What Once Was

Wednesday was a memorable day for Ohio State fans, as the program again finished National Letter of Intent Day with a class ranked in the top three in the nation, with some calling it the very best for the 2013 recruiting cycle.

It was a memorable day for Orlando’s Johnny Townsend as well, although for different reasons. What he expected to be a day of celebration for his achievements was put on hold; parties and press announcements held up for a bit as things sorted themselves out.

Townsend was supposed to be a part of Ohio State’s record setting class, but as of this article he has not yet submitted his signed letter of intent. In fact, as of late Wednesday night, rumors were swirling that he would join Florida’s 2013 class on Thursday.

The reasons for that are difficult to pin down. Early reports were that he was having second thoughts, or that Ohio State had rescinded the offer at the last minute. However, comments from his family indicated that this last possibility was not true, and that he instead had the paperwork for a full, four year tenure at Ohio State.

There was even speculation that he had decided to attend the University of Alabama, where he was offered the opportunity to gray-shirt prior to verballing to Coach Meyer; to be a part of the team at his own expense until a scholarship was made available for him, typically within a year. Again, at this point it seems that this report was also inaccurate.

What happened on Wednesday? And how does Townsend’s situation reflect an under-reported aspect of the recruiting process? Read More

Tags: 2013 Class, 2013 Recruiting, Alabama, Class of 2013, Johnny Townsend, Nick Saban, Oversigning, Urban Meyer
Categories: Ohio State Football, Recruiting

We’ve got an overlapping double header for you today!

The liveblog will start at 12:45 PM EST this afternoon. At 1 PM, the Army All-American Bowl will kick-off. There are three recruiting targets of interest in this one – WR Shelton Gibson, WR James Quick, LB Mike Mitchell. We’ll also be watching the following Ohio State commits throughout:

• DL Michael Hill
• OL Evan Lisle
• K Johnny Townsend
• DB Eli Apple
• RB Ezekiel Elliott

At 2:15 PM EST on the Big Ten Network, the Buckeyes Shooty Hoops team will take on the Illinois Fighting Illini. This same liveblog will cover both events.

Go Bucks!

Tags: Aaron Craft, Army All-America Bowl, buckeyes, Deshaun Thomas, Eli Apple, Evan Lisle, Ezekiel Elliot, Fighting Illini, Illinois, James Quick, John Groce, Johnny Townsend, Michael Hill, Mike Mitchell, Ohio State, Shelton Gibson, Thad Matta
Categories: Analysis, Basketball Analysis, College Basketball, College Football, Ohio State Basketball, Recruiting

Next Stop, Ann Arbor

It’s Wednesday, halfway to what’s sure to be another glorious June weekend. Big thanks to “Darth Grant” for finding the inspiration for this week’s title and lead photo- Eric may have some more on this story a bit later in the summer, but for now, here’s one of the men behind that amazing flying machine.

Buckeye 411

• Two Sport Athlete? We introduced you to the newest member of Ohio State’s 2013 class on Tuesday, but found out later in the day that Johnny Townsend hopes to walk on to the Ohio State baseball team as well. Given that we’ve got a Boren with similar interests, I’m looking forward to seeing how Coach Meyer chooses to allow these opportunities- although, I remember that several Gators also ran track.  We’ll see…
• It’s Not A Red Flag, It’s Scarlet- After news broke regarding Jared Sullinger’s “medical red flags”, several interesting comments emerged. Jared’s dad theorized that some of this “news” was actually being leaked by teams lower in the draft who were hoping Sully would fall to them- this would be frustrating, in terms of lost money, but might put him on a much better team to start his career. At any rate, you’d think that the NBA would not allow tampering with… sorry, I just couldn’t finish that without laughing. You’ve got to wonder, though, if there are numerous players with these types of issues, why is Sullinger’s the only name we’ve heard?  The Four Letter Network had a couple of diverse opinions- Dickie V said that you don’t need clinics and workouts to know Sullinger’s going to be a star, you just have to watch him play.  And then there’s Michael Wilbon, who said that he’d pass on Sully in the first round because “Ohio State. And Greg Oden”.  Somewhere, Mark May rubs his hands together and gloats…
• “Crushed”- According to Tim May, that was Urban Meyer’s reaction when hearing about Mewhort and Stoneburner’s transgressions, although he went on to say that he thought they’d rebound well. This is an interesting observation, and one that Andrew made today over at The Empire- Kids that Urban respects and counts on make a mistake, and he “feels” for them. But, he still holds them accountable at a very high standard. While this is an intriguing corrective decision given that both Ohio State and Florida have struggled due to student athletes being on their own agenda and not on the team’s page, I’m also impressed at this from a Higher Education Professional’s viewpoint. While not always true, there is a sense of privilege and entitlement that has crept into the current generation of young adults, and learning early on that decisions have real consequences is more than developmentally appropriate. Given that young adults are still developing their pre-frontal cortices, where decision making occurs, a concrete life lesson like the one that these guys are receiving has the possibility of lasting long after the days in the ‘Shoe are over.
• Making The Grades- The OSU football team announced spring quarter GPAs today, and over 45 members of the squad had a 3.0 average or higher.
• Troll On- Well, since we’re already on the topic, the Four Letter Network decided to list the “greatest sports moments in state history for each of the 50“. Ohio’s signature moment? Well, it was the BTN’s number one three icon, although it actually happened in Germany and not within the state borders. Yup, even ESPN plays “Germany or Ohio?”
• TBUN- Yup, I’ll give some love to a Sun and Blue blogger; our friends at Maize and Brew had a great article this week about Ohio State’s place in the conference,

So as we stare down the coming 2012 college football season, a billowing cloud of fury and excitement just now beginning to peak over the late-June horizon, it becomes apparent that no matter how bad things got in Columbus last year, that the Buckeyes were merely down on the mat for a short time. The cartoon birds flew in quick circles as Ohio State shook its head and looked up at the rest of the Big Ten standing over it grinning. But the birds have gone away and the Buckeyes are back on their feet.

Read More

Tags: Auburn, Baseball, BCS, Bowls, ESPN, GPA!, Jack Mewhort, Jake Stoneburner, Jared Sullinger, Jerry Sandusky, Jesse Owens, Johnny Townsend, Kentucky Wildcats, Playoffs, SBP, Urban Meyer
Categories: Humor, Ohio State Basketball, Ohio State Football

Booming kicks

Word today is that punter Johnny Townsend has given his verbal commitment to be the next member of the Ohio State 2013 recruiting class.

The Orlando Florida native may be the answer to the mystery that emerged last week, when a hopeful offensive line recruit commented that he thought an offer would come soon, but that the Buckeyes were after a punter first.

Mr. Townsend is a 3.5 GPA student who stands 6′ and weighs in at 200 pounds. For what it’s worth, he also runs a 4.5 forty yard dash, is working on his Eagle Scout project, is on student government and is a member of his high school’s FCA.

And now- kicking measurables: His NKS clinic championship came from a 4.9 second hang time and a punt of 56 yards.  After the break, we’ve got several videos of him in action, including his performance at the Nick Saban Punting Challenge.  What I’d give to be able to punt Nick Saban… Read More

Tags: Johnny Townsend, Punting
Categories: College Football, Ohio State Football, Recruiting