BREAKING: Ohio State Lands the Country’s No. 1 Tight End

Ohio State Buckeyes’ head coach Urban Meyer has always been excellent at recruiting. A preliminary glance at the amount of his former players are on NFL rosters is evidence of that in itself. Well, add another diamond to his treasure trove of talent, as Meyer and the Buckeyes landed the country’s No. 1  tight end, Jeremy Ruckert, Monday afternoon.

The 6-5.5 238 lbs prospect out of Lindenhurst, NY was a star at ‘The Opening’, bolstering him from the country’s No. 52 ranked prospect to No. 11 in the 247sports composite rankings, and earning him a fifth star. Ruckert is the third five-star prospect to commit to Ohio State in the 2018 class, and he certainly won’t be the last.

He is a crucial pick up for the Buckeyes, as, although they have the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class at this particular moment, the one thing it lacks is people to throw the football to. In came Ruckert to help fill that void.

So, what exactly do we get in Ruckert? Well, you get a big-bodied tight end with the athleticism of a wide receiver, whose combination of route-running abilities, size, great hands, and his propensity to make secondaries look bad make him a five-star prospect.

“Updated rankings got me my 5th star.. #1 TE and #11 Overall player in the nation!! #blessed”, Ruckert said on a Twitter post last Monday. 

Yes, indeed Ruckert is blessed. However, he’s not nearly as blessed as Ohio State is after receiving a commitment from him. If the rankings remain the same (or even close to the same) come national signing day, Ruckert will be the highest ranked tight end recruit Ohio State has landed in 247sports.com history.

He is a big reason why Ohio State’s 2018 recruiting class will end Alabama’s six-year streak of having the No. 1 class in the country.

Until next time, God bless and GO BUCKS!

The Buckeyes Take over The Opening!

This past week the biggest high school football camp in the country took place in Beaverton, Oregon.  This event, called The Opening, is a week-long competition among the best high school players competing head to head. This is the first year where they combined the first cut of the Elite 11 with The Opening. All of the 153 players there participated in the Sparq challenge. They also had 7 on 7 tournaments along with OL vs DL one on one challenges and Wide Receivers vs Cornerbacks. It will come as little surprise to Buckeye fans that have been following our current commits, the Buckeyes had the most commits participating in this event with nine. Here is a quick rundown on how each of our commits performed.

The most impressive/ surprising performance of all the commits of the entire weekend has to be Wide Receiver Terry Mclaurin. During the Sparq challenge he proved he was the second best out of all the 153 athletes who participated. He put up numbers that give Buckeye fans reasons to be so excited for the upcoming season. Along with the other athletes OSU will soon have at their disposal, this will undoubtedly be a very interesting season.  This is just one more example to never doubt Urban Meyer on his camp offers. Terry’s numbers for the four events for Sparq were 4.4 seconds for the 40-yard dash and an amazing 44.8″ vertical jump. He also had a 42′ power toss and a 4.07 second shuttle run. In the final competition he came in second overall by winning 3 of the 4 events. In addition to his incredible athletic ability, on the last day of 7 on 7, he hauled in four TDs. This led the day in touchdown catches. All of the coaches there said they expect Terry to have a significant rise in rankings and that he proved he could play with anyone in the country.

The second most impressive commit was Dante Booker. He ran a blazing 4.52, which was 3rd for all linebackers. Dante’s shuttle was 4.31, his power ball was 45′ and his vertical was 33.7″ which led to a Sparq score 120.66. The website 247sports.com voted him as the most impressive and disruptive linebacker as he had a 100-yard pick six and 6 pass break ups. He showed he was a playmaker at the linebacker position and that is something we have been missing, especially in coverage. He earned a spot on the All Opening Dream Team.

Kyle Berger, a linebacker from St. Ignatius in Ohio, also had an impressive week and was another player that passed the look test. He has put on weight since the last time he camped and now weighs in at 222, which is 10 lbs heavier than before. This was much needed if he wants to be able to disengage lineman. His Sparq numbers were not the most impressive as he recorded a score of 105.87, but once they got into the 7 on 7 you really got to see why he is going to be a great linebacker at OSU. He was very instinctive and was able read the play in plenty of time to react and make play after play. Kyle was another buckeye who recorded an interception.

