OSU Recruiting Big Board: Holiday Edition

With just a few scholarship spots left, lots of action lately. New names on the board, committed players looking at OSU, and plenty of debate about juniors that might bolt to the NFL. Here's a quick handicapping of the current '08 class. I've got to go enjoy the world's best wings and baked subs at Al's Tavern, so Merry Christmas to everyone!

QB: Been pretty quiet on the Terrelle Pryor front lately, huh? :)

RB: It sounds like Devoe Torrence will not be a part of this class. OSU has contacted a handful of RB's, including Aundre Dean. Dean is a four-star back currently committed to UCLA, who is without a coach. Should the Buckeyes fail to land a RB in this class, they will look to get teo in the larger '09 class. No reaches, right Isiah Pead? Tough timing, as OSU could have been involved with Jonas Gray or Michael Shaw earlier in the process.

WR: With Cordale Scott out of the picture, the Buckeyes are now talking to Tommy Streeter. He's considered a slight Miami lean, but OSU could sneak in if they can get a visit. Don't count on it, but you've got to love Streeter's size and Tressel's moxy to go into poweful Miami Northwestern in search of players.

TE: Soooo done here. Waiting to hear how Kevin Koger will fit in the spread-option....

OL: One has to think that The Rod leaving West Virginia makes it easier for Josh Jenkins to de-commit and join the Buckeyes. Then again, recruiting often isn't logical, so I still don't have my hopes up. Let's see who the Mountaineers bring in. With all of the O-Line talent in Ohio in '09, a miss here isn't deadly. Ben Jones, another monster from Miami Northwestern, is also on the outer edges of the radar.

DL: The biggest non-Pryor prize is Keith Wells, who is still committed to Florida State. He had a great time in Columbus, but also enjoy his Auburn visit. Interesting to see if the Florida State cheating scandal has any impact here. LB/WDE Shayne Hale is reported down to OSU and Pitt, and I think the Panthers will be the choice. What do you know, Mighty Mouse was actually correct about the package deal. I haven't heard much on the Greg Scruggs front recently, but one name to remember is Corey Liuget. He's a four-star from Florida that is committed to Illinois. But he's talking to other teams, included OSU and Miami. Keep an eye on the Army All-American game to see if Brewster and company can sway any players.

LB: Already loaded up with Sabino and Sweat. But OSU did offer Dublin LB Steve Gardiner a grayshirt option to join the '09 class. I'm not sure how that fits in with verbals Jordan Whiting, Storm Klein and the host of talented guys like Will Studlien and Adam Homan.

DB: The shop is most likely closed up for 2008.

Terrelle Pryor and the Michigan Fans Who Stole Christmas

After my last update on the 2008 class, I actually took a bit of a hiatus from posting recruiting updates. It's not that there was no news - there were a number of interesting items floating around the Ohio State sites. However, a lot of it was innuendo and unsubstantiated. Along with the fact that I don't think it's appropriate to directly blab "premium information", I decided to not comment on some of the circulating rumors.

Of course, that was before Rich Rodriguez (forever known here as 'The Rod', though some may go further with "Dick Rod") was hired as the Michigan coach. Since The Rod's sudden flight from Morgantown to Ann Arbor, the usually relaxed holiday atmosphere between the season and the bowl games has exploded. Michigan fans are back to their arrogant, delusional, obnoxious ways. After being humiliated by App. State, completed prostrated by OSU, and turned down by multiple coaches, the swagger is back with a vengeance. Not only will The Rod resurrect the program while walking on water and feeding the poor, he'll do the unthinkable: lure top-rated player Terrelle Pryor to Michigan.

For those of you that don't regularly follow this blog, we've been waiting for some real Pryor drama for quite awhile. Many insiders from different places have indicated that Pryor wanted to go to Ohio State, but that a commitment wouldn't occur until the Army All-American game at the earliest. More likely, the nation's best player would wait until National Letter of Intent day to publicly make a decision. So plenty of options were still available for heartbreak.

It seemed like the possible darkhorse in the race would be Oregon, with Buckeye fans fretting about Phil Knight and Nike swooping in to Jeanette in a private jet with some hideous green and yellow jersey. But Pryor has always noted that proximity to home is important to him, so the west coast seemed unlikely. With Tennessee offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe headed the graveyard of Duke football, the Vols were scratched from Pryor's list as well. That really just left Penn State, West Virginia and Florida as competitors. West Virginia, which ran the spread-option attack like Jeanette, was seen as the biggest possible threat.

But with Rodriguez at Michigan, the game has suddenly changed. The Rod reportedly called Pryor even before the media knew he was leaving, hoping to hand Terrelle the keys to the kingdom at Michigan. Giddy at the prospects of getting the #1 player in the country and simultaneously crushing OSU fans, Wolverine folks have been yapping non-stop. They should come up for air and take a look at this rationally, and stop acting like lunatics.

