I’ve been a listener since before they went daily, have been a text subscriber since they started the subtext, and I can’t do this anymore. The show used to be informative, fun, and interesting. It’s not that anymore. Over the last year, Stephen went from “trying too hard to be Doug”, to “I will talk over you and shout until you give up and agree with me”. It is very clear Andrew and Stefon are journalists trying to be journalists, and Stephen is a fan trying to hide his fandom while reacting like a fan. Everything that made this podcast great died when Doug left and I can’t listen anymore.

You don’t think Ryan Day has a big game problem? 1-4 against Michigan. 0-3 against SEC. 0-2 against Oregon. If you’re going to say those numbers aren’t fair because the game was close/injuries, you better give James Franklin the same excuse for keeping it close to Ohio State. It’s ok to say Day loses the big games more often than not. It’s ok. I think Day is a very nice person. He won’t even win half the big games he’s been in by the time he leaves OSU.

Looking at stats without the score you think you would have picked OSU to score 42 points? Doubt it

Just not the same without Doug. I'm sorry, but Stephen is brutal as main moderator. He is often inaccurate and comes across as ill prepared. This has become the most boring of all the buckeye football podcasts. I used to listen to every episode but now can only tolerate one out of every handful. It's the podcast I listen to after I have exhausted all other buckeye podcasts and have nothing left to listen to.

Podcast has been awful since doug left

And lots of whining. Condescending to the audience. There is some good content, but the tone from Stephen is insufferable and makes the podcast unlistenable. I started listening to five daily Ohio State podcasts this year, and they’re all pretty good. This is the only one I’m dropping.

Long time listener, but I’ve mostly stopped listening, except for game previews and breakdowns. And I may be alone in this opinion, but it annoys me when they decide the week of the game that a game isn’t worth previewing. Yes, Northwestern isn’t in the same class as OSU, but if the Friday “preview” show is just more of the same from the rest of the week, then what’s the point? I was left wanting to know if their first half success was anomalous or not and I’m not paid to cover a team and their weekly opponents. This is partially why I just cancelled the text service.

The October 25 show is a great one.

Stephen, in the past when Doug monopolized the show you were my favorite because I couldn’t wait to hear your viewpoint & takes; but now you’re monopolizing the show & only your viewpoint is “right” and you’re arguing the other takes. Everyone has their own opinion, and it’s okay to disagree. Stefan & Andrew, you guys did a great job breaking down the game after the Oregon loss. No one was talking too fast, and your points were easy to listen to. It was nice to hear a well paced conversation about the game instead of talking so fast because you have to fit the podcast into a specific time slot.

Thank goodness for Stephen. If it was just Andrew, I would peace out

Just call it the “Stephen bullies and belittles the other guys until they agree with him” podcast

Ngl I miss Doug and Nathan— but Stephen has been holding down this pod and is the reason I stay. Love the new guys but Stephen just makes so much sense and rides for the buckeyes!! ⭕️🙌

This show has really fallen back to the pack. It used to be out in front of trends with the texts, drafts, etc but now it’s just like every other OSU pod. They talk about the same thing every day and wait too long to talk about new relevant information. For now it’s just another buckeye podcast. Needs an injection of new original ideas like back when Doug was the lead. A lack of news isn’t an excuse to do a different roster draft in a slightly different way for 6 months.

To start off, this podcast is great. If you’re a buckeye fan tune in. I would give it 5 stars but the opening theme song makes me want to rip my ears off. Please, remove that awful theme song so I don’t have to fast forward every episode.

Stephen talks hyperbolically and mumbles. Andrew talks like a teenager. Nathan Baird actually spoke like an informed sports journalist. Stephen made some snide comment about him no longer being around. Well, I am gone. The Morning Five is much better and is actually a journalistic podcast.

I’m afraid Buckeye Talk is in decline. With Nathan leaving, I fear for the future. Stephen’s great but don’t think I can listen to Andrew another season.

Great pod, like Andrew’s takes, but please stop saying the same thing 3 times and let Stephen or Nathan respond quicker. Good initial points and Andrew then often keeps rambling and says the same thing. Andrew, if you ever say ‘again’, just stop talking because it means you are repeating yourself.

Without Doug. Andrew’s subtle movie/show references are well timed and appreciated.

