Impact of Urban Meyer Scandal on OSU Recruiting (OSU Source)
Intro
- Here's a link to the ESPN radio segment.
- It's an interview between a show called Kinner & Schlemmer and Bill Kurelic, who allegedly covers OSU recruiting for Rivals.com, ESPN, Bucknuts.com, and 247 Sports, according to his Twitter bio. I'm not sure how that's possible, but if it's on Twitter, it must be true.
Summary
- Big picture: 'wait and see.' Current committed kids are unwavering, so long as Meyer is retained by Ohio State, but everyone is waiting to see what happens.
- Meyer's staff continues to recruit, though this is limited by the dead period. Recruits report that they've contacted the staff.
- Negative recruiting backfires, at least in one case. Allegedly, 15 minutes after the scandal was announced, one parent of a 'high profile' commitment received calls from several programs and was not pleased.
- Recruits are solid, but all prospects aren't. The committed kids claim to be 100% solid, so long as Meyer sticks around. And there's a feeling among the committed kids that Meyer will be back. However, at least one uncommitted prospect interviewed by Kurelic said this would have a negative impact on his recruitment, especially if Meyer wasn't retained.
- No new info on Kaiir Elam & Zach Harrison. Elam is a high 4-star CB recruit from Florida (247 Page). I'm just putting this stuff here for the sake of completeness.
- Meyer's priority in new hires is an ability to recruit. Interesting.
Some Thoughts
As facts continue to surface, this approach by recruits makes sense to me. That said, I'm kinda shocked that someone didn't mention being upset by the domestic violence piece of it. It's possible Kurelic himself decided not to mention it, maybe due to positive spin or 'proprietary omissions' (subscription-worthy information).
I wish the show covered the direct impact of Smith's firing. If you look at Smith's 247 page, he and current Buckeyes interim coach Ryan Day are credited for bringing in 2019 5-star WR Garrett Wilson (247 page), who I believe was a Michigan target. Based on Smith's page, it looks like Ohio State divides recruiting by position groups, so most of Smith's targets are wide receivers. Michigan really needs some wide receivers in this cycle.
Finally, I'm not getting my hopes up or anything, but if Zach Harrison loves Michigan and was searching for a good reason not to go to Ohio State, this is probably it. All things being equal, I thought he'd go to the Buckeyes. But I'm not sure all things are equal, anymore.
Looks like it may have had an effect in the recruitment of Odessa Permian WR/Ath Payton Powell. A recent string of CBs for him to Oklahoma, whereas it looked like in late June he would be going to the £uckeyes. It appears we did not offer this #42 player in TX and #348 overall.
Ohio State is always going to recruit at a very high level, but Urban Meyer is one of the only coaches anywhere in college football who instantly gives OSU a shot with almost any prospect anywhere in the country. If they fire him, then OSU will likely hang onto most of the players they have signed for the upcoming class, but over time I think we'll see at least a little bit of a decline in their recruiting--still consistently within the top-10, but not necessarily the top-3 anymore.
If they keep him around, even with a suspension, I imagine the machine will just keep rolling. Even if he misses out on the occasional prospect who doesn't trust him or doesn't want to play for a coach with his stained reputation, it's hard to see that having a significant effect.
The point about Meyer prioritizing recruiting ability isn't emphasized enough. OSU has the most talented team on paper every year in the B1G—however it's arguable whether or not they get the most out of that talent. I wonder what the right balance is, and whether Michigan is striking it. I think M is striking it on defense, but perhaps not on offense.
I honestly don’t care. If they have a good coach they will always recruit well.
I’m concerned about the issue of domestic violence being swept under the rug, on the heels of Brenda Tracy being on their campus.
Reading this, and listening to some radio talking heads, one thing gets me. Meyer's supporters are asking what he was supposed to do without charges. Meyer's own autographed eulogy says he reported it up his food chain and they did nothing, so he did what he was supposed to do and should be free to go.
This is the Joe Paterno defense. Listen to the Joepologists - he reported it to his boss, what else could he do? He's 'clean'... Same thing Meyer's apologists are saying.
The talking heads (radio, TV, print) are all calling him for not doing something because the reputation of the school was at stake. Yet, I still don't hear them calling out Joepa that way. And, when Meyer's suspension is up, you won't hear another word about how wrong a person he is. All the talking heads, led by the OSU alumni in the CFB press, will be back to signing his praises. All of the current hand-wringing will be forgotten.
/end of frustration rant
I hear you. The highest paid employee of the university is powerless. What a shame.
Sanctimonious Meyer was the one that called out other coaches who lie.
Urban Meyer, in 2017: “If you lie, you can never coach again.”
He should resign based on his own words...what is he waiting for?
