Will have microphones and cameras in his face for the next few years.

The fourth edition of this now 23-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye approaches its conclusion with the 22nd installment, a feature on quarterback Braxton Miller.  Braxton Miller was a freshman phenom at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio.  Enrolling in Wayne as a 6’0 true freshman with athleticism to spare, Miller was bound to turn heads almost immediately.  He did just that, starting at quarterback for a quality Wayne squad as a true freshman.  The hype built from there and resulted in scholarship offers from around the country.  He ultimately chose to stay in-state and play for the Buckeyes.  I better know him here in the usual fashion.

Height: 6’3
Weight: 210lbs
40: 4.7
High School: Wayne High School; Huber Heights, OH

His Recruitment: I don’t claim to be an expert on high school football and how high school football coaches manage their respective rosters when they include kids as young as 14 and as old as 18.  Still, it’s my understanding that it’s pretty damn impressive for a kid to enroll in high school as a true freshman, project primarily at wide receiver or defensive back, and play immediately as quarterback.  That’s what happened to Braxton Miller.  He unseated a marginal incumbent at quarterback and ultimately outperformed him in the second half of the 2007 season opener against Colerain.  The end result was the 14 year old Braxton Miller’s 10/15, 149 yards performance cementing him as the quarterback of the future at Wayne while the junior signal caller he unseated, Ryan Blitsko, moved to wide receiver and defensive back instead.  The Wayne Warriors lost that game at Colerain by a score of 19-7, but Miller’s potential was evident.  If he stayed healthy (obviously), he would have four years under center to improve.  He could be, by the end of his senior year, the most prolific football player to graduate from a program that includes the likes of Marcus Freeman, Will Allen, Arnie Jones, and, of course, Donnie Evege.

Miller’s freshman season at quarterback saw him finish 93/152 passing for 1,048 yards and 9 passing touchdowns.  He also chipped in 303 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns in an 8-2 season for the Wayne Warriors.  He was rewarded for it with his first scholarship offer, from Brian Kelly’s Cincitucky Bearcats.

In March, Miller visited the University of Cincinnati and attended a basketball game with some of the school’s coaches. Then he was invited into head coach Brian Kelly’s office.

“He smiled and said, ‘I’ve got something for you,’ ” Miller said.

Miller said Kelly offered him a UC scholarship, and he has yet to finish his freshman year. Miller entered Wayne’s opener against Colerain last season, played an impressive second half by completing 10 of 15 passes for 149 yards and kept the starter’s job for the remainder of the year.

Cincinnati is one of those programs, like the MAC schools in the Buckeye State, that feels the need to offer really early to get leverage on the recruiting trail.  Regardless, there are worse first scholarship offers and the program is a BCS program (albeit in the Big East).

Miller’s sophomore season in 2008 saw him play only six games.  His final outing of the season came against CJ Barnett’s Clayton Northmont squad.  Barnett was the catalyst for Northmont’s 17 unanswered points in the Thunderbolts’ 17-7 victory over Wayne.  But, it was the injury to Braxton Miller in that game that took the headlines.  Miller was carted off the field with a broken ankle.  Before that game, the Warriors were an undefeated squad with victories over the likes of Lakota West (Jordan Hicks), Trotwood-Madison (Chris Freeman) and East St. Louis (Terry Hawthorne, Kraig Appleton, Ty Phillips).  The Warriors rebounded to make it to the playoffs before losing to Colerain in a 23-0 decision, but Miller was done for the season.

That said, his promise did not elude the in-state Buckeyes, who extended a verbal offer in October 2008.  Miller, an overt Buckeye fan, was more than pleased.  That said, he did want to wait until his senior year to make a decision.

More scholarship offers accumulated shortly thereafter.  Entering his junior season of football, Miller had offers from the aforementioned Buckeyes and Bearcats in addition to offers from Wisconsin, Florida, Miami, Michigan, Illinois and Clemson.  Those were all before schools could start sending him written scholarship offers.  After September 1st, he added offers from programs like Alabama, Georgia, Southern California and Notre Dame.  Miller had gone big time.

It was two programs that had most of Miller’s attention.  One was the in-state Buckeyes, of whom he was a lifelong fan.  The Buckeyes also had recent quarterbacking success under Troy Smith and (to a much lesser extent at the time) Terrelle Pryor, both quarterbacks with a similar (but not identical) skill set to Miller.  The other was the Florida Gators, fresh off graduating their starting Messiah to the NFL.  The Gators had a lot of success with the spread-to-run philosophy under then coach Urban Meyer and adding Braxton Miller to the roster would have been a great get for the Gators program.  Alabama had also recruited Miller well and new Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had a much more illustrious offer to Miller beyond Cincinnati.  Still, it looked like Florida posed the greatest challenge in the spring of 2010.

However, Ohio State was the favorite to win this out in the end.  Miller announced that he wanted to decide before his senior season of high school football so he can focus exclusively on that final season under center at Wayne.  All else equal, this is usually a great sign for Ohio State fans when it involves an in-state prospect (contrast with: Jordan Hicks, Fred Davis, Aundrey Walker).  By time an announcement was scheduled for June 3rd, the decision itself seemed rather academic.

His Commitment: Miller set up the garden variety hat show that is common for these type of things, featuring five hats for Alabama (who did well to recruit Miller the best they could), Florida, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.  After a few words, he donned the Ohio State cap and formally committed to Ohio State.

In a move that hindsight might make Buckeye fans a little squeamish, Miller decided to solidify the verbal commitment in ink before his actual signature on signing day through a Block O tattoo on his left shoulder.

Both Evan Spencer and Joel Hale committed to Ohio State a few days after Miller’s public decision, though it’s not likely Miller was persuasive in that regard.  That said, it was a nice little haul over the course of four days.

Where He Excels: Miller has four years of starting at quarterback under his belt.  You don’t start four years of high school football without graduating as a proficient quarterback with several tools under the belt and tricks up the sleeve.  He’s already experienced and his early arrival in January has best prepared him to compensate for the suspension and ultimate departure of Terrelle Pryor.

He’s a very effective runner and it’s rewarding to know that he already has Ohio State’s running plays down pat.  He’s not a bruiser by any means, but is capable of picking up tough yards through traffic when there is a need for just that.  Still, he’s a runner that will search for angles and try to beat defenders up field that way.  He cuts precisely and can plant his feet, change direction and go.  He can be lethal in open space accordingly and his down field vision helps him see the angles he wants while running.  The hope is that he matures as a passer through the years, but he is a true dual-threat quarterback.  He lacks the long strides of a Terrelle Pryor, but can still be dangerous.

He’s a very good passer too.  If he’s not quite the runner that Terrelle Pryor was, he’s more advanced as a passer.  It might not be saying a lot considering Pryor’s freshman year at Ohio State, but it’s something.  I like his release, which can be compact with little wasted motion.  He’s got the arm strength and can rifle a ball down the field.  He’s obviously mobile in the pocket, which would allow him to buy time when protection breaks down (and it broke down a lot for Wayne).  Pretty good throwing on the move, both in accuracy and power.  He can obviously improve, but he’s above average in this regard.

Must Work On: I have some anxieties regarding Miller as a true freshman.  If he’s expected to be a change-of-pace gadget quarterback for Old Man Bauserman this fall, we are assuming (and hoping) his ankles are up to the task.  To recap: he broke his ankle as a sophomore, prematurely ending his season.  He suffered a high ankle sprain against Moeller in the season opener as a senior season.  He was bothered by it at times as a junior.  There’s a durability flag there.  It has not come up so far at Ohio State, either in practices or camp.  It did not affect a very good performance at the spring game.  It is still worth noting.

As a small aside that I did not feel like consigning to a footnote, I wonder if some of that might be a function of Wayne’s offensive line.  I’ve seen two Wayne High School football games involving Braxton Miller at Wayne and Wayne’s O-line was, well, not good.  If you recall, Glenville cannibalized Wayne in 2009 in large part because of that.  The hope is Miller thrives with better pieces around him.

Quarterback is ultimately a position where every high schooler has much to learn.  Miller will need to start scanning the whole field in college.  His offense at Wayne did not do a lot of that.  If he is going to contribute as a true freshman, he should hopefully show none of the hesitation, confusion in the passing game that Pryor showed in 2008.  We cannot afford Pryor-esque double-pats, stare downs and telegraphed passes.  He could stand to improve his mechanics in the pocket, especially his 3-step and 5-step drops.  Maybe it’s the aforementioned offensive line, but I did not see him step into a lot of his throws.  He’s capable underneath and deep down the field, but the touch on his immediate passes could improve.

I don’t mean to be harsh, but quarterback is a position where only the advanced excel.

Redshirt? No.  If Pryor was not suspended for Tat Gate, yes.  If Pryor was still on the team after his five game suspension, maybe. Maybe.  With Pryor off the team? No way.  He’s made too much progress since he enrolled in January to not get the nod to play.  He will be JoeBo’s backup in 2011.  If he plays well, he cements himself as the quarterback of the future for the Buckeyes.

Highlights: Scouting Ohio has got this.

Miscellany:

• Miller’s Wayne team showed precisely the type of improvement you would want with a four year starter at quarterback.  Wayne did not make the playoffs when Miller was a freshman.  They made it all the way to the state championship game in Miller’s senior year.  They lost to St. Edward’s.  En route to the state finals, the #8 Wayne Warriors knocked off #1 Middletown by a score of 21-0.  They also beat Michael Bennett’s Centerville squad, state power and 2007 state champions St. Xavier and reigning state champions Hilliard Davidson.  I think that speaks a lot to Miller’s ability to lead.  That’s an impressive run, even if it ended with a 35-28 let down against St. Ed’s in the finale.
• Contrary to many reports, he is not a cousin or nephew of Dee Miller.  They do happen to be from the same area, though.  Likewise, Doran Grant and Curtis Grant are not cousins.  Everybody be related to everybody these days.  I fell for the first one, but did not fall for the Grants one.
• Miller played in the Under Armour All-American Game, his lone appearance in a post-season exhibition game before enrolling in January.  He was there with Doran Grant and Ryan Shazier.
• Interview on Freshmen Media Day.  Miller is firmly on Team Plaid.
• Interview during Media Day (for the whole team).
• Interview during Ohio State’s signing day festivities, both at the podium and afterwards (via Eleven Warriors).
• Sports Illustrated’s High School Player of the Week, with video.
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

Highly-rated quarterback who led Wayne High to the Division I state title game … passed for 2,167 yards, 17 TD, and rushed for 658 yards, 17 TD, as a senior for Coach Jay Minton … career record of 31-7 over three seasons … Ohio Mr. Football finalist and first team all-state … Under Armour All-American Game … basketball letterman … son of Kelly Miller and Kevin Miller … enrolled at Ohio State in January

Is he now better known? I hope so.

The More You Know

Almost there…

Curtis Grant

I move forward in the quest to better know the remaining members of the 2011 recruiting class before I leave for Seattle on Wednesday and spend the remaining days of the week interviewing for a couple jobs.  Further, I’ll try not to interfere with a block of regularly scheduled programming, including a Tuesday morning table, the TV Guide and a preview by Michael.  To that end, I profile Curtis Grant, a linebacker from Richmond, VA.  Grant was one of two signing day commitments¹ and held a press conference of sorts to announce his commitment to The Ohio State University.  He is also probably the most recruited signee we have in the class, having also received offers from linebacker factories like Alabama and Florida.  I better know him here.

