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mrgreenpants
Sophmore
Freshman from Akron stands out on defense
Freshman from Akron stands out on defense
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--> <table class="phototableright" align="right" border="0"> <tbody><tr><td> <table align="center"> <tbody><tr><td align="center">
</td></tr> </tbody></table> </td></tr> </tbody> </table>
As high-school basketball showdowns go, it wasn’t one. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and LeBron James stepped all over Walsh Jesuit 98-46 in January 2003. But there was one note that might be of interest to Ohio State football fans.
"That game LeBron might have had six dunks and I had four," Lawrence Wilson said.
Most folks likely left that night talking about James, but "a couple of people were talking about me, too," Wilson said, laughing. "So that was fun."
At the time, Wilson also was bearing down on a couple of major forks in the road. The first, he decided to transfer from Walsh to St. Vincent-St. Mary for his last two years of high school. As for the second, he was just beginning to bloom as a passrushing defensive end in football.
He loved basketball, and he ended up playing on some elite all-star teams in national tournaments. But he was throwing down some dunks in football, too, after only starting to play in the ninth grade.
"It was real close deciding, because I always thought I was going to go to college for basketball," Wilson said. "I was thinking that, really, until May of last year. That’s when all the coaches started coming in, visiting with me about football.
"It’s been crazy ever since then."
How crazy? On national letter of intent signing day in February, he could have gone with Notre Dame, Florida or Ohio State. Originally committed to Notre Dame before it fired coach Tyrone Willingham, he chose OSU because it was closer to home, for one reason, and because older brother Eugene was already a student there.
As for choosing football, well, looking in the mirror he saw a 6-foot-6, 235-pound athlete, average size by basketball standards. On the other hand, with room to grow, weight-wise, he could be a specimen in football.
"I decided that with my size and speed (4.6-second 40-yard dash), I’d probably be more successful playing football," Wilson said.
He remembered exactly when that theory became a fact.
"The Adidas combine I went to at Notre Dame during the spring of my junior year," Wilson said. "I ran pretty well. And then we did pass rushing, and they threw five guys at me at different times, and nobody could guard me. Then they threw double teams at me and they still couldn’t guard me.
"That’s when I knew I was pretty good."
No brag, just fact. Just ask some of the Buckeyes who have watched him through the first 2½ weeks of preseason camp. Like quarterback Troy Smith, who was queried on which freshmen were standing out.
"I have to go on the defensive side, and the guy is named Lawrence Wilson, defensive end," Smith said. "His athletic ability is bar none. Coming from Akron they’ve got a lot of great athletes, Antonio Pittman, Sian Cotton . . ."
LeBron James?
"Yeah, his name goes without saying," Smith said. "But Lawrence is stepping up and doing some great things for the defense."
Like swatting passes. He and fellow freshman Doug Worthington, also a high-school basketball standout, have shown uncanny ability for that, observers say. Maybe that’s a carry-over from basketball.
"I think the thing you look at from a basketball standpoint is (Wilson) always has his hands up," left tackle Steve Rehring said. "We’ve got to do better as an offensive line to make him get his hands down, because he always seems to have his hands up, blocking passes."
But Rehring believes that’s just a tease of what might be to come from Wilson.
"You see flashes of him being real quick or him being a good pass rusher or helping on the run," Rehring said. "But he gives it his all, he runs to that ball like our coaches want. That makes him stand out."
That has been his mode since making football his major.
"It’s what between your head and your heart that really matters. I’ve just tried to prove that," Wilson said. "I work hard. I want to be the best."
[email protected]
Freshman from Akron stands out on defense
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--> <table class="phototableright" align="right" border="0"> <tbody><tr><td> <table align="center"> <tbody><tr><td align="center">
As high-school basketball showdowns go, it wasn’t one. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary and LeBron James stepped all over Walsh Jesuit 98-46 in January 2003. But there was one note that might be of interest to Ohio State football fans.
"That game LeBron might have had six dunks and I had four," Lawrence Wilson said.
Most folks likely left that night talking about James, but "a couple of people were talking about me, too," Wilson said, laughing. "So that was fun."
At the time, Wilson also was bearing down on a couple of major forks in the road. The first, he decided to transfer from Walsh to St. Vincent-St. Mary for his last two years of high school. As for the second, he was just beginning to bloom as a passrushing defensive end in football.
He loved basketball, and he ended up playing on some elite all-star teams in national tournaments. But he was throwing down some dunks in football, too, after only starting to play in the ninth grade.
"It was real close deciding, because I always thought I was going to go to college for basketball," Wilson said. "I was thinking that, really, until May of last year. That’s when all the coaches started coming in, visiting with me about football.
