2010 tOSU Recruiting Discussion

[OregonBuckeye]

New Buckeye offer Alani Fua. Seems like people are assuming we're looking at him at TE but he looks good at DE to me. Of course, I haven't seen any TE highlights. Still, looks like he has a great frame and will be able to add weight while maintaining his athleticism.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO-jNcyy7jo"]YouTube - Alani Fua oaks christian football highlights[/ame]

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=71894&season=2010&action=upsell&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d71894%26season%3d2010

Evaluation

Fua is a tall and very lean defensive end prospect. He displays some upside, but at this point would have to be viewed as a bit of a project at the college level. He will need to work to add serious bulk to his frame as he really lacks ideal weight. He does display some solid athleticism. He runs well and displays good short-area change-of-direction skills. If he can add size and keep that mobility he could develop into an intriguing player. He is solid against the run but with his height he is leverage disadvantaged and also lacks the bulk to anchor. He will display the ability to play with solid pad level for his size and will fight to hold his ground. He needs to be more active with his hands and use them to create separation. He tends to keep his hands in and not use his reach to his advantage. If he lets blockers get into him he can have trouble holding his ground and shedding. Plays with a good motor and can make up some ground in pursuit. He could potential cause some problems rushing off the edge, but needs to use his weapons and develop his pass rush arsenal. Fua we feel is a kid who needs a red-shirt and possibly more time. While he has plenty of room to add bulk there is some concern about his ability to add and hold weight. If a program can make the room and take the time, Fua shows flashes and could develop into a nice pick-up down the road.

 

[BGriffBuckeye]

Alani did say we were recruiting him as a TE, but he's been said to have the athletic ability to play multiple positions: DE, LB, TE.

 

[TresselstillownsTSUN]

Looks to me like the staff maybe making a push for Montana. I would take Hendrix or Montana, but I would love some inroads in Cali.

 

[brutus2002]

IMO there are using Montana to get Fua. Whether Montana commits to us he will have positive things to say about us. Montana could recruit him for us even if he doesn't become a Buckeye.

Tressel would not give this kid a offer just to get another player.

 

[bigdog3300]

Sorry, 2011 question but didn't see a thread for it.

I saw we offered a 2011 LB out of Georgia, James Vaughters. Any info on this guy? Has a mighty impressive offer list so soon.

 

[Cinfali]

We could really go 0-2 on Montana and Hendrix. I would hate to lose Hendrix to ND and Montana to whoever. If we miss on both I wonder if we go after another QB, or just pack it up and wait for Miller. If we go after another QB, I wonder who the next target is? Robert Bolden????

I think if we miss on Hendrix, part of the reason will be this Miller talk. I read/lurk at a lot of different boards and there is a stark difference between our fans and fans of other teams. This was on my mind for quite a while so I will post some examples. From our scout board about Hendrix offer :

Good luck to montana if true...so when does Braxton Miller get here?

I like this offer a lot. Like someone said before, come on down Braxton Miller!

This is from a Tennessee board about Hendrix, see how they use that talk to their advantage:

Braxton Miller is going to end up being a Buckeye most likely. Makes me feel even better about our chances with Hendrix.

The "word" up here is that Hendrix isnt seriously considering OSU because of the current, and most likely future, depth chart.

Pryor will most likely be starting through his Senior year (unless he REALLY breaks out this year and next, Vince Young style), and OSU pretty much has that 5* dual-threat QB committed for the '11 class. I just dont see AH beating either of those studs out.

It may sound like a cliche but schools like USC sell competition while if you read our boards they seem to almost discourage that. (We have Adams&Shugarts why would an OT come here, we have Chris Wells no great RB will come here for the next few years etc. ) Compare that with how other boards seem to sell their schools. This is from PSU board about Baldwin (a recent one, you can find much better examples):

one would have to think the idea of playing for LJ SR is very enticing. couple that with the recent success at the DE position and it has to perk this kid's ears.

You may argue that posts on a message board should not affect anything but the reality is they do. Sometimes I wish we had some posters like Thakid out there with unbridled optimism.

