After a momentous day for Buckeye football, and after a few frosty beverages, here’s the staff’s reflections on the epic 2013 recruiting class!
Charles Brought Us A New Table!
Who’s the player on offense/defense who will make the biggest impact during his career at OSU?
Ken: Mike Mitchell. I think he has potential to have a Spielman/Katzenmoyer type career at OSU
WVa: Offense: I am going to go with one that has been in the fold for a good bit. Jalin Marshall is the guy I see coming in right away and contributing and will have a great career in Scarlet and Gray.
Defense: Tracy Sprinkle is my guy here. He looks to me to be the perfect fit to take over where Nathan Williams left off and really reminds me of my favorite Buckeye to come out of WV Darrion Scott. Good size and plays low and will show early what he has in that motor that never quits.
Tim: For me, the player who will make the biggest impact will be Cam Burrows. There is a question of whether he will play safety or corner at OSU, but wherever he finds himself playing, he will be an impact player on defense. His combination of size and speed could enable him to be a great one.
Jason: Jalin Marshall. All these kids have tremendous talent and endless possibilities, so I’ll put my eggs in the basket of the one who’s the best player in Ohio
Eric: The biggest impact defensively is likely going to be on the Defensive Line, where the Buckeyes are going to be making up the most ground. A good freshman, like Joey Bosa, could step in and really make life easier for the defense.
Offensively, that’s a little trickier. The answer is going to be whoever manages to fill the playmaker role for Urban Meyer the best. It could be Ezekiel Elliott, James Clark, or Jalin Marshall. It could also be any one of a dozen others who may prove to be extremely effective as a fast, shifty, playmaker.
Mali: I think that we’re going to see some amazing things from Dontre Wilson… I watch what DeAnthony Thomas does in Eugene, and what Harvin did with Meyer at Florida, and I can’t help but envision some fireworks from the moment he steps on campus.
I’m also excited to see what Chris Worley will bring to the table- a safety that hits like a linebacker, or a linebacker that can run with receivers… as the game gets faster, it’ll be great to have a counterpunch.
What new recruit will most likely see early playing time? Who redshirts?
Ken: Mike Hill will see early playing time. He’s big, athletic and will get into DL rotation. Tracy Sprinkle or Chris Worley will redshirt.
WVa: Early playing time: Recent commit Dontre Wilson clearly has an inside track with special teams, and since Coach Meyer likes to use that carrot to get players on the field in other ways I think he will excel and remind us of another return guy who started out strong as a Frosh (TGII).
Redshirts: Coach Meyer isn’t big on using them but he has a few in this class that he will just to stack the up with the stellar group that he’ll have coming in next year. Mostly the offensive guys because even though he has a playmaker need, I think the current group of players is only short one.
Past And Future Buckeye Legends
Tim: Urban Meyer made it very clear that he doesn’t like to redshirt players at OSU, so I don’t know that anyone in this class will. OSU lost a lot on its defensive line. And, we saw some freshmen like Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington and Tommy Schutt all see significant playing time during their freshmen campaigns. So, I could see Joey Bosa getting in the mix very early on in his OSU career.
Jason: Vonn Bell. Our current safeties have problems tackling and ball-hawking. I think Ezekial Elliot redshirts in a loaded backfield.
Eric: Mike Mitchell. There’s absolutely no question considering the weakness in the Linebacking corps. The coaching staff will find a way to get him on the field – if he doesn’t find a way to get himself on the field first. I’m not entirely certain you can stop him when he puts his mind to something.
Mali: I agree with Tim, that redshirting people isn’t Coach Meyer’s strategy. That being said, it does take a while to learn the offense, and he will be coming off of knee surgery, so don’t be surprised if J.T. Barrett doesn’t get an extra year in Columbus. In terms of early playing time, look for one of the speedsters to make a name for themselves on special teams- James Clark or Corey Smith, perhaps.
Who’s the one that got away”? Was there someone you wanted but didn’t end up in Columbus?
