How much did he play on Saturday, especially on defense. The only time I saw him he was on the punt coverage. I certainly hope this kid improves or he might be packing his bags, I hate to say it. To be replaced by Storm Klein who was suspended and a marginal player at best is not very good situation for Grant.
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I heard that Curtis Grant got moved to SAM while Camren Williams is backup MIKE to Storm Klein.
"if irony were made of strawberries, we' d all be drinking a lot of smoothies right now."
Sad to see he is not living up to expectations. It is especially troubling that Urban and the other coaches had such good things to say about him in the spring.
"Michigan and "huge mistake" are synonymous"
-Mark Titus
Gray is correct, at least during warmups at MSU, Grant had been moved to second team SAM. I would bet we'll know more after Urban speaks today. My guess is that Williams impressed the coaches as frustration with Grant set in.
I could see Grant playing better at SAM anyway. Allows for him to blitz more, and play a bit freer. Plus there's a lot less of a mental aspect to SAM in comparison to MIKE.
I don't think he touched the field on defense on Saturday.
vacuuming sucks
So he's behind Sabino at SAM then? I don't mind a kid taking til his junior year to get it honestly. It's great if they get it before, but tons of great players don't have the opportunity to start until their junior years, even when they are highly touted kids. No matter how good a LB recruit was in 2005 they were never going to win a starting spot with the 3 we had.
I'm happy for Klein as well, I kind of said last week he played well against Wisky and this may be his type of game where the speed is a little slower and there is more power in the game and less finesse.
Can't imagine he "packs his bags" when Sabino is gone after this year and still has 2+ years to get to where he wants to be
He might run out of chances next year. The coaches have had good things to say about Cam Williams
Bet he takes over for Sabino and starts next year. Just wasn't a Mike. Neither was Sabino no matter how hard we tried to make him one. But Sabino is a pretty decent Sam and Grant will be too.
I'm not sure the purpose of playing Storm Klein. We can't go to a bowl game and have a whole bunch of young LB that we will need to contribute next year, when it matters. I'm not advocating for one of them particularly over Klein, just don't see the need in playing a sub-par, slow senior.
@oregonian, if he wasn't the best choice available for the position, he wouldn't be playing. Give the young guys a chance to grow under a veteran instead of just throwing them into traffic
@Buck-I.8 I like your optimism! The coaches do know a whole heck of a lot more about football than I do. However, no coaching staff is infalliable. My point is that if it is close, I would favor playing the younger guys (in general, but especially with the bowl ban). If the young guys aren't close to Storm Klein, than they were over-hyped.
This could turn into one of OSU biggest busts for a 5 star Mike LB. Such a shame if it does happen that way...everyone, including myself, thought he'd be the next big LB at OSU....so far it doesn't appear that's going to happen.
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
I said it preseason folks. It wasn't just a "he needs to get the mental part down" problem. Maybe he's just not as good as his rating showed? That is certainly possible.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
This is why I never, ever get hyped about a recruit OSU signs or depressed when they lose one. It is just so hard to look at an elite athlete against generally inferior competition and try to figure how he'll work out when the level pf play steps up. Star ratings mean nothing to me, generally speaking so do Freshman.
I got excited about Noah Spence when I saw him play. Its the best way to do it. Projecting hope on 18 year old kids who haven't seen the speed they will at the next level of football is 1) Impossible and 2) creepy. The whole recruiting fetish that has developed as of late across the nation is very odd to me.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
^guys can't make the move to the next level all the time, it's nothing new. Look at the guys in the NCAA who get drafted. They're the top 10 or so percentile, and most of them don't end up anything spectacular. More end up as busts than the number of guys that shine.
Exactly my point. Which is why I usually skip the "Yay we got him!" parties that get thrown. Fans get way to excited about a recruiting class and quite frankly, the casual observer has no idea what he's looking at anyway so when I read stuff like "Oh man, I really hope we get XYZ player!" or "The guy WE need is ABC Player" my eyes bleed.
18 year old kids, that's all they are. That's why I don't get crushed like in the case of Grant, when what appeared to be a 'sure fire stud' doesn't pan out.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
Amen Brew, put me in that same boat as you.
Im going to be a little mean here..this is why all you chumps that worship and obsess over recruiting and the "5 star studs" look foolish in the end. You guys get sucked into what Rivals, Scout, etc want you to get sucked into. It's a wave of hype and hits for their websites. I too use to get all excited about this recruit or that recruit but now as I get older I take it for what it is..a crap shoot.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
I'm with you. It just creeps me out. More over, like I said-none of us know what to look for in a high school kid at the high school level. Not only that, short of seeing the kids play themselves, you are watching HIGHLIGHT REELS. Of course they look good.
Even when you do see a kid play an HS game in the flesh, most fans are of the mind the kid is already good and will use various plays to illustrate that point-their minds are already made up and they are looking for 'proof' of it, as opposed to watching objectivley and saying "Boy he does\doesn't do this well".
