The bar where Colleen and I met...
TTUN
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Late Thoughts On The 2012 Recruiting Class
My apologies on a delayed response. Considering Ohio State was waiting on WR Stefon Diggs, who eventually signed with Maryland late last week, led me to wait on posting any commentary on Coach Urban Meyer's first Ohio State recruiting class.
Generally, how can anyone complain about a recruiting class of this nature when Coach Meyer came in so late in the process? All of the turmoil of last season, plus the uncertainty of Luke Fickell's future, had Ohio State's recruiting class doing fairly well within the state of Ohio, but struggling with national name recruits. At the end of November, Ohio State had fourteen verbal commitments. Coach Meyer was able to add eleven additional players, while also reaffirming the previous commitments.
I have stated this before, and will reiterate this point - I truly do not care about recruiting rankings. Where rivals.com, scout.com, 247sports.com, ESPN, etc, have this class ranked in comparison to others is a purely subjective exercise. The only true measure of a recruiting class can be made when the class has completed its collective eligibility. Talk to me in 2016, or 2017, and we can then look back to see how well this class did.
Overall, I am pleased Coach Meyer was able to secure several players along both the offensive and defensive lines. A criticism I have made for years about Coach Tressel's recruting approach was not emphasizing offensive line depth. Look for both OT Taylor Decker and OT Kyle Dodson to earn appreciable playing time this coming season, as depth along the offensive tackle positions is woefully thin.
If I had to project an impact freshman from this group, I will go with RB Bri'onte Dunn. Dunn is an early enrollee at Ohio State, participating in winter conditioning and spring football. Considering Coach Meyer will be going to a spread formation offensively, and how Dunn is a bigger back, it would not surprise me if Dunn gets an early opportunity to play as a true freshman next fall.
Generally, how can anyone complain about a recruiting class of this nature when Coach Meyer came in so late in the process? All of the turmoil of last season, plus the uncertainty of Luke Fickell's future, had Ohio State's recruiting class doing fairly well within the state of Ohio, but struggling with national name recruits. At the end of November, Ohio State had fourteen verbal commitments. Coach Meyer was able to add eleven additional players, while also reaffirming the previous commitments.
I have stated this before, and will reiterate this point - I truly do not care about recruiting rankings. Where rivals.com, scout.com, 247sports.com, ESPN, etc, have this class ranked in comparison to others is a purely subjective exercise. The only true measure of a recruiting class can be made when the class has completed its collective eligibility. Talk to me in 2016, or 2017, and we can then look back to see how well this class did.
Overall, I am pleased Coach Meyer was able to secure several players along both the offensive and defensive lines. A criticism I have made for years about Coach Tressel's recruting approach was not emphasizing offensive line depth. Look for both OT Taylor Decker and OT Kyle Dodson to earn appreciable playing time this coming season, as depth along the offensive tackle positions is woefully thin.
If I had to project an impact freshman from this group, I will go with RB Bri'onte Dunn. Dunn is an early enrollee at Ohio State, participating in winter conditioning and spring football. Considering Coach Meyer will be going to a spread formation offensively, and how Dunn is a bigger back, it would not surprise me if Dunn gets an early opportunity to play as a true freshman next fall.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Rest In Peace, Coach Joe Paterno
Below is a video, courtesy of ESPN.com. A true coaching legend who believed in the importance of education and doing things the right way.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7487797&startTime=00:01
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7487797&startTime=00:01
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Quick updates re: Twitter, as well as other news
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. The Minnichs certainly did.
I have been working on getting Twitter updates to work over the last few days, and I think I finally figured it out. Twitter updates are located on the right side of the blog, and I have identified several top Ohio State writers/bloggers/websites that I believe others may wish to follow. As always, let me know what you think.
In other news, The Big Ten and Pac-12 are announcing plans that will involve annual games in essentially all sports. When this comes to pass, it will essentially cap The Big Ten at two non-conference games, as The Big Ten had announced plans earlier this year to move to a nine-game conference schedule.
Personally, I am all in favor of doing anything that will make Ohio State's, or any other Big Ten team's schedule, better than what they have been over the last few seasons. I do wonder if this will help to entice Notre Dame to joining The Big Ten, as this will leave Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue only one non-conference game. Again, I wonder if The Big Ten will still move forward with a nine-game conference schedule in 2017, as originally planned.
