Archives for February 2015

Offensive Tackle Jordan McNair Talks Recruiting

The Class of 2017 is full of talent, including four star Jordan McNair. McNair is a highly recruited tackle out of Owings Mills, MD. 247Sports has his rating at 92 and the 8th Offensive Tackle coming out of the Class of 2017.  The recruiting process has started to pick up for McNair just this past year as he was able to take some visits to a couple of Big Ten schools. “The recruiting process has been going good so far.” McNair said.

1398490 

When asked about schools showing interest McNair said “Ohio State, Penn State and Maryland have offered me. I also have interest from Georgia, Tennessee and NC State.”

McNair plans to visit Ohio State over this upcoming summer. The staff was able to get out to his HS for a visit. He had many positive thoughts about Ohio State. He explained his relationship with Ohio State as “I talked to coach Larrry Johnson when he visited and told me that he liked my tape and then later that day my coach told me that they have offered me.”

Having a scholarship on the table from a top program means a lot to McNair. He explained how it was a huge honor to get an offer to play for a championship team just as only a sophomore. “Ohio State is at the top right now.” McNair said.

There is no set date on a commitment right now. Jordan just wants to improve on his game and become better. “I think I could always get stronger and work on staying on blocks longer.” he explained.

Jordan also plays basketball for his high school team. In college, he wants to study sports medicine and later become a physical therapist.

Here are some highlights of Jordan.

 

 

OSU Finds Stan Draytons Replacement (Per Report)

According to the guys at FootballScoop.com OSU has found their new RB coach and it is a big time get…

Ohio State: Per source, Notre Dame’s Tony Alford plans to accept Urban Meyer’s offer to join the staff at Ohio State as running backs coach.

Tony Alford is a big time recruiter that has landed many big time recruits and has coached a lot of players into the NFL. He is a big time force in Florida for recruiting and will fill the huge shoes of Stan Drayton.

How Buckeye Commits Fared In New 2016 Scout 300

TOP 300

Kareem Walker- #13 and a Five Star
George Hill- #60 and a Four Star
Jake Hausmann- #84 and a Four Star
Jonathon Cooper- #101 and a Four Star
Tyler Gerald- #183 and a Four Star
Kierre Hawkins- #222 and a Four Star

Interesting note that all 6 commits are ranked in the top 300.

Buckeye Players Invited To NFL Combine

The NFL combine is right around the corner and the following OSU players were invited to attend. To be invited 3 or more NFL teams have to say they are interested in drafting the player. WIth a small SR. class and no JRs jumping the the NFL the list is small but still good luck to these former Buckeyes.

Devin Smith- WR
Jeff Heuerman- TE
Michael Bennett- DT
Doran Grant- CB

The 2015 Ohio State Recruiting Class, By The Numbers

Before reviewing the 2015 Ohio State recruiting class, I want to congratulate Coach Stan Drayton for his recent move to the NFL’s Chicago Bears as the Bears running backs coach. Coach Drayton was highly instrumental in the development of Ohio State running backs Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott from 2012-2014. I wish Coach Drayton all the best as he moves onto the NFL.

The 2015 Ohio State recruiting class, with twenty-seven players signed, ranks as one of the top recruiting classes in the country. While I have never placed too much emphasis on how various recruiting analysts rate recruiting classes, I do pay attention to 1) if other top programs are recruiting the players that Ohio State has signed, and 2) if the recruiting class helped to address needs within Ohio State’s program. By those measurements, Ohio State’s 2015 recruiting class did very well.

Geographically, Ohio State signed twelve players from Ohio, three from Florida, two each from Michigan and Virginia, and one player each from Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, South Dakota, and Utah. While Ohio players may be the majority, the graph below will demonstrate that Ohio State Head Coach Urban Meyer and his staff will scour the nation in order to find the best players and convince them to become Buckeyes.

2015 OSU Recruits By State

The best position group with this recruiting class? In my estimation, the offensive line recruits are tremendous. Branden Bowen, Matthew Burrell, Kevin Feder, Mirko Jurkovic, Isaiah Prince, and Grant Schmidt will help Ohio State co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Ed Warriner maintain the strong play at the line of scrimmage that Ohio State fans have become accustomed to since the 2012 season. Schmidt is an early enrollee and will participate in spring practice. It is such a relief to see Coach Meyer and Coach Warriner place the strong emphasis on offensive line recruiting; gone are the days of 2010 when Andrew Norwell was the only offensive lineman signed in the recruiting class. One!

A concern for this recruiting class? Very minor, but few interior defensive linemen were signed. Joshua Alabi, DaVon Hamilton, and Robert Landers were signed, but even Coach Meyer stated that the backup defensive line play has been “disappointing”, and “”You’ve got to go, or you’ve got to go.”. With Michael Bennett’s departure to a probable NFL career, and the targeted departures of Adolphus Washington and Joey Bosa after the 2015 season, I am guessing defensive linemen will be a premium target for the 2016 recruiting class.

Which player will be able to make an impact during the 2015 season as a true freshman? Early enrollee Nick Conner may be able to make a mark on special teams, and even at linebacker. A sleeper pick may be Rashod Berry, who will be played at tight end. With Jeff Heuerman’s departure, Nick Vannett a senior, and Marcus Baugh sometimes skirting the good graces of the coaching staff, it may be possible for Berry to get some playing time at tight end.