Height: 6’3
Weight: 225lbs
40: 4.5
High School: Hermitage High School; Richmond, VA

His Recruitment: Curtis Grant was always going to be highly recruited.  It was just unknown how fast his offer sheet would go national.  Ohio State fans are usually unfamiliar with recruiting in most states on the Eastern Seaboard.  Maryland has been good to us.  Florida and Georgia are always hot spots.  However, states like Virginia are mostly unknown to Buckeye fans and, to my knowledge, don’t qualify as “pipelines” for any Big Ten school outside of, maybe, Penn Shtate.²  Curtis Grant, who had good offers from places like Virginia Tech and Maryland after his sophomore year, was going to be a big time ACC recruit at the very least.  We did not know if we would get involved.

We did around the end of April and beginning of May.  By the time we did get involved, Grant’s offer sheet had already gone national to the chagrin of Virginia Tech and, mostly, Maryland.  Southern California, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana State, Miami and Tennessee had all offered, giving Grant no shortage of options for college football.  This stage in his recruitment was more a period of exploration.  Grant was somewhat agnostic about where he was going to play college football.  No offer really stood out and Grant was as curious about “where” as he was “for whom”.  Example:

“Ohio State said they are sending an offer in the next couple of days, which was cool to hear. I like that schools from all over the country are finding me and that means I’ll have the opportunity to pretty much play in any part of the country I want to.”

“I don’t know a lot about Alabama at this point but I’m getting to know them and I learn a lot each time I talk to their coaches. Coach Sal (Sunseri) and I have a really good relationship and we talk pretty regularly. I’m always thinking of questions to ask him about Alabama and I like everything he’s had to say. Coach Sal and Coach Saban are both great guys but I really want to see the campus in person to get a real feel for the program. I will probably try to get down there at some point this summer.”

…

“I really don’t have any standouts right now because I want to keep exploring my options and keep everyone on an equal playing field until I know as much as possible. By the time the season starts, I should know enough to cut my list down and then hopefully once the season is over I’ll be able to make a decision pretty quickly.”

Also:

“I don’t know much about them [Tennessee]. I camped down there my freshman year and the thing I remember was how big the stadium was,” Grant said. “I didn’t play close attention to a lot of things. I was just trying to perform well at camp so that I might get recruited.”

And:

“I’m going to California to check out some schools,” Grant said. “I’m going to visit USC and UCLA in July to see what it is like. I don’t know much about UCLA.”

…among others.

Mind you, this is a very important period in any college football recruit’s life.  Herein, it is not uncommon for potential big time players to essentially tour the country, performing at various combines and getting a semblance of what college football is like in various regions in this country.  Grant knew he had offers and he knew there was no rush.  If he had waited until the end of the summer without a decision, and without a firm idea of favorites, he was going to wait it out and proceed at a comfortable pace.  In for a penny, in for a pound.

Really, we only move forward in the decision-making process after Grant’s senior season was going to conclude in the state championship game.³  Grant had waited until after his senior season of football to start taking visits.  By that time, he definitively knew some of his visits.  Luke Fickell and Jim Tressel had successfully convinced him to consider Ohio State and the Buckeyes were actually his first official visit.  He left impressed.

Ohio State was awesome,” said the 6-foot-3, 222-pounder. “That place is really impressive. I liked the campus, the coaches, the players and everything about it. It was a really good visit.”

Grant, the nation’s top linebacker, was hosted by J.T. Moore and met numerous players including quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Johnathan Hankins and others.

“J.T. was cool and a good host and I really fit in with the players,” he said. “It’s a family atmosphere there and they have a confidence about them but it’s not cocky. The coaches and the players are on the same page.”

Grant is being recruited to play middle linebacker at Ohio State and spoke at length with Tressel and spent a lot of time with linebackers coach Luke Fickell.

“They have a great linebacker tradition and they talked about that a bit,” he said. “They didn’t compare me to anyone because they know I want to be my own player but they did say I could play a role there like A.J. Hawk did. I like the defense and the way I’d fit into it.”

Grant also felt good about the school itself.

“It’s a really nice place,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in Ohio State but to see it firsthand and take a look around, it left me impressed for sure. I still have other visits to take and I didn’t think about committing because I want to take my time, but it set the bar high.”

He took three other visits.  One program was not surprising: Florida.  Now, Florida did have the abrupt retirement of Urban Meyer preoccupying the program, though assistant coaches made sure to remain in contact.  They had just hired Will Muschamp in time to host Grant on an official visit.  He was impressed with Florida as well.  His two other visits were somewhat surprising.  UNC might only be marginally surprising.  They’re an underachieving program, but they’re known to recruit fairly well.  The other was the in-state Virginia CavaHoos (or whatever they’re called).  This is actually very surprising.  Mike London tried to sell Curtis Grant on staying in-state and making a name for himself in a program without much lore or tradition.  One particular recruiting angle was not having his one game in Charlottesville — where his high school team lost the state title — be his defining memory of that stadium.

He liked all four visits, but everyone would have to wait until signing day to know for sure where he was going to attend college.

His Commitment: At a press conference on February 2nd of this year, Curtis Grant — decked out in a vest — sat down at a table and, after few words, put on a Block O cap to let everyone know he was Ohio bound.  He was our final commitment in the 2011 class.

As for why Ohio State and not any of his other options?

“I prayed on it and it came down to where my heart was at,” Grant said. “I really felt it was Ohio State from the moment I first visited. I love the players there, the other recruits and everyone that I met. I really like the opportunity there.”

…

“All of the Ohio State coaches played a role in my recruitment but of course there was Jim Tressel,” Grant added. “But Luke Fickell, Paul Haynes and (Taver Johnson) all played a big role too.”

As the #2 recruit nationally at all positions in 2011, per Rivals.com, Curtis Grant was our highest rated recruit since Terrelle Pryor (#1), Mike Adams (#3) and Mike Brewster (#12) in the 2008 class.

Where He Excels: One thing was apparent when Curtis Grant stepped foot on Ohio State’s campus in June.  He was ready to play college football right then and there.  His size alone makes him an elite prospect at linebacker.  He’s 6’3 and 230lbs or so right now.  He could possibly hold 250 and still be a great middle linebacker.

He does almost everything right.  He’s violent at the point of attack and a superb pass rusher.  I don’t know every recruiting class across all college football, but I can’t imagine — truly: can’t imagine — any class having a better combo of pass rushers at linebacker than Ohio State with Ryan Shazier and Curtis Grant.  Add in pre-injury concerns Conner Crowell? Yikes.  That’s a great haul.  He’s very good in run support.  He glides through traffic and sheds blocks efficiently, and with violence.  Love me some violence.

He’s fast too.  Always consider a 40 time to be a fake 40 time.  Never put too much stock in them.  That said, Grant moves laterally quite well and was good enough to play some wide receiver for his high school team’s offense.  It also makes him that much more dangerous to opposing offenses when he blitzes.

I try not to make player comparisons that would give an incoming player impossible hype, but some analysts have likened him to a potential, future Ray Lewis.  There’s a lot of time and a lot of variables that will enter into that equation of him ever getting to that level, but the tools are all there.  In essence, that’s his ceiling whether he reaches it or not.  He’s a true blue chipper.

Must Work On: Grant is physically ready to play college football right now and, barring Man Mountain Chris Carter, probably dropped the most jaws when the freshmen enrolled in June.  That said, his agility is about par for the course for a D1 linebacker.  My worry is that he falls too in love with size at the expense of his agility.  This would make him a bit of a liability on play action and in coverage.  Consider it a caution to hopefully fine tune his frame.  I don’t think he really needs to get that much bigger.  Maintaining agility and lateral quickness is important.

Redshirt? No.  Now, Curtis Grant is presently the third team MIKE linebacker behind walk-on senior Tony Jackson.  This might change, obviously.  However, linebackers are not defensive linemen and will earn their way onto the field via special teams.  That will be Curtis Grant this fall.

Highlights: Junior year is the best I can do.

Miscellany:

• Played in the US Army All-American Bowl, along with teammates Brian Bobek and Michael Bennett.  He led the victorious East squad with five tackles.
• Video of him being selected to the US Army All-American Bowl.
• His high school teammate is 2013 recruit Derrick Green, who the Buckeyes have verbally offered as a tailback.
• Laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, VA.
• 6 minutes of a behind the scenes video of Curtis Grant on signing day, via YouTube.
• Freshmen Media Day, via Eleven Warriors.
• Parade All-American, along with classmate Brian Bobek.
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

Three-year all-Richmond metro defender … 134 tackles, 15 TFL, 6 sacks as a senior for Coach Patrick Kane … Parade All-America and USA Today all-USA … leading tackler for the East in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl … son of Gloria Grant and Curtis Raynard Grant

I think Curtis Grant is better known.

The More You Know

Two more…

1. The other was prep school bound Cardale Jones.
2. The Nitts have four players from Virginia on their roster and have had one recruit from Virginia in each of the last four recruiting classes.
3. Grant’s high school ended up losing this game on December 11th to Battlefield High School.

Doran Grant must protect this house.

Goodness, it’s almost here.

It’s officially game week for the Ohio State Buckeyes, who will undergo the normal grind in their quest to shock the world¹ and, importantly, start the season right against Akron.  I still have four features left to produce for this class before tip off, and it’d be kind of silly for me to have one follow a TV Guide or game preview for Akron or something like that.  I will then see if I can actually find time to better know all four, or punt Cardale Jones into the near future if time does not permit.

In this particular feature, I consider Doran Grant.  Grant, a cornerback prospect from Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, was an early target and a late addition to the class, having committed at the Under Armour All-American Game.  As this was several months after LeBron James’ infamous “decision”, the St. Vincent-St. Mary product was accordingly asked if he was going to “take his talents” outside the Buckeye State like his high school’s most famous alumnus.  He did not, and we are grateful for it.

Height: 5’11
Weight: 180lbs
40: 4.56
High School: St. Vincent-St. Mary High School; Akron, OH

His Recruitment: In order to make this feature more tractable, I’m going to fast forward through his recruitment.  Many of you prefer that I actually do this, finding my sometimes lengthy recruitment recaps to be cumbersome.  In the case of Doran Grant, we would be covering three years of recruiting.  Grant appeared on the recruiting scene that early, being noticed as a potential big time recruit before his sophomore year of football.  A lot of this was just on the camp circuit, where he impressed mightily and was already being noticed by programs like Illinois, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State and, of course, Ohio State.  However, even these future big time college football prospects typically do not acquire verbal offers before the sophomore year.  Those offers finally came in the summer of the following year, before his junior campaign for St. Vincent-St. Mary.  Those offers were far from  the MAC snacks.  It included Georgia, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Cincinnati and Illinois.  That’s a great way to start.

The offer from Ohio State came when the Buckeyes could first start sending out scholarship offers, at the beginning of September of the recruit’s junior year.  Grant, a native Ohioan, obviously appreciated the offer.  Though he had other options to consider, it is a significant feather in the cap.

