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Football: New coaches, players to highlight Ohio State’s Spring Game Saturday MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR
The Ohio State football team enters the stadium before the Ohio State-Tulsa game Sept. 18, 2021. Ohio State won 41-20.
JACOB BENGE Assistant Sports Editor benge.30@osu.edu The Ohio State football team will hold its annual spring game Saturday, bookending its latest group of spring practices. The intrasquad competition will feature current Buckeyes split into two teams with bragging rights on the line as Team Brutus prevailed over Team Buckeye 28-13 last year. This season, new faces within both the coaching staff and roster will headline the biggest storylines surrounding Ohio State. After recording an 11-2 record following his third season as head coach, Ryan Day said he thinks the spring game will be a great day to display some of the early signs
of improvement since ending last season with a 48-45 Rose Bowl victory over thenNo. 11 Utah. “Guys will get out there and they’ll play and they’ll compete. That’ll be a lot of fun for a lot of people and certainly looking for a great crowd there,” Day said. “In terms of understanding where we’re at, we still have a bunch of practices in August and the preseason to figure out where we’re at. But we’re certainly off to a good start.” The Buckeyes hired four new coaches since the end of last season, three on the defensive staff and one on offense. Ohio State’s secondary coaching was completely revamped with the additions of safeties coach Perry Eliano and secondary and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, who joined new offensive line coach Justin Frye.
Plenty of attention has been drawn to Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who took over the position after filling the same role at Oklahoma State since 2018. He’ll also coach the linebackers in addition to bringing a new mind and scheme to the Buckeyes’ defense that ranked ninth in the Big Ten in total defense a season ago, and Day said he’s seen a good and unique approach from Knowles. “I think the thing that I’ve noticed so far with Jim is that it’s not a competition every day of who can win the drill; it’s about teaching, because he has his eyes on that first game in September,” Day said. “There’s going to be a time where we want to go against each other and move the ball and try to be competitive, but I think that’s
the veteran coach in him. He understands the big picture. There’s a method to the way he’s installing and the way he’s teaching.” Knowles helped lead the Cowboys’ defense to the fifth-best total defense a season ago, holding opposing defenses to just 297.9 yards per game. Day has labeled Knowles as an “intelligent” mind in the defensive meetings and several Buckeyes, including graduate safety Tanner McCalister who followed Knowles as a transfer from Oklahoma State, described him as a “mad scientist.” Ohio State trotted out almost a brand new cast of starters at linebacker a season ago, featuring graduate and captain Teradja Mitchell and junior Tommy Eichenberg. SPRING CONTINUES ON 3
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SPRING FROM 2
Knowles said he thinks it’s a good thing to have a “logjam” at linebacker, and he’s working to improve the unit. “In order to make an assessment, you got to get the guys repetitions, and there’s a lot of talent,” Knowles said. “But none of it is completely proven because you have guys all competing for positions, so that’s where you want to take guys and maybe move them to other positions just to get a chance to look at them.” In the secondary, the Buckeyes will see how Eliano, who joins the program from Cincinnati, and Walton, arriving after a season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, will improve a unit that allowed 246.2 passing yards last season — third-worst in the
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conference. Now working with Walton in the secondary, sophomore cornerback Denzel Burke said Walton has given more than just on-the-field advice to the Buckeyes. “It’s not always just about football. He’s just teaching life,” Burke said. “He’s teaching life into us, instilling good things into our brain. He wants the best for us. I feel like that’s what he did with Jalen (Ramsey), and that’s what he’s going to do for us.” Offensively, the Buckeyes will get a chance to mix in their youth at positions that lost key contributors, such as the offensive line and wide receivers. Now that Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson will depart for the NFL draft, junior wide
receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is expected to take on a larger role in the passing game as sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud’s primary target. Smith-Njigba said even with the loss of talent in the room, he expects the Buckeyes’ wide receivers are capable of stepping up. “It’s just a new wave now, a group of receivers of course, and I’m excited. I know they’re excited,” Smith-Njigba said. “It’s just next man up, honestly. I know my guys are up for the challenge and they’re great players. I know they’re ready.” Day also said the program will likely hold a tribute to former quarterback and the late Dwayne Haskins, who was hit by a truck and killed Saturday. A candlelight vigil was held at the rotunda of Ohio
Stadium Tuesday, as hundreds gathered to honor Haskins’ life. Day shared his memories of Haskins Monday and said he wants the program to do things the right way to honor the former Buckeye quarterback. “In today’s day and age, things happen so fast. We’re just trying to digest it all,” Day said. “I have a list of things that I’ve written down, some probably too big, some maybe not big enough. We’ll just keep talking about it this week.” The spring game will kick off at noon Saturday from Ohio Stadium. Current Buckeye students will receive free admission with their BuckID.
