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General Recruiting Discussion and Tangents (Merged)

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Train gets rolling there is stopping it. I am starting to get a little spoiled everytime I log there is a new commit...I never complain about that though. Need to start projecting who the next commit is. Maybe involve some vcash lol.
 
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Good recruiting article...

Buckeyes Begin Climb Up 247Sports Recruiting Rankings

The fact that Ohio State’s 2015 recruiting class was referred to by some as a “slow start,” was hilarious.

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Urban Meyer and Ohio State are in the mix, as usual, to sign a Top5 class and perhaps even better.

While the commitments weren’t coming in as say as fast a rate as Big Ten rival Penn State, there has been no shortage of high interest among blue-chippers and the Buckeyes.

Summer is now here and Ohio State is beginning to cash in.

A slow start would mean lack of interest as a whole, failing to get top targets on campus, not being considered a leader for key prospects. None of that was true when talking about the Buckeyes.

Come National Signing Day, per the norm when talking both Ohio State and an Urban Meyer led program, the Buckeyes will be there in the end.

247Sports takes a look at the potential.

On Tuesday evening, Top247 linebacker Nick Conner became commit No. 7 for Meyer and company in the class-of-2015, with the only pledge currently not holding four-star status according to 247Sports being long snapper Liam McCullough.

Using the 247Sports Class Calculator, it’s easy to see how the Buckeyes have a couple big surges in them.

Entire article: http://247sports.com/Article/Ohio-S...imb-Up-247Sports-Recruiting-Rankings-29201121
 
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Agreed, and I proudly admit that I was one of those guys that were 'on the ledge' about the lack of commits, while Alabama was cleaning the table of 5* recruits. Still concerned about UFM's plan to offer the OOS 5*'s early, and leaving the Ohio kids twisting in the wind. Meatchicken used that to their advantage over the last couple of years (I am not going to argue about whether the kids that commited to the School Up North were 'Ohio State worthy' or not). His different style, than Woody or Tress, is still going to take some getting used to, but looking at another site's playing out of recruiting for tOSU, I conclude that it's all about how the sausage tastes, not about the way the sausage got there. Cream rises to the top, and unless the roof caves in, tOSU will have a top 5 finish, thanks be to UFM and his staff of ace recruiters. Now in a couple of weeks, most of the BP thread will be dedicated to 'how are we going to fit in all these 5*'s who want to be Buckeyes' under the 20 or so schollies there are to give out....Oh yeah, does it seem to anyone else that the recent spate of recruits are the Ahia boys? Go Bucks! Where's the Beef?
 
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Inside a South Florida high school football juggernaut: Why St. Thomas Aquinas is so valuable to Urban Meyer, Ohio State: Buckeyes recruiting
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – George Smith’s cozy office is past the two secretaries’ desks and conveniently situated to the left, but his eyes always glance right, sometimes subconsciously, when he passes through the double-doors and into the 28,000 square-foot athletic center.

Smith peers through the wall of plated glass that peeks out to the football stadium, his focus first caught by the dozens of trophies mounted on that glass.

“It’s a beautiful sight, something we’ve worked really hard to build,” Smith said. “But everyone sees what this is now, and nobody knows what it once was.”

Standing in the sanctuary of St. Thomas Aquinas athletics, a large building constructed in 2008 and subsequently named after him, Smith seemed to be admiring those championship trophies and the beautifully groomed football field with bold blue and yellow end zones that sits in the backdrop.

That’s what Ohio State coach Urban Meyer sees when he’s standing in the high school version of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. He sees countless championships won by the hundreds of elite football prospects that have gone through the most advanced high school program in the country. Meyer sees reason to stick around.

But Smith was looking beyond those trophies and into the distance at the visitor’s bleachers, now covered in aluminum, and remembering those blazing hot days in 1975. It was then, shortly after he was named the program’s head coach, when Smith poured the concrete through framed pieces of plywood and made them himself.

“We had to build this place by hand,” said Smith, now St. Thomas Aquinas’ athletic director after serving as the football coach for 34 years.

