Our Honor Defend

I’m trying to hurry up and finish the BKAB features for the 4 Buckeyes currently enrolled (Boren, Homan, Klein and Mewhort).  However, I doubt I’ll finish before Signing Day this Wednesday.  Being consigned to R&D for the next couple months will do that to you.  Undaunted, I can at least continue chronologically as best I can.  Next up, I give Storm Klein, one of the earliest commitments in this class, his day.  The Nerk, Ahia product was the recruit most discussed among Buckeye recruitniks before luminaries like Jaamal Berry, Dorian Bell and Corey Brown popped into the picture.  His athletic credentials are so good at the high school level that it’s almost unfair.

Height: 6’2
Weight: 225lbs
40: 4.5
GPA: 3.0
High School: Licking Valley HS; Nerk, Ahia

His Recruitment: I’m sure some people who avidly follow Ohio State recruiting with a better eye than my limited resources and time can afford me will scold me for the following typology of Ohio State commitments as a gross oversimplification of the process.  The typology I’ve observed for the past two years is generally two-fold.  There’s the group of Ohio kids who aspire to play at Ohio State (Mike Adams, Jake Stoneburner, Glenville kids, for example), and the group of recruits, usually out-of-staters, who fall in love with the combination of tradition and family atmosphere that the Tressel regime pitches (Michael Brewster, JB Shugarts, for example).  The former group of recruits are usually much easier to do precisely because they don’t draw out recruitments once they receive an offer from Ohio State.  This is the case of Storm Klein.

Ohio State was very much aware of the sophomore linebacker-to-be from Nerk, Ahia.  He attended the past summer camp before the start of his sophomore year.  He was a recurrent guest on the sidelines during the 2006 season, attending all but one home game.  He was also invited by the coaching staff to attend the 2007 spring game.  The sentiment was genuine on the part of the coahing staff.  They made it clear that they wanted him, but were not certain where they wanted him.

Summer camp proved to be the breakthrough for Storm Klein in finally getting that Ohio State scholarship offer that he desperately coveted.  After camp activities concluded, Storm was summoned by Luke Fickell into Jim Tressel’s office.  When he arrived, Jim Tressel and Luke Fickell informed him that they didn’t want Storm to leave camp without knowing that the staff really wanted him to be a Buckeye and that he was going to receive a scholarship offer in the mail on September 1st, the first day a junior is allowed to receive a written scholarship offer (per NCAA rules).  The news left quite an impression on the young Storm.

“I just told him thank you for starters,” Klein said enthusiastically. “It’s something I’ve wanted to hear since I started playing football. It’s what I’ve been working for. I can hardly put it into words right now. I told coach Tressel that I needed to talk it over with my parents. He said he understood and he didn’t try to pressure me at all. I’m pretty sure they know how much I like Ohio State and to have Jim Tressel tell me that he wants me to be a Buckeye is really a dream come true. He gave me his cell number and told me to call him anytime. Coach Fickell gave me his number too. Coach Tressel said when he goes through his phone and sees my number that he knows he can’t call me, so he said to call whenever I want to talk. I told him I’m a late night talker, so be prepared.”

The June 21st offer makes Storm Klein the first scholarship offer by Jim Tressel in the 2009 class.  Further, Ohio State offered Storm without a clear picture of what he would end up playing in college.  Storm made such an impression on the coaching staff that, I reiterate, the coaching staff was not sure where they wanted him, but sure only that they wanted him.

Suffice to say, the recurring visits to Columbus and the glowing words from Storm after receiving his verbal offer left little doubt where he was going to end up playing football.  Storm, to his credit, didn’t want to rush in to anything, no matter how enthusiastic he was about the offer, and wanted to fully discuss this important decision with his family.  That said, as early as August 4th, he was considering committing before his junior season started thinking that it might be better to get that issue out of the way so he can focus on a state title run.  Important for the discussion here is that the question wasn’t if he’d choose Ohio State, but when he would do it.

An important side story to Klein’s recruitment is the story of Jordan Whiting.  Whiting, another linebacker product from Louisville, KY¹, was the first commitment to Ohio State in 2009.  He even committed the very first day he could.  Klein and Whiting’s friendship made this side story even more interesting.  Whiting and Klein met each other at the June 2007 camp and were even consigned to the same 7-on-7 drill team².  With Whiting’s commitment, the corollary question for Klein became when would he join his new friend Jordan as 2009 verbal commitments.  Klein obviously could not conceal his preferences here, only saying that he didn’t know when it would be official.

