OHIO STATE BUCKEYES NOTES: North Gwinnett grad Jordan Hancock home for CFP semifinal

ATLANTA — It may be December, but Saturday’s College Football Playoff semifinal game between Georgia and Ohio State features the return of former North Gwinnett defensive back Jordan Hancock, who is a reserve for the No. 4-ranked Buckeyes.

Hancock, who signed with the Buckeyes in the Class of 2021 as a four-star recruit, has gotten into 13 games for the Buckeyes over the last two years, including six this year. But returning home for the playoff semifinal has a special significance for him.

“My parents are able to come to one game a year up at Ohio State, but they’ll all be here at the game, which I’m really excited about,” he said.

But like his teammates, Hancock said this trip is about business and the opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff is one of the main reasons he chose the Buckeyes over the likes of Georgia, Alabama and Clemson.

“Being here at Ohio State, being developed by great coaches is part of the reason why I came here,” he said. “I expected to be here. To have the opportunity to play a hometown team is great.”

Stroud canceling out the noise

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud has had his fair share of accolades after passing for 3,340 yards and 37 touchdowns this year. But he also has received hate since the Buckeyes lost to Michigan.

“It is what it is. It comes with the nature of the beast,” Stroud said. “You can’t accept the good and not accept the bad. For me, I think if you cut on the film, you watch the tape, I think I really try to do everything that I could to win games in my career. If that means I didn’t get it done, it is what it is. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. I’m going to keep moving forward and learn from it.”

Since the Buckeyes turned their attention to Georgia, Stroud said the focus has been on getting better and studying the ins and outs of Georgia’s defense.

“You have to key on everything,” he said. “Coach (Ryan) Day told us ‘just be you’, and that’s what I need to do. We’re good enough to be here and I’m excited to be here.”

One player Stroud said he was excited to go against was Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo, adding they were great friends and facing him will be a fun challenge.

“He’s a great dude, great family,” Stroud said. “He’s been through a lot with his mom and stuff like that. So I’ve definitely been praying for them and making sure they know that I’m praying for them and they have support with me.”

Harrison Jr. used to the pressure

The name says it all for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. He’s the son 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee by the same name, and thus knows the Ohio State star knows he’s going to constantly be compared to his father.

“People expect you to be just as good, if not better than he was,” Harrison said. “The pressure is always there. It’s never going to stop so I just try to embrace it at this point. He doesn’t add any pressure to me. He just lets me be my own player. Now, I’ve created my own expectations for myself. They’re higher than ever.”

Harrison is widely regarded as one of the top receivers in the country, despite the fact that he’s still a sophomore. His 72 catches for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns have him regarded as a high first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Loss to Michigan fueling Eichenberg

After losing to Michigan 45-23, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and the rest of the Buckeyes were at a loss of words. But the message was always about getting back to work, especially after USC lost to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship.

“Right after (the loss to Michigan), it sucked. It really sucked,” Eichenberg said. “Games like that, it’s going to hurt, no matter how you look at it. But once the emotions kind of settle down, we came together. It’s like, okay, where are we going to get better? We all looked at the film and like here are the mistakes we made, and here’s where we’ve got to get better, right? How are we going to use this to get better? So we practiced that week.”

Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch