Buckeye Offense Chats with Media After Practice on Wednesday
8/12/2026 2:38:00 PM | Football
Improvements from Julian in the off season:
“He doesn’t feel like a young player to me because he sees the game so well. Ge understands football. He’s so smart sometimes I have to pull him back and be like ‘hey you’re gonna have to let everybody else catch up to you.’ I’m super impressed by him. He understands how to play quarterback and understands the game.”
Impression of the running backs this season:
“That’s another position that has a lot of depth and I think competition brings out the best in everybody you know, Bo and Isaiah really went all out in the spring and I think those guys did a good job. I really think competition brings out the best in it even if you are a returning starter it gives you that edge and that’s what we want to see across the board.”
What he anticipated about this new season and new job:
“I think there is always unknown with any new job and even if you are returning every season you know things are going to come up that’s life. But these guys have been awesome the progress we have made since spring how we started camp we just have to keep sacking these days. These guys are competing and we got a lot of depth and we have a lot of competition which is an awesome thing to have.”
On returning veterans in our starting five configuration:
"It's a luxury. In this day and age, we have so many kids that just hop in the portal - especially if they don't have the opportunities that we have. To be an offensive lineman at Ohio State is a highly talented thing. You can pretty much go anywhere, so for those guys to stay here and stick it out and provide that depth, not only for the team, but to learn more about the position themselves, it's huge. I think it speaks volumes to our brotherhood and what we keep here at Ohio State."
Do you see yourself evolving into a leader of this team?
"I didn't really expect to be in the position I am now in terms of being here for as long. I'm blessed to be in this position right now. For me to and step up for the team is important to me. Everything I can do for this team is 100% my priority."
On communication between the quarterback and the offensive line:
"Cohesion works especially from the offensive line to the backfield, it's the next iteration of it. For us to understand how we're communicating... it's huge. Coach Smith asks a lot from us and he is coming from an NFL perspective, so we're going to run a lot of stuff that he thinks we can handle. For me, that's taking a lot of responsibility because a lot of centers in the NFL can do that and that is exactly where I want to be."
On what excites him most entering the season with this team and this offense:
“Winning. That’s the biggest thing. Winning in the 4th quarter is what excites me the most. We’re motivated to win another championship, beat TTUN, and win another Big 10 Championship.”
On where he’s improved the most this offseason:
“I think I’m better all-around in every facet of my game honestly. I feel like I got way faster this offseason, twitchier, and more explosive. I can run every type of route, we’re learning outside now so I can play outside or inside - doing whatever the team needs me to do.”
On what specifically people will see out of him this year that they haven’t seen in years past:
“Explosion. A lot of big plays, a lot of explosiveness. Great leadership and everything that you want in a receiver.”