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
^ haha omg I know what u mean. Ugh can be very annoying.
Example: "if we get that stud WR Quick out of Kentucky he will play the "Percy Harvin" role next season with his speed" lol.
"Mike Mitchell will come in here and start to solve our LB problems next season..after all he did run a sun 4.4!!"
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
While I agree to a certain extent with what you guys are saying, I don't think everyone who follows recruiting is creepy. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to bring in the best players you can get or to think about how they might be used at OSU. I know there are some crazy fans out there who obsess about it and live and die with it, which can be creepy. I just try to keep a level head about things when it comes to recruiting. And I don't personally get hung up about a kid's ranking or stars or whatever, I am more concerned with bringing in guys to fill the needs of the team, and if they happen to be a 5 * rated high school player, great. If they're a 3* but they can get the job done, super. Recruiting is a gamble for sure, some top guys don't pan out while some 3* stars go on to be All Americans.
No, you are spot on Tenn, its not the people who look at players and follow their process from offer to commitment. This site does a really good job of briefing fans on the latest development in the courtship of a player. I just don't understand the emotion behind a player signing\not signing with their school.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
I don't think it's a crapshoot at all honestly. Alabama, LSU, UGA, UF, OSU, Texas, Oklahoma, FSU, USC...That's almost all your national titles in the last 15 years...and they are likely the top 10 teams in recruiting. It's a little bit hit and miss, but if you have 5 5* guys, you can miss with 2 and still have 3 beasts. Not saying it always works (See Texas the last couple of years), but more often than not those teams are winning 10+ games
What position is Marcus slotted for? I like what I see out of him on special teams. He has a nose for the ball on that unit, much like Nate Ebner did. I hope he gets more opportunities to play on defense than Nate did.
Bckeye06-
That's certainly true over the course of several recruiting classes that comprise a national title winner. I'm speaking more to the difficulties of projecting how well an individual play projects. Of course if you fill your roster with highly rated, talented players, you'll probably win more than you lose. But all of those teams have had highly touted players that didn't pan out.
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
I mean everyone remembers how long it took Sabino to get it, right? So long he had to redshirt as a true junior. I think Grant will be fine he is a big time talent. For some guys at line backer, they are just so much more athletic than the competition they play against their whole life that when they get to a place where they cant get by on athleticism along they struggle (remember Mike DiAndrea). I think he will get coached up and will end up being fine. So far Urban has praised his effort at very least, so I think he wants him to succeed. I would be worried if that wasnt the case, because I think it clear by now that Urban will help you succeed if you buy in and give it your all. But if you don't you are out in the cold pretty quick. I dont know why I think this but I have a feeling by the end of the year Curtis Grant will a household name for fans.
at this point Curtis Grant ends up equal to Sabino at SAM talent-wise. Next yr when Grant has the starting position all to himself, he will have the opportunity to either be the beast thet Sabino never was or be another Sabino ( at best). Both guys were 5* number one INSIDE LBs in the country. That doesn't necessarily mean they will be adequate as a middle linebacker. Maybe the move to strongside should have been made awhile ago for Grant.
"Get him a body bag, Yeah!"
I'm surprised of his quick fall from grace. I had high hopes that things would finally click and he'd be able to make an impact at the Mike. I know we are restocking the cupboards but, does any else feel like it's been forever since we've had a real competent bunch at the LB corps?
“The minute we stop expecting greatness from our football program, we become Wisconsin.” Craig Krenzel
Forever? or like...a few years...james laurinaitis left after '08. so at the most 4 years? Brian Rolle was pretty good as well... not to bash you iron but man, some fans are just never satisfied...even at 5-0
Not forever..2010 we had two all big ten backers in Rolle and Homan..with a solid Andrew Sweat. I wonder if a lot of fans on here really follow Buckeye football sometimes.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
Sometimes players just don't progress to their projections. After all, that's all recruiting is. But I won't call a kid a bust just 5 games into his true sophomore year. If SAM ends up to be a better fit for him and he contributes, then great.
I'm surprised he hasn't done as well. Then again, I feel like a lot of highly rated recruits are that way because they are the beat athlete on the fuels, and not everyone else is up to par. It's different in college
To expect a Laurinaitis or a Hawk each and every year is probably unreasonable, even if we had that luxury for a while in the last decade (gosh, it seemed we had an All-American candidate every year for a stretch - we TOTALLY reloaded rather than rebuilt). But Hawk and Lauranitas were literally like all-time Buckeye greats.
I guess what I'm sarying, Iron, is yeah it SEEMS like forever since we've been competent because James and AJ were THAT great. But I agree with BJAson - we've had some good ones since. It's a weakness this year, but Sabino just had the best game of his career...so maybe things are on the up and up?
