07 Recruiting (CBF40's look at our prospects)

[crazybuckfan40]

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

No one, besides maybe Martin was a silent and I I don't think the coaches held him back...JMO tho...

Barksdale might of been a silent at more times than just one, but he was the same to about 15 schools, and any school that pressured him he dropped, so no again.

 

[goodguy]

To be more specific, some kids were ready to commit on their visit, but the coaches told them to wait.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

To be more specific, some kids were ready to commit on their visit, but the coaches told them to wait.

Who, speicifically are you refering too?

 

[wadc45]

Take it FWIW but I have been told that Brent, Barksdale, Martin, Still, Davis and Claytor (and there may have been others...maybe Morgan?) were all "silent verbals" at one point or another. At the very least I believe all of them at one time lead the staff to believe that they wanted to be Buckeyes. But as we all know, until the ink is dry nothing "silent" really matters.

 

[RB07OSU]

Take it FWIW but I have been told that Brent, Barksdale, Martin, Still, Davis and Claytor (and there may have been others...maybe Morgan?) were all "silent verbals" at one point or another. At the very least I believe all of them at one time lead the staff to believe that they wanted to be Buckeyes. But as we all know, until the ink is dry nothing "silent" really matters.

Claytor supposedly didn't have an offer in the first place, so I'm not sure if he would count. By my count we had Martin, Barksdale, Brent, Still, Davis, Wright, and a lot of people forget Vance Cuff. Cuff was more iffy than the rest but the word was that he told the staff he would be a Buckeye, then committed to Georgia the next week. We still have a shot at Still and Wright though. With this momentum, or lackthereof, I think we get maybe one of those.

 

[wadc45]

I was under the impression Claytor had an offer and then had it rescinded, but either way...one of Wright or Still (hopefully both) would be nice. I would take the two of them, Bryant and Hines and call it a class.

 

[crazybuckfan40]

I was under the impression Claytor had an offer and then had it rescinded, but either way...one of Wright or Still (hopefully both) would be nice. I would take the two of them, Bryant and Hines and call it a class.

My feeling as well, not as strong as once anticipated, but met most of our needs besides DT and OT but we will go hard for them next year.

Can't wait to get the best guess up for the 08' class and see how LJB disects it... Won't be till after signing day tho.

 

[buckiprof]

Take it FWIW but I have been told that Brent, Barksdale, Martin, Still, Davis and Claytor (and there may have been others...maybe Morgan?) were all "silent verbals" at one point or another. At the very least I believe all of them at one time lead the staff to believe that they wanted to be Buckeyes. But as we all know, until the ink is dry nothing "silent" really matters.

Wad, I appreciate all that you, OSU22 and the BPRT do here, and I have a couple of in general type questions. What is the point of a silent verbal? If I were a recruit and gave a verbal and the staff asked me to keep it silent, then I would be asking why? If I were staff and the recruit stated that he wanted to keep it quiet, I would ask why? As a person, I believe that trust is vital to any healthy relationship and the aforementioned scenarios, while very very general, wouldn't necessarily jive with my definition of "trust".

Another question that I have had for quite some time pertains to the staff. Does the staff debrief committed recruits after NLOID for any info on what other programs were doing/saying during the recruiting process?

 

[tundra1]

To be more specific, some kids were ready to commit on their visit, but the coaches told them to wait.

Goodguy, if that happened, I actually have more respect for the coaching staff because of it.

Here's my take--it's probably easy to get caught up during a visit--see a huge stadium, great athletic facilities, and a great academic environment, and think about committing. Then, some of those kids will go on another visit and realize that there are other schools which have big stadiums, nice facilities, etc.

It's best for the recruit for them to see what they need to see, then sit down, compare schools, and make as good a choice for themselves as they can.

Hey--I'm like a lot of people on this board--I want every recruit that the staff pursues to accept an offer at Ohio State. But to face facts, there are a lot of good schools out there, and Ohio State may not be the best choice for all of those recruits for a number of reasons.