"It’s been crazy ever since then."
How crazy? On national letter of intent signing day in February, he could have gone with Notre Dame, Florida or Ohio State. Originally committed to Notre Dame before it fired coach Tyrone Willingham, he chose OSU because it was closer to home, for one reason, and because older brother Eugene was already a student there.
As for choosing football, well, looking in the mirror he saw a 6-foot-6, 235-pound athlete, average size by basketball standards. On the other hand, with room to grow, weight-wise, he could be a specimen in football.
"I decided that with my size and speed (4.6-second 40-yard dash), I’d probably be more successful playing football," Wilson said.
He remembered exactly when that theory became a fact.
"The Adidas combine I went to at Notre Dame during the spring of my junior year," Wilson said. "I ran pretty well. And then we did pass rushing, and they threw five guys at me at different times, and nobody could guard me. Then they threw double teams at me and they still couldn’t guard me.
"That’s when I knew I was pretty good."
No brag, just fact. Just ask some of the Buckeyes who have watched him through the first 2½ weeks of preseason camp. Like quarterback Troy Smith, who was queried on which freshmen were standing out.
"I have to go on the defensive side, and the guy is named Lawrence Wilson, defensive end," Smith said. "His athletic ability is bar none. Coming from Akron they’ve got a lot of great athletes, Antonio Pittman, Sian Cotton . . ."
LeBron James?
"Yeah, his name goes without saying," Smith said. "But Lawrence is stepping up and doing some great things for the defense."
Like swatting passes. He and fellow freshman Doug Worthington, also a high-school basketball standout, have shown uncanny ability for that, observers say. Maybe that’s a carry-over from basketball.
"I think the thing you look at from a basketball standpoint is (Wilson) always has his hands up," left tackle Steve Rehring said. "We’ve got to do better as an offensive line to make him get his hands down, because he always seems to have his hands up, blocking passes."
But Rehring believes that’s just a tease of what might be to come from Wilson.
"You see flashes of him being real quick or him being a good pass rusher or helping on the run," Rehring said. "But he gives it his all, he runs to that ball like our coaches want. That makes him stand out."
That has been his mode since making football his major.
"It’s what between your head and your heart that really matters. I’ve just tried to prove that," Wilson said. "I work hard. I want to be the best."
[email protected]
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
ozone
8/24/05
8/24/05
Freshman Phenom: Freshman defensive end Lawrence Wilson has made an impression in fall camp. The Akron, Ohio, native has shown athletic ability and the ability to make plays and will most likely see action for the Buckeyes this season. Offensive Tackle Steve Rehring talked about Wilson's attributes.
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lawrence Wilson [/font]
"He doesn't look like a freshman out there, no doubt," said Rehring who has had to block Wilson at times in camp.
"He plays fast and he plays hard. He's a mix between Vernon (Gholstin) and Jay (Richardson). You put both those bodies together you end up with a pretty good athlete. He's well-developed for how young he is."
One of Wilson's main attributes is speed, but Rehring said he is not OSU's fastest defensive lineman. "I think Kudla is the fastest," Rehring said.
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
link
8/30/05
8/30/05
PLAYING ON BIGGER STAGE
Former St. V-M standout second on depth chart as freshman season starts at OSU
[size=-1]By Terry Pluto[/size]
COLUMBUS - A few weeks ago, Lawrence Wilson stood on the 50-yard line of Ohio Stadium and stared at the 101,568 empty seats.
``This place is huge,'' said the defensive end from St. Vincent-St. Mary. ``The biggest stadium I ever played in was against Hoban at the Rubber Bowl. I can't wait to hear the crowd when this place is packed.''
That will happen Saturday when Ohio State opens its season at noon against Miami of Ohio. And the true freshman will be playing, as he's listed second on the OSU depth chart behind Highland High product Mike Kudla.
``Lawrence is looking GREAT,'' coach Jim Tressel wrote in an e-mail. ``He will definitely contribute this year!!! His attitude is awesome!! Very coachable, excellent work ethic, great ability. We could not ask for more!!!''
Tressel might have set a record for exclamation points in a short e-mail, but it just shows how Wilson made an immediate impact on the usually reserved and cautious coach.
Understand that the Buckeyes love Kudla, but he's a senior. It's reassuring to have a freshman who is ready to perform right now as a backup. The Buckeyes also believe in keeping linemen fresh. They believe Kudla and Wilson can be a tremendous combination at a position they call ``Leo,'' which is the defensive end who pressures the quarterback.
Buckeyes coaches have been amazed at Wilson's quickness, his ability to make life miserable for anyone trying to block the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder.
