Semi OT: Brandon Harris to LSU
http://rivals.yahoo.com/michigan/football/recruiting/player-Brandon-Har…
Brandon Harris was a favorite among OSU fans (many thinking he was going there) and while I think the commitment of Collier was a signal that they wouldn't get Harris, their QB depth beyond Miller and Guiton is inexperienced and pretty thin.
their QB depth beyond Miller and Guiton is inexperienced and pretty thin.
This makes Ohio State no different than 120 other BCS teams.
It doesn't matter what team we're talking about - if a school is playing its 3rd string QB, it's not going to be happy. Be honest and take off your biased glasses - Kenny Guiton is a pretty nice backup QB to have in the bag, with real-life QBing experience.
Beat me to it.
I'm reading this post thinking "so how is this worse than our situation?" Hell our back-up QB this year has yet to attend a single freaking practice yet so I have a hard time seeing OSU in bad shape here.
I agree and it is probably not better than what UM has. My point was more that if Miller leaves after this year (no guarantee that will happen) then they will be looking at freshmen and RS freshmen next year which is certainly better for us assuming DG stays and remains healthy.
That's a lot of assumptions. But anytime OSU doesn't get a guy they want, it's great news.
I get what you're saying. Assuming they don't land another QB, they only have one out of their last three QB recurits with any sort of recruiting profile befitting an elite program. Since QBs bust frequently, its nice that they have lower odds than you'd expect to be able to plug in Miller's replacement and see the same sort of success. Problem is, generally you only need one QB. A lack of depth isn't the end of the world if one of their next three does develop into an excellent starting QB.
I fully expect Braxton to be better than last year and improve as a passer but I don't think he would even be considered in the top 3 or 4 rounds in the NFL draft after this year. I say his chances of returning for his senior year are 90%+.
I am relatively new to this site and the up/down voting is much more complex than what is over at 11W. Is there a FAQ on the voting system (and I mean that sincerely, not just because expressing my honest opinion about my favorite player was labeled as "trolling")?
Precisely. Considering our QB depth chart reads as Devin Gardner, true freshman recently recovered from mononucleosis who will have his redshirt burned prematurely, and DOOM; with a side order of Perry tha ACLephant; I don't think we have much reason to point and laugh at Ohio in this area.
Other than the fact that..... They're Ohio.
Never heard of him.
As for Harris, pretty good player that has improved over the course of the summer. For as good of an athlete as he is, he really has struggled throwing on the run or when pressured. But, when he has time to throw and a clean pocket to step into, even with his somewhat off mechanics, he can make pretty much all the throws. Really good velocity when he's clean, needs to work on accuracy a bit more and consistency, particularly with his mechanics.
I did a preview on my blog about him back when he looked likely to go to OSU (if that was ever actually the case). He'll need some developement time, but actually reminds me a bit of former LSU QB Jordan Jefferson, with maybe a bit better arm, but doesn't have the size. He's also not an athlete I believe can be very valuable from a position switch if it comes to that, decent straight line speed, but not great, and not very fluid with the ball in his hands. He's an interesting prospect to see how he progresses.
I don't think I saw anyone onm 11W who thought it was a possibility.
There were a bunch, delusional as always. They would not let go, even post-Collier.
"Well if Harris really begs us to come here because of our awesomeness and Urbz, I guess we would have to let him in. it never hurts to have backups for our backups' backups."
Ohio does have a 4-star, dual threat type waiting in the wings. They won a head-to-head with Les for JT Barrett, expect him to be the heir to the position when Braxton moves on. So, losing Harris to LSU isn't really a huge blow to their future at QB.
/11W'd
Your point regarding Barrett is well-taken, but I still think OSU's failure to land a Plan A guy in 2014 will turn out to be a pretty significant hit. Barrett is unproven, and Cardale Jones doesn't impress me a bit. If I was Urban, I would really want another guy in the mix to replace Miller in case Barrett doesn't work out.
For anyone interested, the entire interview with Brandon Harris is at this ESPN page - (HERE) - made possible via Spreecast. You do get to see which questions were submitted for Brandon to answer though.
As for choosing LSU, he talks at some length about Cam Cameron (former Michigan QB / WR coach) and the connection he made with him. He also talks about the lengthy list of NFL QBs that Cameron has helped along the way and says that was a major selling point for him.
Ok, why do i keep hearing people say that Braxton Miller may leave early for the NFL? Is he planning on playing WR or "Offensive Weapon" in the NFL? Do people honestly think he is an NFL level quarterback? I'm counting on him being there thru his senior year.
That seems like some pretty unabashed homerism there. The only really big question mark about Miller is his accuracy (58% completion rate last year). Other than that, what are you holding against him? He'll have plenty of experience after this year, an NFL arm, NFL size...
He has all of the athletic ability to be a NFL QB but does he have the mental capacity to read defenses, check out of bad plays, etc or the accuracy to be an NFL QB? I don't know the answer for the future but as of now I don't think so. I think he is a borderline NFL QB prospect at the moment but could definetly develop into a solid prospect.
Mental capacity? That's the sort of thing you judge when there's reason to judge it. Ability to read defense comes with age and experience. I don't think we have any reason to question his 'mental capacity'.
No homerism at all. If anything, i rather we only have to face him for one more year, not two. I just don't think he's that accurate at all. Seems to me the "only question big question being his accuracy" is kind of a big deal for NFL QBs. In the NFL, he's not gonna have receivers with 3 steps on the DBs. those throwing windows are much smaller. I'm sure he'll get drafted, but he's not gonna be a 1st or 2nd round QB draft pic after his Junior year which would make him want to leave early. Who knows, maybe he takes a HUGE step in the passing game this year, but ii don't see it happening. Its a moot point though, because he probably doesn't need to improve for OSU to still win most of their games.
"Seems to me the "only question big question being his accuracy" is kind of a big deal for NFL QBs."
You seem to be ignoring normal progression patterns for college QBs. Blaine Gabbert's completion percentage his sophomore year was 58%. Tajh Boyd's completion percentage was 59% his sophomore year. Russell Wilson had a 59% completion percentage his second year under center.
The common theme? They all improved. Statistically, it's incredibly likely that Miller improves, as kids are wont to do in college.
Harris has a huge arm and looks pretty athletic too. I guess if Mettenburger and Jamarcus Russell have taught us anything, though, it's that maybe LSU isn't the best place for raw QBs