2009: Names to Watch on Defense

We continue our preliminary look at some of Ohio State's top targets for 2009 with a quick tour through the defensive side.

DE: The Buckeye brought in 3 talented ends in the '08 class, but they'll certainly be looking for more this season. Lawrence Wilson will almost certainly leave after his redshirt junior season, leaving just two experienced DE's on the roster. The biggest name right now is Melvin Fellows, a huge SDE from Garfield Heights. He made an early commitment to Illinois, but the Buckeyes will make a strong push to bring him back to the fold. Fellows is likely a top 5 player in the state of Ohio, and not the type of kid Jim Tressel likes to lose. Nate Cadogan of Portsmouth is another Ohioan that will get a long look.

The Buckeyes have showed interest in a few high-profile out-of-state players, including Craig Drummond (IL), Donte Moss (NC), and Jack Lippert (PA). None seem to be leaning toward OSU at this moment, though the Buckeyes are hopeful for summer camp visits or unofficial trips to Columbus. Look for the Buckyes to add 1-2 ends in this class.

DT: The best of the class is already on board, as Cardinal Mooney's John Simon made an early verbal to OSU. Despite injuries, Simon had a strong junior season and could very well be the #1 player in the state. Along with Garrett Goebel this year, that marks a second consecutive blue-chip tackle to anchor the middle of the line. The Buckeyes were also an early favorite for Corey Adams (AZ), though he will be a chore to get away from the west coast. OSU can afford to be selective at this point, and will only take a second DT if they find the right guy.

LB: It's February and the Buckeyes are already loaded up at LB. They received an early commitments from top 100 player Jordan Whiting, a chisled middle linebacker from Kentucky. He's joined by friend Storm Klein, an in-state prospect from Licking Valley. Klein is listed as an athlete and has appeared on various top 100 watch lists. Rivals.com lists him as an "athlete", and he seems likely to settle into the upper part of the Rivals top250. No matter to OSU fans, who seem Klein as a lock in the Ohio top 5.

With two already in the fold, OSU is still pursuing a number of other linebackers. Keep in mind that three seniors (Little Animal, Freeman and Curtis Terry) will all graduate after the '08 season. They have already offered John Newsome from Glenville, and hope that he will join this talented class. Two other names to watch in Ohio are Will Studlein from Cardinal Mooney and Mike Marrow from New Albany. Neither hold an offer yet, which may be an issue for Studlein; either he wants to decide very early or wants some more love from the Buckeyes.

But OSU will likely take their time, evaluating at camps and gauging the interest of other blue-chip talent. A few out-of-staters that may visit are Dorian Bell (PA), Quanthony Fletcher (FL) and Willie Ferrell (FL). Bell is a 5-star from Gateway High School of Shayne Hale/Cameron Saddler fame. Fletcher is from Dr. Krop, the same high school as Etienne Sabino. it sounds like Fletcher's offer is contingent upon some academic improvement, but he would be an amazing addition to the class if it works out.

DB: Again, the Buckeyes are already off to a great start in the defensive backfield. C.J. Barnett is likely the top cover corner in Ohio, and he recently pledged to OSU. The Buckeyes remain interest in some of the best corners nationally, including Darrell Givens (MD). Givens was recently featured in a spate of recruiting articles and has been getting offers from many of the big programs. He's already visiting Columbus unofficially, and has a connection to the Buckeyes in former teammate and friend Lamaar Thomas. Rutgers and other top schools will certainly be in the mix.

At safety, the main name right now is Justin Turner. He'll definitely be a top 10 player in Ohio, and unfortunately grew up a Michigan fan. The Buckeyes are hoping that the regime change will help avoid a repeat of the Shawn Crable situation. Turner is warming to the Buckeyes, as hasn't had much contact with The Rod's staff thus far.

One other elite in-state player to remember is Darrell Mason. The Younstown Ursuline star is listed as an athlete, and will certainly be a candidate for top 100 national lists. He could play on either side of the ball, but it would be safety on defense. He grew up a Buckeye fan, so hopefully an offer will be forthcoming.

(photo of Melvin Fellows by Rivals.com)

2009: Names to Watch on Offense

With the dust settling on most of the 2008 recruiting class, our attention now turn to next year's class. The initial top 100 lists are out, though they must be taken with grain of salt. Rather, with a barrel full - the end of the year lists will look vastly different. At this early stage, there is plenty of evalution time for the current juniors, but there are some names already floating out there with offers.

