2013 Recruiting

[furls]

This is definitely the most UA players tOSU has ever had. When you look down the class it is hard to find a guy that is unimpressive. I know everyone has a tendency to look ahead to the next class (or rookie QB/PG or whatever) and get a little caught up in the potential, but I look at this 2013 class as it is currently constituted and my only regret with it at all is there are no LBs in the class (and that will get remedied tonight) and there are no true WRs in the class (and the Bucks should get Gibson who is showing very well and or Quick).

The only questionable offers are Darron Lee, who looked like one of the best players in OH during the playoffs (so that offer is really not questionable anymore) and Tim Gardner (OL from IN). The staff has seen Gardner play and workout so many times that I am very unconcerned about it and they took him long before they would have had to reach, so Meyer and Warriner obviously see something in him that they can work with. I was a little concerned about the lack of OT's in the class but Lisle's play in the AAA bowl practices has put my mind at ease there. You also have to figure that one of Billy Price or Munger is bound for OL ultimately.

[e0y2e3]

Where we stand going into the games based on everything I am reading:

Gibson: Buckeye if ACT is straight (this whole WVU being tied with OSU suddenly stuff makes me concerned his ACT still isn't where it needs to be and he is trying to soften the blow). We'll find out on signing day.

Quick: UL, the entire OSU leading thing is an act to hype up his hometown team (that said, this is one of two calls that is truly hard to nail down right now and the people I trust could be totally off and by no fault of their own).

Johson: Done Buckeye (tonight)

Mitchell: Done Buckeye (tomorrow)

Bell: 50/50. Kids likes Meyer more than any other coach but has a strong pull to stay in the south with Saban. If OSU can close him before his in-home and official with Saban the following week he's a Buckeye, but I think at the end of the day Saban wins with the double whammy right after the OSU visit.

Worley: Got his ACT score, making his official this weekend, done (even if not till signing day due to G-Ville being G-Ville)

Wildcard:

Dontre Wilson, athlete/slot freak from Texas going to Oregon (similar to DAT). He's on record that if Kelly bolts to the NFL OSU becomes a very real landing spot. While he's not a true outside WR he's a playmaker you take and OSU will if Quick goes UL and Kelly bolts.

Back-up plans:

If things end poorly with Gibson and Quick (or even one of them and no Wilson) either Corn Elder or Ryan Timmons could get offers.

Linemen:

OSU has offered two in the last few weeks, no real visits set though and the efforts seem fairly meh at this point.

[motherscratcher]

Corn?

[YahooFanChicago]

....old corn?

[e0y2e3]

^ actual from this year

[danwismar]

Thanks, Lee and Furls for the updates throughout the recruiting season...

I really like this class too, furls...especially the deep infusion of speed on offense that it brings. The prospect of Braxton and Baby Braxton (Marshall) throwing the ball to each other??? in unconventional and unpredictable ways for the next two seasons is pretty exciting. Throw Baugh, EzE, Jacobs, Gibson, Quick?, and maybe even Wilson into that mix with Devin Smith, and Spencer, with run threats Hyde, Smith and Dunn...and it's a whole new ball game for Urban and Herman to play with.

Liked what I saw of Darron Lee during the playoffs...both he and Worley seem to fit the Jermale Hines model (not sure exactly how good that comparison is)...a little too big for a safety and need to grow into OLB jobs, but fast, tough and good tacklers and big hitters...ideal for ST roles...maybe Star?...plus you can't have too much speed in your LB corps. Mitchell and Johnson both bring that too, of course.

(off topic of 2013 kids...)You guys probably read that Curtis Grant is being moved to DE....to try to get some kind of productivity out of him. Josh Perry may end up a DE as well... Also nevada hinting the other day that Andrew Norwell may be given a shot at RT next year (as an extra incentive to stick around for his Sr year, given the difference in $$$ value that the NFL places on OT's) and presumably Decker, Hall and Farris (Boren?) would compete for the two starting guard spots.

Not too concerned about OT depth. You know they'll bring in 2-3 blue-chippers in 2014, and a lot of programs would love to have Decker, Dodson and Lisle backing up their starters, with only Decker(3) having less than 4 yrs eligibility left.

