Our Honor Defend

The 2010 recruiting class wasn’t supposed to be on the same kind of caliber that the 2008 and 2009 class was, given scholarship limitations, available Buckeye targets and a few other things.  Still, I think we were all left wanting when Michigan and Penn State tallied commitment after commitment and all was quiet on the Ohio State recruiting front.  We weren’t in a bad position; we just wanted more presents.  In the past week, Ohio State fans have started to get their wish.  Taylor Graham was the second verbal commitment for the Buckeyes in a 4 month window, but the arrival of Drew Basil and Roderick Smith this week alone has matched that.

The most recent addition came by way of Drew Basil, a kicker from Chillicothe.  Kickers and punters are something of a necessary evil in recruiting.  A precious scholarship would much rather be used on a more high-profile position, but doing so runs the risk of relying on walk-ons to lead the special teams.  Do so at your own risk.  In Ohio State’s case, the team loses Thoma and Pettrey to graduation after 2009, leaving RS freshman Ben Buchanan as the lone scholarship player at either kicker or punter.  Offering Basil became necessary and it paid immediate dividends, given how much of a Buckeye lean Basil is.  The Buckeyes may not be done with special teams either; they have an offer out to Will Hagerup as well.

It seems that the highest profile commitment yet came from Roderick Smith, a tailback from Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Duane Long went so far as to say he’s the best tailback in the 2010 class and that he may be better than Beanie coming out of high school.  Bill Kurelic offers a similar sentiment.  High praise indeed for a guy consistently in the top 5 of running back prospects in the country, and fantastic if the Beanie comparison was true.  Both Beanie and Rod Smith are tall backs, contra the shorter, shiftier mold of tailback we have in Jaamal Berry.  I’m skeptical of the Beanie comparison immediately, for no other reason than it would not be fair to expect Rod Smith to be that caliber of running back.  Still, the measurables are intriguing.  6′3, 220lbs already, and he will likely put on more weight in college to become more capable of dispensing justice on the gridiron.  The 6′3 frame is tall even for a tall back, and may have Buckeye fans thinking of Eddie George or even Darren McFadden.  Most importantly, he has the breakaway speed that Beanie had, fueling these comparisons.  There are things Rod has to work on at Ohio State to get there, including picking up his feet a little more at the line of scrimmage — lest he get tripped up low, but the Buckeyes certainly have a great haul at tailback already and are still wanting to take another one.  This is where Corey Brown from Pennsylvania — no, not that Corey Brown from Pennsylvania — comes up in conversation.

All things considered, it’s good to read the Buckeyes back in the recruiting news.

Not a lot needs to be said on top of that, but the file on the incoming Buckeye tailback reads that the charge is now — as it really should be — a misdemeanor.  As previously mentioned, Jaamal was caught with more than 20 grams of the grass, which qualifies as a felony in Draco’s Sunshine State.  The reduced charge certainly suggests a minor punishment that will not jeopardize his scholarship or his career at Ohio State or his scholarship, though the leash on Berry will likely be a short one.

Today also happens to be the day of his arraignment.

In spite of the arrest and pending charges, Jaamal reported to Columbus for summer school on June 22.

After a brief work-related and Confederations Cup-related hiatus, the second edition of Better Know A Buckeye returns with the 19th installment in the 25 part series.  Here, I continue moving chronologically with the case of Carlos Hyde.  Hyde — a tailback from Naples, FL — is an interesting case in Ohio State recruiting.  He grew up most of his formative years in Cincinnati and dreamed of playing for the Buckeyes.  However, he moved to Florida to be with grandma, finishing up in Naples.  Fortunately for Ohio State fans, the passion for Ohio State football came with him to Florida.  Below, I recap his recruitment and commitment briefly, noting who else was interested in Carlos.  Afterwards, I discuss strengths and areas for improvement in usual fashion.  I conclude with miscellaneous things about Carlos that you may find interesting and, of course, the More You Know graphic and the board.

Height: 6′1
Weight: 225lbs
40: 4.5
High School: Naples HS; Naples, Florida

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I haven’t followed the NBA with any real interest since having to suffer through the 2002 Western Conference Semifinals in my (then) LA home, but this merits a mention.  BJ Mullens, who I still think could’ve helped himself by remaining in college for an additional year for a variety of reasons, finally heard his name called tonight.  The Dallas Mavericks selected him with the 24th pick.

Again noting that I don’t have the most acute interest in the NBA’s goings-on, the selection of BJ Mullens by the Mavericks comes as some surprise.  Most expectations had him as a late lottery pick — likely the last one — or possibly the first selection of the playoff teams.  Detroit was the likely destination in most people’s mock drafts (see: nbadraft.net and Fanhouse).  Mullens falling as far as he did marks the second straight year that a freshman center for the Buckeyes has had such a fall in draft status, following Koufos last year.

It’s no secret what BJ has to work on now that he’s a professional.  Questions of endurance and strength come up often in discussion.  Unlike Oden, Conley and Koufos, BJ wasn’t even a starter for the Buckeyes, rather coming off the bench for Lauderdale.  Most importantly, he will need to develop into a post presence at both ends of the court.  He had no moves on offense to speak of, and it became glaring when he’d get a post entry pass from Diebler or Turner, only to throw it back after two dribbles.  On defense, he will need to learn to box out and collect rebounds.  His last game at Ohio State saw him (and Lauderdale) outworked on the glass by a bunch of pencilnecked dorks from Siena.  Those statistics from that game are still outrageous.

I can sympathize with BJ’s decision to try his hand at the NBA now, considering his financial situation.  He has a long way to go in terms of development, and will have to carry around the label of “raw” for a while now.  Still, I’m happy any time the university is mentioned on TV, though David Stern scored no bonus points with me by omitting the THE from THE Ohio State University.¹

BJ is the 5th freshman Buckeye selected in the first round of the NBA Draft in 3 consecutive years.

Edit: He was then traded to Oklahoma City.  Enh. Whatev.

1. On that note, David Stern — far and away my least favorite sports commissioner — has the worst tell I’ve ever seen.  I could predict the Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Jrue Holliday and Omri Casspi selections just by the look on his face. [↩]

[Ed. Updated the post to account for Duff posting my preview for Badgers fans over at his blog: On Wisconsin.]

I’m not sure if I can make this a regular feature, but I would like to make it a regular feature.  I got contacted by Duff, of the Badgers Sports Bar.  He asked me if we could do a swap; where he introduces the Badgers to my Buckeye audience and I preview the Buckeyes for the Badgers in turn.  Since Wisconsin is one of those gray areas for me in Big Ten football, I was more than willing to oblige.

Below, I allow Duff to preview the Wisconsin Badgers that will be making its return to the Horseshoe in 2009.  Duff expertly addresses several points of interest for Buckeye fans, including what we should make of the offensive offense the Badgers unveiled on the college football landscape last year, what the Badgers must do in order to win in Ohio Stadium, and what to make of Bret Bielema and whether or not his seat is warming up.  Likewise, you can read my Buckeye preview at his main blog: On Wisconsin.

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