Why We Should Not Be Worried About Ohio's Recruiting Class
When I was looking at the new, slightly depressing recruiting rankings, I had what I think are some logical thoughts regarding why we shouldn't be too concerned about these developments.
I like to think of it this way: They have 5 and 4 star D linemen. We have 5 and 4 star O linemen (counting the Garnett egg before it hatches). They have mostly 4 and some 3 star O linemen. We have mostly 4 and some 3 star D linemen (plus PeeWee- i.e. stud). They have 3 star WR, TE, and a good RB. We have 4 star LBs and some solid secondary guys coming in. We have 3 and 4 star WRs/TEs and not much at RB this year, they have 3/4 star LBs and secondary, but LBs are not as good as ours overall and our secondary class is probably better as well.
So basically we match up at every level because where they have great guys, we also have great guys. But where their class is top heavy and drops off quickly, our class is solid all the way through so we have some advantages. Combine that with the fact that Hoke and co. have proven they can get the absolute best out of all their players, whereas Urban at Florida seemed to rely heavily on outrageous recruiting classes... Not worried. The rivalry will be a clash of titans once again. But I'm confident in where we're headed. Am I being too much of a homer here? Is this a valid assessment?
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:16 PM ^
Our class is still better.
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^
I say these stars dont mean nothing unless they get the right person to develope them
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:06 PM ^
Just ask Florida State
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:19 PM ^
or Clemson
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:33 PM ^
Just don't ask Lou Holtz, unless you want to get slobbered on.
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:33 PM ^
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:44 PM ^
as proven many times, most recently by Mathlete, recruiting great does in fact usually = great teams. Exceptions prove the rule.
January 23rd, 2012 at 4:43 AM ^
Ask Alabama.
January 22nd, 2012 at 6:26 PM ^
Or Michigan State..
January 23rd, 2012 at 12:26 AM ^
or Texas.
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:25 PM ^
Insightful. Intellectual, even.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:17 PM ^
With the exception of maybe RB, the coaches have done a great job of filling holes with extremely talented players in this class. I don't see any reason to be scared of the OSU. If we had the same class as last year or the year before, there might be some reason for alarm. That is obviously not the case though.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^
Is running back really a position of great need? Fitz still has a year or two, plus Rawls who the coaches were high on and Hayes who was a highly regarded recruit in his own right.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:48 PM ^
It's not a position of great need, but it's obvious that the team is currently being outfitted to become a power rushing attack in the future. The guys we currently have will definitely do the job, but nobody on the roster is of the caliber of Dunn.
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:36 PM ^
Why is everybody sleeping on Rawls? That kid runs angry and with some serious power. I wanted Dunn as much as anybody else but he's not a program maker or breaker. I think Rawls can be every bit the player that Dunn could have been if he hadn't decided to play in a spread offense.
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:44 PM ^
i dont disagree with you, but what did we have on Toussaint before he became Fitzkreig?
I think RB is one of those positions where we shouldnt get too excited about a prospect and we shouldnt get too nervous when it appears there is no succesor.
Im optimistic that out o line will be able to open up hole for whomever is the RB
January 23rd, 2012 at 4:44 AM ^
Isn't that all we have on Dunn too?