The thing I'm most curious about is which current roster players will not be around next year that we don't know about yet...because any additions to this class over 20 (at 19 right now) will have to be accounted for by the loss of a current player...if the numbers I'm hearing are correct.

No one can be forced out of course, but several guys must have already been given "the talk" from the staff about their future prospects for field time. I don't think it's out of line to speculate here about who some of those guys might be...(a certain OT from Akron, and a backup OL from Solon come immediately to mind)

Remember too how the depth of the program will be impacted positively by the return of some of the injured, underused or redshirted 2012 kids, and their anticipated physical progression/improvement from 1st year players to 2nd year players...thinking about Reeves, Murray, Williams, Marcus, Dodson, Decker, Perry, Schutt, Thomas.

The 2013 roster sure seems like light years away from the group that Luke Fickell trotted out there a year and a half ago for the 2011 season.

[e0y2e3]

The biggest thing that sold me on Darren Lee is that the kid went to OSU's first camp and outperformed everyone but Vonn Bell and Taivon Jacobs at the first camp, failed to get an offer and came back to the second camp, performed at a totally different position (safety in the first, LB in the second) and earned his offer.

For a kid to camp twice to earn that offer is pretty awesome.

Same with Gardner, the kid camped and was told if he lost 20 LBs in three weeks he would get an offer. Kid came back three weeks later 20 pounds lighter. Stuff like that is just awesome.

[e0y2e3]

As to numbers, most are hypothesizing 25 at this point and I tend to agree. We just have too many kids we are too agressively pursuing for it to really be less. That said, I could see a situation where one or two schollies are held for signing day kids (Gibson/Bell) and if they don't come are rolled over to next year.

With Stefon Diggs last year we would have taken him in a second when he announced (and eff him not coming sucks, kids going to be a top 15 draft pick and All-American by his junior year), but when he didn't we never made any "extra" space for him and reported to camp at 82.

Rod Smith may not be a Buckeye had Diggs come in. That conversation may have been far more aggressive from Meyer when he told him to transfer. And, of course, I would be heart-broken because I love the kid's game.

[e0y2e3]

Oh and on a weird side note people probably don't realize:

Tori Hunter and David Robinson's kids are committed as WRs to ND. Now Hunter's kid just broke his femur in a freak non-contact accident at the Army Game, so well, that may be that.

[motherscratcher]

Oh and on a weird side note people probably don't realize:

Tori Hunter and David Robinson's kids are committed as WRs to ND. Now Hunter's kid just broke his femur in a freak non-contact accident at the Army Game, so well, that may be that.

I just watched the video of that. Really odd. I've never seen anything like that. Made a cut and his leg just snapped.

[dmiles]

Oh and on a weird side note people probably don't realize:

Tori Hunter and David Robinson's kids are committed as WRs to ND. Now Hunter's kid just broke his femur in a freak non-contact accident at the Army Game, so well, that may be that.

Those guys didn't get the memo that athlete's kids play for Michigan these days (Road Warrior Hawk's kid excepted)

[Cerebral_DownTime]

James Quick to Louisville per everyone on Twitter.

How big of a loss is it?

[e0y2e3]

It sucks, but we will live. Now if Gibson doesn't get in too it really, really hurts.

[furls]

Well, with Chip Kelly to the Browns, Dontre Wilson may be back in play and honestly, I like him better than Gibson and Quick combined. Buckeyes really needed a kid like Tony Stevens in this class, they are devoid of split ends. Quick would have been a real reach as a SE.

[e0y2e3]

Quick is 6'1" and a pure split end, Bucks are looking at Gibson as a SE/slot too. That is why they need one of them. Wilson is the same position as Jalin and Jacobs.

[e0y2e3]

Also, the Bucks stopped recruiting Stevens because they view Gibson and Quick as SEs.

[furls]

I don't know about Quick being a pure SE at 6'1, first of all if 6'1 is his listed height you can be sure he is not, but that is beside the point. He really doesn't have the frame to carry the weight to play bigger than his height either.