And to think Wilson spent much of his young life wanting to be a basketball player.
``When I first meet Lawrence's family, they mentioned to me how they all thought his future was in basketball,'' St. V-M coach Keith Wakefield said. ``They saw football as just a good way to stay in shape for basketball.''
As he told the story, Wakefield then paused for effect.
``I said they may want to think twice about that, because Lawrence was really developing in football -- and don't be surprised if the big school came after him,'' said the coach.
Wakefield was right.
During his senior year, virtually every major football school contacted Wilson. He was also playing basketball for the Irish.
``He just couldn't decide between Notre Dame and OSU,'' Wakefield said. Eventually Wilson gave an oral commitment to Notre Dame.
Waiting game
At this point, Tressel was smart. The Ohio State coach never bad-mouthed Notre Dame or the Irish coaches. He wished Wilson the best. He didn't drop a guilt trip on the St. Vincent-St. Mary star about not playing close to home.
As Wilson said, ``Coach Tressel is a class act.''
So when Tyrone Willingham was fired as Notre Dame's coach, Wilson began thinking about Ohio State -- again.
After last football season, Wilson went back to playing basketball as a standout forward for the Irish.
``Had Lawrence decided to concentrate on basketball, he would have been a surefire Division I player,'' said Keith Dambrot, the former St. V-M basketball coach and now head coach at the University of Akron.
But football was becoming Wilson's future.
``My friends and kids at school were all wearing OSU stuff,'' Wilson said. ``I knew where they wanted me to go.''
Once Wilson said he was reconsidering because of Willingham's firing, Tressel began recruiting Wilson again.
``The big thing was he came up to one of Lawrence's basketball games,'' said Dru Joyce II, the St. V-M basketball coach. ``Then Coach Tressel took Lawrence, his family and myself out to dinner.''
Joyce was impressed. He knew what Wilson would do.
``Coach Tressel makes you feel comfortable,'' he said. ``He's not full of himself, like some college coaches. He's intelligent. He just makes you feel good about him and his program.''
Joyce then added, ``My son Dru never played football, but if he did and Coach Tressel wanted him, I'd want my son to play for Coach Tressel.''
Wilson's parents came away with the same thought. So did Wilson.
``I knew I was making the right decision,'' he said.
His football coach was excited.
``I told Lawrence this is a gift to his parents,'' Wakefield said. ``They can drive two hours every Saturday and watch him play.''
Having options
There's another part of this story, one that's easy to miss: Wilson was an elite high school athlete, yet he played two sports in the era of specialization.
``We can't go too far with that,'' Joyce said. ``Football has helped some of my players. I think it made Romeo (Travis) tougher, and look what he's doing as a basketball player at Akron. Sian Cotton played basketball for me, and now he's at Ohio State for football.''
Cotton is a 315-pound backup defensive tackle. He was a 6-foot-4 center for the Irish in the LeBron James era.
Now consider that basketball was Wilson's passion. What if he skipped football and just stayed with basketball? He was always tall for his age, so that would have made some sense.
Besides, why risk an injury in football?
``But you never know how a kid will physically mature,'' Joyce said. ``Lawrence grew into a football body as he got older. He could have played Division I basketball, but his real future is football.''
No one is saying it, but if you're good enough to get on the field as a pure freshman at Ohio State, you will be good enough to eventually be seriously considered by the NFL.
Especially when you're built like Wilson, who was 6-6 and about 225 when playing basketball and now is about 255 after spending a summer working out. And he's simply filling out.
``I knew he would,'' Wakefield said. ``Lawrence loves the weight room. He's a coachable kid. That will serve him well at OSU.''
Joyce mentioned that Wilson is very polite, a solid student.
``You can't stay mad at him,'' said the basketball coach. ``With Lawrence, it's, `Yes sir, no sir.' He comes from a great family. He's so respectful. That impresses you.''
It obviously did Tressel, which explains how Wilson leaped up the depth chart.
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Buckeye Nut
Hall of Fame
Great article. You can't help but love this kid's attitude and he is going to be something special on the football field.
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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
Tressel said:
Who knew that Tress could sound so much like Taosman!
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OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Coach Tressel said on Wednesday evening that Wilson has a "sprain" (of what?) but should be fine.
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Link
Dec. 25, 2005
Wilson said no to the Golden Dome for Ohio State instead
BY MARLA RIDENOUR
Knight Ridder Newspapers
AKRON, Ohio - Lawrence Wilson saw the Golden Dome. He knew Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had two Super Bowl rings and probably a third on the way.
Yet Wilson, a first-team All-Ohio defensive end from St. Vincent-St. Mary, was not blinded by the glitter.