I agree wholeheartedly with avail31678. We got spoiled by Tressel's inheritance of Wilhelm, Cie Grant, etc. Then pulling in guys like Carpenter, A.J. Hawk, Laurinaitis. Homan and B. Rolle were the latest to pan out. Sabino and Sweat havent done much and thats why it seems like such a long time since we've been good. Add in the fact that we lost out on some good LB recruits to the south and others didnt pan out like klein while others disappeared like Dorian Bell. Its not like Tressel didnt get/ go after top-notch LB'ers. Last year was a disaster of youngsters at the position and this year is a (slightly) improved version of that.
"Get him a body bag, Yeah!"
I have said it all season, I think Curtis Grant is the single worst player on the team. I am not surprised in the least that he lost his starting slot.
Can say all you want about the "I don't do a little dance when we get a 5 star" however you would absolutely notice a difference if all we had were 3 stars
"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."
Mike D'Andrea
Mike D'Andrea had injury issues. I don't understand why his name keeps coming up in these discussions
Wow, isn't it a little early to be labeling him a bust? The kid still has to get used to the speed of the collegiate level and comprehend the defense and defensive calls while reading and reacting on the fly. That's a lot for these kids and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone that can come in at the MIKE position and perform like veteran right out of the gates.
Because I couldn't go for three. -Woody-
@Urban John: Curtis Grant may have been the worst STARTER on the team, but I'll bet you wouldn't want to see many of the other sixty or so guys from the roster on the field in his place!
put it this way, it took Orhian Johnson a decade to finally become a solid player on defense
What most of you are missing is that recruiting, while not an exact science, is a form of science and serves a valuable purpose. The problem arises from the recruiting services being far too generous with their 5 * rankings. The process for selecting 5* recruits needs to be more stringent and in most years there should only be about five or six 5 * kids and some years less. Often times these services rank kids based on their class as well, so in a down year they will rank a kid higher than he would have been during a high talent year, which should never happen. If there is only one five star then there is only one five star. As far as Grant goes, Rivals is the only service that I saw that had him at that eschelon and Rivals often uses the camp setting as their predominating factor when ranking kids, see Shane Morris. I believe Rivals had Grant number two overall when he came out and that is just ridiculous. Looking at the last couple of years off of the top of my head the only 5* kids that were clearly at the 5* level were, DGB, Jadaveon Clowney and this year Nkemdiche. The tighter these services are with their rankings the more accurate they will be. (Note: Some recruits become injured and never pan out, but that is a whole different discussion)
True, but Orhian was a late desperation offer 3 star prospect with conference USA schools after him..Grant was the polar opposite. 5 star, Army All American, "the next Ray Lewis" etc etc..different expectations between the 2. Johnson was actually a QB in h.s. and was probably just expected to be a depth guy here when they offered him.
Its kinda like the NFL draft..a team places higher expectations and fans put more pressure on the teams 1st rd pick..as opposed to the 3rd and 4th rounders.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
The most recent depth chart lists Grant as the backup to Klein at MLB. Didn't I read someone mention that he moved over to SAM, and Sabino's backup?
Many players, no matter the rating, blossom in their third year. Grant could be another one. Freshman year can simply be too much to handle. Sophomore year is spent actually learning and Junior year their ready to go. Star ratings do not equate to adaptability to new surroundings, coaches and lifestyle. I will take two very good years from any player and we still do not know yet. Give him the benefit of the doubt.
The athletic freakness of these 5* kids can flat out make up for what they don't understand about the game in high school. I'm glad for him to move into a role that might better fit his game and demeanor.
Does Luke Roberts play MIKE? Anyone ever see him play in person?
Yes he played mike in h.s. Very natural position for him it wouldn't shock me one bit if he started at Mike next year or down the road eventually. He's very smart, great size, and strong as an ox.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
seems like he's getting worse this year, not better. Adn he wasn't great to begin with..
gobucks96 -
How can you say that? He never saw the field last year other than ST.
Did he just give a scouting breakdown of kid, therefore joining the ranks of us "creepy" recruiting guys? What say you?
Next Ray Lewis? I didn't see or hear of him killing another person yet. There is only one Ray Lewis, point being. Just like there is one AJ Hawk, one James Lauranitis, one Brian Rolle.
"I like to kick Michigan's ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of gum."
Did Perry play middle lineacker last night
Urban came out an stated that for his coaches to be considered excellent recruiters they need to hit on 2 of every 3 commits. For every Barnett and Bryant there's gonna be a Wood in that class.
I'm still waiting for Barnett to play at All-Big Ten level.
Run_Fido's favorite word is strawman.
I'm still waiting for Barnett to get back into a game... Barnett might not be 1st team All B1G but he's still an experienced safety that plays well.
Grant was in for a few goal-line plays. Other than that, we saw Perry at SAM after Sabino went down...no clue where Grant is right now on the depth chart, but it's clearly not backing up Sabino.