I have been working on getting Twitter updates to work over the last few days, and I think I finally figured it out. Twitter updates are located on the right side of the blog, and I have identified several top Ohio State writers/bloggers/websites that I believe others may wish to follow. As always, let me know what you think.
In other news, The Big Ten and Pac-12 are announcing plans that will involve annual games in essentially all sports. When this comes to pass, it will essentially cap The Big Ten at two non-conference games, as The Big Ten had announced plans earlier this year to move to a nine-game conference schedule.
Personally, I am all in favor of doing anything that will make Ohio State's, or any other Big Ten team's schedule, better than what they have been over the last few seasons. I do wonder if this will help to entice Notre Dame to joining The Big Ten, as this will leave Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue only one non-conference game. Again, I wonder if The Big Ten will still move forward with a nine-game conference schedule in 2017, as originally planned.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Twitter added to blog today
Last evening at Close Quarters Pub, my friends and fellow Buckeye fans urged/begged/bribed me with Christmas Ale/all of the above to join Twitter. You will notice a new Twitter feed on the side of the blog.
The intention is more to follow Twitter feeds, but I am sure I will have the occasional tweets myself. My twitter name is http://twitter.com/ChipMinnich.
The intention is more to follow Twitter feeds, but I am sure I will have the occasional tweets myself. My twitter name is http://twitter.com/ChipMinnich.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
My thoughts on the NCAA punishment for Ohio State
When I learned that Ohio State was going to be ineligible for post-season play in 2012, my first thought was, "Why didn't Ohio State self-impose a bowl ban on itself for the 2011 season?". After a moment to reflect, it dawned on me that it was entirely possible that even that self-punishment may not have been enough for the NCAA, and Ohio State would have been without a bowl for two seasons. If you are thinking of a parallel scenario, perhaps this classic movie clip will help - just substitute the NCAA for Dean Wormer, and you'll understand the analogy.
Regardless, it seems the NCAA never seems to grasp how the punishments and penalties always fall upon the individuals who had nothing to do with the crime that has been committed. Terrelle Pryor, "Boom" Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, and Solomon Thomas will all be elsewhere in 2012.
Moving forward, Ohio State fans should take this news as a positive. Knowing what the penalties and punishments are for the program will only help new head coach Urban Meyer with recruiting.
How, you ask? Because for the first time, Coach Meyer can accurately tell any young man what is going to be taking place at Ohio State. Everything else up until this point has been pure speculation, wondering when or if there would be a bowl ban, what type of scholarship reductions would be enforced, etc. Now, Coach Meyer can look any player in the eye and tell them precisely what the situation is with the NCAA.
Looking ahead to the 2012 schedule, knowing how young the 2011 team was across the board, it will be very interesting to see how Ohio State ranks among the other teams in college football. The 2012 squad could potentially rival this season's USC team that was arguably one of the nation's best, but ineligible to play in a bowl game.
Am I disappointed in today's ruling? Yes. Am I happy that the punishments are not as severe as some were predicting back in the summer? Absolutely. Time to move forward into 2012 and beyond. Time for an "Urban Renewal".
Regardless, it seems the NCAA never seems to grasp how the punishments and penalties always fall upon the individuals who had nothing to do with the crime that has been committed. Terrelle Pryor, "Boom" Herron, DeVier Posey, Mike Adams, and Solomon Thomas will all be elsewhere in 2012.
Moving forward, Ohio State fans should take this news as a positive. Knowing what the penalties and punishments are for the program will only help new head coach Urban Meyer with recruiting.
How, you ask? Because for the first time, Coach Meyer can accurately tell any young man what is going to be taking place at Ohio State. Everything else up until this point has been pure speculation, wondering when or if there would be a bowl ban, what type of scholarship reductions would be enforced, etc. Now, Coach Meyer can look any player in the eye and tell them precisely what the situation is with the NCAA.
Looking ahead to the 2012 schedule, knowing how young the 2011 team was across the board, it will be very interesting to see how Ohio State ranks among the other teams in college football. The 2012 squad could potentially rival this season's USC team that was arguably one of the nation's best, but ineligible to play in a bowl game.
Am I disappointed in today's ruling? Yes. Am I happy that the punishments are not as severe as some were predicting back in the summer? Absolutely. Time to move forward into 2012 and beyond. Time for an "Urban Renewal".
Monday, December 19, 2011
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