I want our recruits to have thought about their decision and be confident that Ohio State is the best school for them. Having them commit during a visit may not be the best approach for that. After all, they might change their mind later, and we don't need any more Stanley McClovers or Richard Washingtons.

We'll get enough good recruits who really want to become Buckeyes. Tressel and staff will coach them. As for me, I'll yell and scream from C-deck. Just like any other year...

 

[stxbuck]

I will say this-why not let a kid verbal publicly, but still take visits. If a kid makes a public verbal, it will make it much less likely that they will rescind it-even if another school blows them away. If they say no, but are a "silent"-treat it as a non-commit. I cannot believe Tressel is A-gullible enough, B-naive enough, or C-idealistic enough to take these silent verbals as anything more than hot air, after the last couple of years, but apparently he is.

 

[sandgk]

Is it not true that if they make a public verbal it is likely that some schools will not give them to time of day?

 

[wadc45]

Wad, I appreciate all that you, OSU22 and the BPRT do here, and I have a couple of in general type questions. What is the point of a silent verbal? If I were a recruit and gave a verbal and the staff asked me to keep it silent, then I would be asking why? If I were staff and the recruit stated that he wanted to keep it quiet, I would ask why? As a person, I believe that trust is vital to any healthy relationship and the aforementioned scenarios, while very very general, wouldn't necessarily jive with my definition of "trust".

Another question that I have had for quite some time pertains to the staff. Does the staff debrief committed recruits after NLOID for any info on what other programs were doing/saying during the recruiting process?

I will answer the parts I actually have some knowledge about. I am still looking for the positives of a silent verbal for OSU. They have worked out VERY well for USC in the past because those recruits are able to take visits and spend time talking about the USC program with other USC targets. It also keeps the kid from scaring off other targets at the same position. Ausberry was a classic example...they had him hold off for months so as not to scare off the likes of Hazelton. Davis and Jarrett were other examples. The difference is that the OSU approach (the whole lay out the facts and let the kid make the best decision...no pressure) does not work on OOS kids who need to "feel the love". So while Prospect A is silently committed to OSU and the staff is checking in from time to time, other staffs are in that kid's ear about coming to their school and being the player that puts them over the top or the guy they need to win it all.

Conversely, a program like Texas wants public verbals upfront and wants them early in the process. This is why Mack Brown always has around 20 commits by December. This strategy has worked well for UT because kids see the rush and realize that if they want to be a Longhorn they better get with it. Again, I think JT's staff has a grand scheme in mind when it comes to each kid's verbal...although I don't see the rhyme or reason unless the issue is strictly based on admissions. I don't see why you would take a Pentello verbal right away but make someone else (say Major Wright) wait, unless it is an academic issue.

I am just as baffled as you are by some of what has transpired the last few years with regards to recruiting. I just try and put my faith in JT and the staff to make the best decisions for the program beacuse that is what they are paid an awful lot of money to do. My biggest hope for next year is a bigger net early on...because the smaller numbers approach has left us reeling a little bit now that we have whiffed on nearly every OOS prospect who has waited to make a decision, except for Scott and Rolle (TBD)...I don't count Blankenship and Washington because those were OOS of state kids that really wanted to be Buckeyes.

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I am just as baffled as you are by some of what has transpired the last few years with regards to recruiting. I just try and put my faith in JT and the staff to make the best decisions for the program beacuse that is what they are paid an awful lot of money to do.

So....you're saying we should just trust the coaches on this?

 

[wadc45]

So....you're saying we should just trust the coaches on this?

Yes.

Great post, I agree.

 

[RB07OSU]

I was under the impression Claytor had an offer and then had it rescinded, but either way...one of Wright or Still (hopefully both) would be nice. I would take the two of them, Bryant and Hines and call it a class.

Something of that nature...he didn't have an offer when he decided though. I would gladly take Wright, Still, Bryant, and Hines for a class but I'm not feeling confident on anyone besides Hines and Wright. The chances on Still have gone up with early PT and Bryant still has to visit. Not to mention that Wright is still visiting Florida(and maybe Rolle as well). I think it's possible to land all 4 and maybe I'm just pessimistic from this week, but I don't think we end up with those 4.