Many college coaches in the Midwest fear that Weis' success in the first year at his alma mater will mean that top student-athletes at Catholic high schools will start flocking to South Bend, Ind. The Irish, who had just four winning seasons in the previous eight under coaches Bob Davie and Tyrone Willingham, flourished under former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Weis, going 9-2 and earning a spot in the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.
Perhaps Wilson can allay their fears. Wilson orally committed to Notre Dame before Willingham was fired last Nov. 30. But given an out by Willingham's dismissal after three seasons, Wilson wavered.
After Weis was hired on Dec. 12, Wilson said Weis visited "two or three times." But it wasn't enough. Weis learned that Wilson had chosen Ohio State on ESPNEWS.
"I knew he was a good coach. I liked him," Wilson said of Weis. "He was very up front. What it came down to was I thought the Ohio State situation was better for me as a person. I felt I fit better into their system than I did at Notre Dame.
"I liked Ty Willingham, I liked the whole setup at Notre Dame. But I was just caught up in the whole situation. I thought I liked it more than I did. I think Coach Willingham got fired for a reason. God wanted me to go to Ohio State instead."
Wilson's father, Eugene, admits he was more awestruck on the Notre Dame visit than his son.
"When I was up at Notre Dame, I was like, `Wow,'" Eugene Wilson said. "I was impressed, my son wasn't. This generation doesn't care. My son was reacting more to my emotions about Notre Dame."
Lawrence Wilson isn't so sure that 15 NFL seasons on Weis' resume will have players knocking down the coach's door.
"Kids can go to Notre Dame because of the tradition," Wilson said. "I don't think the coach has that much influence. You go to the school because of the school. A coach can get fired any day."
Wilson isn't the only Buckeye who was courted by the Irish. Senior center Nick Mangold, who attended Kettering Alter High School, said Notre Dame was his second choice. Safeties Donte Whitner and Nate Salley also were recruits.
St. V-M athletic director Grant Innocenzi doesn't think the renewed glare of the Golden Dome will change the thinking of his school's top athletes.
"It didn't work with Lawrence and he was one of the best football players we've had in the last five or 10 years," Innocenzi said. "The academic rigors (at Notre Dame) are probably more difficult, that excludes some kids right there. They might be more inclined to get them now than a couple years ago. But here I still think kids will look at Ohio State first."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel knows Weis will be a formidable recruiting foe.
"Some kids want to go to a great school," Tressel said. "Another wants to major in such-and-such and that school has the best program. Another one it might be they're graduating three players at that position. Another one might want to play for a coach who's been in the NFL a long time. There's a lot of different reasons. It's one more feather in an already pretty good-looking hat when you have a guy like Charlie."
Grant Conzaman, athletic director at Walsh Jesuit, said even when Notre Dame was struggling it still had a recruiting presence. Fullback Tom Lopienski was the last Walsh player to attend Notre Dame.
"Whether Notre Dame is up or down it's still going to be attractive to students because of the academics and tradition," Conzaman said. "Now as they start winning, Charlie Weis' credibility in the pros, his approach, his attitude, the way he speaks, he's going to be even more of a factor."
John Cistone said when he coached football at St. V-M from the 1960s-90s, the big four were Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame. That changed, Cistone said, when Lou Holtz left the Irish after the `96 season.
Cistone, who admits he will root for the Irish against OSU, sees the recruiting boost Weis will bring. Cistone cites the progress made by junior quarterback Brady Quinn, a Columbus native who finished fourth in the Heisman voting.
"What he brought with him, then winning right away just added to his hype," Cistone said. "Especially what he did with the quarterback, improving his play so much. Kids from Catholic schools will definitely want to go there. I don't think Ohio State ever had an edge. We sent quite a few people to Notre Dame. If Notre Dame wanted them, they got them.
"Their biggest problem with recruiting now could be who not to take."
<!-- / message -->
Dec. 25, 2005
Wilson said no to the Golden Dome for Ohio State instead
BY MARLA RIDENOUR
Knight Ridder Newspapers
AKRON, Ohio - Lawrence Wilson saw the Golden Dome. He knew Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had two Super Bowl rings and probably a third on the way.
Yet Wilson, a first-team All-Ohio defensive end from St. Vincent-St. Mary, was not blinded by the glitter.
Many college coaches in the Midwest fear that Weis' success in the first year at his alma mater will mean that top student-athletes at Catholic high schools will start flocking to South Bend, Ind. The Irish, who had just four winning seasons in the previous eight under coaches Bob Davie and Tyrone Willingham, flourished under former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Weis, going 9-2 and earning a spot in the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.
