Crab Cakes and Football
Crab Cakes and Football, that's what Stefon Diggs does.
The five star, Army All-American from Olney (MD) Good Counsel, decided to stay home and help rebuild a struggling Maryland program, committing to the Terrapins moments ago.
Diggs chose Randy Edsall and the hometown school over other finalists consisting of Ohio State, Florida, and Auburn. His decision was delayed from Signing Day after he made late trips to Columbus and College Park, the latter of which may have sealed the deal after students showed him "much love", chanting his name at the UMD-UNC basketball game and making "Wanted" posters with his name on it.
Joining teammates RB Wes Brown and OL Mike Madaras, Diggs goes to play for head coach Bob Milloy's alma mater where he immediately gets labeled the "savior" of a program that went just 2-10 overall and 1-7 in the ACC in Edsall's first season. Diggs is expected to start from day one on campus and should be a high impact player to watch in 2012.
This loss definitely stings a bit as Urban Meyer and his staff gave Diggs their best chance, but we won't be losing sleep over this one as it gives another scholarship towards the count in an excellent 2013 class. Diggs could have been a fascinating player for the Buckeyes this upcoming season, but now focus shifts to next year's group of starts, which is extremely talented in their own right.
Comments
Marylolololand... whatever. Good luck to him I guess. Better than UF or Auburn.
Time and change will surely show how firm they friendship... O-HI-O.
Good luck to the kid, always tough to be labeled the savior of the team, especially when they just went 2-10, and people are even more upset about the firing of their coach before Edsall.
Favorite Buckeye: Obviously BJ Mullens
Bank that scholarship lol....would have loved too have had him but good luck too the kid! I hope we stay classy in all this and bd like scUM fans!
well, ill be shocked if we ever hear of this kid again
That's pretty silly of you. Kid IS a stud, like it or not.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
just FYI, im not angry he didnt come here, just stating how i feel...they won 2 games last year in the ACC...my opinion is he will become a forgotten player at that school. if he is the whole offense, wont be hard for teams to lock in on him. i watched him in the army game, and i feel like he was trying to do too much, trying to be the team when he got the ball. and i see that being the case there as well. and he will be allowed to do that since he will be beloved by the fans, causing the coach to probably never disapline him. its the trend of things that happen when a star goes to a bad team.
Great players come from shitty teams all the time though, and in 4 years there's a chance, especially if Maryland locks down some of these great players from the general vicinity of the school that in 4 years they won't be a 2 win team still.
Even if they do lockdown the hometown talent, I still don't see them competing year in year out with the likes of Florida State, Miami, Clemson, Virginia Tech and UNC. And to a lesser extent Georgia Tech and Boston College.
All of those schools are more viable football options than Maryland. It's possible that choosing his hometown shows he has good character, but I think it shows him being a little scared of the spotlight. I'm not sure his heart was ever set on Ohio State, Meyer is just that strong of a pull. So I don't really feel all that bitter. But if I was his mother, I would smack him for not going with Florida. NFL factory, great school, and it's not coached by RANDY FREAKING EDSALL.
(but as a Buckeye fan I'm really happy he didn't choose Florida).
Ohio State has recruited plenty of studs that have disappeared and it could happen more easily at a second-tier program like the Terps. Trying to build up the Terps is going to do nothing for this guy's career. (Let's not forget that he doesn't have anyone to throw him the ball).
Though, if that's where he wanted to be, good for him.
I'll be honest: I hope he's a bust and that Maryland stays on the skids. I'll only "wish him well" when one of his 1-8 Maryland teams is playing the ACC leader, etc.
But, even if he excels there, at least he kind of cancelled himself out, and he didn't go to Florida or Auburn, so that's a minor plus.
Wanted him in C-Bus, but now that he's not a Buckeye, he's in an enemy camp, albeit a fairly harmless one.
eh whatever.....if Maryland wins a NC in the next 50 years (let alone 4) I would be surprised.
O-H-I-O
Best of luck Mr. Diggs. Just wish it wasn't Edsall. Guy is a liar and a cowardly douche. Muschamp and Meyer are much better guys IMO, but I don't know much.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
My sour grapes paranoia: I do kinda wonder just what it is that Mike Locksley does (he was hired by MD in late December after a disastrous season for Edsall), because Locksley obviously can't coach. He has a lot of local connections in the DC/MD/Tidewater area. Are those anything like the "connections" we hear about in c bball?
Could it be possible that he's just a very good recruiter?
Absolutely, that could be the case.
