-  It’s been a fun week thus far on “The Sears Sports Fan.”  Brian and I interviewed Mike Mitchell just two days after being picked in the second round of the NFL Draft.  On Wednesday, we spoke with former Ohio hoops player Jeff Boals, who was just hired Monday to become an assistant at Ohio State under Thad Matta.  For more: www.TheSportsFan.mypodcast.com

-  The action continues Thursday with “The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan.”  Brian will sit down with Ohio baseball coach Joe Carbone to preview the weekend series at Bowling Green, and Jim and I will discuss all the latest in Bobcats athletics.

-  In case you missed it: Wichita State A.D. Eric Sexton, who replaced Schaus, gave Shockers basketball coach Gregg  Marshall a one-year extension through 2015.  Marshall, who is 11-20 in two season in Kansas, was hired by Schaus.

-  Mitchell was the 47th overall pick and the third safety selected in the 2009 NFL draft.  Eagles DE Trevor Laws (Notre Dame), the 47th pick in last year’s draft, received a total of $1.745 million in his rookie contract.  The 48th pick last year, USC TE Fred Davis garnered $2.107 million in total compensation from the Redskins.

-  Mitchell was the eighth player from the secondary chosen last weekend.  San Francisco selected CB Tracey Porter (Indiana) 40th overall as the 8th player from the secondary in 08 and paid him $1.795 million last year. 

-  You get the idea.  Mitchell’s life is about to change in more ways than one.

-  More to come.

* April 27th (4:00 p.m. ET)

-  Just got off the phone with former Ohio CB Mark Parson.  He said he is flying to Detroit Thursday and will sign a contract with the Lions and participate in this weekend’s mini camp.  There is no official news from the team itself.

-  Parson was admittedly disappointed about not being selected this past weekend, but was optimistic about his future with Detroit.  He had yet to share the news with former Ohio DL Landon Cohen.

-  No shortage of motivation for former Ohio safety Mike Mitchell.  Even Bobcat alum Peter King is questioning the Raiders’ selection of number 34.  Click Here to Read

-  More to come.

* April 26th (9:10 p.m. ET)

-  Rivals.com reports River H.S. (OH) athlete Dylan Potts gave a verbal commitment to Akron on Saturday.  River upended local Athens County foe Trimble H.S. in the DVI playoffs last fall.

-  The rest of the day two MAC draftees:  Ball State QB Nate Davis (171st overall to San Francisco),  WMU CB Edjuan Biggers (217thth overall to Kansas City) overall to Tampa Bay), Kent State QB/WR Julian Edelman (232nd overall to New England) and Miami TE Jake O’Connell (237

-  Sounds like former Ohio CB Mark Parson may sign a free agent deal with the Redskins.  Ohio DE Jameson Hartke could end up signing with a team as well.

-  How about the Miami Hurricanes ending up with just one NFL draft pick, ILB Spencer Adkins who went in the 6th round.  Just two drafts ago the Hurricanes had three first round picks alone.

-  It’s a bit ironic that the MAC, a league not exactly known for its point-stopping capabilities, ends up with three defenders selected within the first two rounds.  Hopefully Larry English can perform like Titans DE Jason Jones—another 2nd round pick—did in his rookie campaign out of Eastern Michigan last year.

-  There could be a few good NFL draftees out of the MAC in 2010:  Three good running backs in Buffalo’s James Starks, Ball State’s MiQuale Lewis and Kent State’s Eugene Jarvis—though Lewis (5-6) and Jarvis (5-5) will be too short to receive serious looks.  At 6-1, 211 and possessing great hands (52 catches in ’08), Starks is the best of the bunch.

-  Also, WMU QB Tim Hiller, CMU QB Dan LeFevour and EMU QB Andy Schmitt lead the gunslinger crew.  Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt and CMU WR Bryan Anderson could see the next level as well.

-  On defense, Temple DT Andre Neblett, CMU DE Frank Zombo, Buffalo SS Davonte Shannon and Toledo SS Barry Church are among those who could be 2010 draftees.

