Cbf40's look at '11 recruiting

[wadc45]

Midwest Recruiting Noes & Predictions | TheRinger.com

Midwest Recruiting Notes & Predictions

Nick Leach - 1/17/2011

- Ohio State has made a serious push for Curtis Grant and it appears to be a dead heat between the Buckeyes and Gators for his services. The coaching staff stability has been a huge plus for OSU but Muschamp and his "all-star staff" have recovered after a rocky start. This one will go down the wire and right now it's impossible to predict accurately, but it's certainly been an unexpected twist.

- Don?t buy into any of the internet burps about Trey Depriest and OSU...not gonna happen.

- GA LS Bryce Haynes has been told to wait on his commitment to ND, the hotly pursued Haynes has been dead set on ND from the get go though so the delay shouldn?t change anything for him.

- Another ND note is that it's believed there would be an excellent chance of flipping OH DL/OT Chase Hounshell, a current Gator verbal, if he gets an offer - I tend to agree with that. (already happened)

- Indications seem to be that PSU will convert former Pitt WR verbal Bill Belton to the Nittany Lions. (already happened)

- Michigan has been going through multiple decommits (Matt Goudis, Jake Fisher, Dallas Crawford) and may lose more as OL Tony Posada is giving a very, very serious look at Mississippi State and recently had a great visit there.

- GA LB and current Stanford commit James Vaughters is looking around and will visit UF on the 21st and OSU on the 28th; we'll see if he makes a switch but it'll require a serious shift for him to leave the Cardinal.

- Notre Dame verbal Stephon Tuitt is getting pushed hard by Georgia Tech to make the switch to stay in-state but Domers remain confident in their ability to hold onto the talented DE. (already happened)

- Glenville DL/LB Andre Sturdivant has been through an interesting recruitment. Everyone from OSU, PSU, to MSU feels like they have a good shot at landing the Tarblooder. If Andre does take an official to OSU on the 28th then he'll end up with an offer and be a Buckeye...if he never gets an official visit offer, expect him to head East and play for Coach Paterno.

- If MI OL Jake Fisher doesn.t wind up with an offer after visits to UF and Oregon, expect him to stay in-state and become a Spartan.

Midwest Recruiting Predictions

Now let's take a look at some predictions for some top uncommitted and soft verbals in the Midwest (and somewhat sorta close by states).

* VA LB Curtis Grant - Florida
* MD ATH Darius Jennings - Wake Forest
* KY LB Lamar Dawson - Kentucky
* KY TE Jon Davis - Louisville
* NJ DT Marquise Wright - Rutgers
* PA LB Ejuan Price - Ohio State
* PA DE Deion Barnes - Penn State
* OH LB Antonio Poole - Kentucky (Miami offer could change that)
* MD CB Blake Countess - Michigan
* MI OL Jake Fisher - Florida
* OH OL Chase Hounshell - Notre Dame
* OH OL Aundrey Walker - Ohio State
* OH DL Andre Sturdivant - Ohio State

2011 Recruiting…What’s Next? << The Buckeye Battle Cry

With Ejuan Price now in the 2011 class, tBBC takes a look at what is on the horizon for the 2011 class.

Price takes Ohio State's count to 21 recruits. At this point, no one is sure how much room is truly left in the class (transfers could bump the number up), but we do know that there are 5 guys still very much on the radar screen.

FL LB Curtis Grant

He visited Florida this past weekend and left with good things to say but he still has Ohio State on the brain as well. Grant has a visit to UVA next week and UNC is his last visit. We are still in this one and I think it is a Florida/tOSU battle.

FL WR Ja'Juan Story

He will be visiting tOSU next weekend, and before the visit he will host an in house this week with JT. The good news is a player from Florida doesn’t visit Ohio in late January for the fun of it. There is true interest here, but I still don’t see him leaving Florida.

Continued...

 

[y0yoyoin]

http://www.duanelongreport.com/2011-articles/january/5-linebackers.html

5 linebackers?