Ohio State is expected to have a large class - they could likely take the maximum of 25 if they wanted. Or if they were an SEC school, they could probably get away with 40 or so, with about 18 qualifying. We kid because we love. Expect Coach Tressel to try and balance the numbers, shooting for a number in the low 20's, with a few spots left for exceptional players.

QB: With the Pryor situation still unresolved, it's difficult to project how this might play out. With Pryor, it may be difficult to get an elite 5-star, though that's never been OSU's m.o. However, Pryor might only be a three year player, and with Boeckman graduating, there will certainly be a spot open. Tyrik Rollison (TX) is an talented dual-threat player with interest in the Buckeyes, and Devontae Payne is currently the most notable in-state prospect.

RB: The Buckeyes will definitely be looking for 1-2 backs in this class. They'll take their crack at out-of-state studs like Bryce Brown (KS), who has an offer, and Larry Caper (MI) who currently does not. Right now, I don't expect either to be Buckeyes, but the possibility of early playing time will definitely be appealing. There are a handful of in-state possibilities, including Bud Golden, but none truly stand out at this point.

WR: With a three receiver "types" from the '08 class, the Buckeyes will be selective in this class. But Brian Robiskie is in his last year of eligibility and Brian Hartline will be a fourth year junior, so there should be some available spots. Chris Fields of Painsville Harvey is the big in-state name, though there are some differing opinions on his ceiling. Kraig Appelton (IL) is a talented player with a number of big early offers, though he may be a challenge to get away from Ron Zook. The Buckeyes may also try to steal Dion Sims away from Michigan "pipeline" Orchard Lake St. Mary's. He seems way to tall and talented to play WR in The Rod's system.

TE: The Buckeyes signed Nic DiLillo this year, but with Rory Nicol graduating and Jake Stoneburner destined for receiver, they will try to pick up another in '09. Two out-of-state prospects currently top the list: Ed Hazelett (IN) and Malcolm Bush (NJ). Hazelett attends Warren Central, the same school as Buckeye basketball commit Walter Offutt. Bush is drawing interest from a number of national powers, so OSU will see if he's interested in a visit to Columbus.

OL: What can the Buckeyes possibly do for an encore? After landing three truly elite linemen in '08, the Buckeyes will try continue to stockpile talent. Three senior starters on next year's team will graduate, and luckily the '09 class looks even deeper on the line. This is particluarly true in Ohio, where the Buckeyes are aggressively pursuing a number of juniors. Tackle Marcus Hall from Glenville is the top prize, and it will cause a riot if he ends up elsewhere. The Buckeyes are also looking at Chris Freeman, an extremely tall tackle from Trotwood. Freeman has a bizarre Zebrie Sanders-esque offer list already, so we'll see how this plays out.

On the interior, OSU already has a commitment from Jack Mewhort, a big guard from the Toledo area. They would like to add at least one more, possibly Chris Watt (IL), who already has an offer. Center Nate Klatt is getting some love from the coaching staff, and had a favorable one-on-one with Jim Bollman at the most recent junior day. Less promising are the prospects of Westerville South's Ricky Harris, who recently stated that OSU's lack of early involvement have dropped them down his list. This is a recurring theme in recruiting, as schools like Illinois shower early offers to players that increasing want to know where they stand early on. We'll have to see how the coaching staff adjusts...

(photo of Marcus Hall by Rivals.com)

The Sad State of Recruiting Message Boards

Strangely unphased by the Terrelle Pryor false start, the Buckeye “half” of this blog feels obligated to post some sort of response to this post by our Wolverine counterpart. In truth, a much uglier version of this response was drafted, but ultimately I though I'd tone this down. It's my Barack Obama version of hope for change, bipartisanship and warm college football fuzzies. Or not.

I was mildly amused at the rather loose definition of “banter” used by my colleague, whose absence from blogging almost prompted me to submit a picture of him for use on a milk carton. Obviously there are varying degrees of smack talk, but this seems to qualify more as bitter, cheap shots rather witty zingers.

