Personally I hope Vonn Bell is thinking he wants to be on the team that knocks Bama off, but it's going to be a tough pull after the impressive display tonight. If any coach can do it... It's Urban!
PHONE'S RINGING -- IT'S URBAN ON THE LINE
•Football Schedule•Basketball Schedule•Forum•About•Contact
11W Poll
Buckshots
Buckshots Block
-
Rivals Releases a New Rivals100
Heavy Ohio State lean Raekwon McMillan picks up a fifth star.
-
Kirk Ferentz's High School Nickname was "Fetus Head"
Explains a lot, really.
-
STROKE! STROKE! STROKE!
Ohio State Women's Rowing: 2013 B1G Champions
-
Hey Ladies, Here's Everything You Need to Know for Ohio State's Annual Women's Football Clinic
June 8th. Be there.
-
BetOnline Releases College Football Point Spreads for 44 Opening Week Games
Buckeyes -33 for the Buffalo game.
-
Cornell Knocks Ohio State Out of the NCAA Tournament
Brutal end to a successful season.
Recent Blog Posts
- 2013: The WR Rotation
- The Dontre Wilson Impact
- Better know a ... Mountaineer?
- Joey Bosa = perfect OOS recruit!
- Wrestling: Stieber defeats #1 Ranked wrestler in the world at Rumble on the Rails
- Response to Johnny's "There's so much money going around, well, mostly"
- My Worst Ohio State Football Experience Ever
- Summer Reading: The Most Hated On
- Big Ten State Beer Consumption Rankings
- Coop was better than Earle
Active in the Forum
- Hang 100?
- 2014 DT Andrew Brown
- Worst single play in OSU football history?
- BTN: Big Ten Helmet Bracket Poll
- Kiper Has Bradley Roby as His Top Corner Prospect
- Quick Bits 5/20
- More Foodie Stuff: Overrated Eats
- Another OSU Hype Video
- God I HATE soccer.
- Buckeyes on the 2015 warpath these last few days...
- Michigan Takes Over at #1 in ESPN's Class of 2014 Rankings
- Some Minor Recruiting News
- Important: Remember to Vote
- Best Play in OSU Football History?
- New Rivals 100 & Rivals 250
Want to say hello?
We love hearing from you! Whether you want to work with us, discuss advertising opportunities, or pass us a hot tip, you're more than welcome to drop us a line.
We all knew Bama was good, don't think this game is the difference maker.
Agree, difference between Quick and Louisville. That was a surprise where this one everyone predicted would happen
Agree,but think he's already drinkin that Bama kool-aid,especially after tonight.
SCOTTC.
Don't underestimate UFM. He is & has been in ATL and the state of GA and will continue to be here. Kids in this state are talking about UFM & tOSU. This race is nowhere near over!
Because they wouldn't let me go for 3!
Woody Hayes 1913-1987
Hmmm....thinking now's as good a time as ever for Urban to call Jaylon Smith again. Nothing to lose.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
i hate to say it but i think we lost mr. bell tonight
mark may wins douchebag of the year... again
ok, Bielema.
Unfortunately, I think Bell was Bama's before the NC game, I just think the gap has been widened. Hopefully I'm wrong.
Agreed. Bama has a lot to sell.
I don't think tonight's game has any impact on Von Bell. He has known all season that Alabama is a power house, and that they would be a massive favorite to win it all. If that were the case he would have commited in the preseason.
Just a life long Buckeye fan wanting to talk to other lifelong Buckeye fans. Our honor defend, we will fight to the end for OOO HIIII OOOOOO!
If he's wavering like Quick, this could seal the deal. Simply put, it matters...
My glass-half-full recruiting scenario is that Saban decides he has accomplished everything he can at Alabama and takes a pro job, and some of the luster comes off Notre Dame.
Hopefully as part of his decision making process Bell considers the fact that he more than likely will not be playing immediately if he goes to Bama. He would at the very least compete and have a chance to play at tOSU his freshman year...
“The minute we stop expecting greatness from our football program, we become Wisconsin.” Craig Krenzel
Does anyone think there is a chance any ND commits look elsewhere now. I don't think so, but it would be nice to see J. Smith open up. I'm just dreaming.
You have to hate losing more than you love winning! GO BUCKS!!