It's just that Locksley couldn't recruit to New Mex State, which is understandable. From what I can tell, he can only recruit MD/DC/Tidewater, where he has connections. In other words, he could be really good at a very localized "retail" approach to recruiting (building key face-to-face relationships with H.S. coaches and other local people in the systems), or he could be sort of like John Blake, if you get my drift.
I have no idea. I just don't believe that he can coach at even a moderately competent level and he's MD's new OC.
It takes more than one player to bring a place back to prominence. He'll do nothing at Maryland, it doesn't matter if he's a stud or not. Best of luck to him, at least he didn't sign with UF or Auburn.
Best of luck to him. His line I can't get over was him saying that what better place to win a championship than his hometown team. Call me crazy but don't you have to play in one to do that? or at least have the potential of doing that(which Maryladn clearly doesn't) ?
Didn't LeBron say that?
Dustin Fox was our leading tackler as a corner.... because his guy always caught the ball.
Good news!... I will save $1 on my donation to Resect the Basement. I am pledging a George Washington for every recruit. O..H..
I knew that we should have kept our plans with Davonte Neal. He was an OSU lock but Urban let him go. Oh well, no one listens to me. Ehhh lets look at next year.
sup
Neal wasn't passed over in favor of Diggs though. There were other reasons Neal wasn't pursued, and frankly, I'm glad Urban wasn't interested in someone who would get the program in trouble.
Urban really needs to start listening to anonymous internet commenters.
this made me LOL. and by that I mean no offense towards the OP.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
Yeah, and Diggs was a "lock" too, according to some here. Another example of why, if you don't know any of the people involved, you should stop trying to mind-read recruits and just let things happen in good time.
No reason to hate on the young man. He's staying at home. He certainly can't be blamed for people acting now like has been "playing" the Buckeyes and the other also-ran schools, when all he did was take a little longer than usual to make a decision. And you guys do realize the Locksley insinuations are a carbon copy of the very same things other schools are saying about us now, right?
Good luck trying to convince anyone else on Earth that you have a single thing to teach Urban Meyer about running a football program.
The most "loud mouth, disrespect" poster on 11W.
Ugh, Chuck, Ohio State was thoroughly investigated and is under a microscope now.
Do you believe that any schools are engaging in shady recruiting tactics? If so, by your logic, we still ought not ask questions about such possibilities because other people are saying things about Ohio State.
Btw, it was not an insinuation - I'm just wondering what it is that Locksley does. I believe that our coaches are excellent teachers of the game - Urbz, Fickell, Herman, Withers, et al. I'm still trying figure out Locksley.
oh good lord
"You're pissed because we went after a committed guy? Guess what, we got 9 guys who better go do it again," said Meyer. "Do it a little harder next time."
OMG WHY CAN'T URBAN CLOSE THE DEAL ON GREAT PLAYERS!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Totally joking! I am bummed the kid didn't come. He would've been a great addition. Disappointed Neal wound up being potential trouble, would've been nice to get one of the two. Oh well, maybe one of the existing players on offense turns out to be that guy, if not we know 2013 has at least 1 such playmaker in the fold, maybe more. Doesn't do much for 2012, and I would've like some experience going into 2013, but we'll make do.
Does anyone know if Marshall is going to enroll early?
Didn't want him, glad he's gone. We definitely don't need the kind of guy who needs the spotlight as much as this kid apparently does.
Real fans stay for Carmen.
I don't care if this statement is 100% true or not, its just silly to post "we didn't want him anyway" type comments. I loathe it when I see it on other teams' boards and I loathe it on here too.
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
It is 100% true, Jake. Check the time stamp on my posts in Elika's Skull session and in the Another Another Diggs thread. When you do, you will see that I made the same statements *before* Diggs made his announcement. So no sour grapes here.
"Loathe" it or like it. I couldn't care less. I stand by my statement: we don't need players who need all the focus to be on them (regardless of how much physical talent they may have). Good riddance. Go Bucks!
Real fans stay for Carmen.
For the record, I wasn't questioning the truth, but it makes our fanbase look a bit silly because the statement "we didn't want him" has become a joke amongst college football bloggers. Its kind of a Penn State-ish thing to say. Yuck!
October 20th: National Kenneth Guiton Day
The kid has been a recruit top notch recruit for some time now, and has "needed the spotlight" for what 10 days? C'mon, we know nothing about him. Bottom line, the team could've used him, he filled the void Ohio State doesn't have right now, an electric offensive threat. The Ted Ginn if you will. There's no one on this team who has that kind of talent. Sure there are potentially explosive players, but this guy would've been a star.
