Nice to know that The Buckeyes kept their word, and that Johnny is just doing what he thinks is best for him. Respect to Michael Chung -- http://theozone.net/recruiting/2012_13/Townsendexplains.html
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Good article. Glad to hear there were no offers pulled and the kid just did what was best for him. Bet of luck Johnny!
Geez, it sounds like OSU was actually third man on the totem pole after FL and AL offered on Monday. How commited to us was he?
"They [Alabama] did offer on Monday and I was close to signing with them. I loved their camp over the summer and it would have been great to play with the powerhouse."
Yeah thats kind of how I feel. When two schools ignore you untill the very last second to give you a last minute offer and you just drop the school that really wants you and was willing to give you an offer a long time ago and you have formed relationships with the staff and other committs going there then you must not have really wanted to come here.
That's probably a run-on sentence.
Urban Warfare
Haha I was thinking that as I was typing it but banking on the fact that nobody would call me out on it. You caught me.
Yeah, well he's a kid from the South, not to mention Florida is his home school; like literally everyone in his house went there.
Tough to overcome that and Bama's momentum in Dixie (and beyond).
Like Alpo said, it's good to hear it wasn't an "oversigning" issue with this kid. Still had an offer on the table, but Florida's pull was too much. I'm glad we can put this issue to bed.
Sounded like he would have gone to Bama if UF didn't jump in late.
This was puzzling and surprising to say the least. Still, there was absolutely no reason for people on here to assume--or claim they knew something by "common sense"--and drag the coaches' names through mud (hypotheticals are fine until they go too far). They didn't do this kid wrong.
Interesting interview from Chung, and sheds some more light on that bizarre flip. Best of luck to Townsend, but more importantly hope the punting situation works out well for Ohio State.
Still, there was absolutely no reason for people on here to assume-- or claim they knew something by "common sense"-- and drag the coaches' names through mud(hypotheticals are fine until they go too far). They didn't do this kid wrong.
I agree 100% percent if I could I would give you an Upvote.
When someone shows you who they are believe them! In other words piss a good friend off and see what they really think about you.
Hope Frank Epitropoulos ends up being a great punter and gets the job. With his way above average speed, he'd be a real threat on fake punts.
We should have used Trepasso more in that fake punt role. See his first (and darn near only) punt in the NFL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7xksmk0ghc
that was awesome!
I was amazed that he didn't get any opportunities. He had the fake punt run and when Jerry Jones brought out the Jumbo Tron in Dallas, he was the first to hit it. The kid was on sportscenter twice in the preseason and then never made a roster.
How is it that I have never seen that???? Friggin' sweet play!
Funny part is Townsend runs a 4.4
Interesting that Evan Lisle told Johnny that he was also offered by Alabama. Seems like it is getting (more) personal between Saban and Meyer......
And of course when Saban offered EZE. I think you're right.. they don't like each other
I've thought about that & came up with this: I don't know that they dislike each other as much as they are probably the two single most competitive men in CFB. Losing to Saban in 2009 was a huge blow to UFM. They realize they are probably gunning for each other professionally & may meet again soon. I think UFM wants to beat Saban badly & vice versa, but I imagine there is some serious respect there...the games being played are less about personal dislike & more about winning.
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 sure I would look for conspiracies beyond, we have recruited good players, so good teams are going go after them. As they should.
Bama offered lisle early. Right around the time tOSU did. He committed within the same week if I remember right. It wasn't a last second offer by any means.
where's the apologies on here from WOODYHAYESHAYMAKER?
I haven't read all of his posts, but I do remember WOODYHAYESHAYMAKER prefacing his posts by stating that he did not know all of the facts. He was arguing against people who thought it was okay to take a kid's scholly away to make room for another player. He admitted that he was unsure if this was the case with Townsend.
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WOODYHAYESHAYMAKER on 6 FEB 2013 - 10:03PM #
I'm with BTA on this one. This has been a VERY sudden change, and I don't believe for one second this is about family issues.
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BTALBERT25 on 6 FEB 2013 - 9:43PM #
This situation is definitely a numbers issue (definitely is 2 days ago the kid was pumped to be a Buckeye), and that's why I think oversigning isn't that bad. We know of the few horror stories where kids are booted out of a program and think the whole practice is immoral, but to me it's more immoral to let a kid think he has a schollie till signing day morning then saying ehhhhh we have a little problem. If the B1G allowed oversigning, then this wouldn't be an issue. His LOI would be accepted, when someone does leave or do something stupid to get in trouble and thrown off the team (stupid shit happens to at least 1 kid every year) then there's Townsend's schollie. Bottom line, 1 will open up, why not have another kid on board and waiting for it.
