It's reasonable to expect that defensively Denzel Ward will leave school early, its almost a foregone conclusion that Sam Hubbard will leave early well. I don't think Parris Campbell was good enough to go early yet but he was a fourth year player for OSU.
The problem is, even if these guys do leave early, their recruiting has been so good that the drop off is going to be minimal.
My daughter was recently treated at Mott for a concussion she sustained during a volleyball tournament, it took 5 days to get the physician to clear here to non-court drills, and she didn't lose consciousness. It was ultimately 17 days from the time of injury for her to receive final clearance from our high school trainer to return to full activity. MHSAA has some strict rules in place and I have to believe the NCAA, and the university, have similar protocol to meet.
This stuff is no joke. I hope they take their time with him.
"OSU is not an unbeatable juggernaut. Michigan matches up much more favorably against their team than we do against PSU."
Yes, to part one - they are beatable. I'm a little less sure on part two ... I think Ohio State has more playmakers than Penn State. Maybe they're not as dyanmic as Barkley (who is) and Hamilton, but the depth of playmakers on that team is something.
If Don Brown wants to play C1 against Ohio State and their RPO focused offense it will be another lloooonnngggg day, although, they've shown a knack for maliciously destorying zone coverage over the past five weeks as well (yes, but the schedule).
And Thomas is probably the top rookie WR in the NFL.
What's probably being noticed is that, while young, their receivers didn't catch the ball great this year and playing time could come early in Columbus.
Also, their QB commit is actively engaged in recruiting and seems to be very well liked.
I think Michigan needs to just run their defense - chasing Samuel all over the field with either Peppers or Lewis won't be the best strategy in the long run. Will need Peppers in run support and I think Samuel moves to much, motions, pre-snap adjustments, to have Lewis on him all day.
Marcus Baugh could be a matchup problem for the LBs. While he isn't going to burn them, by any stretch of the imagination, his size and ability to settle down in space, make him a valuable tool against an aggressive defense.
Samuel is clearly the focal point but they've got some ponies - they'll be faster, bigger, and stronger, than Colorado.
You won't find Samuel out wide much, if at all, as he is usually in the slot. I suppose, since Ohio State's receiver depth isn't great, you might see an adjustment made to put Lewis or Stribbling on Samuel in the slot, but I'm not convinced that's the best strategy.
" The key to stopping this offense is breaking down the zone read and containing Barrett inside the pocket."
I'll give you the last half of that sentence - keeping Barrett inside the pocket will be critical. Ohio State doesn't run as much zone read as they used to and Meyer has stated that defenses have changed enough to take it away. I think they moved away from it, as much as they have, as preparation for Brown's defense.
If I'm the coaching staff, I am expecting the unexpected. Part of Michigan State's success, early, was running right at Peppers and putting a blocker on him. Expect that. Part of Iowa's success in passing was short passes into the middle, like a Texas concept, providing an athletic mismatch against the LBs, expect that. Meyer and Warriner are going to try and make the Michigan defense uncomfortable - they will show new looks, new pre-snap motion, and they will spread the field 53 yards wide, and make the Michigan defense cover the whole field.
They haven't been hurt up the middle too bad - off tackle is the play that's really hurt them. They corrected on that jet sweep with in game coaching.
They've got four more games, before The Game, to get it figured out, and with their coaching staff I will assume they'll be ready. I never underestimate anything when it comes to The Game.
The reality is, it is simply not that bad there anymore. But, as I always say, even if only 1% of people around are assholes, it's not that hard to bump into a couple.
EE's can be counted against the previous year's class OR can be counted with the class they were recruited in. They don't HAVE to be counted towards a previous class.
Michigan's EE's won't really affect either class, since the 2015 class only had 14 enrollees. Looking at Ohio State's, they had a class of 27 last year, meaning, by B1G rules, only 1 of the 7 2016 EEs can be counted towards that class. Ohio State's class likely won't be larger than 23 this season, so it doesn't really matter.
We need to be honest about this. I've been going back, to try and corroborate, Ohio State going over the limit of 28, and the highest they've gone was last year's class of 27.
