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Some college football coaches make Signing Day less than a signature moment January 31, 2011 Source: Lancaster Eagle Gazette - "...One of college football's dirty little secrets in recent years has been the oversigning of recruits. The morally corrupt practice of running players off to make room for new recruits/better prospects and, thus, stay within the NCAA-mandated scholarship limit especially is prevalent in the Southeastern Conference...some of today's coaches such as Alabama's Nick Saban, LSU's Les Miles and Mississippi's Houston Nutt hearts are as black as the ashes from the scholarships they callously burn on an annual basis...the Big Ten should be applauded for having rigid rules against oversigning, even if it puts member schools at a competitive disadvantage...On its website, oversigning.com passes off Ohio State coach Jim Tressel as a paragon of virtue. It features a video clip of Tressel addressing reporters on Signing Day 2010, when the Buckeyes signed 19 players. "If these (assistant coaches) got everyone they wanted, we would have had to sign 30 guys," Tressel said in the clip.."
OSU wants blue chips in mix: "Buckeyes hope to add offensive lineman, linebacker to recruiting class that rates among nation's top 10...Ohio State and coach Jim Tressel are in a familiar position with less than a week to go before recruits can sign letters of intent: Most of the work is done, but the Buckeyes could still put a cherry on top of the class.Offensive lineman Aundrey Walker of Cleveland Glenville and/or linebacker Curtis Grant of Richmond, Va., each a consensus blue-chip prospect, could fill that role. Their decisions likely aren't coming until Wednesday, when the signing period opens, and each has an official visit planned this weekend, Walker to Wisconsin and Grant to North Carolina...
Jeremy Crabtree of ESPN.com said. ESPN rated the Buckeyes' class of 21 commitments - headed by quarterback Braxton Miller, who is already enrolled - seventh nationally yesterday..."If they're able to pull in a kid or two down the stretch, then they could definitely have a shot at a top-five finish, but there's still a lot of wrangling going on with teams like Alabama, USC, Auburn, Georgia that could truly alter the top 10 rankings."
Tom Lemming of MaxPreps had the Ohio State class ranked eighth..."...right now they have a real good class," Lemming said. "If they can get Curtis Grant, that would be the real cherry. As for Aundrey Walker, that would be great, too, but I expect them to get him."...Tressel held off on his in-home visit with Grant until this week. Lemming said landing Grant could go a long way toward healing a slight wound suffered last year when highly rated linebacker Jordan Hicks of West Chester Lakota West picked Texas over the Buckeyes. "I've got five linebackers this year rated higher than I had Hicks a year ago, and Curtis Grant is one of them," Lemming said.
Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts said, "If they could land Walker and Grant, it would put an exclamation point on this class. "It could also move them up a couple of notches in the final national recruiting rankings. Those guys could be impact players."..." Source: Columbus Dispatch 1/26/11
Listen to CBS College Sports recruiting expert Tom Lemming talk with WTVN's Matt McCoy about how the Buckeye recruiting class is stacking up
Big Ten recruiting update: "...ESPN Recruiting has issued its updated class rankings, and only two Big Ten teams appear in the top 25. Ohio State drops one spot to No. 7 but still boasts an excellent class led by quarterback Braxton Miller, defensive end Steve Miller and cornerback Doran Grant...Here's the updated ESPNU 150 player rankings. Nebraska's Green is the Big Ten's highest-rated recruit, coming in at No. 11 nationally.