REPLY
fair enough.
How about JakeBuckeye & DetroitBuckeye?
Those 2 were taking to the grave Urbz stiffed the Townsends, even when the father said opposite.
Yeah, those two were quick to throw Meyer and the staff under the bus. It's amazing the clarity having a little patience can bring to a situation. The truth came out and now the reality of the situation is that Townsend was quick to bail on OSU when what he thought were, "better offers", came in. As I said yesterday, I'll take Clark over Townsend any damn day of the week! Clark had UF ALL OVER him and he chose TOSU. Goes to show you the faith that young man has in Coach Meyer and the special thing they're building in Columbus!
" ... let's beat the shit out of M*chigan." -Urban Meyer-
Well said, I would up vote you if I could.
"It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close."
Jesse Owens
I wasn't taking Urbz to the grave I just wasn't sure of the situation. I don't know why people are so sensitive towards this sort of thing. It simply didn't make any sense that he would just decommit at the last second, than I found out that there was contact since august with Florida usually you end up hearing about such things. Even if they did pull his scholarship I wouldn't of thought any less of Urban. I wasn't slamming Urban for this, don't twist my words around.
swing and a miss
Like Urban said, a verbal just means you're in the top 3. Was going to sign with Bama? Then it was Florida? Um, ok... I guess Florida is cool spending 2 schollies on punters for 2 years.
I said this yesterday, but wanted to bring it back up: Adding Townsend gives Florida 5 punters on their roster for next season.
I am starting to think that that is the reason it took so long for the kid to sign...wanted to play at UF but they have 5 punters...Bama is close to Florida & a powerhouse, but his heart wasn't there...then there's OSU who he had been committed to all this time & probably did love, but was very far away. I guess in the end, he figured he could win the competition & stay home. UFs starter is good, but once he's gone, this kid will get a shot IMO...could've been that way...
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Maybe Tressel is a secret consultant??
That sort of makes me not wish much luck to the kid. We all would have crapped ourselves had EzE or Mitchell or Marshall up and switched at the last minute. Only way I respect it is if he told Meyer and company he would flip with an offer from either school
Wonderfully handled with class and grace. Good Luck kid, I wish you well and health. I hope you're heart steers you in the right direction.
~Because we couldn't go for three~
Glad this situation has been resolved and the facts are now out. Hopefully next time there won't be such a quick assumption of wrongdoing by Urban and his staff. Some of the comments over the last few days sounded like they were coming from Scum fans. IMHO Urban has acted with nothing but class since he arrived and deserved the benefit of the doubt. Good luck to Johnny and his family.
"It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close."
Jesse Owens
The "It's not you, it's me" line isn't a load of crap for once.
Glad that whole situation is cleared up without anybody looking bad.
Class of 2010.
I know we're supposed to jump on coaches of they pull an offer and be completely understanding and let a 17-18 year old kid skate when they handle a situation bad... bailing on a the only coach (of the 3) that committed to you and gave you a true scholarship prior to the final days. 18 or not, this was a dick move knowing we didn't recruit another punter and don't have a true punter on scholarship.
I'm glad Urban was upset and think it's funny that Johnny basically said had to get his Mommy and Dad on the phone to explain for him.
I bet you anything Urban is still ticked and thinks this kid is a punk, not likely to become one of those "grown ass man" type guys he was hoping for.
D. Anthony
Kudos to you for the courage to speak up and say this. I wasn't feeling so warm and fuzzy about Townsend, but didn't really have the onions to call him out. He did leave us at the altar so to speak and that does make him a punk.
Yeah, pretty much. Based on what Townsend said in the above article, he knew on Monday that he wasn't going to Ohio State, after he got a full offer from Bama and, then, Florida.
So, for two days, he agonized over whether to sign with Bama or FLA, but never bothered to call Urbz until Wednesday morning. He had so much "respect" for the Ohio State staff that he was willing to leave them in the lurch. Of course, he knew that when it was time to "man up" and place the call to Urbz, it was going to be awkward, and what 17/18 year old kid is going to be so quick to harsh his mellow, when he can just avoid it until the last possible moment?