Yes, recruiting is key to the long-term health of any program. As my Dad used to say, you have to have the horses in order to be able to win, and Coach Meyer was able to secure some highly-touted talent with this class. I believe Fox Sports 1’s Joel Klatt said it best as it relates to what now awaits all of the talented football players who signed their respective national letters of intent on February 4, 2015…

MotSaG Podcast 19 National Signing Day Wrap Up

On NSD Chip Minnich, Jeremiah Sharpe, and Shannon Sommers sat down to discuss the 2015 signing class for The Ohio State Buckeyes. What you have here is gold baby gold. Take a listen and enjoy.

How Did 2016 OSU Commits Fare in New ESPN 300 Rankings

TOP 300

Kareem Walker- Four Star and #5 in the country.
Jake Hausmann- Four Star and #67 in the country.
George Hill- Four Star and #108 in the country.
Tyler Gerald- Four Star and #182 in the country.

THREE STARS

Jonathon Cooper
Kierre Hawkins

OTHER B1G COMMITS IN TOP 300

#21 Shane Simmons- PSU
#64 John Raridan- NEB
#117 Cam Chambers- MSU
#125 Antonio Williams- WIS
#134 Boobie Sanders- PSU
#188 Erik Swenson- UM
#235 Bryan Brokop- NEB
#265 Jake Zembiec- PSU
#267 Lavert Hill- PSU
#269 Keandre Jones- MD

Ohio State Players On Scholarship For 2015 Season As Of Today

A lot of talk about where does OSU sit as of right now. Are they over signed? Does it matter? Well I broke down the roster using 247sports and OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Here is what I came up with.

TRUE FRESHMAN

Nick Conner
Jamel Dean
Jashon Cornell
Grant Schmidt
Justin Hilliard
Jerome Baker
Torrance Gibson
Mike Weber
Eric Glover Williams
Isaiah Prince
Matt Burrell
Dre’Mont Jones
KJ Hill
Denzel Ward
Alex Stump
Joe Burrow
Rob Landers
Kevin Feder
Josh Norwood
AJ Alexander
Branden Bowen
Josh Alabi
Damon Arnette
Rashod Berry
Mirko Jurkovic
DaVon Hamilton
Liam McCullough

Total 27

RS FRESHMEN/ SOPHOMORES

Jamarco Jones
Eli Apple
JT Barrett
Marcus Baugh
Damon Webb
Kyle Trout
Dylan Thompson
Kyle Berger
Brady Taylor
Dante Booker
Tracy Sprinkle
Erick Smith
Noah Brown
Darius Slade
Curtis Samuel
Parris Campbell
Billy Price
Sean Neurenberger
James Clark
Donovan Munger
Stephen Collier
Gareon Conley
Raekwon McMillan
Johnnie Dixon
Terry Mclaurin
Jalin Marshall
Evan Lisle
Tyquan Lewis
Darron Lee
Marshon Lattimore
Demetrius Knox
Marcelys Jones
Sam Hubbard
Malik Hooker
Jalyn Holmes
Chris Worley
Michael Hill

Total- 37

JUNIORS

Cam Burrows
Warren Ball
Vonn Bell
Cameron Johnston
Cardale Jones
Zeke Elliott
Pat Elfein
Dontre Wilson
Mike Thomas
Joey Bosa
Tyvis Powell
Bri’Onte Dunn

Total- 12

SENIORS

Taylor Decker
Nick Vannett
Joel Hale
Chase Farris
Jacoby Boren
Cam Williams
Josh Perry
Braxton Miller
Bryce Haynes
Corey Smith
Adolphus Washington
Tommy Schutt

Total- 11

Total as of 2-5-2015 = 88

Bottom line by August Ohio State has to lose 3 more guys from this roster. 85 by fall camp is a NCAA mandate. Where OSU is as of today matters only to people who want to use oversigning as a tool for trolling.

Not Loving This

Getting ready to watch the Buckeye and Boilermaker showdown in a few minutes? Well here’s a kicker forward Marc Loving has not made the trip to West Lafayette. According to sources

“Sophomore forward Marc Loving did not travel with the Ohio State men’s basketball team to Purdue,” the school’s statement read. “He has temporarily lost his privilege to wear the Scarlet and Gray.”

The team announced this news withing the last hour. When we here at MotSaG have more we will bring it to you. Going to be a tough game going against Purdue and their “twin towers” this just makes it much more difficult. The Buckeyes can still get the win and Thad Matta and staff are sending a message.

Four Star Offensive Lineman Isaiah Prince Officially Signs with the Buckeyes

Source: 24/7 Sports

Source: 24/7 Sports

The 2015 National Signing Day has certainly been a good one for the Ohio State Buckeyes, picking up some great players to round out a stellar 2015 class. One of those great players they were able to get at the last-minute was four star offensive tackle Isaiah Prince. The 2015 recruit is from Greenbelt, Maryland, stands at 6’6″ and weighs 272 pounds. Prince is the fourth offensive lineman added to the 2015 class, which overall is another top ten recruiting class for Urban and the Buckeyes. According to 24/7 Sports composite rankings, Prince is the 7th highest rated offensive tackle in the nation and the top offensive lineman in the state of Maryland in the 2015 class.

Prince chose the Buckeyes over Maryland and Alabama. Both schools were recruiting Prince hard and Maryland was especially thought to be a favorite by many with Prince being a home state recruit. It demonstrates how great Urban and his coaching staff is on the recruiting trail to go into other states and “steal” players right from under their home schools. Prince visited Ohio State on January 23rd and was recruited by Ed Warinner and Larry Johnson. Here’s video of Prince making his decision at his high school, Eleanor Roosevelt:

Welcome to Buckeye Nation, Isaiah Prince!

Here are his senior year highlights, courtesy of Hudl:

And here are his junior year highlights:

To see more of Prince’s highlights, click here.