Football: Under-the-radar Buckeyes to watch out for in spring game JACK EMERSON Sports Editor emerson.131@osu.edu
The annual spring game provides the opportunity for Buckeyes who fly under the radar to make a name for themselves. Last year, sophomore defensive end Jack Sawyer burst onto the scene with a threesack performance April 17, 2021. This spring, there are several talented Buckeyes who could potentially follow in Sawyer’s footsteps and launch themselves into the allure of Ohio State fans. Caden Curry Similarly to Sawyer, Saturday’s scrimmage serves as freshman defensive end Caden Curry’s introduction to the Ohio State fan base. Curry entered Columbus ranked as a four-star recruit by multiple recruiting services and is known for his ability to move around on the defensive line, playing on both the outside and inside. Curry’s versatility has made him a prime candidate for the “Jack” position in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense. As Curry looks to carve a role for himself, he said he’s using the spring to learn from his veterans and improve as a player.
“Definitely just trying to outwork everybody,” Curry said. “Everybody is working as hard as they can, but just keeping your head down and working as hard as you can and being a sponge and soaking in all of the stuff that everybody is telling you.” Mitchell Melton
Sophomore linebacker Mitchell Melton is another candidate to fill the “Jack” position, returning to the field after missing last season with an injury. According to multiple Buckeyes, Melton has flashed this spring and worked at both linebacker and defensive end. Knowles said he’s been “impressed” with Melton’s ability to adjust to multiple positions. “Mitchell has done a great job for (defensive line) coach (Larry) Johnson, and then we put him in the ‘Jack’ position, and I thought he showed up very well,” Knowles said. “He’s kind of been a guy that’s jumped out at me.” Jordan Hancock Sticking with the defensive side of the football, sophomore cornerback Jordan Hancock has been largely touted by his Buckeye teammates and coaches this spring.
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MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR
Ohio State sophomore cornerback Jordan Hancock (13) covers freshman cornerback Ryan Turner (24) during Ohio State spring practice March 29.
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RADAR FROM 3
Hancock appeared in just four games for the Buckeyes last season, collecting his lone pass defended against Maryland Oct. 9, 2021. But head coach Ryan Day said Hancock has worked in with the No. 1 defense this spring. Hancock spent much of his freshman season defending the likes of potential NFL draft first-round picks Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, alongside junior wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in practice. With experience against that top-tier trio, Hancock said his focus has fallen on the fundamentals this spring. “I really took a big jump with my technique, just not playing with all athleticism, just focusing on my technique and winning at the line of scrimmage,”
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Hancock said. Donovan Jackson Flipping to the Buckeyes’ offense, sophomore guard Donovan Jackson has made the jump to the starting ranks. Jackson saw the field in limited action a season ago, filling in as an extra blocker in certain jumbo sets for the Buckeyes. Donning the No. 41 jersey, Jackson largely operated off of the Ohio State offensive line while pulling and trapping on most of his plays. Now, Jackson has been pegged as the starting left guard for the Buckeyes during spring practices while also working at tackle. Jackson entered Columbus
primarily playing on the right side of the offensive line and said he had to “knock the rust off” on his move to the left side of the line, but adding his cross-training last season helped prepare him for the change. “It’s not too big of a transition. Here at Ohio State, they try to make us learn all positions so we’re all versatile,” Jackson said. “When they said I had to go in at left guard, probably the first day of spring, I was like, ‘OK, let’s go.’ ” Cade Stover Junior Cade Stover has flipped between both sides of the ball in his four seasons at Ohio State, and this spring has been no exception.
