Archives for July 2014

MotSaG Chat with Kieffer Longson

July 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

3star_recruit_iconCoach Meyer and Ohio State have proven over and over they will go anywhere in the country to find talent that can succeed at OSU. Offensive Line is always an area of need and the 2015 class is no different. There is however one 2015 OLman who is a little different than most of the guys OSU is recruiting. You see Kieffer Longson is LDS (Mormon) and recently he named OSU in his top 6 schools. But you see even if he does pick OSU he won’t be enrolling at OSU for at least 2 years as he goes to serve a mission for his church. The beauty of this is OSU has a chance to grab a kid who is very talented but it would not count against the 2015 class size.

Let’s get to know Kieffer who is a 6’7″ 290 lbs 3 star OG from San Ramon, California. See I told you Coach Meyer will go anywhere to find talent. I sat down with the young man and got to know him and we talked about all of the schools he is currently leaning towards.

I will let you decide which guy is Kieffer.

I will let you decide which guy is Kieffer.

I asked Kieffer about serving a mission and whether or not it would affect his standing with any of the schools he currently favors he said… “All 6 of my Top 6 schools have experience dealing with LDS kids and have no problem with me going on a mission.”. When you think about LDS kids most people instantly think about BYU and Utah so I asked him about growing up in the church and which way his family leaned in the Holy War he said… “Haha my family is happy whatever school I go to. They are not really a fan of either school but my dad went to BYU and UCLA so he is more of a Cougar fan but wants what is best for me.”. You see for any member of the LDS church you almost have to choose a side in the Holy War and while Kieffer didn’t come out and say it my guess is his family would chose BYU.

We talked about why of all the schools he is currently favoring Ohio State is the only one east of the Rocky Mountains and his answer was pretty telling… ” I really like the coaches and the place! It is a great way to get to the NFL. They put 4 guys in the NFL this year and I’d love to maybe be apart of the program.”. Kieffer visited OSU about a month ago and loved it and said… “I might take an official visit soon too.”.

When foes he believe he will commit? He does not have a firm commitment date yet but he said… “The Sooner the better but at the same time I want to make sure I choose the best school for me.”. He would like Buckeye Nation to know that he is… “Very interested in OSU and that I’m looking for the best way yo get to the NFL while getting an education.”. At this point he says “Everyone is even” and he has no favorites but it is great for OSU that he has visited and is considering an official visit. If Coach Meyer can get him back on campus I have no doubt he can’t close the deal and land this talented kid.

You can follow Mt. Storming Mormon on Twitter by clicking @kieffer74

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: ,

OSU Football Player Leaving the Team (Multiple Reports)

July 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

5th year Senior J T Moore has apparently left the team. Moore is a TE/DE who has played sparingly during his career has chosen to enter the real world rather than stay at OSU and play Special Teams.

Patrick Maks of Eleven Warriors had this to say…

Ohio State senior tight end J.T. Moore is leaving the Ohio State football team, sources told Eleven Warriors Thursday.

Moore, a fifth-year senior, will part ways with the Buckeyes due to chronic knee injuries. He played in 31 games during his career, including all 14 games in the 2013 season.

Bucknuts had this to say…

Sources at Youngstown Boardman tell us that J.T. Moore has given up his final season of eligibility and is already in the business/investment field.

Moore would have been a fifth-year senior this fall and would have provided depth at tight end. He played defensive end earlier in his career.

This is yet another reason why true freshman Sam Hubbard – who was recruited as a linebacker – will be playing tight end this season for the Buckeyes. Ohio State has good talent at the position with senior Jeff Heuerman, fourth-year junior Nick Vannett and redshirt freshman Marcus Baugh, to go along with Hubbard. Walk-on Chris Rock, a fourth-year junior who was formerly a scholarship player at Michigan, will also provide depth at tight end.

Dave Biddle of Bucknuts added this confirmation….

J.T. Moore’s football career at Ohio State is over, a team spokesman confirmed to Bucknuts on Thursday.

The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Moore would have been a fifth-year senior this fall had he returned to the team.
Sources informed Bucknuts Thursday morning that Moore would not return to the team and had already accepted a job in the investments field, which we reported in the Boarding House.

Moore played in all 14 games for the Buckeyes in 2013 as a reserve tight end and special teams mainstay.
He started four games during the 2011 season as a defensive end.