He is not a big target at SE. Tony Stevens is much more Split Endy at 6-4, with the frame to be a 6-4, 210lb outside threat. We are already seeing the issues with our only outside threat (Devin Smith) playing at 6'1. I was really hoping to see a big WR in this class.

As for Marshall, Jacobs and Wilson. I will give you that Wilson and Jacobs are largely redundant, but Wilson is a MUCH better version of Jacobs. No one has any idea what Jalin Marshall is going to be except a real pain in the ass to tackle for opposing teams. I am not sure that I see him as a "z" in Meyers offense, and that is definintely where I see Jacobs and or Wilson.

[e0y2e3]

If you read Quick's interviews and then go back and look at the WR's he had at Florida you'll quickly realize that 6'1" skinny and really fast is pretty damn standard for SE in his offense. He'll always have one or two big guys running around and Michael Thomas along with his hybrid tight ends will play that role. And the Buckeye's dropping Stevens came out of his mouth, which is something a recruit isn't about to say unless it really happened that way.

I swear on the bible, Quick was 100% being recruited as a SE (not to mention he plays like one).

Anyway, Wilson is absolutely electric, but at this point he is a luxury in this class (similar to a late offer to Elder or Timmons). Whereas this team was only recruited two true WRs for the last good while in Quick and Gibson and if they lose both that blows.

[furls]

BN$ is reporting that the staff is meeting with Gibson tonight, and Gibson has done away with that co-leaders with WVU BS.

I agree that we are getting a lot of the same guys in Marshall, Jacobs, Wilson and even Zeke. They all remind of Dave Meggett with very degrees of physicality. Meggett was likely to split his touches equally between returns, receptions and carries and I think that could apply to any of the 4 listed above.

OSU definitely needs some WRs and I was really hoping for a 6'4" SE. Gibson is a really nice receiver, but I was really hoping for a guy that could come in and be what TY Williams was supposed to be. Basically a RSJ or DGB, doesn't have to be an ultra elite prospect like those two, just a big guy that can play like TO or Moss on the outside.

[furls]

This class will finish with:

-Gibson
-Worley
and a 50:50 shot at Bell.

If they get Bell it is grand slam homerun of a recruiting class. If they miss on him, it is just a towering 3 run blast.

[e0y2e3]

Yeah, Rivals had the same on Gibson already being with tOSU staff.

And you keep discounting Meyer splitting his TEs out for that effect. They have Baugh in this class to be that big guy.

[furls]

Yeah, Rivals had the same on Gibson already being with tOSU staff.

And you keep discounting Meyer splitting his TEs out for that effect. They have Baugh in this class to be that big guy.

I guess i just have to get used to that. I still haven't seen enough passes to the TEs though. That should change as Miller gets better at reading through his progressions. He has a couple of nice ones already in Heuerman and Vannett, but Baugh is a different kind of athlete.

[e0y2e3]

And Stoneburner became fairly useful after Meyer called him out publicly for playing like crap.

[pod2dawg]

I guess i just have to get used to that. I still haven't seen enough passes to the TEs though. That should change as Miller gets better at reading through his progressions. He has a couple of nice ones already in Heuerman and Vannett, but Baugh is a different kind of athlete.

A guarded "criticism" of Urban/Miller.....I may be a simpleton but I would perhaps start my progression more like this........6' 6" guarded by someone smaller....50% of the time not even as fast. Throw that guy the ball...high.

[danwismar]

Didn't think this was necessarily threadworthy, but word is leaking out of Chicago (credit BN$ with the source) that the decision has been made about re-aligning the Big Ten divisions in 2014.

Michigan will be moving to the Leaders along with both the new teams...Maryland and Rutgers, and Illinois and Wisconsin will move to Legends. So it shapes up like this:

Leaders:

Ohio State
Michigan
Penn State
Purdue
Indiana
Maryland
Rutgers

Legends:

Michigan State
Nebraska
Wisconsin
Iowa
Illinois
Northwestern
Minnesota

So the breakdown finally makes some more geographic sense, although it still leaves the Legends with a bit of an edge in strength overall...for the moment.