At the age of 15 which was two years younger then most participants, Parris Campbell more than held his own. He came in third place in the smokehouse race with a blazing speed of 4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash and also had an impressive vertical leap of 40.1 inches. As soon as he gets two more years of strength and experience expect these numbers to drastically increase and possibly be Sparq records. During the 7 on 7 tournaments he struggled a bit with his route running ability mostly because he is used specifically as a Halfback in high school. As the week progressed he showed off his athletic ability and eagerness to learn a new position by catching numerous balls and becoming one of his teams most reliable receivers.

Our next commit to have an outstanding week was pass rushing specialist Jayln Holmes out of Norfolk, Virginia. He is still growing into his body and has not quite adjusted to playing with the bigger, stronger offensive linemen. In the one on ones he really struggled in the beginning but once he gained confidence he showed why Urban personally recruited him. He displayed his violent hands and a quick first step and he showed that with a little more coaching he could potentially see the field early at Ohio State. His most impressive one on one was against Quinton Nelson where he used his spin move to blow by him and get to the dummy. He ran a 4.94 second 40 and his shuttle was impressive at was a 4.6 seconds and his power ball toss was 41”. He earned a score of 92.58, which was impressive for a defensive lineman.

One of our newest commits is Quarterback Stephen Collier who competed in the Elite 11 challenge along with the 7 on 7 tournaments. According to Trent Dilfer, he struggled his first two days, but once he got his confidence he proved to be one of the smoothest quarterbacks Trent has seen all year. He had difficulty on the deep throws but when it came to the out routes and slants I did not see a better prospect. During the 7 on 7 he was the third string QB so he did not get to play much and he did not play well. However Stephen showed signs all week of potential and promise, and I think Urban saw how much upside he has.

Next, is the leader of the recruiting effort, Cornerback Damon Webb. Numerous recruits have mentioned him being in their ear about them being a Buckeye! He really struggled in the Sparq running only a 4.67 second 40-yard dash, which is surprising considering how athletic and versatile he appears on the field. His Sparq score was surprisingly low with an 84.27, which proved to be quite a bit lower than the average corner back. During the 7 on 7s Damon demonstrated that he did not need to have the best Sparq scores to show he belonged on the field with the best CB’s and go against top notch WR’s. He generally held his own but struggled a little with the smaller, faster slot receivers but had no problem with the bigger stronger wide outs. Damon was another Buckeye with an interception by picking off QB Drew Barker in the end zone.

Offensive Lineman Kyle Trout did amazing at his size in the Sparq challenge by recording a Shuttle time of 4.42 seconds, which is incredible for a 6”5.5 297 lbs offensive lineman. This was the second fastest time of the entire lineman. He struggled mightily early on during the one on ones. He started off at Left Tackle which is what he is being recruited to play at OSU. He got run over and looked lost against the best defensive ends so they gave him another chance at Right Tackle. He looked much more natural and fought the entire time and won his last three reps.

Last is DL commit Dylan Thompson. Unfortunately, he was injured all week and was unable to compete in either the Sparq challenge or the OL vs DL one on one challenges. However, he was there sporting his Scarlet and Grey and letting other recruits know that Ohio State is building something special and he wants them to be apart of it.

Getting to know David Dowell

OSU FootballWe here at MotSaG have started a new series of posts where we interview some of the top prospects in Ohio for the 2015 class. With the 2014 class filling up quickly and Coach Meyer and his staff focused mostly on shoring up the team for this year and the 2014 class they haven’t spent a lot of time on the 2015 class yet and haven’t handed out many offers but there are some guys in the class from Ohio that are sure to see that offer sooner rather than later.

1094487The first recruit we want to highlight with an interview is David Dowell a 6’1″ 175 lbs 4 star WR/CB from North Ridgeville, OH. David has offers from a few MAC schools but is getting a lot of interest from bigger schools including OSU and Michigan and pretty much every other B1G school. It is still really early in his recruiting process but you can sense things will blow up for him sooner rather than later. 247sports is the only recruiting service with rankings on the 2015 class and they already have him ranked in their Top 247. 247sports has David ranked as the 218th best prospect in the nation and the 24th best WR in the country and 9th best prospect overall in Ohio for 2015.

David took some time to answer some questions for us and we thought we would share that info with you all for your enjoyment. I really enjoyed my interaction with this young man and appreciate that he took time out of his day to let Buckeye Nation get to know him a little better. So read what he had to say and enjoy and leave some thoughts for us and David in the comments section.

SYR- If you could please tell us about your home life… Parents, brothers and/or sisters, where you were born, Have you always lived in Lakewood, Ohio?

