2009 tOSU Recruiting Discussion

[Napoleonbuck]

Just expounding more on my previous post.

I think Homan is being recruited as a linebacker/DE, much like Gibson. I think Ferrell is either a HUGE MLB or a DE. I'm thinking that might get him shut out of an offer. I also think Studlien might get shut out of an offer, depending on how many linebackers we want and what goes down with the OOS big speed prospects. After giving both Homan's and Ferrell's film a second glance over, it's surprising how similar they are as prospects. I think both lack the sideline to sideline speed, which would make them more similar to Schlegel than JL when it comes to Ohio State middle linebackers.

Both could be DE candidates.

Then again, with Sabino's reported size(6'4" 240), he might move down eventually too. It'll be interesting to see how the staff handles all these talented big speed prospects.

 

[RB07OSU]

Sorry dude but I don't buy it.





Could be wrong but if if a recruit were reading thing like this said about if, even on message boards, I think it's going to leave a bad taste in his mouth. I know you are an excellent poster and makes a lot of positive contributions, but why are we still in the stage of questioning Tressel's calls, on offering kids, given his track record, when he's freakin offering a kid who's not even finished with his JR year yet?

Me being surprised over an offer doesn't mean I disagree with it. Not many people saw this offer coming, especially this early. However the staff did and as Wad said, good enough for me. Homan has shown some promise and I have yet to see his junior film, which is going to help a TON. Yes, the staff offering this early does speak volumes but I'm just wondering if Homan stays at LB with so many other offers/interest out there to guys that have legit interest in us. He is a Big Speed guy at this point and the staff will figure out later where he projects.

 

[osugrad21]

I think you'd be better served just saying you missed on this one and moving on...

It happens.

There is limited film available and you weren't blown away in person. You said he wasn't tOSU material...turns out the staff disagrees.

Move on.

 

[RB07OSU]

I think you'd be better served just saying you missed on this one and moving on...

It happens.

There is limited film available and you weren't blown away in person. You said he wasn't tOSU material...turns out the staff disagrees.

Move on.

Oh I definetly missed on this one for sure and no arguing that. I was surprised but I will be just as happy as anyone to welcome Adam in when he commits to OSU.

 

[Napoleonbuck]

How about an early guess for the 2009 class?

We have 24 players coming off scholarship, though I'm guessing a few redshirt juniors come back and a few juniors leave early, so I'm using 24 as my base number.

Quarterback: 1

I'll guess we go after a true sleeper prospect, someone in the Antonio Henton mold. Assuming we get Pryor, we won't need a big name. I guess our first offer to a QB doesn't go out until camp at the earliest.

Runningback: 2

Replace Wells & Wells ltd.

I think Touissant gets an offer for sure. He reminds me of a faster Pittman. I think we look for a bigger back with the second scholly, such as Hersey Jackson

WR: 2/3

I think Fields for sure gets a scholarship and accepts it quickly afterwards. I think we go after another big WR with the other offer. Maybe a sleeper prospect. I also wouldn't be surprised if we took a third one if a prospect comes on board that you just have to take, such as Je'ron Stokes.

OL: 3

I think Ricky Harris, Jack Mewhort, and Marcus Hall are our linemen for next year. Solid in-state line class next year, so I don't think we'll have any problem filling our spots.

DE: 2/3

I think we'll take 2 pure defensive ends. I'm hoping for Fellows and Jack Lippert. I could also see Ferrell or Homan coming down to DE. I think we'll look for someone who can play both positions, and it sounds like we won't have to look long if Simon jumps on board. Trae Tiller is someone to watch as well.

DT: 2/3

I think we get Simon and I'm hoping we get Corey Adams. I think those are our top prospects at this point in time

LB: 4/5

We have Klein and Whiting. I'm penciling in Homan as a get, though he could be a FB as well. Not foreseeing any injury or grade concerns, I have to believe we offer Ferrell at some point in time. It also seems like we stand a good chance to be a player for Quan Fletcher(though he and Ferrell have a very similar build and both probably project the same in college). You also can't forget Studlien, not to mention other out of state players like Bell and Smith. Will be interesting to see how the staff projects these players and which end up getting offers. I have a feeling some very worthy players will be getting shut out of offers.

CB: 2/3

I think we go after Barnett and one other cornerback. Wouldn't shock me if we took a third.

Safety: 3

I think we go after Denicos Allen, Darrell Mason, and one other player to be named.

This is roughly 25 players. It's hard to guess names since only a handful of players have offers at this point, but it seems clear that our staff definitely have been grading out some of these players already.

