| 14 October 2010
There is a good bit of chatter out there on the internet about who the Buckeyes finish up the class with. I see a top five class no matter what happens, and no matter where we are ranked I think it is a great one. It is a class that fills needs and the talent level is top drawer. I think the Buckeyes have put together a defensive line class for the ages. That is where it starts. Superior defensive line is where we got dominated by Florida and it is where we dominated Oregon.
Here is my take on where we stand.
I see nine viable players with offers out there for the Buckeyes. I don't know how many more offers we see. We have not seen but a handful of offers every year over the past few years once the season starts. We are out of the mix for some offered players. Kevin McReynolds is one. I don't know if we were ever in the mix for a player like Jeoffrey Pagan. We have not been eliminated publicly by Ishaq Williams but I would be surprised if we even got a visit.
Right at the top of the list is cornerback Doran Grant. After what we saw this year we need to stock the cornerback position. I would like to see a few more names on the list but it is late to get in on an elite kid now. I have always believed Grant was a definite Buckeye lean but after seeing that there is no corner out there who looks like a sure starter after Devon Torrence and Chimdi Chekwa leave, Both seniors by the way, that the odds Grant comes this way are so good that Vegas would take him off the board if there was betting on such things.
I want Jabari Gorman in this class badly. I know he wants Ohio State. I think there is a huge stumbling block. That block is called family. It is not that they do not like Ohio State. They just want him to stay close to home.We need help in the defensive backfield. We have an elite kid that wants to be here. In the end I think he stays close to home to satisfy his family. Very frustrating.
I don't feel good about any of the three linebacker recruits still on the board. No, I am not including Kent Turene. He is committed to another school. When he de-commits I will take his talk of visiting seriously. I see Ejuan Price, Connor Crowell and Anthony Wallace as possibles. I think Wallace may be the best shot. I know that will surprise you but think about it. Who is the one who went out of his way to make contact? Price seems to be trying to find a way to not come here. Ohio State or Iowa? This is a tough decision? I do not feel good about it. I have never felt good about Crowell. I would not be surprised if he commits to Penn State before he even visits. I think he ends up at Penn State anyway. Wallace contacted Ohio State. He is the best of the lot. I don't think we get any of them but it would not surprise me if he is the one we get.
Jadeveon Clowney. Yes, we do have a shot. I think he stays home with Clemson or S.Carolina but we do have a shot. There is a connection between his school and Ohio State. Do you really think the scarlet and gray uniforms and Buckeye based insignias and Fight Song are just a coincindence? Come on. When he decided that he might leave the state I was not surprised Ohio State made his top four.
Shane Wynn. I don't know what is going on with his recruitiment. The silence is deafening. He has stated that someone else leads. Wynn fans point out that he is not the first Glenville kid who said someone else led before deciding on Ohio State. The difference is I wonder how hard the Buckeyes are recruiting him now. I am not hearing anything. Schools that want to get out of offers use the fact that the kids want the "love" to their advantage regularly. They cease contact with the player. The kid starts to drift toward schools giving them the attention they want. I don't know if that is what is happening with Wynn. The fact that I am not hearing anything makes me say it is no better than even money that he comes this way.
I think Aundray Walker comes this way. I am still not excited at all about him. I saw Glenville once this year. He was no more impressive in that game than he has been in past games I have seen. The only thing I can think about his high rankings is some think he can play tackle. He has good feet for a 330 lb kid. I just don't see tackle feet. I don't see him pass blocking on ends at the next level. High schools play their best linemen where he can help his team the most so some college tackles play guard in high school. That is not the case at Glenville. Top Glenville OLs play tackle. Bryant Browning and Marcus Hall both played tackle. Walker plays guard. I would like for those that are high on him to look at him as a guard. I think they would share my opinion of him. He should dominate. He doesn't.
The last kid of the nine I think we have a shot at is Marylands Daruis Jennings. Great looking athlete who could be a receiver or a corner. He is quietly going about his business, flying under the radar. He would be a great get and we have a relationship with his school, Baltimore Gilman.
Two players that have not been offered that could be are Glenville's Cardale Jones and Andre Sturdivant. I think we see Jones in a Buckeye uniform should he get himself qualified. At this point he is not. I think there are a couple of reasons why he is a Buckeye if qualfied. I think the staff is afraid of what he can be. His upside is tremendous. To let a Glenville kid get to another Big Ten school and become the player he can be would be a huge blow. A player we could have had who comes from a pipeline school comes back and beats us hurts us on the field and in public relations. The other reason I think a qualified Jones gets an offer is some are questioning Braxton Millers durability. He has been hurt alot. He is going to get hit by bigger and faster people in college. I think it is too early to say he is injury prone but you have to have your head in the sand to not take notice of the fact that he has been hurt a good bit.
Sturdivant has answered the questions about his size. He got heavier and all it did was make him look better. He still has two problems. One is he too is not qualified. The other is that he projects to positions that we have even more talented players stacked. I think the dynamic of the Glenville relationship will determine whether he gets offered.
In the end I would be happy to get Grant and hopefully Gorman. If Clowney wants to come this way we make room for him no matter what and the same for Wallace. I want Jones very much. In the end if all we get is Grant I see one of the better classes in my time watching recruiting and I see scholarships for the next stellar class stacking up.
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