SmoovP;1841309; said:
That works out very well for a program like OSU - that lives in a state with an enormous population/recruiting base, that spends more than $11,000 dollars more per player than the next nearest competitor, has an athletic budget nearly 1/3 bigger than anyone else in the nation, is a relatively prosperous state with highly rated kids who can afford to walk on and wait for a scholarship to open up and has the tradition and history - with its attendant recruiting benefits - that OSU enjoys.
Quality prospects do not walk on at OSU, you misunderstood our point.
The point was that if there is some unplanned attrition like Duron Carter, that spot becomes open when you don't oversign. A school like OSU has not oversigned assuming that some kids will wash out, flunk out, transfer or be placed on a very questionable medical waiver to reclaim that scholarship. There are a few here or there that are known to be transferring in the offseason, but nothing like the 8-10 cuts that Alabama has to make annually.
The best walkon in recent memory was Bo Delande, who was a fine HS rb, but not really much of a college prospect.
Justin Boren doesn't really count because he was not allowed to be on scholarship at OSU based on B10 transfer rules within the conference. He also preferred OSU coming out of HS, but his father's lineage at UM was too much to overcome (if it was up to Justin, he never leaves Columbus in the first place).
OSU will bring a few kickers in with walkon scholarships, or might get a long snapper (those guys usually get a schollie in year 4 or 5 if there are leftover spots from attrition), but they really don't recruit players with walkon spots.
Antonio Smith was going to be a career special teamer at best when he came to OSU as a walkon. Brilliant guy but not a very gifted athlete. He became serviceable but not great, but his instincts and fundamentals helped him play his way into a starting role, a scholarship, and a semi-finalist for the Thorpe award.
Most of the walkons who get scholarships are guys that just play on special teams or sub in during garbage time but have made a big impact on the practice field.
D) Grey shirting; E) Sign-and-place at a JUCO
"I'm sorry Mr. 3 Star Kid, you didn't accept our offer immediately and someone else got your spot. Good luck at Southwest Directional State Teachers College".
Your scenario basically requires that any kid short of a 4 start accept the first offer that comes along out of fear that they won't get a better offer.
No, it means that an offer is actually an offer, not a potential game of bait and switch.
When OSU recruits players, they tell them where they are on their recruiting board, including when they are 1-2 players decisions (this includes a recruit trending away from OSU, like Clowney from SC) away from getting an offer. They also let them know when spots are tight. They are generally a soft sell, straight forward recruiting staff.
Two years ago, when OSU basically finished their recruiting class by the summer camp (before those prospects began their senior year), they told a number of prospects visiting in June/July that spots were limited and they had to decide then to join the class. That timetable isn't very typical (usually it gets tight in the fall), but that approach is.
They do not pressure them to become a buckeye, and tell them to make the right decision for them, even if they head elsewhere because of the timetable or other factors.
Also, when prospects are visiting OSU, Tressel & co will often tell them to talk things over with their parents, coach, mentor to make sure it is the right decision (often times this includes traveling home without verballing). They take a very different approach to recruiting from most hard sell staffs.
