Our Honor Defend

The 2010 football season is rapidly approaching, eliciting the excitement that only Ohio State football in the fall can bring.  The third edition of my now 19-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye is wrapping up as well to make proper way for the season.  In this 14th installment, I fast forward to Verlon Reed.  The athlete from Columbus’ Marion-Franklin HS, ended a recruiting lull in an otherwise limited recruiting class with his December 16th commitment.  Holding offers from  in-state MAC snacks like Kent State, Toledo and Bowling Green, Verlon is not your typical Ohio State-caliber recruit.  Ultimately, the coaching staff saw much to like about him personally as well as his athletic potential and extended a scholarship offer.  He was all too eager to take it.  As such, Verlon is typical of the Buckeye recruit in this class.  There is interesting potential and a winning attitude, which is discussed in this feature that follows the regular order.

Height: 6’2
Weight: 185lbs
40: 4.5
High School: Marion-Franklin HS; Columbus, OH

His Recruitment: Verlon’s first offers came from MAC schools, namely Toledo and Bowling Green.  Kent State eventually followed.  Ohio State, always aware of the talent in their own backyard, sent out feelers as well to let Verlon know that they were aware of him and were indeed evaluating him.  In this regard, Verlon’s recruitment resembled almost anyone else’s recruitment.  Even the four and five stars in-state often start off small in their junior year before acquiring some big BCS offers at the end of their junior year or in the late summer and fall of their senior year.  However, Verlon never quite got to this stage in his recruitment.  He expressed interest in a variety of BCS schools, namely West Virginia, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa and, of course, Ohio State.  However, as a dual-threat quarterback without the desirable attributes for a BCS offer, most of these programs would have to have high evaluations of him at other positions in order to extend offers.  Remember: recruiting quarterbacks is precarious.  As a general rule, you would like to have one in a class.  You typically do not take more than two.  Even BCS programs sympathetic with Verlon’s overall style at quarterback did not grade him highly enough to merit an offer.  His lone BCS offer came from Syracuse. A quality academic institution with a not uninteresting history in college football, their current status did not elicit too much excitement.  Verlon kept looking for offers through the fall (namely from Ohio State) and eyed the end of his senior season as a time to make a decision.

Fortunately, Verlon’s time with Ohio State eventually came.  He got the coveted scholarship offer in early December.  While Verlon still wanted to evaluate his options, his options essentially became Toledo or Ohio State.  There was no containing his excitement while being interviewed and pressed about the topic with Ohio State’s recruiting affiliates.  An official visit was scheduled for the next week, one that resulted in the usual glowing reviews.  A commitment came three days later.

His Commitment: Verlon Reed eventually committed to the Buckeyes, ending a recruitment with Ohio State where more patience was shown by Verlon in getting the offer than in Ohio State waiting on Verlon’s decision.

“(Ohio State) is everything I expected, it’s a home inside a home,” Reed said. “It’s a dream come true, something I wanted to do my whole life.

“Ohio State has always been a dream for me and now I have the opportunity.  It just feels likes the best thing for me and my family.”

Reed and his mother Scharr Roseboro were very impressed with their visit to OSU.

“It was great,” Roseboro said. “It really was. I know I had a lot of fun.”

The commitment was Ohio State’s 14th of the 2010 class, not counting Carlos Hyde.  It is also Ohio State’s second quarterback in the 2010 class, after Taylor Graham.  At least, it is nominally.  Few expect Verlon to be a quarterback, which will be discussed below.

Where He Excels: This will be a little difficult because very few expect he will be a quarterback.  Verlon committed to Ohio State being told that he will get his first shot at quarterback.  If they don’t see satisfactory progress, they’ll shuttle him to another position and see what he can do there.  This is fairly common in the realm of college football recruiting.  A lot of high school quarterbacks go to college to shine at another position, even taking their skills in that new position to the pros (see: Joe Haden).  For what it’s worth, Verlon is already working out with the wide receivers (and doing fairly well there) after initially working with the defensive backs.  He was doing alright there as well, but Duron Carter’s transfer put greater emphasis on having competition at wide receiver for the moment.

