Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes, coaches, Gene Smith all kneel for equality

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more.

Buckeyes, coaches, Gene Smith all kneel for equality

As protests around the country continue, Ohio State is making sure the world knows it’s joining in and taking action.

Members of the athletic department, coaches, media, Ohio State police officers, student-athletes, athletic director Gene Smith and others met outside Ohio Stadium on Tuesday to kneel for solidarity and equality.

#kneelfornine underway @OhioState with @OhioStAthletics student-athletes, coaches, media, @OSUPOLICE joining together in kneeling for equality, solidarity and peace. pic.twitter.com/6m8dm6Xz59

— Nicole Kraft (@Nicole_Kraft) June 2, 2020

Ohio State also released a video message through its football Twitter account condemning racism, saying: “This is not white versus black. This is everyone against racism.” The powerful message was shared around social media by many members of the team.

#BlackLivesMatter #FightForChange pic.twitter.com/8irD337wEy

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) June 2, 2020

Protests were still ongoing in Columbus, both downtown and around the city. Some Buckeyes have joined in the protests downtown. Others decided to have a voice near the football stadium.

Urban Meyer, TreVeyon Henderson join Tim May Podcast

The Tim May Podcast is back with another episode and a big topic of conversation.

Tim was joined by former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer to talk about the ongoing protests against racial injustice. They talked about what coaches can to do listen to their players, how these situations can be handled within a team and what Ryan Day will be addressing when the team gets together again.

Tim was also joined by Ohio State running back commitment TreVeyon Henderson to talk about Henderson’s personal experience with racial profiling and injustice, as well as the future of the Ohio State program with a huge recruiting class coming in.

Finally, Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward joined the show to sum it all up.

It’s all on the latest Tim May Podcast.

Buckeyes made good decision hiring Corey Dennis

When Ohio State and Mike Yurcich parted ways at the end of the season, the Buckeyes needed a new quarterbacks coach. And Ryan Day’s right-hand man Corey Dennis was there, already comfortable in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and on the staff, ready to take over.

So Day promoted Dennis, and the Buckeyes found their new quarterbacks coach. But why was Dennis the right man for the job? Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward lays it out:

The chemistry, the familiarity with the system Day and Kevin Wilson have built and the ringing endorsements from two Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterbacks are all more than enough to validate the move. That doesn’t mean that any skepticism is out of bounds, because all hires at Ohio State are going to be under a microscope when they’re made. Dennis is obviously going to have to prove himself all over again now that his role is more prominent.

But Day didn’t hire Corey Dennis as a favor heading into his second year in charge. Dwayne Haskins and Justin Fields didn’t praise his behind-the-scenes work during their record-setting seasons just to be polite. And clearly Dennis never took for granted that he could squander his big chance if he wasn’t doing everything he could to make the most of it.

For the full story, go here.

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