07 Recruiting (CBF40's look at our prospects)

[crazybuckfan40]

1. RB - Danny "Boom" Herron
2. RB - Brandon Saine
3. WR - Taurian Washington
4. DB - Devon Torrence
5. WR - Dane Sazenbacher
6. S - Eugene Clifford
7. DB - Donnie Evege
8. S/LB -Nate Oliver
9. OL - Evan Blankenship
10. LB - Brian Rolle
11. DE - Solomon Thomas
12. S - Rocco Pentello
13. CB - James Scott
14. DE - Ben Martin
15. DT - Joe Barksdale
16. DL - Devon Still
17. OL - Anthony Davis
18. TE - Rob Gronkowski
19. S - Major Wright

- At this point I think the above 6 are very good bets to be in the class. With Still being the less likely. Martin, Barksdale, Davis, Wright, and Gronkowski have all been rumored to either be heavy leans and silents in the past couple weeks. I think we could see Davis, Wright, Martin, Barksdale all around the AA game. Then Gronk at anytime. There have been rumors about Still to PSU, but I still think we are in good position there.

- I still think the class could grow to 20 or even 21. I would think the guys with the best shot of adding to the list above would be Dionte Allen(do we want another speed guy?), Heyward(if Still goes elsewhere, do they turn up the heat?), or a slim chance on Jeremiah or Hines (Both have had grade concerns).

- Also another possibility to add to the list would be a rb. It looks like the staff really wants to add another rb with people talking about Pittman being gone and the possibility of MoWells transferring. The list has dwindled as Hughes, Clay, and Green seem to be off the list. The only guy at this point with any mention would have to be Evans, but he is verballed to VaTech. Look for some sleeper names to start popping up here in the next couple weeks.

Overall things are looking pretty darn good for a team with a coach that can't recruit OOS and can't close. :tongue2:

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

is taurian not in red for a reason i'm not aware of?

 

[crazybuckfan40]

is taurian not in red for a reason i'm not aware of?

Nope I just did a copy and paste from Wad's list above and added Washington and forgot to highlight him...

 

[OSU_Buckguy]

- Also another possibility to add to the list would be a rb. It looks like the staff really wants to add another rb with people talking about Pittman being gone and the possibility of MoWells transferring.

if ohio state received a verbal from a running back tomorrow, would you take it as a predictor that pittman is leaving; or do you think that the position is one of need that is independent of pitt's status? also, do you think that at this point the staff is wanting a stud rb or no rb at all? even if pitt leaves, next year's roster would still likely be much deeper than, say, last year's stable of running backs.

 

[el mastiff]

if ohio state received a verbal from a running back tomorrow, would you take it as a predictor that pittman is leaving; or do you think that the position is one of need that is independent of pitt's status?

I wouldn't take it as an indicator that Pittman is leaving early. I would take it as an indication that the staff believes that the verbal has the potential to play. I think the staff and Pittman are being pretty open about what is going on right now. They don't have enough information at this point to make a decision. Having stated the above, I have to admit that if the Bucks received a verbal from a running back tomorrow (or the next day, or the next day), I'd be a little surprised.

also, do you think that at this point the staff is wanting a stud rb or no rb at all? even if pitt leaves, next year's roster would still likely be much deeper than, say, last year's stable of running backs.

First, I think OSU wanted and got a stud rb (or two), i.e., Saine and "Boom". It doesn't appear that the staff is going too hard at any other rb's at this point (maybe they are). If Pittman were to leave early, that gives OSU a pretty good pitch for next year to bring in a "big" back. Besides, if the Bucks get the Oline recruits that many think they will get next year, what back wouldn't want to come in with that group?

 

[CleveBucks]

CBF - take out Still, and add in one of Allen/Heyward/another RB and I think you nailed it.

 

[craigblitz]

Nice list, I think Still ends up at PSU as well. Very similar to the way we lost Wallace last year. If this stays the case, I would really like for us to fill that gap with another big body, maybe Heyward.