Simply put, I like Verlon Reed.  I really do.  Anyone who follows through with a vow to give it his all and perform admirably in the summer has my respect.  Further, anyone who responds to suggestions of being dead to rights at the quarterback position by earning the MVP of the two biggest post-season exhibition games in the state automatically becomes a winner in my book.  I don’t know what will become of his career at Ohio State at a position that Ohio State will annually stock with as much blue chippers as they can (wide receiver, defensive back).  I do know, though, that Buckeye fans will appreciate the effort, the enthusiasm he has for the hometown school, and that he is — as his high school coach said — a winner.

Must Work On: I must resist the temptation to pick up the low-hanging fruit, but it is obvious to everyone that transitioning to an entirely new position will require Verlon to not only grasp the big picture, but master all the little things.  If he becomes a wide receiver, he will have to learn how to read the defensive back in front of you, how/when to cut off routes, how to catch away from the body and so on.  Further, all wideouts are expected to block.  Those that block well, play (we obviously want a little more from Sanzy in this regard).  At 6’2, 185lbs and a 4.5-ish 40, Verlon has the tools to become an effective receiver for Ohio State.  He could also thrive at safety should he make it back to defense.

Redshirt? The transition for Verlon to positions where there is already good depth ahead of him (either at wide receiver or safety, but wide receiver at the moment) makes him a pretty safe choice for a redshirt.  The reports I read of him are very positive, but not enough to get him on to the field in 2010.

Highlights: These are all of him at quarterback, but you can discern his obvious athletic abilities below.

Miscellany:

• Verlon played in both the Big 33 game and the Ohio North-South Classic.  He picked up MVP in honors in both games.  He was on the South’s squad in the Ohio North-South Classic, playing against a North team that included fellow Buckeyes JT Moore, Christian Bryant, Tyrone Williams and Darryl Baldwin.  All but Williams joined him in the Big 33 game.
• The O-Zone had the following write-ups regarding Verlon after both games.  The write-up from the Ohio North-South Classic is first, followed by the observations from the Big 33 game.

ON VERLON REED…

As for Reed, I did not think he played all that great outside of the one run, and even he was surprised to get the MVP award. He did not look good as a passer, missing his first five attempts and not completing his first pass until the third quarter. He was intercepted in the first half on a ball that was thrown behind his receiver, and after the game he said he felt he had an off night throwing the ball.

The run itself was a thing of beauty, however. He should have been tackled two or three times but run through one tackle and made a couple guys miss with nice jukes. The main thing that impressed me on the run was the speed. With kids like that you wonder how they would look against better competition, and on that play he looked like the fastest player in the game.

Verlon Reed, QB/Ath Marion-Franklin (Ohio State)

Reed again showed himself to be a terrific athlete, spinning out of many a grasp at quarterback, but is still lacking enough awareness and accuracy to show that he can be a quarterback at Ohio State. He ducked and dodged about three pursuers on one play, but ended up fumbling the ball when he got hit as he was spinning away from another would-be tackler. He finished the game 7-11 passing for 55 yards, and rushed for 60 yards.

His biggest play came on a 74-yard touchdown run on a simple zone read. His speed was clearly evident as he raced the entire Pennsylvania defense into the endzone—and stretched his lead.

“I couldn’t do it without the other ten guys and everybody blocking,” said Reed, talking about his touchdown run. “I cut outside and saw my receiver had his man on skates going to the inside, so I just cut out and off to the races. It was great.”

Fortunately for Reed, his versatility will allow him ample opportunity to find the field in other ways if he never makes it at quarterback. He started the game at wide receiver for Ohio, and didn’t look out of place. He also played some cornerback but did get beat badly on an overthrown out and up. He did everything his team asked of him, and he did it because he knew that’s what it would take to secure the victory.

“You don’t want to lose, but at the same time it’s an all-star game, so you want to have fun while you’re doing it,” he explained. “But at the end of the day, we know how storied this rivalry is, so we wanted the victory very badly.”

