Matt Tamanini
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Law & Order Merch Division: Is David Sanders Jr. teasing Ohio State commitment?
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Justin Frye really needs this to be a good omen ahead of Saturday’s commitment.
There is no doubt that there is a lot riding on David Sanders Jr.’s commitment announcement scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17. Ohio State’s offensive line recruiting has been as weak of a link on the trail as the unit’s performance has been on the field in recent years, and position coach Justin Frye has assumed the Public Enemy No. 1 spot on the OSU staff for many Buckeye Fans.
Currently, Ohio State — the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country — has just two o-linemen in committed for the 2025 cycle; the No. 50 player in the country Carter Lowe and the No. 427 player in the country Jake Cook; both in-state prospects. Obviously, Lowe’s presence in the class is a feather in Frye’s class, but losing out on guys like No. 39 Josh Petty (who committed to Georgia Tech earlier this week) has been a trend for the position coach lately.
However, with Sanders’ impending commitment this weekend, the narrative around Frye has the opportunity to be completely shattered or indelibly solidified. So, needless to say, what David Sanders Jr. decides to do could make or break Justin Frye’s long-term position on the Buckeyes’ staff.
While that might be hyperbolic, or an example of me being a prisoner of the moment, the core of the premise remains true, Frye needs Sanders. However, the lineman’s only 247Sports crystal ball was logged over the weekend in favor of Tennessee, and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Vols an 82% chance to secure the services of the best lineman in the country.
But did Sanders tip his hand that he will be donning scarlet and gray on Saturday? This week, the rising high school senior launched a merch shop on his website and eagle-eyed Buckeye fans might have recognized a few details in the apparel he has for sale.
First, the most obvious: Sanders is selling shirts that prominently feature an image of him in full Buckeye uniform from a recruiting visit to Columbus. Yes, team, conference, and brand indicators have been scrubbed from the image, there is no mistaking that he is wearing an Ohio State jersey on his sweatshirt.
Don’t believe me? Adjust the slider below and compare the images.
Now, while I wouldn’t be surprised if both Ohio State and Nike (assuming they didn’t have prior knowledge) end up having an issue with their jerseys being featured in merch that they aren’t sharing in the profits from, imagine the outrage if he is making money in full Buckeye regalia just days before choosing to play in Rocky Top instead of The Shoe.
There is an alternate version of the sweatshirt in which Sanders is wearing a white uniform, and even though the image resembles one from a Tennessee recruiting visit, the jersey actually appears to be from his high school, Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Click to enlarge image.
Don’t get me wrong, I have zero issues with Sanders — or any prospect — making money on their name, image, and likeness; grab that bag while you can, because there is no guarantee that it will be there in the future. I also don’t really have a problem with him selling stuff in OSU gear even if he commits to the Vols. Look, who am I to second guess what someone else does to make money?
However, it would obviously be a bad look for a guy who is just beginning to embark on his career in the public eye. Tennessee has a ton of fans across the country, but no one’s fanbase is bigger than the Buckeyes, and it would certainly piss off a considerable number of them if Sanders sold gear of himself in an OSU uniform only to ultimately choose not to play for the Buckeyes.
It would be annoying and disappointing for fans, and not a particularly good look for the young man if it played out like that, but if he does end up committing to Ohio State, he might end up making a $hi+ ton of money off of those hoodies.
While there is no denying that the image on the shirts is of Sanders in a Buckeye jersey, there is some room for plausible deniability on Sanders’ official logo.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25571671/IMG_2835.jpg)
Come on, tell me that doesn’t say “OSU.” I guess it’s supposed to be “DSJ” but the D is backward and the J looks more like a reverse G without the horizontal bar in the middle; and let’s not even get into the fact that it is clearly in a color that could easily fall into the scarlet family.
I might be dating myself, but, to me, it reminds me of an updated, 21st Century version of the university’s 1980s OSU logo.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25571837/image.png)
Clearly, they are very different approaches to the monograms, but the thin, rounded lines are at least reminiscent, and the colors look almost identical to my untrained eye. Now, this doesn’t mean that Sanders will be picking the Buckeyes on Saturday, or that there is any malicious intent if he doesn’t, but I can’t imagine a world in which at least the recruiting photo sweatshirt didn’t raise the eyebrows of someone in his circle.
Worst case scenario: This is the first public relations faux pas for a player likely to be a Tennessee Volunteer legend. Best case scenario: This is a clear sign that David Sanders Jr. is going to make a lot of Buckeye fans happy this weekend (including the team’s offensive line coach).