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Stover spent much of last season at tight end, hauling in five receptions of 76 yards before moving back to his natural position of linebacker. Stover started the spring at linebacker, following a six-tackle performance against then-No. 11 Utah in the Rose Bowl Jan. 1, before moving back to tight end midway through the spring practice session. As Stover has bounced back and forth between offense and defense, he said he’s willing to fill whichever role helps the Buckeyes the most. “I had a good time on defense; I love playing defense. I’m just trying to bring what I did on defense over here to the offense,” Stover said. “So far, I’ve done it and I’m a lot happier.”
MACKENZIE SHANKLIN | PHOTO EDITOR
Ohio State sophomore tight end Cade Stover (8) moves the ball down the field during the Ohio State-Indiana game Oct. 23, 2021. Ohio State won 54-7.
Football: ‘Here to enhance’: Run game looks to take steps forward under new offensive line coach Frye JACOB BENGE Assistant Sports Editor benge.30@osu.edu During the 2013 and 2014 college football seasons, Ryan Day and Justin Frye coached together at Boston College and helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back bowl appearances. Fast forward to today, and Day and Frye have reunited at Ohio State in roles similar to their positions at Boston College. Frye
joined the Buckeyes’ program in January from UCLA as the Bruins’ offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, remaining in the latter position at Ohio State. Frye, who played at Indiana from 200206, will also serve as the associate head coach of the offense. While Frye said there’s a “learning curve” to changing programs, his past history with Day has allowed his transition from UCLA to Ohio State go more smoothly.
“Having history with him, kind of growing up in the business a little bit and knowing his vision and things that he has, is going to make it a lot easier that way,” Frye said. “I’m just excited, honestly, to get back closer to home for me and my family and then him running the programs. It was very enticing.” Frye coached under Chip Kelly during his time with the Bruins. Like Frye, Day also has history with Kelly as he played quarterback under him for three seasons
at New Hampshire before joining the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 as quarterbacks coach. While at UCLA, the Bruins ranked within the top-14 rushing offenses each of the last two seasons, averaging over 215 rushing yards per game. Frye said Kelly’s openness to try new things helped him achieve the success he hopes to bring to the Buckeyes. “The word ‘no’ doesn’t exist,” Frye said. FRYE CONTINUES ON 5
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FRYE FROM 4
“There was never an ironclad of like, ‘No, we don’t do that.’ Let’s see, let’s look at it, let’s talk through it. Let’s twist it a little more so it becomes more like what we do, but there’s still a wrinkle.” More so, Frye will add another experienced offensive mind to Ohio State that finished with the top-scoring offense in the Big Ten Conference a season ago. UCLA recorded the best scoring offense in the Pac-12 behind an average of 35.6 points per game under Frye as offensive coordinator. Day said it was a “great fit” for Frye to join the Buckeyes’ program, as he’ll return to familiar territory having played in the Big Ten, and he said he knows what to expect from him. “He’s very, very talented,” Day said. “He really connects well with players. Very good technically and fundamentally.” Ohio State’s rushing offense ranked fifth in the conference last season, averaging 180.6 yards per game but eclipsing more than 110 yards just twice in its final five games. The Buckeyes will return three starters along an offensive line they’d like to see provide more consistency up front to open holes for the run game. Sophomore offensive lineman Luke Wypler said he’s enjoyed Frye’s addition as offensive line coach, noting that his perspective on coaching his players has been effective early. “He’s done an excellent job kind of connecting with our unit,” Wypler said. “I think he really takes a great approach to coaching, kind of coaching everyone individually and trying to get us better every day.” Senior offensive lineman Dawand Jones said he sees similar success working with Frye, particularly when it comes to finetuning the smallest aspects of playing along the offensive line. “You can definitely see the differences in my pass sets and just my run game,” Jones said. “The way he teaches stuff is a little