[e0y2e3]

Well, better pray Rutgers keeps getting better and Maryland develops that talent rich country they sit in, or our side BLOWS.

NOTE: if PSU wasn't getting railed by the NCAA I'd be fine with the splits

[neoleo]

Hopefully they just call it East and West this time. I'm happy that we're on the same side as michigan. After that I don't really care.

[bac5665]

Legends will almost never win the B1G Championship. OSU or scUM will win it every year. Nebraska left the the Big-12 to avoid being the only team in one of the divisions and this split does that again. And look how many times they won the championship last time.

There is almost no competitive balance here.

Not that there was much before.

[e0y2e3]

Lane Kiffin redefines slime:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/varsity ... r-usc.html

That's just so fuckin low.

[furls]

You mean Lane Kiffin is a scumbag? Who would've thunk it. When he gets fired from USC (once the sanctions are wrapping up and the job is less toxic) he will officially be unhirable by any BCS program. SLIMEBAG.

[e0y2e3]

I mean, sure, we all knew he was a scumbag. But telling a kid whose been committed to you thanks but no thanks when he shows up to enroll for spring semester (as planned) is about as low as I've ever seen.

[noles1]

Sometimes Kiffin is such a blatant dick, I almost wonder if he sits in his office and actually thinks of ways to redefine and one-up his whole prickness.

[furls]

I mean, sure, we all knew he was a scumbag. But telling a kid whose been committed to you thanks but no thanks when he shows up to enroll for spring semester (as planned) is about as low as I've ever seen.

Yeah, he is fucking gross. You would hope there was a way to get this out to every player he recruits or is going to recruit. It is about as fucked up of a story as I have seen in scUMbag recruiting.

[danwismar]

I've been checking around and reading online to try to get a handle on what is causing the rash of de-commits from USC. Obviously this type of behavior is suspect, but this is the first instance of this specific action that I've heard of, at least this year...but this guy is about the 4th or 5th USC recruit to bail out. Maybe they all have different reasons...maybe they just think they committed too soon or whatever...but it's a little strange to have this many kids changing their minds.

I'd like to hear any info or opinions you guys have.

[e0y2e3]

Word is that some of those kids were either politely told to look around or were just ignored enough to get them to take visits because USC believes they have better replacements available and are dealing with the schollie issues.

That explains, IMO, a few of the five.

[danwismar]

That makes sense...and is yet more evidence of Kiffin's appalling scumbaggery.

[furls]

This many recruits jumping this late is a bit weird. I cannot believe that he has better replacements for all of them. FWIW, did you guys see what the Massillon Washington Coach recently said about Tubberville @ Cincy? He said that Tubberville and his staff were not welcome at Massilon ever again during as long as he was the HC at Massilon. It has something to do with the way that Kempt was treated, apparently Tubberville is not honoring the kids scholly from Butch.

Maybe some of these CA coaches need to step up.

BTW, a Cincy coach pissing off the Massillon Coach is not a good idea. Massillon is one of THE jobs in OH and these coaches all talk. If the OH coaches didn't already think Tubberville was a scumbag, they do now. Recruiting is about relationships, and that was a pretty important one to fuck up.

[danwismar]

pretty good wrap up of OSU's 2013 recruiting situation from 11W:

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2013/01/1 ... es-falling

[neoleo]

This many recruits jumping this late is a bit weird. I cannot believe that he has better replacements for all of them. FWIW, did you guys see what the Massillon Washington Coach recently said about Tubberville @ Cincy? He said that Tubberville and his staff were not welcome at Massilon ever again during as long as he was the HC at Massilon. It has something to do with the way that Kempt was treated, apparently Tubberville is not honoring the kids scholly from Butch.

Maybe some of these CA coaches need to step up.

BTW, a Cincy coach pissing off the Massillon Coach is not a good idea. Massillon is one of THE jobs in OH and these coaches all talk. If the OH coaches didn't already think Tubberville was a scumbag, they do now. Recruiting is about relationships, and that was a pretty important one to fuck up.