What Might Have Been
Ken: Mike Heuerman, I would have like to seen another athletic TE on board.
WVa: I am not calling this a big one but I would have liked to see any of the other OL that we had been after to decide late they wanted to be a buckeye. That is the one position we were very improved at last season and need the bodies. No player in particular here
Tim: I don’t really think there were any individual players that got away from OSU this year. With that said, I would have definitely liked to see another offensive lineman in the class. You can never have too much depth on the line.
Jason: When it comes to high school recruits, I want the ones who want us. If you aren’t 100% scarlet and grey, good luck elsewhere. So to me, we missed on nobody.
Eric: I’m going to troll this question hard and steal Mali’s answer – Derrick Green is absolutely the one to get away. He’s a great kid, and I’m happy that he’s going to be a part of The Rivalry, but I would have greatly preferred to see him in the Scarlet and Gray. Best of luck to him at his new digs.
Mali: Jerk!! Well, I’ll go with Jaylon Smith, Rod’s brother. The Buckeyes are really stacked at linebacker for the 2013 class, but Smith will be a heck of a player for Notre Dame… and is certainly one who got away from the Buckeyes.
Which incoming player is this year’s Kenny Guiton- someone who’s overlooked, but will become a fan favorite?
Ken: Donovan Munger, who comes in as a 3* recruit, capable of playing both sides of the ball, so who knows? And with name of ‘Donovan Munger’, bonus points awarded.
WVa: Thats an easy one. Jayme Thompson will be another kid thats inspirational and will keep the fans happy with his interaction. He was the happiest of all the NSD participants retweeting and favoriting all day.
Dedicated Buckeye
Tim: I have a feeling Darron Lee is going to be a special player at OSU. He doesn’t really have an established position right now, but he’s a football player. What I mean by that is he’s not the biggest or fastest, but relies on intangibles and instincts to put his imprint on every game. Every team needs that.
Jason: Billy Price is from my neck of the woods (Austintown, Ohio is a Youngstown/Warren suburb) and I know Urban Meyer mentioned him in his presser this afternoon but he may be that guy.
Eric: Predicting something like this is quite nearly impossible. It takes a special set of circumstances to create that kind of player that just leaves an indelible mark on the fanbase. My best guess will be FB William Houston. Tough running, hard hitting fullbacks always do well with the fanbase – see Zach Boren – so it’s definitely a safe bet.
Mali: Tim Gardner. Kid worked to lose weight and earn his offer, and has been described as a sleeper in this class. I think his heart will win Buckeye Nation over in the long run. The other name would be Eli Apple- great corner and a great kid who’s loved the Buckeyes for a long time.
Anyone surprise you on signing day?
Ken: Vonn Bell. He was being courted by the blue-est of blue blood programs. We managed to pull him into the Buckeye Family and away from SEC and other unsavory programs.
WVa: James Clark totally surprised me because I too thought he was a solid FL lean and after the way he announced and spoke of the process he let everyone know that he was actually a solid Buckeye all the time.
Tim: Vonn Bell, No question.
Jason: Ezekiel Elliot doing the hat dance this afternoon was a little surprising. I don’t think he ever seriously wavered on his committment, so it surprised me he wanted to have the show. Then again, he’s just a kid.
Welcome Home, Zeke!
Eric: Is there any question? Vonn Bell was the most surprising commitment possible. I was certain he was headed elsewhere, but apparently Urban Meyer had other plans. Love to see him in Columbus.
Mali: I’m going to cheat a bit and say that Everett Withers was the surprise of the season for me. We knew that he was a good recruiter with great connections into southern high schools, but the work he did with Vonn Bell was masterful. We don’t know much about our co-defensive coordinator, but I’ve got a good feeling that that will change over the next several months and hopefully years.
BONUS- Kade over at BBN partner Men of the Scarlet and Gray absolutely killed it with this video. I heart Kerry Coombs.