-  Right now, after Hiller’s stellar season (36 TDs/10 INTs, 65% comp.) he could be the best NFL prospect for 2010 out of the league.  We’ll see.

-  I’d expect former Miami Redhawks punter Jacob Richardson to land on some NFL team—and stick.  He averaged 45.4 yards per punt last season, which would have put him at ninth-best in the NFL right behind Ohio grad Dave Zastudil with the Browns and just off Broncos booter Brett Kern (Toledo), who averaged 46.7 yards per punt his rookie year up in the Denver air.

-  More to come.

  * April 26th (12:45 p.m. ET)

-  Connecticut linebacker Scott Lutrus was arrested Friday.  Could he be penalized for UCONN’s  opener at Ohio?

-  Ohio football will play 11 of its 12 games on field turf this season.  The game against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium is the lone grass field contest.

-  Of all the well publicized injuries surrounding spring football, to me interior defensive lineman Ernie Hodge’s knee problem is the most important injury to watch.  He must be healthy for Ohio to succeed.  That said, it was good to see Cory Moncrief have a solid performance Saturday afternoon.

-  Ohio safety Donovan Fletcher’s brother, Bradley Fletcher (CB/Iowa), was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round Sunday.

-  Congratulations to Mike Mitchell, who was picked in the second round by Oakland Saturday.  Don’t forget, the Raiders drafted another MAC player, Buffalo DE Trevor Scott (Round 6) in the 2008 NFL Draft.

-  The league overall had nine draft picks in the 2008 draft, led by Buffalo and Toledo with two picks each. 

-  Through 2009’s first 110 picks there have been six picks from MAC schools: Mitchell (47th overall to Oakland), Northern Illinois DE Larry English (16th overall to SD) WMU safety Louis Delmas (33rd overall to Detroit), Ball State OT Robert Brewster (75th overall to Dallas), Temple DT Terrance Knighton (72nd overall to Jacksonville), and EMU OT T.J. Lang (109th overall to Green Bay).

-  Ohio State alone, meanwhile, has six overall picks so far.

-  More to come.

*  April 18th

‘Cats Scrimmage Again Saturday

-  Ohio scrimmaged for most of spring practice at a sun-drenched Peden Stadium Saturday afternoon.  It was probably a day QB Boo Jackson would like to forget, as he was not sharp throughout.

-  Your first team units:  Offense: RT Joe Flading, RG J.D. Flowers, C David White, LG Vince Carlotta, LT Chris Rodgers, TE Jordan Thompson, QB Theo Scott, RB Chris Garrett, WR Riley Dunlop, WR Serggio Judkins and WR Bakari Bussey.

-  On defense: DE Dak Notestine, DT Jeff King, NG Marcellis Williamson, DE Kris Luchsinger, SAM Errik Ejike, MIKE Noah Keller, WIL Lee Renfro, CB Idris Lawrence, CB Thad Turner, FS Patrick Tafua, SS Donovan Fletcher.

-  Solich on the scrimmage: “We’re far from being perfect on  really both sides of the ball….When we get tired our level of play really drops off.  We’ve got to train ourselves to be able to play really good football when we are tired.  Way too many mental mistakes out there again.  Some of that comes from guys being tired and not being able to work their way through it.” 

-  He continued: “We’ll be in much better shape in fall camp than what we are right now.  All in all—taking that in to consideration—not too bad.  Some good plays, but not enough good plays in a row offensively to really amount drives.  Defensively, it’s hard to tell.”

-  No touchdowns were recorded, but Scott looked strong under center completing five of seven passes for 68 yards.  Two of those completions went to Dunlop for 44 yards.

-  “It was alright,” Scott said of his performance. “There is always room for improvement….I missed a couple throws.  That’s just all part of me just (getting) more reps, more time.  You’ve got to remember, I haven’t played since September, a whole game.  Coming out here and getting—how should I put it—refurbished for my teammates (was my goal).”