Though the talking points from this post come in no discernable order, I’ll try to answer the insults in a coherent fashion. First, thanks for checking in. We assumed you were dead or playing with your Easy Bake oven or something. In the midst of the most chaotic time in Michigan football, the dawning a completely new era, you became the blog’s version of Terence Mann. No, we’re not professional journalists here and it’s impossible to try and keep up with the pace of recruiting. But your last post of substance was in November, so it’s depressing that you only resurface to regurgitate some nonsensical cheap shots spewed on a message board.

Overall, it’s ridiculous to assume the antics of message board posters are even remotely reflective of an entire fanbase. There is zero accountability for this crazed segment of the population, which can rant and mock and pound their chests with complete privacy and no liability. Who really cares what these idiots – and yes, every program has their share, including Michigan – think about football?

Second, I call BS that you subscribed to Ohio State sites. Drinks are on me if you can produce a valid receipt. I already alluded to this in a previous post, as the Pryor saga led Michigan fans to post all of the OSU scout premium content directly to their board. This was less so on the OSU sites, though we did get some crossover with Beaver, Webb and God know what other tool insiders are over there. What did your insiders do about this abhorrent practice? Immediately lock and delete the threads? Of course not.

If you don’t like the way an insider handles himself, like nevadabuck on Scout, why bother reading it? It’s not meant for you. You don’t have the context of all his other posts. And every insider has a certain way of handling things. An ===== in scout nomenclature doesn’t mean we’ll bet our children on a commitment. It simply means that the recruit has told players or silently verballed to the coaches. Is recruiting fluid and can circumstances change? Obviously so. It doesn’t make the information wrong at that time, and it’s up to OSU subscribers to decide whether it’s worth paying for. Having Michigan fans berate and flame on our boards and then copy the posts verbatim is objectionable at every level. And while we’re at it, has ANYTHING that has come out about Pryor thus far contradict the Buckeye position that he wanted to go to Ohio State? That he was planning on signing with OSU on NLOI day? Didn’t think so.

You indicated in our conversation that these crazed Ohio State take insider information and twist it in some demented way, spouting off about the greatness of our team, the certainty of recruits, whatever. As I noted at the time, this is no different at all than what some Michigan folks do. Beaver and his chump posse were happy to drop heavy-handed hints about OSU impropriety in regards to Pryor’s recruitment with NO DAMN EVIDENCE at all. And Michigan fans took that and ran with it, venomously accusing OSU of cheating. Explain to me how this is different in anyway – insiders post information, dumbass posters interpret it however they like and annoy their rival fanbase.

Let’s be clear, unless my last post missed the mark. I have no respect at all for the Michigan Scout insiders. I’m sure they don’t give a lick what an OSU fan thinks, but just keep it in mind when we’re doing the rundown that their shtick has no credibility in my world. The swath of posts I was exposed to made it pretty clear how they operate. Frankly, it’s spineless on the predicting part of the recruiting game – you and I could do as good a job. So could a flipped quarter, assuming it lands on the “sunny-side” of “50.1”.

As for your specific accusations:

“irrationally optimistic about everything”

I almost spit out my Buckeye kool-aid when I read this part. Yes, there are some delusional OSU fans out there. I’m not one of them – no Philly fan has optimism about sports, even for a successful college program. But can you honestly say this doesn’t apply in many ways to you? The glass is almost always half full in your descriptions, in terms of players you could sign, what they will turn out to be, etc.

“drunk with success and ignoring their failure” (multiple national championship game embarrassments).

Drunk, yes. Ignoring failure? Don’t think so. Maybe if you had taken the time to answer my post on the BCS game…how can we be embarrassed about a rebuilding team winning their third straight conference title? Qualifying for the title game for a second year and losing to a talented team in a virtual home game?

The folks that criticize Ohio State think we’re overrated and don’t deserve to be in those title games. Why? Because they think the conference is a joke, as we steamroll Michigan every year.

“all of a sudden a bunch of OSU fans that never cared about the sport suddenly do-“

No, basketball is not as important as football in Columbus. Nor in Ann Arbor. But you’re beyond misinformed if you think passionate support of the basketball team is some newfound bandwagon. This is a storied program with a history of success. And even recently, you don’t remember the Jim Jackson-led teams in the 90’s. They were quite good, though they lost one year to the Ed Martin Fab Five (sorry no ‘s’ in that to add a super-cool ‘$’). But why don’t you throw some baseless accusations about the basketball program in while you’re at it?

