Our Honor Defend

Buckeye fans enjoyed the spring game the past weekend, when the 2010 team demonstrated before waiting fans why they should be considered a #2 preseason team entering this campaign.  However, these Better Know A Buckeye features are necessarily more longitudinal in scope.  In this fifth installment of the third edition of this now 19-part series, I continue my chronological progression through the 2010 class with Scott McVey.  McVey, likely a linebacker for the Buckeyes, is a lifelong Ohio State fan, from a Buckeye family, who comes to us from the heralded St. Ignatius program.  There was no real drama to his recruitment.  Despite offers from Michigan, Iowa and strong interest from Notre Dame, McVey decided to stay local and realize his dream of playing for the Buckeyes.  I review his recruitment and commitment below, discussing strengths and areas for improvement afterward.  I then mention some miscellaneous things worth knowing and conclude that he is better known.  The image and board follow.

Height: 6’0
Weight: 215lbs
40: 4.5
High School: St. Ignatius HS; Cleveland, Ohio

His Recruitment: Scott McVey appears on the recruiting radar after a successful junior campaign.  He matriculated to varsity for his sophomore year of high school, but the 2008 campaign was special.  His Wildcats started the season with a 20-17 loss to Marcus Hall and Jonathan Newsome’s Glenville Tarblooders, but rebound to win out, exact revenge against Glenville in the state semifinals, and win the state championship.  It was not enough that McVey was the starting linebacker on the team.  He was a standout and, at times, outright unblockable.  He finished with 143 tackles and 18 sacks and some monster performances along the way.  The state championship game against Elder may have been his master stroke.  He had four solo sacks, assisted on two others and intercepted a pass to hold the 16th ranked (nationally) Elder two touchdowns below their game average.

The team accolades resulted in some individual attention for McVey.  An eclectic set of programs got interested in McVey as St. Ignatius was completing its state championship run, ranging from Boston College to Notre Dame and Iowa.  Ohio State became interested as well.  In fact, they extended a scholarship offer immediately after his performance against Elder.  Ohio State may not have been the first to express interest in McVey, but they did give him his first offer.  It should also have helped that McVey grew up an Ohio State fan.  In fact, there were positive Ohio State connections all around McVey.  Ryan Franzinger, St. Ignatius’ linebacker coach, was a walk-on for the Buckeyes and had more than glowing remarks about Jim Tressel when McVey told him about the offer.  Two weeks later, McVey visited Columbus and returned happy enough with what he saw that he indicated the Buckeyes would be tough to beat.

Not much happened on the recruiting front through the beginning of 2009.  McVey ultimately acquired offers from places like Boston College, whose Jesuit connection has some pull.  He even visited Boston College in the spring.  Michigan stepped forward with an important offer, which may have been seen as a source of consternation for Buckeye fans.  These three schools were the top three of interest for McVey.  A decision did not seem imminent for McVey, who wanted to make a decision before his senior season.  Nevertheless, McVey attending the 2009 spring game had to have been positive for the Bucks.

His Commitment: The spring game weekend revealed that Scott McVey had committed to Ohio State.  Actually, he had decided a week earlier, but the weekend only made it public.

The reasons why are ones that you would expect.  McVey is a lifelong Ohio State fan, whose parents are Ohio State fans, who is coached at his position by a former player for Tressel and who resides in a safe place for Ohio State recruiting.  There were positive Buckeye influences on McVey from day one.  Further, McVey gave the glowing remarks about the coaching staff, Tressel in particular, that you are probably accustomed to reading in these features by now.  In short, Ohio State was the natural pick.

McVey’s commitment was the fifth in the class to date.  He chose Ohio State over offers from Iowa, Boston College and Michigan.

Where He Excels: Think of what we saw from Tyler Moeller in limited stretches before his unfortunate incident and that is essentially what we are expecting from Scott McVey.  Like Moeller, he is a smaller linebacker who will never quite have the bulk of a guy like Etienne Sabino, who we expect to fly like a safety.  He had abused some quality competition along the way, including Marcus Hall, off the edge.  He has a very good first step, and closing speed and can muster the necessary velocity to deliver a wallop.

His instincts shine between the tackles.  McVey has internalized the importance of deriving his power through his lower body.  He finishes plays well and has that all important “motor” you’ll read about.  Yes, most high school football isn’t very good at all and it can be easy for a kid with D-1A potential to dominate.  However, McVey demonstrates the ability to play his ass off and should give Jim Heacock a lot to work with in the future.

