Ok fine the title is misleading but you still enjoyed the video!!!

It took a little over 5 minutes in the second half to finally take the lead but once they did, the Buckeyes of Ohio State didn’t relinquish it. Scoring a whopping 46 points in the second half after being held to a season low 18 in the first, The Buckeyes came from behind for a 64-46 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The second half domination was led by Sam Thompson who scored 16 of his game high 19 in the second half. Thompson seems to be thriving in his role as starter after coming off the bench for most of the year and has scored in double figures the last two games.

In the first matchup of these two teams, Minnesota outrebounded the Buckeyes and forced 18 turnovers en route to a 10 point victory at Williams Arena. This time around, Ohio State(22-6,9-6) took the rebounding advantage by 10 and only had 11 turnovers. The Buckeyes made a concerted effort to hit the glass with LaQuinton Ross, Aaron Craft and Lenzelle Smith Jr tying for the team lead with 6 rebounds. Ohio State also got a solid effort in points from Smith Jr. with 13 as he got the second half surge started with scoring the first 2 baskets.

Minnesota(17-11,6-9) was led in the scoring column by Andre Hollins with 13 and Deandre Mathieu only a point behind with 12. Center Elliot Eliason, who was a force in the last matchup, got in early foul trouble and finished with only 4 points. For a team trying to stay off the NCAA tournament bubble, every game is a big one and Minnesota can’t afford to stumble during the stretch run. On the other end of the court, the Buckeyes are solidifiying their resume for the tournament having assured themselves of at least a .500 record in conference play.

News regarding Ohio State football is relatively light, even with the NFL Combine taking place later this week. Earlier on Twitter today, I came across a tweet from FBSchedules.com that contained a link regarding the 2014 Navy football schedule.

Within the link, Navy football discusses the upcoming 2014 schedule. I reposted my original tweet, in case anyone may be interested. No word as of yet from Ohio State officials if it is a 12pm EST kickoff.

Good morning Buckeye Nation.

National Champs: The Ohio State Buckeyes Men’s Tennis team has won a National Championship. The indoor team has done something that eluded them by finally winning the National Title this past weekend. This is why students choose to come to The Ohio State to have a chance to win National Championships doesn’t matter the sport. Congratulations to coach Tucker and his players keep up the great work and carry the momentum forward.

Coach for Sale: It seems our favorite punching bag from TTUN is getting a new title. There are so many jokes that can go with what I feel is a bizarre move. Brady cHoke will no longer be known as the head football coach at TTUN he will now be known as Brady cHoke the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach. The Harris family paid 10 million to basically buy the head football title. Seems more and more colleges are doing this as a way to bring in money for their schools. What surprises me is no one thought to bid this out for cHoke I mean come on (insert fat joke here). I think I would have waited a year to see who the next coach is because if history is any indicator next season could be another bad year for the maize and blue with cHoke as their savior.

Get Your Tickets: I know after this brutal winter its hard to think that spring is actually around the corner. Your Buckeye football team will be having their Spring Game on April 12 at the ‘Shoe. Before the game begins the Buckeyes will face TTUN in Lacrosse. Get your tickets now since they will be cheaper than at the door and cheer on your Buckeyes to a victory and then enjoy the future of Buckeye football.

College Football Popularity: Did you know that Ohio State was second in the nation for attendance? Only three teams averaged more than 110k for attendance at their home venues. TTUN was first (surprisingly that many fans wanted to see their team lose), Ohio State, and Alabama were the three. The SEC lead the nation for attendance.

Until next time Buckeye Nation…

Here is a quick look at how I see the top of Ohio State’s recruiting board. This list is fluid and always subject to change. As we all know, the arms race of recruiting can change in a hurry.

10) Minkah Fitzpatrick DB (6’0 185 lbs Jersey City, NJ/St. Peter’s Prep) – Tall defensive back with range and speed. Fitzpatrick is being courted be schools all over the country. Ohio State would love to keep their recent pipeline to New Jersey flowing. However, Fitzpatrick won’t be an easy get from the Garden State. Alabama seems to be the early leader with South Carolina and Ohio State right behind them. It’ll be interesting to see if Fitzpatrick’s teammate, QB Brandon Wimbush’s destination will have any impact.