*The difference in distance matters. Pryor is close to his father and certainly wants his family to be able to watch him play. While Ann Arbor isn't in a different galaxy, it's not convenient driving distance given the circumstances.

*Pryor has been pretty open that he loves the attention from recruiting. The Rod + Michigan + OSU has kicked things into overdrive, amplifying an already bright spotlight. That a decision could already be made, and the open recruiting is all a charade, is still a distinct possibility.

*The legs for this story are coming from reporters who don't know jack about recruiting. It's a testament to how far recruiting coverage has come that national college football writers now frequently reference the players and process. But whether its ESPN jokers like Kirk Herbstreit or OSU bashers like Dennis Dodd, these are not people close to the situation. Its pure assertion, making the warrantless claim that The Rod's relationship with Pryor as a West Virginia recruit will automatically translate into him wearing that ass-ugly winged helmet.

*The Detroit papers seem to be running articles on Pryor on a daily basis, trying to pump up the dead corpse of Michigan fans like here. They might want to spend more time on the recruits they already have and the players currently on the team. Some of their top verbals, like Sam McGuffie! and BooBoo Cissoko could head elsewhere if the new coaching staff doesn't convince them to stay. And what of superstar in waiting QB Ryan Mallet? Is The Rod really going to chase Pryor's skirt when he's already got an elite young QB in the fold?

*One thing you can count on from Michigan is slant. I've heard some Michigan fans talk about OSU "propaganda" and how Buckeye information is horribly biased. Maybe that's true in cases, or I just can't see it as a fellow conspirator. But I think UM writers, both for Rivals and Scout, are much, much worse. I've blogged about this before, but they go out of there way to spin things, rile up their fanbase or downplay potential misses. Going crazy over something like Tony Clemons or some fairly innocuous comments by Pryor coach (subscription required) is beyond annoying. It brings out the worst idiot posters on message boards, the type that require no evidence or even useful information; it's just inflammatory nonsense.

Am I saying there's no way Terrelle Pryor ends up at Michigan? No, that would preposterous for me to make such a claim. He might visit and be totally enthralled by what he hears and see from The Rod. Or maybe the whole time the idea of an OSU lean was part of an elaborate act. But I think it's much more likely at this time, he knows where he's going. There might be a small opening with options for other schools, but it's close to over. And all this noise is part of the circus of being the #1 player, something he's embracing and relishing. In the end, the best information at this time indicates that Terrelle will being singing Carmen, OH in the Big House a few times. Like Indigo Montoya was told, "Get used to disappointment."

Washington Pulls a Van Wilder?

Late Wednesday some bad news started circulating the Ohio State boards - that 2 cornerbacks, including starter Donald Washington, would be suspended for the BCS Championship game against LSU. The other was true freshman Gene Clifford, a four-star prospect from Cincinnati. The national media caught on to the story Wednesday, including a gleeful article from ESPN. I'm sure they've missed ragging on OSU.

The suspension of Washington would have been a huge blow to OSU's strong pass defense, as redshirt freshman Chimdi Chekwa would have been forced to start. The nickel would have been manned by either some inexperienced juniors (Andre Amos or Shaun Lane) or some inexperienced freshman (James Scott?).

But before panic had time to set in, the news changed. Apparently only Clifford was going to be suspended. Ohio State's press release indicated that Clifford would not travel with the team but made no mention of Washington. Though details at this point remain sketchy and full of speculation, it sounds like both player committed the same "violation of team policy". But Washington appealed his suspension as a first-time offender, and may be eligible after all.

Either way, LSU doesn't appear to care. WR Dominque Byrd was articulately quoted as saying, "he don't bring much".

Scott Busts Pipeline, Chooses Illini

Ohio State fans received a bit of a shock Wednesday when Glenville WR Cordale Scott pledged his verbal commitment to the University of Illinois. Scott is considered one of the top ten players in the state and a four-star player by major recruiting services. While the loss of a top in-state talent is always a cause for concern, Scott's surprising decision involves a number of rather interesting factors:

*In the Jim Tressel era, Glenville has been a major source of talent for the Buckeyes. Donte Whitner, Ted Ginn, and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith matriculated from Glenville. Current Buckeyes that played for the Tarblooders include Ray Small, Bryant Browning, Jermale Hines, Robert Rose, Curtis Terry, and Jamario O'Neal. The Buckeyes also recently added 2008 prospect Shawntel Rowell from Glenville. So this is not an insignificant event, losing an offered prospect from this school. But is it cause for concern?

*One thing for certain is that OSU fans will not be taking Glenville kids for "granted" anymore. Coached by friend of the program Ted Ginn Sr., there has certainly been a presumption that the best talent would end up in Columbus. Ginn has usually encouraged his seniors to drag the recruiting process out rather than committing early. The logic is that the exposure for the uncommitted top players trickles down to help their teammates. This is especially true during the Ginn Bus Tour each summer. With the players usually keeping quiet, Buckeye fans have watched numerous Glenville kids eventually commit. You can be sure that the intensity level and paranoia will be ratcheted up next season for top Gleville kids like Marcus Hall.

