Ben Folds (musician) & Michigan

I found this little blurb in today's Plain Dealer and thought it would be enjoyable on the blog...

"Speaking of Michigan...
Musician Ben Folds appeared in concert at the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor Wednesday. It was just a coincidence that one of the first songs he played was "Effington," which begins with the lyrics, "If there's a God he is laughing at us and our football team." Bet any Ohioans in attendance no doubt appreciated it. "

Only 271 days till the Michigan game...

Inspiring Article on Tyson Gentry

Looking through some of the newslink articles, I found this article from Jason Lloyd of The Lorain Morning Journal on former Ohio State walk-on Tyson Gentry. Gentry was paralyzed a few years ago during spring football practice, but this article talks about the special bond Gentry has with his sister and his family, and how they have all bonded to get through this challenging development in Tyson's life. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Why I Do Not Concern Myself With Recruiting Rankings

National Letter Of Intent Day has come and gone for 2009, and already Ohio State has lined up three verbal commitments for its 2010 class. While I follow recruiting, I truthfully do not concern myself with arbitrary concepts as to whether or not Ohio State has signed a player who is a three-star, four-star, or five-star recruit. I also do not concern myself as to how Ohio State compares with other teams around the country.

If Jim Tressel and the coaching staff have determined that a player is worthy of a scholarship to Ohio State, I believe Coach Tressel and his staff know more about this process than any recruiting analyst from Rivals.com, Scout.com, or ESPN.com. While a recruiting analyst can suggest that a player is going to come in and contribute immediately as a freshman, or will be a difference maker (gotta love those cliches you hear around this time of year), the truth of the matter is it is the coach and the coaching staff that will win or lose with the players they have on the field. It therefore behooves the coaching staff to do as much research as possible on the recruits as they can, and develop them as much as they can.

Speaking of recruits and rankings, do yourself a favor and go back to look at the rankings of Ohio State's 2005 class. The so-called five-star recruits that year were OT Alex Boone, DL Doug Worthington, and DB Jamario O'Neal. Worthington was redshirted in 2005, and will be back next year for his senior season. The lowest-ranked player in that class? WR Brian Robiskie.

And my point is? It really does not matter what any recruiting analyst thinks, or how highly a player is rated. It only matters what a player does on the football field, and how much they develop while they are in college. Considering the results Ohio State has had with Coach Tressel at the helm, I believe Ohio State fans should trust that he and his staff know what they are doing when it comes to player evaluation and development.

Jim Tressel's Recruiting Philosophies

When Jim Tressel was hired as Ohio State's head football coach back in 2001, there were concerns among Ohio State fans that Tressel would not be an effective recruiter. After all, Tressel had spent fifteen years as the head coach of I-AA Youngstown State - how would Tressel do against the big boys on the recruiting trails?

After signing another highly-ranked recruiting class, the question should now become - how does Tressel do it year after year? Below are some observations I would argue about Tressel's recruiting philosophies:

1. Concentrate on signing the top players in the state of Ohio: When John Cooper was fired by Ohio State on January 2, 2001, there were not too many high school coaches in the state who were disappointed or hurt by the decision. Cooper had a very good eye for talent, but did not cultivate the relationships with the top high school coaches in Ohio. As a result, some of the top talent in the state of Ohio left to play for other programs, most notably Michigan - Ricky Powers, Desmond Howard, and Charles Woodson are just three examples of Ohioans who spurned Ohio State.

On the other hand, Tressel was well-known and respected by coaches throughout the state as a result of his tenure at Youngstown State, and was the favorite of these coaches to be Cooper's successor. Does this necessarily mean that these coaches will steer players to play for Jim Tressel and Ohio State? Not at all. But I do not find it entirely coincidental that Ohio State's latest recruiting class has the top six rated players in the state of Ohio coming to play for Ohio State. The point? Jim Tressel will rarely lose out on a top player from the state of Ohio.

2. Focus Beyond Football: Comparable to Woody Hayes, most of the players who sign at Ohio State usually say that Tressel rarely discussed football during their recruitment. Woody Hayes was famous for recruiting a player's parents - after Hayes ensured a player's parents that their son would earn their college degree while playing at Ohio State, most of the time, the player signed with Ohio State.

