• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

DT/OL Evan Blankenship (Official Thread)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Post Gazette

2/9


PG WEST: Lineman Blankenship will not be lacking for scholarship offers
Thursday, February 09, 2006

By Rich Emert, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



A week ago, Center High School defensive back Ashton Cobb signed a letter of intent to play football at Kentucky.

Perhaps no one was more interested in Cobb putting his name on the NCAA form than Evan Blankenship.

Blankenship is a junior at Center, one of Cobb's teammates and a sure-fire Division I prospect for the Class of 2007.

A lineman, Blankenship has the size -- he's 6 feet 4 and 310 pounds -- and athletic ability that makes college coaches drool. Add in a grade-point average in the 3.4 range and it is easy to understand why Ohio State and Pitt had offered him scholarships before last week's national signing day.

"He played basketball last year and moves well for a guy his size," Center coach Larry Taddeo said. "He's not playing this year but that doesn't mean he's just laying around. He's a hard worker."

Blankenship has been on the Center varsity since he was a ninth grader. He has improved every year and came on this past season.

It hasn't hurt that he has had Cobb as something of a recruiting role model.

"Ashton is one of the hardest workers I've ever been around," Taddeo said. "The other guys have seen that and they've seen how it has paid off for him. I would say that's rubbed off on guys like Evan."

Taddeo said Blankenship is a better pass-blocker than run-blocker at this stage of his career, which makes sense.

It's easy to keep opponents away from the quarterback when a player has Blankenship's size and agility.

"We have another lineman, Nate Glasser, who is also a good one. He plays right beside Evan, but he doesn't have the size," Taddeo said of Glasser who is 6-0, 275. "If he was a couple inches taller he'd be getting all kind of attention, too."

Another Center player who could blossom into a Division I prospect is junior quarterback Carl Farrow, who is 6-4, 175.

"He's got a strong arm," Taddeo said. "I think he'll get some looks."
 
Upvote 0
Rivals $

2/28/06

By Mike Farrell...more on the visit to Pitt. He grew up 20 minutes from Pitt and his father's side of the family are big Buckeye fans, which is why those are his early favorites (and the fact both have already offered).
 
Upvote 0
osugrad21 said:
Scout $

2/28

Evan enjoyed his visit to Pitt and says the Panthers and tOSU are his leaders. He denies being a tOSU lean.
Click to expand...

I just have a good feeling about our chances with Evan. The fact that, just coming off of a visit to Pitt, he lists Pitt & tOSU as his leaders is a pretty good sign in my book. I know he plans on taking his 5 officials, so a lot can change, but his Dad being a Buckeye fan won't hurt.

:oh: :io:
 
Upvote 0
If we can get him in for an official visit against PSU, I think he's ours to lose. The college football environment difference between OSU and Pittsburgh is like night and day. Existent to the extreme, vs. nonexistent.
 
Upvote 0
cbus2005 said:
If we can get him in for an official visit against PSU, I think he's ours to lose. The college football environment difference between OSU and Pittsburgh is like night and day. Existent to the extreme, vs. nonexistent.
Click to expand...
Fans care a lot about the game day environment; recruits don't. If it's a concern at all, it's way down the list, behind chemistry with teammates and coaches, depth chart, the overall quality of the program and facilities, tradition of excellence, ability to make it to the NFL, geographic location, weather, campus infrastructure and activities, academics, etc. Remember, the players are on the field, not in the stands.

Last season, the following prospects visited Ohio State for a game weekend: Navorro Bowman; Wesley Lyons; McKenzie Mathews; David Ausberry; Colin McCarthy; Aaron Brown; A.J. Wallace; Steven Wesley. None signed with the Buckeyes. In fact, it is rare that prospects who visit during the season end up signing with Ohio State. Over the past five years, only three legitimately uncommitted players (not "silent verbals" or "locks") - Dajuan Morgan in 2003, Ashton Youboty in 2002, Richard Washington in 2001 - visited Ohio State during a game weekend and subsequently committed to Ohio State; only one - Youboty - actually signed with OSU. (In 2004, Lawrence Wilson made an in-season visit, and then committed to Notre Dame, before signing with Ohio State on NLOID).

Conclusion: Game day experience does nothing to sway most recruits, and may actually be a negative factor since the coaches and players have very little time to spend with the recruits. The most effective visits happen after the season has concluded.
 
Upvote 0
wadc45 said:
Rivals $

2/28/06

By Mike Farrell...more on the visit to Pitt. He grew up 20 minutes from Pitt and his father's side of the family are big Buckeye fans, which is why those are his early favorites (and the fact both have already offered).
Click to expand...

My information comes from the Buckeye side of his family tree. They remain excited about his future (of course!) and don't give much away that we don't already know: OSU and Pitt are out front.

My gut is filled with very little new info but it still tells me he ends up at OSU. I was worried about PSU early on, but it sounds like that is no longer the challange.

I will see some of his distant relatives soon and will press for an update.
 
Upvote 0
I read that Pitt is going to hold one of their spring practices
on his home field this week or next.

I can't imagine what a zoo it would be if tOSU held open practices at
area high school stadiums.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top