Ya I know guys... Tressel's Dasani turns into Martini and Rossi... My fault.
Let me first answer a few questions:
How many top tier recruiters do you think are in D1 football?
Maybe about as many tier one programs? 5? Maybe 6? I'm not talking about the top HALF here, people.
BuckefromscUM: What you fail to realize is how many 5-star "studs" become DUDS.
Except the ones that come to OSU, right?
So they're not perfect, but 5-star players have proven they have talent with their play on the field and have the biggest potential to be stars. If we were all clarivoyant, sport wouldn't be any fun, jackleg.
Now seriously--if someone could come to OSU and NOT land top 15 classes consistantly, I'd call them one of the worst recruiters I've ever seen. He's in a state rife with talent, with virtually no competition in-state. When's the last time OSU had a coach that couldn't consistantly land top 15 classes? That doesn't sell me as a product of Tressel, but a product of the tradition of OSU reinforced by great talent in-state.
I point to his actual recruiting practices and say 'hey, the best of the best in the business are willing to do things that Jim Tressel isn't.'
Let me preface the rest of this diatribe by defining 'good' recruiter. Good recruiter is a guy who can land the blue chip recruit regardless of location and will do what he has to to put the best talent on the field.
That being said, Jim Tressel is, in all likelyhood, too noble of a man to compare with "#1" Pete Carroll and the like. The 'good' recruiter will over-offer and burn the bridges when/if they have to. The good recruiter will tell a kid he's ther #1 guy and he's going to get the PT, even if he's not.
Jim Tressel's had more de-commits since he's been at OSU than guys like Coker, Stoops, Carroll, Brown. When Jim Tressel goes head-to-head for recruits with guys like fat Phil or Petey Caroll, if they're outside of Ohio--JT's often come up short. I think this is the most telling indicator. For every Wells we wrenched from USC, There was a McCoy, a Sanchez, and a Gwaltney we missed out on. Who's the last REALLY heavily recruited player that Jim Tressel landed out-of-state? Worthington and Wells are two of his first. Santonio Holmes didn't even get a whole lot of attention in his own state.
The other knock on him, and it's and unjustified one in my eyes, is his inability to close the deal in the end. Most notably in his '03 year, where he was a big 0-8 and had the de-committal of now star defensive end Stanley McClover (was he a blue chip dud, BuckeyefromscUM?
). It doesn't make him look any better as a recruiter, but the type of player that Jim Tressel likes to recruit genereally doesn't care to wait until NLOI day to sign.
Ohio kids become Buckeyes. His best recruiting class ever ('02)? Almost all Ohio kids. One year, he only landed one kid TOTAL out of state. IIRC, that class was still top 20. Someone explain to me how that is all JT.
I love our coach. I don't care if anyone outside of Ohio EVER wears Scarlet and Gray. He's a great coach, motivator, evaluator of talent, and most importantly role model and mentor to a lot of student athletes. I'm not some insane "Oh God the talent at OSU has never been so low." kinds of people, but I don't believe recruiting is, or will ever be the strong point of JT. It doesn't have to be. It won't show up in recruiting class numbers, it won't show up in talent on the field, it won't ever show up because the OSU history and strength of players in-state doesn't call for a recruiting master.