 

[jwinslow]

your comparisons are very flawed. You're comparing coping mechanisms from fanbases that are (seemingly) not getting a prospect to ones that are optimistic about their chances. If message boards didn't exist, Hendrix would still know about the star QB coming in behind him, and that would have an effect.

If USC strikes out on a QB offer this year, do you really think the response will be much different than ours? I sure don't. "Good luck to him... but he likely would have sat behind Barkley anyway"

It may sound like a cliche but schools like USC sell competition while if you read our boards they seem to almost discourage that.

Yeah we never sell competition at linebacker, running back, wide receiver.

We have Adams&Shugarts why would an OT come here

We weren't excited about getting depth at tackle with guys like mewhort, adams the year after those two, or norwell the year after that?

This is from PSU board about Baldwin (a recent one, you can find much better examples):

Folks talk about what Heacock did with Carpenter & Gholston and their draft success, and guys like Williams, Turner are coming in to continue that trend.

 

[MaxBuck]

You may argue that posts on a message board should not affect anything but the reality is they do. Sometimes I wish we had some posters like Thakid out there with unbridled optimism.

Why would anyone think there is a fundamental difference in personality or behavior from one school's message boards vs. any other's?

Kids will go where they think the situation is best for them, not where the message board denizens behave in a particular way. So long as we avoid bashing recruits and players here (and those sorts of things can affect recruits' opinions), it's all good.

 

[Cinfali]

your comparisons are very flawed. You're comparing coping mechanisms from fanbases that are (seemingly) not getting a prospect to ones that are optimistic about their chances.

This was right after the offer to Hendrix. Do you mean those posters were coping with the loss of Montana? It might be so, but I have seen numerous similar posts about Montana-Miller after Montana was offered.

If message boards didn't exist, Hendrix would still know about the star QB coming in behind him, and that would have an effect.

I hope your assumption about Braxton is true but a 17 year old's psyche is very fragile. If I put myself in Hendrix shoes I wouldn't care about a 2011 recruit because I would be one year his senior and there would be competition/new recruits anywhere I go. But let's say I enter scout.com and read the thread about my offer and there is a lot of talk about me being a safety recruit in transition between Pryor and Miller. That would probably put a huge question mark in my mind because I am in that age where I am easily influenced by other people's opinions.

Yeah we never sell competition at linebacker, running back, wide receiver.

We weren't excited about getting depth at tackle with guys like mewhort, adams the year after those two, or norwell the year after that?

Well, I don't want to go to extremes to defend my point but especially for the OL position our fans did enough "negative recruiting" for us last year and this year and although I am elated to get guys like Hall and Mewhort, we got those guys in spite of our fans. And all of those guys are from Ohio.

Folks talk about what Heacock did with Carpenter & Gholston and their draft success, and guys like Williams, Turner are coming in to continue that trend.

Why would anyone think there is a fundamental difference in personality or behavior from one school's message boards vs. any other's?

Kids will go where they think the situation is best for them, not where the message board denizens behave in a particular way. So long as we avoid bashing recruits and players here (and those sorts of things can affect recruits' opinions), it's all good.

Again, I do not want to exaggarate and say there are no positive Buckeye posters but to me we are one of the best schools around and every recruit should seriously consider an Ohio State offer but if you read Ohio State boards you don't get that impression. For example, check Jordan Hicks thread. I mean, I do not want our posters to be total homers and I was half-joking about Thakid but if you read that thread you would think Texas offered a kid from Nevada and we are UNLV or something. Most posters have that defeatist attitude and they just concede the "greatness" of Texas. I don't know, maybe I notice the negatives more because I am a Buckeye fan.

 

[jwinslow]

Is this rant based on scout free board stuff rather than BP?

I have never seen a scout free board which does not have a high volume of cliff-jumping, hyperbole, and otherwise unstable postings. This isn't an OSU thing, it's a message board thing. They are largely free for alls, and while many have moderators, they are either understaffed or overwhelmed to try and keep up. Moreso, the self-governing is not there from fellow posters, that keeps up the standards here more than any moderator. Stadium & Main (UM Scout) was one of the few exceptions about 3-4 years ago, and then that went into the gutter as well.