We at MotSaG wish JT nothing but the best if these reports are true. It will have no effect on the 2015 class size as JT is on his last year of eligibility.

Filed Under: Ohio State Football

Quick Hitter: Van Jefferson Visit Recap

July 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

I was able to talk to Van Jefferson’s Head Coach at Ravenwood High School Coach Hester and he was able to share a few things about the visit after he spoke with the Jeffersons.

  • It was a great visit and all of the Jeffersons enjoyed themselves.  They were there for 24 hours
  • They got to spend most of the time with Urban Meyer one on one.
  • The negative things out there about Urban Meyer and the system were a concern to the Jeffersons, but they have all been answered on this visit and by the visits in Spring Ball.
  • Urban Meyer has taken over his recruitment, very good news for all involved, and is important to the Jeffersons.
  • He told me that this visit reassured Van WHY Ohio State is one of his favorites.
  • Coach Trakas used to coach at Ravenwood, now he is a coach at Ohio State as a QB intern.
  • We talked a little bit about Urban’s “system” and he told me that all those questions have been answered.
  • Van is still planning on visiting UGA next weekend.

 

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

Which Top 2015 WR is Hoping to Earn an Offer at FNL?

July 17, 2014 by 1 Comment

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

Lawrence Cager grew up rooting Ohio State.  The 6-5, 210 pound receiver from Maryland, was a huge fan of Troy Smith and he is one of the main reasons why he is a Buckeye fan.  He also liked the USC Trojan teams of the 2000’s, and what is not to like? They won almost every game during that era and were the most dominant team during that time. Cager is one of the best receivers in the nation and might be playing for one of those teams in the future.  He is rated by 247sports as the #151 player in the nation, which he says is a huge honor but he is not satisfied with that.  Cager is working to be the best.  Last week, Cager was able to showcase his talents on national television at The Opening at Nike’s headquarters.

Lawrence Cager Loves Ohio State

“The Opening was a lot of fun,” Cager said of the event.  “The best of the best was there playing against each other and competing.  I thought that I performed very well against the competition.  Overall, it was a lot of fun to be there.”

Cager is hoping to take the things he learned at The Opening and showcase them at Ohio State’s Friday Night Lights.  He is hoping that with a solid performance, he could get an offer from Ohio State.  It is the offer that he wants the most.  He loves everything about Ohio State.  He talked to me a little bit about why he is so intrigued by Ohio State.  “I grew up rooting for Ohio State,” said Cager of why he likes Ohio State.  “I loved Troy Smith, he was my favorite player.  I also really like Coach Zach Smith, Larry Johnson, and Urban Meyer.  All of them are great guys.  Urban Meyer always has a winning program and I love that.”

Before he receives an offer, he knows that he needs to perform well in front of the coaches.  He is very eager at the chance to do that and is getting ready for the camp.  He told me that he can’t wait to compete at the camp and prove to the coaches that he is a great receiver.  He recently took a trip to Alabama and camped there, and he feels that they are close to offering also.  Alabama is another offer that he really wants.  He is hoping for the same at Ohio State Friday Night Lights.  Ohio State is at the top for Cager and he has made no secret about it.  I asked Cager what he would like to say to Buckeye nation and he told them, “Watch out for me! I am going to ball out at FNL, and if I play at Ohio State, I am going to make a huge impact.”  Cager should get an offer after the camp.

Follow:  

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

Neville Gallimore Brings Canadian Flavor to The Opening

July 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

The Opening, held each year at Nike’s headquarters in Oregon, is a prestigious event held for the best of the best in high school football.  Neville Gallimore, with his participation, became the first Canadian prospect to play in the event.  Gallimore, as we all know, dominated the Columbus NFTC and as a result, was invited to this all star challenge.  He is not only showing off his skills for himself, but wants to prove to people that Canada has a lot of talent, just like the United States.  The Opening was his chance to show the nation why Canada deserves a fair shot at gaining credibility for football.  Gallimore, of course, did not disappoint, and he was able to enjoy every moment of it.

Gallimore is a huge prospect.

“Everything from the plane ride to chilling in the hotel room was awesome!” Gallimore said of the event.  “Everything about The Opening was great and I had a lot of fun.”