David- I live with my Dad and Mom, Will and Anita Dowell. I have a twin brother Andrew Dowell who is also 16 and a younger brother Michael Dowell who is 13. I actually live in North Ridgeville, OH, but I attend High School at St. Edward in Lakewood.

SYR- Tell us a little bit about your High School Football team such as record and offensive style. What are your goals for the upcoming season?

David- Last year my team went undefeated in the regular season going 10-0. We lost in the second round of the playoffs to Mentor. Our offense had a successful season as we put up a lot of points each game. We play a fast tempo offensive with 4 WRs and a zone read.

SYR- What college football team did you grow up being a fan of and why?

David- I grew up mainly an Ohio State fan because my father is an alumni and also because it is so close to home.

SYR- What was the OSU camp like for you and what coaches did you get to talk with or work with? Do you believe an offer is coming from Ohio State?

David- The Ohio State camp went really well for me. It was ran really well. All of the drills were intense and I felt like I learned a lot from the coaches. I worked out at corner that day and I felt like I learned a lot from Coach Coombs. He told me to send him my information and that he is going to recruit me. So I left Ohio State with a really good impression.

SYR- Who would you say is your personal hero?

David- My personal hero would have to be my father. I look up to him and hope I can be just as good of a father and husband as he is.

SYR- If you were going to die tomorrow what would your final meal consist of?

David- My final meal would be a full slab of ribs and a side of fries.

SYR- Who do you think you compare to most in the NFL right now?

David- Greg Jennings because we have some of the same attributes and he is a great route runner and I pride myself on being an excellent route runner.

SYR- Who is your favorite OSU/College player of all time?

David- OSU player: Ted Ginn and College player: Morris Claiborne

SYR- I know the recruiting process is early for you and you dont have a ton of offers YET but what do you think your top 5 schools would look like if you had offers from them?

David- When I name my top 5 it will be based on getting to know the coaching staff and also getting to see the school so since I haven’t done that I don’t have a top 5 at this point.

SYR- You are listed as a WR is that what you want to play at the next level? What kind of receiver do you consider yourself a playmaking deep threat or a possession receiver?

David- I started WR all of last year but my freshmen year I played corner. I have been working all off season to strengthen my CB skills because I think I will be a better player if I bring back that aspect of my game. I will be playing both WR and CB this fall. I consider myself as a versatile receiver. I am a good route runner but can also go deep and get over top a defender to make a play.

SYR- What would you like Buckeye Nation to know about you that they most likely don’t already know?

David- I may not be the biggest or strongest, but I will be the hardest worker on the field and I make plays.

SYR- You are a two sport star is there a possibility of playing both at the next level if not which do you prefer Football or Basketball?

David- There is always a possibility of playing two but as of right now I would prefer to play football.

You can follow David on twitter at @_KingDavid18.

You can see his Sophomore Year Highlights from Hudl here.

I would really like to thank David for doing this interview with us and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this fine young man.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Links

OSU LogoThree Yards and a Cloud of Links is Men of the Scarlet and Gray’s newly renamed, semi-regular curated look at items that would interest the casual and hard-core Ohio State fan. These include news items, interesting blog posts and the occasional meme you’ve probably already seen. It’s all here and it’s all for you. Have a tip that should be included in the next TYAACOL? Drop us a line at motsag@gmail.com or through our Contact Page.

w680As the B1G grows: “It’s pretty obvious to us that the paradigm has shifted, and it’s not your father’s Big Ten,” Delany said via Brett McMurphy and Dana O’Neil of ESPN.

Adam Kramer of Bleacher Report talks about how the B1G is changing with their expansion, changing of league names (finally), and recruiting as a whole.

The B1G is making more of a push into the large market of New York by adding a bowl game at Yankee Stadium the addition of  Rutgers and the planned new B1G offices by 2014. The additions of Maryland and Rutgers pushes the B1G’s reach all the way to the east coast. Finally changing the Leaders and Legends divisions to being called East and West. The B1G is also having its inaugural men’s hockey season. Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin will be the teams. Not only is Men’s Hockey being added  as a B1G sport but also men and women’s Lacrosse will become the 27th and 28th official sports. Maryland, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and John Hopkins(just men’s) and Northwestern (just woman’s).

It’s a new day in the B1G!!

He said What: Drew Sharp of freep.com recently posted a blog basically blasting Michigan and the B1G.

“A little delusion once in awhile isn’t terrible. Fooling yourself into believing that anything’s possible has restorative properties.

But eventually, reality hits you pretty hard squarely between the eyes.

