| 01 March 2011
A fan sent me this and I thought it would make a good blog. I started it out as one day thing. It is looking like a two-blog post now.
<<<If there are really only 20 spots available Duane, would you please pick the 20 you'd like to see OSU get.<<<
Actually it is 15. We have the 5 verbals. I am going to take a liberty here. With some players I am going to list who I would love to have and who I would be very happy to have as the elite guy is not leaning this way. I will not list any long shots.
Dorial Green-Beckham is the Jadeveon Clowney for skill position players. He is at least the best to come out of high school scince A.J. Green and Julio Jones and is arguably the best since Randy Moss. He has Ohio State in his top five. I think he is likely to pick between Missouri and Oklahoma but until he drops the Buckeyes he will stay at the top of my list.
Any other year Jaquay Williams is the top receiver in the country. The Buckeyes have come in with an early offer and he lists the Buckeyes in his top five. He is another that will stay on my list until I see him drop the Buckeyes.
Both of the above are players you don't even consider saying no to. I don't see receiver as a need, not with the class of 2013 receivers on the horizon. The only receiver I think we have a great shot at that I would not say no to is Dwayne Stanford. I want to see him run later in the year when he has had some rest, a negative of the football and basketball athlete, and has time to prep. His football speed looks impressive.
I think we have great talent and depth on the defensive line but I believe you win championships at quarterback and on the defensive line. There is no such thing as too many of them. I would love to say yes to all the instate defensive linemen with offers. The recent offer to Mentor's Tom Strobel just confirms what I believe and that is that there is going to be a cutoff when the Buckeyes believe they have their target number. I believe that number will be four more. I get to pick so I am taking Greg McMullen, the Akron Hoban SSDE/Three-technique who is my top player in the class for 2012. He is the one defensive lineman in class who combines measurables, film and motor, the trifecta as far as I'm concerned. I keep watching Ifeadi Odenigbo, the fastest rising prospect in the state and I would say in the midwest. Maybe he is a linebacker but I see a rush end. He is not ideal sized but he leaps out at you on film and his 109+ SPARQ is an athletic performance that is off the charts. He is another high motor kid. My third kid is Canton McKinleys Sevon Pittman. He should not be this good for how little football he has played. Love the body. He comes in as a rush end but could grow all the way to a three-technique.
The fourth spot is where this gets difficult. Illinois Tommy Schutt fits best. He is at least a three-technique tackle but I think he is going to be a great nose tackle. Making the hard decision I say Schutt. That I am leaving off the two most talented kids in the class, the two most physically gifted players in the class leaves me shaking my head. If you asked me who were the most gifted players in the class with no hesitation I would say Adolphus Washington and Chris Wormley. Motor is the key to everything. Motor is about getting as much as possible out of what you have. When giving it everything from the moment the ball is snapped until the whistle, Washington and Wormley are unstoppable. I have not seen it from them down after down yet. I would not hesitate to take either or both because if either finds the every down fire they are three and out players but I have to take the players who are about as good but have better motors first.
I want to take five offensive linemen. I don't think that can happen in a 20 man class. I think we see four in this class. I think that is why there is no offer to Benny McGowan yet. I believe that Kyle Dodson is a qualifying score from an offer. I believe he will be a Buckeye. With Kyle Kalis and Jacoby Boren already verballed I think that leaves one more slot which I believe the staff holds for Jordan Diamond or Jonah Pirsig. I am a believer in that strategy but I would stay in touch with McGowan and try to stall him until I had a good feel for how things were with Diamond and Pirsig. I would wait until signing day for Diamond or Pirsig but I would have to know I had a genuine shot before I made that commitment though. McGowan is too good to let walk away for a pipe dream.
| < Prev |
|---|