9) Devante Peete WR (6’5 195 lbs Pompano Beach, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas) – The ever elusive tall split end Ohio State has coveted the past two recruiting seasons may be on his way in 2015. The answer could be south Florida’s own, Devante Peete. Peete possesses a unique blend of size and speed that Urban Meyer desperately wants on his offense. Peete attended a bowl practice down in Miami and plans on making it up to Ohio State in the near future. St. Thomas Aquinas has been a bit of a Florida pipeline for the Buckeyes and hopefully that trend continues this recruiting cycle.

8) Steven Gonzalez OL (6’5 300 lbs Union City, NJ/Union Hill) – Ohio State’s impressive 2014 offensive line haul won’t stop them from recruiting more top notch talent at the position. Gonzalez is just that and it appears that Ohio State holds an early lead for his services. Offensive Line coach Ed Warinner is the lead recruiter. The Big Ten’s expansion to the east coast may help the Buckeyes in this New Jersey native’s recruitment as well.

7) James Daniels OL (6’4 282 lbs Warren, Ohio/Harding) – Daniels is the only offensive line prospect from Ohio the Buckeyes have offered to this point. The son of former Buckeye, LeShun Daniels, James appears to be poised to join the Buckeyes at some point. Like his father, he seems destined to play guard at the next level.

6) Ricky DeBerry LB (6’2 238 lbs Richmond, VA/St. Christopher’s School) – While Ohio State has recruited well at linebacker the last few years; they still can’t seem to develop much depth. In order to change that, they need to reel in guys like DeBerry. There is no doubt; the hiring of Larry Johnson will help Ohio State immensely during this recruitment. Expect DeBerry to visit Ohio State sometime in the next month or two.

5) Nick Conner LB (6’3 230 lbs Dublin, OH/Dublin Scioto) – Conner has blown up in recent weeks on the recruiting trail. He recently made a visit to Columbus and is definitely high on the Buckeyes. Urban Meyer and co. have not yet offered but that could be coming soon. Stay tuned, I think it’s only a matter of time.

4) Justin Hilliard LB (6’2 215 lbs Cincinnati, OH/St. Xavier) – Without a question, Ohio State has the first pick of top talent year in and year out in the State of Ohio. However, Cincinnati has been a problem area for the Buckeyes to consistently land talent. Meyer and Cincinnati native, Kerry Combs, have hit the Queen city hard the past two years and it’s time to see if their hard work pays off. Hilliard is not only one of the best Linebackers in the Midwest, but the whole nation. Ohio State has some stiff competition early on in Michigan, Iowa and Oklahoma.

3) Tim Settle DL (6’2 290 lbs Manassas, VA/Stonewall Jackson) – The strength of Ohio State’s defense is their defensive line. With that being said, that won’t stop the Buckeyes from pursuing Settle in a relentless manner. Simply put, Settle is one of the best defensive linemen in the nation. After watching his film, it’s easy to see why all the top programs in the nation are going to scratch and claw for his signature come February 2015.

2) Jerome Baker ATH (6’1 210 lbs Cleveland, OH/Benedictine) – Baker has size and speed and projects on both sides of the ball. He will either play linebacker on defense or running back on offense. I tend to think he plays linebacker at Ohio State if he signs with the Buckeyes. Given Ohio State’s success recruiting Cleveland, I expect him to be a Buckeye when it is all said and done. Don’t sleep on Penn State though; surely they will not stop recruiting Baker.

1) Torrance Gibson QB (6’4 198 lbs Fort Lauderdale, FL/American Heritage) – With nearly a year until signing day 2015, Gibson appears to be one of the highest priorities in the Ohio State class. The interest is mutual and I expect the Buckeyes to remain in heavy contention into the fall. He’s got a unique blend of height and speed. He reminds many of Terrelle Pryor with his long strides but has a bit more quickness than Pryor. We’ll see what happens with this one, but with Meyer in Columbus, the Buckeyes will have a great chance to land this super talented signal caller.

Make no mistake about it, the return of senior quarterback Braxton Miller was the biggest recruiting news the Ohio State Buckeyes coaching staff received all off-season. Miller’s return not only provided the Buckeyes with national title hopes going in to the 2014 season, but also allowed for less experienced backup quarterbacks, Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett, to prepare further more for their opportunity to start in the upcoming years. Joining that quarterback competition in January is a signal caller from deep in the heart of Georgia, Stephen Collier. Collier was not the most glamorous quarterback recruit in the 2014 class, but in my opinion the Buckeyes received a very good quarterback. Let’s take a look at his skill set and the impact he’ll have in the future.