January 22nd, 2012 at 5:05 PM ^
I don't think people are necessarily sleeping on Rawls; no one really knows if he will be good or not. We burned his redshirt for a dozen garbage time carries in which he looked good, but so did Cox in his garbage time carries. We really don't know about how good he might be. He wasn't highly rated and I feel that RBs are a little easier to scout, since the transition to the next level of play tends to be easier for RBs. Getting a highly rated Dunn who would fit an I-form running game more would have been awesome, especially considering Toussaint could be a flight risk if he plays as well as he did the second half of the season. Doesn't he have a young child? If he were to get a sniff of the NFL he might take it. If he were to leave then it is Hayes, Rawls, Drake Johnson, Houma, or a freshman RB who needs to be the guy. Right now none of them are ready to go.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:43 PM ^
Missing out on Dunn hurt us, but I'm pretty high on Drake Johnson. He won't see playing time early, but with our current rb depth chart we'll be alright. Houma is also a guy most people seem to be forgetting about. I don't know if it's been decided that he's going to be a fullback in the system, but when they're both upperclassmen I think they'll form a very solid backfield. That being said, please God, let us land Ty Isaac for 2013.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 PM ^
Yeah I don't really feel we had a "hole" per se with running back. Sure, it would have been nice to get Dunn, but I'm actually pretty happy we didn't. I like the set-up we have now with Fitz as our go-to man, Smith as a solid 3rd down back, and Rawls/Hayes waiting in the wings to take over their respective positions.
We already have a pretty big stable when it comes to running backs, probably around 5-6 on scholarship, and Drake Johnson coming in next year as well. Besides, this just leaves more scholarships for position players that we'll need, like another desperately needed wideout or corner.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:17 PM ^
I agree to some extent. with matchings this close - I think it is going to come down to two things.
1) Developing talent - an underdeveloped 5 star is no better than a great coach working wonders with 3 stars
2) Coaching on the field - Can Hoke outcoach Meyer?
Maybe 3 things - team cohesion also. And we will be 2nd to none in team cohesion.
Am I missing anything?
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
You bring up a good point of team cohesion. I think this is extremely underrated, especially in terms of defense. An example would be how at the beginning of the season, Jake Ryan would come crashing down on the line, would get sucked inside, and would get beat to the corner on the outside run. Logic probably told him "I have a wide open path so I'm going to make this play." However, there was a stark contrast in the Sugar Bowl, as I saw Jake stick to his assignment, stayed back, and kept the ball carrier from bouncing outside. Does he always get the glory of the tackle? No. But when he sticks to his assignment, along with the other 10 guys on D, the whole unit benefits.
While I may be a bit young to recall the true talent OSU had in the 90's, many of my older cohorts at work (in Columbus) talk about how on paper, OSU should have beaten Mich plenty of times in the Cooper era. But they took note how the players never played as a team, only as individuals, and Michigan capitalized on that.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:37 PM ^
Jake Ryan was a 3-star.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:19 PM ^
They're good in the aggregate, not in the individual player, and a sample size of like 3 players at any position is not sufficient to be like "we're screwed, or we're in awesome shape."
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:19 PM ^
the spread doesn't work in the Big Ten. Urban Meyer will have 3 disappointing seasons before getting fired, then OSU will try to get a defensive-minded coach that understands the Big Ten. Probably Mark Dantonio.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:23 PM ^
Not a chance. Meyer will have great success. Hoke will have great success. And the UM/OSU rivalry will be one of the greatest again in College football.
I think we are fooling ourselves if we keep saying the spread doesn't work in the Big Ten. OSU will be dangerous in two years (once they matter again) - but so will we.
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:13 PM ^
Did you just hear some sort of whooshing sound going by your head?
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:29 PM ^
He's indoors with the windows closed.
January 22nd, 2012 at 5:00 PM ^
woops. I didn't read it carefully. In my defense, I have heard more than one UM fan make this argument and I think they are delusion.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:31 PM ^
I think a lot depends on how "spread" is defined. What we'll see out of Meyer at OSU is probably some variant of the spread ... but nothing like RR tried to implement here. But if having players of sufficient size for the Big 10, coupled with an emphasis on speed and a quarterback who's mobile enough to make plays can be called "the spread" then it'll work in the Big 10.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:38 PM ^
Just imagine if Hoke/Mattison had had full-sized players this year. 14-0 national champs for sure.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:57 PM ^
Just what type of offense do you think Borges is running with Denard? he started the year trying to put Denard in the West coast and soon found out without denard running the ball out of the SPREAD he had no offense. I really don't mind if you have an opinion but atleast talk about something like tiddly winks or hopscotch.