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bit better. Film and then it’s kind of a little more hands-on with coach Frye.” Frye said he doesn’t expect to overhaul the approach the Buckeyes will have along the offensive line: he aims to “enhance” it. With running backs sophomore TreVeyon Henderson and junior Miyan Williams set to return as regular ball carriers, Frye said he hopes to find the best starting five offensive linemen along with depth at each position to build on Ohio State’s style of offense. “I don’t need to come in and revamp or change a bunch of things. I’m here to enhance and make those things better and along the way,” Frye said. “If you want it to be a challenge, it could be, but with these guys here it’s not going to be, because at the end of the day, we’re all the offensive coaches in that unit. We’re just trying to get our guys better.” Ohio State often found success when it balanced its passing attack with its rushing offense. When the passing yardage outweighed the Buckeyes’ rushing offense, they often found themselves knotted in close games last season, such as their 2617 win at Nebraska when they ran for 90 yards and 110 yards in their narrow Rose Bowl victory over the Utes. The Buckeyes totaled 128 and 64 rushing yards in its two losses to thenNo. 12 Oregon and then-No. 5 Michigan, respectively. The defeat to the Wolverines notably sticks out to Wypler, who said he hopes what Frye brings to the offensive line room will help elevate the Buckeyes to where they want to be. “It’s a sickening feeling in our stomach. Just the thought of not being able to make it to the goals and everything we have set for ourselves,” Wypler said. “Even though we might have worked hard last season, this year it’s just a different feeling, a different mentality. Even though you went hard, you can go harder. There’s always another thing to accomplish.”
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JACOB BENGE | ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye speaks to the media Jan. 31.
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Thursday, April 14, 2022
CAMPUS
Food delivery robots will soon return to campus
COURTESY OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
Food robots are returning to campus with a new company, Cartken, after Grubhub ended its partnership with Yandex in March.
HOSNA SADAQAT Lantern reporter sadaqat.3@osu.edu Food delivery robots will soon return to Ohio State after over a monthlong hiatus. The university announced March 3 that Grubhub would retire its food rovers produced by Yandex, a Russian-owned technology company, as other U.S. companies began to impose sanctions on Russian leaders and oligarchs following the invasion of Ukraine. The new robots will be from a company called Cartken — an Oakland-based technology startup — Jenna DeMarco, senior corporate
communications associate for Grubhub, said in an email. University spokesperson Dave Isaacs said Ohio State has worked with Grubhub to find an alternative to the Yandex rovers by experimenting with robots from multiple other companies. He said they ultimately chose Cartken because of the company’s positive reputation. “Their popularity really validated our prediction that students were going to appreciate this kind of delivery,” Isaacs said. “So when we had the opportunity to bring back the program in a different form, we thought this would be an excellent opportunity.”
Isaacs said the new food robots arrived on campus Tuesday and will begin operations next week in a limited capacity until further testing is completed. He said these robots will only be used from Mirror Lake Eatery to Lincoln and Morrill towers for now, but expects them to be in full use throughout campus by the fall. DeMarco said the university and Grubhub have worked together to provide students multiple ways to transport food on campus. “Now we’re building on our efforts to enhance the dining experience with this technology to make for quicker and easier deliveries,” DeMarco said.
Cartken, founded in 2019, uses artificial intelligence, sensors and cameras to deliver food in many different environments, according to its website. The company’s food delivery robots currently deliver meals to customers through Grubhub, DoorDash and other food delivery applications in Miami. Isaacs said the university is looking forward to the new partnership and anticipates a positive effect on students. “We’re excited about the return of rovers to campus,” Isaacs said. “We are able to do this with our same vision of reducing cost of delivery, reducing the time it takes to deliver food and to enhance sustainability.”
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The Rainbow Clinic to offer free services geared toward the LGBTQ+ community AUSTIN MUCCHETTI | LANTERN REPORTER
The Rainbow Clinic, a new LGBTQ+ clinic at the Columbus Free Clinic, will open its doors to patients for the first time Thursday.
AUSTIN MUCCHETTI Lantern reporter mucchetti.1@osu.edu The Rainbow Clinic, a student-run LGBTQ+ clinic within the Columbus Free Clinic, will open its doors to patients for the first time Thursday. The Rainbow Clinic’s services are free of charge and will include primary care, checkups, gynecological services, urology services, STI and STD testing and assistance with obtaining insurance coverage, according to the Columbus Free Clinic’s Instagram. Gabe Lee, a third-year in biomedical engineering and founder of the Rainbow Clinic, said it was important to him to ensure that safe, comfortable services are available to the LGBTQ+ community. “There isn’t really a good protocol in general on things such as collecting pronouns, taking a sexual history. Like, people have training in the medical fields, but it’s not often implemented,” Lee said. “Unless the patient says they’re queer, they will not be doing that process, and I think that’s kind of a problem because it doesn’t normalize that practice.” Lee, who has been volunteering at the Columbus Free Clinic for the last three
years during his time at Ohio State, said the clinic’s mission is to provide free care, specifically to the LGBTQ+ community, to fill a gap in existing health care. “When we have conversations about people who require free clinic care, we often look to the uninsured,” Lee said. “But that’s not always the case, as people who have difficult financial situations and not the best insurance might be able to gain some coverage on certain procedures, but perhaps that insurance doesn’t cover more elective procedures, or what they consider cosmetic.” According to The World Professional Association for Transgender Health, gender-affirming care is not elective. “These reconstructive procedures are not optional in any meaningful sense, but are understood to be medically necessary for the treatment of the diagnosed condition,” according to its Medical Necessity statement. “In some cases, such surgery is the only effective treatment for the condition, and for some people genital surgery is essential and life-saving.” Lee said the barriers that exist in health care for the LGBTQ+ community motivated him to start the Rainbow Clinic. “Those types of barriers, I think, made it even more important for this project to start
and for me to kind of push for it because if I didn’t, then these patients would continue just, like, either not going to get health care, or they’d be going to a place that might make them feel a little more uncomfortable,” Lee said. Brianna VanNoy, a first-year in medicine, said she is a specialty clinic coordinator at the Columbus Free Clinic, where she is responsible for recruiting patients, providers and volunteers as well as making sure the clinic has all the necessary materials. VanNoy said although the services provided — such as general services, STI testing and cervical cancer screenings — are similar to the ones provided by the larger clinic, the Rainbow Clinic aims to ensure accommodations for the queer community. “I think that the Rainbow Clinic is really a place where folks from the queer community can come and know that they are getting sort of nonjudgmental, inclusive care by experienced providers,” VanNoy said. The Rainbow Clinic offers both lab and pharmacy services, such as rapid HIV tests, that are not commonly offered at other free clinics in the area because the Columbus Free Clinic has an on-site pharmacy and
lab, she said. Kat Rogers, a second-year graduate student in social work, is a social worker at the Columbus Free Clinic. She and Lee noticed a fair amount of LGBTQ+ individuals coming into the clinic who lack access to consistent, supportive care. “We’re just hoping to get LGBTQ patients in the clinic and really comfortable,” Rogers said. Rogers said she hopes to work with queer patients as a psychologist and a therapist in the future. “It’s really important for me to create an environment in which people feel comfortable being themselves and getting the proper care,” Rogers said. “So, like, personally, in general, especially with everything going on in the world right now, in America and with legislation, it’s really pertinent that queer people are seen and valued and heard right now and taken care of.” The Columbus Free Clinic is located in the Ohio State Primary Care Thomas Rardin building at 2231 N. High St. Inperson or telehealth visits can both be scheduled by appointment online, with appointments available from 5:45-9 p.m. on Thursdays.
