Staying local this spring break? The Lantern has some recommendations for the best staycation.
Ohio State’s football team is experiencing a quarterback competition.
Read more about the top-two athletes.
Ohio State law students look to save Bier Stube. Read about their concerns with tearing down the longtime bar.
WHERE IS IT?
CAMPUS 2
ARTS&LIFE 3
SPORTS 6
SYDNEY JONES
Lantern reporter jones.7456@osu.edu
The Undergraduate Student Government is bringing back the campus-to-airport shuttle for spring break to provide students with a free and accessible way to get to their destinations.
The shuttles will take students to John Glenn International Airport and will run every hour March 10 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and March 11 from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the registration website.
According to the website, the shuttles will also be available to take students back to campus when returning from spring break. The airport-to-campus shuttles will run March 18 from noon to midnight and March 19 from 9 a.m. to midnight. Both pickup and drop off will be at the south loop by the Ohio Union.
Rut Bansal, deputy director in student affairs for USG and a second-year in city and regional planning, said this semester USG sent out surveys via social media to get student feedback on what time they were leaving, and when they would need the shuttle to be available for spring break departure.
“For a lot of students, especially outof-state students, we don’t have a lot of resources on campus that are catered to making sure that we are able to get home safely and easily,” Bansal said.
Bansal, along with Julia Meyer, deputy director, and Jack Tumulty, director of student affairs, are in charge of putting the service together this semester.
There are no limitations as to how many students can ride, however, there are 33 seats on each hourly shuttle, according to the website. While it is not required to register for a ride, doing so will help USG make sure it is providing enough transportation.
Andrew Pierce, USG president and a fourth-year in public policy, said the idea for a tangible transportation system for students came from his presidential campaign.
“[Former USG Vice Presidential Candidate] Shayanna [Hinkle-Moore] and I, as Columbus residents and since coming to Ohio State, always wanted to find a way to have tangible impacts on campus that not only impact the Columbus community but more specifically the student community that may be traveling from international areas, off-campus areas, out-of-state areas,” Pierce said.
When current USG Vice President Derek Moore, a fourth-year in information
systems, joined the office, he said he got involved with the project after hearing students’ concerns with the availability of transportation on campus.
“Students who attended had said that transportation costs, especially for commuters, were very expensive,” Moore said.
Pierce said the campus-to-airport shuttle was created for the first time during winter break last semester to reflect a similar service, Connect Air, the COTA bus system provided until 2017.
Bansal said the shuttle is meant to lessen the financial burden for students traveling over spring break.
“We wanted to do the campus-to-airport shuttle to make sure that people don’t have the financial responsibility of getting to and from the airport, and USG can help provide that comfort and that safety of a school-sanctioned bus,” Bansal said.
Wednesdays have one thing in common for a group of law students at Ohio State: cheap beer and “Jeopardy” at longtime campus bar Bier Stube.
On one of the first warm Wednesdays of the year, Ty Kiatathikom, Em Lowes and a few of their fellow first-years at Moritz College of Law celebrated the weather on the bar’s patio, laptops in one hand and $1 beers in the other.
Lowes said despite many of them just moving to Columbus, the bar is full of fond memories of meeting one another there and studying for exams together. Now, the group is attending zoning meetings around the city to oppose a current plan by developer Buckeye Real Estate to replace Bier Stube on the corner of Ninth Avenue and North High Street with a six-story apartment building.
“We like having a place, once a week, that’s an escape from everything that’s stressful,” Lowes said. “It’s just pleasant and cheap. It seems like a lot of the recreation available to students and a lot of things you can use to balance your crazy are so expensive.”
Lowes, Amanda Wallin and several other Moritz friends heard about the plan through Kiatathikom, who sent an article about the proposal to the group. Kiatathikom said they were inspired to voice their concerns at the Jan. 30 University Impact District Review Board meeting in which the proposal was receiving feedback.
“I think if we’re going to profess that we have beliefs, and if we’re going to profess that we care about our community, we have to follow what’s going on in every level of government, possibly from the bottom up,” Kiatathikom said.