The impending birth of a new football season doesn’t change an old argument: The Big Ten isn’t anywhere close to the SEC competitively. It wasn’t close 10 years ago. It’s not close now. It won’t be close 10 years from now.

Accept the limitations and move on.”

Now I don’t know what he’s hearing, watching or reading but I know for sure without a doubt there is a team in the B1G that is changing this attitude. The Ohio State University lead by, the coach who started the SEC dominance and has two National Championships, Mr. Urban Meyer. Urban has done an outstanding job at recruiting speed as he has been accustomed to doing wherever he coached at. As evidenced by watching The Opening the last two years you would have seen Urban’s recruits on hand as some of the fastest in the nation. Mike Mitchell finished first in last years Sparq combine while Terry Mclaurin represented Buckeye Nation well by almost beating ATH Speedy Noil.

Cory Mccune of Bleacher Report has a nice section that has a little breakdown and video highlights of each recruit of Ohio State.

Oh No She Didn’t: Speaking of recruiting I came across an article from Lisa Horne. She quotes, Bleacher Reports Andrew Kulha’s interview with Miami (FLA.) commit ,Kc McDermott as saying this in regards to Urban Meyer.

He came to my school a week after I told his assistant that I wasn’t even interested in them. I told him no to his face, and it’s got to be one of the top five reactions of someone ever. His facial expression was just so funny. My coach was tearing up and had to go in his office to laugh.

More like the state of shock where the guy has literally never been told no in his life. It literally looked like a kid the first time you tell him ‘no, you can’t do something.’ It looked like he was a baby about to cry. It was so funny.

She also went on to say that Five Star Defensive End Lorenzo Carter talked about his “drive through visit” to Ohio State’s campus. She implies that Urban is having a problem with recruiting because of “bad publicity”, kids talk.

Here’s my problem number one I’m sure that Urban has been turned down before and I’m sure it has been to his face, now I’m not sure but I’m betting that Meyer’s reaction was from the way the “kid” disrespected him. To say that coaches who have been recruiting longer than he’s been playing football haven’t heard “No Thanks I’m going elsewhere” is ridiculous. Number two when Carter claims his “unofficial visit” was just a drive through was anyone on the coaching staff notified ahead of time? Did we check into this or we just taking a kids word.

Trying to manufacture that there’s something wrong with the way Urban Meyer recruits, we should  verify what these kids are saying is true and number lets look at his whole body of work. Meyer is not going to get every single kid he wants, no coach will, but to take the word of two kids over his whole body of work is insulting.

Breaking, Another One bits the Dust: It seems like the Buckeyes have lost another player. Unfortunately its at an already thin linebacker corp. Luke Roberts is transferring to Harvard. He is the second player after David Perkins announced his transfer. Seems Luke turned down a scholarship to Virginia to attend Harvard. Wish Luke well in his future endeavors.

Thank You for your time.

Being a new writer to the site I would love to hear you input!!!

Q&A with Damon Webb

OSU FootballIn what seems like forever ago now, the Ohio State coaching staff received a commitment from one of the best corners in the country. Damon Webb is currently a 4 star recruit, looking to get his 5th star and is ranked the 6th best corner in the country by both Rivals and Scout.

damon_webbWebb comes from Cass Tech High School (Detroit, MI) which is usually a huge pipeline for TTUN, similar to Glenville for Ohio State. So when Webb committed to the Buckeyes, it came as a surprise to some. Webb led Cass Tech to a second straight state title this past fall and is aiming for a three-peat. Damon racked up 40+ tackles and seven interceptions during his junior season.

Webb will be competing in “The Opening” this July and will end his high school career by playing in the US Army All-American Bowl.

I had a chance to chat with him as a well:

ME: Being from TSUN are you taking a lot of heat from their fan base?
Damon Webb: “Yes! I ignore any of the negative stuff.”

ME: Who is your favorite Buckeye of all-time?
DW: “Malcolm Jenkins is my favorite Buckeye.”

ME: What is the strangest thing that has occurred to you on a visit?
DW: “I have not had anything strange happen; all of my visits were nice”

ME: This is from all of Buckeye Nation…is Coach Coombs ever relaxed or calm?
DW: “Coach Coombs is a ball of energy but when I talk with him one on one, he is really calm and serious. He has a great sense of humor.”

ME: What is your favorite food?
DW: “I like BBQ Chicken pizza the most.”

ME: Who is your hero and why?
DW: “My dad is my hero. He is the most genuine person I know. I will always rely on him for advice.”

