Long-time and well-known Ohio State reporter Austin Ward is joining rivals.com to cover the Buckeye football and basketball teams. Formerly of Lettermen Row, ESPN and Land of 10, Ward has covered the Ohio State beat for a decade. The 2022 season will mark his 11th consecutive year as an authority on the Buckeyes. Prior to his time on the Ohio State beat, Ward also wrote for the Casper Star-Tribune and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. But it’s in Columbus where he has become an authoritative voice on Buckeye sports.

Ward will begin writing for ScarletandGrayReport.com immediately and will be on site in Indianapolis when Ohio State takes the stage at Big Ten Media Days next week. He will be the lead writer covering fall camp and the 2022 Buckeyes’ football season for however long it will last. And, of course, he’ll transition right into Ohio State hoops this fall and winter.

“It's incredibly exciting to be joining the Rivals network and helping guide the coverage of the Buckeyes heading into what could be a truly special season," Ward said. "We've worked hard to put together a strong team to give Ohio State fans the kind of insight, access and news they deserve and have come to expect from all of us that will be involved moving forward."

Bringing Ward in is the first step in rebuilding the Ohio State site on the Rivals network. You can follow all of Austin’s coverage as well as future developments on the site by signing up for a premium subscription today.

“There will be some changes coming to the site when we officially take over just before training camp starts,” Ward said. “And we hope this community is as energized as we are to get rolling with us."

Ohio State has one of the country’s most passionate fanbases. That passion deserves to be matched by market-leading coverage. With Ward leading the way, this hire is the first step in returning to that coverage of the Buckeyes for rivals.com.

You can follow Austin on Twitter at @AWardSports and chat with him on our message boards at AustinWard.