The proposal to replace the bar with an apartment building passed the University Area Commission Zoning Committee
Monday night. It will next be voted on at the full commission meeting March 15, and if passed, will be recommended to Columbus City Council for a final vote.
Besides the possibility of losing Bier Stube, Kiatathikom and Lowes said they have concerns with affordability of housing in the University District and loss of communal spaces. The proposal would replace three other businesses — 14-0 Express, Portofino’s Pizza and Yau’s Chinese Bistro — in addition to the bar.
“We need housing, but if we build more housing, it’s completely meaningless if the vast majority of people who actually live in the city can’t even afford to live in that new housing,” Kiatathikom said.
At the University Impact District Review Board Jan. 30, Buckeye Real Estate did not give an estimated rent price for the proposed housing. The group did not respond to a request for comment.
Similarly, Wallin said she is not against development generally but does not want it to replace areas that add character to the university area.
Though they have a love for the bar, Lowes said there wouldn’t be the same level of resistance if their concerns about affordable housing were addressed.
“If [Bier Stube] were being replaced with safe $600-700 a month one-bedroom apartments, we would all be sad. We’d all buy T-shirts, but we wouldn’t be showing up at meetings,” Lowes said. “I think we’d all be like, ‘OK, it’s unfortunate our favorite bar is gone, but it’s moving the city in a direction I want to see.’”
Lowes and Kiatathikom said they think it’s important for residents to voice concerns and try to reach compromises to improve the community.
Kiatathikom said the group has since tried to encourage other law students to speak at the meetings to see changes they hope are
included in the proposal.
Kiatathikom also spoke against the current proposal by American Campus Communities to replace The Little Bar with student housing on the corner of North High Street and Norwich Avenue, also worried about affordability for students. The proposal also includes tearing down the University Baptist Church of Columbus. However, UAC failed to pass it twice, most recently Feb. 15.
Sam Newman, a representative of ACC, did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
Wallin said the students plan to keep attending the meetings when possible to find a compromise if the projects pass and are encouraging others to do the same.
Even if affordable housing concerns are addressed, Kiatathikom said the group is
ultimately not ready to say goodbye to Bier Stube, its music or choice of TV programs, and they are hoping the establishment will remain.
“If you’re going to tear down Bier Stube — at the very least — you have to make it so that your five-over-ones have speakers that blare out Springsteen at four in the afternoon on Wednesday for all of South Campus to hear,” Kiatathikom said.
Thursday, March 9, 2023
KALEY RICHARD Lantern reporter richard.222@osu.edu
BalletMet’s upcoming show, “A Celebration of New Works,” is an opportunity to admire the world premiere of three works by three choreographers.
Running March 10-18, the show will be held at the Davidson Theatre, located in the Riffe Center Theatre Complex at 77 S. High St. The three featured choreographers — Leiland Charles, Dana Genshaft and Amy Seiwert — were picked by Edwaard Liang, artistic director at BalletMet.
“Why I picked these voices is that they all have distinct and unique vocabularies and very much have something to say,” Liang said.
Each choreographer has a different voice, style and experience level, Liang said. The show will be a triple bill — three new, independent short ballets together — adding another unique aspect to the show, Tracy Tucker, director of marketing at BalletMet, said.
“It’s exciting because we don’t normally have three brand new world premieres in the same performance,” Tucker said.
Liang said this premiere will showcase the talents of Charles, Genshaft and Seiwart’s as well as the dancers that participate. He said he wanted to create a platform for other choreographers rather than himself.
“We really just want to bring new and diverse reputation to Columbus and to our community,” Tucker said.
Charles and Seiwert are returning choreo-
-graphers for BalletMet — with the former also returning as a dancer — while Genshaft brings a new voice, Tucker said.
“[Seiwert’s] been a choreographer for many decades and has a really distinct, solid voice and I’m very excited that we have been able to bring her back,” Liang said.