I believe Tressel uses a different methodology but just as efficient - The Block "O" Of Life. One of Tressel's key coaching tenets, The Block "O" Of Life is meant as a guide and pathway to help a player develop beyond their talents on the football field and well beyond their days at Ohio State.

3. Focus On Quality, Not Quantity: Ohio State signed 25 players, but only had 30 players in for official visits; the NCAA allows teams to have up to 56 players come per year on official visits. To sign 25 out of 30 visitors shows the Ohio State coaching staff had targeted players that they not only felt could help their team, but that they felt would want to become Buckeyes. An 83% close ratio is impressive.

Here is a link to the class, as well as a percentage breakdown of where the recruiting class is from provided below. As stated above, Ohio State will always focus on the state of Ohio, as more than half of the class is from Ohio.

Alex Boone's NFL Career Is Hanging By A Thread

Media outlets such as bucknuts.com and espn.com are reporting Alex Boone was arrested this weekend out in CA on a drunken tirade. Boone supposedly was three times over the legal limit and needed to be subdued with a Taser (sorry, but I could not resist on that one).

Recently I suggested that Alex Boone's poor performance in The East/West Shrine Game, as well as his previous DUI back in 2006 would affect his NFL draft status. After this report, it is entirely possible that Alex Boone will not be selected in the NFL draft in April.

Ohio State's Group Prepares For NFL Combine Challenges

The NFL Combine is one of the last opportunities an aspiring NFL player has to make a good impression. In many ways, the combine represents an initial job interview with a prospective employer. While a NFL team has game film to rely upon for the bulk of its evaluation of a player, the combine provides a team an opportunity to put a prospective player through a series of drills, physical exams, and sit-down interviews to better determine if the player is a good fit for the organization.

Ohio State has several players from its 2008 team that were invited to the NFL Combine that will be held in Indianapolis February 18th-24th. Among the players invited were CB Malcolm Jenkins, LB James Laurinaitis, RB Chris Wells, WR Brian Robiskie, LB Marcus Freeman, OT Alex Boone, CB Donald Washington, and WR Brian Hartline.

Each of the players had careers at Ohio State that ranged from Notable (Jenkins, Laurinaitis, Wells) to productive (Robiskie, Freeman), with the few who could be classified as "unfulfilled potential" (Boone, Washington, Hartline). Below are some quick thumbnails on these players as to what each can do or should do to ensure that their NFL Combine experience is positive next month in Indianapolis.

Category One ~ The Notable (Jenkins, Laurinaitis, Wells): These players are projected as first round draft choices by virtually every NFL scouting service or mock draft available. Of these players, Malcolm Jenkins should be the first Ohio State player selected in the draft, possibly in the first five picks and probably in the first ten picks. James Laurinaitis and Chris Wells should also be first round selections, but probably not until the mid to later first round.

Both Malcolm Jenkins and James Laurinaitis received Senior Bowl invitations but turned them down. The Senior Bowl is another significant opportunity to impress NFL personnel with full pads and practices. While I appreciate their respective reasons for declining these invitations, both players have placed greater importance upon their combine workouts and subsequent Pro Day workout at Ohio State in March with these decisions.

I believe both players should participate fully in all testing drills at the combine as well as at the Pro Day at Ohio State. Quite commonly, players do not run or participate in the drills at the combine and put all of their eggs in their Pro Day performance. In Laurinaitis' case, he has seemingly fallen behind USC's Rey Maualuga in the middle/inside linebacker evaluations, so he needs to demonstrate his willingness to compete in whatever drills are asked of him.

In the case of Chris Wells, Wells' productivity is often overshadowed by concerns of his durability. Similar to Jenkins and Laurinaitis, Wells should fully participate in all drills at the combine as well as his Ohio State Pro Day. Wells should also be prepared to be intensely poked and prodded during his physicals with various NFL teams while at the combine.

Category Two ~ The Productive (Robiskie, Freeman): These players are projected as first day selections in the NFL Draft (2nd-3rd round). Both players received Senior Bowl invitations and performed well in the scrutinized Senior Bowl practice week.