1VaBlue1, the PSU comparison is honestly disgusting. JoePa defenders who use the "he reported it to his superiors defense" are disgusting. Because all along somebody, anybody, should have called the police and no one did. In Meyer's case, the police were already involved and it seems as if Meyer's superiors knew about the accusations against Zach Smith. So who was there left to tell? If Meyer covered something up, it was a cover up from the press and no one else. And to be honest, most people who don't have anti-OSU leanings aren't going to care. Most people rely on the police to determine if somebody should be charged for an alleged crime, not a college football coach. Sort of like when Harbaugh let the judicial process work before making a decision on Grant Perry:
"None of us liked that one of ours was in a situation like that. But it is good to have some resolution to it. It's been investigated, prosecuted, adjudicated in a court of law where everybody had their day in court. I mean, I’m not going to call it a good thing. And then we've already suspended him pretty severely from games and time around the football team. I think just following athletic department and university protocol is all we did the entire time through. Never anything where anyone did anything for Grant. He got himself into trouble so it’s up to him to have to face it. But now we're at this point, where there’s some resolution.”
How is that different than Meyer and OSU allowing the police to do their jobs?
Then why did Meyer fire Smith when he did? He's never been convicted of a crime. His arrest was months ago. He hadn't done anything in the interim. Harbaugh suspended Perry immediately and reinstated him after his case was finished. I'm not seeing the similarities
Because this time around, Smith was actually charged with something - Criminal Trespassing. And his ex applied for a protection order. Urban may not have fired him in 2015, but it's not like Urban didn't notice the guy had issues outside of work. His own employee reviews noted that Urban said he needed to get things in his personal life under control. Combine the issues in 2009 and 2015 with the Criminal Trespass charge and protection order and Zach got fired. Urban didn't need the distraction of it and though Zach was an excellent recruiter, his coaching has left something to be desired for years.
Harbaugh (correctly) suspended Perry as soon as he was charged with sexual assault. Though Perry, if I remember right, eventually pled to a lesser charge. If Zach would have been charged with domestic assault, he'd likely have been suspended or fired immediately in 2015, just as Perry was suspended immediately. I brought up Perry because I find it interesting for posters here to say Urban should have "done something" regardless of charges or no when their own coach is on record extolling letting the legal system run its course before making a final decision.
I’d also add that I hope Ace gets healthy and that’s not just T&P, because he seems like a Dude.
Bit MGo’s lack of commenting on this is unbelievable.
Why should I keep visiting this site (have been here since ‘07 or so) when Funky posts nothing of relevance anymore?
??? You mean, like this? https://mgoblog.com/content/it%27s-your-job-know
Which followed this? https://mgoblog.com/content/zach-and-urban
August 6th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^
And that's not including the 300is comments on each of those main pagers with new tweets/information, or the likely 25 threats since then on MGOBLOG with different aspects of this, or the diarys.
I have to assume you aren't serious.
Meyer has won, what, three national championships? He's 73-8 at Ohio State. He's not overrated, come on.
Dantonio at Ohio State would be Tressel 2.0, IME. He'd have an outstanding defense, run a conservative offense, and get 90% of his talent from Ohio. That's still a formidable program, but it's not the beast Meyer has going.
Ron Zook also had the luxury of a Florida recruiting base. Same with McElwain. Etc. , etc.
Have to say Meyer seems to make really good halftime adjustments.
He's a creep. But he is a great coach in terms of W-L.
August 6th, 2018 at 10:08 AM ^
The guy that has a win percentage of over 90%, is 5-0 against us, and has more 12 win seasons the last 5 years than we do in our history is overrated and less concerning to you than a younger up and coming coach? Alrighty then.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:43 AM ^
We've had his number the past two years - just couldn't seal the deal.
That said Meyer and Satan are the only two who can wave multiple rings and that is the reason to believe. Lose that, and OSU recruiting drops off some. Especially if we can win one or two.
Losing the game does not equal "having his number". That's like saying MSU had our number because they were winning the 2004 and 2005 games and lost.
I find it a little sad that if Meyer was retained, that they think recruits would be completely ok with it. I'd like to think that some recruits would have higher moral standards then that
Are you serious? Major Troll....
Parry was charges with 4th degree sexual misconduct (aka he goosed a girls but), not cool, but to attempt to compare that to a man who routinely beats his wife is simply pathetic..........
August 6th, 2018 at 11:54 AM ^
To my knowledge, Urban has never beat his wife let alone routinely.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:39 PM ^
True. He only cheats on her.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
to anyone remotely paying attention, it is OBVIOUS the ZACH SMITH is the wife beater and Urbes just looked the other way for whatever pathetic reason.
Trying to muck up the story with your comments does not change the facts the OSU's program has no morals, no ethics, and no values..........