Reed’s future may ultimately be on the defensive side of the ball, but he has enough skill that you would like to see what he could do on offense before shipping him off. Perhaps most importantly, he is going to work for every opportunity that he is given.

• Alex, of Eleven Warriors, was on hand to watch the Ohio North-South Classic.  He interviewed Verlon Reed after the game.
• Verlon is the first city league kid to come to Ohio State on scholarship since 2004.  That class happened to include three city league alums, only one of whom Buckeye fans will probably remember (Dionte Johnson [Eastmoor], Sirjo Welch [Beechcroft], Erik Haw [Independence]).
• He took his official visit with his mother, both of whom clearly enjoyed their visit.  Mom came back particularly impressed with how she schooled Paul Haynes in a game of billiards.

“It was great,” Roseboro said.  “It really was.  I know I had a lot of fun.

“I kicked one of the coaches butts in pool.  I kicked Coach (Paul) Haynes butt.”

• He gave an interview with the ABC affiliate in Columbus, which you can see here.
• His Marion-Franklin Red Devils team advanced to the Division II semifinals in his senior season before losing to Cincinnati’s Winton Woods by a score of 69-35.  You may remember Winton Woods as the school of Dominique Brown, a very late Buckeye offer that eventually committed to Louisville to play quarterback.
• Verlon was a freshman when his high school coach, Brian Haffele, came to Columbus’ Marion-Franklin.  As you’ll hear in the video, a freshman Verlon introduced himself to his new coach by saying he was the future and would be his next Ohio State offer.  Haffele responded with “alright freshman, get back in line”, not knowing how prophetic Verlon’s words really were.
• He wears #14 for Ohio State, but wore #10 for Marion-Franklin because he was coming of age when Troy Smith was quarterbacking the Buckeyes.  Verlon is a very big Troy Smith fan.
• Big time college football offers are rare for city league kids and I do not know who the last high profile athlete was to come out of Columbus’ Marion-Franklin.  Verlon signing with the hometown Buckeyes was obviously a huge deal, which is why you see the novelty-sized LOI and the Ohio State sash in the picture on top of the post.  It was a big celebration and send-off for Verlon. You can watch his interview below

• The Plain Dealer has a better focus of Verlon Reed’s Ohio State sash.  I want an Ohio State sash.

• A lot of the excitement for Verlon from his school stems from how positively they rate him as a young man.  Ken Gordon penned an article where Verlon expressed his awareness of the gravity of the offer from Ohio State and how he wants to make the most of it: on the field, and off of it.  You should read the whole article here.  I reproduce some of it below.

Reed loves it. He has a heart for community service. In addition to Stand and Deliver, he serves as a mentor for younger students in his South Side neighborhood.

Red Devils coach Brian Haffele said he recently saw Reed help an elderly woman cross a snowy street. Is this young man for real?

Community involvement is one of the reasons Reed said he chose Ohio State. He was impressed with the football team’s extensive outreach program, and he loved the fact that he could have an impact on his hometown.

“It’s just like normal to me,” Reed said. “I’ve always been brought up to do the right thing, so being able to have the opportunity to do all that, I’ll take advantage of that.”

I think Verlon Reed is now better known.

I am putting him on the board accordingly.

Class of 2010
Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?	Name	Position	Hometown	Better Known?
Darryl Baldwin	DE	Solon, OH	05.25	James Louis	WR	Delray Beach, FL	06.21
Drew Basil	K	Chillicothe, OH	05.17	Scott McVey	LB	Cleveland, OH	05.03
Corey Brown 2010	ATH	Springfield, PA	08.08	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	08.24
Taylor Graham	QB	Wheaton, IL	05.08	Bradley Roby	DB	Suwanee, GA
Adam Griffin	ATH	Columbus, OH		Roderick Smith	RB	Fort Wayne, IN	05.13
Chad Hagan	LB/S	Canonsburg, PA	07.06	Jamel Turner	DE	Fork Union, VA	03.08
Johnathon Hankins	DT	Detroit, TSUN		Tyrone Williams	WR	Cleveland, OH	07.09
Carlos Hyde	RB	Naples, FL	06.29.09