| 20 July 2010
Dave Biddle has a great one on one with incoming recruit David Durham. He was projected at defensive end but reveals to Biddle that he will be getting his first shot at linebacker.
I remember when he was being recruited. He came out of nowhere. The first film came out and I wondered why we had him projected at DE. Then the DE film came out and I saw why. He can play either position. Start him off there and see how he does. If he outgrows the position, he outgrows the position. Looks like a natural movedown move. Start any player at the fastest and most athletic position you think he can play and move him down. I also think it is good scholarship management. With next years monster DL class and with a linebacker class that is still looking for bodies, adding a Mike to the mix is a great move and opens up the DL depth chart for those recruits on the defensive line next year. Smart players pay attention to the depth chart. If they are in love with a school they pay less attention but make no mistake, if two or more schools are in a fight for a top kid, the one with the better depth chart is going to hold an edge.
I don't know what Trey DePriest is going to do but last week I really liked the reports that he is trending to Ohio State and at the same time reports that he is about to get it over with. I would add that the timing makes me wonder if he is seeing the makings of a national championship run, or two, with a class like the Buckeyes are bringing in. This apparent change of heart comes at a time when the Buckeye class is looking like it is going to be a special one, not to mention it comes on the heels of a verbal from his good friend Braxton Miller. He might think he needs to make a decision soon if he wants Ohio State. Spots are filling up and he might not be in the mix should he continue to hold off on making his decision.
Fast forward to this week. He is now said to be looking at taking an Alabama visit after the Ohio State visit. I don't like that. The staff needs to get him to commit this weekend on his visit and cancel that trip back down to Alabama in August. If we do not pull that off I think we get bad news after he comes back from that trip down south.
That said, I think there is some overreaction to losing him. DePriest is a fine looking player but he is not like Hicks last year. The 4-3 is a defensive line defense. Linebackers have to really be special to be worried over. Katzenmoyer, Sabino and Hicks are about the only linebackers we have seen here that make the grade as that special. Maybe Dorian Bell rises to that level. I am not saying this is nothing to worry about. The reason we are in this situation where the fact is that this is not dire if we lose him is because we have stockpiled linebacker talent. This is going to catch-up with us at some point. Rolle and Homan are seniors. Sabino and Sweat are juniors. 2012 and 2013 is where we need to look to for the impact of losing Hicks and if we lose DePriest. If we don't lock up some quality depth this year then we are going to have to go after the really big fish next year. Players that you know can play right away. There aren't many of those every year.We are looking good with the underrated Ejuan Price and seem to have secured a visit from recent USC commit Kent Turene. He says he is still going to take all five visits but the only two he is sure of are USC and Ohio State. He is a friend of Buckeye verbal Jeremy Cash.
Don't mention Andre Sturdivant in the linebacker mix. I have had concerns about him as a linebacker from the start. He said he is up to 260 and that was about a month ago. Great player but I don't know if we have a place for him. He is not going to be a linebacker and he is not ideal sized to play DE or DT. That we are full at both spots does not help his situation.
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