Blowout games are boring to generally everyone, so I doubt this game would be as much of an emotional game changer as, say, a come-from-behind instant classic or David vs. Goliath upset, ala L'ville-Fla. @Farmerbuck: I like that dream, too, but it'll probably be someone else besides Smith, if anyone.
I don't think they are boring. That 37 - 7 thrashing Coach Tressel put on ttun was one of the most enjoyable days in my life.
They may be boring but they are an advertisement for the greatness of bama. Everyone talking about the dynasty, saban as the best coach ever etc. etc.
If I were a kid being recruited at that level and I didn't have my current OSU disposition you would have a hard time keeping me out.
Don't sleep on Bell going to Bama....it makes me laugh a bit to see how over confident some are on landing Bell. I'm not so sure now...look at what Quick did after Louisville's win against FL. Granted, most thought Bama would win against ND...but it will be hard for Bell to turn down Saban now....just my opinion (and I hope I eat my words with Bell choosing OSU over Bama...but I'm preparing my self now...I would too if I were you).
"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
The Quick and Bell situations are different. And, depending on the circumstances, when a program that's recruiting a star h.s. kid has a big bowl game performance, that can impact the decision in either direction.
When Quick chooses Louisville, he's almost guaranteed to jump right into the starting lineup there. As far as I know, Quick will not have to compete with any other major NFL-caliber WR prospects already in the Louisville pipeline. When he was watching Bridgewater carve up FLA's secondary, it was easy for him to visualize himself in that offense in 2013, possibly being the difference maker on the biggest stage playing for a national championship.
In Bell's case, if he decides to go with Bama, he's likely either to redshirt next season or play exclusively on special teams. Then, in 2014, he'd face a brutal competition at safety. Clinton Dix and Sunseri were sophomores this year and Jarrick Williams got a medical redshirt, I suspect. Last year's 5-star safety recruit, Landon Collins played special teams this year and will be working into the rotation. Knowing Bama, they'll have another 2-3 top-level safety prospects in the mix. If anything, last night's game might have reinforced this message to Bell.
Bell would face similar battles at Ohio State, although CJ Barnett, C Bryant, and J Wood will all be seniors next year.
Nevertheless, the big lights that were dancing in Quick's head were probably more immediate than those dancing in front of Bell's eyes last night. For Bell, playing for championships is more of a 2014 or 2105 prospect, and Urbz can more than hold his own in selling that longer-range vision. Thus, I feel like Bell is more likely - compared to Quick - to decide on the "fundamentals" of the schools/programs, less so on an emotional reaction to one game.
+1 to you sir. Well written and I completely agree.
Good points...however...we'll see come Feb 6th....he's going to take all his OVs and he's visited Bama the most. You'd have to be delusional not to think Bama is in the lead (even after this weekend...unless Urban closes it out then and he doesn't get the chance to visit Bama). Otherwise...we're all wishfully thinking IMO of course.
"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
Well put but put yourself in Bell's shoes. He has been the best everywhere he has ever played. While you and I may realize what you said above is true he may not. He may think he will start next year. I'm sure Bama is telling him he will have a chance to come in and compete which is obviously true but unlikely that he makes the field.
That is a good point. No matter how loaded a current roster might be, a kid like Bell is apt to believe that he will jump right in and turn the roster upside down - it's partly what separates the really good players from the potential stars. I should've more clearly stated that I anticipate Bama's bowl performance to be less of a factor than Louisville's was for Quick, but I could be dead wrong about that.
I just sense that, given Bell's circumstances and what he has said to reporters, he will go through a fairly deliberative decision making process. I mean, I appreciate Quick's honesty, but based on how he described his thought process for the last 10 days or so, it sounds like the kid wavers between snap judgments. Bell is a different kind of cat. Again, no offense to Quick, but Bell seems like a no-nonsense guy with strong leadership traits, whereas Quick seems like the football version of a play'a. You need both types to excel, but the two types tend to utilize a different decisionmaking process.
There are lots of good reasons for Bell to pick Bama, I just don't expect him to put much emphasis on what happened last night. Whereas, if anything, it wouldn't surprise me if Bell included depth-of-talent at safety as a lower but important priority, in which case Bama demolishing ND with somebody like Landon Collins playing special-teams-only isn't necessarily a positive factor for Bama (although it might be).
Ding.....DING! thank you CC
"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
The last couple days I've been thinking, wouldn't it be crazy if Butch Jones and his staff @ Tennessee just completely wow Bell on his visit and ends up committing to his childhood favorite?