Hey, I agree with everyone who is saying good luck to the kid, who needs to do what's best for him and his family, etc., but a call to Urbz on Monday would have been nice.
Sorry but Chung doesn't have it pegged...circumstances changed and yes it did somewhat have to do w Osu landing Clark Wilson bell unexpectedly
Do you have any proof of this claim?
Agreed
so did Chung misquote Johnny Townsend?
I mean... I just read a full story/interview where JT himself says there was no change whatsoever from OSU. All Michael Chung did was ask questions & the answers came straight from Townsend. Appreciate all your efforts very much, but unless there's hard proof/evidence to the contrary, I've got to believe the version that came directly from the horses mouth.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
JT is right...OSU stance never changed...he was getting the next full scholarship that opened up...but you all shouldn't believe everything you hear
Fair enough...so that you know, my comment is not an attempt at discrediting you or your stance. That's not the intent at all. I just was saying that there were words to the contrary from the young man in question so I have to believe that until I see evidence to the contrary. I am not a recruiting person with sources - you are - so I am not questioning that you may know something I do not...Really, I was/am just glad that it appears that Urban & staff did not do anything that could be deemed as shady in any way...I like the staff - I like that so far, everything seems to be done above board.
As to Michael Chung, my point by mentioning his name there was that he did not really report anything, he just did an interview...So, although it's thought that he's not the best guy to listen to, in this case I was listening to Townsend & not Chung. Anyways, have a good one, keep up the good work.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
At this point, I'd trust Alex on a recruiting issue over just about anything. If his spot was taken away or he was told he might have to wait a few months or a year, would he still be the good person and tell everyone that another school just felt right? It would take a big person to do so, but it's not out of the question. Some of these parents are good ones.
Still wish we had Townsend in this class.
Alex is the best I have seen in any of these sites.... but his speculation opened up this entire string of incorrect speculation. Poison makes the point that Chung is not reporting, it is an interview.
I am lost how some on this site will misquote Alex, or his comment that JT had "the next schollie", when in fact he had stated that he had his NLOI & could have faxed anytime. He did not have to wait, he didnt oversleep, he didnt get a girl prenant. He got his dream offer, his brother goes to UF, he went to their camps, its 90 minutes from home. HE broke up with Urbz. JT & his father have spoken, first source, more important than any bloggers opinion.
Alex, you do stellar work here.
I don't understand your persistence, however, on being right on this one point. When this story first broke on Wednesay, you claimed that your "circumstances changed" analysis was an educated guess. Since that time, have you gathered new facts from reliable, presumably "inside" sources that upgraded your educated guess into verifiable truth?
Because up to this point all of the sources willing to go on the record are contradicting your position. Assuming that your version is right, the story the Townsends are telling is the story the Townsends/Ohio State staff want to be recorded as the facts.
So, presumably your persistence in challenging that official story is motivated by pure journalistic curiosity and integrity? In that case, though, if you had hard evidence it was untrue, you would present it, impacts on the Ohio State football program be damned. On the other hand, if you're witholding the information because it would be damaging, then you also probably wouldn't keep dropping hints that you were right all along.
Or, it might that be you don't have any inside sources confirming your initial "educated guess," yet are still insistent that your guess was correct even though the evidence has gone in the other direction. In which case, maybe you just don't want to admit that you might have been wrong?
Listen I was wrong in my guess that OSU wanted Johnny to wait or whatever but the bottom line is JT knew he had a scholarship IF one was available the whole time. OSU landed the big three and circumstances THEN changed. He now had a chance to go full ride at UF right away vs waiting things out at Osu. JT did no wrong and Urban did no wrong but I think you guys are taking everything he says as oak. I think if Osu had a spot immediately he would have signed based on what in told from someone I trust. At the end of the day you guys can believe me or not I could care less. Townsend is a Gator so can we bury this?
and yes, I don't really trust anything Chung says as he's made a fool of himself a lot lately
Kinda hard to go against Alex's word when he was the only one I can think of that called Wilson to OSU Bell to OSU and calmed a lot of ppl down by confidently stating Zeke was sticking with us. I doubt Urban would want to oversign while were on probation as well as I doubt JT would want to admit that a school he had been committed to for a while pulled his scholarship or told him to wait
You didn't even read what Alex wrote. In the first sentence he writes that his guess about OSU pulling the scholarship was wrong.
