| 08 May 2011
A few years ago there was a movie called the Perfect Storm. The movie centered on the fate of the crew of the Andrea Gail. A combination of three weather events came together to create a storm that caused $208 million dollars in damage. There are three events coming together right now for Ohio State that could make Buckeye fans see $208 million in damage as getting off light.
Here are the three factors that are coming together to create the Perfect Storm for The Rivalry:
- Back in January I did a blog about the rivalry being back. That the hiring of a true Michigan man, and a fine coach, in Brady Hoke would reignite the greatest rivalry in American sport. As usual, Buckeye fans dismissed it. That happens alot when fans don't want to hear something.
- Tattoogate happened. It created a situation where recruiting is in an all-out stall. At the end of last week there was more fallout as news that the purchase of approximately fifty cars by Buckeye players was being investigated. I know this came up before with Thaddeus Gibson a couple of years ago. I think this will end up with JT being cleared of any wrongdoing but it is impacting the national perception and hurting recruiting as other staffs will keep hammering away with negative recruiting tactics that will be hard to counter. It will at least put the staff in a situation where Ohio State is facing an uphill battle. It is hard to state your case when you first have to defend yourself. It is tough to play offense while you are playing defense. Several recruits admitted to Bucknuts off the record last week that the dark cloud surrounding the program is impacting their recruitment. Running back Brionte Dunn was offered and committed early. He has now opened up his recruitment. When a player is offered and commits early that is a sign that things have changed. Early commits are the players who are true believers in a program.
- This is a class for the ages in the state of Ohio. The dirty little secret of The Rivalry is the fact that Michigan has been at its best when it has recruited Ohio well. That has not happened for some time. The Buckeyes have limited scholarships. There has never been a year when that has been a greater hindrance.
What this adds up to is Hoke is already having a major impact. I don't care if you reincarnate Vince Lombardi. You are not going to win without top players. Hoke is now getting the kinds of players who can make a difference in The Rivalry. Fans want to dismiss some Michigan verbals because the Buckeyes did not offer them. That is a mistake. In the past it has been true. This year it is not. We have talked about the great class and the lack of scholarships for 2012. That is the difference. Colerains Joe Bolden recently committed to Michigan. He is a player who I believe would be odds on to be a Buckeye offer if there was room. Lyndhurst Brush athlete Pharaoh Brown is the most recent to commit to Michigan. There is no doubt he is a Buckeye caliber athlete. I would have been fine with a Buckeye offer to tight end, but soon to be offensive tackle A.J. Williams from Sycamore. I don't think the Buckeyes need guards but if we did I would be touting Cincinnati Oak Hills guard Caleb Stacey for an offer. He is a Michigan commit. There is a player out there that had a Buckeye offer but accepted a Michigan offer. Linebacker James Ross accepted a Michigan offer out of the blue. He is from Michigan but the buzz was that Ohio State had a really great shot at landing him and may in fact be the team to beat. Hoke convinced him to stay home. Some other players who the Buckeyes have offered are leaning Michigans way with elite offensive line prospect Jordan Diamond and elite defensive lineman Chris Wormley from right here in Ohio being the most coveted.
The NCAA needs to come forth with their decision. Recruiting is the heart of any sports program. I say that the delay in announcing the sanctions is a penalty in its own right because of the impact on recruiting. If there is no announcement soon the kind of players who can change The Rivalry quickly will be wearing maize and blue.
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