I can't tell you the number of excuses I've heard over the years from PSU fans when PA kids got away. They've been whiffing on them for years, as though they were UNLV, as you said. This year is the first time that exodus has halted in awhile. You want to talk about negative recruiting, you should hear they way they've bashed their offensive coordinator, Paterno's nepotism, and other pretty angry rants over the years. Until last year, these were quite common. PSU is not the shining example you're making them out to be by comparing their strongest recruiter (LJ Sr) and strongest position (DL) to OSU's consistently weakest position (QB).

I hope your assumption about Braxton is true but a 17 year old's psyche is very fragile. If I put myself in Hendrix shoes I wouldn't care about a 2011 recruit because I would be one year his senior and there would be competition/new recruits anywhere I go. But let's say I enter scout.com and read the thread about my offer and there is a lot of talk about me being a safety recruit in transition between Pryor and Miller. That would probably put a huge question mark in my mind because I am in that age where I am easily influenced by other people's opinions.

Again, this doesn't make sense. How is it that he doesn't care one bit about a well-known HS phenom (who he surely hears about at school, from friends, family, coaches, teammates) and realizes competition will follow him wherever he goes, but then when he reads a message board, he suddenly starts to worry? This just doesn't add up.

For example, check Jordan Hicks thread. I mean, I do not want our posters to be total homers and I was half-joking about Thakid but if you read that thread you would think Texas offered a kid from Nevada and we are UNLV or something. Most posters have that defeatist attitude and they just concede the "greatness" of Texas.

The funny part is opposing fans would tell you OSU fans think they're getting everyone that they offer. It's all perception. And Jordan Hicks is hardly a typical Ohio recruit.

I don't know, maybe I notice the negatives more because I am a Buckeye fan.

I would agree with that.

 

[osuteke]

Cinfali, I think you're just picking and choosing examples and then generalizing. All boards for all schools have the same amount of optimism, pessimism, posts working to their advantage, competitive outlook for recruits, etc..whatever the differences you've seen. I've spent waayy too much time on message boards for a long time, in general there's absolutely no difference.

 

[Cinfali]

Jwinslow, you are right, I guess that was more of a rant about OSU scout board so I will quit. I still think that chatter about Braxton Miller will hurt us with QB recruits this year but as you said it was perhaps inevitable since he already has a well documented verbal offer from the Buckeyes.

 

[jwinslow]

Jwinslow, you are right, I guess that was more of a rant about OSU scout board so I will quit. I still think that chatter about Braxton Miller will hurt us with QB recruits this year but as you said it was perhaps inevitable since he already has a well documented verbal offer from the Buckeyes.

I hear what you're saying, but I think that point is going to be driven home by opposing recruiters and concerned family members enough that the message boards are more piling on than anything else.

 

[RB07OSU]

And now with the swing and a miss on Gholston and Montana, plus Benedict, Brunetti (I know, no offer but he was in serious consideration), etc., I feel it's time to say we're hitting a rough patch for sure. This isn't so much because we missed on a few guys, but moreso because of the outlook I have on the rest of the prospects at their respective positions...Gholston is off the board, with Turner unlikely to end up in this class and Ken Wilikins (similar player, possibly a backup option) heading to scUM. Baldwin may commit here but he had a lackluster junior year and there are question marks on him. Then we have J.T. Moore and possibly David Durham who I don't really consider headliners, or above 3 star prospects. Can they do well here? Yes and I hope they do, but I would feel better with a Turner or Gholston in the class.