The funny business, in my opinion, isn't the number you bring in with your class. It's how you get to the 85 scholarship limit. If anyone is executing NFL style roster management, that is when it is dirty.
Ohio State took "31" in 2014 but if you look more closely, 8 of those were walk on or preferred walk on. I only determined that by looking at 24/7. The other recruiting services list them at 23, which is the number that matters as it is the number that goes against the scholarship count.
"If you were to replay this year's Michigan-MSU game 10 times, we would win 8 or 9 times."
This is true if games are played in a vacuum.
It really is time to face it ... MSU is a damn fine program and as long as D'antoni is there they will be a highly competitive outfit. He built it on the backs of 2 and 3* guys, with the occassional 4*. Now he's replenishing with mostly 4* and a sprinkling of 3* guys ...
As I've said before about the Elliot rant - he wasn't histrionic, he was actually very matter of fact, and everyone ignores the other things he said - that they win as a team, and that this team will respond and be better the following Saturday. I guess I have a hard time getting bent out of shape over an emotional 18-22 year old doing what Elliot did Saturday and condeming a whole program for it.
Beyond that, what are the signs, a poorly executed QB competition (who does those well??), a one game suspension for a DUI arrest (pretty standard in FBS), and an emotional player saying something to the media he shouldn't have ... sorry, the wheels aren't coming off the bus in my eyes, not yet anyway.
Its really 2/4 of the DL ... they've used several DT's next to Washington this season and the injury to Schutt got some other guys some playing time. Only DB I think they might lose early would be Bell and I'm not convinced of that.
Nobody will be questioning their schedule next year and I've got to believe that 9 or 10 wins will be a successful year going up against that schedule with their roster turnover next season.
I think we should ease off of the Elliots head won't be in the game comments based off of one, awful, reactionary, emotional, post-game, rant. What he said was stupid only in that he said it to the media. I'll give him this, he was never histrionic, made his point, and at the end said that OSU would be a different team the next Saturday.
I'm more afraid that Ohio State will learn a lot from their deficencies from the State game. State had a great game plan defensively but poor conditions, and poor play calling, played into the outcome of the game just as much as the execution of MSU's defense.
Ohio State will do more to try and control the clock, keeping their defense more at rest than it was against MSU, making this a seesaw, back and forth matchup late into the game. Elliot will break a long run with under two to go, giving the Buckeyes a 3 point advantage. A well executed, two-minute offense, by Rudock, leads to a FG that ties the game, and sends it to overtime. Michigan loses the toss, holds Ohio State to a FG. On the ensuing possession, Rudock finds Butt on a post route for a TD, and Michigan wins 29-26.
I don't disagree with you. I'm simply saying, most people are pulling this card if they think they have it, and/or, are asking for help from the cops.
The kid seemed pretty humble and cooperative throughout, has taken responsibility for his actions, and has asked forgiveness. Hopefully he matures from it.
As I have said on Twitter and elsewhere, this isn't on Urban Meyer. As much as we like to pile on the guy let's be honest here.
1) There is a somewhat perceived precedent for a one-game suspension in DUI cases by NCAA athletes.
2) Coaches are not paid to set standards. They are paid to win games. Period. If we expect harsher penalties doled out then the decision needs to be removed from the coaches. Coaches will hand out the least amount of punishment possible when and where it suits them.
Seriously, we're going to be this sanctimonious over this?
If ANY of us thought we had an ace up our sleeve in this situation we would try and use it - including me at nearly 37 years old. Anyone is kidding themselves if they say otherwise.
Verbiage semantics, and I obviously posted my thoughts before they were clarified through a spokeperson.
I don't think this is Meyer playing it up here. This punishment has been handed down before and is a tool he has used. According to 11W this cost was around $6,600 to Mewhort and Stoneburner during the summer of 2012.
I guess I just can't get that fired up about how Urban is punishing a kid for a DUI and I can't get that fired up for his remarks on O'Reilly knowing that the public knows so much more about the kind of individual Jameis was alleged to be beyond the crab legs incident.