Brian Robiskie's biggest challenge is dispelling concerns that he lacks the appropriate speed to be an effective wide receiver at the NFL level. If I were advising Robiskie, I would encourage Robiskie to run at both the combine and the Ohio State Pro Day, as well as all other wide receiver drills. Being the son of a longtime NFL wide receiver coach, Robiskie should be well-prepared for the combine in both the drills as well as interview preparation, and I will be surprised if Robiskie's stock falls after the combine.

Marcus Freeman's challenge is atypical of most players at the combine. While many players do not test well, Freeman routinely tests out among the best of his Ohio State teammates in terms of speed or weightlifting drills. I would be surprised if Freeman does not participate in all drills.
Category Three ~ Unfulfilled Potential (Boone, Washington, Hartline): These are players who are projected as second day selections in the NFL Draft (4th-7th round), with a possibility of being an undrafted free agent. It will be extremely important for these players to participate in all drills at the combine, to perform well in these drills, and to have solid interviews with NFL teams.

Alex Boone's stock has fallen seemingly since the 2007 BCS Championship Game against Florida, when he appeared too slow against Florida's defenders. An inconsistent senior season, combined with reports of poor play in The East/West Shrine Game in January, have led most scouts to project Boone to the 4th round as a right tackle prospect. Factor in Boone's previous DUI in April 2006, and you can understand why NFL teams will be leery of investing a high draft choice on Boone.

Donald Washington gave up his last year of eligibility after a suspension-racked junior season. Washington played primarily as a nickel back, after losing his starting position to Chimdi Chekwa. I would expect Washington to participate in all drills at the combine and at the Ohio State Pro Day, and to test well. It will be important for Washington to have a solid interview about his previous indiscretions to be selected in the draft.

Brian Hartline gave up his last year of eligibility after an inconsistent junior season. With the transition from Todd Boeckman to Terrelle Pryor, Hartline's production fell as Ohio State emerged as more of a running offense built around Pryor. Hartline did not help himself with occasional drops throughout the past season, nor did Hartline help himself in the eyes of the Ohio State coaching staff for a curfew violation in the days leading up to The Fiesta Bowl. Hartline will need to ace all aspects of the combine and Ohio State Pro Day, and it still may not be enough to be drafted.

With the NFL Combine less than a month away, it will be interesting to see which of these Ohio State players excel or fall in the eyes of NFL evaluators.

Isn't It Great Antonio Henton Transferred From Ohio State?

In what I can only describe as a case of "I told you so", Ohio State has struck out with Tajh Boyd as well as Austin Boucher as quarterback options for this upcoming recruiting class to be signed on February 4th. Boyd will sign with Clemson, and Boucher will stay with his recently-made commitment to Miami University.

In the case of Boyd, Ohio State began recruiting him after Tennessee's Lane Kiffin told Boyd that he did not believe Boyd would fit into the future coaching staff's plans. Boyd visited Ohio State, but also visited Oregon and Clemson, before deciding on Clemson on 01/27/2009.

As for Boucher...Boucher was originally committed to Toledo, but re-opened his recruitment in the wake of Toledo's "reassignment" of Coach Tom Amstutz. Boucher was told by Ohio State that he was Ohio State's "Plan B" recruit in the wake of Boyd's decision, and decided to accept Miami University's scholarship offer this past weekend.

My allegiance to my alma mater is going to come shining through, but the reality is I cannot blame Austin Boucher for deciding to play for Miami. Nobody wants to be a fallback or settled upon selection, in football or especially in life. I wish Boucher nothing but the best in his endeavors at Miami University, as well as Mr. Boyd at Clemson.

As for Ohio State? Considering the rumors Joe Bauserman is contemplating a transfer, Ohio State should spend its remaining days between now and fall camp wooing Mr. Bauserman as not only a backup to Terrelle Pryor, but also reassure him that he will earn valuable playing time next season. An injury to Pryor would end all Big Ten hopes Ohio State may foster at this time, and Bauserman would be the most capable backup on Ohio State's roster.

Other alternatives? Ohio State has players such as DB Zach Domicone, DB Orhian Johnson, DB Rocco Pentello, and WR Grant Schwartz who all played high school quarterback, and it would make complete sense to move one of these players to the third quarterback spot. In the event of an injury to both Pryor and Bauserman...let's just say Ohio State's offense would not exactly instill fear in the heart of an opponent.

As for Antonio Henton? Glad to see Georgia Southern is treating you well...