“A Celebration of New Works” has contemporary, neoclassical and contemporary-modern genres that intersect, Liang said. The three pieces are titled “The Awakening,” choreographed by Genshaft, “The Catch,” choreographed by Seiwert and “Decisions, Decisions,” choreographed by Charles. All costumes were designed by Susan Roemer.
As the world premiere of these works nears, the energy is alive and exciting, Liang said.
“They [new dances or works] are the best kept secret in ballet companies because it’s almost like a passport around the world. You get to see from different artists’ viewpoints and perspectives all in one performance with three different choreographers,” Liang said.
Tucker said she’s seen behind the scenes of the beginning processes the choreographers go through to create each work, and she’s excited to see the final product. Liang also said he’s excited to see it all come together.
“It’s really a collaboration between the choreographer and the dancers, and to watch that art process happen is really very cool,” Tucker said.
For those unsure of what to expect, Liang said viewers should anticipate experiencing magnificent artists and out of the box dancing and choreography.
“Come with an expectation to be entertained and an open mind to enjoy it,” Tucker said.
Tickets for “A Celebration of New Works” can be purchased on BalletMet’s website.
For those looking to diversify their playlists before the next release of Spotify Wrapped late in the year, Columbus miniFEST may be the place to find new artists to add to the mix.
Summit Music Hall will host miniFEST March 18 by Bridging the Music, a company hoping to “provide up and coming artists the opportunity to showcase their talents and to expand their network,” according to its website. Columbus miniFEST will feature music acts Imber Solis, BreakAway, Golden Alley, Dayrider and more.
Bridging the Music has “a lot of history in Columbus,” company founder and producer Jonah Lipsky said, but has only hosted miniFEST in the city for the past few years.
“We had a different event, the Solo Artist Awards, which was more of a competition kind of event. We had that at Skully’s [Music-Diner] for many, many years,” Lipsky said. “We switched the branding of our event and wanted to become more community style with our events.”
And so, Columbus miniFEST was born.
Lipsky said over the past couple of years, miniFEST has changed to fit the audience and performers’ needs. As the importance of media presence rises for smaller bands, Lipsky said, the company tries to support and accommodate artists in whatever way it can
“We’re always trying to make our event better. I’m always constantly thinking about this,” Lipsky said. “For example, this year we added a livestream feature where people can get a livestream ticket for the event and watch the event from anywhere. The artists, the performers, also get a free video out of it.”
Although any artist can sign up through the link on the Bridging the Music webpage, Lipsky said not every act that signs up gets approved to play at miniFEST.
“We definitely don’t book everybody that applies. Musically, we have a certain standard,” Lipsky said. “We like to give people the chance and the opportunity, but we definitely listen to every single act, we talk to every single act that we book.”
One of the groups selected to play in this year’s Columbus miniFEST is Golden Alley, a hard rock-based band hailing from Muncie, Indiana. Golden Alley is made up of guitarist Dean Jupiter, drummer Tyler “Bogey” Bogard and bassist Nick Taylor.
Taylor said the group first heard about miniFEST through a friend in New York who thought the band might be interested in performing.
“He was like, ‘You guys should hop on this. It would be a good chance to get your name out there a little better and collaborate with some other musicians in different genres,’” Taylor said. “We were like, ‘That sounds like fun. Let’s try it out.’”
Another band performing is heavy metal Columbus-based group BreakAway, made up of vocalist Jeff Book, guitarist TJ Arthur, drummer Sam Lerch and bassist Jeff Holley. Book said the group is most looking forward to potentially reaching a new audience at miniFEST.
“You never know what you’re going to see at a local show,” Book said. “You might find your new favorite band at a local show, and that’s amazing.”
Lerch said he has a lot of respect for local bands, and miniFEST is a great way for people in the community to support local musicians.
“You have to have passion to play at a local level,” Lerch said. “You’re not just doing it for fun. You’re not just doing it because it’s easy.”
Tickets for Columbus miniFEST, both the in-person and livestream tickets, can be purchased online starting at $22.99. The event is expected to run from 5:45-11:45 p.m. as per the event’s website.