Other Big Ten recruits (going to Ohio State) listed include:
No. 30: DE Steve Miller, Ohio State
No. 69: CB Doran Grant, Ohio State
No. 75: LB Ryan Shazier, Ohio State
No. 81: QB Braxton Miller, Ohio State
No. 106: WR Evan Spencer, Ohio State
No. 127: G Michael Bennett, Ohio State..." Source: ESPN 1/19/11
Jim Tressel and Ohio State's coaching staff are recruiting as if they plan to win another six Big Ten championships in a row. "They're by far the highest ranked Big Ten team," said Allen Trieu, a Midwest recruiting analyst for Scout.com. "You look at the talent they've brought in, they're running away with the conference crown in recruiting this year." Dye writes how Tressel was in a similar position when he was hired in mid-January 10 years ago, but now he just keeps reloading. Sources: Cleveland Plain Dealer, Fox Sports, Scout.com 1/19/11
11W Recruiting Notebook: Three Weeks Edition: "National Signing Day is just three weeks from this Wednesday and Jim Tressel and the staff are trying to put the finishing touches on a recruiting class that is currently ranked among the top 10 in the country. With 20 commitments on board already, the Buckeyes are looking to add 3-4 more and have a very high level group of players still considerig coming to Columbus as their college destination...Ejuan Price announces his college decision later this afternoon...Two other star linebackers in the mix are Curtis Grant and James Vaughters...OL Aundrey Walker has had Michigan State and Ohio State on top for sometime, but took a visit to USC this past weekend and REALLY enjoyed it (including taking in a Lakers game----shady?????). Walker has visits left to Penn State and Florida State, and will likely play the Glenville waiting game, but I still expect him to end up in the OSU two-deep next fall. Walker's Glenville teammates QB Cardale Jones, WR Shane Wynn, and DL/LB Andre "Tank' Sturdivant have been mentioned for some time as well, but none hold Buckeye offers and it looks like the ship may be sailing there.As of today, I like the Bucks to finish with Price, Grant, and Walker, but if Story and/or Vaughters want in as well, the staff will make room. If the Bucks can close on three of those five, it would be a tremendous finish, and even adding one of the Glenville guys or longer shots like ATH Darius Jennings (UVA) or LS Bryce Haynes (Notre Dame) would be solid as well. I believe this class will finish in the top five in the country once again and Buckeye fans will finally admit that Jim Tressel CAN close when it comes to recruiting..." Source: Eleven Warriors 1/17/11
Mr. Bucknuts Gets All Opinionated: "You can't spell "cheats" without an "s" an "e" and a "c". You also can’t spell "excuses" (Part One)… The SECheats. Yeah, you didn’t hear it here first. But before we get to their amorality and hypocrisy and the advantages all those things bring, let’s first look at the truly overall advantages of the SEC (those to which I am willing to stipulate):
1) The states the SEC recruits from have better (and more) high school stars; 2) The SEC has better coaches (and are better paid!); 3) They definitely have better defensive linemen; 4) They also have lower academic standards (see the above points); 5) And they cheat. They cheat openly and abusively. Cheat like John Edwards. Like Bernie Madoff. Like everything you have heard about them...I wanted to focus – again – on the most egregious area of SEC cheating that is already transparent and recognized (at least, to me…): over-signing. Other areas (under the table payments, pulling scholarships, bogus scholarships, medical waiver abuse and admissions practices) have been revealed and reviled in this space before. As has over-signing. But let’s look more at the facts here and the implications as to how their actions tilt the playing field.
Over-signing is insidious. And it’s like the weather. Everyone talks about it – just no one does anything about it. Tony Gerdeman from super-niche site "oversigning.com", sums this issue up neatly in his story: "Oversigning Makes Mockery of Competitive Equity". Tony talks about that inequity and the silly comparisons between the Big Ten and the SEC: "Did you know that over the last four seasons, the two conferences have met ten times in bowl games and have split those ten games evenly, and since 2002, the Big Ten even has a one-game advantage against the SEC in bowl games?"
But don't let facts get in the way of what you've been told. As we have already stipulated (and Tony agrees), the SEC is "better" and has natural advantages. "It's actually pretty impressive that the Big Ten can hold their own with the SEC considering the advantage that the SEC has—and no, for once I'm not talking about the fact that they get to play "home" games in the postseason. I'm talking about over-signing." Let’s zero in for a moment on Tony’s obsession and how it pays off for the "SECheats crime sheet":
The Sugar Bowl
#6 Ohio State (11-1) vs #8 Arkansas (10-2)
Letters of Intent Received Over Last Four Years: Arkansas +30
What does that +30 mean? It means in the four recruiting classes from 2007 to 2010, Arkansas signed 30 more players than Ohio State did. In four seasons, they signed 109 players to the Buckeyes' 79. In other words, they signed almost two entire recruiting classes more than Ohio State did. Remember, the NCAA has a limit of 25 players per recruiting class, yet Arkansas AVERAGED 27.25 from 2007-2010. Of course, the NCAA's 25-player limit is a lot like a speed limit—merely a suggestion. After all, if nobody's going to police the situation, who's at fault—the speeders or the lawmakers?