About as crazy as Quick going to Louisville.
I don't know, if by "crazy" we mean surprising, Bell to Tenn would be crazier. I won't rehash all the connections Quick had to L-ville, but he had a lot of local forces pulling him home. Does Bell have friends currently on the Tenn roster, relatives in Knoxville, etc.? I'd be crazy surprised if Bell ends up at Tenn.
Actaully, Bell picking Tennessee to me would be crazier. UT has a new coach and new staff, and there is no reason to believe they will be good in the near future, while UofL kept Strong, upset an SEC team in a BCS bowl and has plenty of momentum going into next year. And Bell doesn't live in Knoxville, he lives near Chattanooga, which is about 2 hours away, while Quick lives in Louisville.
The opportunity to start as a freshman and a brand new $42 million dollar facility will be enticing to him, but I don't see him at UT. I really think he ends up with us because he likes Urban and he will get to play quicker at OSU. He even might play some offense at OSU.
Here's the thing with Bell. He has been to many Bama games this year, he's hung out with all the guys and got to know them very well, and last night he watched on TV as guys he's made friendships with are winning their first, 2nd, or 3rd title. That's going to be a strong pull for any kid. Will it be the deal maker or breaker? Probably not.
I'm more concerned about him taking his last visit to Bama. That just isn't good if you ask me. If he doesn't commit on his visit here, I don't think he'll be donning the scarlet and gray.
I thought his last visit was to UT? I think it is between us and Bama. My biggest thought is that he's been to soo many Bama games. If he was so impressed with them he should've already committed. I believe his #1 priority is the relationship with the head coach and obviously Urban is more personable than Nick Saban.
Urban certainly seems to be the more personable, but if you ever hear Saban's players talk about him (except for his NFL stint where his players didn't like him), they say he's a different guy in practice and the locker room and when he interacts with them.
He actually did sound pretty likable after the game last night. I was surprised. You know when he was at MSU I remember him being a pretty decent guy in interviews too. Maybe he's just getting exponentially m ore old and cranky every year.
The same can be said for Dantonio. During game time interviews he comes across as cold. I saw an in depth interveiw with him on the Big 10 Network a year or so ago and when being interviewed one on one, about many different topics, he was very likeable and relaxed.
Good point about Bell building friendships with current players and 2013 recruits, but I don't think his number of visits to Bama - in itself - is necessarily an indicator of his leanings. It's like a 3-hr drive from where Bell lives to Tuscaloosa, so we might expect him to visit there frequently.
You're right, though, once he's there, he's hanging with the fellas. If he feels at home in Bama with other players, that's tough to overcome. But who knows? Maybe the 4th, 5th, etc., visit in Tuscaloosa was one too many and he got a bad vibe. We'll see.
I've not done much sales. Isn't there a "rule" in sales that, if you've already sold the customer, stop trying to sell him over-and-over again, because he you might say too much? Not saying that such a "rule" applies in this situation, but that I'll remain optimistic about Urbz's chances with Bell unless I hear new discouraging info.
I don't think it's the number of visits that will disqualify Ohio State, just that he's probably made a lot of friends and maybe would be inclined to get swept up in the emotion of seeing what they did last night since he's close to that program
I think it all comes down to the visit, but if he doesn't commit then or near then I don't like our chances is all I'm saying.
Can't compare Bell and Bama with Quick and Louisville. Bell's home team is not Bama and Tenn is not at the caliber everyone else is. Bama might be the leader but nothing about this situation is like Quick's. Quick had to choose between his hometown team which is on an up swing with major potential teamwise and personal. His home team is good and he couldn't pass that up. Plus the PT does help although there is no guarantee Quick will start at UofL. they do have a few good young WR also.
if Bell is coming to OSU this weekend, anything goes. If bama was already locked in, then he would have already picked them. A recruit can still take officials even after committing so its not like he is taking free rides. He is truly interested in OSU.
With Jayme Thompson and Cam Burrows (not to mention Darren Lee), Vonn Bell is the cherry on top but not the must get. Must get was last weekend!
In my opinion, if you want to compete with Bama he is a must get. It would be making a statement too. Not to mention it would continue to give Urban a even better footing in Georgia, which is an area Saban loves to pick recruits off from. If you want to become Bama, you have to show them you are a threat. Bell choosing Ohio State over Bama the team that has just won 3 out of 4 titles, where Saban would essentially be your position coach would be VERY significant.