Especially important when you factor in the Paul Brown/Cincy connection. Although a part of me thinks the coach is overstepping his boundaries. One of his future players might be a perfect fit for Cincy but he'll never have a chance because of this stance. I guess at a place like Massillon you'll always get looked at, but I'd hate for a kid to miss out on scholie because his coach has a grudge.

[furls]

A kid is already missing out, but because of Cincy's actions.... Kempt. If the Cincy coach is a scumbag, I wouldn't let him around my kids. Think about it, if you are a Cincy level recruit you probably have other options as well, at least you can (probably) count on those other coaches to keep their word and honor their scholarship offers.

[peeker643]

A kid is already missing out, but because of Cincy's actions.... Kempt. If the Cincy coach is a scumbag, I wouldn't let him around my kids. Think about it, if you are a Cincy level recruit you probably have other options as well, at least you can (probably) count on those other coaches to keep their word and honor their scholarship offers.

For a kid that can go play at Cincy there are still options. MAC at the worst where he'll still get a scholarship be seen to an extent. So Massillon isn't hurting the Massillon kid so much as the kid from somewhere else who can't play at UC and sees his MAC scholarship go to that Massillon kid.

Sort of a trickle down effect I guess, though the Massillon coach probably doesn't (and maybe shouldn't) give a rat's ass about that. He's protecting his own, theoretically, and if I was the father of the Massillon kid, depending on what I thought of the Massillon coach, then I'd have a decision to make.

[danwismar]

Seems to me many of these high school coaches have an out-sized influence on their players' college destinations...often unfairly biased by the coaches' own preferences and/or whatever favors they may get from college coaches.

They control access to the players in the school setting though, and I don't know what you do about that. I'm sure too, that many of these kids value what their coaches think about college programs more than they value what their parents or others have to say...right or wrong.

[peeker643]

Seems to me many of these high school coaches have an out-sized influence on their players' college destinations...often unfairly biased by the coaches' own preferences and/or whatever favors they may get from college coaches.

They control access to the players in the school setting though, and I don't know what you do about that. I'm sure too, that many of these kids value what their coaches think about college programs more than they value what their parents or others have to say...right or wrong.

Probably true.

Which says more about parenting than it does about coaching IMHO.

[e0y2e3]

Parents suck too.

Skai Moore, a pseudo Buckeye target committed to Rutger a month ago and his family forced him into decommmitting yesterday because they didn't buy in.

[peeker643]

Parents suck too.

Skai Moore, a pseudo Buckeye target committed to Rutger a month ago and his family forced him into decommmitting yesterday because they didn't buy in.

Good for them. At least they knew where he was going to school and didn't have to check an address on a booster check or turn on the TV to know where their kid was.

[RickNashEquilibrium]

Someone needs to get Urban on this kid, stat.

[danwismar]

That video really is pretty funny. The kind of thing only a kid's mom would put together.

You guys have probably heard by now that Alex Anzalone has de-committed from Notre Dame and announced for Florida...ostensibly due to Brian Kelly having interviewed with the Eagles.

Just looking for an excuse seems more like it...just like he did to de-commit from OSU...and wind up right where his hyper-controlling dad wanted him to be in the first place...with the Gators.

Lee's right. Parents do suck sometimes.

[e0y2e3]

Well, it's safe to say I was 100% wrong about Alex Anzalone and the entire sex criminal deal.

This entire "decommitting from ND and enrolling at UF early (tomorrow) because Brian Kelly interviewed for a job he isn't going to take" thing is the dad's second strike of using something as an "excuse" to push his kid toward UF (where he graduated from Dental School).

[e0y2e3]

Worley the S/LB from Glenville is in.

[pod2dawg]

Parents suck too.

Skai Moore, a pseudo Buckeye target committed to Rutger a month ago and his family forced him into decommmitting yesterday because they didn't buy in.

Good for them. At least they knew where he was going to school and didn't have to check an address on a booster check or turn on the TV to know where their kid was.

Nah Peek, these days we parents just stalk our kids on Facebook.