I am commenting on this in regards to defensive tackle recruiting but it gets into the etched in stone rules of recruiting in general, in addition to defensive tackle recruiting:

[quote]I still will never understand the reluctanace of our staff in recruiting high level interior defensive linemen. They are out there and have to be interested in coming here. I would think. We are one of the top five elite programs. [/quote]


That is not the case. Love of school and players going to the NFL are the bedrock overwhelming reasons why players pick a school. Most of the kids who love a school are instate kids that came up with that school like we did Ohio State. Out of state is mostly and certainly out of region, is about Sundays. It is about the lists that come up with the schools who have put the most players in the Show. It is hearing that Ohio State has put how ever may players at the recruits position into the Show. Think about it like this. How many kids that you grew up with were fans of a team 1,000 miles away? What about your friends? 80% or more are Buckeye fans. Probably the same percentage are Browns or Bengals fans. Why would a kid from Florida leave Florida when he can see schools right around the corner,

Who was that guy standing beside JT who looked to be running the offense? No, it was not satan. For those that didn't notice, go back and look at your game tape. Hazel is putting his stamp on the offense. We look different. More importantly we look better. Early in the game we threw a screen pass. Yes, we did. On second down no less. The linebacker made a great play but it was a great call. We are second and more than six, JT is going to run the ball. Everyone attacks the run against us on second and long. A screen is a perfect call. The only play calling that bothered me was on the second missed field goal. A show of hands, who knew JT was going to play for a field goal once we got inside the 20? All of that was pure

Friday is always a slow down in the blogoshere. I assume it is the calm before the storm of Saturdays, so I go off the board and talk about other matters.

Say what you want about Mel Kiper. I am a big fan. Whether you like him or not he is the draft guru that sets the tone when it comes to the NFL Draft. Buckeye fans were hoping that Cam Heyward would fly low under the radar, not get the hype that would draw the attention of NFL GMs. That came to an end. Kiper has him as a top 5 DE in the junior class. None ranked above him are strong side ends. More bad news. Thaddeus Gibson made the top 5 at linebacker. Justin Boren is the #1 junior guard but guards in the first round are rare. No reason to go early.

Brandon Saine is making his first career start for the Buckeyes. Herron is listed as 85%

We have had a few verbals since the last time I ranked the Buckeyes recruiting class. It is an impressive one. I don't know if the numbers are going to allow for a top ten class but when it is all said and done I would put the best ten in this class up against anyone.

1 - Rod Smith, RB - It is laughable that he is not the consensus #1 back in the country. That this is not looking like a banner year for backs. Solid but not great. That is what makes me shake my head that he is not #1. Who combines his size, speed, explosiveness, agility and balance better than Smith? About the only knock that is legit is the level of competition on Indiana.

2 - Andrew Norwell, RT - I am very disappointed that he is missing so much time after his injury. Offensive linemen need as many reps coming in as they can get. Because of Pony league weigh restrictions lineman don't get as much work as players at other positions. Norwell dominates the line of scrimmage. He is physical and the nastier it is in the there the

Yesterdays post brought out concerns about the defensive line next year:

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written by Clown Baby, September 29, 2009

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written by nat, September 30, 2009
speaking of 2010 DL concerns, duane, is it a possibility that wilson will look into and could be granted a medical hardship extra year of eligibility for missing all but a couple plays in 2007? haven't heard anyone talking about it yet, but if wilson's draft prospects aren't looking all that great at the end of this season, it could be a possibility he'd look into it, wouldn't you think?

I think Heyward leaving is a major concern. He is playing so well and he is playing a position that is much in demand in the NFL. No matter the defensive scheme, the strong side end, called a base end in a 4-3 and a 5-technique in the 3-4, is something both use. I think 3-4 teams covet the 5-technique more than 4-3 teams covet the base end. We are in a period where more teams are moving to the 3-4. If there is a player at the position ranked higher than Heyward at this point I have

The latest installment of Lexco44's video highlights, exclusive to Duane Long Report.

I want to ask all of you two questions. Have you looked at the Buckeyes schedule? Have you looked around the country this year at the landscape of college football? If you haven't, do so.

The national championship is anyones for the taking. There is no elite team out there this year. Anyone can step in and take a shot. Look at the Buckeye schedule and tell me that you don't feel confident that the Buckeyes can run the table. That puts us right smack dab in the middle of another run at it.

Another reason for optimism is the last two weeks of offense. When I said a new OC would help, just get someone else in JTs ear, I got some pushback from some fans that things would never change as long as JT was running the offense. Since I did not support firing JT, that I was not going to get the change I expected. Sherman, a Bucknuts poster, did an excellent job of breaking down the changes in the offense the past two weeks. I would love to bring that post over here but I don't think Mr. Bucknuts nor Sherman would appreciate that. I know Sherman is a current or former coach and does a great job with this kind of thing. His breakdown shows clearly the difference in the offense. I noted that we were running more to the right. He took it a lot further. The changes in the way we are doing things in the running game coincides with the buzz that Darell Hazel is getting an opportunity to call some plays. Back when I said there would be a change at OC you may have noticed I sidestepped the question of who would be the next OC. Hazel is odds on. You can bet there is going to be some push to get someone outside of JTs circle. The fear is someone JT is close to is going to think like him and nothing will change.

I speak to high school coaches just about every day. So much accurate information comes from high school coaches. I learn so much about recruits from coaches who coached against them. That is how the relationships got started but I learned over time that high school coaches have more contact with the staff than anyone. They get to know these coaches. The one offensive coach that the high school coaches I have talked to are most impressed with is Darrell Hazel.

Put an improved running game with a great defense and a season devoid of great teams, and I am really excited about what can happen. You want to hear the best news? Going into the season if you were asked to sum up the Buckeyes in one word I think most of you would have said "young." Think about all these pups getting a season under their belts, a new OC next year, and Miami (Fla), Penn State and Michigan at home.

The recruiting board just got shook up with a couple of out of state verbals. Will Hagerup surprised everyone by verballing Michigan. Fre'Shad Hunter pledged North Carolina State. Hagerup was looking like a Buckeye and there was a need to add kickers in this class. I have mixed feelings about it. There are the Mike Nugents and the Ben Buchanans who are so special you are going to have to offer them to get them but I like getting kickers out of the walk-on program. This staff has done a good job with that. I don't have numbers but I would

Did you see this one coming? As soon as I woke up and saw the weather I could have wrote the script for this game. Late fall afternoon, cool gloomy and rainy. It was a day tailor made for Tresselball. We saw it at its most brutal and effective yesterday.

You have to start with the domination of the oline of scrimmage by the defensive line. It took a USC line with four potential NFL players on it to have any degree of success against it, and that was limited. Early in the second half I knew this one was over. You could see it in Illinois body language as they left the field after Thaddeus Gibson single-handedly forced a three and out. It was like they went in at halftime and came out with a plan to try and contain

If there has ever been a college football season that made the early polls more of a joke than this year, I don't remember it. Mississippi was as high as #4? Did you see Mississippi last night? That is a team that is going to have a hard time winning enough games to be bowl eligible. I don't understand how they got there. I assume that the Mississippi quarterback, Jevan Snead, and DE Greg Hardy were the basis of the ranking. Both are projected first round draft choices. Snead is the quarterback Steve Spurrier made first team all-SEC over Tebow. Last night he was simply awful. I think he hurt his draft stock more with his comment about being happy that now the pressure was off. Huh? You want to play in the NFL but you