The class of 2005

Written by Duane Long | 26 August 2009

I was looking back at this senior class, the class of 2005. Talk about a study in contrasts. This class has been feast or famine.

You look at players like James Laurinaitis, who came out of nowhere. He was committed to Minnesota, his home state school. That was his best offer. He gets an offer to Ohio State, changes his committment and makes himself a first round draft pick. Brian Robiskie was a kid I was very high on but the Buckeyes did not seem to take a liking to him until late. He had an offer from Miami on the table. That was a school that at the time was still basking in its fading glory. Robiskie accepted the offer relatively quickly and went on to becoming a 2nd round pick. Malcolm Jenkins was another kid that was a kid that did not get alot of attention. He had the better offer list of the three but still was not a kid who made anyones top 10 nationally as a cornerback. Donald Washington was considered a late throw-in player and a reach. He is an NFL player.

The highest rated recruit was Alex Boone. I am starting to see some come around to the fact that Boone was a solid player. If not for all the off the field baggage he would have been drafted early on day two. The other most ballyhooed players in the class did not live up to the hype. Mo Wells was never a starter, let alone the star that his offer list would have suggested he was going to be. Several other highly rated recruits left no legacy. Jamario O'Neal is one of the great enigmas in recent years. That he was not even a starter for the last two years is something I cannot explain. Rob Schoenhoft finished up the athlete season with a four-star rating and a national top ten ranking. Ryan Williams was a four-star kid and just outside of the national top ten at his position. Never touched the field here that I can recollect.

Another defining characteristic of this class, and what prompted this review of the class, is the number of players impacted by major injury. Andre Amos is as healthy as he has been since his junior year in high school. He is making a bid for the starting job. Lawrence Wilson and Anderson Russell have both suffered a pair of season ending injuries each. Ask Todd Denlinger when was the last time he was completely healthy and he will need to think about it. Doug Worthington has had his share of injuries.

This class turned it upside down. What it comes down to at the level is attitude and hard work. At this level, despite all the rankings and the ratings, there is so little that separates the four-star from the five-star when it comes to talent. Look at the kids who have been successful in the class. What defined them? They were great kids, known to have high character. They never complained. They were good teammates and they worked hard. When I look at those trying to overcome a career full of injuries, I see those characteristics. Cheer for them to be successful, Buckeye fans. When this is all over, whether they play a down of pro ball, you will be proud of the men they have become and that they wore the scarlet and gray.