Andrew has a lot of growing to do as a podcaster. A lot of stating the obvious and then repeating multiple times. The show has felt half-baked since Doug departed. Time to make some tough decisions before they loose their audience.

Listening to your Monday show re: Kyle McCord. Good show considering the lack of prep time on this subject. I am a huge fan of OSU after living in Columbus for five years-I was born, and now live once again in NJ. This is important because I am seeing the Buckeyes turning into the NY Yankees. Nothing is ever good enough. This “ what if game”. is stupid. CJ Stroud did not beat MI and did not win a National Championship. To say he would have with the current defense is pure speculation. How about some criticism of other players in MI game? Did Harrison go after that ball strong enough to prevent the interception? I’m not sure He never gets criticized - not going to take this to a dark place. This MI rivalry is pushing me towards an SEC team like Ole Miss. Please do a show on how spoiled and miserable a great deal of the OSU fan base is turning into.

Love the big three - Buckeye Talk, Bucknuts & Rivals. But bucknuts is pure Homer, Rivals is 80% homer (outside of Bill) and Buckeye Talk is just genuine analysis. You guys remain the most objective. Keep it up.

I appreciate this Pod so much and listen to it everyday. But I got to say Andrew struggles to keep my attention. I fast forward through him more often than not. He never finishes a sentence. He stammers and at the end of his rambling…he hasn’t said much. Maybe he can get better but perhaps he’s not ready for this show? He makes it hard to listen to. I picked three stars but it would be 5 stars if it weren’t for Andrew.

Have been a loyal listener for years. In my opinion, since Doug left the pod, some loyal BuckeyeTalk listeners probably wish for the ‘good ‘ol days when Bill Landis and Tim (and Ari) were all contributing. I always enjoyed the friendly and sometimes sarcastic banter and rabbit trails the three happened upon along with very insightful and inspired analysis- I listen while driving and probably made other drivers wonder what I was laughing at. So change has come and I have still been a loyal listener and “five-star fan” but want to share some honest feedback. I don’t laugh much anymore while listening. It may have been the familiarity the three had with each other but some of the spontaneity and light-hearted banter is gone. This group is speaking to die hard Buckeye fans many of whom are Alum like me, and the negativity is palpable. The keen analysis all but disappeared and there is very little lightheartedness. Sometimes it is downright painful to listen to the endless hypothetical scenarios of potential Buckeye self-destruction. Lately, it seems that no one pays attention to the task of editing the broadcast. Almost every episode has repeated portions. I hate to say it, but I am beginning to think of it as a waste of time to listen. Sorry gentlemen, I’m sure you are fine, intelligent people with bright futures in journalism but your podcast skills need some honing and you need to listen and learn your audience’s perspective. I’m not asking for homers who say what fans want to hear, but Doug was not that! I miss Doug’s quick wit, his insights on this and other teams along with the historical perspective he brought. Maybe what this podcast needs is another smart, contentious, and self-deprecating robophob like Doug Lesmerises. Sorry guys, I think it’s time for this fan to take my fandom to another broadcast. I’ll check in from time to time hoping you will get more ‘ruthless’ in fine-tuning and returning to the hilarious and friendly exchanges that made me a loyal follower. I Know you are working hard to inform and entertain Buckeye Nation but I suggest cutting the pod back to one or two each week and returning to excellence in reporting and in-depth analysis with some lighthearted banter. You can do it!

The only reason this gets two stars is because I like Nathan. He is the only one that seems to be objective. I listened to the postgame podcast after Penn State and Stephen, and Andrew trashed the team the entire podcast. No one is asking you all to be homers, but sheesh, that episode was brutal to listen to. Ever since Doug left, this podcast has been hard to listen to. I tried to support the show after Doug left, but I’m done. Andrew and Stephen are horrible. It

You two dorks start off a post game pod after beating a top 10 team and holding them to 12 points by going on and on about how bad BOTH top ten teams we beat had the worst offenses imaginable. Absolutely ridiculous. Yeah don’t start off with how great the D looked or anything just start blabbing about how bad both opponents offenses were. Buckeye negative talk pod

Dudes, I am less than 7 minutes into the Penn State post game, and good grief, I just want to stop listening. What a beat down to immediately start so negative. College football is a luxury to have in life and I don’t know what you guys are going for when you start out that way. I much prefer more objective coverage than the coverage by ‘homers’ but I would encourage you guys to reconsider how you are choosing to present information.

