I have just made my annual ‘major update’ to the Schollies By Position thread ( http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2388 ), adding numbers of the incoming player, clearing off a few rumored casualties, and adjusting a few positions based on what I know as of the moment. I am feeling a bit windy, so I thought I would make a few observations.
Lots of rumors circulate during the off season, but it is not until the kids return in the fall that we really know what is going on. Maupin, Skeete and Coleman are gone – each opening up a spot for next year’s class. That raises the number of available schollies to 22. With 8 kids in this class (I am counting Lenix in that number since he effectively slipped a year) THE NUMBER is now 14.
I am also stunned by the ‘casualties’ column for the class of 2003. With the loss of Maupin, from this small group of only 14 incoming Frosh we have already lost 5. That is a hurt to the talent flow and a big hurt to the APR. Add in the continuing injury problems of Devin Jordan and I really don’t care to hear another rumor about Sian Cotton (nothing that hasn't been refuted - so don't ask).
Since we only have 14 scholarship seniors that also means there are EIGHT unused scholarships in this senior class. I am anxious to see who those are handed out to. Certainly John Conroy and Drew Norman should head the list. And of course Turano might be coming back. Still, you have to ask why at least one or two more offers weren’t extended last season.
That said, I must go the other direction and marvel at the job JT is doing of managing the number of spots by position. Other than LB we don’t have a single problem position on this team. In detail –
QB – We lose nada and have four talented and well spaced folks working their way through the system. We already have one in this class, giving us the opportunity to wait for a big name or wait until next year when the thought of two senior QBs graduating will tempt the best and brightest. Anything else this year is gravy. (I am by no means a fan of giving someone like Hartline a flyer just for the heck of it.)
RB – For TBU this is one position where OSU has arguably under-recruited for the past few years. We still haven’t recovered from not getting any studs in ’03 (a tough job at the time with MC still in the fold). Late losses of kids like Walker, Johnson and Gwaltney haven't helped. But next year we will have one TB in each class other than senior and a genuine hoss is already in the fold with this class. Anything else this year is gravy.
FB – Again some nice spacing but a strong need for someone in the class of ’06.
TE – Had we not lost LI we would be sitting pretty. As it is we need at least one, if not two, solid pickups this season. And guess what? One stud is already in the fold.
WR – Good Lord Almighty. Not only are we loaded but the only player we lose is Holmes and that is only because he will be leaving early. And we already have a commit from his replacement. Anything else here is gravy.
OL – The OL pipeline is as full and well spaced as anytime in recent memory. You just gotta love the way things look for as far as the eye can see. We lose three schollie OL this year, so there is a need. But only two of those three play and guess what? One stud is in the books. If we land Aaron Brown, well, anything after that would be gravy.
DL – Again, look at the spacing. One or two players at DE and DT in each year of eligibility. We lose two good ones, but hey, people graduate. That is the nature of college FB. But we only lost one last season while picking up 4 great new recruits. We could use a pickup or two here, but it is not a desperate need. Land Robert Rose and anything else is gravy.
LB – OK, at last we have a position that gives us a bit of a problem. Four stud seniors is great to have this season, but creates havoc next year. One could argue that we should have done more in the class of ’03 but you could counter that all it would have gotten us is a frustrated stud (that is the way I often describe myself - and it is not pretty). It is just flat tough to recruit behind a group like this. We can’t do too much about the experience factor but just look at some of those names in the pipeline. And IF D’Andrea gets a 6th year it could change everything. All that said we already have Lenix and Homan coming in for next season with Gibson looking like a big ladle of gravy.
DB – Once again the spacing is magnificent. One or two safeties and one or two corners in every class. We lose two but have already filled behind one of them. Talent everywhere you look.
K/P – Not much to say here except that for the first time in a while we only have two kickers on schollie. I like that. OSU has to look very attractive to potential kickers right now and we have the scholarships to offer if the right kid comes along. If not, let them walk-on and earn it the way it happens in most major programs.
Bottom Line – Kids graduate and you have to replace them. The key is not losing too many at one time (like having 14 players drafted into the NFL in one year). Our recruiting is being managed remarkably well. I look down the road and I just don’t see anything that would be labeled ‘rebuilding’ (possible exception being next year’s D). We have some needs for next year but it is only August and many of those have already been filled. I see another great class coming – chock full of great athletes all smothered in gravy.