Many might have high hopes of soaking up the sun or exploring the mountains for spring break, but sometimes, wallets can’t meet those dreams.
For Ohio college students looking to enjoy spring break on a budget, places like Hocking County, Dayton, Cincinnati and Cleveland offer a variety of destinations and attractions for the ultimate staycation — one of which being Hocking Hills — Matt MacLaren, Ohio State alum and director of TourismOhio, said.
“It’s become one of Ohio’s most wellknown areas, and it’s because it’s beautiful,” MacLaren said. “It really is one of the best state parks in the United States, and it’s often named the best state park in the United States. Forbes just named it as one of their top places to go see this year, and that’s because you’re gonna find incredible waterfalls and really accessible hikes that have beauty all throughout them.”
Karen Raymore, executive director of Hocking Hills Tourism Association, said she recommends filing for a free permit online two weeks prior to visiting the park in order to gain access to smaller nature preserves like Boch Hollow or Saltpetre Cave.
From the dining options within the new State Park Lodge, to rock climbing and guided nature hikes offered through High Rock Adventures, to the mountain cycling trails of Baileys Trail System, MacLaren said the accommodations of Hocking Hills continue to expand.
“I think that spring break is a perfect time to recenter yourself and get a change of scenery, certainly, but to really focus on you,” Raymond said. “There’s no better place to focus on your own wellness than when surrounded by nature, in my opinion. Being really immersed in nature puts us in a perfect position to take that break,
refocus, kind of reconnect with ourselves.”
Dayton can also provide plenty of entertainment this spring break through the NCAA March Madness tournament, MacLaren said, which is continuing its over decade-long tradition of beginning in Dayton at the University of Dayton Arena March 14-15.
“March Madness is one of the best and most exciting tournaments that’s out there, even if you’re just someone who likes experiences, go see it,” MacLaren said.
“I’ve had a chance to go to tournament games before, and they’re electric.”
Dayton is also home to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, which Rob Bardua, chief of the public affairs division of the museum, said is the world’s largest military aviation museum with over 350 aircrafts and missiles on display.
“It’s just one of those places that you walk into and immediately you’re kind of struck by, for me I think it’s a cool factor, for all of these planes and aviation, and thinking that it all started here in Ohio and looking at how far we’ve come,” MacLaren said.
With galleries ranging from the World War era to the presidential aircraft collection — plus the new hands-on “Survival: The Exhibition” that explores human survival across different locales — Bardua said the museum appeals not only to military aviation fans, but history lovers too.
“If you’re interested in history or the latest technology, if you enjoy interactive exhibits such as the new ‘Survival’ exhibit, science, technology, engineering and math concepts, and you want to experience it all for free, you can do that at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force,” Bardua said.
For those in Cincinnati this spring break, MacLaren said the city offers everything from sports, a zoo and an active nightlife. With soccer in season, he said FC
Cincinnati has multiple home games over spring break.
“Going on down to Cincinnati, possibly taking in an FC Cincinnati game, and then the popular area Over-The-Rhine, where a lot of craft breweries for the students that are of age, and then just fun hotels and restaurants in that area too,” MacLaren said.
The Cincinnati Zoo, MacLaren said, hosts an array of popular exhibits, including the iconic Fiona the hippo. After a day seeing tigers and elephants galore, MacLaren said the 21c Museum Hotel is a great place to lodge.
“One of my favorite hotels down there, [it] was named by Condé Nast as a top hotel in the United States,” MacLaren said. “It feels more like a modern museum than a hotel when you walk in with the interactive artwork.”
Finally, students in Cleveland can access many appealing experiences, MacLaren said, namely the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“People come in from all over the world to see it,” MacLaren said. “They have
a popular Beatles exhibit, and then just to be able to walk through there and see information about all the incredible artists that have been named to the Hall of Fame, it’s a really good experience.”
John Goehrke, the director of guest experience at the museum, said the seven-story Rock Hall has exhibits honoring artists from Dolly Parton to Eminem. It also has space for visitors to play their own music with the house band, all of which contribute to the unique feel of the museum.