Looking at the bowl matchups, only one Big Ten team has signed more recruits over the last four seasons than their opponent. On the other hand, eight of the ten SEC bowl teams have signed more players than their opponents. And for the last four classes? Two other classic and glaring examples of the disparity:... Auburn signed 119 players over the last four seasons—an average of 29.75 per year! Their bowl opponent last year was Northwestern, who had signed 45 fewer players than Auburn over that same period. The Tigers beat those Wildcats by three points in overtime last season. If Northwestern had 45 more players to sift through over the last four seasons, how much better do you think they would have been in 2010? Instead, they choose not to cut players or chase academic risks. And if you want to talk strictly apples-to-apples comparisons (in this case, SEC to Big Ten comparisons):...The SEC teams have signed 86 more players over the last four seasons than the Big Ten has. Basically, each of these SEC teams has an entire extra recruiting class to sift through in order to find the talent enough to beat their opponents. That's not college football—that's professional football. It's the biggest difference between the SEC and the Big Ten right now and it will be until the NCAA finally steps in and enforces their pretend rules—or changes them altogether. I guess Dr. Gee doesn’t want to get into this whole distinction of the "slippery slope to professionalism," He is still removing the TCU feet from his mouth…
But, when a mush mouth like Mark May has the balls to compare the Big Ten morality to the Sodom and Gomorrah we know as the SEC, let’s see him marshal some facts rather than just malignant bromides. Let’s see him start with over-signing and end with Cam Newton. Cam is the SEC superstar is ready to go to the NFL, now that Cecil calculated that their family can take the pay cut. Think about it: if the Tat Five just "gave" their trinkets to family members who sold them and "gave" the money to the players as support, is that illegal? And if they "don’t know about it", (if it is illegal…) is that any different than Cam-Gate?
Meanwhile back to the rap sheet and my thesis: let’s take a look at the Best Conference Money Can Buy and how the SEC actually fared in the bowl games this year: Arkansas: Lost, Alabama: Won, LSU: Won, Florida: Won, Miss. State: Won, South Carolina: Lost, Georgia: Lost, Tennessee: Lost, Kentucky: Lost, Auburn: Won. Despite games played basically in their back yards and despite the money thing and the academic easings and the over-signing, they were just 5-5 in their bowl games (with a huge assist from the B1G Ten)...As Dave Biddle pointed out in his excellent calling out of the SEC this week on Bucknuts, maybe it’s residue from the Civil War that causes them to act so uncivil. This is what Dave said. Facts are, indeed, stubborn things. We will get back to more SECheats facts at the bottom of the Bucket next week…" Source: Bucknuts.com 1/16/11
Recurring Offseason Themes: Oversigning's season in the sun: If you're the kind of person who reads college football blogs on a regular basis, you probably don't need an in-depth introduction to the divisive – yet entirely legal – concept of "oversigning." It can happen two ways, when a team adds too many players to fit under either the 25-scholarship limit for a single recruiting class or the 85-scholarship limit for the entire roster, but the result in both cases is the same: A returning player at the bottom of the depth chart has to go to make room for new blood. The end result is a one-way commitment that leaves players in the cold, and some teams – especially from certain conferences – with a significant advantage in the talent at their disposal..." Source: Rivals.com 1/19/11
Ohio State 2010-2011 Highlight Tape Source: mannycincy
That was the week that was: "...On Thursday, Kirk Herbstreit appeared on 97.1 The Fan to talk about Ohio State basketball and loser Ohio State football fans. The topic (right around the 41-minute mark) finally turned to the only thing people really cared to hear about—Herbstreit's final AP ballot that saw him drop the Buckeyes from sixth to ninth. Here are a few quips from the former Buckeye captain:
"I'm not making any excuses for my poll." Then he proceeds to spend the next five minutes making excuses for his poll. He says that he was asked to fill out his ballot after having spent all day on television, and by that point he "didn't even know what his name was". I don't doubt that working all day can make you tired. I've heard stories of such things. But maybe if you're too busy or too tired to vote, you probably shouldn't vote. If it's such a chore and such a pain, maybe you should think about giving it up.
