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2011 In-state Players to Watch

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Rivals (free)

Passing the Torch
February 14, 2010
Mike Parris
OhioVarsity.com

With signing day now long gone, the book is closed on Ohio's class of 2010 and the focus has turned to the class of 2011.

Ohio's 2010 crop was one of the best classes in recent history. From top to bottom, outstanding prospects dotted the landscape and earned plenty of distinctions along the way. Perhaps no better indicator was Ohio's imprint in the national all-star games, with six players selected for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and another for the Under Armour All-American Game.

One prospect earned the high school Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and another became only the second two-time winner of Ohio's prestigious Mr. Football Award.

Now that the page has turned, how will Ohio's class of 2011 stack up? There are some big shoes to fill, but early indications are showing the new crop has a bright future.

Ohio Varsity takes a position-by-position look at the two classes and offers a verdict as to which class holds the upper hand.

Cont...
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Running back and offensive line are areas of weakness at this early juncture, but that could improve. Making up for it is an incredible crop of defensive linemen,
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Referencing the above article from Rivals, what will be interesting to see is if some of these talented d-linemen will be willing to be recruited as o-linemen. On the board right now, there seem to be a bunch of 6'4"-6'6" types who are in the 230-250 pound range, who want to play defense or tight end. My guess is that the staff may be looking at grabbing some of these types with the hope/intention of them eventually being offensive linemen. While the initial evaluation of the 2011 Ohio HS O-line class might show it to be a "weakness". a few position changes by guys with the right attitudes could turn it into a strength (hopefully for the Buckeyes).
 
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cjs100;1660042; said:
Rivals (free)

I don't think 2011 will be viewed as a stronger class that 2010, but it's very much on par. Running back and offensive line are areas of weakness at this early juncture, but that could improve. Making up for it is an incredible crop of defensive linemen, some terrific dual-threat quarterbacks, and some elite defensive talents like DePriest and Grant.
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I have to disagree with Mike on this last point. Ohio is demonstrably better at quarterback with five guys being legitimate D-1 prospects at this point already (B. Miller., C. Jones, C. Stoudt, M. Fuller, and Patrick Coyne), has the best defensive line crop since at least 2002, has a better high-end defensive back class (perhaps not as much depth), and, in my opinion, a highly underrated wide receiver class.

The only spots I see 2010 being much better is runningback and offensive line. 2011 can't touch the runningback depth of 2010 (Givens, Heard, Howard, and Ware.) 2011 may be better at guard, but 2010 wins at tackle, by far.

Linebacker is always a position in Ohio where guys pop up over the course of a Senior season. As an aside, I like Antonio Poole from Winton Woods as a guy to watch for a late Buckeye offer. I like him much more than Stephen Daniels from St. X, who is his cousin.

Overall, the great defensive line talent should set 2011 apart from 2010. It's pretty crazy to think that 2011 stacks up well with 2010 before camp season has even begun.
 
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DontHateOState;1660067; said:
I have to disagree with Mike on this last point. Ohio is demonstrably better at quarterback with five guys being legitimate D-1 prospects at this point already (B. Miller., C. Jones, C. Stoudt, M. Fuller, and Patrick Coyne), has the best defensive line crop since at least 2002, has a better high-end defensive back class (perhaps not as much depth), and, in my opinion, a highly underrated wide receiver class.

The only spots I see 2010 being much better is runningback and offensive line. 2011 can't touch the runningback depth of 2010 (Givens, Heard, Howard, and Ware.) 2011 may be better at guard, but 2010 wins at tackle, by far.

Linebacker is always a position in Ohio where guys pop up over the course of a Senior season. As an aside, I like Antonio Poole from Winton Woods as a guy to watch for a late Buckeye offer. I like him much more than Stephen Daniels from St. X, who is his cousin.

Overall, the great defensive line talent should set 2011 apart from 2010. It's pretty crazy to think that 2011 stacks up well with 2010 before camp season has even begun.
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I agree 2011 is definitely better. I'd add just a couple points to what you said:

1. The positions of strength this year (QB and DT/DE) are the most important positions in my opinion. The D Line is the key to a good defense as they can make average LBs and DBs look good. Obviously, the QB is the key to the offense. In NFL draft terminology, these are the "premium positions."

2. This year's class seems to have way fewer academic/off field issues. Last year just seemed abnormal in the number of top guys in Ohio who were at risk of not qualifying or who got in trouble. Doesn't seem to be nearly as prevalent this year.

From an OSU perspective, its also nice that less of the top talent is in Cincy since this part of the state is the least Buckeye-friendly.
 
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Scouting Ohio

Fairfield LB Marquise Vann has picked up offers from Ball State, Toledo and Bowling Green.

Fairfield TE Robert Mincey has offers from Toledo, Ball State, Bowling Green and Ohio University.

Toledo St. John's DE/OL Jack Miller has added an offer from Buffalo.

Sycamore DB Darius Hillary has offers from Illnois, Indiana and Illnois State.

Centerville DE Kyle Rose has offers from Cincinnati, Buffalo, Ball State and Ohio.
 
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'11 OH DT Collin Perchinske

Rivals $

2/19

From OhioVarsity...runs a sub 5 at 6-5 257 lbs...has offers from Ball State and Toledo and is hearing from Ohio State, Michigan, Northwestern, Michigan State and others...coaches from Bowling Green, West Virginia, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern, Michigan State and Akron have been to his school and he was at the OSU/Navy game.
 
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'11 OH QB Connor Cook

Rivals profile

1) Rivals $ - Spartans take lead in Cook's recruitment
February 21, 2010
Paul Day
SpartanMag.com

The offer puts MSU at the top of his list but he hopes to be balanced & objective as other schools offer... He likes the MSU offense & sees a lot of similarity with the one his HS runs... Grew up a fan of the Big Ten & MSU in particular... Cincy, Duke, USF, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, UNC, NC State, & BC all seem highly interested and/or close to offering as well...

2) Rivals $ - Cook's first offer is a big one
February 21, 2010
Greg Ladky

He & his parents attended the MSU basketball loss to OSU today & came away with an offer from the Spartans... His Dad played for Indiana & the Cook never considered himself an OSU fan... He was rooting for the Spartans & came away impressed by the program... No leader specified & he hopes to commit before his senior season begins...
 
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'11 OH QB Marcus Graham

Scout profile

Scout $ - Graham May Visit Kentucky and others
Brian Eldridge of KentuckySportsReport.com, Feb 22, 2010

Gives his current measurables as 6'2", 194 lbs, 4.47 forty... His coach talks about Graham serving as team captain for 2 seasons & what great leader he's been... Bowling Green has offered & Toledo seems close... He's working on plans to visit OSU, Cincy, Kentucky, & _ichigan... He's being recruited for offense & defense depending on the school...
 
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