It seems to be raining 2011 rankings. Both Bucknuts and Rivals put out 2011 rankings in the last 24 hours. I nearly made it a trifecta. I was re-ordering my 2011 list and nearly posted it. I was doing more research and thinking I would post it when I saw the Buknuts list come up. I decided to postpone because it would have seemed like I was trying to one up them. That is family over there. You don't do that to family. This morning I wake up and see Rivals put up a list.I want to talk about some players without going into a top 10 or 15 or whatever.

The first kid I want to talk about is Shane Wynn. There has been a lot of talk about his size. Rivals got a tape measure and a scale on him at a combine this past summer. He is 5-6 and 150 lbs. I know fans are going to look at that film, very impressive indeed, and say he is so fast and elusive. Just line him up in the slot and corners cannot get their hands on him. That is too simplistic. They still can get a hand on him. It is not as easy as a split end who is standing

I want to get out in front on this. I want to be the first to say it. The 2010 national champions will be the Ohio State Buckeyes. You know I am no cheerleader. I do not own a pair of scarlet and gar colored glasses. This blog is evidence of that. I am a realist. I am pragmatic. I am not going to make a statement like that unless I intend to back it up.

Change is occurring. Not as fast as some of us would like, but it is happening. I was so frustrated by the defense since Jim Heacock took over that I wanted to see a housecleaning. Get new coordinators on both sides of the ball. That was after the USC game where we once again played safe, keep them in front us, don't give up the big play, and we got embarrassed again. We have not played that way since. Some fans were angry that we were

The stars could not have aligned much better for the Buckeyes this year in one area of recruiting. The need for defensive backs is second only to offensive line. The difference between the two is the Buckeye staff agrees about the need for more defensive backs. The best situation for a school is to have a need in a year with monster talent at the poisiton, and so many of those talents that make it a monster year are liking what you have to say.

Corner is only a need in the fact that we have a senior and two juniors in our three-man rotation. It is time to add some players into the mix. Let them redshirt and learn the system adjust to college game and college life. Safety is a mess. I think the staff wanted to have faith in the talent assembled but when Anderson Russell looked like he was not the answer at safety, the chinese firedrill was on. Players moving all over the place. If there was real

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.