“It is a pretty good feeling,” said Grant of getting the OSU offer. “They are looking to lock up the state as I can see by the fact that they have offered some of the other top guys in my class in the state. They are trying to build up a strong team and win games in the future.”

He continued, “It is a good feeling knowing that they know about me, and that they are O-State. They want me to come down and play for them.”

This good vibe, as we know, did not lead to an immediate commitment.  Far from it.  Grant’s offer sheet was going national.  The two Georgias, Sparty and Illinois were early offers.  More came from Pittsburgh, Stanford, Michigan, and Notre Dame.  The more Grant could signal that he was going to take his time, the more other programs felt they could actually stand a chance.  Thus, Louisiana State even extended an offer.  Hell, why not?

“I’ve been thinking a lot about them [Louisiana State]. They were the first college to send me a letter saying I’m one of their top guys. That was at the beginning of my sophomore season. The letter identified me as one of the top guys in the 2011 class. I guess that’s when they started evaluating me, so I’ve been watching them since then.”

It might be easier to note who didn’t offer Doran Grant.  Other notable scholarship offers include USC and Oklahoma.

Still, it wasn’t any of those that looked to challenge the Buckeyes for the in-state gem.  It was actually Michigan State.  Surprised? Well, there’s a family connection here.  Doran Grant’s father, Ted Jones, played for Michigan State and was their leading receiver in 1980 and 1981.  Doran has a sister who lives in East Lansing.  Considering how fast the Spartans discovered Grant and started recruiting him in earnest, Dantonio and crew successfully leveraged themselves into the picture and made Sparty an important team to beat for Grant’s services.  Grant was a frequent visitor in East Lansing and spoke very positively of the program every time.

“I love the atmosphere there,” he said. “I always enjoy coming to East Lansing, I feel comfortable there, and I love the new uniforms they came out with. I also loved the fake field goal [i.e, "Little Giants" against Notre Dame]. That is how you play primetime college football!”

While the Spartans were the most important challenger for the Buckeyes, it always seemed (to me, at least), that Ohio State was his top choice for awhile.  He was just in no hurry to decide.  For example, in recapping one of his visits to East Lansing in April 2010, Grant actually gave a numbered list of his choices.

Where does MSU currently stand in Grant’s recruitment?

“They are still No. 2 right now,” Grant said, adding that the Spartans sit high on his list because of the coaches, facilities, family atmosphere in the program and campus. “I still got Ohio State one and Michigan State No. 2. I got Michigan three, four I got USC and five I got Illinois.

If I recall correctly, Bucknuts had most of the juicy articles on his interest in Ohio State and, naturally, they saved none of them when they moved to 247sports.com.  Perfect.  Grant’s interest in Ohio State seemed to remain constant through the years he was a national target.  The only thing separating him from some of the other Ohio recruits in the 2011 class is that his offer sheet went national and he was in no rush to make a decision.  So, he soaked in what he could and would field visits from assistant coaches as far as Georgia Tech and Louisiana State.  His timetable ultimately culminated in his appearance at the Under Armour All-American Game.  Therein, he would go on record and announce where he wanted to play college football.

His Commitment: As previously mentioned, Doran Grant took an aside during the Under Armour All-American Game.  He was then prompted by some sideline dude whether he would follow LeBron James and take his Buckeye State-bred talents outside Ohio — in this case, to East Lansing.  He did not, and Ohio State got one of its crown jewels in this recruiting class.  If I could embed the video, I would.  But, it was taken down from YouTube after complaint from the International Olympic Committee, Major League Baseball and the NFL.  Yeah, YouTube is strange like that.

Ohio State does not have many cornerbacks in this class.  It really did not need them immediately.  So, Ohio State could take its time and wait to get one really good one like Doran Grant on top of the commitment from PeeWee Gambrell earlier in the recruiting campaign.

Grant was the 20th commitment in the class, having followed Ryan Shazier’s late arrival into the recruiting class and preceding Übermensch long snapper Bryce Haynes by two weeks.

Where He Excels: Doran Grant is a phenomenal athlete and probably built a reputation on the recruiting trail around it.  That is, programs as far and wide as Oklahoma, Louisiana State, USC and Georgia saw so much athleticism in Grant’s frame that it was worth trying to lure him from the Buckeye State.

He’s listed at 5’11 (more on that later) and a reasonable 180lbs, but he’s strong for his frame.  He could add another 10-15 pounds and likely maintain his current athleticism and fluidity.  His hip movement is beyond fluid.  The 40 time doesn’t leap off the page, but it underscores the distinction the subtlety of football speed.  He’s great on a pivot and can change direction without breaking much stride.  He’s very nimble footed in that regard.

He also looks adroit in run support too.  The common knock on cornerbacks is that they’re meek in defending the run.

Must Work On: He’s listed at 5’11 by Ohio State.  Rivals.com lists him at 5’10.  Do we then infer he’s like 5’9?  Being tall is not mandatory to be a cornerback.  We all remember just how fantastic 5’9 Antoine Winfield was for the Buckeyes and still mostly is in the NFL, in spite of his advanced age and ankle problems.  However, all the athleticism in the world can’t ultimately compensate for his height.  He can jump, is very comfortable in the air defending the ball and his great body awareness and coordination.  Still, he will always lack ideal height for the position.  This is not a death sentence, and, really, not terribly appropriate for a “must work on”.  Still, it is what it is.

Elsewhere, I think his technique in coverage could use some work.  He’s athletic as all get out, but will want to master the fundamentals in order to best use his athleticism.  Failing that, his athleticism could be a crutch to him becoming a better cornerback.

Redshirt? No.  This was one of the safest predictions entering the summer.  He was always going to play, either on special teams or as a reserve, or both.  He’s already in the two-deep at cornerback.  So, no.

Highlights: Senior year, via Scouting Ohio.

Miscellany:

• Freshmen media day.
• Will major in Communications.
• He played basketball for St. Vincent-St. Mary, where he won state championships in his sophomore and senior year.  It was St. Vincent-St. Mary’s first state title since LeBron’s senior campaign in 2003.
• He was also on the track team, another state champion outfit.  He won individual state championships in 110m outdoor hurdles and the 60m indoor hurdles.  Athleticism.
• The 4.56 might be the slowest 40 time he’s run.  He’s been clocked as high as 4.38.  His SPARQ score is a senior record.  Again: athleticism.
• Grant played in the Big 33 beatdown of Pennsyltucky, along with Devin Smith, Chase Farris, Steve Miller Band and Antonio Underwood.  He had a100 yard interception return for a touchdown. Tony Gerdeman on Grant:

Doran Grant, CB Akron SVSM 5’11” 188 (Ohio State)

I don’t believe Grant had given up a catch until right before his interception. Either he baited the quarterback into going after him again, or he was seeking revenge. Once he snagged the ball, he had no intention of taking a knee in the endzone and immediately turned it upfield like a playmaker should. He’s an easy guy to forget about because the offense avoids him.

• Grant also played in the Ohio North-South exhibition game, along with Steve Miller Band, Devin Smith, Nick Vannett and Chase Farris.  Brandon Castel, on Doran Grant:

ON CB DORAN GRANT…

Much like they did with Miller, the South squad seemed determined to stay away from Doran Grant in this game. It appears like Krause approached this all-star game the way he would any normal game, which meant only a few passes in the direction of Grant, a four-star corner out of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary.

Grant did have a 15-yard facemask penalty on the first drive of the game after he dragged running back Jayshon Jackson to the ground on a screen play. Grant had a couple of nice legal takedowns in the game, but with as much as they were running out of the wildcat, the South team didn’t throw the ball a lot Friday. They did target tight end Nick Vannett a few times down the field, but Grant was there to make a play on a couple of them.

According to the box score, Grant also carried the ball once for three yards.

• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

Versatile athlete who excelled as a receiver, corner and kick returner … two-time all-state honoree for Coach Dan Boarman … recorded 203 tackles, 6 interceptions for the Irish, along with 88 catches for 1,115 yards and 25 TD … Under Armour All-American Game, Ohio North-South Classic, Big 33 Game … USA Today all-USA … Dapper Dan selection … state champion in the 110m outdoor and 60m indoor hurdles … also a basketball letterman … son of Tonya Grant and Ted Jones … father was a receiver at Michigan State

I think Doran Grant is better known.

The More You Know

On the board he goes…

1. I prefer f*ck the world, but I don’t have any input over these matters.

Michael Bennett is already handling the interviews like a boss.

So, is this two-a-days now for Better Know A Buckeye?

I return for the evening session of BKABing with a feature on Michael Bennett.  Bennett, a defensive lineman from Centerville, Ohio, has turned heads in practice.  Depending on who you ask, he might be the surprise story of fall camp.  We’ve observed a great development of Braxton Miller, Jeff Heuerman and Ryan Shazier since their January enrollments, and Devin Smith and Evan Spencer have gone to great lengths to reduce some anxieties about the wide receiver position in 2011 (thank God), but Bennett’s accelerated development might outpace all of them.  This is fantastic.  I take the time to better know him here.  This starts with a recruitment that begins in earnest around the time the 2010 class was being bound to a letter of intent and ends in May with his commitment.  I then proceed in the usual fashion.

Height: 6’3
Weight: 280lbs
High School: Centerville High School; Centerville, OH
Twitter: ?

His Recruitment: The end of January and beginning of February is important in any college football program’s recruiting cycle.  In fact, for most of the serious programs in college football (that is, not your MAC snacks and the like), it starts their early recruiting period.  This is certainly true for Ohio State, which also has a Junior Day around that same time as well.  Ohio State usually uses that time to send out offers to kids they believe will be big time prospects and for whom they want an early advantage on the recruiting trail.  This was the case for Bennett.  Bennett was offered by Ohio State at the end of January.  By that time, he already had offers from the likes of Indiana, Cincitucky, Wake Forest, and NC State, among some other program lightweights.  By any measure, Ohio State was his first big offer and it caught Bennett by surprise.

“I was excited and really wasn’t expecting it,” Bennett said. “I didn’t know if they were that interested in me or not.”

Unlike some of the other 2011 signees previously profiled, his offer sheet blew up shortly thereafter.  We almost expect Notre Dame, Michigan State, TTUN and Penn Shtate to offer the region’s best.  They need to if they’re going to get the region’s best talent and compete for college football supremacy.  Sure enough, they all did.  It was even more surprising to see programs like Oklahoma and Alabama enter the fray.  Alabama has had some recent success in the Buckeye State, but typically stays confined to Alabama and its bordering states.  Likewise, Oklahoma is perfectly content raiding Texas for enough talent to compete for a national championship every year.  The lesson is that an offer to a kid from Ohio comes only with a belief that the kid is an elite talent and worth the necessary resources that will be used to try to lure him to Norman or Tuscaloosa respectively.

On his end, Bennett was genuinely intrigued and not in a big hurry to rush toward a commitment.  Though certain he was not going to be a last second signee with the full hat ceremony, he didn’t feel forced to choose immediately.  To the contrary, kids with mostly regional offers might make quicker decisions because they can better evaluate what the various Big Ten schools (+ Notre Dame) have to offer.  Yet, getting an offer from places like Oklahoma and Alabama might be worth extending the recruitment a couple months to make an unofficial visit.

