2023 tOSU Recruiting Discussion

[osuvictory1]

I think the part these guys are missing in Michigans formula and “lack” of recruiting success is their reliance on the portal.

4* and 5* kids don’t want to go to a program to watch 5th and 6th year transfer portal players taking their opportunity at PT when they’re sophomores/juniors and in line to play.

You can sell a 3* player on coming in to develop, build up physically while they wait their turn, and then get their shot in years 3 and 4. Elite HS players are not going to have an appetite for that though.

The flip side is tOSU which is an absolute NFL football factory. We take elite talent every class with kids coming in who expect PT by year 2, as elite juniors leave for NFL.

It’s an entirely different approach. And no wonder they’re bullying the hell out of us….they literally add 3 or 4 impact starters every off-season who are 22-23 years old. On top of that, they’re still benefitting tremendously from the additional Covid year every player got who was enrolled in school and got the free year.

Im not sure long term what Michigan is doing is sustainable…when the Covid year eligible players are no longer options in the system, it really negates a key aspect of what they’re doing….that said, short term it may be enough to drive tOSU so crazy they force Day out. Unfortunately for tOSU, I think most Vegas experts would pick a senior laden Michigan squad over an elite talented tOSU squad that is significantly younger in the coming years, based on what has happened last 2 meetings.

That said, we will continue to get elite classes assuming we continue to pump kids into the NFL at an elite pace.

I agree with the assessment of not being sure if Michigan has a sustainable formula. I think 2024 will tell the tale.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I think the part these guys are missing in Michigans formula and “lack” of recruiting success is their reliance on the portal.

4* and 5* kids don’t want to go to a program to watch 5th and 6th year transfer portal players taking their opportunity at PT when they’re sophomores/juniors and in line to play.

You can sell a 3* player on coming in to develop, build up physically while they wait their turn, and then get their shot in years 3 and 4. Elite HS players are not going to have an appetite for that though.

The flip side is tOSU which is an absolute NFL football factory. We take elite talent every class with kids coming in who expect PT by year 2, as elite juniors leave for NFL.

It’s an entirely different approach. And no wonder they’re bullying the hell out of us….they literally add 3 or 4 impact starters every off-season who are 22-23 years old. On top of that, they’re still benefitting tremendously from the additional Covid year every player got who was enrolled in school and got the free year.

Im not sure long term what Michigan is doing is sustainable…when the Covid year eligible players are no longer options in the system, it really negates a key aspect of what they’re doing….that said, short term it may be enough to drive tOSU so crazy they force Day out. Unfortunately for tOSU, I think most Vegas experts would pick a senior laden Michigan squad over an elite talented tOSU squad that is significantly younger in the coming years, based on what has happened last 2 meetings.

That said, we will continue to get elite classes assuming we continue to pump kids into the NFL at an elite pace.

Yep funny how scUM ended up benefiting significantly from COVID because it allowed guys to stay there for a fucking decade.

Once all of those players finally all get filtered out we will see. Their lack of elite recruiting has to eventually catch up to them, you'd think. But we will see.

I'm kinda surprised about how mediocre their recruiting class has been this year, considering their 2 seasons of success, thought they might find a little more success. They have 0 top 100 players and only 2 in the top 100 (They have more guys ranked N/A in the composite than top 200) if you go by average player ranking their class is 25th behind juggernauts such as Michigan State, Arkansas and South Carolina.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I think the talk of Michigan "killing it" in the portal is over stated too.

2 of those OL they got are from a terrible Stanford line that gave up 42 sacks and didn't carve out too much for a mediocre running game.

Michigan is using the portal a lot now because THEY HAVE TO. They don't have anywhere near "plug and play" options like Ohio State has.

I'm not for using the portal just for the sake of using it, if we can bring in a ELITE guy at a position of need. Go for it. But if not theres not really a need to just baselessly pluck guys and hope they fit.

 

[BuckeyeNation36]

Sincere request. Can I get some feedback on the QB situation going forward ? Who do you folks see as the starter. What is the makeup/skillset of the candidates ? With the defection, how deep is the current QB room ?

Thank you in advance.

 

[buckeyemania11]

Sincere request. Can I get some feedback on the QB situation going forward ? Who do you folks see as the starter. What is the makeup/skillset of the candidates ? With the defection, how deep is the current QB room ?

Thank you in advance.

Raiola would not had even been on the roster until the 2024 season

We Have:

Kyle McCord - He was a 5*, the #28 overall player in the 2021 class. Hasn't really been allowed to do much in his limited time. Arm Talent is there, but for those who complain about Stroud's lack of running, McCord is statue.

Devin Brown - He was a 4*, the #43 overall player in the 2022 class. Nothing to go off of here when it comes to play in college, but he seems to have the arm talent and some mobility

Income:

Lincoln Kienholz - 4* #172 overall player in the 2023 class, seems like a game, has mobility and accuracy. Lack of HS competition could be a concern but we will see.

There's obviously not a "sure" thing currently where things stand, which you always get when plugging in a new QB after guys like Fields and Stroud. But we have 3 pretty good options to work with. It's a solidly deep room, especially compared to some other places.

McCord or Brown are likely the starter next year, personally I hope Brown ends up winning it.

 

[billmac91]

Sincere request. Can I get some feedback on the QB situation going forward ? Who do you folks see as the starter. What is the makeup/skillset of the candidates ? With the defection, how deep is the current QB room ?

Thank you in advance.

I assume when you say defection you are referring to Raiola?

I think next year is set with winner of McCord and Devin Brown taking the reigns. If McCord were to have a break out year there's a small chance he could turn pro, but likliest outcome is he starts for two seasons....2023-2024 seasons.