Perhaps Wilson can allay their fears. Wilson orally committed to Notre Dame before Willingham was fired last Nov. 30. But given an out by Willingham's dismissal after three seasons, Wilson wavered.
After Weis was hired on Dec. 12, Wilson said Weis visited "two or three times." But it wasn't enough. Weis learned that Wilson had chosen Ohio State on ESPNEWS.
"I knew he was a good coach. I liked him," Wilson said of Weis. "He was very up front. What it came down to was I thought the Ohio State situation was better for me as a person. I felt I fit better into their system than I did at Notre Dame.
"I liked Ty Willingham, I liked the whole setup at Notre Dame. But I was just caught up in the whole situation. I thought I liked it more than I did. I think Coach Willingham got fired for a reason. God wanted me to go to Ohio State instead."
Wilson's father, Eugene, admits he was more awestruck on the Notre Dame visit than his son.
"When I was up at Notre Dame, I was like, `Wow,'" Eugene Wilson said. "I was impressed, my son wasn't. This generation doesn't care. My son was reacting more to my emotions about Notre Dame."
Lawrence Wilson isn't so sure that 15 NFL seasons on Weis' resume will have players knocking down the coach's door.
"Kids can go to Notre Dame because of the tradition," Wilson said. "I don't think the coach has that much influence. You go to the school because of the school. A coach can get fired any day."
Wilson isn't the only Buckeye who was courted by the Irish. Senior center Nick Mangold, who attended Kettering Alter High School, said Notre Dame was his second choice. Safeties Donte Whitner and Nate Salley also were recruits.
St. V-M athletic director Grant Innocenzi doesn't think the renewed glare of the Golden Dome will change the thinking of his school's top athletes.
"It didn't work with Lawrence and he was one of the best football players we've had in the last five or 10 years," Innocenzi said. "The academic rigors (at Notre Dame) are probably more difficult, that excludes some kids right there. They might be more inclined to get them now than a couple years ago. But here I still think kids will look at Ohio State first."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel knows Weis will be a formidable recruiting foe.
"Some kids want to go to a great school," Tressel said. "Another wants to major in such-and-such and that school has the best program. Another one it might be they're graduating three players at that position. Another one might want to play for a coach who's been in the NFL a long time. There's a lot of different reasons. It's one more feather in an already pretty good-looking hat when you have a guy like Charlie."
Grant Conzaman, athletic director at Walsh Jesuit, said even when Notre Dame was struggling it still had a recruiting presence. Fullback Tom Lopienski was the last Walsh player to attend Notre Dame.
"Whether Notre Dame is up or down it's still going to be attractive to students because of the academics and tradition," Conzaman said. "Now as they start winning, Charlie Weis' credibility in the pros, his approach, his attitude, the way he speaks, he's going to be even more of a factor."
John Cistone said when he coached football at St. V-M from the 1960s-90s, the big four were Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Notre Dame. That changed, Cistone said, when Lou Holtz left the Irish after the `96 season.
Cistone, who admits he will root for the Irish against OSU, sees the recruiting boost Weis will bring. Cistone cites the progress made by junior quarterback Brady Quinn, a Columbus native who finished fourth in the Heisman voting.
"What he brought with him, then winning right away just added to his hype," Cistone said. "Especially what he did with the quarterback, improving his play so much. Kids from Catholic schools will definitely want to go there. I don't think Ohio State ever had an edge. We sent quite a few people to Notre Dame. If Notre Dame wanted them, they got them.
"Their biggest problem with recruiting now could be who not to take."
<!-- / message -->
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BuckBackHome
Wolverine is largest member of weasel family
Good old Cistone. I think the last player he sent to ND was Stams in the mid-80's. At least he is speaking in the past tense.
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craigblitz
Juice, Full of Juice!!
Hahaha I love Tressel talk.. if he ends up as good as Will we will be very happy. Really one of the bet DL in the NFL right now and one of the best DL in OSU history and you will be happy.. haha love the guy.
Per the OZONE
It was discovered on Wednesday that Lawrence Wilson will be sitting in for injured linebacker Bobby Carpenter on plays where Carpenter would have lined up as a defensive end.
Per the OZONE
It was discovered on Wednesday that Lawrence Wilson will be sitting in for injured linebacker Bobby Carpenter on plays where Carpenter would have lined up as a defensive end.
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NightmaresDad
Woody Rules!
From the article:
"Wilson is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, but Tressel won't make a comparison to Smith this soon."
I bet that 225 lbs. number is not very accurate right now.
I hope he has a great game.
"Wilson is 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, but Tressel won't make a comparison to Smith this soon."
I bet that 225 lbs. number is not very accurate right now.
I hope he has a great game.
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