Fortunately for Ohio State fans, even the lure of Nick Saban and Bob Stoops wasn’t enough to convince Bennett that he needed to be somewhere other than Ohio State.  He was high on the Buckeyes from the beginning, and that stayed constant through the following months.  He made a visit to Ohio State at the end of April.  Everything seemed to tilt in the Buckeyes’ favor, including:

“Things went really well for me at Ohio State on Saturday,” Bennett stated. “I like their coaching staff a lot, and love the facilities at Ohio State. Everything was good. I was there earlier in the week with my high school coaches.”

…

…

“I spent a lot of time talking to (defensive coordinator) Jim Heacock and (head coach) Jim Tressel,” he said. “I like both of them a lot, and have a good relationship with both. You can tell they really care about their players.”

And…

“My parents weren’t with me on the latest visit, but they’ve been there before,” he continued. “My parents like everything about Ohio State.”

A few weeks later, he was committed, in spite of a late push by Nerdwestern (of all programs).  In fact, Bennett actually whittled down his extensive offer list, which included offers like Florida, and USC on top of Oklahoma, Alabama and the regional powers, all the way to Ohio State and Nerdwestern.

His Commitment: Bennett ended any suspense on May 16th when his commitment to The Ohio State University became public.

“I committed to Ohio State,” Bennett said. “I called coach Tressel and just talked to him for a little bit and told him that I would like to commit and would be honored to go to his school.”

Though serious about academics, the decision of Ohio State over Nerdwestern took into consideration the prospects of becoming a professional football player.  He did not see a precipitous drop in academic quality from Nerdwestern to Ohio State.  This is not surprising; The Ohio State University is a great academic institution.  Meanwhile, the Wildcats do not exactly have an NFL pedigree beyond someone like Otto Graham.

Michael Bennett was the 11th commitment in the recruiting class and the fourth defensive linemen.  Though Chase Farris projects as a versatile player for Heacock, it looks like Bennett is the true defensive tackle of the group.

Where He Excels: This was a topic for debate for awhile among recruitniks and Ohio State fans.  More than a few people projected Bennett as an offensive lineman, a guard in particular.  Bennett tried to signal that he would rather not do this, feeling that defense is more natural and that he has a higher ceiling on the other side of the ball.  Ohio State’s coaches agree.  We have enough interior offensive linemen on the roster, and Bennett has the makings of a phenomenal defensive lineman.  I’m still stewing over Urban Meyer denying us Sharrif Floyd,¹ but Bennett will fill that spot nicely.

He’s a terror inside for opposing guards and centers.  He could be a good center or offensive guard, but will be great at demoralizing them for the Buckeyes.  He’s strong and hits with prejudice.  Football players at the youth level are always told  hit through their blocks or the ball carrier.  Bennett does precisely that, hitting through them as if they were multiple cinder blocks for a black belt.

Incidentally, Mike Bennett is a black belt in taekwondo.  He credits the martial art with helping him grow into his body and facilitate better coordination of his body on the gridiron.

Also, I think he has the frame to really eat up space as an upperclassmen while maintaining his current agility and athleticism.  The potential is all there for Bennett.

Must Work On: While I’m excited to read he’s made such strides in camp, I’m not sure how effective he is as a pass rusher.  Again, most high school football is run-intensive, so this is nothing new.  But, if he wants to make that immediate impact on our defense, he’ll need to see how quickly he can become a third down lineman for Jim Heacock.  If this is all I’m bringing up in this section, consider that a good thing.

Redshirt? Nope.  I’m glad to admit being wrong here.  I thought the adjustment to the college game might have been hindered by his broken arm from the US Army All-American Bowl.  I try to be conservative.  I thought the combination of that, plus the much better quality of offensive linemen in practice might slow down his transition and make a redshirt somewhat tempting for the coaching staff with other eligible players.  Bennett is most certainly not redshirting 2011 and is the surest thing to play immediately among the true freshmen, perhaps after Braxton Miller.  While some freshmen have cracked the two-deep, Bennett has already run with the ones.  Great stuff.  I’m glad to be a bit wrong here.

Highlights: I actually think he kills someone at the 33 second mark or so.  Did he kill him? I think he killed him. #RIP.

Miscellany:

• Mike Bennett is pursuing a degree in biology and is serious about the prospects of medical school either after his professional career or in lieu of one.
• 11W caught up with him in April of last year, about two weeks before his commitment.
• Michael Bennett played in the US Army All-American Bowl, along with fellow Buckeyes Curtis Grant and Brian Bobek.  It was there that he also broke his arm.  His actual comments immediately after breaking his arm? Well…

As he was being taken off the field, he could be seen saying: “I’m fine. It’s broken. I’m cool.”

• Both parents are graduates of the United States Military Academy, which means he was like the most Tressel recruit ever in the history of Tressel recruits.  And he kills people for the thrill of it, judging from his highlight tape.
• The broken arm prevented him from fully participating in the USA v. The World game, though he did partake in the festivities with Ron Tanner (also there).  The game overlapped with signing day, meaning he and Tanner faxed in their LOIs.
• Freshmen Media Day interview.
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

Talented lineman who has excelled on both sides of the ball … first team Division I all-Ohio, all-southwest Ohio … two-time GWOC conference player of year … team captain … helped Coach Ron Ullery’s Elks post a 9-3 record and reach the regional semifinals … broke the school record for knockdowns by 150 in his career … U.S. Army All-American Bowl … 2011 Team USA vs. The World Game … USA Today all-USA … also a track and field letterman, making the state quarterfinals in shot put and discus … son of Mike and Connie Bennett

I think Mike Bennett is now better known.

The More You Know

I would not want to be on his shit list…

1. Seriously, I should not be as upset about that as I am, but I am. Dammit.  He would’ve been phenomenal for us and he will be a great one for the Gators.

Brian Bobek

I take one more step in my tentative goal to better know six Buckeyes over the course of the weekend, knowing that the regular season starts a week from today and I’ll be out of town from Wednesday through that Sunday.  Nevertheless, I take time to consider Brian Bobek, an offensive lineman from Palatine, Illinois.¹  Bobek was on Ohio State’s radar fairly early into the process, about four months before some of his other classmates that were part of that two day stretch of five commitments (Carter, Gambrell, Underwood, and Farris).  Though Bobek received scholarship offers from other Big Ten powers, notably Michigan State and Purdue, Bobek and family were high on Ohio State early and never intended to drag out his recruitment for very long.  Ohio State got a fairly quick commitment from Bobek, who is better known here in the usual fashion.

Height: 6’2
Weight: 280lbs
High School: William Fremd High School; Palatine, IL
Twitter: @brianbobek51

His Recruitment: Recruiting can be a taxing and expensive enterprise for a college football program.  Any program can easily waste time and scarce resources by shotgun blasting offers to anyone and everyone, regardless of the recruit’s real, latent level of interest in the program.  For example, it’s easier for Ohio State to recruit a top flight out-of-state talent when they know ahead of time they will listen and that Ohio State has some type of importance either regionally or to the particular recruit and family.  It’s why Ohio State doesn’t spend much time in Alabama in spite of the talent in the Rammer Jammer State, but will look to Western Pennsylvania and South Florida, where Ohio State has visible alumni communities and past success.

In Bobek’s case, he and his family took the initiative by sending Brian to Columbus for summer camp and sending the football program his materials.  Ohio State, under Jim Tressel, usually had a very good reputation for being thorough in their evaluations.  I think I’ve encountered an occasion or too where a recruit felt lost in Ohio State’s shuffle (Devin Smith comes to mind), but usually the program is very thorough, provides feedback, and takes the unsolicited reception of materials as a credible signal of interest (whether or not the recruit in question is an Ohio State caliber player or not).²  In this case, Bobek was clearly a player on par with what the coaching staff wants to compete for conference and national championships.  For example, Bobek posted the top vertical jump for an interior lineman and the most reps on the bench press at a combine in February 2010.  The 32 inch vertical and 38 reps on the bench are very impressive for a 16 year old who had two more years of high school football left.  Ohio State let Bobek know the interest was mutual.  The Buckeyes offered on February 16th and Bobek’s family noted no other program had been more thorough in their evaluation of their son than Ohio State.

“My father got an email from coach Jim Bollman earlier (Tuesday) that said for me to call him when things were convenient for me,” Bobek said. “When I got home from school I called him and he really just got straight to the point telling me that I would be getting a letter in the next few days for an offer.”

Bobek admits that he grew up as a fan of the Big Ten and that certainly doesn’t hurt Ohio State’s chances. What was it about his visit that set Ohio State apart from other schools to date?

“I was very impressed with the coaches and I think they are just great people,” Bobek said. “I know that my parents feel the same way and we have very similar values. As far as the program itself I have always been impressed with Ohio State because they are tops in the country every year.”

Two other programs in the conference sent offers to Bobek shortly after Ohio State: Purdue and Michigan State.  Purdue could definitely use a lineman like Bobek and let him know that after an unofficial visit to West Lafayette.  Likewise, Michigan State used the occasion of an unofficial visit to remind Bobek and family that he was their #1 center on their board of recruits.  Notre Dame was interested as well, but ran into a logistical problem.  They wanted an unofficial visit (as a signal of interest), but Bobek already had plans to be committed to a university by that time.  And that university was The Ohio State University before too long.

His Commitment: Like Chase Farris, Brian Bobek’s commitment was a function of the other commitments that occurred at that same time.  With Chris Carter and Antonio Underwood on the board, Bobek figured he might as well put his name on the commitment list as well.

“Last night I was on my way home from Michigan State and Michigan from visiting and then I got news from a friend of my mom’s that two Cleveland (Ohio) offensive linemen committed to Ohio State and I thought that I maybe I should get on the ball and start doing this pretty fast,” Bobek said.

But the Buckeyes were quick to let Bobek know that they were not about to give up on him because of adding two linemen in the past 24 hours and wanted to make sure that he felt the love.

“When we got home there was an email from Doc Tressel and let us know about the two guys had committed and basically still letting us know that they still wanted me,” Bobek said. “In the morning I called up coach (Jim) Bollman and he said that (the two linemen) were both guards and it didn’t affect me at all and I was their No. 1 center on the board and they would not recruit another center until I had made my decision. At that point I knew it was right so I accepted their offer.”

Far from feeling compelled into a commitment, Bobek noted this is probably the choice he would’ve made before too long, all else equal.

“It just felt right to commit to Ohio State and the timing also just felt right to me. The coaches at Ohio State just had a great approach towards my recruiting process, plus it’s really hard to pass up the chance to play for a school like Ohio State. They are graduating like nine offensive linemen over the next few years and I’ll also have every chance to earn some early playing time. In every aspect it’s just a great fit and a great situation for me there.”

…

“It actually felt great to have this done today. I felt a ton of weight off my shoulders after I committed. It became more stressful that I thought it was going to be especially this early. Now I can just focus on my senior year and helping my team this fall.”

Bobek was the third offensive linemen in the class, behind the aforementioned Carter and Underwood.  As Bobek is the last of the five commitments in the two day span to be better known, this is the last time I’ll mention that two day wave of commitments from Carter, Gambrell, Underwood, Bobek and Farris.

Where He Excels: Bobek is being groomed, at least so far, as the heir apparent to Michael Brewster at center.  There’s always the potential to be moved to one of the guard spots, like a Jack Mewhort, but center is the goal for now.

