Archives for February 2013

Last Minute Recruiting

February 4, 2013 by 4 Comments

OSU FootballWith just 48 hours to go in the recruiting process for the 2013 class the Buckeyes are still recruiting hard and trying to finish out the class before going balls to the wall for the 2014 class starting this upcoming weekend. I thought there is no better time to take a last look at the guys still in play for and hoping to land. The truth is no one knows how many spots OSU needs to fill except OSU. So maybe all these guys will end up Buckeyes or maybe none of them will but these are the guys with the best chance of becoming Buckeyes.

EZKEIEL ELLIOTT

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Ezekiel Elliott is a 6’1″ 210 lbs RB from St. Loui, Missouri. Big Zeke has been an OSU commit since April of last year but recent rumors and a visit has had some fans worried he is considering flipping to his home state school and parents Alma Mater Missouri. While I have never been convinced he is truly looking elsewhere the rumors were out there and He and his family haven’t completely quelled them although they have given some descriptive hints that he is still 100% Buckeye. Rivals ranks him a 4 star and 84th best prospect in the country. ESPN ranks him a 4 star and 109th best recruit in the country. Scout ranks him a 4 star and 9th best RB in the nation. 247sports ranks him a 4 star and 70th best recruit in the country.

My best guess – Ezekiel will be a Buckeye no matter what the rumors say.

DONTRE WILSON

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Dontre Wilson is 5’10” 175 lbs RB/WR from Desoto, Texas. Wilson who has been a commit to Oregon since last May has been wavering on his commitment since Chip Kelly was rumored to be heading to the NFL. Once that actually happened he full on started taking visits to other schools. He has visited Ohio State and his home state school Texas in the past few weeks and will announce his decision tonight. Rivals ranks him a 4 star and the no. 100 recruit nationally. ESPN ranks him a 4 star and the 55th best recruit in the nation. Scout ranks him a 4 star and the 10th best RB in the nation. 247sports ranks him a 4 star and the 113th best recruit in the nation.

My best guess – All signs seem to be pointing to Dontre becoming a Buckeye tonight so I will go in that direction.

VONN BELL

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Vonn Bell is a 6’1″ 190 lbs Safety from Rossville, Georgia. Vonn has been an enigma to recruiting analysts being quiet and not forthcoming into how his recruiting is going and who his leader has been for most of his recruiting process. Vonn will declare his choice on NSD and will be choosing between OSU, Tennessee, and Alabama. Rivals ranks him a 5 star and the no. 32 best recruit in the nation. ESPN ranks him a 4 star and the 50th best recruit in the nation. Scout ranks him a 5 star and the 2nd best Safety in the country. 247sports ranks him a 5 star and the 29th best recruit in the country.

My best guess – This one is a crap shoot and all 3 fan bases seem to think they are landing him. Most of the experts are leaning towards Tennessee as of right now. I believe Bama is out of the chase due to a numbers game. My heart is saying he will go OSU but my head says he will go to his childhood favorite team UT Vols.

JAMES CLARK

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James Clark is a 5’11” 175 lbs WR from New Smyrna Beach, Florida. James is the only true WR left of the bunch that OSU is chasing and has the speed and deep threat capabilities that OSU needs. He is down to a final 3 of Ohio State, Clemson, and Florida. Rivals ranks him a 4 star and the no 45 WR in the nation. ESPN ranks him a 4 star and the no. 49 best WR in the nation. Scout ranks him a 4 star and the no 30th best WR in the nation. 247sports ranks him a 4 star and the 174th best recruit in the country.

My best guess – Florida has 5 WRs already in this class but that doesnt seem to bother Clark. Clemson seems to be the odd man out. Ohio State has the bigger need and quicker playing time for him but I am not sure they have the room if 2 of the 3 ahead of him on this post go OSU. I think he will go Gators.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Lenzelle Smith leads Ohio State over Nebraska

February 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

OSU LogoThe Buckeyes take one from Nebraska, 63-56 in a game that felt closer at times than the final score would indicate.

The Buckeyes got off to a quick start in the first half, going up by nine points early, only to see the lead disappear as the Huskers fought back, taking a lead 14-12. After back and forth, Ohio State took a convincing lead as the first half came to a close, punctuated by a steal by Aaron Craft that led to a Deshaun Thomas dunk.

Amir Williams had a solid half, aggressively going to the basket and drawing numerous fouls. Williams still needs to develop a strong move up with the ball when he gets rebounds around the basket. Too often when he gets the ball around his waist he struggles to get the ball back up to the hoop. He gets bailed out by the fouls but if he was able to go up strong, he would be unstoppable.

The second half started out like the first half ended, with the Buckeyes pushing the lead up to 13 points. As the second half waned, Nebraska slowly worked themselves back into the game due to some poor Buckeye shooting and decent defense and rebounding by the Cornhuskers. They would get as close as five but an acrobatic reverse layup by Craft and timely free throws at the end maintained the lead for the Buckeyes.

Lenzelle Smith was the high scorer in the game, leading everyone with 21 points. Amir Williams pulled down eight rebounds and had three blocks.

The Buckeyes now wait to see how the Michigan/Indiana game plays out before the Buckeyes take the Wolverines on again in Ann Arbor next Tuesday and welcome the Hoosiers to Columbus on Sunday.

Filed Under: Ohio State Basketball

Cris Carter Elected to the Hall of Fame

February 2, 2013 by 2 Comments

CrisCarterFor a player as talented and as accomplished as Cris Carter was, it’s a shame it took them this long to induct him in to the NFL Hall of Fame. He’s been eligible for far too long.

But Cris is part of the class of the 2013 HOF inductees, and that’s a good thing. From Yahoo Sports:

Cris Carter entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick out of Ohio State by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1987 Supplemental draft and would go on to catch 1,101 passes for 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns, ranking second in NFL history in both receptions and receiving touchdowns at the time of his retirement. While with the Minnesota Vikings, Carter set an NFL single-season record with 122 receptions in 1994, the first of eight consecutive Pro Bowl seasons (1994-2001) in his 16-season career.

Congratulations, #2!

Filed Under: NFL, Ohio State Football

Open Thread Friday: Motivational Speeches

February 1, 2013 by 10 Comments

No, we’re not talking that kind of motivational speeches. We’re talking about the kind of speech that gets the brain pumping whatever chemicals are responsible for motivation and drive. We’re talking the speech that would motivate you to punch out a horse or run through a brick wall. Kind of like the speech that hit YouTube last month of Ohio State assistant coach Kerry Coombs talking to some future Buckeye recruits, including Missouri running back Ezekiel Elliot.

So the other day the sportsMonkey and I were discussing our favorite motivational speeches. What we were trying to do is figure out where Coach Coombs’ speech ranks among those. So for this Friday’s Open Thread, let’s discuss some favorite Motivational Speeches.

(This post is video heavy, so hit the jump for the rest)
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Ohio State Football
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