Buckeye Blogger NetworkWell, howdy-do, Buckeye nation! Thanks for paying attention to my little neck of the sunshine state… hope it works out as well as last time Ohio State had a team out here. You know what? Since we’ve already got a visit scheduled to the Bay Area for September, what say we just go for the trifecta and come on back out this way in January. Multiple options for today’s soundtrack- Vintage, Old School, Hippie, Country, Top 40, Hip Hop, Rock. Oh, and I’ve got a great recommendation for a place to stay.
Silver Bullet, Knotts Berry Farm
Buckeye 411
After a momentous day for Buckeye football, and after a few frosty beverages, here’s the staff’s reflections on the epic 2013 recruiting class!
Charles Brought Us A New Table!
Who’s the player on offense/defense who will make the biggest impact during his career at OSU?
Ken: Mike Mitchell. I think he has potential to have a Spielman/Katzenmoyer type career at OSU
WVa: Offense: I am going to go with one that has been in the fold for a good bit. Jalin Marshall is the guy I see coming in right away and contributing and will have a great career in Scarlet and Gray.
Defense: Tracy Sprinkle is my guy here. He looks to me to be the perfect fit to take over where Nathan Williams left off and really reminds me of my favorite Buckeye to come out of WV Darrion Scott. Good size and plays low and will show early what he has in that motor that never quits.
Tim: For me, the player who will make the biggest impact will be Cam Burrows. There is a question of whether he will play safety or corner at OSU, but wherever he finds himself playing, he will be an impact player on defense. His combination of size and speed could enable him to be a great one.
Jason: Jalin Marshall. All these kids have tremendous talent and endless possibilities, so I’ll put my eggs in the basket of the one who’s the best player in Ohio
Eric: The biggest impact defensively is likely going to be on the Defensive Line, where the Buckeyes are going to be making up the most ground. A good freshman, like Joey Bosa, could step in and really make life easier for the defense.
Offensively, that’s a little trickier. The answer is going to be whoever manages to fill the playmaker role for Urban Meyer the best. It could be Ezekiel Elliott, James Clark, or Jalin Marshall. It could also be any one of a dozen others who may prove to be extremely effective as a fast, shifty, playmaker.
Mali: I think that we’re going to see some amazing things from Dontre Wilson… I watch what DeAnthony Thomas does in Eugene, and what Harvin did with Meyer at Florida, and I can’t help but envision some fireworks from the moment he steps on campus.
I’m also excited to see what Chris Worley will bring to the table- a safety that hits like a linebacker, or a linebacker that can run with receivers… as the game gets faster, it’ll be great to have a counterpunch.
What new recruit will most likely see early playing time? Who redshirts? Read More
The top player in Ohio is a Buckeye.
Ohio athlete and offensive star Jalin Marshall has committed to Ohio State, becoming the second commitment in the 2013 class.
I know we get excited about each and every recruit that we sign, but this one is a huge.
In addition to Cameron Burrows, the Buckeyes have now locked up the top two players in Ohio for the 2013 class. It is hard to imagine a better start than that.
Marshall and Burrows will be the cornerstones of the class and will help recruit other big time players to Columbus over the next year.
For obvious reasons, Coach Meyer has been after him from day one after taking the job.
At 6’0” 200 lbs., Jalin ran a 4.42 40 yard dash last year at the Ohio State summer camp. With that speed, combined with his superior vision, agility and elusiveness in the open field, it is easy to see why Meyer has been targeting such an amazing talent for his offense.
Jalin is the type of player that the defense will need to key on at all times. He could lineup at QB, RB, WR, or KR/PR and take the ball to the house from anywhere on the field. Read More
T-Wood's Finest
2013 DB prospect Cameron Burrows has given his verbal commitment to Urban Meyer, becoming the first member of Ohio State’s 2013 recruiting class.
Burrows is a truly elite corner back prospect that combines great size and tremendous athleticism.
At every bit of 6’2” 195, Burrows can really help in the run game and press guys at the line of scrimmage.
What is surprising when watching him on film is that he shows the skills to make an elite corner at that size.
Usually guys this big don’t have the hips to turn and run with receivers. That is not the case with Burrows.
On top of everything else, Burrows also ran on the 4×100 relay team at state last year, so if you can’t pick up the speed on the film you can see it in the track numbers he posts.
I got a chance to watch Burrows in the D-II state title game when he was going up against Avon, which included covering an all-state receiver.
Cam did struggle at times, earning a couple PI flags, but he was physical and always in position. They were correctable mistakes and it is easy to see why he is rated so highly this early in the process. Read More
Will 2013 be Ohio State's lucky year on the recruiting trail?
What was once thought to be a sure-to-be great 2012 class has turned into a wait-and-see year on the recruiting trail for Ohio State.
The off the field troubles in the spring and over the summer put a small wrench in that plan to say the least.
In recruiting, hope springs eternal. So whatever happens in the 2012 class there is always 2013 to look forward to, and that is exactly what we are going to do here.
At this point we don’t know for sure who will be recruiting that class, but Fickell and company have already started by extending some key early offers.
In addition to another solid in-state class in 2013, there already look to be a couple big name out-of-state guys who have Ohio State as their early favorite.
We will first take a look at the offered guys that I feel Ohio State has a good shot at landing.
There are national guys already offered out of Florida, Georgia, etc. but at this point it is way too early to even get excited about any of those guys.
Check back in the spring to see if they make the trip up to Columbus or next fall to see if they schedule an official visit, until then, keep your expectations on hold.
There are currently seven players with offers that I feel very confident in Ohio State’s chances.
Here they are: Read More
Will #27 be making an encore appearance in scarlet and gray soon?
The new trend in recruiting seems to be bad news in the 2012 class (Greg McMullen commits to Nebraska, Kyle Kalis de-commits and visits Michigan) balanced by exciting news in the 2013 class (Jalin Marshall impresses at camp and earns an offer, Derrick Green earns an offer and vows to “bring #27 out of retirement”).
In a lot of ways, this trend makes perfect sense. Many of the players in the 2012 class are being scared off by the current uncertainty at Ohio State and are deciding to commit elsewhere.
The players that wait until the end of the recruiting process will have plenty of time to see some stability return to Columbus (whether it be a new head coach or Fickell with a long term contract) and the NCAA storm that’s currently brewing will be cleared… the trick is getting enough players in 2012 to be patient enough to wait it out.
In contrast, the 2013 players know that by the time it’s their turn to sign on the dotted line, the current storm and uncertainty will be long gone.
While a lot of the weekend camp buzz involved 2013 players, there are some encouraging stories in the 2012 class as well. Read More