“They brag about not being U$C but are blind to the fact that they are O$U…”

Lovely. Only cheaters can beat mighty Michigan, where those who stay will keep losing. Arrogance is the birthright of a Michigan fan, and there must be reasons why a rival could so thoroughly dominate them for seven years. What do you have there, Mr. Prosecutor? The $500 Troy Smith cell phone bill? Was that substantially worse than Marcus Ray and the hotel bill?

There is no program – not USC, Texas, Miami, or bluebloods like Michigan – that receives the intense media scrutiny that OSU does. Do you really think with a behemoth compliance office and the media coverage the program receives – that OSU is just teeming with NCAA violations? That the couple you can point to are just the tip of the iceberg? And that Michigan is squeaky clean and never does anything wrong? You’re either naïve or just plain foolish. And I’ll be very interested to see whether The Rod’s version of Michigan is the same as Lloyd Carr’s. I’m betting heavy on a significant decrease in academic standards – program cleanliness remains to be seen.

“I don’t place this blog’s primary post maker in the above category per say (although the above and below taints some of his info).”

Well, then which of these allegations do apply to me, “per say”? My posting is not a carbon copy of insider jibberish. I’ve been downplaying Josh Jenkins for quite some time, and playing up Keith Wells throughout the season. Sure, the collective sum of information from insiders influences my opinions. But there is original though here.

“exclamatory statements that will mask a deep down insecurity that appears to occupy their very core”

See above on vapid, moronic fans. If you truly think there aren’t Michigan fans that act like this, you ought to read more carefully. In fact, I think Michigan Arrogance actually makes it worse on your side. It’s a lot easier to hide the insecurity when you win 6 out of 7.

“I guess what drives me the craziest is that everything they speak or write is in pure hyperbole and subject to change.”

Riiight. Like you never compare marginal prospects to great players. “This random Canadian dude is only a two-star, but the coaches think he’s the next Alan Branch”…”Yeah, our redshirt freshman QB and 2-star true freshman will be like Flynn and Perrilloux”…and on and on and on.

And maybe you missed it, but I always acknowledge when I think Michigan got a good Ohio kid. Burgess. Crable. Manningham. Boren. Even Koger. But Michigan took 6 kids that didn’t have OSU offers. You can make the case that Shaw and Moore simply weren’t suited to the Buckeye system. Maybe Mealer got squeezed by scholarship numbers and higher rated talents. And I don’t doubt that some of those other kids will be nice players. But they are definitely a grade below the players OSU is bringing in - some would never have gotten an OSU offer. But hey, we’ve been beating you with lower rated classes for many years now. Maybe The Rod can turn the tables.

"AND most of all they say that Terrelle Pryor is 80/90% a Buckeye GUARANTEED. I think that OSU fan is right about where he will ultimately end up but if Buckeye fan is wrong I will NEVER let them hear the end of it."

Fine, though I’m really curious who “them” is. Since I’m allegedly not part of this group, will you just spend time on free board hunting down Ohio State fans to taunt?

Pryor ain’t going to Michigan, and it seems pretty likely that you guys were never as close as some of your knuckleheaded insiders indicated. But please show me ONE PLACE where I said he was a lock. Basically you concede that he’s likely to end up at OSU, but hate the fact that you are being told about it. Maybe if your insiders actually had good information, you wouldn’t have gotten your hopes up. Only to have them dashed by our nefarious plan to give Terrelle Pryor 10 million in unmarked bills, right?

“As for TP, be a wolverine baby or we’ll see you on the field in Ann Arbor in ’09 and we’ll have our combo Steven Threet/’09 5-star recruit to oppose you. May the best team win…(which must be the Buckeyes of course *insert drunkin Buckeye screams here*).”

Still pining away like a sad boy on prom night.

Apologies for our drunken screaming. I know classy Michigan folks don’t ever do that. And during the 90’s, there was no taunting or derisive comments about Ohio State. We can only aspire, fruitlessly, to model your program and fans. Please look down on us with condescending sympathy as we try to live up to your amazing legacy. And maybe you’ll get Sheppard or some other elite ’09 guy. These are juniors right now, and it’s unlikely that they will come in and save the program right away. So do I read this right, or are you basically giving up on 2008?