The QB recruiting is honestly what scares me...Pryor could be gone after his junior year...I feel comfortable with Bauserman but if he gets hurt we have Guiton, a last minute offer because we missed on Boyd and Boucher. Again, I hope he pans out but even if he does, we have nobody behind him and Braxton Miller will only be a freshman...I don't think he would be ready to play as a freshman. So now with Montana off the board, we have what appears to be an outside shot at Hendrix, who I really, really like. If we land Hendrix, no sweat over Montana. However, it looks like he will end up at ND. Then Brunneti just commited to WVU, who I really liked as well. Bolden appears to be all Sparty even if we do offer. Perhaps Graham could be an option but option C...option C's can turn into stars but when you are filling your entire class with them, you can't help but feel you might be in a little trouble. On top of that, we need a QB that is fairly polished (as unionfutura has been saying) because the '10 QB we get may need to play right away and that was the idea with Montana. Can Graham be that player? Will we even get him if we offer? A lot of uncertainty here.

Beyond these positions, it just seems overall that most OOS guys are wanting to stay in state or nearby, and the in state guys may be leaning towards leaving (James and Hendrix to ND?, Hicks to Texas?, Ware to...?). As someone else has mentioned though, the last 2 classes have been nothing short of stellar though, so perhaps it's time for a down year. I don't want this post to be misconstrued as bashing, because I'm sure we'll end up happy with whatever players end up "wanting to be Buckeyes." Also, I am not blaming the staff for any of this, other than maybe the timing of Gholston's offer, as I think most of this is just kids who want to go elsewhere regardless of our efforts. Shoot, it may have not even mattered in the end with Gholston either. However, it's just a tad disappointing to see us either missing on so many of our first couple rounds of offers, or not appearing to have much of a chance on them. I'm not calling this class a failure yet, but just preparing for the worst if the trend continues.

 

[brodybuck21]

And now with the swing and a miss on Gholston and Montana, plus Benedict, Brunetti (I know, no offer but he was in serious consideration), etc., I feel it's time to say we're hitting a rough patch for sure. This isn't so much because we missed on a few guys, but moreso because of the outlook I have on the rest of the prospects at their respective positions...Gholston is off the board, with Turner unlikely to end up in this class and Ken Wilikins (similar player, possibly a backup option) heading to scUM. Baldwin may commit here but he had a lackluster junior year and there are question marks on him. Then we have J.T. Moore and possibly David Durham who I don't really consider headliners, or above 3 star prospects. Can they do well here? Yes and I hope they do, but I would feel better with a Turner or Gholston in the class.

The QB recruiting is honestly what scares me...Pryor could be gone after his junior year...I feel comfortable with Bauserman but if he gets hurt we have Guiton, a last minute offer because we missed on Boyd and Boucher. Again, I hope he pans out but even if he does, we have nobody behind him and Braxton Miller will only be a freshman...I don't think he would be ready to play as a freshman. So now with Montana off the board, we have what appears to be an outside shot at Hendrix, who I really, really like. If we land Hendrix, no sweat over Montana. However, it looks like he will end up at ND. Then Brunneti just commited to WVU, who I really liked as well. Bolden appears to be all Sparty even if we do offer. Perhaps Graham could be an option but option C...option C's can turn into stars but when you are filling your entire class with them, you can't help but feel you might be in a little trouble. On top of that, we need a QB that is fairly polished (as unionfutura has been saying) because the '10 QB we get may need to play right away and that was the idea with Montana. Can Graham be that player? Will we even get him if we offer? A lot of uncertainty here.

Beyond these positions, it just seems overall that most OOS guys are wanting to stay in state or nearby, and the in state guys may be leaning towards leaving (James and Hendrix to ND?, Hicks to Texas?, Ware to...?). As someone else has mentioned though, the last 2 classes have been nothing short of stellar though, so perhaps it's time for a down year. I don't want this post to be misconstrued as bashing, because I'm sure we'll end up happy with whatever players end up "wanting to be Buckeyes." Also, I am not blaming the staff for any of this, other than maybe the timing of Gholston's offer, as I think most of this is just kids who want to go elsewhere regardless of our efforts. Shoot, it may have not even mattered in the end with Gholston either. However, it's just a tad disappointing to see us either missing on so many of our first couple rounds of offers, or not appearing to have much of a chance on them. I'm not calling this class a failure yet, but just preparing for the worst if the trend continues.

well said