But then things got a little confusing in the interview. First of all, he said he wasn't making excuses for his ballot, but then he said he was tired. So was he not happy with his ballot? If he wasn't happy, why even mention being tired? Why not just say, "Yeah, that's my ballot." And even though that's pretty much what he goes on to say in the interview, why give the "I was tired" caveat earlier? I don't bake cookies, then try one, LOVE IT, and then when others have some, say, "Be careful, I was tired when I made these." I tell them that these are the best freaking cookies they've ever eaten! I don't apologize for chocolate chip perfection—I revel in it!
Along with my confusion came same logical failing. Expanding upon his reasoning for putting Ohio State at number nine: "One thing I knew for sure—Wisconsin beat Ohio State, so you had to put Wisconsin ahead of Ohio State." Of course, Wisconsin finished five spots ahead of the same Michigan State team that they lost to by ten points, so what's logic got to do...got to do with it?
Another hilarious gaffe with this line of thinking was the fact that he voted Boise State four spots ahead of Nevada. Remember what happened when Boise and Nevada played this year? The Wolfpack beat the Broncos 34-31. You might remember it, but obviously Herbstreit didn't. Or maybe he remembered it, but forgot his #1 Rule of Thumb.
I'm not looking to go over his ballot and bash his line of thinking again, because I've already done a fantastic job of it before, but since he came out and "didn't make excuses for it", I felt this inner need to reply to his explanation.
Finally, I will leave you with this line from Kirk Herbstreit. And remember that it came from an ESPN employee: "At the end of the day, what did Ohio State really do to warrant being up in the top five other than not lose their bowl game." Source: The Ozone 1/28/11
Long Snapper Haynes Picks Ohio State Long snapper Bryce Haynes became the 22nd commitment to Ohio State's 2011 recruiting class tonight. That's right, a long snapper. Many a long snapper has left Ohio State on scholarship, earning it after walking on. But the 6-foot-4, 185-poundHaynes, from Pinecrest Academy in Cumming, Ga., will have one when he arrives, the first time that's happened at OSU in recent memory.
Offered by several other schools, including Notre Dame and North Carolina, Haynes' appeal is said to be a deadly accurate and quick snap along with a penchant to go down and make the tackle, at least on a punts, according to veteran recruiting analyst Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts. Source: Columbus Dispatch
Haynes, 6-foot-4, 185-pounds, played for from Cumming (GA) Pinecrest Academy, and is considered the nation's top long-snapper by famed guru Chris Rubio. Rubio is the long-snapping instructor of Rubio Long Snapping, working in conjunction with Chris Sailer Kicking and personally tutored Haynes.
"I've sent over 100 long-snappers to college on scholarships over the years, and Bryce is one of the top three I've ever worked with," Rubio continued. "Ohio State is a great fit for Bryce. (Head coach) Jim Tressel spent yesterday with Bryce, and was with him from around noon until past 7 last night. They formed a bond, and today Bryce called him to commit to Ohio State." "Bryce told me he just felt more comfortable with Coach Tressel and Ohio State, and he made a connection with the head coach," he added. "Bryce is a tremendous talent, and he is amazing to watch, with his speed and accuracy. He has a gift for long-snapping, and it should take him to the NFL some day." Source: Scout.com
Haynes had interest and offers from many school including Florida, Alabama, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Arkansas, Harvard, Utah State.
Welcome aboard, Bryce!
Ohio State Buckeyes will face new Michigan defensive boss Greg Mattison, who solved them in BCS title game: "...Michigan made a major move on Tuesday, when they announced the hiring of Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison to serve in the same role for the Wolverines, as reported by Jeff Arnold for the Ann Arbor News and annarbor.com. It will be Mattison's second term in Michigan, having been on the coaching staff from 1992-96. Hoke likely knows what happened on Jan. 8, 2007, when Ohio State and Florida played in the BCS National Championship Game. The Gators routed OSU, 41-14 (ESPN.com box score). Mattison was Florida's defensive coordinator. His defense held the powerful Buckeyes offense to 82 total yards from scrimmage. It had nothing to do with Ohio State's first touchdown, a 93-yard return by Ted Ginn, Jr. on the opening kickoff..." Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer 1/19/11
Herbie the Impaler: "...(2004) marked the beginning of what has long since become the end of Herbstreit as a recipient of Most Favored Alumnus status. In case you didn’t hear, didn’t notice or have already forgotten, Herbstreit used his ballot to drop Ohio State three places in the final AP poll, from sixth to ninth. In case you didn’t hear, didn’t notice or have already forgotten, Ohio State finished the season by beating Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Arkansas was the second-place team in an extremely strong SEC West with a top-ten ranking. Try and process that without giving yourself a migraine.