Continue reading...
Matt Tamanini via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Justin Frye really needs this to be a good omen ahead of Saturday’s commitment.
There is no doubt that there is a lot riding on David Sanders Jr.’s commitment announcement scheduled for 1:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17. Ohio State’s offensive line recruiting has been as weak of a link on the trail as the unit’s performance has been on the field in recent years, and position coach Justin Frye has assumed the Public Enemy No. 1 spot on the OSU staff for many Buckeye Fans.
Currently, Ohio State — the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country — has just two o-linemen in committed for the 2025 cycle; the No. 50 player in the country Carter Lowe and the No. 427 player in the country Jake Cook; both in-state prospects. Obviously, Lowe’s presence in the class is a feather in Frye’s class, but losing out on guys like No. 39 Josh Petty (who committed to Georgia Tech earlier this week) has been a trend for the position coach lately.
However, with Sanders’ impending commitment this weekend, the narrative around Frye has the opportunity to be completely shattered or indelibly solidified. So, needless to say, what David Sanders Jr. decides to do could make or break Justin Frye’s long-term position on the Buckeyes’ staff.
While that might be hyperbolic, or an example of me being a prisoner of the moment, the core of the premise remains true, Frye needs Sanders. However, the lineman’s only 247Sports crystal ball was logged over the weekend in favor of Tennessee, and the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine gives the Vols an 82% chance to secure the services of the best lineman in the country.
But did Sanders tip his hand that he will be donning scarlet and gray on Saturday? This week, the rising high school senior launched a merch shop on his website and eagle-eyed Buckeye fans might have recognized a few details in the apparel he has for sale.
First, the most obvious: Sanders is selling shirts that prominently feature an image of him in full Buckeye uniform from a recruiting visit to Columbus. Yes, team, conference, and brand indicators have been scrubbed from the image, there is no mistaking that he is wearing an Ohio State jersey on his sweatshirt.
Don’t believe me? Adjust the slider below and compare the images.
Now, while I wouldn’t be surprised if both Ohio State and Nike (assuming they didn’t have prior knowledge) end up having an issue with their jerseys being featured in merch that they aren’t sharing in the profits from, imagine the outrage if he is making money in full Buckeye regalia just days before choosing to play in Rocky Top instead of The Shoe.
There is an alternate version of the sweatshirt in which Sanders is wearing a white uniform, and even though the image resembles one from a Tennessee recruiting visit, the jersey actually appears to be from his high school, Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Click to enlarge image.
Don’t get me wrong, I have zero issues with Sanders — or any prospect — making money on their name, image, and likeness; grab that bag while you can, because there is no guarantee that it will be there in the future. I also don’t really have a problem with him selling stuff in OSU gear even if he commits to the Vols. Look, who am I to second guess what someone else does to make money?
However, it would obviously be a bad look for a guy who is just beginning to embark on his career in the public eye. Tennessee has a ton of fans across the country, but no one’s fanbase is bigger than the Buckeyes, and it would certainly piss off a considerable number of them if Sanders sold gear of himself in an OSU uniform only to ultimately choose not to play for the Buckeyes.
It would be annoying and disappointing for fans, and not a particularly good look for the young man if it played out like that, but if he does end up committing to Ohio State, he might end up making a $hi+ ton of money off of those hoodies.
While there is no denying that the image on the shirts is of Sanders in a Buckeye jersey, there is some room for plausible deniability on Sanders’ official logo.
Come on, tell me that doesn’t say “OSU.” I guess it’s supposed to be “DSJ” but the D is backward and the J looks more like a reverse G without the horizontal bar in the middle; and let’s not even get into the fact that it is clearly in a color that could easily fall into the scarlet family.
I might be dating myself, but, to me, it reminds me of an updated, 21st Century version of the university’s 1980s OSU logo.
Clearly, they are very different approaches to the monograms, but the thin, rounded lines are at least reminiscent, and the colors look almost identical to my untrained eye. Now, this doesn’t mean that Sanders will be picking the Buckeyes on Saturday, or that there is any malicious intent if he doesn’t, but I can’t imagine a world in which at least the recruiting photo sweatshirt didn’t raise the eyebrows of someone in his circle.
Worst case scenario: This is the first public relations faux pas for a player likely to be a Tennessee Volunteer legend. Best case scenario: This is a clear sign that David Sanders Jr. is going to make a lot of Buckeye fans happy this weekend (including the team’s offensive line coach).
Continue reading...