January 22nd, 2012 at 5:07 PM ^
The spread can absolutely work in the B1G. You just need a very strong balance between devotion to offense and defense. Urban Meyer may be an offensive guy, but he balanced it out with our current defensive demigod Greg Mattison for 3 years, who's defense absolutely humiliated Troy Smith and the "potent" Buckeye offense in the '07 Title Game. Meanwhile, Leak and Tebow made the Ohio D look like idiots all night.
And no, Ted Ginn Jr. getting injured can't be used as an excuse for why they lost that game.
I have to believe Meyer will be just fine. He's proven that he can beat Big Ten teams, excluding Michigan, and to be honest, I want him to do well except when he's playing us. I still hate Ohio, but as we've seen, it doesn't do the rivalry or the conference any good to have one of its flagship programs down in the dumps. We need Ohio to be good, and vice versa. Besides, it makes for matchups that are that much more epic and meaningful when gametime comes.
I long for the days of top 5 or 10 matchups, with the winner playing for a Rose Bowl or a National Title.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:19 PM ^
How many times has Ohio State won a national title with the "great Jim Tressel" Once. Even with the talent and recruiting Tressel put together he was a one and done coach. I won't be surprised if Meyer is a one and done or wins only one title. He didn't quit Florida mainly cause of a heart condition I'll never surrender to that lie. He left Florida mainly because his great class of 2006 finally graduated (which might go down as the greatest recruiting class in NCAAF history) and his golden boy Tebow went to the NFL. He knew with the rise that Saban and Miles were receiving he would be left behind and Florida's era of being a power house was dying. As long as the SEC continues it's dominance Meyer won't win anything come national title time. To be honest I think we have a tremendous egde over him than the Bucknuts realize.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:23 PM ^
^
This.
January 22nd, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
But winning one national championship is kind of a big deal...
Bo had zero, Lloyd had one, and they are rightfully considered legendary coaches.
January 22nd, 2012 at 7:07 PM ^
of Ohio ideology and that's for damn sure. Tressel was expected to win 2 or 3 titles at tOSU. Meyer knowing the delusion of Bucknut gas will be expected to win it every year.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:21 PM ^
After seeing how much our defense improved in one year, because of a coaching change. I am excited as to what our coaching staff will do with these new recruits.
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January 22nd, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^
why we shouldn't be worried: Greg Mattison.
that is all.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 PM ^
Why you should be worried:
Dudes 63,
He will be retired before this recruiting class graduates.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^
We had a very successful season and they're coming off a losing one.
Now I know it's Urban and Ohio State and all that jazz, but it's a recruiting fact that results factor into recruiting the next season. This also excites me given Hoke put together such a dynamite class after 3 years of the worst football Michigan has ever seen. What's he capable of coming off a BCS bowl victory?
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:38 PM ^
Well, we're averaging 5.0 stars for 2013 so far. I guess I could settle for keeping that going.
January 22nd, 2012 at 3:48 PM ^
So is OSU.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^
I wasn't worried until you said that...
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^
Just remember, while it totally sucks that OSU has such a great class after what they did, we have an equally great class (especially considering who we still lead for). At the end of the recruiting process, we will have the two best recruiting classes in the B1G by a mile.
The B1G is well on its way back to the Big 2, Little 10. While that isn't as good as Michigan dominating, it's a hell of a lot better than where we've been for the last decade or so. I would love to demolish OSU every year, but another 10 year war will be great for both programs. Keep it in perspective, this is still a fantastic recruiting year.
January 22nd, 2012 at 2:36 PM ^
Ohio and Michigan are in the top 5 this year. The next highest B10 team ... Purdue at 30. Nebraska, Wisconsin, MSU - all under Purdue (for now, I know). Still that says the chasm is widening again in terms of talent. But again, it all depends on how that talent develops.