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Year in and year out the Ohio State Buckeyes have had mostly high-level quarterback play. At least that has been the case under Ryan Day and back to Urban Meyer.
After Kyle McCord moved onto Syracuse after the 2023 season, the Buckeyes went out and added Will Howard from Kansas State in the transfer portal. It was the exact move that the Buckeyes needed to go on and win a National Championship.
Howard improved immensely while in Columbus and raised his NFL draft stock. One of the reasons that Howard was able to improve was his work with Billy Fessler, who is now the full-time quarterbacks coach at Ohio State. In 2024, Fessler was an analyst by title but still worked with the quarterbacks. Fessler’s promotion was one that Howard wanted to see.
“I’m so happy for him,” Howard said at the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. “If coach Day didn’t hire him to be the quarterback coach, I would have had a problem with it. He taught me so much this year [and] he was integral to my development. He is absolutely 100% the best man for the job. He’s going to be great for that room. He brings a human element to where he’s not that much older than us so he’s able to relate to us on a guy-to-guy level, but he’s also able to lock in.
“He taught me more than a lot of guys in that role could have. He was really the mouthpiece from coach Day and coach Kelly to me a lot of times if they were doing anything else. He was really my personal one-on-one QB coach at times. I’ve got all the praise in the world for that dude, he’s helped me so much.”
Fessler was someone that Howard preached about all season while he was in Columbus. Fessler is in his second stint with the Buckeyes after being a graduate assistant in 2020 and 2021. After that, Fessler moved on to be the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator with the Akron Zips.
In terms of his playing career, Fessler was at Penn State from 2014 through 2017. Fessler was born in Erie, Pa., and is just 29 years old.
Next up for Fessler is molding Ohio State’s next starting quarterback and all signs point to that being sophomore Julian Sayin. Sayin is a former five-star recruit and Elite 11 winner, who has a high ceiling as a quarterback. Fessler will be working with offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and the offense as a whole.
Fessler’s rise as a coach is something to watch and he is highly regarded in Columbus. Don’t be surprised if he is plucked for a big promotion somewhere as soon as 2026.
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Five potential landing spots for Christian Wilkins after stunning Raiders release
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Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan leaves behind a complicated legacy
On Thursday, wrestling icon Terry "Hulk Hogan" Bollea died at the age of 71. "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away," the company said in a statement. "One of pop culture’s most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s... WWE extends its condolences to Hogan’s family, friends, and fans." Hogan was the first true superstar to emerge in the wrestling industry, capturing a casual audience worldwide and bringing new eyes to the sport. He was an unbelievable draw, both as a baby face and as a heel. From his time as an All-American hero to leading the New World Order and teaming with Randy Savage as part of the "Mega Powers," he has been a staple of the scene for decades. Who can forget his WrestleMania III moment, where he defied the laws of physics to body-slam a 520-pound Andre the Giant? Or, more recently, his match with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at WrestleMania 18? His last appearance on WWE RAW on Jan. 6 saw him booed throughout, highlighting the rocky legacy Hogan leaves behind. Hogan's universal popularity has plummeted in recent years, primarily due to a racism scandal that led to his removal from the Wrestling Hall of Fame, only to be reinstated in 2018. Nevertheless, the damage had been done. Hogan's outdated and unwelcome outlook on specific aspects of life derailed the final stanza of a legendary career. Still, there's no denying that without Hogan, the wrestling we know and love today wouldn't exist. There wouldn't be WWE on the world's largest streaming platform, or All Elite Wrestling, which is developing into one of the most successful challenger brands. Instead, there would be smaller, more localized promotions, all competing for a sliver of television time. Hogan popularized the sport by bridging the gap between the wrestling ring and Hollywood. During his time in the spotlight, Hogan appeared in movies such as "Rocky III," "No Holds Barred" and "Suburban Commando," all of which helped bring his larger-than-life persona to a new audience. It's no surprise, then, that The Rock, John Cena and Dave Bautista have all made similar jumps in recent years. Hogan leaves behind an everlasting imprint on the wrestling world. Unfortunately, it comes with multiple asterisks; however, that doesn't change what he achieved as the first global wrestling star.
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The time Gabriel Bourque had to change equipment for Cole Caufield
The American Hockey League isn’t for everyone. Cole Caufield learned this well when he was sent to Laval at the start of the 2021-2022 season. That’s what Les Sport’ischhh podcast photographer Bernard Olivier Loyer told us during the recording of the latest episode Bernard Olivier Loyer was an equipment manager for the Rocket when Caufield joined the team to get his bearings. He recounted how, when he first joined the team, Caufield was told he’d have to wear CCM instead of his usual Bauer gear – all because the AHL has a partnership with CCM that means only three players per team can wear anything other than CCM. According to Bernard Olivier Loyer, Caufield really didn’t like the announcement and even called Marc Bergevin directly to ask for his Bauer gear back. The problem is that the three players who use different equipment are often team leaders or veterans with many years of professional experience. Caufield, on the other hand, was arriving there in his first full professional season. He finally got what he wanted and was able to play with his Bauer equipment thanks to Gabriel Bourque, who agreed to wear CCM until Caufield’s recall. [content-ads] Bourque has long played with CCM equipment. His only visible piece of equipment that wasn’t CCM was his Warrior stick, and you’d have to be a real badass to change sticks like that, considering it’s perhaps the most important piece of equipment in hockey. Still, Caufield proved that playing with his equipment was worth it, as he finally established himself with the Canadiens as a first line player.You can listen to the full episode of the Sport’ischhh podcast, here. [spacer title=’Overtime’] – The Alouettes will miss Davis Alexander: – Byram would still be at risk of changing addresses. – MLB deal. – A sad story.
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