Plus, you don't need to be someone who needs the spotlight to cause trouble. Boom, Adams, Posey, and Hall didn't crave the spot light and they caused this program as much trouble as any other player.
Lol why does everyone think he wants the spotlight because he took a little longer to sign? Some people need to really lighten up! Hes just a kid geesh lol.
I have to agree with the others here. I wish the young man good fortune but unfortunatly he will most likely become a forgotten player on a forgotten team.
The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. - Woody Hayes
Let's try for perspective, as Alex basically says. It's one kid. For every Troy Smith, there is an Alex Boone. Or a Jamaal Berry. Or a Seantrel Henderson. What Urban has already done has been excellent. OSU is too big, and too good, of a program to be enhanced or hurt by one athlete's decision. Time to focus on 2012's season and beyond...
I can agree, I'm not really freaking out, but Bucks could've used his talent. The team has more than enough to be the best team in the B1G next year. They need that Diggs or Marshall really special athlete for 2013. Reason I wanted Diggs is so Marshall doesn't have to be the man when he's a true freshman. Plus having 2 athletes like that is better than only having 1. The team will be fine and this is a great class they put together.
I guess winning a national championship really was not all that important. But best of luck to him. I would hope in the years to come that when we have a high profile home state recruit he will stay home. It will be somewhat rewarding when Duke beats the Terps next year, We told you so.
Make Will-Way your Way!
Enough with the sour grapes. That kid made a decision that he thought was best for him. Doesn't make him a bad kid or a dumb kid or less of a talent, just someone that didn't want to come to Ohio State.
As an aside, who is the last great talent that we came close to getting which went on to do big things wherever he ended up? I don't pay much attention to recruiting before signing day and completely lose interest after a player goes elsewhere. I recall that Taj Boyd was talked about a bit a few years ago as almost being a Buckeye. Who else?
I'll enjoy my sour grapes by fermenting them into wine, thank you.
Seriously, though, I'm just trying to be honest. Why wish a five-star kid, not playing for Ohio State, who purpotedly runs a 4.3 forty, "good luck"? Diggs having good luck might mean that he's the anchor of MD football renaissance (although he'll obviously need a lot of other help from the Locksley recruiting pipeline).
It's not like cfb is one of those "everyone wins" fairy tales. It really is a zero sum game. More than likely, Urbz' Buckeyes won't cross swords with MD in the next few years, but I'm not rooting for Diggs to be a superstar, sorry, and a little "good luck" might be all he needs to make that a reality.
You wish people good luck or good fortune because they are human beings. The world is bigger than football.
The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender. - Woody Hayes
Exactly, thanks for making my point. I wish Diggs good luck in everything but football.
Interesting choice by him...how often does a kid who could go to a power program like OSU or Florida end up going to a non-power like Maryland? There are obviously reasons behind his decision. He could play right away there. Here, who knows? Sounds to me like proximity to home and playing time right away are priorities of his.
Class of 2010.
There's this one dude... I think his name is Jalin Marshall? Ya, he's gonna be just as good or better than Diggs in 2 years, and he's an Ohio kid who seems to lack some of the diva-ness Diggs has shown over the last 2 weeks. Diggs will probably be a great player for Maryland, but we as buckeye fans have wayyy too much to look forward to to let this effect our mood in any way.
Good luck to him and Go Bucks!!!
Time and change will surely show how firm they friendship... O-HI-O.
Kid made a big mistake not coming and playing for the Buckeyes and Meyer.
Oh well...you're either with us or you'll watch us raise the Crystal Trophy.
Ummm, ok. Just glad he didn't end up a Gator.
vacuuming sucks
Yep; or a skunk weasel.
"It's just another case of there you are". ~ Doc (1918-2012)
No more Diggs threads!
That is reason for a hearty toast!
HIP HIP HOORAY
If you ain't a Silver Bullet, you're a target
I was actually more impressed by Devonte Neal's film, although I'm not sure of the caliber of high school football in Arizona.
Having said that, I am still most impressed by Robert Foster's film. I'd take Foster over Neal and Diggs. Let's focus on the next class!
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
Something I like about a kid staying home.
Something I dont like about a kid who thinks they are bigger than college football before they even play a down.
Nothing to worry about in missing on this kid.
I Hate Michigan.
Bummed, but not the end of my Buckeye World.
Still great things to come and an exciting time to be a Buckeye!
Buckeye born and bred. Buckeye til I'm dead.