ME: What do you plan on majoring at Ohio State?
DW: “OSU has a curriculum in Sport Industry with a concentration in business. I would like to be a sports agent after I am finished with football.”

ME: What are your grades like?
DW: “My grades are good but they can be better. I have a 2.9 GPA.”

ME: What is the most memorable moment you have had on the football field?
DW: “It would have to be the first game we played against Brother Rice last season. This was my first game after transferring to Cass and I had a great game. Most fans might remember I had on an OSU skull cap. (haha).”

ME: Why did you choose The Ohio State University?
DW: Ohio State is the best university for me. I love Coach Coombs and the relationship we are building. Coach Meyer is just awesome. I love the school and the football program.”

ME: What do you want all of Buckeye Nation to know about you?
DW: “I am a God fearing person! I am grateful! I am humble! I am ready to work hard!”

I would like to thank Damon and his family for fitting me into their busy schedule. If you are not following Damon Webb on twitter you can do so (@DameWebb). Hope everyone enjoyed the article and Go Buckeyes!

Damon Webb Junior year highlights

Columbus NFTC: Damon Webb Highlights

Q&A With Stephen Collier

stephen_collierJust by reading the name Stephen Collier I might have already lost a couple of readers but I’m asking you please stay with me you, won’t be disappointed.

Collier is a 3 star recruit out of Leesburg, Georgia, who has been invited to the Elite 11. Collier racked up impressive numbers his junior season, racking up a more then 2,200 total yards and 34 touchdowns. Right now, Collier holds ten offers in hand, two of which are from the Buckeye State in Toledo and Cincinnati. On June 9th, Collier camped at Ohio State and loved his visit.

“The camp was awesome. I loved learning some new things and getting to play with some incredible talent. I spoke with most of the offensive staff and Coach Meyer. Campus was awesome, top tier as expected. If Ohio State offered, I would seriously consider going there. It’s a great place with great players and a great coaching staff.”

I had a chance to chat with him as well:

Me: Who was your hero growing up?
Stephen Collier: “My hero growing up has always been my father. He’s been there for me since I can remember and he continues to show how great of a person and a father he really is. He works hard, is caring, always does the right thing, he’s helped me become the person that I am today.”

Me: What is your favorite food?
SC:“I love food in general but if I had to pick a favorite it’d be Sushi or Chicken Tenders lol.”

Me: Favorite athlete of all-time?
SC:“Though I haven’t agreed with all of his decisions in the past it’s LeBron James. From a physical and athletic standpoint he is a freak, and I mean that as a compliment.”

Me: Is distance going to be a problem for you and your family?
SC:“Distance isn’t a problem. I’ve been out of the county on my own, and we’ve moved a few times so it’s not at all.”

Me: What is the biggest thing people tell you that you need to work on?
SC:“People tell me I need to work on my feet the most. Just getting off of my toes and generating power from the ground up.”

Me: What is the weirdest thing that has happened on a college visit?
SC:“When I was on a visit to Georgia Tech for a game another QB recruit was there. He had both his stepmom there and his biological mom. The biological mom found out I was a QB and told me she hope I broke my arm so her kid could play LOL. The stepmom and dad later apologized.”

Me: Growing up in Georgia are you Dawgs fan?
SC:“I always cheered for UGA but as college football became a legitimate possibility for me to play, I kind of never rooted for any particular team.”

Me: What are your grades like?
SC:“Great grades. Thanks to my parents who made greatness a priority on and off the field. I have a 4.2 GPA with a 1770 on the SAT.”

Me: Winning TD….run it in or throw it in?
SC:“Throwing it for the win! Doesn’t get any better than that!”

Me: Tell me something you want people to know about you.
SC:“I’d want people to know that while I may not always be the biggest, the strongest, or the most well known, I will always work until I get the desired results. Anything that I’ve gotten athletically or academically has come because of an incredible amount of time and work. I’d want people to know that I come from an amazing family, with both parents present and a younger sibling. And lastly I’d want them to know God is number one in my life and without him none of this would be possible.”

I would like to thank the Collier family for letting me do this interview and want to wish Stephen nothing but the best in his upcoming senior season. I hope everyone enjoyed reading the Q&A as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you guys.

Elite 11 Invite Call

Junior Year highlights

Caption this!

I’m currently working on a post about the recruiting haul, so in the meantime, let’s caption this picture of Senator Tressel visiting with super-recruit Seantrel Henderson.