There's bigger fish to fry and larger issues I care about.
Meyer did the whole scholarship thing before with Jack Mewhort and Jake Stoneburner ... its a heavy handed punishment but I'm okay with it. Scholarships and playing football are both privileges ..
Sorry guys but I think we look as ignorant as Buckeyes fans talking about Harbaugh taking off for the NFL when we talk about Meyer leaving for another school, or, for "health reasons."
The guy is 46-3 at Ohio State, has not lost a regular season B1G game, and has won a national title in three years. Their facilities are top notch and they are the king of football in a talent rich state. The 2016 & 2017 Ohio State recruiting classes are both, currently, ranked number one.
It may still happen, he may leave for another school, or the NFL, or eventually quit because Harbaugh, Diantoni, or Franklin, finally catch up, but I'll be genuinely surprised.
Not a chance, Meyer has it made at Ohio State. Never mind that he actually has a degree from OSU and he and his wife are actually from Ohio. There is absolutely no reason to expect Urban to leave Ohio State for another job. Thinking so is as naive as thinking Harbaugh will be back in the NFL next season.
Walker has said previously he wants somewhere in the vicinity of 15-20 touches per game in his freshmen season. I think where OSU maybe has an edge on this is that it is assumed Elliot is gone after this season and there is no seasoned back up at that position for the Buckeyes, yet. With Michigan still dishing out carries between Smith, Johnson, Isaac, Green, Higdon, I can see this being a deterrent to him actually arriving in Ann Arbor.
I believe he also wants to enroll early. He may not wind up in Columbus but I guess I'll be surprised if he winds up in Ann Arbor.
I know expectations for Ohio State's offense, considering the previous few seasons, are always high, but I'm not sure calling their offense mediocre is exactly accurate.
They rank 33rd in the NCAA with 452.5/game. Coincidentally, this is also their S&P+ ranking for offense.
Their struggles have really come on 3rd down conversions, redzone offense, and turnovers.
They've got a long time to correct these issues before they come to the Big House and as much as I'd love to see them "struggle" the rest of the year, I just can't believe that they won't get it fixed as the season progresses.
I'll give you Miller as his shoulder injuries will severely limit his opportunities to play QB at the next level.
I do, however, have a hard time (right now) thinking that Morris, Ruddock, or Malzone have a better career trajectory than JT Barrett or Cardale Jones. Barrett blasted some B1G records that belonged to some guy named Drew Brees (who has had a pretty good NFL career himself) and Jones has the protypical pro QB size with some running ability too.
Ruddock may sniff an NFL roster but I would be surprised to see Morris make an NFL team unless there is a major turnaround with the young man. Way too early to speculate on Malzone, Gentry, et. al.
I'm simply saying, while Harbaugh will certainly improve the QB situation it's a bit much to insinuate OSU's QBs have "peaked."
Michigan is a top ten program. Michigan is not like 70-80% of all teams in the NCAA, it is in rare air ... Michigan is a national brand, a big time product. This isn't Wisconsin, Baylor, Vanderbilt ... this is Michigan.
Teams competing at the highest levels, recruit at the highest levels. Do they all take 3* talent, absolutely. Should we trust Harbaugh and Co.'s evaluations, absolutely ... but don't write it off as, well, most teams take a majority of 3* talent, because the top dogs simply are not doing that.
2015 recruiting from 247 Composite (number of 4 & 5*/total # recruits):
Playoff Teams:
Alabama 20/24
Florida State 14/20
Ohio State 15/27
Oregon 7/22
Others:
USC 18/26
Auburn 19/27
ND 14/23
Oklahoma 10/26
Michigan State 5/21
I included the last two teams there to show that not everyone is loading up on blue chip talent and that yes, evaluating kids and coaching them up is an important aspect of program building also.
A quick glance at 2016 recruiting, again from 247 composite (same ratio):
FSU 12/18
Ohio State 13/16
Alabama 8/15
USC 7/11
The truth of the matter is this, stars do matter ... they aren't everything, but the evidence over the years says the same thing over and over - the coaches who recruit the best and annually have top 5-10 classes, win the national championships, the conference championships.