“Me and Jordan, I met him at an Ohio State camp,” Klein told BuckeyeSports.com. “Ever since then, he’s come over, he’s stayed the night a couple of times. He’s a cool kid. We’ve been talking.

“He talks to me about (committing) all the time. He’s like, ‘When you doing it?’ I just tell him to relax, because I’m coming.”

His Commitment: On October 14th, 2007, Klein went public with what we all instinctively knew all along: he was going to attend Ohio State.  He called Jim Tressel and told him the news, after a preliminary discussion about the BCS and the Buckeyes’ current position on top of the BCS.  He then called Luke Fickell, his soon-to-be position coach, and gave him the good news as well.  Fickell was apparently very much excited about the decision, saying he felt like a kid upon hearing the news.

Storm Klein is an exemplar of the motto that good Ohio kids aspire to play for Ohio State.  Apparently that was the lasting impression that Luke Fickell left on Storm during his recruitment: if you grow up in Ohio, there’s nothing better than being a Buckeye.  Storm agreed.  The only delay in the inevitable decision came from a comprehensive inner-monologue in Storm on whether or not it would be best to commit as soon as possible to get over the issue or to draw the issue out and evaluate other alternatives.

The October 14th decision makes Storm the second verbal commitment of the 2009 class.

Where He Excels: Like Zach Boren and Adam Homan previously discussed, there was a lot of uncertainty on what position Storm would end up playing at Ohio State.  For several months, the coaching staff wasn’t sure where they wanted him, only sure that they wanted him.  There is no doubt now that Ohio State has linebacker in mind for him now.  However, this dilemma for Ohio State emerged because he was equally adept at playing both linebacker and running back in high school and has the physical tools to succeed at both in college.  Doc Tressel even stole him away from Luke Fickell for a running back drill during the 2007 summer camp.  Indeed, in my view, Storm Klein is probably the best power back in the state of Ohio (even moreso than Mike Marrow, but it is of course debatable), and a case could be made for Klein as the best power back in the country.  In fact, he is probably a better H-back/fullback prospect than he is a linebacker prospect at the moment.  This will obviously change.

Klein’s 4.57 40 time gives some measure of just how fast he is for a guy carrying a 6’2 frame and 225lbs.  However, Klein’s speed is more than that.  He has a very low base and shows proper form when carrying the ball.  Further, he’s atypical for powerbacks that rely on plowing through the line for yards; Klein shows the necessary footwork and vision to make it as a tailback at the next level.  His change of direction for a guy that big is probably unfair.  Unlike most tall backs carrying the ball, he doesn’t raise his base to change direction.  Moreover, with that size, he can punish smaller defensive backs downfield.  Deceptive speed, overpowering hip movements, solid technique when carrying the ball, Storm was truly impressive as a rushing option for his high school team.  I think Toby Gerhart of the Stanford Cardinal would be a good comparison here for Storm.

Yet, the adroitness demonstrated in the backfield should translate well to linebacker.  He is a candidate to play any position in the linebacker corp.  Rivals.com has him listed as an outside linebacker, and they probably mean SAM, like his idol Bobby Carpenter.  I think Luke Fickell has told him to watch the middle linebacker spot as well.  As a linebacker, Storm is an excellent run-stopper.  He’s fast at the point of attack and can shoot into the gap fast once the play is diagnosed.  I have a feeling Storm will be very popular at Ohio State in a few year’s time, because his aggression is tops.  He, along with Dorian Bell, hopefully will provide something that I think has been missing from the linebackers for the past few years: punishment.  No, I won’t compare him to Andy Katzenmoyer, but the explosive hits Klein delivers transcend simply stopping the play, or saving the defense from bigger losses, and enter the realm of punitive actions.  It’s one thing to bring the lumber; it’s another to use said lumber and crack someone’s skull.  Klein, figuratively, does the latter.  Combine a somewhat freakish natural athleticism with a high motor (good closing speed) and aggression and I think (and certainly hope) we’ll see someone whose jersey will fly off the racks at Long’s bookstore³ in due time.  He could probably even add 20lbs of bulk and not lose his speed.