Thanks for putting this together it saves a lot of time having to read through a lot of threads.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

At this point I am just not ready to say that Still will go to PSU. I think it is a two horse race and we seem to be neck and neck and both sides are confident...

 

[BLASKO]

We're do you see us in team rankings if we land the above six mentioned recruits?

 

[crazybuckfan40]

We're do you see us in team rankings if we land the above six mentioned recruits?

Well since that would only be a class of 19 we would probably be rated behind teams with classes of size 20 and above, but overall I would say it is a very very successful class, that took care of our needs, sprinkled some superstars with some under the radar sleepers and should be a class that will continue to make tOSU a national title contendor year in and year out...

 

[goodguy]

CBF - take out Still, and add in one of Allen/Heyward/another RB and I think you nailed it.

I do hope Allen is still in play, he's my number one must get. It would be nice to get a cover corner with Allen's ablilities. I think the DL will round out nicely, I'm not worried if we don't get Still.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I do hope Allen is still in play, he's my number one must get. It would be nice to get a cover corner with Allen's ablilities. I think the DL will round out nicely, I'm not worried if we don't get Still.

Should be interesting to see in what direction the staff goes now that they were able to land Scott...

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Here is a breakdown of the guys we are after as of right now.

My Best Guess at this time:

QB - Belton
RB - Saine
RB - Williams
WR - Clemons
WR - Sukay
WR - Clifford
OL - Ogelsby
OL - Blankenship
OL - Shepsis
OL - ???(Not sure yet)
DE - Martin
DE - Thomas
DT - Barksdale
DT - ???(not sure yet)
LB - Hines
LB - Tucker
CB - Evege
CB - Torrence
S - Oliver


That would be one of the best classes that has ever been brought in here....

Keep in mind that there is a long time until signing day and this list will probably look just a little different b4 then.

Unfortunately, it also has the chance to be a real dud - very few "leans" in the "big speed" and "power" categories right now. Blankenship is one guy, but the other top prospects - Oglesby, Martin, Barksdale, O'Dowd, Dailey, Hubbard, Hines, and Solomon Thomas could all end up elsewhere (and I wouldn't be shocked if we struck out on every player in that group, even though the odds probably say that we get someone). None of the second-tier players - Eric Thomas, D'Andrea, Wetterer, Schepis, Jeremiah, Claytor, O'Hara - has made a solid case for an offer to date. OSU should get plenty of "speed" players (due to the abundance in the state of Ohio, a lot of prominent names will not get offers, so don't be disappointed when it happens), but I'm worried about both lines, TE, and to some extent LB.

I don't see a QB getting an offer, unless he is a special player (none of the Ohio guys is special, so don't expect Belton, Smith, et al. to receive offers). Ohio State is a solid NC contender with a Heisman candidate at QB, so the Buckeyes and their suddenly explosive offense will get a ton of national media attention. If that's not good enough to get a top national QB to come to Columbus, then nothing will be. Look for the staff to target a few guys, and try to lock someone up by camp; if that's not possible, then they'll probably be satisfied with Boeckman, Schoenhoft, and Henton for 2007, and look for another guy for the class of 2008.

That being said, there's still plenty of time to go, and even one Oglesby or Martin could go a long way toward making 2007 a great class.

Of the 17 guys on his list, I'd say that 6 or 7 probably end up at Ohio State.

Just curious who you would agree with?

Oliver and Evege, obviously.

I think that OSU leads for Blankenship.

I think that OSU leads for Saine, unless Michigan offers.

I think that OSU has a very good chance for Clemons, Sukay, and Hines (although none has an offer yet).

Torrence - 50/50, with baseball being the other option.

Clifford - 50/50, with Michigan being the other option.

Will Clifford and Torrence both get offered by Ohio State? They are very similar players, and other "speed" guys like Oliver, Evege, and Saine already have offers. And Brian Gamble and Sidney Glover are pretty good prospects, not to mention the OOS players.

Belton, Schepis, and Tucker won't get offers, and neither will Williams with a 2.3 GPA.

Oglesby, Barksdale, and Martin probably go elsewhere.