“It’s a place where you can learn about the history of music, in all the different styles of rock and roll,” Goehrke said. “You can celebrate the present, and you can also experience the electricity of performing music, whether you’re performing yourself or you’re watching a fellow visitor jam out in The Garage. It checks all those boxes of things that music really does for us.”
Outside of the Rock Hall, MacLaren said, downtown Cleveland offers areas like East Fourth Street, which houses popular restaurants and an energetic social scene. The area is right outside of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where the Cleveland Cavaliers play, he said, so an Ohio sports fan might enjoy a Cavaliers game before a night on the town.
Quarterback Kyle McCord made the earliest of his impacts as a first-year during the 2021 season.
During Week 4, when then-starting quarterback C.J. Stroud rested his shoulder injury, McCord stepped up and earned the first and only start of his career so far. After his first two passes were incomplete, McCord threw his first of two touchdowns on a five-yard pass to former wide receiver Chris Olave during the Buckeyes’ second drive on the way to finishing with 319 passing yards in the 59-7 win against Akron Sept 25, 2021.
More than a season later, McCord finds himself encapsulated in Ohio State’s latest quarterback competition, and he said he still looks back on his first start over a year ago for confidence and motivation in himself.
“You can prepare for different defenses, but at the end of the day when the ball is put down, and you’re in there, you’re going to have to deal with some stuff on the fly,” McCord said. “Getting that experience was good, making some good plays and making some bad plays and learning from it, I think, really helped me, especially at that point so early in my career. I think it’s very important experience to get.”
McCord and first-year quarterback Devin Brown will compete this spring for Ohio State’s starting position come the 2023 season. Both potential starters said Tuesday they’re “bringing the best out” of one another after the first of 15 spring practices leading to the spring game.
For Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, native McCord, he has an opportunity to show who he really is.
Head coach Ryan Day said Feb. 1 he wants a quarterback who is tough and can lead a roster of football players. Throwing touchdowns and converting on third-and-long chances will come, but other intangible ways of impressing the coaching staff and earning the starting spot are present.
“Naturally opportunities to step up and lead and speak, things like that came,” McCord said. “Definitely something I was trying to be a little conscious of early on in the winter, and then over time, it just became second nature.”
A chance to succeed Stroud, who McCord has looked up to and shadowed as his backup the past two seasons, is opportunity enough.
McCord said it’s been a “natural transition” embracing a new spotlight as Stroud, who was named a Heisman Trophy finalist twice and as many times the Big Ten’s Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, declared for the NFL Draft in January. This left the Buckeyes without an incumbent starter — but left McCord with a wealth of knowledge many won’t be able to find elsewhere.
“I learned a lot from C.J., on and off the field, physical, mental, everything,” McCord said. “It was interesting being able to spend my first two years with him, and he was great about it, open about everything. If I had a question, there was never any hesitation to ask him, and he was always completely honest with me and gave me lots of good advice, so that’s something I’m extremely thankful for.”
McCord has appeared in 12 games across two seasons at Ohio State, primarily as Stroud’s backup and the Buckeyes’ lategame signal-caller with the outcome largely already in hand. Despite playing seven games last season, McCord had more passing attempts during the 2021 season with 38 compared to 20.
It’s often said the goal of practice is to make it harder than a live game, but in Day’s eyes, he said he’s seen McCord welcome that challenge since he arrived.
“He’s grown, and I think he’s done a good job of it,” Day said. “His attitude has been excellent. He’s very hard-working, so now it’s time to go put it on the field and compete.”
Whoever the emerging starting quarterback will be, they’ll have bountiful options at wide receiver to throw to.
at wide receiver to throw to.
Second-year wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. — who played with McCord at St. Joseph’s Prep High School — and Emeka Egbuka combined for 2,414 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Fourthyear tight end Cade Stover and third-year wide receiver Julian Fleming also return for additional seasons at Ohio State, leaving the Buckeyes with a host of experience and athleticism among targets to pick from.