To be honest: I think he would have been great in our system, BUT on the bright side we have another scholarship for next years class. Here's to the class of 2012 and to 2013!
no surprise there...he looked like a momma's boy who didnot want to stay to far from the tit!
I know of only two things that are infinite, space and human stupidity.....and I'm not sure about space". Albert Einstein.
By the way...Alex my son will be playing middle linebacker for the buckeyes in 17 years...count it he's ready now!
I know of only two things that are infinite, space and human stupidity.....and I'm not sure about space". Albert Einstein.
What kind of training regimen do you have Alex on? You better get him off of Enfamil and on to Wieder's Ultra High Whey Protein, asap. We don't want any slow, fat, white kids playing LB for the Buckeyes!
"Here officer, hold my beer while I find my license."
I jumped on here to see the big decision after watching a pretty cool movie. Drive - starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle something or other as well as the guy from Breaking Bad. Lots of violence and just a good flick. Some might not love the ending...I mean why didn't he at least take the money? Sometimes they screw up an ending on purpose I think. Maybe I'm just not smart enough to enjoy a movie fully that doesn't have a nice neat ending. Still it was pretty damn good and I would recommend it. My dad came over and watched it with me. He spends Fridays with me and the Mrs. and our daughter which is nice. Family night. Usually we order pizza but not tonight. Tonight we made pizza. But I digress...
Just wanted to say that I really love that there was actually a comment way up above about how Urban blew it on this one. Not as though my opinion means squat - but we have plenty of great guys and a coach who lately, looks & sounds like he was born for this job. Everythings fine. Goodnight.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
I am not going to bash the kid, but I'll say it again, he waited 10 days after NSD to make his big announcement. He could have announced the day after visiting Maryland, the only reason he waited this long was to bring attention to himself. These aren't the kind of players we need at tOSU. I have to agree that we might see a hilight or two over the next three years but this guy won't make a difference at UMD. Last time I checked college football is a TEAM sport and not an individual sport. When is the last time a team was relevant with one stud on the entire team. Good luck.
Someone's bitter. How can you even say he should have committed after his UMD visit? How do you know he was ready to sign then? Give me a break, some people on here are so over the top on their conception of whether or not he's a diva because he waited a couple of days.
Kind of reminded me of the former #2 and his drama... save it for your momma
Lost Nut in Michigan
When you made your decision to attend a D1 football school on full scholarship how difficult was it?
Unlike most players who decide to go to an "NFL factory" only to sit on the bench or transfer to an FCS school two years later, he seemed like he realized that where he goes has an enormous impact on the rest of his career/life, and realized that for every pro to attending one school there were multiple cons to consider. While MD isnt known as a football factory, look at the Giants roster. They have 4 guys from Troy. Guys from Delaware, UMASS, Brown, Cornell...if he's got the talent and gets on the field to get noticed, he'll be fine, but it really seems like he just wanted MD to be the choice, to stay close to home, even if it wasn't the best one on paper. And it seems like he took the time to think rather than make a rash decision that has a lot of serious long term impact on his life
Baylor has some solid but not spectacular receivers, and they had a pretty good year with what I'd call a single stud.
One month from now. None of this shit will even matter.
"Here officer, hold my beer while I find my license."
Completely agree.
Damn right. Let's move on without him.
all hail undersigning!!!
/Duff'd It
;)
Buckeye born and bred. Buckeye til I'm dead.
Yes, let's please move on! This won't be the last guy we miss out on...
Tough times never last, tough people do
Well, can't fault anyone for wanting to be near home. Heck, Urban came home and we don't blame him. I hope the kid has a healthy career and that he never lives to regret his decision.
Just think, this is a fraction of what scUM feels.... they missed on every kid they wanted down the stretch.. tOSU jsut missed on this one..
If you ain't a Silver Bullet, you're a target
I thought they never wanted those guys anyway and they were glad to see them go? lol
I'll ask the question again because I'm genuinely curious. Who was the last big recruit that we just missed out on who went on to have a big career with another team? I'm sure it happens all the time, but I stop paying attention once he signs with another team. Are there any notable guys that went on to be All-Americans, or at least really really good, elsewhere?
Well there was Seantrel Henderson and Latwan Anderson, and I'm pretty sure they've gone MIA.
Didn't Tressel going after Tajh Boyd, the QB at Clemson? I think he had a pretty good season in 2011.
"Here officer, hold my beer while I find my license."
Trey DePriest went to Alabama. He played as a reserve and on special teams as a true freshman this past year, won't be surprised if he has a breakout 2012.
The year before was Jordan Hicks to Texas. I don't think he's been an All American, but he does look like he is going to live up to his hype.