Written by Duane Long | 18 January 2011

Going into this recruiting season I was firmly in the camp that the need for linebackers was a priority. One of the big fall camp stories was about the Sweat - Sabino battle, the loser redshirts, over one of the linebacker spots. Once the season got started the story fizzled. The reason it fizzled was there were so few reps for that third linebacker slot. Sweat was coming off an injury. He had plenty of extra time to recovery because he spent so much time on the sideline even though he won the battle because the base defense was basically a nickle package. The Buckeyes spent most of the year with the Star on the field rather than a third linebacker. By midseason I was convinced the need for linebackers was not a priority. Once Conner Crowell committed I thought it was over. Going in the buzz was the staff had targeted two linebackers for this class. More evidence was the fact that there were so few offers out there and once James vaughters, Trey DePriest, Anthony Wallace and Kent Turene committed elsewhere it reinforced that the target number was two.

Now there are three committed and the Buckeyes are hosting James Vaughters. The consensus is the Buckeyes currently lead for superstar Curtis Grant from Virginia. Five linebackers? Maybe. The question is why.

I don't think it is about linebackers. First, I have to remind everyone that on Jim Tressels board there are quarterbacks, speed, big and big speed. The other thing to look at is these are elite linebackers. Ryan Shazier is a national top 100 player on just about any list you want to look at. On most Curtis Grant is ranked even higher. I have yet to see a national list that does not have him as one of the nations top five linebackers. James Vaughters offer list speaks for itself. The odd man out is recent verbal Ejuan Price. He is higher on my board than Vaughters. Take a look at his film from ScoutingPennsylvania.com http://scoutingpa.com/index.php/view-profile.html?task=userProfile&user=25&srid=12&name=ejuanprice
Notice the closing speed. The explosiveness is another thing that leaps out at you. He is an athletic kid especially considering that is not the type of body that you think of when you think about athlete. The play that stands out to me is the pass defense play late in the play. Notice how he jumps that receiver who passes into his zone and makes a play on the ball. This kid is a playmaker. From the film you would think outside linebacker since he makes so many plays out there on the edge. I believe he could play out there but I think he fits perfectly in the middle for the Buckeyes. He is Brian Rolle with the size to stand up to Wisconsin. He was told Ohio State would wait on his until signing day. I am not surprised by that. He is the most underrated player in the class.

The point I am making is this is not about the need for linebackers. I still don't believe we need to add linebackers. These are kids you don't say no to. It is an overall talent upgrade that you don't even think twice about.

 

[Cincinnatibuck]

A week ago Duane was saying no need for Vaughters or Price.

 

[Muck]

A week ago Duane was saying no need for Vaughters or Price.

Read the entire piece...

The point I am making is this is not about the need for linebackers. I still don't believe we need to add linebackers. These are kids you don't say no to. It is an overall talent upgrade that you don't even think twice about.

 

[Cincinnatibuck]

Read the entire piece...

I read the whole piece. Last week Vaughters was not a guy "you don't say no to" according to Duane.

1/11/11
"I just would not have room for a player like Vaughters, nor for the other linebacker on the board Ejuan Price." -Duane

 

[wadc45]

Free BN - Aundrey Walker, Come On Down

Posted by Duane Long on Jan 20, 2011 at 05:12 pm

Fans and coaches alike want to know about recruits as early as possible. More and more we are seeing players earlier and earlier. It was just a few short years ago that we sometimes would not see players until after their senior year.

Ten years ago, many players did not have film until they were seniors. Five years ago you heard about sophomores. Now we are seeing players being talked about as freshmen. Of the Buckeyes' twelve Ohio commitments I saw four, Steve Miller, Braxton Miller, Doran Grant and Kenny Hayes, as freshmen. And Mark Porter and I could come up with a top twenty list of 2013 players relatively easily right now.

What gets lost in the glare of the spotlight is the development process. Some players peak early. Others get better. Some get a lot better. A player who was at the top of the list as a sophomore might not be on the list at all by the time he is a senior.

Development is everything. Recruiting is not about the best high school players. It is about the best prospects, those that will be better in three years.

We are seeing a great example of that right now with the offensive linemen in this class of 2011. I have seen senior film of three of the four in-state offensive linemen the Buckeyes have offered -- Antonio Underwood, Tommy Brown, Chris Carter and Aundrey Walker. Underwood, Brown and Walker are the ones I have seen. Of the three, Walker is the one I would offer. He has done several things the others have not.

First, he got better. Second, he controlled his weight. The truth is I am not a fan of any of them, but I think guard is a need, especially now with the announcement that Sam Longo is leaving the program. Right now, the best of them is Walker, and by a clear margin.

Continued...

Good point...