 

[casey_buckeye]

A DL class that includes Simon and Fellows is a great DL class!

 

[txbuckeye1983]

Mark me down as one that was not all that impressed with Ferrell or Mason. Not saying they are bad players just I think I have seen better. Size will hurt these kids at the next level also, think Moeller and Roll great players but will be on SP teams most their careers at OSU unless they put on some size.

To relegate Moeller and Rolle as "special team players," when they are only finishing their sophomore and freshmen years is ignorant at best.

 

[808 Buck]

I've said this in threads about different recruits, but I think it is pertinent here as well. I believe that Tressel and staff do a certain amount of due diligence before making official offers. They take this due diligence very seriously and they offer less players than most comparable programs. They view these offers seriously and know that a high percentage of them will be accepted, especially in-state offers.

I feel that more than any other program, OSU's due diligence includes an in-depth look at a guy's work ethic and character. They learned from past mistakes (the class of 2003) and have found a formula that seems to be working. They have had a lot of success taking lower rated kids who work hard, love football and understand the game. They have also had a much higher retention rate and better team chemistry than in the past.

In short, I no longer look at the order that OSU offers kids in as an accurate reflection of their talent compared to other kids. Offers seem to come out earlier to guys from big programs. Guys from families that the staff knows. Guys with great academics. Character guys.

As all of this relates to Adam, I would say that just because Homan was the 4th or 5th in-state offer doesn't necessarily mean that he is the 4th best player in Ohio or that the staff views him as a top 5 talent. It may just mean that the OSU staff had completed their due diligence on him more quickly than they did on other prospects. They know his family. They know the kid. They love the work ethic that they see up close every day from his brother. They are comfortable with his level of competition and respect the Coldwater program. They like his work ethic and character and they feel he is talented enough to play here. Therefore, the offer was made.

Great post above. My opinion of the '09 class is that it's going to be a "meat and potatoes" type of class. Based on the number of scholarships available, it's going to be a large class (there is room to take guys who need time to develop). If you review the state of the program right now, there are no pressing needs, other than maybe offensive tackle (should Boone leave). But, that has been somewhat addressed with the '08 class. So, my point is that the staff may be looking for guys who can not only be a great player, but a great teammate as well. Sometimes, high school superstars have a difficult time accepting that role. That's why I liked the above post - words like character, work ethic, chemistry. That's how you build a great team, or in tOSU's case, continue to be a dominant program. Granted, you need the difference makers, and I have no doubt that the Bucks will grab their share, but you need the nuts and bolts as well. My usual disclaimer - I have not seen any of the potential '09 recruits, my message is not about any individual recruit, nor do I usually engage in speculating about recruits.

 

[JCOSU86]

I've said this in threads about different recruits, but I think it is pertinent here as well. I believe that Tressel and staff do a certain amount of due diligence before making official offers.

Ya think?

 

[wadc45]

Nice work NapoleonBuck...I think the second corner they go after hard (along with Barnett) will be Darrell Givens. A couple of guys I would love to see them take a run at include MN ATH Fritz Rock, Mike Marrow, either Nate Klatt or Pat McShane (and bump RIcky to DT), IN TE Ed Hazelett and two of my early favorite sleepers in-state at RB, Bud Golden and Brandon Stephenson...

 

[buck2006]

To relegate Moeller and Rolle as "special team players," when they are only finishing their sophomore and freshmen years is ignorant at best.

"
Mark me down as one that was not all that impressed with Ferrell or Mason. Not saying they are bad players just I think I have seen better. Size will hurt these kids at the next level also, think Moeller and Roll great players but will be on SP teams most their careers at OSU unless they put on some size."

Maybe you need to look at the post one more time he said UNLESS THEY PUT ON SOME SIZE. I agree with his post they will be on SP TEAM UNLESS they put on some size. You will not be a starting LB at OSU at 210lbs with the studs we have already. Before you call some one ignorant you need to comprehend what was said.

 

[WiseBuck]

znookered

zook must have already given out about a 100 offers for the 2009 class especially to alot of Ohio kids. This is by design because he fears tOSU and has every right to fear tOSU. He has taken recruiting to a new lower level by offering so many kids so early. He knows he can't sign them all so he's using the shotgun technique and using it in Ohio. illinois is inferior and always will be inferior. They are out in the middle of nowhere, in the sticks, there is no media there, in an isolated place, and zook is a traveling used car salesman.

zook gameplan: try and build up the illinois team to use it as a springboard to get another high profile coaching position in a year to three years. he is going to pull a richrod on his players that he is recruiting and then leave them in the dust. illinois is like a wv, you can only really go so far there. So when the couple big openings come up, you put the feelers in and grab it if you can. Mark my words, this will happen. He would look at ND, USC just to name two. He wants to go to a traditional power with all the resources where he has a built in advantage for recruiting and winning.