My concern is this ... are we getting in on these kids at the ground floor because they are going to explode or are we jumping the gun? There is a long time till signing day, are we jumping on kids after one good camp performance? Why can't we slow down, take time, and be certain - more tape, another camp, see how the senior season goes. That just seems the more prudent route to me.
I'm not so sure that TWD needs to really change anything ... been pretty successful to date and the makeup and special effects have been top notch.
That said, I was extrememly impressed with GoT Army of the Dead ... the entire episode was done well and the last 20-30 minutes were absolutely thrilling.
I'm not sure where this falls in the spectrum of "employment" law since college athletes are not technically employees but my guess is that there is a correlation.
By (company, and subsequently personal) rule I cannot discuss anything other than attendance and verify employment of a current or former employee with any potential new employer.
The Bears knew what they were getting ...
Meyer's track record at Ohio State has been better than it was at Florida. Will it be perfect, thats an unrealistic expectation on any campus .. we all know that.
Focus on beating him on the field and stop caring for whatever has happened or will happen off of the field.
Scheduling at night is a disadvantage but it likely will come out in the wash.
I have not seen when kick off is yet, but Salt Lake City is 2 hours behind us ... I imagine ESPN will make it an 8PM national broadcast, so it will only be 6:00 in Utah and therefore meaningless.
But, if Utah were able to push this any later than that, it becomes a disadvantage to Michigan.
I can't find the article now, will edit with link if I do, but I have seen Wilcher quoted as saying he has spoken to Meyer and was assured that it wouldn't happen again (how true that is remains to be seen).
Ohio State will still be a player at Cass Tech but I imagine it will be harder for them to pull kids from there now that Harbaugh is at the helm.
Recent Comments
It's reasonable to expect that defensively Denzel Ward will leave school early, its almost a foregone conclusion that Sam Hubbard will leave early well. I don't think Parris Campbell was good enough to go early yet but he was a fourth year player for OSU.
The problem is, even if these guys do leave early, their recruiting has been so good that the drop off is going to be minimal.
I'll be surprised if Peters plays.
My daughter was recently treated at Mott for a concussion she sustained during a volleyball tournament, it took 5 days to get the physician to clear here to non-court drills, and she didn't lose consciousness. It was ultimately 17 days from the time of injury for her to receive final clearance from our high school trainer to return to full activity. MHSAA has some strict rules in place and I have to believe the NCAA, and the university, have similar protocol to meet.
This stuff is no joke. I hope they take their time with him.
"OSU is not an unbeatable juggernaut. Michigan matches up much more favorably against their team than we do against PSU."
Yes, to part one - they are beatable. I'm a little less sure on part two ... I think Ohio State has more playmakers than Penn State. Maybe they're not as dyanmic as Barkley (who is) and Hamilton, but the depth of playmakers on that team is something.
If Don Brown wants to play C1 against Ohio State and their RPO focused offense it will be another lloooonnngggg day, although, they've shown a knack for maliciously destorying zone coverage over the past five weeks as well (yes, but the schedule).
And Thomas is probably the top rookie WR in the NFL.
What's probably being noticed is that, while young, their receivers didn't catch the ball great this year and playing time could come early in Columbus.
Also, their QB commit is actively engaged in recruiting and seems to be very well liked.
It makes a difference.
Gave up 30 points and over 400 yards??
I'm afraid if our defense has that kind of day that we won't be seeing the result we are looking for.
I think Michigan needs to just run their defense - chasing Samuel all over the field with either Peppers or Lewis won't be the best strategy in the long run. Will need Peppers in run support and I think Samuel moves to much, motions, pre-snap adjustments, to have Lewis on him all day.
Stick with what's got the defense this far.
Marcus Baugh could be a matchup problem for the LBs. While he isn't going to burn them, by any stretch of the imagination, his size and ability to settle down in space, make him a valuable tool against an aggressive defense.
Samuel is clearly the focal point but they've got some ponies - they'll be faster, bigger, and stronger, than Colorado.