 

[MUBuck]

Free BN - Aundrey Walker, Come On Down



Good point...

I have a hard time believing that none of Carter, Brown, and Underwood will contribute.

 

[akronbuck]

I have a hard time believing that none of Carter, Brown, and Underwood will contribute.

same here

 

[cbrian815]

These were early offers, I will trust JT and the staff. Go Bucks

 

[MONTbigBuck]

I have a hard time believing that none of Carter, Brown, and Underwood will contribute.

A complete miss on all three of these players would suprise me also. My mind always goes back to LeCharles Bentley, and the time he has put in with all of these guys, Walker included. Have always felt if LB had major misgivings about anyone in this group regarding athletism, work ethic, or grasp of the OL position, that his concerns would have been conveyed to the staff. Time will tell, but there is certainly a massive contrast between espn rating A. Underwood our lowest recruit, and LB earlier stating that Underwood was the most ready to make an early impact at the college level.

 

[808 Buck]

My mind always goes back to LeCharles Bentley, and the time he has put in with all of these guys, Walker included. Have always felt if LB had major misgivings about anyone in this group regarding athletism, work ethic, or grasp of the OL position, that his concerns would have been conveyed to the staff

Good point here. Not sure if Bentley is aspiring to be a coach, or if he's staying with the physical performance training deal, but he's not going to risk his reputation, particularly at this point in his career, on guys who have no chance. As stated in the article, development is everything. All of these o-linemen will be given every opportunity needed to reach their potential. Whether that's good enough to be a contributor for the Buckeyes remains to be seen. But that's the case for every recruit, not just the o-line.

One more thing since we're in this thread. Amazing balance in this class. Every position (except for RB, and that's not a need) has been addressed. You've got potentially every defensive position filled - 2 corners, a free and strong safety, a Sam, Mike, and Will backer, a weak side and strong side defensive end, interior tackles (would like to see a nose emerge). Offensively, other than the running back, you're missing at the tackle spot. But that will be taken care of in '12. If this class pans out, the Bucks will be set for a while. Not a bad haul for JT.

 

[GeorgiaBuck2]

Long has disliked him the whole time. But as soon as he rose in the rankings, he all of the sudden has changed his tune.

Personally, I don't like reading his articles all that much. He flip-flops like a seesaw and it gets annoying.

(BTW, he already thinks that Stanford is the best Wide-out to ever come out of Ohio, and he hasn't even played his senior season yet. To claim he was better than Cris Carter and others were coming out is foolish. Plus, he didn't even know his name. He kept calling him Sanford or something like that).

 

[HotMic]

Same old story......yawn.

 

[Outstanding]

Good point here. Not sure if Bentley is aspiring to be a coach, or if he's staying with the physical performance training deal, but he's not going to risk his reputation, particularly at this point in his career, on guys who have no chance. As stated in the article, development is everything. All of these o-linemen will be given every opportunity needed to reach their potential. Whether that's good enough to be a contributor for the Buckeyes remains to be seen. But that's the case for every recruit, not just the o-line.

One more thing since we're in this thread. Amazing balance in this class. Every position (except for RB, and that's not a need) has been addressed. You've got potentially every defensive position filled - 2 corners, a free and strong safety, a Sam, Mike, and Will backer, a weak side and strong side defensive end, interior tackles (would like to see a nose emerge). Offensively, other than the running back, you're missing at the tackle spot. But that will be taken care of in '12. If this class pans out, the Bucks will be set for a while. Not a bad haul for JT.

I think Hale will fit nicely at Nose. Having seen numerous pictures of him, he wears his 290 lb's very well(Simon'ish, no flop to that belly) and has a frame that can put major weight on imo. He's very agile for his weight at his age, which makes me think if he puts on the weight the right way he should stay effective.

He prides himself on his conditioning and agility, it's a major focus of his development and training, not to mention he's a freak in the weight room.

You're right about tackle, but Olineman are funny and hard to guesstimate, maybe someone emerges?

Great Haul, oozes potential, I love getting so many athletic bigs on both side of the ball.

 

[pnuts34]

I think Underwood, Carter and Brown will be do fine here. And they now are needed with the lose of Longo, but I think they provide solid depth next year, and at least one will be starter the year after. Duane's comments are gonna come back to bite him in a few years when several of these big uglies are plowing holes for our bevy of RBs and keeping protection of Mr. Miller