-  I asked Theo how his shoulder felt.  He proceeded to playfully lower it into my body as if he were laying a hit on me. “It’s ready,” he said with a grin.

-  Jackson was just three of seven for 27 yards, including an interception thrown to Turner on the far sidelines while Boo was scrambling out of the pocket.

-  QB Brandon Jones was a perfect 4 for 4, amassing 31 yards.  Combined, Ohio quarterbacks completed 13 of 19 passes on the day.

-  Solich on Boo and Theo:  “Just from standing back watching, it’s probably a scrimmage where both of them wanted to play well.  They are both under pressure, but are not going to take one day or one scrimmage and have it be a determining factor.”

-  Not much running game to speak of, but Garrett had a few nice runs (3 rushes for 17 yards).  Vince Davidson was limited to seven rushes for seven yards, but did have two grabs for 18 yards.

-  In the receiving corps, I don’t remember seeing one dropped pass.  WR Bakari Bussey had a team-high four catches for 21 yards.  WR Robert Mercer added two grabs for 20 yards, while Davidson snagged two footballs out of the backfield for 18 yards.

-  Solich is clearly impressed with his wide outs, but improvements can still be made.  “We’re doing a pretty good job of pass receiving, but we are not doing a very good job on blocking the perimeter, and that is something that’s got to change.”

-  On defense, Renfro and LB Brandon Weaver led the way with four tackles.  Notestine garnered three tackles, including a sack.  Four other ‘Cats defenders (Hilton Dawson, Turner, Chad Clemens, Melvin Payne and Corey Hasting) each knotted three tackles.

-  Solich on the defense overall: “I’d like to be seeing the defense be a little bit more dominant than what they are.”

-  Backup quarterback Miles Schlichter (6-1, 222) took reps at tight end during 7-on-7 drills.

-  In the kicking department, Matt Weller drilled one of two attempts from 42 yards away.  Walk-on Danny Miller shanked an attempt to the left from 42 yards out.  In kickoff attempts, Weller was consistently booting them to the 10 yard line and in.

-  On a day without much wind, punter Matt Schulte picked up punts of 52 and 47 yards.  Weller took a rep—one punt for 39 yards.  Walk-on WR/P Paul Hershey booted one ball 38 yards.

-  The most important things I learned from Saturday’s practice: This team, like many in the spring, has a way to go to get better.  And secondly, if Ohio played week one next Saturday, Theo Scott would be under center.

-  More from Solich and the ‘Cats Monday mornings on Power 105.5-FM and WATH 970-AM.

* April 16th

-  Ohio hoops coach John Groce is a guest on “The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan” tonight from 6-7.  Send your questions for coach to sports@970wath.com or call in at 1-888-592-6646.

-  An interesting and touching story on Ohio women’s basketball transfer Tenishia Benson passed on from Jason Corriher in the Ohio media relations department.

-  Speaking of the Cincinnati Bearcat-turned-Ohio Bobcat, UC fired Benson’s former coach J. Kelly Hall earlier this week.

-  Some pictures from Ohio volleyball’s spring contest versus Louisville (the ‘Cats won 3-1).

-  Kent State junior right-hander Brad Stillings threw the school’s ninth no-hitter last Saturday in a 1-0 win over Toledo.  Stillings is now 5-0 and will no doubt be a tough starter to get by come MAC Tournament time in late May.  KSU took two of three from MAC West leader Toledo this weekend, something Ohio did earlier this month.  The Golden Flashes lead the MAC East by a half-game over Ohio.

-  That said, the Bobcats need to make sure and not look ahead to the pivotal home series versus KSU April 24-26.  The ‘Cats host Akron this weekend.

-  New Arizona coach Sean Miller sure is off to a good start.  After getting the best center still available in Kyryl Natyatchko, the new Wildcats leader received a verbal commitment from four-star small forward Solomon Hill a few days ago.

-  Never too early to start looking at Ohio football’s opponents in 2009: See Story

-  More to come.

* April 11th

Saturday Scrimmage Notes

-  Ohio football scrimmaged today inside a beautifully brisk Peden Stadium for roughly 48 plays.

