| 07 July 2011
One of the things that is getting overlooked because of the bad news with the elite defensive lineman is the remarkable success otherwise. This is a great looking class so far.
It is going to take a headline pair of backs from anyone to do better than the Buckeyes pair of Warren Ball and Brionte Dunn. Notice I said pair. You are probably surprised to see me say that. I have felt for some time that Dunn would go elsewhere. Recent events have me believing Dunn will be a Buckeye. There have been a couple of dates recently where Dunn would have had prime opportunities to be someplace else but he showed up at Ohio State. He could have went to any other schools camp. It is a perfect opportunity to get to know a staff and take a look around. He came here. He could have just stayed home and nobody would have given it a second thought. I think he is trying to make a statement. I think he is trying to say that this is where he is going to be this time next year.
I think the Buckeyes have landed a really nice defensive backfield lot. You know I will not spew the company line. If I didn't like them I would say so. Bucknuts subscribers can see that a
couple of months ago I picked Najee Murray to be a part of this class. Now that the athlete season is over, we are seeing a re-shuffling of the safety class. All rankings are a work in progress until this time a year, after the athlete season. I will be doing a ranking here soon, by the way. You may recall I was talking about Tyvis Powell as a player who was blowing up and likely to see Big Five offers right before the Buckeyes offered. He was a player that the more I looked at his film and the more I was hearing as school were getting a look at him up close and finding out what kind of kid he was, the more it was apparent that was going to be a Big Five offer player. I see a safety. I need to see him play as a corner before I believe it.Speaking of corners,I love Devon Bogard as a player. I just don't know about this corner talk. I have never seen him in coverage for one play. For all intents and purposes he is a linebacker in the Glenville scheme. I see a kid born to play the Star position.
I include one of my favorite safety prospects, Frank Epitropulous, with the defensive backs. I know it seems like the buzz is he will be a receiver. I think that was more likely with Jim Tressel. I think we will see an even more aggressive defense under Fickell. He will have more need for a center fielder at free safety. There are two that stand out above the others in this class, Jarrod Wilson and Frank Epitropulous. Both are 6 feet plus. Both have range. Both have tremendous ball skills. Put 8 in the box with Epitropulous back there in the middle of the field. He has the range to get to either side of the field to make a play. I have been thinking about someone he reminds me of. The name finally came to me. Brian Hartline, who was in the same position himself. He could have been a safety as easily as he was a wide receiver.
After his camp performance Josh Perry is headed toward a five-star rating. It is crucial to this process that players get better. Nobody in the class is getting better at the rate Perry is getting better.
You may recall my first tight end rankings. That was some time ago. Long before there was any indication that the Buckeyes were interested in Blake Thomas I said he was the best receiving tight end in the class. He is such a good receiver that St. Ignatius splits him out.
Jacoby Boren might be fullback. My response to that is nothing but a big smile. There were only two scholarship fullbacks on the roster. Both were going to be juniors.The staff recognized that, moving David Durham to fullback this spring. You need fullbacks. We see a good bit of three wides but I don't see a time when Ohio State football does not want to strap it up and run some I-formation power football. Zack Boren is the best fullback we have seen at Ohio State since Jamar Martin. Having another Boren leading a running back into the hole is fine with me. If he is a center, he is a center. If Jacoby is a fullback, that fills a need.
If not for all the turmoil we would likely still have Kyle Kalis on board too, and that could still happen. I think Luke Fickell has a pair of very strong handcuffs on him with the sanctions looming and the uncertainty about his future. He is still doing a great job of holding this class together.
It is very simple. I can't remember a class off the top of my head where I looked at a verbal list and did not say I would like to have that one back. There is not one kid committed so far that I think is a reach.
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