“I think that’s one of the deepest positions we have on this team, and I think the young guys are stepping up quite nicely,” McCord said. “I think it gives other guys a chance to step up and make some plays, and already on the first day they’ve shown that they can. But I’ve been throwing with all the guys all offseason, so I think we really haven’t missed a beat.”
Many haven’t seen too much of what McCord can or is challenged to do in Big Ten play. It’s important to remember that last time Ohio State had a quarterback competition, the Buckeyes chose a gunslinger who’d yet to throw a pass at the college level.
That won’t matter too much for McCord, or too much for quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis and the Buckeyes.
“It’s not just tough for a quarterback. It’s tough for every position. Guys want to come in and they want to play,” Dennis said Feb. 1. “On the flip side, as a player, you have to internally look at it and you say, ‘Alright, what do I need to do that when my opportunity comes that I’m ready to maximize on it?’”
What McCord brings to the Buckeyes is a 6-foot-3, 222-pound frame with two seasons around Ohio State and its offensive play style.
The first spring practice is over and done with, and soon the second and third will come and reveal plenty about Ohio State’s quarterback competition and McCord, who wants to let his performance answer any criticism or praise looming over him.
“I guess time will tell, to be honest,” McCord said. “I could sit up here and say what I want to do and what I want to accomplish, but at the end of the day, I think the film will speak for itself when that time comes.”
under the tutelage of former Buckeyes quarterback Joe Germaine, passing for over 8,000 yards and 85 touchdowns at the prep level that originally began at Queen Creek High School in Arizona.
Listed as a pro-style quarterback according to multiple recruiting outlets, Brown flashed his mobility at times throughout practice. He said he made adjustments to his throwing style that reflect changes for both his lower body and his arm.
“I changed a few things mechanically this offseason with coach Day and coach Fitch and coach Dennis,” Brown said. “Changed a couple things with my feet, getting the ball up, having a quick release, and so I think those things have really helped me to be able to even add to my arm strength.”
throughout his first season at Ohio State, which started as an early enrollee in January 2022.
Behind Stroud and competitor second-year Kyle McCord as a backup in quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis’ room, Brown took an apprentice role while developing as a college signal-caller and showing his new teammates who he is.
“Devin’s awesome,” Dennis said Feb. 1. “He’s an athletic kid with great personality. Guys do gravitate to him. But it’ll be fun to see when these guys get more reps, and that’s what we’re excited going into the spring is seeing guys being able to take a lot of reps.”
JACOB BENGE Sports Editor benge.30@osu.eduWhen first-year quarterback Devin Brown took the indoor field Tuesday for the first spring practice, there was something new about him.
Although the ongoing quarterback competition loomed throughout the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Brown donned a black practice jersey signifying Buckeye quarterbacks. Instead of the familiar No. 15 he wore last season, Brown switched to No. 33, something he foreshadowed in a tweet Feb. 25, and said he wore the latter number until his sophomore year in high school.
Brown said he approached head coach Ryan Day about the number switch, and said No. 33 honors Pro Football Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh.
“He was the first quarterback inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1963 with the Washington Football Team, so he’s a legend,” Brown said. “That’s the original quarterback number, in my opinion, so I wanted to wear off the original quarterback number.”
Ohio State has not seen Brown play too much after his first year in the program.
Like former quarterback C.J. Stroud, Brown will enter the Buckeyes’ latest quarterback competition having not thrown a pass in his college career. Brown appeared in two games during his debut season last fall and had one rushing yard in his lone carry.
Brown said he’s “no Justin Fields,” but believes he’s “in between” Fields and former quarterback Stroud in terms of his play. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound Brown described himself as someone who can make a play in an impactful way.
“I’m an athletic quarterback,” Brown said. “I feel like I can extend plays with my feet, make guys miss but also have the arm strength to make pretty much every throw on the field. And I believe that with my whole heart. There’s not a throw on the field that I cannot make.”