Winners?  Losers?  As head coach Frank Solich noted, “You can’t ever be pleased when your team is on offense and defense at the same time.”  But there were a few things that stood out.

-  Most importantly, the injuries were limited, making Solich very happy.  “We’ll take all the healthy days we can get,” Solich quipped.  “I think we are about where we expected to be at this point.  We put an awful lot in offensively and defensively, and it has shown in some degree in terms of the execution.”

-  I mentioned this on “The Sears Sports Fan” last night, but there appears to be a starting punter competition now between Matt Schulte and walk-on wide receiver/punter Paul Hershey.

-  When I asked whether Hershey has created a punting competition, Solich confirmed it.  “He is in the mix in terms of leg strength and the ability to get good hang time on the ball.  He’s very athletic back there, so we can do some things with him.  We’re definitely taking a good strong look at him.”

-  Let’s look at the numbers from the punting unit today.  All boots were with the wind.  Schulte started with a 39-yard punt that netted 32 yards.  He also had a 37-yard boot that netted just five yards after a strong return by Kenny Jackson (Schulte made the diving tackle).

-  Hershey, meanwhile, with a 46 yarder that netted 50 yards on attempt number one.  His second try was a 35 yarder that was fair caught but almost blocked by LB Brandon Weaver.

-  Kicker Matt Weller made one of his two attempts from 51 yards out (with the wind).  He also missed from 48 yards away.  He easily made good on a 28-yard kick, too.

Solich on Weller: “We’re experimenting with different holders and some guys who haven’t held before so it’s not all that easy for these kickers in terms of showing a lot of consistency.  But, he’s shown he’s got great leg strength and when he hits it right he gets the ball up quick, so we are encouraged by what he’s done so far.”

-  Holders taking reps included, QB Brandon Jones, WR Riley Dunlop and Hershey.

-  Boo Jackson completed five of seven passes for 27 yards and had an 18-yard touchdown run.  Players were not allowed to tackle the quarterback, but Jackson probably would have scored regardless.

-  Theo Scott received the first work during the scrimmage with the first team offense.  He was four of six for 38 yards on the day and made several good reads.

-  After practice Solich was understandably hesitant to truly grade how each gunslinger performed due to the limited number of reps each quarterback received.

-  In the passing game, nine different receivers caught balls, led by Steven Goulet’s three grabs for 31 yards.  LaVon Brazill and Taylor Price did not participate.  This receiving core is deep, deep, deep, folks.

-  At tight end, Jahan Olyaie did not dress, allowing RS-Fr. Jordan Thompson to get plenty of reps.

-  Plenty of flags mixed in during the scrimmage, as is expected during spring ball.

-  On to the running backs: Chris Garrett with two rushes for 28 yards.  Vince Davidson with three for 16, plus three catches in the flats for six yards.  L.J. Flintall, whom Frank Solich confirmed injured his right toe at the end of one rushing attempt Saturday, had high marks for the RBs with six rushes for 52 yards.  Ohio’s biggest tailback, Devin Favors (5-11, 211), rushed four times for 28 yards.

-  Defensively, RS-Fr. linebacker Melvin Payne looked strong, leading the way with five tackles.  LB Lee Renfro tallied four tackles, two of which were for losses.  Weaver was among several players with three tackles, including a sack.

-  You can hear more from Solich Monday morning on the 6:55 and 7:55 sportscasts on 970 WATH-AM and 7:05 and 8:05 reports on Power 105.5-FM.

-  “The Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan” from Thursday night is now up on the podcast.  We’re working on getting Friday’s show up, which included an interview with QB Boo Jackson and Blue Jackets radio color commentator Bill Davidge.  Again, I apologize for the inconvenience.

-  More to come.  Have a great Easter weekend!

* April 10th

-  Having a few technical problems with the podcast server again, but hopefully we’ll have last night’s “Jim Schaus Show on The Sears Sports Fan” up at some point in the near future.