It seems absurd those bleachers are still standing considering what St. Thomas Aquinas has become, a high school program that has claimed two national championships, seven state titles, 24 consecutive playoff appearances and 29 district titles since 1971.

Aquinas has unmatched athletic facilities, an elaborate support system for academic success and foundation of past success that’s setting the table for future triumph. And because of it, Aquinas is even recognizable to football-crazed Ohioans despite its location nestled in the middle of a quiet neighborhood in Fort Lauderdale.

There’s a reason this place has become a second home for Meyer and his staff. Meyer’s hand-written letters line the walls of head coach Rocco Casullo’s office, and his signature is on a football above Casullo’s desk.

It is almost like St. Edward, St. Ignatius or Glenville, premier programs in Northeast Ohio that are the lifeblood of Ohio State recruiting. But Aquinas, perhaps an even bigger powerhouse than those three, is just as important despite it's southern location.

“Urban knows what we have here,” Casullo said. “We have great football players, but we also have great kids who are academically strong and disciplined. He knows it is important to be in the loop down here, and he is.”

Since Ohio State signed Duron Carter, the son of legendary Buckeyes receiver Cris Carter, in the 2009 recruiting class, the Buckeyes have been a fixture in the Aquinas hallways. With National Signing Day only a week away, the Ohio State’s contact is still strong with Casullo though Meyer isn’t signing a Raider in the 2014 class.

Is that a coincidence?

“Is that a coincidence?” Cris Carter, an assistant at Aquinas, sarcastically asked back. “Yeah, it’s a coincidence.”

Carter was right. Ohio State’s presence at St. Thomas Aquinas isn’t a coincidence, but he would be fooling himself to think it's all about his connection. Former coach Jim Tressel had in-roads there dating back to 2002 when he signed defensive back Nate Salley, and so did Meyer when he was the head coach at Florida from 2005-10.

Both Tressel and Meyer recruited Aquinas defensive back Lamarcus Joyner in 2010, but the former five-star prospect chose Florida State before helping the Seminoles to the national title as a senior.

But Meyer did sign three prospects from Aquinas in his time at Florida, including defensive back Major Wright, now with the Chicago Bears. And Aquinas was one of the first places he called when he took the Ohio State job.

“We try to run our program like Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Florida,” Casullo said. “I think college coaches recognize that in our players. I think that prepares our guys for the next level, and makes them attractive prospects for college.”

That’s why Meyer’s signature isn’t alone on that football above Casullo’s desk. Also on it is Florida State’s Jimbo Fisher, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Florida’s Will Muschamp and many others. The seat across from Casullo’s desk is broken in nicely.

It’s staggering how much talent has passed through the doors at Aquinas and gone onto college programs in the FBS. In the 2013 recruiting class, Aquinas sent nine prospects to FBS schools, and at least five in every class dating back to before 2000. And it also isn’t a coincidence that Aquinas has more players in the NFL than any other high school program in the country (six).

“Don’t forget about all the prospects we have in the Ivy League as well,” Casullo said. “We’re talking about Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Penn, Brown. We have kids all over. Between academics and football, kids are probably getting about six hours of sleep a night here.

“And on the football field, we expect to win. Anything less than a championship is a disappointment for us, and our kids understand that. Ask Urban Meyer about his program and he'll probably say the same thing. So everything we do here prepares them for what's to come.”

The first player from Aquinas who Meyer signed at Ohio State was former five-star prospect Joey Bosa in the 2013 class, and Bosa cracked the Buckeyes’ starting lineup as a freshman and could be a three-years-and-done type of player.

His body was as physically advanced as any freshman that’s come to Columbus in years, but he credits his training at Aquinas for his current progress.

“I didn't really play until I was in junior high school, so that says how big of a program we have at St. Thomas,” Bosa said. “The coaches, they push us. It's not as intense (as college), but it was similar and it was a good start for me.”

“I do know if any school is going to get you ready for college, it's St. Thomas,” added Bosa’s mom, Cheryl. “You are just football ready at St. Thomas. They train 365 days a year and when the season is over, the year they didn't win the state title, the day after the loss he was back in the weight room. It's just dedication.”