You won't find Samuel out wide much, if at all, as he is usually in the slot. I suppose, since Ohio State's receiver depth isn't great, you might see an adjustment made to put Lewis or Stribbling on Samuel in the slot, but I'm not convinced that's the best strategy.
" The key to stopping this offense is breaking down the zone read and containing Barrett inside the pocket."
I'll give you the last half of that sentence - keeping Barrett inside the pocket will be critical. Ohio State doesn't run as much zone read as they used to and Meyer has stated that defenses have changed enough to take it away. I think they moved away from it, as much as they have, as preparation for Brown's defense.
If I'm the coaching staff, I am expecting the unexpected. Part of Michigan State's success, early, was running right at Peppers and putting a blocker on him. Expect that. Part of Iowa's success in passing was short passes into the middle, like a Texas concept, providing an athletic mismatch against the LBs, expect that. Meyer and Warriner are going to try and make the Michigan defense uncomfortable - they will show new looks, new pre-snap motion, and they will spread the field 53 yards wide, and make the Michigan defense cover the whole field.
Its gonna be a doozy!
They haven't been hurt up the middle too bad - off tackle is the play that's really hurt them. They corrected on that jet sweep with in game coaching.
They've got four more games, before The Game, to get it figured out, and with their coaching staff I will assume they'll be ready. I never underestimate anything when it comes to The Game.
I believe the term for their defense is BASIC ....
Really riles them up when you say that.
The reality is, it is simply not that bad there anymore. But, as I always say, even if only 1% of people around are assholes, it's not that hard to bump into a couple.
EE's can be counted against the previous year's class OR can be counted with the class they were recruited in. They don't HAVE to be counted towards a previous class.
Michigan's EE's won't really affect either class, since the 2015 class only had 14 enrollees. Looking at Ohio State's, they had a class of 27 last year, meaning, by B1G rules, only 1 of the 7 2016 EEs can be counted towards that class. Ohio State's class likely won't be larger than 23 this season, so it doesn't really matter.
We need to be honest about this. I've been going back, to try and corroborate, Ohio State going over the limit of 28, and the highest they've gone was last year's class of 27.
The funny business, in my opinion, isn't the number you bring in with your class. It's how you get to the 85 scholarship limit. If anyone is executing NFL style roster management, that is when it is dirty.
Ohio State took "31" in 2014 but if you look more closely, 8 of those were walk on or preferred walk on. I only determined that by looking at 24/7. The other recruiting services list them at 23, which is the number that matters as it is the number that goes against the scholarship count.
"If you were to replay this year's Michigan-MSU game 10 times, we would win 8 or 9 times."
This is true if games are played in a vacuum.
It really is time to face it ... MSU is a damn fine program and as long as D'antoni is there they will be a highly competitive outfit. He built it on the backs of 2 and 3* guys, with the occassional 4*. Now he's replenishing with mostly 4* and a sprinkling of 3* guys ...
As I've said before about the Elliot rant - he wasn't histrionic, he was actually very matter of fact, and everyone ignores the other things he said - that they win as a team, and that this team will respond and be better the following Saturday. I guess I have a hard time getting bent out of shape over an emotional 18-22 year old doing what Elliot did Saturday and condeming a whole program for it.
Beyond that, what are the signs, a poorly executed QB competition (who does those well??), a one game suspension for a DUI arrest (pretty standard in FBS), and an emotional player saying something to the media he shouldn't have ... sorry, the wheels aren't coming off the bus in my eyes, not yet anyway.
Its really 2/4 of the DL ... they've used several DT's next to Washington this season and the injury to Schutt got some other guys some playing time. Only DB I think they might lose early would be Bell and I'm not convinced of that.
Nobody will be questioning their schedule next year and I've got to believe that 9 or 10 wins will be a successful year going up against that schedule with their roster turnover next season.
I think we should ease off of the Elliots head won't be in the game comments based off of one, awful, reactionary, emotional, post-game, rant. What he said was stupid only in that he said it to the media. I'll give him this, he was never histrionic, made his point, and at the end said that OSU would be a different team the next Saturday.