-  In case you missed it, Jim addressed the John Groce-Xavier rumors and shared some new and exciting changes to game days inside Peden Stadium this coming fall.  I plan on replaying a few of his comments on tonight’s show.

-  Speaking of “The Sears Sports Fan” tonight, Columbus Blue Jackets radio color commentator Bill Davidge will be on the program.   Plus, after interviewing Theo Scott Wednesday, Boo Jackson is scheduled to join the program to talk more Ohio football.

-  Ohio football will conduct a 48-play scrimmage tomorrow morning.

-  Congrats to Waterford H.S. center D.J. Cunningham (6-11, 240), whom I hear verbally committed to UNC-Ashville recently.  He received a full scholarship offer to play for the Bulldogs out of the Big South.  It’s always great to see local kids around the southeast Ohio area move on to the next level.

-  Another prep hoops note out of the TVC-Hocking.  Federal Hocking boys basketball coach Chris Ellecessor has resigned to pursue other professional opportunities.  This past season was his lone campaign with the Lancers.

-  More to come.  Feel free to call in to the show (1-888-592-6646) or shoot Brian and me an e-mail at sports@970WATH.com.

* April 6th Part II

-  Ohio women’s basketball redshirt freshman Kyla Rollins and freshman guard Tracy Snider are both leaving the program, the athletic department announced today.  Snider appeared in 13 games, with Rollins seeing action in nine contests.  “We wish both Kyla and Tracy the best as they seek opportunities to play elsewhere,” Randall said in a release. “They are both talented players, and we appreciate all that they have done for this program.”

-  A few thoughts from reporters out of the Show Me State who’ve seen Ivo Baltic play:

“Ivo’s an intense guy. He’s the type of guy who isn’t afraid to get in the face of some of the guys on his (high school) team when he wasn’t happy with the way things were going.  Physically he’s D-1 ready.  He’s every bit of 6-8 with good broad shoulders.  He’s a workaholic, for example he was working out in the gym for two hours after school on Monday.  He’s a guy who has grown up a lot in the last year.  He used to let his emotions get the best of him, but has calmed down some.  Skill wise he’s likely to be a 3 or 4 in college, probably 4. He averaged 23 and 15 this season for one of the city’s best teams.” – Cole Young, Kansas City Star

-  “This guy is a HUGE pickup for Ohio,” said Nate Latsch of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and BillikenReport.com (St. Louis University’s Scout.com affiliate).  “I saw him play last summer. He’s very skilled and has a D-1 ready body….He’s a kid that was getting Big 12 Conference looks. SLU wanted him, but dropped off after getting other commitments.”

* April 6th

-  Dave Telep at Scout.com reports three-star forward Ivo Baltic from Park Hill H.S. in Kansas City has committed to Ohio.  We’ll have more insight tonight on “The Sears Sports Fan.”

-  Talking to one reporter who covers the prep scene in my home state of Missouri like none other, he really likes Baltic and says getting the 6-8, 205-pounder is superb for Ohio.

-  FoxSports.com’s Peter Fuitak has former Northern Illinois DE Larry English going to New England (#23 overall) in the first round of his NFL mock draft.  English ran between a 4.62-4.75 at his pro day, better than his 4.85 40-yard-dash time at the combine.

-  As part of our spring football coverage, Brian Boesch has been compiling daily Bobcat football updates during our morning sportscasts on WATH and Power 105.  You can hear them weekdays at 6:55 and 7:55 on 970-AM and 7:05 and 8:05 on 105.5-FM.  From injury reports to position battles and more, Brian’s got it covered from now until April 25th.

-  Ohio QB Boo Jackson’s former El Camino Community College teammate WR Cody Surrency is making headlines.  Surrency was told he does not have another year of eligibility at Florida State because he exhausted one year by playing for the Florida King of the Southeast Football League before enrolling at El Camino.

-  Baseball predictions: Mets over Dodgers in NLCS.  Red Sox over White Sox in ALCS.  Mets win the series in six.  Bold prediction: Reds win the NL Central.

-  More to come.