DDN
11/8
Buckeyes missed the boat on Sutton
Akron star stayed with commitment to Northwestern
By
Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | Ohio State coaches can attest that the way to Tyrell Sutton's heart is not through form letters.
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Those mass mailings were the only contact the former Akron Hoban High School star had with OSU until he rushed for more than 400 yards in one game as a senior last year and 500 in another.
<!-- inset --> <!--begintext--> Although he had already committed to Northwestern, Sutton began getting some personal attention from the Buckeyes.
His response? Don't bother.
"For someone to have all these accolades and all these yards for four years, and you get passed up by your home-state college, it really doesn't make any sense," Sutton said Monday. "They had the opportunity for four years to try to pursue me."
The 5-foot-8, 190-pound Sutton grew up a Michigan fan, but the only other Big Ten school
to recruit him was Illinois. And he has a message today for all those big-time programs who thought he was too small.
"Come look at me now," he said. "I've always had the attitude that if you don't want me, I'm going to make you wish you did want me."
Sutton, a student with a 3.5 grade point average who won the Ohio Mr. Football Award last year and finished as the state's all-time leading rusher, has left most schools riddled with regret. The freshman is third in the Big Ten with 1,085 rushing yards, averaging 5.9 per carry, and second in touchdowns with 17.
He's also caught 31 passes in the Wildcats' spread offense for another 300 yards.
"He's got all the qualities you want a real good running back to have," said his high school coach, Ralph Orsini. "The person I always compare him to is Barry Sanders. Tyrell is a powerful young man, and he's got a great burst of speed. He sees an opening, plants his foot and goes."
The Buckeyes signed one tailback last year, Florida native Maurice Wells, a
Parade All-American who has rushed for a disappointing 133 yards this season (with a 2.8 average) while backing up another Akron product, Antonio Pittman.
The trend in recruiting is to evaluate players early enough to make offers by the time they're juniors, leaving little room for rising seniors. The Buckeyes encountered the same dilemma with Findlay's Ben Roethlisberger, who was already a Miami lean when reports of him reached Columbus.
The Buckeyes have at least one competent tailback in Pittman, who has rushed for 978 yards while averaging 5.4 per try. And they've gotten an oral commitment from Akron Garfield senior Chris Wells, who is the second-best running-back prospect in the nation, according to Rivals.com.
But Orsini, whose team held the 6-1, 230-pound Wells to 105 yards on 31 carries in a victory this year, is skeptical of the ratings.
Asked if he thought Wells would succeed at OSU, Orsini said: "If he plays to his potential. I didn't think he was a great back all the time. I thought he should have been in some games when he wasn't (because of injuries). Someone like Tyrell would have been in the game."
Buckeye bits:
• Receivers coach Darrell Hazell, who was hospitalized before the Illinois game because of an undisclosed illness, has rejoined the team, a school spokesman said. • The Ohio State-Michigan kickoff is set for 1 p.m., and the Nov. 19 game will be broadcast by ABC.
Contact Doug Harris at (937) 225-2125.
. I'll never understand how you can grow up in Ohio (particularly NE Ohio) and be a scUM fan. All the more reason for our defense to hold him to 10 yards this weekend.
. Just like all the players on Miami(OH) and Minnesota, right? My favorite part of the "article"....