I like the way they rundown OSU.

Stephens line of reasoning re TR blocking is a step below moronic. Have you ever played the sport? Have you ever watched it?

The pod has fallen off a cliff since Doug left. There is no joy to be found by listening—just endless nitpicking and soulless analysis. Nate has always seemed like he hates covering OSU and the new guy is just trying to audition for something else and at times is just a troll in the team and fan base he covers.

Doug’s move to THE Podcast left a huge void at BuckeyeTalk. Cleveland.com seems to have elected Stephen to fill that void instead of Nathan, and for me that was not the right decision. Rating is based on the average of 5 stars for Nathan and 1 each for Stephen a the new guy. Nathan, I look forward to hearing your insightful questions in the press conferences.

If you think anything the reviewer was complaining about has ANYTHING to do with Marxism, you have absolutely no idea what Marxism is. The reviewer may (or may not) have made incorrect assumptions about Buckeye fans and why they are complaining about the new iteration of this podcast, but nothing that was stated had a thing to do with Marxism or Communism in any way. Considering you were complaining about a reviewer not having facts to back up accusations, it’s ironic that your reply was nothing but an emotional rant with zero facts, it was replete with completely incorrect assertions.

I believe in free speech, opinions and such. What I don’t believe in is progressive rants that have no facts only Marxist talking points, accusations and hate based speech. We are a group of people who are passionate about the Ohio State Buckeyes. Don”t sit back and wait for that word or opinion to come out and spew diversity, racists, fascist, and the host of words that the progressive left loves to talk about. The only thing missing from your review are facts like most Progrssive rants. I am sick of reading it, I am sick of listening to it. Try being tolerate, loving, understanding you can be happier and more effective in making changes you want or need. Go Bucks

Sorry without Doug and now we have a guy Andrew or something that apparently just learned OSU is a college in central ohio —- please we cant hire a new personality that knows OSU? Bad choice. Im out

Let’s have Nathan host for a few weeks and see how that goes.

I’ve been listening to Buckeye talk since the beginning and the thing that has always set it apart is that the hosts have always been journalists first. This approach to the podcast provides the best analysis and understanding of my favorite team and where they fit into the college football landscape. Stephen, Nathan, and now Andrew, carry on that tradition and are delivering great analysis while avoiding the “fan boy turned podcaster” model that all of the other podcasts seem to follow. Over the past couple of years, Doug elevated his craft to become one of the best interviewers and podcasters in the business. I definitely miss him on Buckeye Talk, but I think the new team is off to a good start.

This used to be a great podcast. Loved Doug but even when he was on the pod there is was so much focus guessing about what the 3.99 a month text people voted on whatever the topic of the day was. That’s how they drive their show and can’t come up with their own content naturally. No one cares what percentage of people voted yes or no if someone should be an all American, especially no one cares what your guess of how people voted. With Doug gone it’s a hard listen, plus the fact the person they brought in has the personality of a wet paper bag which fits in with Nathan perfectly. How a great podcast has fallen so quickly!

What was once the best podcast in my rotation is now excruciating to listen to. Doug Lesmerises remains one of the very best in the business. I could listen to him talk to himself. Or his daughters pretending to be Ari and Bill. In fact I would prefer that to the current setup. I blame the Plain Dealer for letting the Athletic come in and poach 2 excellent writers in Bill Landis and Ari Wasserman. They replaced Ari with Tim Beilik who was very short lived on the podcast (thankfully). Now Bill Landis has been replaced with Stephen Means. Stephen is so far out of his league when discussing College football and Ohio state football that I won’t even start on that. What has really made the show unlistenable is the man can’t stop repeating points over and over. He can’t stay on topic with Doug. He can’t stop repeating the obvious like it’s some profound conclusion. He can’t stop telling us he’s going to be honest. He can’t hold this audience of educated football fans (in many ways thanks to his co-host). I am done. 2 stars because I enjoy Doug so much. Minus 1 because Stephen isn’t good. Minus 2 to Cleveland.com for ruining something I loved. Edit- Doug is gone and the worst writer/podcaster on the beat, Stephen Means is now hosting. 1 star, unsubscribing.