Gallimore’s roommate was non-other than Ohio State’s very own Jashon Cornell.  Of course, this is a time to enjoy but Cornell was recruiting him here and there.  He told me that he got to spend some time with both Cornell and Justin Hilliard, and not all of the conversations were about football.  They have truly built a good relationship off the field as well and it has helped Ohio State’s chances for landing the big target.  Gallimore talked a little bit about how their friendship helped Ohio State.

“It’d be awesome for all of us to play together,” Gallimore said of his new friends.  “It definitely helped the chances with Ohio State because it shows the type of players they recruit.  Justin and Jashon are great guys and it kind of shows the team that Ohio State wants.  They are guys I would love to play with.”

As for the rest of the summer, Gallimore is unsure of what visits he is going on, but is hoping to come to Ohio State for Friday Night Lights.  He has just been invited to and accepted an invite to the Army All American Game and is very excited for that.  Gallimore is still pretty open in his recruitment and is enjoying everything about it.  I like Gallimore a lot as he is very humble and talented.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , ,

Could Donovan Peoples Jones Be the Next Michigan Star at OSU

July 15, 2014 by 1 Comment

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

Michigan was good to Ohio State in the 2014 recruiting class.  Ohio State landed one of the best corner backs in the nation in Damon Webb from Cass Tech in Michigan.  Ohio State is hoping to continue that trend with class of 2017 WR Donovan Peoples Jones.  Jones already has a couple of offers from North Carolina, NC State, Ohio State and Miami and  other schools have been showing interest such as Michigan, Michigan State, Tennessee, and Penn State.  Ohio State has really been recruiting him hard he tells me and he is very interested in Ohio State.

Donovan Peoples Jones already has an Ohio State offer.

“They have a great program all around,” Jones said of why he likes Ohio State.  “They have a great tradition and I have a good relationship with all of the coaches.  I also want to major in a medicine field and I love the medicine school at Ohio State.”

Jones told me that he knows he wants to study medicine but is not sure which specific part of medicine.  The medicine school has a big appeal to Jones and it shows how much effort he puts into academics by considering the academic side of things.  He has been to Ohio State before and got a chance to get a better feel for the overall feel in Columbus.  He got to check out the facilities and be in on the position meetings.  He had many good things to say about Ohio State’s facilities.  “The indoor field was pretty nice,” Jones said of the facilities.  “The weight room was also state-of-the-art.”

As for the rest of the Summer, he is going to camps at Tennessee, Penn State, and Ohio State for Friday Night Lights.  He has been busy this summer with camps and visits to many different schools across the nation.  I asked him what Damon Webb has told him about the recruiting process and Damon has been talking to him a lot.  “Damon is telling me to keep working hard and that if I continue everything is going to fall into place.”  Donovan is very excited for the season.  His recruitment is just getting started and I think he is going to get more and more offers.  He already has an impressive offer list but it is only going to get bigger.  It can only help that Damon Webb is at Ohio State for Jones’ recruitment as I am sure Damon Webb is going to try and bring him here.  Jones is very talented and he going to be one of the top WR’s in the nation for the 2017 class.  He is a recruit that every recruiting  fan should follow.

Follow Donovan: @dpeoplesjones 

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: ,

Want to own something OSU great Mike Vrabel once owned?

July 15, 2014 by 1 Comment

As everyone reading this post should know by now Mike Vrabel a Buckeye in the truest sense of the word has accepted a position coaching in the NFL and is moving his family to Houston, Texas. While this saddens so many of us Buckeye fans that he wont be standing on the sideline for OSU games anymore this was an opportunity he could not turn down and we understand that. What it does mean though is that the family has to move and when you move across country you have to get rid of some things because a purge is needed.

In there lies the awesomeness of this here post. You see the Vrabel family is auctioning off many of those belongings that they can’t take with them….

Who doesn’t want a signed Chevy Chase Caddyshack poster?

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How about the place where he kept his beer cold then after finishing them he probably smashed the cans on his forehead?

T381-1

How about the place where Coach Vrabel cooked copious amounts of meat products for himself and his players?