Ohio State has a scholarship offer out to Aquinas 2015 wide receiver Davante Peete, a prospect Casullo said could be one of the biggest stars in the country by this time next year. The Buckeyes also want Bosa’s younger brother Nick, a 2016 prospect some say is even more advanced than his older brother.

And these high-caliber players will continue to fill the college-like weight room at Aquinas. It’s a private school – like St. Ignatius or St. Edward – and though Casullo isn’t permitted to recruit players, the best ones have learned to find him.

Once they arrive, influential people mentor them. Some of Aquinas’ most recognizable alums are NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, along with former NFLers Tavares Gooden, Stefan Humphries and Brian Piccolo, the inspiration for the Hollywood movie "Brian's Song" and the player for whom Aquinas’ field is named.

“We have 40 kids playing D-I football and we won a couple national championships and we have had two coaches in the last 35 years,” Carter said. “The most rewarding thing I do is coach high school football. I get paid money to do other stuff, but the most important thing I do is coach high school, and I only coach at St. Thomas.”

Aquinas has become an empire for high school football, maybe to an extend that not even Smith could have envisioned. But from concrete bleachers to a stadium that now seats 5,000 people, Smith never forgets what it once was.

“All the championships and stuff are great," Smith said. "But the thing I hang my hat on is how many great human beings have come through this place. And some, when they first got here, weren't great human beings. That's what matters.”

But its the football sets Aquinas apart.

And it's the football that will keep Meyer coming back.
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I find it interesting to see how hard the big 'pipeline' schools are being hit by the current staff. Over the past few years they've picked up kids from St. Thomas Aquinas, Cass Tech, DeSoto (TX), De Matha & Don Bosco.

That doesn't include the increased success at traditional Ohio Catholic powers (Moeller & Iggy).
 
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The Ultimate ESPN 300 prospects

OSU players:

#58 Joey Bosa
#65 Terrelle Pryor
#114 Braxton Miller
#120 Beanie Wells
#125 John Simon
#131 Ryan Shazier
#137 Carlos Hyde
#156 Michael Bewster
#214 Michael Bennett
#254 JT Barrett
#286 Ezekiel Elliott

Cameron Heyward is a glaring omission on this list.
Clutch when it matters

1. Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State
Reggie Jackson earned the nickname Mr. October for his heroics in Major League Baseball's postseason, and after Elliott sparked Ohio State's magical run to the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T, maybe he should be called Mr. January. Elliott, who comes in at No. 286 on the Ultimate 300, rushed for 220 yards in the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin and then had 230 yards against Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, but he saved his best for last in the championship game against Oregon. Elliott was unstoppable against the Ducks, finishing with 246 yards and four touchdowns. He made Oregon's fast defense look like it was standing still, and when speed didn't work, he bowled over them like a wrecking ball. It was a sight to see and a performance for the ages.
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Beware, football recruits: Your coach likely won't stay four years

Be careful, college football recruits. As you decide where to sign next week, just understand the head coach or assistant you're really close to on National Signing Day is unlikely to stick around for your entire college career.

Of the 650 head coaches and assistants who were coaching at current Power Five schools in 2011, 66 percent of them left the staff by 2015, according to a CBS Sports analysis of team rosters. Northwestern is the only Power Five team to keep its entire coaching staff intact from 2011-15, a period that represents the typical length of a college player's career.

Forty-two percent of Power Five head coaches changed jobs within those four years. For the head coaches who stayed in place between 2011-15, 48 percent of their assistants left during that period.

A recruit is basically flipping a coin on signing day that the assistant who recruited him will be around for his entire college career. Assistants tend to have the tightest bonds with recruits. Players get wooed for months and years and forge relationships that strongly help determine where they sign.

Not surprisingly, the SEC -- with its enormous salaries and expectations -- had the largest turnover among all head coaches and assistants (72 percent) between 2011 and 2015. ACC schools changed 69 percent of their coaches, followed by the Big 12 (67 percent), Big Ten (61 percent) and Pac-12 (60 percent).
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