Must Work On: Klein could stand to make better use of his hands as a linebacker.  Failing that, Klein can and will get lost in traffic easier and taken out of plays.  The pursuit by Klein is great, but it’d be moot if the big play is already given up and Klein is just minimizing the damage.  The explosive hits are wonderful, and certainly send home a point, but that method isn’t nearly as reliable in college as it is in high school.  Overreliance on that approach — trying to EA-Sports someone, that is — may give up a big play.  In other words, he’ll have to demonstrate a better ability to wrap at the next level.

Redshirt? Not when there are two linebacker spots open and when you enroll in January.  Klein is a special teamer at the very least.

Highlights: This is from Storm’s junior year, courtesy of Scouting Ohio.

Miscellany:

• I had to check to make sure, but Storm is indeed his given name on his birth certificate.  For the longest time, I thought it was a nickname or a derivation of a more garrish first name.
• Storm is just a better athlete than you.  In high school, he was the guy that always made you feel like you sucked at whatever sport he was also playing.  He played baseball his freshman year in high school and was also a wrestler.  He finished 8th in state at the 215lb mark as a sophomore.  He was also better than you.
• Storm has 5 sisters.  That’ll make you tough in a hurry.
• Technically, his high school is in Hanover, Ohio.  However, the proximity to Nerk, Ahia gave me license to credit him as from Nerk, Ahia.  So, I took the opportunity.  It’s my blog, and I can do what I want with it.
• Ohio State was his first, and only, scholarship offer.  His early commitment and obvious pro-Buckeye inclinations precluded others from investing too much time in him.  That said, he easily would’ve been offered by Penn State and Florida.  USC was also a possible candidate down the road.
• Storm had 1839 yards on 208 carries (8.8ypc) and 27 touchdowns as a sophomore.  He also broke the 1000 yard mark as a freshman.
• He had 1359 yards and 28 total touchdowns as a junior.  Part of the decline is attributable to being moved to linebacker full-time for his junior year.  He also finished with a team-high 82 tackles and 12 TFLs for Division III All-Ohio honors at the linebacker spot.
• As a freshman, Klein’s Panthers team advanced to the regional finals before being downed by Steubenville.  As a sophomore, the Licking Valley Panthers were knocked out of the first round by Canton South, where the Torrence brothers (DeVoe and Devon) played.  The astronomical sophomore numbers for Klein underscore how much he had to do for his team that year, as it was a bit of a rebuilding phase for the team.
• During his junior year, Klein’s Licking Valley Panthers advanced to the state championship game.  Depsite nursing an injured shoulder, Klein mustered 155 yards on 33 carries.  However, the Panthers lost their second state championship game in 7 years (2001), losing to Will Studlien‘s Big Walnut team.
• After that game, Storm was taken to a hospital after finding blood in his urine, the likely result of a lacerated kidney.  He was discharged quickly from the hospital, but the injury did result in a lengthy recovery period.
• Over the past two years, Jordan Whiting and Storm Klein have become close friends, involving several visits to both Jordan’s home in Louisville, KY and Storm’s home in Nerk, Ahia.
• His highlight reel effort during his senior season was a 341yd, 5TD performance against Heath.  Licking Valley won 45-17.
• A few games later, he followed that with a 254yds and 4TDs on 31 carries in a 48-28 victory over Granville.
• The Nerk Advocate is quick to pull articles and hide them in the archive, so BP gets a big ol’ assist in writing this.  Thankfully, they pull information and blockquote it, thus saving important information.
• The Dispatch, however, is much nicer about that.  You can read some fluff about Storm here.
• He finished his senior season with 1418 yards and 18 touchdowns.  It was a drop-off in production, but mostly an artifact of improved talent surrounding him.  He also finished his senior season as the Division III Central District Offensive Player of the Year and Gatorade’s Ohio Football Player of the Year.  In short, he went from being a Division III defensive player of the year as a junior to being a Division III offensive player of the year as a senior.
• Klein’s senior season ended in the state semifinals with a 14-10 loss to Eastmoor Academy (Archie’s alma mater).

As always, Storm Klein, you’re now better known… at least I should hope.

1. I can’t think of the last time an out-of-stater committed that early to Ohio State. [↩]
2. The linebacker corp included Whiting, Klein and Homan.  That’s a whole world of hurt there if you’re on the other side of that. [↩]
3. …and, no, I will NOT call it Barnes & Noble.  It is Long’s dammit. [↩]