Having no morals, ethics, or values is not quantifiable and thus not grounds for termination. It's just arbitrary noise thrown around by virtue signalling fans and media. All will blow over once the season starts. Let's get ready for UM vs ND folks!
Unless it is specifically written within a contract. Which in Meyers case, it is.
Look, as OSU wants it, the longer this drags out the more muddle the story gets.
Urbs contact is pretty clear that he is obligated to report any such DV.
So of course the original news break is that Smith was arrested, now there is question on what is the real police report. This is the wiggle room Meyer is searching for so that he can "move past this situation"; take his suspension and get back to coaching.
They are moving methodically to white wash this whole situation, but that won't change that Urban is a POS and as I noted early, has no morals, no ethics, and simply no character.
Its a sad statement on how some communities will sacrifice anything in the name of winning a football game.....
It will only make it sweeter when we beat them this year....
I don’t think it matters. Parents care about one thing and that’s getting junior to the NFL and winning championships at any cost. And I don’t think Meyer really cares about character or integrity with recruits.
I take it then that you're not a parent....
You're really reaching here, pal. I won't dispute that there are parents out there who think like that, but I would not say its a majority. On the flip side of the coin, there are plenty of parents (including parents of top recruits) who would rather see their kid go to Stanford, MIT, or any one of the Ivies.
I don't know why anyone thinks charges of anything around some coaches or players (not head coach) would deter anyone from going there. They literally don't give two shits about that unless the head coach is impacted.
If Meyer stays, I think their current class stays about as it is. I don't think their class will be as good as expected as some recruits will shy away, but I don't think their class will far apart. And if they have a good season, I expect their future classes to return to elite.
If Meyer is canned, current class will fall apart. Future classes will depend on who they bring in.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:20 AM ^
I think this is pretty good analysis, however, it's uncertain how much their current 2019 and 2020 commits are committed to OSU as a university versus Urban himself, and that'll determine who stays
Ohio kids are much more likely to stay. Who on the staff stays matters, not just Meyer. Most recruits seems to have closer relationships to the position coach and their primary recruiter.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:47 AM ^
Unfortunately for most recruits, they will not shy away. Look at ped state.
BTW ,FUCK penn state and all their joepa loving fans!!!
August 6th, 2018 at 11:50 AM ^
Agreed. It's astonishing to me. That school should not even be playing football right now.
August 6th, 2018 at 10:09 AM ^
Schools negative recruited against UM for an 8-5 record and it worked. If they can't take advantage of OSU's situation I'd be surprised.
August 6th, 2018 at 10:42 AM ^
It's all about timing. Doing it in the immediate aftermath when people are feeling as if a rug is getting pulled out from under them is going to justifiably raise some hackles. Give it time, but don;t be surprised if it isn't as effective as "Jim Harbaugh just proved this year that he was over-rated."
Coaches know there's value in being the first to offer a kid, first to show interest in him. They should know better than to want to be first in a situation like this. In a business that values relentlessness, I guess some won't know when to back off.
It there is an effect on recruiting, it will probably push them to recruit Ohio harder. A mixed blessing.
August 6th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
I think we consistently over estimate how much the recruits care about the DV aspect and things like this at MSU and PSU. I'm not saying they shouldn't care, but I don't think they do. They care about football. They care about who their coach is. They care about being in the running for national championships. They care about playing time, they care about the NFL. They are 18 years old. This only affects recruiting if Meyer goes away or his future is murky for an extended period of time. Period.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:10 AM ^
New Motto?
Bring us your ball cuddlers, wife beaters and liars.....
The ohio state university
August 6th, 2018 at 11:57 AM ^
Current Motto at UM: Our head ball coach will sleep with, I mean sleep over in your child's bedroom.
-UM
August 6th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^
...and we'll promise to call your son an Uber so Harbaugh doesn't get another DUI arrest.
August 6th, 2018 at 12:33 PM ^
Look dude, OSU has had a better football team than Michigan for the better part of two decades now. But if you want to try and compare the programs on an ethical basis, ROTFL.
Just go slink off in some corner and enjoy your ill-gotten gains.
Wasn't Jim's dui in '05..... 4 years before urbs first knew about zach smith beating up on his prego wife?
August 6th, 2018 at 12:36 PM ^
"sleep with"? wow, is that ever a gutter comment intended to take this off the rails
August 6th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
Man, you're so funny. You should be a comedian not a troll.
August 6th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
Come on, if you're a parent of an OSU recruit, pledged or not, they must be reading the Aaron Hernandez book to get an idea of how their future felon(s) will be taken care of by Pope Urban. Bar fight. Rape. Shoot someone. Steal cc's and laptops. Stop over to the house for "Bible Study".
August 6th, 2018 at 11:48 AM ^
As long as they get to the league, nothing matters.
yet they get QB recruits....... who must want to play WR in the NFL