Background
Stephen Collier
3 Star QB, Lee County High (Leesburg, GA)
6-4, 205 pounds

Senior Stats:
24 Pass TDs
2,300 Pass Yards
20 Rush TDs
1,021 Rush Yards

Arm
Collier has good arm strength. He does not have the arm of Braxton Miller, but he also has a much better arm than Kenny Guiton. You will not see him fit too many balls in to tight windows, but Collier has proven that he can most certainly throw a fifteen yard out on the money without worrying about him lofting the ball and the corner jumping the route. The majority of his throws across the middle of the field and deep down the field are in stride. He very rarely hangs a ball up for his receiver.

Collier’s accuracy may be the most concerning part of his game, but that’s not really saying much. The majority of Collier’s inaccuracy problems come from inconsistent footwork. He should clean that up very quickly with the help of Coach Herman. That is prevalent in young quarterbacks so calling it an area of “concern” is probably over reacting a little bit.

Collier’s release is very traditional. He has a compact, quick release which provides the ball with some snap and zip when it comes out of his hand.

Feet
As previously stated, Collier’s footwork in the pocket needs to become more consistent. He at times throws off of his back foot, and in high school he is able to get away with that. However, when the speed of the game increases Collier will need to have his feet and eyes in unison on a more consistent basis.

Collier is a very good runner. He is not Braxton Miller, or even J.T. Barrett, but Collier is a powerful runner. He is not afraid to lower his shoulder at the right time to pick up a first down or a touchdown. Collier is not very shifty, but he is able to maneuver throughout the pocket, while keeping his eyes downfield, and either deliver a strike outside of the pocket, or create some yards on the ground. Collier ran a similar system to the Buckeyes offense in high school, so he should be comfortable with the read option game, and also be productive on designed quarterback keepers. Do not expect to see Collier rush for more than 8-10 times in a game. If he does, the Buckeye offense will be in trouble.

Mind/Intangibles
This is my favorite aspect of this kid. He has impeccable character and comes from a phenomenal family. Collier will be a leader from day one. He is a grinder, who learns extremely quickly, and despite his 3 star status, earned a right to compete at the Elite 11 quarterback competition in Eugene, OR with some of the best quarterback prospects in the nation. He is a very composed player in the pocket, and does very well in chaotic situations. Listen to what the director of that Elite 11 camp, and quarterback guru, Trent Dilfer had to say about Collier below. Also make sure to check this interview with Collier done last summer.

Overall
I love Collier’s upside and how high his ceiling is. He already possesses the mindset of an elite college quarterback, which is generally half the battle with a lot of talented players like Braxton Miller coming out of high school. Collier loves to work on mastering his craft and I think it will lead to a very intense and tough quarterback competition next season with him and J.T. Barrett. A lot of fans were disappointed to not snag a Brandon Harris who has a very talented arm, but I think Collier is a better quarterback now and going forward than Harris. Collier is a great, great addition to the quarterbacks meeting room and in my opinion could help this team tremendously behind the scenes his freshman year, and will have the opportunity to compete for a starting job going in to his second season.

The Buckeyes added to safeties to the 2014 class.Erick Smith and Malik Hooker. These are two top notch safeties. I just see our secondary getting stronger and stronger throughout the seasons. Hopefully, with some different players and a new scheme the Buckeye defense can have a good year defending through the air.

Erick Smith: Erick Smith joined his teammate Marshon Lattimore. The both committed during the Army-All American Game. Erick is a 4 Star from ESPN. He is coming from Glenville High School in Ohio. He is just another example of being able to recruit good players in the state is crucial. Smith is 6’1 and weighs about 185. He is a very good safety being rated 11 in his position. He makes plays and is very well in zone coverage. If you watch his highlights from his State Champsionship game you can see how good of an athlete he is. Also, you can see how easy he can come up and make plays. He is going to be a huge part of that fast defense shaping up for OSU.

Malik Hooker: Malik is a 6’2 185 safety out of New Castle, PA. He was given a 4 star from ESPN. He is the 50th safety coming out of the 2014 class.If you did not know, Hooker spent his first two years playing basketball at New Castle. He started playing football his Junior year. Clearly, he adjusted to the game quickly with offers flying in. He received some solid offers from Arizona, Virginia Tech, Penn State and Michigan. This is another good commitment for Ohio State. It is important to have many good players at each position in a recruiting class. Malik brings much more depth to the class.