SMITH SHOUTS OUT HALL'S CREATIVITY ... SORT OF
Per NCAA rules, college coaches, administrators and other personnel are not allowed to mention high school players by name until they have signed with a college program.
But that didn't stop Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith from giving Buckeyes junior defensive tackle commit Mike Hall a shoutout on a Friday morning teleconference with reporters ... sort of.
Smith, of course, didn't mention Hall by name, but he did mention that “I think I saw some kid on Twitter that was doing bench presses underneath his bed.”
That may or may not have been the Streetsboro (Ohio) standout lineman, who tweeted out a video of just that on Sunday, though a few seem to have followed Hall's lead there.
Whatever it takes. It's a time to get creative. For example, I grabbed a bunch of books off my shelf that I've never read – it's a lot of fun to go on a buying spree at Barnes and Noble before remembering you need to actually have the time to sit down and read them – and filled a backpack with them and strapped it to my back so I could do weighted squats and lunges. It actually worked really well so there's an amateur tip for you. But I digress.
Smith mentioned the Twitter video he saw after being asked on Friday whether or not the athletics department is able to send out materials or groceries to any of its student-athletes, including football players.
“We’ve been able to provide some nutrition to some kids based upon their circumstance and where they are. Then we’ve been able to provide some workout equipment to some of our athletes that don’t have access to equipment,” Smith said. “We’ve been able to send some devices and some nutritional supplements – some bars and Gatorade and stuff. That’s been done.”