Solomon Thomas will go elsewhere (and might not get offered anyway).

So, best guess - Oliver, Evege, Blankenship, and Saine; maybe Clemons, Sukay, Hines, Torrence, and Clifford. That's nine reasonable possibilities, so it's safe to assume that the Bucks will get 6 or 7.

I have no inside info and maybe I am just a optimist but why do you think that Barksdale, Oglesby, and Martin will all go elsewhere. I could see all 3 going elsewhere but I don't think we miss on all 3. Not really arguing so much as to just curious....

I'm with rbo7, losing out on Martin Barksdale and big Josh is a sobering thought. I was hoping Barksdale was the mystery early commit from the Rumor mill. I hope LJB is just having a bad recruiting day. It's kind of like a bad hair day only worse.

Also, I'm calling it now; Touch down Charley's (Weiss) shining star sinks faster than Tyrone's did in the not too distant future.

What's the bet? OSU gets 7 or more off of CBF40's list? PM me or Kbuck if you guys really do want such a bet.

OSU signs eight or more of the players on his list of 17 prospects most likely to become Buckeyes.

Yeah, you can open it up to all(if thats cool with LJB.)

Right now the bet is for the 17 guys I have listed, it is over 7.5.

Just a quick recap of the LJB-CBF40 bet.

Committed to the Buckeyes
Saine
Clifford
Thomas
Evege
Torrence
Oliver
Blankenship

Committed Elsewhere
Belton
Clemons
Sukay
Oglesby
Schepis
Barksdale
Martin
Tucker

Uncommitted
Hines (offered)
Williams (not offered)

The bet could still go either way - Hines will probably be part of this class if he makes grades.

Evege, Oliver, and Blankenship were givens. I was right about Belton, Schepis, Williams, and Tucker not getting offers, and about Martin, Barksdale, and Oglesby going elsewhere; the 50/50 guys (Clifford, Saine, and Torrence) all selected Ohio State, although Torrence could still end up in MLB after the June draft; I was dead wrong about Solomon Thomas (although I wonder whether he still needs to do any work to get/remain qualified). The Buckeyes faded fast in the battles for Sukay and Clemons. Hines remains the wild card.

So, in sum, we got the guys we should've have gotten; passed on the guys we should have passed on; found some diamonds in the rough; and missed the guys who could have made this class special. Overall, I think that my assessment of "potential dud" was pretty close to the mark.

It just goes to show that a lot can (and usually does) happen throughout the course of a recruiting season.

Props to stowfan for calling Weis' fall from grace.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Just a quick recap of the LJB-CBF40 bet.

Committed to the Buckeyes
Saine
Clifford
Thomas
Evege
Torrence
Oliver
Blankenship

Committed Elsewhere
Belton
Clemons
Sukay
Oglesby
Schepis
Barksdale
Martin
Tucker

Uncommitted
Hines (offered)
Williams (not offered)

The bet could still go either way - Hines will probably be part of this class if he makes grades.

Evege, Oliver, and Blankenship were givens. I was right about Belton, Schepis, Williams, and Tucker not getting offers, and about Martin, Barksdale, and Oglesby going elsewhere; the 50/50 guys (Clifford, Saine, and Torrence) all selected Ohio State, although Torrence could still end up in MLB after the June draft; I was dead wrong about Solomon Thomas (although I wonder whether he still needs to do any work to get/remain qualified). The Buckeyes faded fast in the battles for Sukay and Clemons. Hines remains the wild card.

So, in sum, we got the guys we should've have gotten; passed on the guys we should have passed on; found some diamonds in the rough; and missed the guys who could have made this class special. Overall, I think that my assessment of "potential dud" was pretty close to the mark.

It just goes to show that a lot can (and usually does) happen throughout the course of a recruiting season.

Props to stowfan for calling Weis' fall from grace.

So overall I would say that we both did a good job, one optimistic, one probably more realistic of projecting the recruiting class...

 

[goodguy]

Do you guys think it would helped 40's cause if the coaches would have allowed some of the silent verbals to go public?