Scarlet Sunrise: Ohio State football continues Rose Bowl preparation

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. 

---

Ohio State observations from SoCal

Ohio State has been in Los Angeles for a few days now, and practices and interview sessions have given reporters a chance to get the latest from players and coaches. With that in mind, Lettermen Row senior writer Austin Ward compiled a list of five observations regarding the Buckeyes and their bowl game prep.

Nick Bosa visits practice

Ohio State had a special visitor for practice on Friday when defensive end Nick Bosa stopped by practice to visit with his teammates and coaches. The Buckeyes were back at practice for the third time as they prepare for the Rose Bowl and welcomed back former the Ohio State All-American, who showed up to see his former teammates practice at the StubHub Center, the stadium where his brother — and former Buckeyes All-American — Joey calls home as a star for the San Diego Chargers.

Looming NFL decisions

A few Ohio State players will still have NFL Draft decisions to make after the Rose Bowl. Lettermen Row writer Nick Clarkson analyzed the upcoming choices for Buckeyes who have yet to publicly say whether they’ll stay or go.

Potential Justin Fields impact

If Justin Fields ends up choosing Ohio State, would that impact Class of 2020 quarterback commitment Jack Miller? Lettermen Row recruiting czar Birm tackled that topic in Friday’s recruiting question of the day. Here’s part of what he had to say:

If Fields is eligible in 2019 and he’s at Ohio State, I think it’s also reasonable to expect that he’d play only two years in Columbus before he would leave for the NFL. That means he’d be competing for the Buckeyes in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. So, yes, it’s conceivable he’d overlap with Jack Miller, the 2020 quarterback from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Chaparral High School who is committed to Ryan Day’s program. But there’s not any real reason to be concerned that one year together would be enough to concern Miller or jeopardize his verbal to Ohio State.

I actually reached out to Miller and asked him about this topic when the Fields transfer rumors first began to percolate.

“I’m solid,” he quickly said. “I don’t really care too much.”

That all makes sense, given that no quarterback since Urban Meyer took over in 2012 has avoided a redshirt in their first season on campus. Still, it’s nice for Ohio State and Miller to be on the same page on that topic.

Ohio State practice photos

Birm put together another gallery of photos from Ohio State practice on Friday, so be sure to check that out.

Hate watch alert

If you’re into hate watching Nick Saban’s latest march to another soul-sucking national championship, here’s a reminder that the College Football Playoff semifinals are happening on Saturday, Dec. 29 and not Jan. 1. Here’s the info for each:

• Cotton Bowl: No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Orange Bowl: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Oklahoma, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Counting down

• Rose Bowl: 3 days

Sign up for the Scarlet Sunrise newsletter

If you enjoy the Scarlet Sunrise posts, please consider having our newsletter delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Click here to sign up!