Bobek is strong for an interior lineman fresh out of high school.  38 reps on the bench as a 16 year old should speak to precisely that.  Much of the strength is in his upper body, where the necessary chest, traps, biceps and triceps help him overpower his blockers.  I think leg strength could stand to be improved, but that’s why there’s a strength and conditioning staff.

Importantly, Bobek finishes plays, and with prejudice.  No coach should have to tell a player to play to the whistle, and I doubt Bollman will have to do that with Bobek.  It is worth noting that the reason he is able to be so aggressive whistle to whistle is quality footwork.  His feet allow him to keep moving while blocking and serve as a good foundation for above average agility as well.

Must Work On: I wonder how much weight he can pack on.  He is a little light right now (but not terribly so) and I am unsure if he can get to 300 or so.  Consider this an unknown, in that I actually don’t know the extent to which his frame can add mass and maintain current athleticism.

Moreover, I think he is a bit suspect in the moment in pass protection.  Again, this is common for high school linemen in a sport where the run game is predominant.  The lack of reps in pass protection makes him susceptible to reaching and losing his balance in the circumstances where he is required to drop into a pass pro stance.  I highlight this is a common shortcoming for high school offensive linemen.

Redshirt? I think Ohio State would like to sit on his eligibility if they could.  The problem is they can’t.  There’s just so little quality depth on the offensive line.  We will be without Mike Adams for games 1 through 5 and Corey Linsley’s status for the first few games is uncertain.  Bobek is already in the two-deep and will play accordingly.  I kind of wish he did not have to play immediately, but, as I’ve noted before, he is the most capable of playing right away of any of the offensive linemen in the class.

Highlights: Brian Bobek is not from Ohio, so I can regrettably not add some glowing remark about Scouting Ohio.  Nor can I credibly admonish Scouting Ohio for not being Scouting Illinois.  So, here’s some grainy footage via ESPN.  Surprise: ESPN doesn’t believe in your “never autoplay anything to me ever” policy.

Miscellany:

• Brian Bobek admitted to being a big Big Ten fan (big Big?) growing up, though not necessarily of the Buckeyes.  His parents are both Iowa graduates and his father, Jeff Bobek, played for the Hawkeyes and lettered in 1980.  Incidentally, there was some kind of story in the background of Bobek’s recruitment of the family trying to get the attention of Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes and being unsuccessful.  If Bobek had received a scholarship offer from Iowa, I’m not sure he would have not ended up at Ohio State.  But, I think it would’ve changed his recruitment a bit.  Alas, I do not know the full details there.
• His brother, Jeff Jr., is a walk-on fullback for Michigan State, which underscores some of their interest in him and his interest in their program.
• His high school is also the one that produced Scott Tolzien.  Tolzien got the better of the Buckeyes in 2010, but that doesn’t mean that Tolzien is loved by anyone.  Far from it: nobody loves Scott Tolzien.
• The high school newspaper is called The Conspiracy.  Maybe I don’t want to know…
• Bobek is an Army All-American, though that all-star exhibition game is rather quickly being devoured by Under Armour and the top flight talent it convinces to be in Florida for January rather than San Antonio. He was there with future Buckeye Curtis Grant and Michael Bennett.
• Bobek was named a Parade All-American, a prestigious national accolade for a high school football player.  He joins Curtis Grant as the only other Buckeye with that accolade in this class.
• Scout.com listed him as the #1 center prospect in the country.  Rivals.com has him at #3 nationally.  Still very good.
• Fluff from ESPN Chicago. Delicious, sweet, creamy fluff.

“For a while, I don’t say I was getting worried, but I wasn’t getting that much attention,” the 6-foot-2 ½, 275-pound Bobek said. “That was one of the things, I wasn’t sure about what level I would be able to play on. I worried a little bit. I had gone to a few of those camps. I had played pretty well, but it’s hard to tell. It’s not really full football.

“I always had my doubts about myself. What kept my confidence up was people said, ‘You can be great if you keep working.’ That proved they were all right. It was a good choice to keep doing what they asked.”

• Bobek providing context on Ohio State’s recent NCAA troubles. Also: more fluff.

Bobek could have looked to head elsewhere. Instead, today he’s heading to Columbus to start training and attending summer school.

“The way I looked at it is they’re committed to me just like I’m committed to them,” Bobek said. “In my senior season of football if I would have blown out my knee and never played football again I’d still keep my scholarship.

“I looked at it the same way. I’m going to stick to them because they’re sticking to me. I would never consider changing my mind.”

• Freshmen media day, via Eleven Warriors.
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

Skilled offensive lineman who was a three-year starter for Coach Mike Donatucci at Palatine’s Fremd High … U.S. Army All-American Bowl … Parade, RivalsHigh and Scout.com All-America … first team all-state from Chicago Tribune, Champaign News Gazette, Rivals, Daily Herald … Chicago Sun-Times all-area and Daily Herald all-area … Daily Herald Cook County 2010-11 Athlete of the Year … conference champion in shot put and discus … honor roll … son of Jeff and Terri Bobek … father was an Iowa linebacker and mother played women’s basketball for the Hawkeyes … brother Jeff is a Michigan State fullback

I think Brian Bobek is better known.

The More You Know

Let’s put him on the board.  Five more including Cardale Jones?  On to the next one.

1. Palatine is in suburban Chicago off the I-355.  It’s 10 minute from Vernon Hills, home of Evan Spencer.
2. If I recall correctly, it’s how they got such great leverage on Michael Brewster’s recruitment in 2008.

Chase Farris on signing day.

Can I find time to better know seven Buckeyes over the weekend?  We’re about to find out.

In this feature, I take one step toward that end by profiling Chase Farris.  Chase Farris, a defensive lineman from Elyria High School,¹ was the fifth commitment in that two day tidal wave that started with Chris Carter and included DerJuan Gambrell, Antonio Underwood and Brian Bobek.  Farris is a versatile athlete, a veritable 6’6, who was discussed for all positions on the defensive line and was even thought, for a hot minute, to be an offensive tackle or a tight end.  The hope for the coaching staff is that he becomes a talented defensive lineman who can be used in a variety of packages for Jim Heacock.  I better know him here in the usual fashion.

Height: 6’6
Weight: 265lbs
40: 4.9
High School: Elyria High School; Elyria, OH
Twitter: @ChaseFarris57

His Recruitment: Mercifully for Buckeye fans, Farris’ recruitment was uneventful.  Like most of his compatriots in that five day span, their recruitments started in February 2010 and ended a month later.  By February 2010, he had more offers than some of the other kids in the class.  Whereas Gambrell only had Toledo to his name, and Antonio Underwood had some more MAC offers, Farris was listing scholarship offers from more diverse schools like Buffalo, Duke and Indiana.  Ohio State entered the fray in February 2010, extending a scholarship offer when other regional powers like Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State were letting Farris know they were interested.  Fortunately for Ohio State fans, they had found a heavy Buckeye lean.

“He is very excited about the offer,” Elyria head coach Steve Hamilton said. “He has always wanted to attend The Ohio State University so he was just amazed when he heard the news.”

Awesome.  It also looked like a commitment would be coming almost immediately.

“If I do end up committing (to Ohio State) it will likely be in the next week or two,” Farris said.

…

“When you are raised in Ohio you have that dream of playing on that big stage at Ohio State and I think it is bred into everybody that is raised in Ohio,” Farris said. “Playing for Ohio State is just about everyone in Ohio’s dream.”

This was delayed for awhile.  Though still very interested in the Buckeyes, more offers started to roll in from programs like Louisville, Michigan State, Illinois and Boston College.  Further, Notre Dame had offered and that usually attracts some attention from a Buckeye State product.

Ultimately, the lure of the Buckeyes going to be too much to pass up for Farris.  He took a midweek trip to Columbus with his mom to see things for himself.  The visit was a eye-opener for Farris, who did not know the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex had its own basketball court and racquetball room.²  The communication with the recruiting coordinators and even with Cam Heyward, who was wandering the halls on an otherwise quiet day, was enough to let Farris know this was probably the place he should be.

“(Ohio State) makes me feel like I am family. So I just have to go check out a few more places probably but I don’t know about that yet and need to talk to my coach.”

Two weeks later, he committed.

His Commitment: Farris eventually committed on March 17th, capping a great haul over two days that also included Chris Carter, DerJuan Gambrell, Antonio Underwood and Brian Bobek.  I know I have already mentioned that several times before.  The commitments all clustered together, but there’s some indication that Farris was not unaware of this development.

“I was at the LeCharles Bentley (Lineman) Academy and then I started hearing how many people had just committed and then (Bentley) and I had a little talk ourselves,” Farris said. “We just started talking about spots in the class and things like that. He told me to call coach Tressel that night. He wanted to make sure I was a man of my word and that I would call coach that night.”

Farris wasted little time getting in touch with Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel.

“I called him when I got home and talked to him and he told me that he had a spot for me in the class,” Farris. “And then I committed.”

Thanks LeCharles.

Farris was the third defensive linemen in the class, following the super early commitments from Kenny Hayes and the Steve Miller Band.  He’s also from Elyria High School, which I think is just fantastic.

Where He Excels: Chase Farris is a physical specimen, pure and simple.  He has all the physical tools to be an all-everything player for the Buckeyes.  He is expected to be a defensive end as a first position, but has the potential to rotate inside and out in the Buckeyes’ defensive line and impose his will accordingly.

That 6’6 is not exaggerated.  He is every decimeter of that 6’6, though metric measurements do not obviously neatly convert to imperial units as such.³  There’s real optimism that Farrris uses that height to his advantage, playing long and maintaining outside leverage in his pursuit of the play.  He’s listed at 265lbs, but looks leaner than that.  He has Mike Adams’ frame; that ability to pack lots of weight and not look bloated or heavy.  His frame alone is very intriguing and deserving of the 4-stars he has from the recruiting services.

Beyond that, Farris plays with a perpetually running motor, which is good.  Any coach would hate to have to instruct a player to play to the whistle.  He uses his strength well too, reliably making first contact on his blocker.  Doing the opposite — letting the offensive lineman make first contact — is bad, and makes me a sad panda.

Must Work On: Farris did match up with some quality players in high school, but I still think he’s a little raw.  I think he could stand to fire off the line quicker.  I know I mentioned he reliably makes first contact, but I don’t see that being the case if he doesn’t make some improvements in his burst from the line of scrimmage.  Moreover, high school isn’t the best place for a 6’6 defensive end to learn how to play low.  It’s too easy to creep up in your stance when you can (kinda literally) punch your blocks off you and get to the ballcarrier.  It’s a bad habit that should be corrected, and I think it’s one that Jim Heacock takes some pride in correcting.  The guy knows defensive linemen.

Redshirt? I spent much of the feature hyping him, but I think he’s one of the safe redshirts for 2011.  Michael Bennett will play immediately, and I think Joel Hale and Steve Miller will as well.  Farris’ eligibility will probably be preserved for 2012.

Highlights: If it were up to me, my firstborn child would probably be named Scouting Ohio.

Miscellany:

• Farris played in the Ohio North-South game, along with Steve Miller Band, Nick Vannett, Devin Smith, and Doran Grant.  Brandon Castel described his performance as follows.