I know we wanted Eric Berry pretty bad. I'd say he was alright at Tennessee
a few years before the "Brew Crew" OSU went after NJ tackle Anthony Davis hard. Davis was the top OL target of that years class for OSU. Davis went on to playat Rutgers, was a 4 year starter there and now starts for the San Fran 49ers.
I'm a Knicks fan and have had absolutely nothing to cheer for in about a decade. Tonight, I got a little Linsane. I'll ride this wave while it lasts. There is nothing to not like about that kid.
You am going to the Princeton-Harvard game tonight. I am thinking that Lin may show up to cheer on his alma mater who are undefeated. Think Buckeye fans are nuts? This their version of "The Game"
Lol that guy was nuts tonight, was most impressed with the 2 fts he hit late in pressure situation, and then on defense right after taking a big charge to seal game.
Favorite Buckeye: Obviously BJ Mullens
Uff - well that sucks!! Looks like we've got an extra scholarship for next year - or one of the ones we lose. Too bad.
It will be interesting to see what happens to him over the next 4 years.
The best thing about Pastafarianism? It is not only acceptable, but advisable, to be heavily sauced
If Diggs is far sighted enough to focus on his pro potential and not care about NCs or even top ten college finishes then good for him. He still did us a favor by not choosing those other schools. From my point of view he took himself out of the picture, which neither helps nor hurts the Bucks. So, I can honestly wish him well and wait to see him play in the pros (or not) with no sour grapes.
Because he took so long to commit I assume that he was uncertain about leaving home, and he has his buddies at Maryland, not that he "played" any school or needed more spotlight than most of these kids. If he is really really awsome at Maryland and we are desparate enough maybe we will let him transfer over... nah. We will be fine but Auburn and Florida sure are going to stink without him!
I feel most sorry for Neal. Could you imagine if your father screwed things up for you like that.... damn. This recruiting stuff is nasty!
Diggs said he wanted to win" BCS games and a NTL title where better to do that than in your city". Does he know Maryland won't do either? Good luck being trying to go .500 every year. Not mad or anything, but seems like he didn't realize the BCS games and NTL title chances are in Columbus.
I'm sure Maryland, with the desperate state of their offense, "guaranteed" him more than Meyer ever would. Lots more competition for the ball at OSU, especially with the skill kids on the way in 2013...
Jason Priestas said he looked "more like a done deal (to the Bucks) with each passing day." The prevailing wisdom in these parts was that the Maryland visit was merely a courtesy to his homestate school.
Whatever happened to that?
He made the choice he felt was right for him, whatever the reason may be. And for that reason I can honestly say I respect it. Sure, maryland isn't ohio state. But its home to him, its no different than an ohio kid choosing to be a buckeye. And the extra scholarship is there for someone who wants to wear the scarlet and gray. Maybe an ohio kid who might have gotten squeezed out due to the reductions. Five star athletes are great...I would have loved to see him electrify the shoe with his abilitites. But I also love to see that kid whose lifelong dream was to be a buckeye have the chance to fulfill that dream. Room for one more...ill take it. Good luck mr diggs, thanks for the consideration. Now let's talk 2013!
MOMMY'S BOY CAN'T SURVIVE AWAY FROM HOME ANY MAJOR LENGTH OF TIME . MUST HAVE BEEN BREAST FED AS A BABY CAN'T LET GO GOOD RIDANCE TO MUCH DRAMA.
Just because a kid wants to stay home, doesn't make him a mommy's boy. If that was the case, wouldn't that apply to half the Buckeyes?
Dude you need to get a life. Securing hometown players is usually EVERY programs #1 priority when it comes to recruting. Can you seriously fault the kid for wanting to stay home? That post you made has TOO much drama. Man what is wrong with people nowadays??
Good luck to him. I won't begrudge any kid who chooses to stay near his home or even to go somewhere else, unless that somewhere else is TSUN.
I never knock a guy who wants to rep his home state. Best of luck to him.
Class of 2008
Exactly. Theres nothing wrong with wanting to help your hometown win! Well said...
Has tons of talent. Wish he'd come here, but he didn't. Best of luck to him. He's now no longer relevant to me so let's talk about the Buckeyes.
Wish we had been able to pick him up, but I can't say I fault a kid for wanting to play ball near his family. Hopefully he continues to develop at Maryland and will someday play on Sundays.
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face"
Mike Tyson
Wish him the best. Now that he has decided maybe my productivity will go up. . . . at least until the spring game gets close.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University