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ARTS&LIFE
Student-run LGBTQ+ clinic to open Thursday ON PAGE 7
Columbus’ first sober bar set to open at end of the month TYRIK HUTCHINSON-JUNIOR Lantern Reporter hutchinson-junior.1@osu.edu The highly anticipated opening of The Dry Mill, Columbus’ first sober bar, is officially set for 11 a.m. April 30 after a two-month delay. Co-owners David Payne and Colin Thomas said The Dry Mill, located at 79 S. 4th St., was originally set to open in February but was delayed due to a lack of necessary permits, such as health and occupancy permits, and overall inexperience on their part. However, Payne said he felt as though the delay was a blessing in disguise. “The day that we had set originally to open, we got a blizzard, so nobody would have been here, and I would have been heartbroken,” he said. “Everything happens for a reason, and we’re glad that that happened.” Payne and Thomas said the support they have received has been humbling, especially after they were featured in The Lantern in January. Payne said people from out of state were contacting him in excitement about coming to The Dry Mill. “The following that we had already, which had blown us away, and then that article came out and it went way crazier than before,” he said. “I had people reaching out to me on my own personal Facebook from all over the country.” The childhood friends said they are both sober after struggling with alcoholism, and Thomas said he wanted the bar to serve as a resource for those in similar circumstances. However, The Dry Mill is meant to be a welcoming space for all, and the duo said demographics ranging from college students to pregnant women have voiced excitement about the bar. Payne and Thomas said the process of
TYRIK HUTCHINSON-JUNIOR | LANTERN REPORTER
Colin Thomas (left) and David Payne (right) are the owners of The Dry Mill, Columbus’ first sober bar, which is officially opening April 30.
opening the bar has been a challenge due to the number of tasks that had to be completed in order to officially open. However, Payne said he and Thomas have done a great job of keeping each other stable during the process. “If we try to force it, it’s not going to work,” Payne said. “We’ve known each other since we were 12. When one of us is stressed, the other one is calm.” Payne and Thomas said they both work full-time jobs outside of The Dry Mill, with Payne at Westerman Inc. and Thomas at Jegs High Performance. The two do not plan to take any revenue from the bar for themselves but will instead put it toward their employees, Thomas said. “We’re just taking the paychecks that we get from our jobs,” he said. “Hopefully when the business starts going and sustains itself, we can take care of the business and our people, then see what it looks like down the line.”
Balancing all of the tasks that go into opening a business can be overwhelming, but Thomas said opening the bar has afforded them many life lessons in a short period of time. “It’s hard just opening a company of any sort because there is just so much that you don’t know,” he said. “There’s only stuff that you learn from falling down. You fall down, you get back up, then you learn and don’t do it again.” Despite the delays, Payne said all of the employees they hired initially are still with the business because they trust in the idea behind The Dry Mill. “We have the best employees in the world,” Payne said. “We had to tell them that we were pushing the opening day back, and all of them stayed on board. I believe it’s because of our concept, and they believe in it.” Payne said the next step for The Dry Mill is to train bartenders and the rest
of the crew. There will be soft openings throughout opening week for those who have donated to the business and others who have supported them along the way, he said. A few of the nonalcoholic drinks on the menu will include mocktail versions of a mimosa, Bloody Mary, daiquiri and margarita, which Payne said can be enjoyed with bar food. Payne and Thomas said The Dry Mill will also feature food and drink specials for customers, which will be announced on its Instagram and Facebook pages. The duo said they don’t expect any more delays before opening day, and Thomas said he’s expecting a great turnout and environment. “If it is anything like the reception we have received, with all these people who are excited about it, we expect it to be crazy,” he said.