ON DE CHASE FARRIS…

Farris definitely passes the look test, but he wasn’t much of a factor in Friday’s game despite the fact the South team was often running the ball in his direction. He had a chance to make a big play in the backfield early on, but whiffed on Jayshon Jackson. He picked up an offsetting personal foul penalty and seemed to be around the ball most of the day, but didn’t come away with many tackles.

Analysis: Right now, Farris relies too much on instincts. “See ball, get ball” is what he told me this week and that seems to be exactly how he plays. He doesn’t have a lot of technique yet or ability to read plays, but he’s big and strong and gives good effort. He tends to get up field a little too quickly before he realizes where the play is headed, but he showed some toughness and some nastiness in the game, which is what you want to see from a defensive lineman.

• Farris also played in the Big 33 waxing of Pennsyltucky, along with Doran Grant, Steve Miller Band, Devin Smith, Antonio Underwood and Nick Vannett.  Go-Go Gadget Tony Gerdeman:

Chase Farris, DL Elyria 6’6” 270 (Ohio State)

Farris, who said he’s right around 270 pounds at the moment, played both inside and outside. He did a nice job of chasing plays down. The stat sheet showed him with zero sacks, but I showed him with at least two. Believe who you want.

• Farris’ third post-season exhibition game was the Offense-Defense Bowl, along with Nick Vannett, Derjuan Gambrell, Jeremy Cash, Kenny Hayes, Tommy Brown, Ron Tanner and Cardale Jones.  The reviews were glowing and Farris was named the Defensive MVP of the game.  The Offensive MVP? Cardale Jones.  Damn right.
• I know I already mentioned that Elyria High Schools is one of the four best high schools in the Buckeye State, namely because, as a native Californian, my familiarity with Ohio high schools is somewhat limited to where my friends attended.  I have four very dear friends from college and two of their alma maters are represented here (Chase Farris — Elyria; Tommy Brown — FIRESTONE).  Marietta High School and Reynoldsburg High School failed to produce a quality football talent for this year’s recruiting class and that is entirely their fault.  Incidentally, you probably know Elyria High School as the alma mater of Vic Janowicz, winner of the 1950 Heisman Trophy.  You may also know it as the alma mater of Les Miles.  Okay, so not all things from Elyria High School kick ass.
• Pre-compiled stats courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

First team all-Ohio player on both sides of the football … team, county, conference, district defensive lineman of year … all-Lorain, all-northeast Ohio, all-district teams … recorded 95 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 31 TFL as a senior for Coach Steve Hamilton …defensive MVP of Offense-Defense Bowl … Ohio North-South Classic, Big 33 Game … also a basketball letterman … MAC Scholar … son of Dina Farris and Rodney Moore

Well, I think Chase Farris is better known.

The More You Know

Let’s put him on the board.  What’s that, six more including Cardale Jones?  I could pull that off.

1. Elyria High School is widely regarded, by me, to be one of the best high schools in the Great State of Ohio. Mostly because one of my dear friends is from there.
2. Okay, who on our staff plays racquetball? Details please.
3. In my defense, a decimeter is awfully close for rounding into an inch.

DerJuan Gambrell was all smiles on media day.

We are eight days from kickoff and we still have, surprise, eight Buckeyes to better know.  It looks like I might not finish this feature after all, but I will definitely see how many I can better know before that time comes.  DerJuan Gambrell is up next.  Gambrell, or “PeeWee” as is his nickname, is a defensive back from Toledo’s Rogers High School.  Gambrell was part of that wave of commitments that started with Chris Carter and ended with Chase Farris.  Ohio State added five commitments in two days and Gambrell was either #2 or #3 in that wave.¹ He is better known here.

Height: 6’2
Weight: 180lbs
40: 4.5
High School: Rogers High School; Toledo, OH
Twitter: ?

His Recruitment: Gambrell’s commitment started much like any other Ohio State recruit.  Remember, 9 times out of 10, an in-state prospect starts getting interest from low level schools after the sophomore year and those same lower tier 1-A programs end up sending out the first offers.  In the Ohio context, those are the slew of MAC schools we have in the venerable Buckeye State.  Such was Gambrell.  Unsurprisingly, Toledo had offered Gambrell by time the Buckeyes discovered him and gave him a strong look in February 2010.  Every indication was that this would not be an eventful recruitment.

“I really don’t know how it will play out but at this moment the way I am feeling has me wanting to be a Buckeye all the way,” Gambrell said. “But I haven’t seen other places and talked to a bunch of other coaches yet. So I don’t know when I will figure all the things out yet.”

Not definitive, but very good.  In fact, all that was needed was a month after those words.

His Commitment: It was actually about a month to the day after those comments when Gambrell pulled the trigger, becoming Ohio State’s fifth commitment in 2011.  The decision was fairly academic.  Gambrell was Ohio State’s first defensive back in the 2011 class and one of two cornerbacks in the class.  The other is Doran Grant while Jeremy Cash and Ron Tanner factor into the safety rotation.

Where He Excels: There is a lot of excitement about Gambrell in camp.  Most are higher on Doran Grant, the Under Armour All-American with considerable fanfare.  It’s good that they are.  Nevertheless, there’s buzz that Gambrell has his own potential to be a great cover guy for the Buckeyes.

Regrettably, I can’t see it.  Don’t mistake that as me being down on Gambrell, it’s just that it’s hard for me to project a guy as a defensive back when much of his highlight film consists of him playing on offense and being the beneficiary of a lot of end-arounds.² One thing I did notice by about the 5th end-around is Gambrell’s agility and his hips.  He does not have a very convincing top-end speed, but does flash the ability to swivel his hips, turn on a dime and maintain agility.  You hope that translates into the necessary tools to play corner, especially when cornerbacks spend a lot of time on a backpedal or adjusting their hips to the receiver.

Must Work On: I noted he lacks a great top-end speed.  I still think he can play cornerback for the Buckeyes, but this might come up if he advances to such a point where he is a candidate for the National Football League.  Therein, he might be considered as a safety.

Elsewhere, I have read that Gambrell is kind of a meek tackler, especially in run support.  Granted, this is a truism of a lot of cornerbacks who are typecast as meek tacklers.  There are few cornerbacks like Antoine Winfield to give you a corner and a smile.  However, college football is fairly run-heavy and we would need him to mix it up more in run support if we are in a position in the future to ask him to start.

Weirdly, he may factor into the cornerback picture at Ohio State, at least initially, but has not played the position since 7th grade.  He has been a safety when he played defensive snaps for Rogers.

Redshirt? There’s some positive buzz about Gambrell from camp, but everything I’ve read suggests it projects in the long term.  We have enough defensive backs on the team and Gambrell isn’t in the two-deep.  I don’t think we need him for special teams either.  My guess is we’re going to sit on his eligibility for a year.

Highlights: Senior year, via Scouting Ohio.

Miscellany:

• His brother recently graduated from Arizona State, where he was on the track team.  Apparently he was trying to recruit Gambrell to Arizona State, but Gambrell decided to stay in-state.
• He is from the same high school as Fred Davis, the former USC tight end who figuratively (and maybe literally) enrolled at USC under the cover of darkness.  I know I mentioned this with Kenny Hayes (same high school as Kevin Koger), but Ohio State has a complicated recent history with Toledo.  But, everyone loves Sanzy.
• Gambrell played in the Offense-Defense Bowl, along with Nick Vannett, Kenny Hayes, Jeremy Cash, Chase Farris, Tommy Brown, Ron Tanner and Cardale Jones.  He was given honorable mention for closing speed in a Rivals.com evaluation.
• Ohio Varsity ranked him #6 among defensive backs in the state, behind Doran Grant, Eilar Hardy (Notre Dame), Ron Tanner, Tamani Carter (TSUN), and Greg Brown (TSUN).
• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of Scout.com.

Speedy cornerback prospect from Toledo’s Rogers High … first team all-city, all-Blade, all-district for Coach Rick Rios … missed four games as a senior due to injury, but still accounted for 551 yards, 7 TD rushing and 24 tackles … Offense-Defense Bowl, Ohio North-South Classic, Big 33 Game … regional champion at 400 meters … goes by the nickname “Peewee” … son of Wanda Gambrell and Darryl Elston … brother Darryl runs track at Arizona State

Earned first-team all-league honors despite missing much of the season with a knee injury.

As a junior, Gambrell earned first-team all-league honors after recording 50 tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception. Offensively, he scored seven touchdowns.

Also a track standout, Gambrell won a Division I regional championship in the 400-meter dash as a sophomore.

I think DerJuan Gambrell has been better known, to the best of my abilities.

The More You Know

Let’s put him on the board.

1. Antonio Underwood committed the same day.
2. The fact he missed four games as a senior with an injury compounds this problem.

Kenny Hayes pities the fool

We’re in the eleventh hour of these features; that is, if we value getting them finished before the start of the regular season.  In this 15th installment of the fourth edition of this now 23-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye, I go all the way to the beginning with Kenny Hayes.  Hayes, a defensive end from Toledo, Ohio, was the very first commitment in the 2011 class, committing way back in August 31st, 2009.  For a frame of reference, that is one day before Jordan Whiting committed before his junior year in 2007.  Since the time Hayes committed, we’ve enrolled Duron Carter, Dorian Bell, Sam Longo, Jonathan Newsome, James Jackson and James Louis before transferring them to Alabama, Duquesne, Cincinnati, Ball State, Grand Valley State and Parts Unknown respectively.  A lot has happened since Hayes committed, but Hayes remained committed to the program.  He is better known here.

Height: 6’5
Weight: 240lbs
High School: Whitmer High School; Toledo, OH
Twitter: @KennyHayes86

His Recruitment: Toledo is an interesting town for Ohio State to recruit.  We’ve had some success there in recent years.  Jack Mewhort has served us well and will continue to do so for the near future.  Everyone loves Sanzy, especially Jon Gruden.  However, the town doesn’t produce a lot of talent and the border town has a lore of conflicting loyalties.  There’s a well-known store in city limits that sells both Wolvereenie gear and Buckeye gear.  The local university may have embarrassed TSUN in richly satisfying fashion, but it nevertheless dons its colors.  Earle Bruce once made a point to signal to Bo Schembechler that Toledo was part of Ohio and will be treated as such, as if Schembechler were making unwanted border incursions into the Great State of Ohio that warranted a hearing before the International Court of Justice.  Ohio State loses some talent in Toledo; tight ends Fred Davis and Kevin Koger come to mind.  Nevertheless, we do well enough given the circumstances.¹  And everyone loves Sanzy.

Enter Kenny Hayes, who Buckeye fans were fortunate enough to learn was a huge fan of the Buckeyes.  He already had an Illinois offer before his junior year, a common practice for Zook at this time.  It encouraged him to work harder, but Ohio State was the offer he wanted.

In terms of what he likes about Ohio State, Hayes said, “I like the way they run their program, and also I like the facilities and just how the team is. I like the way that their defense plays, and everything is just great.”

According to Hayes there has been some contact between Ohio State and his high school coach, but at this point he isn’t quite sure of where things stand. “They have talked to my coach like two weeks ago, but I am not sure what it was about.”