Alex, thanks for the response. At the end of the day, I have great confidence in your reports and analysis. I spend such little time at the O-Zone, compared to 11W, that I don't even have any impression of Chung to begin with - like whether he's made a fool of himself.
I'm quite happy to bury this. It's just that I felt the easiest way to do that was to let Townsend's statements be the last words.
Seriously? I don't quite understand your persistence on this issue? Alex is the first to point out when he's wrong, which is pretty damn rare. Even if we entertain the idea that he "doesn't want to admit that he might have been wrong" why make it a big deal?
Ill admit I'm wrong in two seconds...like right after I posted Vonn bell visit info and admitted I was wrong and jumped the gun...no shame in being wrong
This whole discussion reminds of that scene in Major League when the people in the bleachers were arguing whether the home run was too high, and in the end the one guy says, "Who gives a shit, it's gone!"
Alex really did not admit he was wrong. I think that is Fidos point.
Here's the rub... the family has said they not only had an offer, but one was never pulled. He could have signed if he wanted to. He had his NLOI. I will take his & his fathers word over an anonymous source. Why does everything have to be a conspiracy? We went slightly over last year on NSD & attrition brought us the 82, the same would have happened this year too.
I'll take Biddle, JT, JT's Dad, and whoever else over an anyonymous source or conspiracy theory.
To say that Chung doesn't have it pegged, in reality, is to say that Townsend and his dad aren't telling the truth. Isn't it?
It's not just Chung's interview that says your educated guess was wrong here. It's also not just Chung taking Townsend for his word. Do Luke Zimmerman and Dave Biddle, who claims the staff found out Tuesday night not on NSD, also not have it pegged?
(Tried to embed the video from LGHL, but it didn't look like it was going to work.)
If the Tuesday night claim is true, the "big three" theory makes no sense considering we got 2 of those 3 on NSD.
I'm sure we will miss Townsend this year. But this does open up some creative possibilities for punt fakes if Frank E wins the job and his WR quality hands and pretty good speed are back there. The thing that really hurts is it happened the day after signing day and a lot of Punters who we could have flipped with a late call had already signed their LOI.
If we never have to punt this is a non-story. Make it so
Perhaps the whole concept of the punt can be rethought. Coach Red Bull and Urban can get creative in trying to solve the problem of not having a booming foot back there. And damn, was Ben B.'s release getting slower or was the blocking struggling this year, or both?
Can't remember which game I watched recently, whether it was CFB or NFL, but there was a punter that did a hell of a job kicking rugby style, on the run, and kicked some low trajectory end over end kicks that went a long ways and were hard to catch. He even ran for a first down one time. It made punting more exciting and harder to "defend".
Necessity breeds innovation.
Blocking struggled this year. Ross mentioned it in his recaps a couple of times. They just miscounted and missed their assignments.
Gaturds lose James Clark to tOSU, Muschump offers punter out of spite. You read it hear first
An angry fan...rooting for an angry team...led by angry coaches
This is me quoting myself from yesterday...lol Just messin with ya and I totally agree with you on this.
So either the simplest answer is the explanation, or we have to believe JT and JT's father are great actors/liars (or perhaps the nicest people ever) and not throwing Meyer and OSU under the bus for holding his scholarship. That's pretty much it, right?
I don't think we plan on punting much. And either Basil or Franky E have to be at least as good as Buchanan.
Please take no offense to this because you are certainly not the only person I have seen saying this...but I hate when people say "we don't plan on punting much"
No shit...you also don't plan on getting in a car accident but when you do it would be nice to have insurance right??
It was a cocky comment to make a point. Don't take it so literal. I was serious about Buchanan though. Didn't think much of him as a punter.
Make love.
You offering your back, Kate?
Yes. It's all your's ;)
fair enough..didn't mean to offend. I agree about Buchanan though fwiw.
No offense taken. It's mild compared to this BuckeyeBoyer guy I have insanely after me in other threads about some critical comments I made about the hoops team. He's insane.
You have obviously never met OSU4LIFE
Wayne Woodrow Hayes
Are you stalking me now?
I LOVED that guy! He was TITS!
Perky or big ole bologna skinned flapamojos?
Actually I think Urban expects to punt it enough to offer a kicker a scholly...