| 13 March 2010
A Duane Long Report fan sent me this by e-mail. Since the fan sent it privately I will leave the name out but I will address the issue:
Was curious if you could write about why OSU doesn't pull in state talent like Texas does? It seems each year that UT has a top 5 class of in state products locked up by the end of spring ball. Why can't the Bucks get a grip on our in state kids like Texas can?
I would say I am not sure if I have read you right. I think this staff has done a massive great job of not only building a wall around the state but also locking the gate and guarding it. I can count the number of players the staff has lost from the state of Ohio in the last five years on one hand. Take the tight ends off the list and it becomes not worth talking about. Michigan has always had Ohio players on its roster. I think we can see a direct corelation between the demise of the Michigan program and Tressels arrival. He accomplished something John Cooper tried in vain to do, lock down the state. Michigan has been losing head to head battles with the Buckeyes since Tressels arrival and it is not even close. Last year Michigan had a good year in Ohio but did not secure a commitment from a player the Buckeyes offered.
There is something else in your question that gets my attention. Maybe you are not talking about players leaving the state. Maybe you are talking about "...UT has a top 5 class of instate products...". That is not something Jim Tressel can do anything about. FPortner on Bucknuts put up some D-1 recruiting numbers. I will not borrow his entire post, I am pretty sure he visits. He can put the entire post up if he wants to. I will borrow the numbers that pertain to this topic. Texas had 408 D-1 recruits last year. Ohio had 172. That is nearly 2.5 more potential players than there is available here in Ohio to come up with a top 5 class just from instate. Ohio is doing great. 172 puts Ohio #5 in the nation. Ohio is top 5 just about every year but population trends are that the country is heading south and west. The Dispatch did a very impressive series on the largest cities in Ohio last year. Every one but Columbus has lost population over the last 20 years and that is not going to change. How many of you reading this are in the state of Ohio? After a winter like the one we just went through my wife and I talked about the possibility of sometime in the future headed for a more appealing climate A good friend maintains that the program is doing as well as can be expected considering the population shift. There are going to be top 5 classes with an Ohio base but I do not see the day where Ohio State will have a top 5 class just made up of Ohio players.
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