There is no precedent or history to support how Herbstreit treated his alma mater in his final ballot. He punished Ohio State for beating an SEC team that had, in his own words, the "best offensive line and quarterback the Buckeyes would see all year." (Note: He was right.) Strangely, Herbstreit rewarded Oklahoma by moving them all the way up from 14th to seventh for beating UConn, a four-loss team that somehow managed to get schooled by Michigan this season. In terms of difficulty, beating UConn in 2010 ranked somewhere between boiling water and producing flatulence.
Arkansas dropped as many spots in his final poll for losing to Ohio State as Ohio State did for beating Arkansas. It was a fantastic palindrome of Herbstreit failure. If it was a deliberate betrayal of the spirit of voting, he should have his ballot revoked by the AP. If it was by accidental negligence he should have his ballot suspended. If he’s become so entitled by his celebrity that he’s not going to take the process seriously he should forfeit his ballot. No voter had Ohio State ranked lower than Herbstreit. Not coincidentally, no voter was ranked lower than Herbstreit either...
Ever since Herbstreit vowed not to send his fictitious college-aged son to play in a Tressel offense in 2004, Ohio State has captured at least a share of every single Big Ten title – six in a row – produced a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and won three BCS bowl games. Between his plastic analysis, his hysterically brief involvement in "scoop" (Les Miles replacing Lloyd Carr, anyone?) and his forced disdain for Buckeye football, the only real entertainment left in a Herbstreit broadcast is waiting for the next absurdity to escape his breath...
...nobody expects Herbstreit to be an Ohio State homer-slash-mole implanted within the bowels of ESPN. Nor is he expected to be a smug antagonist like Mark May; Chris Spielman and Robert Smith both manage to bring value and relevant insight to their work without devolving into Ohio State fight song lyrics or outright bias. Herbstreit’s favorability decline has far less to do with his curious prejudice as much as it has to do with his atrophied ability to be a capable steward of college football broadcasting. The world does not need any more Dick Vitales. One is already too many..." Source: Eleven Warriors 1/19/11
Deck seems stacked against OSU in appeal of suspensions: "Here's some bad news for anyone who is hopeful that five Ohio State football players will get their five-game NCAA suspensions reduced on appeal: Based on recent precedent, and given the criticism the NCAA has received recently for several of its decisions, a reduction is far from a given, and may be termed unlikely. Ohio State is expected to soon have its day in court, so to speak, when the NCAA's Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement has a conference call with Ohio State officials and the five players..." Source: Columbus Dispatch 1/16/11
Final AP Poll released, and GameDay doesn't like scarlet and grey: "The Associated Press released its final poll this morning, and like the BCS, crowned Auburn its champion. However, a couple anomalies stand out...Kirk Herbstreit,who incidentally ranked Ohio State #9, which was the lowest that anyone ranked the Buckeyes. The only other voter to rank Ohio State that low was Chris Fowler. Who somehow ranked Boise State above Ohio State, despite their loss to Nevada, and Ohio State's only loss being on the road to Big Ten Champion Wisconsin, and their BCS victory over Arkansas. (Very curiously, no voter voted Boise State higher, nor Nevada lower.) Wonder what it was that made two GameDay announcers vote Ohio State so low? Was it the vendetta Herbstreit has against Terrelle Pryor?..." Source: Cleveland Sports Torture 1/11/11
Where each AP voter ranked Ohio State in final AP Poll. Source: Pollspeak.com
Doug Lesmerises writes: "...In the final AP poll, Ohio State received two No. 4 votes; 46 votes at No. 5; six at No. 6; two at No. 7; one at No. 8; and two at No. 9. The two voters who had Ohio State at No. 9 were Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler of ESPN. Before you ask, I don't think either is biased against the Buckeyes and I'm sure both voted for what they thought were the best teams. Ohio State, as we talked about during the year, didn't have a great strength of schedule, but in my opinion, No. 9 is a little low for the Buckeyes. As, I'm sure, some of you think No. 6 is a little low..." Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer 1/11/11
Top Ten LB Ejuan Price Commits to the Buckeyes Four-star linebacker Ejuan Price, from Pittsburgh Woodland Hills PA, became the 21st member of the 2011 Buckeye recruiting class today. Price announced that he has committed to Ohio State over Iowa, making the announcement shortly after an in-home visit from Buckeye coach Jim Tressel and assistant Luke Fickell. He played OLB during his junior year and had 107 tackles, 11 sacks and 30 tackles for loss. Last season he made over 100 tackles with 12 sacks and an interception and helped his high school make it to the WPIAL championship game.