In that event you see if Devin Brown remains patient (much like McCord has been thus far) and willing to sit another 2 years before he gets his chance to start.

With Lincoln Kienholz now coming in as a freshman, in event you see McCord or Brown enter portal depending on who wins that job, Kienholz could potentially be the #2 pretty early in career.

As many have stated, myself included, for the college game.....I'm way higher on Kienholz than Raiola. Kienholz is an amazing athlete that can make plays with feet and arm. If he didn't pick football, he could be a high level division I basketball or baseball player. He's a stud athlete. I think he's actually quite underrated based on his lack of camps and competition.

 

[billmac91]

I think the talk of Michigan "killing it" in the portal is over stated too.

2 of those OL they got are from a terrible Stanford line that gave up 42 sacks and didn't carve out too much for a mediocre running game.

Michigan is using the portal a lot now because THEY HAVE TO. They don't have anywhere near "plug and play" options like Ohio State has.

I'm not for using the portal just for the sake of using it, if we can bring in a ELITE guy at a position of need. Go for it. But if not theres not really a need to just baselessly pluck guys and hope they fit.

I think they are killing it according to their needs. They love seasoned kids across the defensive and offensive lines. They just grabbed (3) sure-fire starters for next year and probably aren't done. And each kid is a RS Junior or older....so they're old. It fits their model perfectly.

While it's easy to try and ignore/downplay Michigan's recent success, I don't think you can knock their ability to identify offensive line talent, at least for the college game. While the players they brought in from Stanford are NOT likely high level NFL guys, they are perfect for what Michigan is currently identifying, which are smart, tough, seasoned road graders.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I think they are killing it according to their needs. They love seasoned kids across the defensive and offensive lines. They just grabbed (3) sure-fire starters for next year and probably aren't done. And each kid is a RS Junior or older....so they're old. It fits their model perfectly.

While it's easy to try and ignore/downplay Michigan's recent success, I don't think you can knock their ability to identify offensive line talent, at least for the college game. While the players they brought in from Stanford are NOT likely high level NFL guys, they are perfect for what Michigan is currently identifying, which are smart, tough, seasoned road graders.

IDK about "seasoned kids" from a terrible Oline though

The Arizona State guy seems good, but i'd be extremely bullish on the 2 Stanford guys. Just because someone has played a lot doesn't necessarily mean they are good, especially when they come from a mess like Stanford. I guess it does fit scUMs model. But that Model isnt always going to be 100%. In this case I think they are taking quite a risk with those 2. Also it says a lot about what they have on their roster that they'd rather bring those 2 in instead of roll with what they have.

 

[billmac91]

IDK about "seasoned kids" from a terrible Oline though

The Arizona State guy seems good, but i'd be extremely bullish on the 2 Stanford guys. Just because someone has played a lot doesn't necessarily mean they are good, especially when they come from a mess like Stanford. I guess it does fit scUMs model. But that Model isnt always going to be 100%. In this case I think they are taking quite a risk with those 2. Also it says a lot about what they have on their roster that they'd rather bring those 2 in instead of roll with what they have.

I think at those positions (offensive line especially) they value the maturity and age above skill and talent. I think it just says they'd like to keep developing the guys behind, and likely keep red-shirts on the table for incoming freshman as well. Worst case scenario, the Stanford transfers provide depth which means incoming guys maintain redshirts which allows them an extra year of eligibility. It's just their formula at the moment....will be interesting to see how it plays out in the future.

 

[Thump]

Sincere request. Can I get some feedback on the QB situation going forward ? Who do you folks see as the starter. What is the makeup/skillset of the candidates ? With the defection, how deep is the current QB room ?

Thank you in advance.

Brown if I had to choose.

 

[Captain Buckeye]

Brown if I had to choose.

Same. It'd be nice to have someone who's a runner back there again (when they have to run).

 

[ScriptOhio]

I think next year is set with winner of McCord and Devin Brown taking the reigns. If McCord were to have a break out year there's a small chance he could turn pro, but likliest outcome is he starts for two seasons....2023-2024 seasons.

In that event you see if Devin Brown remains patient (much like McCord has been thus far) and willing to sit another 2 years before he gets his chance to start.

Just sayin': Kyle McCord does have a history of connecting on passes with Marvin Harrison.

Those are plays McCord and Harrison used time and time again at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph Prep, where they won three straight PIAA 6A State Championships. They connected 144 times for 2,625 yards and 37 touchdowns.

“It was fun,” Harrison said. “It was a long time coming. That’s my guy since high school. We’ve played a lot of games together. I’m glad we could put it together in college.”

 

[cdiddy70]

Hate to be sinister but I wouldn't announce who the starter is until the 4th game next year v ND.

First 3 should be a try out like Michigan did.

Lessens chance of a quick in-season flight risk (we'd be thin if Brown won the job in spring and McCord transfers).
It also provides more data points on who the starter should be.

 

[CMic]

Brown if I had to choose.

If Brown wins the competition, I see it as a departure in Day's historic QB priorities.
To date, I see him prioritizing arm-talent (ability to make all throws) over athletic/running ability.
I doubt Brown will surpass McCord in arm-talent but will surpass him in running and could surpass him in other intangibles.

 

[CMic]

Hate to be sinister but I wouldn't announce who the starter is until the 4th game next year v ND.

First 3 should be a try out like Michigan did.

Lessens chance of a quick in-season flight risk (we'd be thin if Brown won the job in spring and McCord transfers).
It also provides more data points on who the starter should be.

Highly doubt the starter will be decided in the spring. Likely, will be ~3 weeks before the season.
That being said, I hate the idea of a "try out" period / alternating starts.