T351-1

You get the point I assume by now there are seemingly 100s of items for sale and anyone can bid and win some piece of the Vrabel family history. Curious how to bid? Let Coach Vrabel tell you himself…

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, High School Football, NFL, Ohio State Football Tagged With:

MotSaG Chat with Ethan Tucky

July 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Can you imagine what it is like to be a top 100 recruit in the nation? How about a Top Linebacker in the country? Now also imagine you grew up 30 minutes from Ohio State that has arguably become the greatest Linebacker producing school of modern football era. That is exactly what Ethan Tucky is dealing with right now. The 6’2″ 210 lbs LB from Delaware, Ohio is a 4 star recruit and a top 100 player in the country according to 247sports. I was lucky enough to talk to Ethan tonight and get his reaction to his visit to Ohio State today.

downloadEthan Tucky has been an OSU fan his whole life and who can blame him he grew up a stones throw away and during what has been a golden era of Buckeye Football. When I asked him about the pressure of landing a Buckeye offer and choosing OSU being a hometown kid he had this to say… “A little yes, I try to be very open with recruiting though. In the end I am just trying to find the right fit for me.”. Who does Ethan list as his favorite football player of all time none other than former Buckeye Great James Laurinaitis. A player that every OSU fan hopes the next LB will compare to even a little bit.

You would think being so close to OSU he would have visited a million times but in reality today was his first visit ever to the campus. His impression of the campus was surprising to me he said of it… ” It wasn’t as big as people told me. I mean it is not small or anything but once I got on it the size didn’t matter to me.”. That tells me he wont be intimidated by OSUs vast size and that it wont be a negative factor for him.

What part of his campus tour did he enjoy the most? This also was very telling in my opinion. He said of the visit to OSU that he enjoyed the most… “The coaching staff feel, they really felt like good friends. So I enjoyed being able to open up and be comfortable with them.”.

It didn’t take long from his visit today for Ethan to list his Top 10 schools as he tweeted this message out shortly after our interview ended…

Even that list which he clearly claimed had no order was telling. Sure he put Ohio State #1 which has at least some feeling of being his favorite. But to not even list Michigan in his Top 10 shows you how much he loves OSU as a fan and how much an offer would be for him. The staff told him an offer is forthcoming once they see him play this fall in his new position as an OLB. He played DE last season but every school is chasing him as a LBer at the next level.

He doesnt have any visits scheduled for the rest of the summer but may travel to Michigan State to see their campus if he can arrange it. If I was a betting man I would put all my money on Ethan getting his offer pretty quickly into this coming HS FB season and him committing not to long after that. He is exactly the kind of person and player that Meyer loves and that OSU fans will enjoy watching play for years to come.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: ,

2015 O-Line Recruiting- Commits and Targets

July 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

By: Michael Rockstedt

Follow: @Mike_Rockstedt

The Offensive Line has become such a strong point for Urban Meyer and staff while they have been in Columbus.  That has not changed with the 2015 class.  Securing two commits already, Urban Meyer is still searching for a couple of big prospects to fill needs across the line.  I take a dive into who I think is going to end up in the class along with the two commits.

1. Grant Schmidt-Sioux Falls, South Dakota– Commit South Dakota is not necessarily your recruiting hot bed when searching for the best talents in America.  Grant Schmidt begs to differ.  The 6-6, 275 pound lineman hails from the great state of South Dakota and was a bit of a surprise commit to many.  He came to Columbus for a camp and then a visit the next day, and committed on the visit.  He was one of the recruits that kind of got the ball rolling for the class.  Schmidt is a big, strong guy and should be getting more attention as the season goes on.  I think it’s pretty neat that Schmidt is from South Dakota because not too many players come to Columbus from there.  Schmidt fills a position of need for this class and could have a chance to compete from day one.

2. Kevin Feder- Ramsey, New Jersey- Commit Big is an understatement when you are talking about Ohio State commit Kevin Feder.  Standing 6-9, 305 pounds, not many people can compare in height to this kid.  Originally a Miami commit, Feder switched to Ohio State a couple of days after he camped and visited.  His commitment was one of many in the month of June for Ohio State.  There are not many prospects like Feder in college football and I think that puts him at an advantage.  Don Bosco is also one of the best football programs across the country.  Always producing top-tier talent, Don Bosco is usually ranked top 10 in the nation for football, year in and year out.  Feder brings a unique advantage to the game with his size so it is going to be interesting how his size translates to the next level.

