Nice move grad21, its definitely time to put 1/8 (sorta the Buckeye version of 9/11) behind us and move forward. Without a doubt it's been a tough week, and in the next few days a few more departures will make it hurt even more.
I've noticed for the most part that most good fans here are starting to let the "true" Buckeye come out in them, and the positives are sarting to flow more easily than the negatives. A loss like Monday's has a tendency to sour even the most diehard fan far a day or two, and without a doubt we're going to have to make up for huge losses due to eligibility, early entry, and missed recruits. Thing is, every other CFB program in the country is going through the same thing we are to a degree. It happens to everyone, every year.
We all just need to focus on the fact that we are indeed blessed to be the fans of this program, its players, and its coaching staff. For 4 glorious months, this was one of the greatest rides that a football fan could have ever hoped to experience. Obviously it didn't end the way we would have hoped for, but just think about how, for 3 three hours every saturday this fall, that this team made just about anything bad going on in your life go away for those hours.
So looking forward, I love the future of this program. On defense we return a unit that again looks to be one of the better in the nation, including a rising star in Lauranitas that may end up being one of our best ever. Big Vern on the line has All-American written all over him, and yet Rob Rose may end up being the most dominant player on this fine unit. Offense leaves us with some holes to fill, but Tressel will likely go back to his "Tressel-Ball" approach and pick his QB based on efficiency rather than flash. As great as Pittman was, we may be looking at an upgrade with Beanie moving to the head of the class. The OL looks good, alot of players got alot of reps this year and there will be a ton of competition which will make them all better. And even with huge losses at WR, I love what I see here. Robiskie has a shot to be an All Time Great. Hartline takes over as the "possession" guy and Dukes/Small could be an ugly 2 headed monster for opposing DB's. Our kicking game is solid, with no holes to fill for awhile.
As for our incoming class next year, the numbers may not be there, but the quality is. We may be ranked about 17 overall by Rivals, but I believe that the only teams in the country that have a "higher star rating per player average" are USC, Notre Dame, and Texas. So the quality of our class would rank #4 overall. Not too shabby.
Yea, lets move forward folks. The future is bright, the sky is still above us and will be for awhile. Give these kids and this staff the support that they deserve. How many days till Spring Practice???
Peace.
