I'm liking this hire... the offensive side of the ball needs a shake up especially along the offensive line. I think this might be just the guy for the job with the eventual phasing out of Bollman who seems like a good guy but hasn't been able to get the most out of the offensive line lately.
http://absolutepigskin.com/blogs/aptimes/archive/2009/06/18/ohio-state-hires-new-coach.aspx
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Combined with Boren's fire, this guy I guess is a lot more vocal. So, maybe he can mold the two great back to back line glasses in to something special.
PalmerWoodrow: Combined with Boren's fire, this guy I guess is a lot more vocal. So, maybe he can mold the two great back to back line glasses in to something special.
I really hope so... if the offensive line plays up to potential then there is absolutely no stopping this Buckeye team over the next few years. On a side note how do you like Ohio State's recruiting this season? They don't have a lot of scholarships and they have been pretty selective. I think I like the approach but am still not sure.
After the last 2 classes, I was expecting a little drop off, or a cooling off. I mean I can't remember two classes such as this since Woody Hayes. To me, they had to be very selective thi year with the limited #'s. 2011 will be the next big haul imo.
Frankly TW, you would know better than I with the recruiting services you read etc. Your thoughts?
The class of 2010 will prove to be one of Tressel's best recruiting efforts to date. Ohio State did set the bar very high the last two seasons recruiting based on the fact at how quickly they were able to get verbals from top level guys around the country. This year they don't have as many scholarships and the coaching staff admittedly has been pretty selective about how they go about offering scholarships. Letting guys know that the are interested but they have done a good job of spinning the delays in certain players getting offers as Ohio State simply taking their time thus making the selective offer that much more special for a kid.
I think they really have a chance to get some really talented kids in this class. Ultimately they may not have as many big names as the last two classes simply due to a suddenly crowded and young depth chart that scares off a lot of top level guys the guys coupled with the fact that they don't have as many scholarships to give. No matter what this season they are going to get will prove to add exceptional depth to the team. If Ohio State manages to land Seantrel Henderson and Lamarcus Joyner this is a top 5 class again. I see about a 25% chance of either one of them heading to Ohio State despite their interest, especially that of Joyner, in Ohio State. A year down the line this class will be remembered as the class of Roderick Smith. He is the REAL deal and a virtual Buckeye lock (though he is taking his time a bit.) I think Smith will prove to be better than Beanie. Physically they are pretty close to one another and if Smith simply is healthy, unlike Beanie, he has the chance to be something really special for Ohio State.
Another aspect about a season such as this when the Buckeyes are being selective with their recruiting is talent evaluation. I have become friendly with a coach who coaches for a PAC 10 school and he is pretty forthcoming with how coaches view Rivals, Scout, etc... Basically they love both services because they prove to be good sources of information on where kids are leaning and what their chances are at landing certain kids. As far as the rankings they think they are garbage as ultimately the difference between the top ranked and the 250th ranked guy is purely subjective. What is most important is how a player's talent and potential translates to a teams system and coaching staff. With the right system and team the 250th ranked guy might prove to be the better player than the top ranked guy.
I think Tressel and staff have done an EXCELLENT job of spotting kids who are well regarded, not always the top at their position, but who are perfect fits for their system. Ultimately that talent will prove to be key for this class as I think classes such as this go a long way towards a potential run at a national title in a year or so. Ohio State is going to have crazy depth across the board except maybe at quarterback after this class. 2011 Braxton Miller comes aboard and top to bottom no team in the Big Ten can compare talent wise. If Ohio State wins against USC, and then wins a big bowl game against like an SEC team it only helps add to the buzz of the Buckeyes who in turn will land a MONSTER class in 2011.
I care little about whether or not Ohio State wins the Big Ten this year. I care little if Ohio State loses to Penn State. Neither of those things mean much of anything to Ohio State. In fact Penn State has more to gain from a win over Ohio State than Ohio State has to lose with a loss to Penn State this year. PSU beats Ohio State then they potentially go undefeated and get a national title shot against a Florida (who will absolutely blow the doors off a good but not great Penn State team.) Ohio State just needs to manage to get to a big bowl game. If Ohio State gets to another BCS game this year and wins... Ohio State officially takes their rightful place among the Floridas, USC's etc, and takes two steps ahead of everyone else in the Big Ten in terms of national perception. Ohio State is a year away from a really serious run at the national title. This year Ohio State can set the stage for that run.
One other thing. PSU. Even if they go undefeated, they will not be in Pasadena, at least not on Jan 7th. Their schedule is the laughing stock of the League. Sure, tOSU has stubbed its toe recently which does not help the perception, but an undefeated PSU means far less than a Texas, Oklahoma, USC, UF or even a ND. I believe Terrelle takes over the PSU game anyway. After last year and his fumble/pick, the kid will be lights out that Nov. day. Add in our formadable front seven and we should be able to more than handle the PSU O. Their inexperienced secondary will get burned in a big "ranking upset" by Northwestern, Minny or to a lesser extent, Illinois, Iowa or MSU.
PSU will not go undefeated and again, if they were to pull THAT off, the BCS Computers will take a big old dump on Happy Valley. Seeeee ya.
Yeah I agree with you there Palmer. If PSU goes undefeated they still need a lot of help getting in. The Big Ten is still a year away from being close to back from top to bottom coupled with a horrid non-conference schedule they will have problems. My buddy is a big time PSU fan, has season tickets, etc... and he is disgusted by the non-conference slate. Beside Alabama PSU isn't exactly scheduling world beaters over the next few years either. The only reason Bama is on the schedule is because they canceled on PSU and rescheduled a couple of years ago. I am simply not sure I understand the logic in such a practice . I mean I know PSu wants to get as many home games as possible to maximize revenue since really they support the entire university sports program but maybe, just maybe, it makes more sense to get the basketball team going to gain more revenue there instead of ultimately hurting the Penn State football team by scheduling high school teams?