*Illinois, which gave Ohio State fits in the 90's, has officially elevated itself to nuisance status. Though their 26 person class is pretty weak in the bottom half, they've still managed to collect 7 four-star kids from a wide range of states. They're also got a commitment from a top '09 player, DE Melvin Fellows, and are making runs at others like Darrell Mason. Plus, there was this little incident in the 'Shoe on November 10th that we don't talk about. One of Sportsline.com's goofy writers recently claimed that Illinois would soon become the class of the conference. That's preposterous, but Illinois could make a run at being the best of the rest. I mean, this is still Ron Zook, right?

*One of my least favorite things about recruiting is when fans start downplaying or bashing a kid when he chooses another school. Scott seemed like an incredibly talented player, so I consider this a disappointment. The only possible silver lining is that Scott was probably the most expendable player of the remaining targets. OSU could bring back both starters at WR, Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline. Ray Small is just a sophomore, and at this point he doesn't look a candidate to go pro after next season. Dane Sanzenbacher and Taurian Washington both saw action as true freshmen and are highly regarded by the staff. And the '08 class contains a monster haul of five-star DeVier Posey, four-star athlete Lamaar Thomas and hybrid WR/TE Jake Stoneburner. In other words, the cupboard is not just full, it's overflowing. Should Scott consider a switch the defensive side, the linebacker depth chart is even worse. So while Scott may go on to star at Illinois, the Buckeyes could not feel like a huge need was lost. Whether this factored into Scott's decision is unclear.

*Finally, how about the bizarro world of recruiting in-state kids. For a school that usually lives and dies on the great talent in Ohio, 8 of the Buckeyes 16 commits are from out-of-state. The overwhelming majority of the remaining players on the board are from places other than Ohio, primarily Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania. There have also been an usual number of high-profile in-state misses, including Kyle Rudolph, Mike Zordich, Kevin Koger and Dan McCarthy. Again, is this something to worry about? Not yet. In the case of players like Zordich and McCarthy, family ties were the reason for the defection. And it's really hard to complain when the offers are being accepted by elite prospects like Mike Brewster and J.B. Shugarts.

Baby Shaq Joins the Buckeyes

Ohio State added commitment #16 today, as OL/DL Shawntel Rowell to the 2008 class. Rowell becomes the latest player from the Cleveland Glenville pipeline to join the Buckeyes. Rowell projects as a defensive tackle, and hopes to give OSU a space-eater in the middle of the line that the team has lacked for a few seasons. A few other interesting notes on this commitment:

*There's no way around the fact that this is a big boy. He's listed at 6'4", 325, but he's surely been much heavier than that at times. His offer was reported based on him meeting certain weight targets. He's immensely talented, but needs to stay in shape to be force in the middle.

*With Garrett Goebel on board at DT, this might be a sign that either Willie Mobley or Cameron Heyward may stay on the outside as a end pass rusher. And it almost certainly means OSU is waiving the white flag on Clemson lean Brandon Thompson.

*Though he's got plenty of potential, it was unclear whether Rowell would actually receive an offer. OSU fans will certain speculate that his inclusion could mean (a) DeVoe Torrence is definitely gone; (b) other higher profile targets are not coming; or (c) the coaches know more juniors will be leaving early.

Photo courtesy of Gary Housteau at Bucknuts.com

Enter the Rod

Michigan finally ended an embarrassing search for its head coach by hiring West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez as the new guy. We'll have some substantial commentary from the OSU perspective in the coming days, but I don't think Richie is off to a blazing start. He clearly doesn't "get" Michigan-Ohio State:

"I understand – it's obviously one of the greatest rivalries in college football. Michigan is unique. Director Martin told me this, and I never knew the fact that you have three rivalries. Of course you have the big one with Ohio State, and Michigan State, and Notre Dame. That's unique."

Umm, let's skip the fact that he didn't know that Notre Dame and Michigan State were "rivals" of Michigan. There is one true rivalry game in the Big Ten, the best game of its sort. There is one game at the end of November that usually determines the conference champion. There is one game for Bo and Woody. There is one game that got John Cooper fired. There is one game that Mike Hart will never win. And the new Michigan coach, if he understands Michigan at all, needs to know the one game they need to stop the hemorrhage. But hey, maybe he'll be happy winning 2 out of 3 against the schmuck rivals.

As for the rest of it...pure delusion at this point. But the fantasizing, the arrogance, and the obnoxious-ness feels just like the Redskins. Follow up a disappointing season with a cry that hope spring eternal, that reality can be ignored, and that a return to glory is just around the corner. At least with Washington, their craziness is based on players signed, not pipe dreams.

I'd like to elaborate, but there's a national championship game to think about...