I can’t believe Cleveland.com let Doug go to a rival podcast/beat. They should have been more open to what he wanted or ponied up some more money or something. This pod will not be the same and will not be my first listen anymore.

Updated rating post Doug. Nathan needs to host. Stephen struggles with getting sayings right or pronouncing things correctly. He said what sounded like “put a pen in it” like five times instead of “put a pin in it” either the enunciation was off or he got the saying wrong. That is the most recent example, but he does it all the time. It is distracting. I struggle with negative reviews but I have been a text subscriber for a couple of years and things were really starting to bug me and Doug leaving probably put me over the edge of unfollowing.

Podcast spends almost as much time on Michigan as Ohio State despite being called Buckeye Talk. Used to be a go to podcast but literally every other podcast has Michigan in the name. Time to move on.

I’m a broke college student about to start my 3rd year in college next month or else I’d have the text! Doug I remember listening to you and bill and Tim when I was in 7th grade I’ve had you in my ears doing homework and studying over the years due to my buckeye fandom and I shed a tear while listening to your farewell podcast when you broke the news of your new career plans, I was on the way to a tennis tournament which I ended up losing 😂 but for almost a decade I’ve listened to buckeye talk and you ranting about random life things which is hilarious and the Monday podcasts are my favorite where you tell Nathan who could cram it in a given week, you are humble and you represent the good in the coverage of sports, good luck in future years and can’t wait to follow you onto your next move 👍

Love the podcast. You guys really know football. I always look forward to every episode. & I love how you guys always have plenty of episodes. Keep up the good work & go blue.

Really enjoyed the Haskins pod and hearing from Day about their relationship. Great interview Doug. And could not agree more on the proposed change to Buckeye Grove. The existing criteria just don’t work for QB’s now.

Doug and the boys do such a great job of really getting into the weeds of Buckeye football. I never knew that I could listen to an hour plus podcast on Buckeye football, five times a week. These guys make it super fun and I always feel a little bit smarter when it’s done. Thanks for all the hard work and keep doing what you do.

I have listened to Buckeye Talk for 3 years and many times wondering why when 1 person can be so annoying? After listening to this podcast I now know why I listen. Excellent idea and well done Doug! Thank you.

….love the passion and detail in which Doug and team dissect OSU football while keeping it fun. Started following before the Peach Bowl against Georgia and haven’t stopped since.

I thought Stephen Did a great job Solomon recruiting for 2024 and the problems recruiting from 2019 to now. Well thought out and delivered especially getting some Buckeyes to step back from the cliff. May I recommend another title for a future podcast: what if certain players had not gone pro. Example: 2006 season, what if Santonio Holmes, Donte Whitmer and Ashton Yobouty did not go pro after 2005 and played against Florida? Thank you Kevin Rodeman

BuckeyeTalk has been a daily listen of mine for years, starting in the early days of the B.A.D. Podcast. The current trio of Doug, Stephen, and Nathan balance each other well and offer different perspectives and rationales for their discussions. Doug is an excellent host, and has incredible passion for topics that is palpable. From ranting about Kirk Ferentz, to coaching standards at OSU, to the quality of questions asked at OSU media events - he’s clearly the OG of OSU coverage and it shows. I don’t always agree with his rants and there’s times I think he’s lost the plot, but I never question his passion or integrity on a topic - even if I’m shouting at my podcast while cutting the lawn. Nathan is a great balance to Doug. A bit more reserved and has the least OSU connection of the trio. I do love his dry sense of humor and as he’s gotten more comfortable on the pod he is an insightful and measured observer of the team. Stephen has immeasurably matured as a writer and sports journalist since he joined BuckeyeTalk. It’s honestly been amazing to watch as he’s come into his own on such a high profile beat and program to cover. I also enjoy when he smacks the table while speaking because you know he’s getting fired up. As the youngest member of the trio he also brings a different perspective than Doug and Nathan which was needed. Also, Stephen, excellent job on the recent solo-recruiting pod. All-in-all BuckeyeTalk is the best listen for OSU fans. You will not always agree with them, sometimes they’ll frustrate you, they’re not fans - and that’s a good thing. But the quality of the discussion, production, and content is unrivaled amongst a sea of OSU podcasts.

Love the pod. Listen every day at work

Awesome podcast