Price, a top-20 player from the Keystone State said, "OhioState just seemed like the right place for me. Plus my family can come and see me play consistently so that is good too. The coaches are talking to me about the Will (WLB) spot and also about the Viper...It is like a 3rd down outside linebacker that just rushes."
Price is listed as #10 at his position nationally by Scout.com and #11 by ESPN and was offered very early. As Eleven Warriors wrote: "...a good sign he is a player Jim Tressel views as a no-brainer, perfect fit for the program, both on
and off the field. A cousin of Dorian Bell's, Price is likely to stay in the "MIKE" position when he gets to Columbus this summer."
Bob Lichtenfels of Scout.com wrote: "Price is a devastating tackler who has a very quick first step and closes fast on the ball carrier. He sheds blocks and plays well in traffic. Price moves well laterally tracking down ball carriers sideline to sideline. Shows above average cover skills in the hook/curl zone." Scout said his strengths are: Aggressiveness, Instincts & Tackling Technique
Price had interest and offers from many school including Iowa, Michigan State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Boston College, Syracuse and West Virginia.
Woodland Hills LB commits to Ohio State: "Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel was in the Pittsburgh area Monday night and left knowing he had a future Buckeye player. Woodland Hills linebacker Ejuan Price made a verbal commitment to Ohio State while Tressel visited him at his family's home in Rankin. Price, a 6-foot, 235-pound senior, chose Ohio State over Iowa. He had narrowed his list to those two schools months ago, but couldn't decide between the two. "Ohio State wasn't necessarily No. 1 the whole way," Price said. "Iowa is still a great school and I have a lot of respect for their coaches and university. Ohio State just kind of separated themselves at the end." Price, considered one of the top linebackers in Western Pennsylvania, is the 11th WPIAL player to choose Ohio State since 2004..." Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 1/18/11
Buckeye Five keep their word, stay in school: "There were many, many people — ourselves included — who openly questioned whether the five Ohio State players suspended for receiving impermissible benefits would honor their pledge and return to the Buckeyes for another season. As it turns out, they did. Every single one of ‘em. While not mentioning the quintet by name, head coach Jim Tressel told the Columbus Dispatch that his Buckeyes did not lose any underclassmen to the early entry into the NFL draft. That includes quarterback Terrelle Pryor, wide receiver DeVier Posey, running back Boom Herron, offensive tackle Mike Adams and defensive end/Sugar Bowl hero Solomon Thomas, all of whom have been suspended for the first five games of the 2011 season. The first four players mentioned were full-time starters in 2010. "Our kids want to finish their degree and their commitment at Ohio State," Tressel told the Dispatch. "That is very important to each and every one of them, and to our staff and entire athletics family."..." Source: College Football Talk 1/18/11 Our complete coverage of the suspension of six Buckeyes for the 2011 season
Is Ohio State Still a 2011 BCS Championship Contender? You Bet They Are! : "...The five players facing suspension next year were more than likely all going to be starters, and one, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, was likely to be among the favorites for the Heisman Memorial Trophy. With the tat-five set to miss the first five games of next season, Ohio State is surely out of contention for not only the national title, but also the Big Ten Championship as well. Or are they? Here are five reasons why we could still see the Buckeyes in the BCS National Championship game next season...Depth at QB and RB...The Defense Will Reload...Corey Brown's Impact on Offense and Defense...An Offense (that should be) Firing On All Cylinders...Tressel Knows How To Win, Period..." Source: BlockONation 1/15/11
Shocker: television ratings for bowls dropped this year: Whether you’re for a college football playoff, or against one, you’d be hard-pressed to find a lot of people who didn’t think there were too many bowl games this year. And a lot of them weren’t very good. So, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when 23 of the 35 bowls this postseason had lower television ratings from the previous year..."Source: College Football Talk1/15/11
Under Armour All-American CB Doran Grant Chooses the Buckeyes Doran Grant, from Ohio's Akron St. Vincent St. Mary, rated one of the top two or three prep cornerbacks in the nation, announced on national TV Wednesday night that he was going to Ohio State. Grant, who become commitment number 20 in the Class of 2011, said: "Coach Tressel knows and everything is all set for me to go down to Columbus. I'll be at Ohio State in June. Coach Tressel was pumped up when I told him. He was ready for me to come down."