I'm more afraid that Ohio State will learn a lot from their deficencies from the State game. State had a great game plan defensively but poor conditions, and poor play calling, played into the outcome of the game just as much as the execution of MSU's defense.
Ohio State will do more to try and control the clock, keeping their defense more at rest than it was against MSU, making this a seesaw, back and forth matchup late into the game. Elliot will break a long run with under two to go, giving the Buckeyes a 3 point advantage. A well executed, two-minute offense, by Rudock, leads to a FG that ties the game, and sends it to overtime. Michigan loses the toss, holds Ohio State to a FG. On the ensuing possession, Rudock finds Butt on a post route for a TD, and Michigan wins 29-26.
Sorry for the accident and your continued struggles thats awful.
I don't disagree with you. I'm simply saying, most people are pulling this card if they think they have it, and/or, are asking for help from the cops.
The kid seemed pretty humble and cooperative throughout, has taken responsibility for his actions, and has asked forgiveness. Hopefully he matures from it.
As I have said on Twitter and elsewhere, this isn't on Urban Meyer. As much as we like to pile on the guy let's be honest here.
1) There is a somewhat perceived precedent for a one-game suspension in DUI cases by NCAA athletes.
2) Coaches are not paid to set standards. They are paid to win games. Period. If we expect harsher penalties doled out then the decision needs to be removed from the coaches. Coaches will hand out the least amount of punishment possible when and where it suits them.
Let's not get all glass housey here ...
Seriously, we're going to be this sanctimonious over this?
If ANY of us thought we had an ace up our sleeve in this situation we would try and use it - including me at nearly 37 years old. Anyone is kidding themselves if they say otherwise.
Verbiage semantics, and I obviously posted my thoughts before they were clarified through a spokeperson.
I don't think this is Meyer playing it up here. This punishment has been handed down before and is a tool he has used. According to 11W this cost was around $6,600 to Mewhort and Stoneburner during the summer of 2012.
I guess I just can't get that fired up about how Urban is punishing a kid for a DUI and I can't get that fired up for his remarks on O'Reilly knowing that the public knows so much more about the kind of individual Jameis was alleged to be beyond the crab legs incident.
There's bigger fish to fry and larger issues I care about.
Meyer did the whole scholarship thing before with Jack Mewhort and Jake Stoneburner ... its a heavy handed punishment but I'm okay with it. Scholarships and playing football are both privileges ..
Sorry guys but I think we look as ignorant as Buckeyes fans talking about Harbaugh taking off for the NFL when we talk about Meyer leaving for another school, or, for "health reasons."
The guy is 46-3 at Ohio State, has not lost a regular season B1G game, and has won a national title in three years. Their facilities are top notch and they are the king of football in a talent rich state. The 2016 & 2017 Ohio State recruiting classes are both, currently, ranked number one.
It may still happen, he may leave for another school, or the NFL, or eventually quit because Harbaugh, Diantoni, or Franklin, finally catch up, but I'll be genuinely surprised.
Not a chance, Meyer has it made at Ohio State. Never mind that he actually has a degree from OSU and he and his wife are actually from Ohio. There is absolutely no reason to expect Urban to leave Ohio State for another job. Thinking so is as naive as thinking Harbaugh will be back in the NFL next season.
Walker has said previously he wants somewhere in the vicinity of 15-20 touches per game in his freshmen season. I think where OSU maybe has an edge on this is that it is assumed Elliot is gone after this season and there is no seasoned back up at that position for the Buckeyes, yet. With Michigan still dishing out carries between Smith, Johnson, Isaac, Green, Higdon, I can see this being a deterrent to him actually arriving in Ann Arbor.
I believe he also wants to enroll early. He may not wind up in Columbus but I guess I'll be surprised if he winds up in Ann Arbor.
Forde = clickbait. Surprised he didn't through a picture of Pageviews on there too.
I know expectations for Ohio State's offense, considering the previous few seasons, are always high, but I'm not sure calling their offense mediocre is exactly accurate.
