| 16 September 2010
The Buckeyes put a new offer on the table. It is a surprise to me but not because I think it is a reach and not because I think it was mistimed. I just thought the staff would wait for awhile to see how things shook out since it is so early.
The offer to Brionte Dunn came three games into the season. Dunn is lighting it up. 830 yards on three games. I think his performance has re-opened the discussion about who is the best back in the state. Every week he adds to his credentials. But I thought the staff would wait. You have to remember that Rushel Shell, a running back from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania has the Buckeyes at the top of his list. Some are touting the talented Shell as the nations top back in 2012. I have not seen the film where he is the best back in the country. From the films I have seen he still needs to show he is the best back in Pennsylvania. Both Greg Garmon from Erie, Pennsylvania and Drew Harris from Downington East are in the discussion for best in the Keystone state. I am not saying that I think Shell is overrated. I am saying we need to see more of all these backs before we say who is the best. They all belong in the conversation about who is the best back in the country. Many will say Barry Sanders jr is the best but I think Shell, Garmon and Harris need to be looked at hard and I think both Warren Ball and Brionte Dunn are going to be part of the discussion. With Shell said to be a Buckeye lean I thought the staff would wait and see if any of these top backs would separate themselves from the others. Apparently the staff believes that it only took three games for them to see that separation. I have not seen the others junior films but it is hard to believe that they would be more impressive than Dunn. His sophmore film did not leap out at me. His junior films jump out and slap me silly. He is getting better. Each new game film is better than the last. One place where he has a leg up is in level of competition. He is running up all this yardage against the likes of Massillon. He still has Canton McKinley on the schedule. There will not be a question about his level of competition.
Something that may have made the decision easy to make right now is the fact that the buzz has always been that Dunn would not wait long to commit to the Buckeyes if an offer came. That would mean we land a couple of the nations top ten backs in the class of 2012 before their junior year is over. Fans have been very excited about the depth at running back that the current roster boasts. I have warned that we are unlikely to hold onto all these backs. Someone is going to want to play more than he wants to be a Buckeye. With talent like this in the fold that is not going to be a major worry. To think that highly rated players would transfer and we would see an even better roster is a testament to how well this staff is recruiting and why the Buckeyes are in no danger of seeing a real challenge to dominance of the Big Ten Conference in the foreseeable future.
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