Scout.com's Scott Kennedy wrote: "His testing numbers match his performance on the football field. Grant can jump out of the building and he has the ball skills to become a difference maker at the next level. His exceptional change of direction and strength make him an ideal candidate to play corner. Has a knack for baiting quarterbacks into making throws that he wants to close on for the interception. Strong at the point of attack, great closing speed, and a weapon once the ball is in hands. His testing numbers match his performance on the football field. Grant can jump out of the building and he has the ball skills to become a difference maker at the next level."
Grant, who has 4.3 speed in the 40, had narrowed his college choices to Michigan State, where his father Ted played college football, and the Buckeyes. He had literally dozens of offers from schools, which included Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, USC, Stanford, UCLA, Oklahoma, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Arizona, California & Cincinnati.
Grant A Great Buckeye Get: "It feels great," Grant told Bucknuts in announcing his choice. "I'm glad it's over with and now I am a part of the Buckeyes family. It's been a long time waiting. It was a hard decision at first. Then I just decided Ohio State is the place for me. (Bill) Kurelic’s Comment: The importance of landing Grant can not be over stated. While he will need some work on tackling, he is a great cover guy and those guys are very hard to find. The Buckeyes have had some outstanding cornerbacks in the Tressel era, and Grant has the potential to be a special one for the Buckeyes..." Source: Bucknuts.com 1/5/11
Doran Grant Commits To Ohio State At Under Armour All-American Game
Buckeyes Land Doran Grant: "...Grant, 5-foot-11, 175-pounds participated all week at Under Armour activities, and he showed why he is the nation's number two-rated cornerback, and a five-star recruit. "I have committed to the Buckeyes, because it's home for me and always has been," Grant stated. "I just think it's a great fit, and I look forward to contributing to their defense, and possibly on offense, too. I'm coming in, and I'm ready to get going. I'm really excited to be headed to Ohio State. My position coach, Taver Johnson, played a big part in my decision, as did the whole Ohio State coaching staff. We became great friends, and we've talked a lot over the phone and with e-mail. We really talked a lot, and I trust him with my career. He will take me where I need to be...I won't be going in early, but I'll be there in June," he continued. "I will be trying to help recruit the rest of the class, and I'll be calling anyone who's looking at Ohio State. We already have a great class, but I want to help make it better..." Source: BuckeyeSports.com 1/5/11
Brewster to return for senior year: "Michael Brewster not only wants to be a leader on the 2011 Ohio State football team, he also wants to see his stock rise in the NFL draft. For those and other reasons, the All-America center told The Dispatch yesterday that he will return for his senior season. Leadership on the Buckeyes team is in a state of flux, with five juniors...facing five-game suspensions to start next season. Ohio State is appealing the length of the suspensions. "I want to be a leader on this team and I think I'm ready for that," Brewster said. Coach Jim Tressel welcomed the decision by his three-year starting center, not that he was surprised. "Michael Brewster came to Ohio State with the mindset that he was going to do all he could to grow and ultimately become a strong leader in 2011," Tressel said. NFLdraftscout.com had rated Brewster No.1 out of 74 centers who could have been in this year's draft..." Source: Columbus Dispatch 1/11/11
- Jim Tressel's deadpanned response when asked if quarterback Terrelle Pryor would play in Tuesday's Sugar Bowl with a chip on his shoulder after getting snubbed on the All-Big Ten team Source: Mansfield News Journal 1/2/11
December 2010 the NCAA handed down suspensions to six Ohio State football players (QB Terrelle Pryor, RB Dan Herron, OT Mike Adams, WR DeVier Posey and DL Solomon Thomas & LB Jordan Whiting (one game)) for the first five games of the 2011 season "for selling awards, gifts and university apparel and receiving improper benefits in 2009."
Our complete comprehensive coverage of the "tattoo gate" events HERE.