 

[mross34]

zook must have already given out about a 100 offers for the 2009 class especially to alot of Ohio kids. This is by design because he fears tOSU and has every right to fear tOSU. He has taken recruiting to a new lower level by offering so many kids so early. He knows he can't sign them all so he's using the shotgun technique and using it in Ohio. illinois is inferior and always will be inferior. They are out in the middle of nowhere, in the sticks, there is no media there, in an isolated place, and zook is a traveling used car salesman.

zook gameplan: try and build up the illinois team to use it as a springboard to get another high profile coaching position in a year to three years. he is going to pull a richrod on his players that he is recruiting and then leave them in the dust. illinois is like a wv, you can only really go so far there. So when the couple big openings come up, you put the feelers in and grab it if you can. Mark my words, this will happen. He would look at ND, USC just to name two. He wants to go to a traditional power with all the resources where he has a built in advantage for recruiting and winning.

Where to even begin?

1) What's wrong with Illinois sending out all these early offers? If they're going to honor them all I see no problem with it. He knows he's not gonna get them all and is covering all his bases. Universities do the same thing in accepting more incoming freshmen than they could take in. I'd even venture to say it's a good strategy.

2) A kid from the South, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, or West Coast would find it borderline laughable that someone from Columbus, Ohio is calling a place a few hours outside Chicago the sticks. Columbus is probably the largest city in the country with NO national profile. I'd travelled all over the country before college and thought Columbus (never having been there) to be a college town much along the lines Bloomington, IN with some state government buildings thrown in there. I love it in C-Bus, but is it really much more than that? UI has the Chicago media market (one of the 3 largest in the country) right up the road.

3) Illinois has been a sleeping giant. Their stadium seats 70,000+ and they have a huge alumni base and media market available to them for support. How many ND and USC level jobs are there? Zook had one at Florida and he didn't last. The knock on the man was never recruiting, it's his gameday decisions as witness this year against Iowa when he cost them the game with a bonehead decision late in the 4th. I'm not sure how many more chances at a tier-1 program the man's gonna have. Illinois seems like a pretty good fit for him, and he seems to be making the best of it.

The bottom line is, after all this we're still a notch above Illinois for a multitude of reasons, and that's why Zook has to throw so many offers out on the table. Tressel is just going to have to out-recruit him, which we all know he's capable of doing.

[/End of Rant]

Back to the Bucks.

 

[osugrad21]

"
Mark me down as one that was not all that impressed with Ferrell or Mason. Not saying they are bad players just I think I have seen better. Size will hurt these kids at the next level also, think Moeller and Roll great players but will be on SP teams most their careers at OSU unless they put on some size."

Maybe you need to look at the post one more time he said UNLESS THEY PUT ON SOME SIZE. I agree with his post they will be on SP TEAM UNLESS they put on some size. You will not be a starting LB at OSU at 210lbs with the studs we have already. Before you call some one ignorant you need to comprehend what was said.

Nice of you to defend yourself

 

[RB07OSU]

Great post Napoleon and greenies for you. I was about to come on and do my best guess but you beat me to it . With the 24 number:
QB: Devontae Payne
HB: Fitzgerald Toussaint
FB: Mike Marrow
WR: Chris Fields
WR: Dion Sims (I guess we're in decent shape here)
WR: Jeron Stokes (seems like a bit of a reach but I'm sure other names will surface)
TE: Ed Hazlett
OL: Ricky Harris
OL: Marcus Hall
OL: Jack Mewhort
DE: Jack Lippert
DE: Marvin Fellows
DT: Johnny Simon
DT: Corey Adams
LB: Storm Klein
LB: Jordan Whiting
LB: Will Studlien
LEO: Julius Ferrell
DB: CJ Barnett
DB: Darrell Givens
DB: Denicos Allen
DB: A three star 6' plus CB from Florida
ATH: Adam Homan
ATH: Darrell Mason

Note: At OL I think we go after Hill from Illinois hard. I also think Dorian Bell and Petey Smith have legit interest in us and are possibilities. Quanthony Fletcher sounds like a lock if offered but I'm not sure how high on the board he is for us. A lot more OOS offers will pop up soon I'm sure but this is just an early guess at things. I'm really thinking we could have another strong year in Florida with the success we're having lately.