Buckeye Blogger NetworkOur friend Josh Winslow has a great set of photos from yesterday’s media day at the WHAC. Unlike past years, the players were only in their jerseys; our belief is that the University is trying to minimize any issues that may have emerged in the past regarding access to players and selling memorabilia/photos.
At any rate- here are some of the “best” photos that Josh came up with… and your chance to do a bit of captioning for this year’s team. Let us know what you’d add in our comments section!
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Bumped back a day to cover today’s press access- one more day means even more news, notes, and inanity.
Would look great in the man cave- and Father's Day is coming up...
Buckeye 411
There was no NCAA violation. If you could bold and underline that for me, please.
Done and done, coach.
Moving Forward
Before Buckeye Nation turned it’s eyes to shootyhoops on Saturday, the 2012 football team took to the field for it’s first full-pad practice of the spring. Here’s some of the things we’ve learned after three days under Coach Meyer:
Usually, we reserve “Shots” for game experience recaps. However, given Meyer Mayhem, here’s some whispers and stuff that Joe’s been hearing:
After three straight days of being at the Schott I overheard and saw quite a few things.
Football
Use The Bench, Thad!
Basketball
War Face
As Jim alluded to, this past weekend may go down in history as one of the most exciting ones in Buckeye history, and today we’re starting to see some of the aftershocks.
Following former Penn State commitment Tommy Schutt, the newest Buckeye was formerly verballed to Michigan State. Ohio State welcomes Se’Von Pittman as the newest member of the 2012 recruiting class.
A dominant defensive end from Canton McKinley high school, Pittman is listed as 6’5″ and 245 pounds, and is listed as a four star recruit by Scout. In addition to Michigan State, he held offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn, and Florida.
He will have “family” in Columbus upon his arrival- former teammate Steve Miller was a part of the 2011 recruiting class, while his current “significant other” Ameryst Alston will also be a student athlete as a part of the women’s basketball team. Film and more after the break.
There has been a lot of debate the last week as to how much the loss to Michigan hurts. Under ordinary circumstances, nobody on either side of the greatest rivalry in sports would want to lose the contest called “The Game.” As the seconds ticked off of the scUM’s first win in seven years over Ohio State, I had an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was a feeling I have not experienced after losing to the state up north. It was pride.
Some say there is no pride to be had in losing, but this was a gutsy performance by the Buckeyes. It was clear the defense needs help. It was evident that Braxton Miller needs to work on his accuracy with the deep ball. The one thing that was most apparent was the Buckeyes have heart too. For 60 minutes in Ann Arbor, Ohio State went toe to toe with one of the more prolific offense the scarlet and gray saw all season long.
Then it was just 48 hours that a Buckeye Christmas came early. Now that we are all in the holiday spirit, let’s talk some season ending issues in the latest Scarlet and Gray Q&A.
After watching Braxton Miller play his best of the season, where does he rate in comparison to Terrelle Pryor? Read More
One year's recruiting "miss" is next year's commitment looking for early playing time.
The biggest news in this recruiting update is the commitment of Ohio defensive lineman Se’Von Pittman to Michigan State, continuing the theme of doom and gloom for 2012.
Pittman was one of the top players in Ohio with offers from football royalty across the country and a big time target for the Buckeyes.
First, let me say congratulations to Mark Dantonio and Michigan State on a great pick-up. There are obviously a lot worse places a player can choose to go, and Pittman will be joining what is shaping up to be a very impressive group of young defenders for Dantonio and the Spartans.
Second, it is becoming clear that the coaching uncertainty in Columbus is having a negative impact on recruiting (huge surprise there, right?). Luke Fickell is the head coach for the 2011 season and a helluva recruiter, but there is only so much he can do in an incredibly difficult situation. Whether it be the uncertainty of possible NCAA sanctions or the inability to guarantee players who their coach will be in 2012 and beyond, there are some serious hurdles to overcome.
With that said, there is no reason to panic- not yet at least.
First, if Ohio State didn’t receive another commitment in 2012, the 9 players already on board would constitute a decent (albeit small) recruiting class.
Second, there are still plenty of targets left in Ohio for the Buckeyes to reel in. Signing day isn’t until February; the sanctions and head coaching picture will be much clearer before the ink is dry on this class (hell, some of the players heading elsewhere at the moment might even reconsider if/when the dark clouds clear a bit from above the WHAC).
This is obviously a low spot for recruiting, but there are better days ahead. Read More
Tom Strobel at the Spring Game.
As summer camps approach, the Ohio State coaching staff will be looking to continue narrowing down their top targets in the 2012 class.
While they have already seen many players at camp in previous years, they will get one last one-on-one evaluation period before making the final push for their top targets over the summer and fall.
A lot can happen between a players junior and senior years of high school, and as always, some surprise camp offers will likely emerge.
Most of the time, the camp offers replace national prospects that received token early offers. More often than not, the chances of landing some of the national prospects are slim to none from the beginning. You offer just to be sure and to establish contact with coaches and programs around the country.
At this point, the staff has a good idea of the national prospects with legitimate interest, making it possible to evaluate players with an eye on replacing current offers with no interest in the Buckeyes.
Before summer camp evaluations and a new round of offers, here is a look at Ohio State’s early offers that they still have an above average shot at landing. Read More