A four-star recruit in the class of 2022, Brown flipped his commitment from USC to Ohio State in December 2021. He spent the final season of his high school career at Corner Canyon High School in Utah
Across mechanical changes, jersey number switches and a number of other things he’s experienced in one year at Ohio State, Day said Brown is comfortable with the uncomfortable.
“He’s never shied away from competition and never shied away from grabbing onto something,” Day said.
Brown can draw inspiration from previous second-year quarterbacks, such as Fields and Stroud, who’ve gone through quarterback competition and emerged the starter.
Fields transferred to Ohio State after the 2018 season and earned the Buckeyes’ starting position as a sophomore in 2019, and Stroud also received the starting nod as a second-year in 2021.
“We go back and watch even Braxton [Miller] and J.T. [Barrett] and Dwayne [Haskins], all these guys,” Brown said. “You look back and you’re like, ‘All these guys were the same as us. They’re in the same position as us.’ It didn’t matter where they are on the depth chart. We’re the best quarterback room in the country and everybody can play.”
Brown sought to make an impression
A quarterback competition is enough to place pressure on any quarterback, and in Brown’s case, he’s up against friend and competitor McCord who has an additional year of experience at Ohio State.
But Brown knows what he’s in for. He said competing against McCord and to become the Buckeyes’ next starting quarterback “boosts my confidence,” and he’s ready to seize the opportunity.
“Being the quarterback at Ohio State, there’s really nothing better,” Brown said. “This is a top job. I mean, you’re the head of college football if you’re the quarterback at Ohio State, so I really have to lock in. And my mindset is I want to do everything possible to take this over.”
All week, the Buckeye men’s lacrosse team broke huddles on “Murphy.”
The Tyler Murphy Flagpole was dedicated ahead of Saturday’s game against Cornell at Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium. The Buckeyes played for Stephen “Tyler” Murphy, a close friend of the men’s lacrosse program and head coach Nick Myers, who tragically lost his life after being hit by a vehicle in July 2022, according to 13News Now.
“Tyler was a dear friend of mine,” Myers said. “It’s hard to put into words, but his time here, it was really unique. He was with me at a time when the program was really, kind of, we were trying to establish some core tenets. We put the blueprint together.”
Murphy enlisted in the Navy in March 2004, where he completed Recruit Training Command and Basic Crewman Selection, according to his obituary. Upon graduating in 2005, Murphy served for five years in the service and had several roles.
Murphy took a break from active duty in 2010 and pursued a Bachelor of Arts in security and intelligence at the Ohio State. As a Buckeye, he mentored the men’s lacrosse team and taught them skills, like leadership, until finishing his degree in 2012 with a dual focus on nuclear weapons and Arabic, according to his obituary.
Sophomore attack Ed Shean said he learned a lot from Murphy in a short time, and he was “a great guy.”
“Murph was a big part of our brotherhood,”
Shean said. “He was a golden standard for Buckeyes, so he clearly means a lot to this program and culture, and he helped build it.”
Following his graduation, Murphy reinvolved himself in the Navy through various leadership positions until April 2022.
When Murphy was not active in the Navy, he spent his time mentoring student-athletes and coaching crossfit, according to his obituary. He always came back to support and cheer on Buckeye men’s lacrosse.
“He was back last fall, played in our golf outing, spoke to the men, did some leadership with our guys,” Myers said. “Gone too soon. [March 4] is actually his birthday, he would have been 41.”
Myers said the program flew out Murphy’s family for the game to be a part of the flagpole ceremony and dedication ahead of faceoff
Saturday was also the Military Appreciation Game, which allowed fans and players to not only thank and honor Murphy, but all who have served, Myers said.
The plaque on the front of the Tyler Murphy Flagpole reads, “In honor and recognition of the outstanding commitment and life of service.” It can be found at the southeast entrance of Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium.
“It was really special to have his family and to have his friends here. Really grateful for the opportunity and moving forward, the national anthem, we certainly have a very special meaning here at home,” Myers said. “It’s a really special moment for Buckeye lacrosse.”