They rank 33rd in the NCAA with 452.5/game. Coincidentally, this is also their S&P+ ranking for offense.
Their struggles have really come on 3rd down conversions, redzone offense, and turnovers.
They've got a long time to correct these issues before they come to the Big House and as much as I'd love to see them "struggle" the rest of the year, I just can't believe that they won't get it fixed as the season progresses.
I'll give you Miller as his shoulder injuries will severely limit his opportunities to play QB at the next level.
I do, however, have a hard time (right now) thinking that Morris, Ruddock, or Malzone have a better career trajectory than JT Barrett or Cardale Jones. Barrett blasted some B1G records that belonged to some guy named Drew Brees (who has had a pretty good NFL career himself) and Jones has the protypical pro QB size with some running ability too.
Ruddock may sniff an NFL roster but I would be surprised to see Morris make an NFL team unless there is a major turnaround with the young man. Way too early to speculate on Malzone, Gentry, et. al.
I'm simply saying, while Harbaugh will certainly improve the QB situation it's a bit much to insinuate OSU's QBs have "peaked."
Michigan is a top ten program. Michigan is not like 70-80% of all teams in the NCAA, it is in rare air ... Michigan is a national brand, a big time product. This isn't Wisconsin, Baylor, Vanderbilt ... this is Michigan.
Teams competing at the highest levels, recruit at the highest levels. Do they all take 3* talent, absolutely. Should we trust Harbaugh and Co.'s evaluations, absolutely ... but don't write it off as, well, most teams take a majority of 3* talent, because the top dogs simply are not doing that.
2015 recruiting from 247 Composite (number of 4 & 5*/total # recruits):
Playoff Teams:
Alabama 20/24
Florida State 14/20
Ohio State 15/27
Oregon 7/22
Others:
USC 18/26
Auburn 19/27
ND 14/23
Oklahoma 10/26
Michigan State 5/21
I included the last two teams there to show that not everyone is loading up on blue chip talent and that yes, evaluating kids and coaching them up is an important aspect of program building also.
A quick glance at 2016 recruiting, again from 247 composite (same ratio):
FSU 12/18
Ohio State 13/16
Alabama 8/15
USC 7/11
The truth of the matter is this, stars do matter ... they aren't everything, but the evidence over the years says the same thing over and over - the coaches who recruit the best and annually have top 5-10 classes, win the national championships, the conference championships.
My concern is this ... are we getting in on these kids at the ground floor because they are going to explode or are we jumping the gun? There is a long time till signing day, are we jumping on kids after one good camp performance? Why can't we slow down, take time, and be certain - more tape, another camp, see how the senior season goes. That just seems the more prudent route to me.
I'm not so sure that TWD needs to really change anything ... been pretty successful to date and the makeup and special effects have been top notch.
That said, I was extrememly impressed with GoT Army of the Dead ... the entire episode was done well and the last 20-30 minutes were absolutely thrilling.
I'm not sure where this falls in the spectrum of "employment" law since college athletes are not technically employees but my guess is that there is a correlation.
By (company, and subsequently personal) rule I cannot discuss anything other than attendance and verify employment of a current or former employee with any potential new employer.
The Bears knew what they were getting ...
Meyer's track record at Ohio State has been better than it was at Florida. Will it be perfect, thats an unrealistic expectation on any campus .. we all know that.
Focus on beating him on the field and stop caring for whatever has happened or will happen off of the field.
Scheduling at night is a disadvantage but it likely will come out in the wash.
I have not seen when kick off is yet, but Salt Lake City is 2 hours behind us ... I imagine ESPN will make it an 8PM national broadcast, so it will only be 6:00 in Utah and therefore meaningless.
But, if Utah were able to push this any later than that, it becomes a disadvantage to Michigan.
I can't find the article now, will edit with link if I do, but I have seen Wilcher quoted as saying he has spoken to Meyer and was assured that it wouldn't happen again (how true that is remains to be seen).
Ohio State will still be a player at Cass Tech but I imagine it will be harder for them to pull kids from there now that Harbaugh is at the helm.