3. Drew Richmond- Memphis, Tennessee. Drew Richmond has made it known that he grew up an Ohio State fan.  There is no doubt that he truly loves Ohio State.  The 6-5, 320 pound tackle, has offers from all over the country including Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Ohio State.  He has been on visits all over the country and is taking a visit to Ohio State for Friday Night Lights.  His recruitment is going to be interesting down to the wire, but I think it is a Ohio State versus SEC battle, with Alabama, Tennessee, and Ole Miss, being the biggest threats.  It is going to be interesting to see how his visit goes at Friday Night Lights.  If he enjoys the red carpet treatment he is most likely going to get, then I think Ohio State could be his end point.  I think the SEC schools are going to be a big challenge for Ohio State.

4. Matthew Burrell- Woodbridge, Virginia. Matthew Burrell is another guy who has made it no secret how much he loves Ohio State.  He has been to Columbus a couple of times now and loves it there.  I really like Ohio State’s chances here.  He is very close with a couple of Ohio State commits and targets such as Justin Hilliard, Jashon Cornell, and Damien Harris.  I know there are a couple of other schools that he really likes and schools that are recruiting him hard such as Alabama and Florida State.  He is still very wide open with his recruitment but is narrowing it down piece by piece.  He hopes that he can return for Friday Night Lights but is still working some things out.  He is not committing until after he takes his official visits, which I am sure Ohio state is going to get one.  I like Burrell to be another piece to the 2015 class.

Filed Under: B1G Football, College Football, College Football Recruiting, High School Football, Ohio State Football Tagged With: , , ,

MotSaG Reader’s Digest for July 13, 2014

July 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment

osuHelmetCavaliersThe MotSaG Reader’s Digest is back! The MotSaG Reader’s Digest is just that — a quick glance at the past week of content here at Men of the Scarlet and Gray. This will give you a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed during the course of the week. This isn’t everything we posted this week, so we always encourage everyone to subscribe to our feed, sign up for email alerts or simply check the website on a regular basis.

We’ve all been on a little hiatus except for Michael, so this should hopefully signal a return to more content moving toward the upcoming season. Less than 2 months away!

Site News

We haven’t had a chance to formally introduce him, but we’ve added a new writer in Michael Rockstedt to our writing ranks. Mike has been covering recruiting for us and has been on a tear the last couple months. He’s also a great follow on Twitter, so make sure you add him. I’m pretty sure he’ll answer any recruiting question you might have. We look forward to having him on staff and hearing more than just about recruiting from him.

Another one of our writers, Garth, has been asked by the OSU Wrestling Team to cover the team for the official Ohio State Athletics website. You can follow his wrestling writing over there, including his latest on Hunter Stieber. But we’ll still be hearing from Garth around these parts. As a former Golden State Warriors blogger, he’s planning on covering the Cleveland Cavaliers for the website. I know that for the past few years this site has been mostly about Ohio State football and basketball, but we’re all fans of professional sports and we can’t help but be excited about the return of LeBron James to the Buckeye State. The excitement is palpabale in Cleveland and his return will pay dividends for Ohio State on the recruiting front, as well. Expect to see some Cavalier content moving forward.

Ohio State Football

We haven’t talked much about the actual team that will take the field in 2014 (that should change shortly) but we did have to mention the unfortunate circumstances of Tracy Sprinkle’s dismissal from the team.

Recruiting

Michael spoke with a few future recruits. From the 2016 Class, he talked to RB Robert Washington from North Carolina. With offers from a third of the major football programs out there, he’s going to be able to go pretty much anywhere he wants. He has Ohio State in his top 15, but that’s about it. But he does love the tradition, especially at running back:

“I love the tradition that Ohio State has, especially at running back,” he said of why he loves Ohio State. “The running backs they have had like Carlos Hyde and Archie Griffin, are just special players. The coaches are amazing too. I love coach Drayton, he is a good coach and we continue to build our relationship. The university has so much pride and I love everything it has to offer.”

Michael also spoke to a pair of kids in the 2017 class, Aapri Washington and Marcus Williamson. Coach Coombs is heavily involved in their recruitment, so you can probably just put these two guys down as future Buckeyes.

Filed Under: Cleveland Cavaliers, College Football Recruiting, Ohio State Football
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