the most out of it. I went out there and did the best I could, putting the team in the best spot to go out and score. I think, overall, I did well."
On his role now and how he's going to help the team:
"I am going to keep pushing Julian, keep making sure he's on his stuff. He is the lead to go out there and be our guy, be our starter and I am going to help him if he needs anything.”
On what he has seen from Julian so far that has impressed him:
“He is showing great poise, he is going out there with a lot of confidence, slinging the rock, and has been doing really well."
On the balance between looking too much at the negative plays and trusting yourself:
“During the game, you have to have short term memory, but after the game is when you really feel it. You could have a couple more touchdowns and a couple more catches, but you still think about that one play."
On the difference between playing now than when you were younger:
“We always say, you want to put great things on film. Every chance you get you want to put great things on film, especially when you’re young because you want to play. You want to do everything you can to play more.”
On what it was like getting out there and having the chance to be the starting left tackle:
“It felt surreal, I mean, it was my dream to play here, but definitely not starting at left tackle. I really stopped and just looked around to embrace the opportunity that I have here at Ohio State.”
On why he enjoyed getting an opportunity to play against Texas week one:
“Yeah, with Texas week one, we really had to be on our stuff, in the film room and during practice, we really had to be on our A game. Then to go out, execute and be confident in everything we do. With all the training we do, we just have to be confident and that first drive really showed us we have something going on.”