Must Work On: McVey will add weight, but he will never be like some other Buckeye linebackers in overall bulk.  As such, if McVey is going to be an inside linebacker for the Buckeyes¹, he may be a bit of a liability on double teams and when engaged by a blocker.  The high school kids may not be very good across the board, but I would like to see McVey shed more effectively at the next level.  Using his hands in this regard is key.

Redshirt? In terms of linebacker depth alone, I’m inclined to say yes.  Andrew Sweat may or may not redshirt his third year in college.  Assuming he doesn’t, the Buckeyes have a solid two deep that includes names like Sweat, Storm Klein and Dorian Bell.  I don’t see McVey having that immediate impact on defense.  On special teams? Maybe.  I’d like to see if McVey has the ability to immediately shine on kickoff duties.

Highlights: Two copies of what I believe to be junior film are below.  Scouting Ohio has some other stuff if you’re interested.

Miscellany:

• Bucknuts interviewed him on the 2009 signing day, before he committed to Ohio State.  The interview underscores some of the recruiting story said earlier.
• As I mentioned in David Durham’s feature, he has become very good friends with David Durham and they may be roommates at Ohio State.
• Unless I’ve forgotten someone along the way, McVey is the first St. Ignatius Wildcat to attend Ohio State on scholarship since Anthony Gonzalez (2003).
• Signing Day video, here.
• His teammate and fellow linebacker Jake Ryan signed a letter of intent with the University of _ichigan.
• News-Herald ran a feature on the local boy for signing day.
• A shoulder injury (torn labrum) suffered in the first game of the 2009 season (against Glenville) frustrated McVey for all of his senior campaign.  St. Ignatius won that game but, much like the 2008 season, Glenville and Ignatius met again in the playoffs.  Glenville won.
• McVey had surgery on the shoulder in question on December 1st.  He is fully healed, but had to pass on two post-season exhibition games (Big 33 and North/South, I believe).
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of Bucknuts.

* Vital Statistics: McVey suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder early in his senior year. The injury cost him two games and hobbled him most of the year. He still had close to 90 tackles as St. Ignatius posted an 11-1 record with a loss to eventual state runner-up Cleveland Glenville in the Division I regional semifinals. McVey was a second-team All-Ohio pick. As a junior, McVey made 143 tackles, including 18 sacks, and intercepted a pass as he helped lead St. Ignatius to a 14-1 record and the Division I state championship. He was a one-man wrecking crew in the 2008 state title game win over Cincinnati Elder, notching eight tackles, four sacks and an interception in that win. He was nominated for the two Ohio all-star games, but does not figure to play as he rehabs his shoulder.

* Rankings: He is rated as the No. 12 overall senior prospect in Ohio, according to Ohio High magazine/JJHuddle.com. Also rated as the No. 7 overall prospect in the state, according to The Ohio Football Recruiting News. McVey is rated as the nation’s 18th-best inside linebacker by ESPN Scouts Inc. SuperPrep considers McVey as an All-American, ranking him as the 24th-best prospect in the Midwest and the nation’s No. 24 linebacker.

I’m considering Scott McVey now better known.

Might as well put him on the board.

Class of 2010
Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?	Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?
Darryl Baldwin	DE	Solon, OH		James Louis	WR	Delray Beach, FL
Drew Basil	K	Chillicothe, OH		Scott McVey	LB	Cleveland, OH	05.03
Corey Brown 2010	ATH	Springfield, PA		JT Moore	DE	Youngstown, OH	02.15
Christian Bryant	DB	Cleveland, OH		Andrew Norwell	OL	Cincinnati, OH	03.29
David Durham	LB/DE	Charlotte, NC	04.12	Verlon Reed	ATH	Columbus, OH
Taylor Graham	QB	Wheaton, IL		Bradley Roby	DB	Suwanee, GA
Adam Griffin	ATH	Columbus, OH		Roderick Smith	RB	Fort Wayne, IN
Chad Hagan	LB/S	Canonsburg, PA		Jamel Turner	DE	Fork Union, VA	03.08
Johnathon Hankins	DT	Detroit, TSUN		Tyrone Williams	WR	Cleveland, OH
Carlos Hyde	RB	Naples, FL	06.29.09

1. I haven’t put too much stock into the inside/outside question yet.  I remember being loudly wrong thinking Etienne Sabino would be the middle linebacker of the future. [↩]