And then, a week later, he committed.  Yeah that was fast.

His Commitment: It turns out Hayes did have an offer forthcoming and that the contact with his high school head coach was a signal of strong interest on Ohio State’s part.  It was definitely a spot commitment.

For Hayes it has never been a matter of if he wanted to go to Ohio State, it has simply been a dream. The Toledo Whitmer product has been watching the Buckeyes for a long time, and as soon as he got an offer, he knew it was time to commit.

“My coach told me today after practice that I had an offer,” said Hayes. “I was happy, I was real happy. I couldn’t say anything for a while. I was speechless.”

About why he has so much love for the Buckeyes, Hayes said, “I have been watching Ohio State since seventh grade, and I really like the way they play. I have just always wanted to play on that defense.”

It was Ohio State’s first commitment of the 2011 recruiting class, coming even before the season started with a nail-biter against Navy and a deflating loss against a meek Trojans squad.  Yep, before all that, we were already talking about 2011.  A lot has changed since then, least among them being Hayes going from the Obama shirt to the Mr. T haircut.  Hayes’ commitment, though, never changed.

Where He Excels: Steve Miller projects at weakside defensive end for the Buckeyes while Hayes look more like a strongside defensive end.  I’ve thought for years that Hayes has the higher ceiling of the two defensive ends in the 2011 class while Miller, a great prospect himself, looks like he can contribute to the team quicker.  I’m not sure what has changed during camp with respect to Hayes, but I’m still inclined to believe that’s the case.

Like Darryl Baldwin, the size is ideal.  At 6’5 and 240lbs and basketball-ideal arm length, Hayes has all the physical tools to succeed for Jim Heacock.  This runs the gamut.  It includes having the nimble feet to move laterally, to move in pursuit of a ball carrier and to change direction quickly and get up field.  It also includes having the necessary strength to overwhelm blockers and straight-up bull-rush them like Cam Heyward did for us.  But, these are projections.  If he works at it, he could be a terror in the conference.

Must Work On: Perhaps the case of Darryl Baldwin will serve us well here again.  Recall my BKAB feature on Darryl Baldwin, where I gushed about his potential but cautioned that the adjustment from Solon to Ohio State is going to be a brutal and vengeful one.  I like Baldwin; I still do and it looks like he’s figuring it out.  Likewise, I think that’s what will happen to Kenny Hayes. In two and a half words: he’s raw.

When you see those comments, it basically means there are bad habits that develop from simply being bigger and stronger than everyone.  Strength is great, but you don’t want to rely on it.  You won’t have that huge advantage in college that you did against your 6’2 210lb offensive tackles in high school.  I think the biggest bad habit that develops is “playing tall”, something Hayes has a tendency to do.  That doesn’t mean he’s lazy, but if it’s effective enough in high school, you become more reticent to fix what does not appear to be a problem.

Hayes will need to adjust all of these things and more if he is going to meet his full potential.  If he does, he’s a first team All-Big Ten caliber defensive end and an All-American.  And I mean that.

Redshirt? I think so.  When I was thinking redshirts for the defensive linemen, I had one pegged for Hayes and possibly Miller and Bennett, depending on how things played out in August.  Miller may not redshirt, Bennett will almost certainly not redshirt.  This has been a very pleasant surprise, and one that I did not entirely expect given his injury and his position.  Joel Hale will play as well.  As for Hayes?  I think he redshirts.  There’s nothing wrong with that.

Highlights: Seriously, who hates Scouting Ohio? Who could possibly hate Scouting Ohio?

Miscellany:

• Hayes played in the Offense-Defense Bowl, along with Nick Vannett, Derjuan Gambrell, Jeremy Cash, Chase Farris, Tommy Brown, Ron Tanner and Cardale Jones.  He was signaled as a top performer in practice, with Keith Niebuhr noting:

As much as any player on hand this week, Hayes passes the so-called “eyeball test.” Simply put, the Ohio State commit is put together. Not only is Hayes quick, he appears to understand how to play his position. Even when he did something wrong, he quickly made amends for it. Example: When informed at one point by his position coach that he wasn’t turning his hips enough to create space between himself and an offensive lineman, Hayes got specific directions on how to correct the issue, then immediately fixed it.

• Has a younger brother, Nigel Hayes, who is at Whitmer.  Whitmer is also the same high school as Kevin Koger and the also Michigan-bound Chris Wormley.
• Both Hayes were at the center of an accusation of racial bias and insensitivity against the high school’s basketball coach.  I admit I don’t know a lot about what went on behind the scenes here.
• Sports Illustrated’s High School Player of the Week
• Hayes was one of two players to not participate in the Freshmen Media Day.  The other was Conner Crowell, who was home after surgery.  No reason has been given.
• His choice of hair for the USC game in 2009:

I wish I could pull off both this and the Mr. T. (JWinslow)

• Pre-compiled stats, courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com:

Rangy pass rusher who was district defensive player of the year at Toledo’s Whitmer High … 47 tackles, 11 TFL, 7 sacks and a blocked kick for the 12-2 Panthers … all-state, all-Toledo City League, all-district, all-Blade for Coach Joe Palka … Offense-Defense Bowl … all-city in basketball … son of Talaya and Al Davis

I hope you can consider Kenny Hayes, better known. Pity the fool.

The More You Know

Let’s put him on the board.

1. I’m more worried about invading Cincitucky and subduing it for the Buckeyes than I am in Michigan taking a player like Chris Wormley.

Conner Crowell was unable to attend the freshmen media day, but made it to team media day

Tick tock.  We are in the final week of camp and less than two weeks from the season opener against Akron.  An uncertain team in an uncertain season is gradually resolving that uncertainty at key positions.  A lot of freshmen will play in 2011 and, regrettably, Conner Crowell will not be one of them.  Yeah, this post will be a bit of a downer, but Crowell, a linebacker from Waldorf, Maryland, sadly suffered a broken left ankle about a week after he committed to Ohio State.  A promising linebacker with speed to spare did not rebound like Andrew Norwell did last year, having to undergo another surgery about a month ago.  Regardless, and importantly assuming a full recovery with no lingering, long-term effects, Crowell provides speed at the position of linebacker and could have a solid career for the Buckeyes.  I profile him here in this 14th installment of the fourth edition of this now 23-part series titled Better Know A Buckeye.

Height: 6’1
Weight: 220lbs
High School: North Point High School; Waldorf, MD
40: 4.55
Twitter: formerly @BaPPnCroWeeZy¹

His Recruitment: Someone with more authority than me may clarify or outright correct what follows, but Ohio State football likes Maryland.  Ohio State doesn’t have to recruit any further than inside its own state and, maybe, next door Western PA.  However, dwindling talent in Cleveland, inability to control Cincitucky and intrusions from rivals means it really should in order to maintain its status as an elite football program.  To that end, Ohio State adds players from Florida, and Western PA and dabbles in Indiana and so on.  However, recruiting out of state is costly.  Ohio State has name recognition, but does not automatically overwhelm an out of state recruit, all things equal.  Further, it’s expensive to fly out for in-home visits.  To compensate, Ohio State likes to recruit states with deceptively great talent, but without much fanfare.  One of those states Ohio State likes is Georgia, which it believes has Sunshine State-caliber talent without all the hassle of having to fend off everyone in the Sunshine State.  Another state is Maryland, which serves programs like Virginia Tech, Florida and, especially, Penn Shtate well.  Though nominally a distance from the Buckeye State, any recruit from Maryland is usually no more than 5-8 hours from Columbus.  It’s also served Ohio State well in recent years.  Lamaar Thomas did not pan out,² but Dominic Clarke looks promising.

Enter Conner Crowell, who was surprised when, in March of last year, Ohio State let him know, indirectly, that he had a scholarship offer forthcoming.  While most out of state recruits for the Buckeyes are impressed with the offer and appreciate it, Ohio State does not usually overwhelm them automatically.  Conner Crowell was a bit different.

“It’s every kid’s dream to play at Ohio State. It’s one of the premier schools in the country. I went up there for a game and it was just an amazing atmosphere. I just loved it. Maybe one day I can play for them.”

So, Ohio State was definitely top of the list for Crowell and it resulted in a visit to Columbus for the 2010 spring game.  He was more than impressed with what he saw.  He described the campus as a “city within a city”, echoing similar remarks made by Travis Howard three years ago.  When pressed on what the visit meant for his future college choice and his impending decision to pare his list of college choices, Crowell responded in kind.

“It was hard not to get caught up in the moment,” Crowell said. “I felt that I really could picture myself going (to Ohio State), it was really hard not to get caught up.”

And even though it is too early to cut down lists Crowell knows that the Buckeyes will be toward the top of his list up until it is time to make a decision.

“Yeah, definitely.” Crowell said.

Yet, Crowell was feeling no rush to make a decision and entertained offers from many Eastern seaboard schools of importance, and Duke.  He also visited North Carolina, though before his trip to Columbus for our spring game.  Rutgers was probably recruiting him the hardest.  He was eventually courted by, surprise, Penn Shtate.  The Nitts love recruiting Maryland  and usually get a huge audience.  The Old Line State contributes important players to the roster in a given year.  Conner Crowell knew this.

“From where I’m from, they’re pretty much the hometown favorite, or one of the favorites around here. Around here, not too many people support Maryland,³ so that’s one of them. It’s really exciting for me, because Penn State is a very prestigious school, they’re very big and they’re going to be pretty good this year. It would be pretty cool to play for them.”

Other programs like Virginia jockeyed for position, but it looked like an Ohio State-Penn Shtate recruiting battle.

While Crowell was in no hurry through the spring and summer, his internal decision-making clock started to tick in November.  He was making cuts through October and, minus a late appearance by Stanford, it still looked like an Ohio State-Penn Shtate recruiting battle.  It also looked like a battle that Crowell was going to win.

His Commitment: On his school’s senior night, Conner Crowell announced that he would play football for The Ohio State University.

He admitted that the decision was tough, and that there was some pressure to go to Penn Shtate like many Maryland prepsters before him.  In particular, his high school teammate, Andre Dupree, was a fullback at Penn State.

“I just felt like I needed to be different.  A lot of people around here just get that Penn State offer and go to Penn State.  I wanted to be one of the first to go to Ohio State and to make a difference.”

Luke Fickell, who recruited Crowell as his position coach and will now be his head coach, recruited him hard as well.  Ultimately, it was Tressel that got the word.

“The first person I told was coach Tressel, he was very excited to have me commit,” Crowell said.  “He said I’ve got what they’re looking for, family-wise and academic-wise and of course football-wise.  They’re just really excited to have me this year, and I’m excited to be there.”

Crowell was our first linebacker in the recruiting class, later joined by Curtis Grant.

Where He Excels: As we sadly know, Crowell suffered a pretty nasty injury not long after he committed to Ohio State and a subsequent surgery will sideline him for 2011.  Assuming that away, there was a lot to like about Crowell when he committed.

Crowell is strong, certainly for his frame.  He has the frame for a weakside linebacker, but the smarts and football IQ to play any of the three linebacker positions for Ohio State.  When you watch his highlight film, watch how elegantly he weaves through traffic in pursuit of a ball carrier and how well he attacks the line of scrimmage.  Assuming he makes a full recovery, Crowell has all the potential to be a very good one for Ohio State.