Lots of rumors circulate during the off season, but it is not until the kids return in the fall that we really know what is going on. Maupin, Skeete and Coleman are gone – each opening up a spot for next year’s class. That raises the number of available schollies to 22. With 8 kids in this class (I am counting Lenix in that number since he effectively slipped a year) THE NUMBER is now 14.
I am also stunned by the ‘casualties’ column for the class of 2003. With the loss of Maupin, from this small group of only 14 incoming Frosh we have already lost 5. That is a hurt to the talent flow and a big hurt to the APR. Add in the continuing injury problems of Devin Jordan and I really don’t care to hear another rumor about Sian Cotton (nothing that hasn't been refuted - so don't ask).
Since we only have 14 scholarship seniors that also means there are EIGHT unused scholarships in this senior class. I am anxious to see who those are handed out to. Certainly John Conroy and Drew Norman should head the list. And of course Turano might be coming back. Still, you have to ask why at least one or two more offers weren’t extended last season.
That said, I must go the other direction and marvel at the job JT is doing of managing the number of spots by position. Other than LB we don’t have a single problem position on this team. In detail –
QB – We lose nada and have four talented and well spaced folks working their way through the system. We already have one in this class, giving us the opportunity to wait for a big name or wait until next year when the thought of two senior QBs graduating will tempt the best and brightest. Anything else this year is gravy. (I am by no means a fan of giving someone like Hartline a flyer just for the heck of it.)
RB – For TBU this is one position where OSU has arguably under-recruited for the past few years. We still haven’t recovered from not getting any studs in ’03 (a tough job at the time with MC still in the fold). Late losses of kids like Walker, Johnson and Gwaltney haven't helped. But next year we will have one TB in each class other than senior and a genuine hoss is already in the fold with this class. Anything else this year is gravy.
FB – Again some nice spacing but a strong need for someone in the class of ’06.
TE – Had we not lost LI we would be sitting pretty. As it is we need at least one, if not two, solid pickups this season. And guess what? One stud is already in the fold.
WR – Good Lord Almighty. Not only are we loaded but the only player we lose is Holmes and that is only because he will be leaving early. And we already have a commit from his replacement. Anything else here is gravy.
OL – The OL pipeline is as full and well spaced as anytime in recent memory. You just gotta love the way things look for as far as the eye can see. We lose three schollie OL this year, so there is a need. But only two of those three play and guess what? One stud is in the books. If we land Aaron Brown, well, anything after that would be gravy.
DL – Again, look at the spacing. One or two players at DE and DT in each year of eligibility. We lose two good ones, but hey, people graduate. That is the nature of college FB. But we only lost one last season while picking up 4 great new recruits. We could use a pickup or two here, but it is not a desperate need. Land Robert Rose and anything else is gravy.
LB – OK, at last we have a position that gives us a bit of a problem. Four stud seniors is great to have this season, but creates havoc next year. One could argue that we should have done more in the class of ’03 but you could counter that all it would have gotten us is a frustrated stud (that is the way I often describe myself - and it is not pretty). It is just flat tough to recruit behind a group like this. We can’t do too much about the experience factor but just look at some of those names in the pipeline. And IF D’Andrea gets a 6th year it could change everything. All that said we already have Lenix and Homan coming in for next season with Gibson looking like a big ladle of gravy.
DB – Once again the spacing is magnificent. One or two safeties and one or two corners in every class. We lose two but have already filled behind one of them. Talent everywhere you look.
K/P – Not much to say here except that for the first time in a while we only have two kickers on schollie. I like that. OSU has to look very attractive to potential kickers right now and we have the scholarships to offer if the right kid comes along. If not, let them walk-on and earn it the way it happens in most major programs.
Bottom Line – Kids graduate and you have to replace them. The key is not losing too many at one time (like having 14 players drafted into the NFL in one year). Our recruiting is being managed remarkably well. I look down the road and I just don’t see anything that would be labeled ‘rebuilding’ (possible exception being next year’s D). We have some needs for next year but it is only August and many of those have already been filled. I see another great class coming – chock full of great athletes all smothered in gravy.