Must Work On: One source of uncertainty for me regarding Crowell was his size and his frame.  He’s strong for his frame but, at 6’1-ish and 220lbs, I’m unsure of just how much weight he can pack on before his performance starts to noticeably diminish.  It’s one reason why he was even mentioned as a candidate for the Star position in Ohio State’s defense.  Even before his injury, it seemed like Crowell was as fast and about as big as he was going to be for the Buckeyes.  The strength and conditioning staff would round him out, but there did not seem to be a lot they could do.  Issues of durability in the rigors of Big Ten play follow.

Also, he will need to recover from his injury, but you already knew that.

Redshirt? Yes.

Highlights: Senior year.

Miscellany:

• In the final week before signing day, Jim Tressel gave a speech before Crowell’s packed high school auditorium.  In hindsight, any lesson learned by the students at North Point High School will probably conjure mixed images.
• Crowell believes he’s the first Hawaiian to play football for Ohio State, and he might be right.  He asked Fickell about this on the recruiting trail out of his own curiosity.  To clarify, I mean “ethnic Hawaiian”, which is its own class of diverse ethnic groups native to the islands.  Scott Terna, a former punter for Ohio State, was a Hawaii resident.  Former players like Nicky Sualua were Samoan, which is something different.  If so, Crowell could put his own unique footprint on Ohio State’s hallowed history.
• Athletics runs in the family.  His sister is an assistant coach for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls softball team, having herself played for Virginia Tech.  She got a masters at Ohio University, which has me wondering if that’s where his early interest in Ohio State originated.
• He had a 2009 SPARQ rating of 121.02, which is, well, gross.  It was tops for his recruiting class and that wasn’t lost on ESPN’s RISE magazine.  It underscores just how much Buckeye recruiting junkies thought he could be a real steal.
• Working out…

• Crowell’s commitment ended a bit of a dry spell in Ohio State recruiting.  Here, Eleven Warriors considered the impact of his commitment.
• He will wear #36 for Ohio State and, may he wear it well.

I hope you consider Conner Crowell better known.  I really hope he can fully recover from his surgeries.

The More You Know

Let’s put him on the board.

1. I think he went off Twitter.  It’s weird that’s such an essential part of college football fandom these days that I have to tell you where to follow their thoughts in 140 characters or less.
2. …nor did Darrell Givens, for that matter. But alas.
3. ed. note: This is absolutely true and hilariously crushing for Maryland. Penn State is probably a bigger draw in Maryland than the in-state flagship university.

Chris Carter walks with a purpose

The true freshmen are racing through camp as the regular season starts in a little over two weeks.  Accordingly, I might need to pull some all-nighters or spend the next weekend feverishly making up ground in order to fully better know this class.  I take one step toward that end with this 13th feature on Chris Carter, an offensive lineman from Cleveland’s John F. Kennedy High School.  Chris Carter is one of several offensive linemen in this class.  The general theme for the offensive linemen in this class is that they all have intriguing potential in their own rights, though lack the name recognition, the “stars” and for whom an immediate contribution is uncertain.  He is better known in this feature in the usual fashion.

Height: 6’4
Weight: 325lbs
High School: John F. Kennedy High School; Cleveland, Ohio
Twitter: @carter_blockO

His Recruitment: Like Antonio Underwood, Chris Carter did not have a very long recruitment.  And, like Antonio Underwood, he was plucked from an obscure program, and selected for an offer without much fanfare.  He lacked quality scholarship offers when he was noticed in earnest by the Buckeyes in February 2010.¹  The Buckeyes offered him on the 12th of February and, suffice to say, Carter was overwhelmed.

One school in specific that is showing him a lot of attention is Ohio State. “I talked to Coach Johnson and Coach Bollman (Tuesday). They told me they are still excited about the player I can be, and I am excited about them. It is an honor to hear from Ohio State.”

In fact, the Buckeyes offered Carter a scholarship during February. “They offered me a full ride on the 12th of February. It was just overwhelming to get the offer. I couldn’t put it in to words. I just didn’t know what to do with myself.”

While also hearing from programs like Notre Dame, Michigan, Iowa, and Michigan State (among others), he penciled in an unofficial visit to Ohio State the next month.  It didn’t take much to convince him to pull the trigger.

His Commitment: Chris Carter made an unofficial visit to Ohio State’s campus on Monday, March 15th, 2010.  He committed when he returned home.

“Growing up in Cleveland, my dream was always to play football for the Buckeyes,” said Carter.

Carter made an unofficial visit to the Columbus campus today. He received a scholarship offer and gave the school his commitment during a phone call the minute he got home.

“I left my house about 9 this morning and got home about 3:30 this afternoon,” he said. “I knew I wanted to go there from the beginning, so why wait?”

He later added:

After touring Ohio State’s campus on Monday, Carter issued his commitment, “I chose Ohio State because I toured the campus and it was the best decision I could make.”

Carter, who focuses more on academics than football, says that the academic support system at OSU is one of the major factors that led him to being a Buckeye.

“The campus life and the atmosphere is great for learning,” said Carter of OSU. “They have a great student athlete support system, and the coaches really care about their players.”

His commitment kicked off a mini boon for Ohio State recruiting, which added Antonio Underwood, PeeWee Gambrell, Brian Bobek, and Chase Farris the next day.  That’s five recruits in two days.  Not too shabby.

Where He Excels: Recall our previous discussion about Antonio Underwood and what is the “ideal Bollman lineman”.  That might be Chris Carter, more than anyone else in this class.

I can’t particularly see it on game footage, but one recurring theme I’ve read about Carter is that the coaching staff had never seen an offensive lineman carry that much weight and move his feet as well as he does.  I list him at 325lbs, because that’s what he is on Rivals.com as a recruit.  Forget that number; he’s a hamburger or two shy from 400lbs as Luke Fickell noted during B1G Media Days.  Inexplicably, he went through summer conditioning and gained weight against the better intentions of the strength and conditioning team.  And still, he’s looked fairly nimble on his feet during camp.

That point concerns us here.  Jim Bollman prefers size and girth for an offensive lineman believing that he could teach footwork.  Most offensive line coaches wedded to zone blocking principles might prefer the opposite type of lineman.  So, if coaches are already impressed with how well he’s able to move his feet, his already impressive frame gives them quite a mountain of a guard.  His assigned gaps would be more difficult to penetrate via stunt or blitz in the passing game and he’s agile enough to do what’s necessary in the run game.  That’s not to suggest he makes an immediate contribution, but the potential is beyond intriguing.

Must Work On: Remember how Chris Carter was one of three or so true freshmen mentioned during B1G Media Days because of his jaw-dropping size?  It means he’s gotta be careful with his weight.  Some offensive linemen can eat and drink what they please in their teens and early 20s and not suffer for it.  Carter might have the type of body where he has to be careful.  Any junk he feeds into his system might set back his training more than your average athlete.  Corollary issues of conditioning and excess weight will be vital to monitor if Carter is to reach his full potential as an offensive lineman for Ohio State.

Elsewhere, other scouts have noted Carter could learn to be more of a “to the whistle” type of player.  How often do you see a player give up on a play believing his obligations are done, only to see him pay the price during the play for that mistake?

Redshirt? This is tough.  I don’t think any lineman in the class would benefit more from a redshirt than Chris Carter.  In fact, all four designated offensive linemen in this class could really use that potential of a fifth year in order to achieve their fullest potential while donning the scarlet and gray.  However, the story of the offensive line entering camp is that of a unit for whom quality depth stops after the 2nd player off the bench.  It’s why walk-ons appear on the second team offensive line and the third team consists of all the freshmen, including Chris Carter at right tackle.  Carter believes he could be dabble at tackle, but I don’t believe it.  I think he’s a guard all the way.  That he’s even spending time at one of the bookend spots underscores just how thin we are in 2011.²

In a roundabout way, I’m saying that I fear we might get so dinged at the position that we need someone like Carter to be playing as a true freshmen, even in mop-up duty.  He might do that, but I’m not sure he’s at that point where he should.  None of the freshmen offensive linemen have looked like immediate contributors.  Bobek might be the most ready of all of them, but I don’t think he’s quite there yet.  Expect the coaches to try to redshirt Carter in 2011, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t.  Yeah, I know.  That wasn’t a very convincing prognostication.

Highlights: Scouting Ohio is a national treasure.

About That… This feature would be incomplete without mentioning the mess into which Chris Carter got himself before he was supposed to sign his letter of intent.  For those unfamiliar, Chris Carter was arrested and charged with fondling a 15 year old girl in a ruse where he was supposedly measuring her for a ROTC uniform.  It delayed his status as an official signee of the 2011 class, though the charges were officially dropped near the end of February and Carter eventually signed with Ohio State.

Since charges were officially dropped for lack of evidence, I obviously cannot commentate authoritatively on what Carter did.  You know I try to keep these things pleasant, knowing full well that family members eventually find this blog.³ I will note that, behind closed doors, key staff members were astonished because, in their words, they had seldom encountered a more affable and pleasant person on the recruiting trail.  What he was accused of doing was just creepy.  I don’t know if he dwells on that episode in his life where his lifelong dream to be a Buckeye was held in limbo for almost a month.  If he does, I hope it inspires him to pay back whatever grief from that incident by paying it forward as a student-athlete and visible member of the university’s community.

Miscellany:

• He is enrolled in the Science and Technology Exploration Program at Ohio State.  Exploration programs are common for incoming football players, but the big goal for Carter is a degree in either computer engineering or computer science.
• I’ve seen him nicknamed “Big Hungry” before, but not recently.  I don’t know if that’s his designated nickname.
• John F. Kennedy High School is in the Senate Athletic League, which you may know as the league that has the famous Glenville Tarblooder program.  I cannot, for the life of me, find out who the last JFK Fighting Eagle was to make it to Ohio State.  For that matter, I don’t know who was the last non-Tarblooder from the conference to make it to Ohio State on a football scholarship.
• The Senate Athletic League is rich with great team names.  There’s Glenville (Tarblooders), obviously.  There’s also John Adams (Rebels), Jane Addams (Executives !!), Collinwood (Railroaders), East Technical (Golden Scarabs !!), Max S. Hayes (Lakers), MLK Jr (Unicorns !!), and John Marshall (Lawyers !!) in the great team names category.  It makes me disappointed that JFK didn’t go full out and be nicknamed the Presidents.  Worst team name in the Senate Athletic League: Lincoln-West Wolverines.  You go to hell, L-W.  You go to hell and you die.
• Other articles: Buckeye Times: CARTER IS HUNGRY TO SUCCEED, ON AND OFF THE FIELD, eScoutRoom: Chris “Big Hungry” Carter Non-Committal Prior to Commitment, Plain Dealer: Playoff berth for John F. Kennedy’s Eagles one of year’s best success stories.
• The O-Zone has video of Carter during the Meet the Freshmen Press Conference at the beginning of the month.

I think Chris Carter is better known.  I tried, at least.

The More You Know

Let’s put him on the board.

1. He did have an offer from North Carolina State, a BCS offer that Underwood did not have by this time.
2. On a related note, need tackles in 2012.  NEED MOAR TACKLES.
3. Seriously, I’ve been yelled at by Nathan Williams’ mom.