I made a 2013 Mock Class post last year around this time.
Pretty interesting to see some of our picks and who we actually got. Most of us were very wrong!
QB DeShaun Watson: until I see otherwise, I'm going to trust in Meyer's ability to get this guy. Obviously the staff feels pretty good at this point or they'd be going harder after another QB (Dew Barker).
RB Jalen Hurd: he named us a leader a couple months ago and although we haven't heard much since then I think he ends up in this class. Great big back.
WR Marshon Lattimore: explosive athlete and from Glenville.
WR Drake Harris: him opening up his recruitment coincided with Meyer's visit to him and his decision to play only football. Things are trending up with us and him.
OT Kyle Trout: already committed and as solid a prospect as you can find.
OT Jamarco Jones: I thought he might commit last weekend but looks like he wants to take a few more visits. Has been to OSU five times already.
OT Roderick Johnson: huge tackle from Missouri. Has legit interest in us and I think Zeke will help close this one.
OG Marcelys Jones: already committed and very atheltic for his 350 lbs. He might take a few visits but in the end he's a Buckeye.
ATH Parris Campbell: already committed and a speedster. I think he'll redshirt because he is still incredibly young. Excellent player though.
ATH Myles Autry: similar to Dontre Wilson IMO. Buckeyes are his dream school.
DE Jalyn Holmes: just reopened his recruitment and has us in his top schools. Gets a little overshadowed by Hand in Virginia but a very good player in his own right.
DE Malik McDowell: this one's going to be an OSU, ND and UM battle. I'll put my faith in Urban to win out.
LB Dante Booker: as close to a lock as you can get. Actually think he might make the move to Viper or LEO when it's all said and done.
LB Kyle Berger: we made a great impression by noticing him first. Michigan fans think he'll go there but I just don't see it. Plus Blake Thomas's dad was on here saying how he is a Buckeye so...
LB Raekwon McMillan: huge prospect and Meyer's relationship with him wins out. Think we land him in the summer after his visit.
LB Clifton Garrett: been the only consistent team at the top for him throughout the whol process. Like OSU and wants to play with Booker and Kwon.
CB Damon Webb: already committed and one of the best corner prospects in the entire class. Will help recruit McDowell and Harris.
CB Jabrill Peppers: will be a tough battle with Stanford and possibly ND or UM.
S Quin Blanding: Kind of out of the blue that we're said to lead now for him (although he did tweet last week that he really needed to visit OSU). He wants to visit soon and decide shortly afterwards. Top 10 player in the class.
S Montae Nicholson: from Columbus and Ohio State fan. Great safety to conclude the besst DB class in the country for the second year in a row.
Couple of extra notes: sucks that his is going to be a smaller class because there are so many other prospects that we're in on. Right now I have 20 players. 6 from Ohio the rest from out of state. It's a down year in Ohio, and there are so many stud out of staters. I think the staff will want either a kicker or punter in this class too so a scholly might go there. If they want a TE then Jeb Blazevich is the guy. Loves the staff and perfect fit but I don't know if there will be room. Also, I would have loved to fit WR Demarre Kitt in the class but It's already at 20 as it is. If we get Harris to go with Lattimore I don't know if we'd take another. Will be interesting.
Anyways, what are your guy's thoughts? Who to add or take out? Post your classes to and we can see how bad we did a year from now!
The scariest thing about this prediction is that it isn't that much of a stretch. It could happen and it could mean awesome things.
“Any time you give a man something he doesn't earn, you cheapen him. Our kids earn what they get, and that includes respect.” - Woody
You are an optimistic man. I would love to revisit your list in the fall and see where we stand at that point. The fact that we are in the conversation with so many of these players is an amazing testament to our recruiting approach.
My doubt lies with Watson, McDowell, and Peppers - I think these are long shots.
I think Ohio State & Stanford lead for Peppers.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
I think they find room for Kitt, Chubb, and Shaw if they want to commit. JMHO you don't turn away that talent, you find a way to fit them in.
I like your list quite a bit. For some reason I don't think we'll land all 3 of Watson, McDowell and Peppers. I think we'll go down to the wire with Watson, but if Chad Morris doesn't leave Clemson, I don't see Watson decommitting from Clemson. McDowell seems like a foregone conclusion to ND or Mich, but there's a LOT of time left and Meyer can close the gap better than anyone, so your optimism is not at all unfounded. And Peppers is another elite talent. Perhaps it's pessimism, I just have trouble believing we'll be able to grab all 3 -- I'd be happy with any 2 of those 3.
It's difficult to land 2 back to back top 3 classes, but even with a small class, if we landed everyone on your list I'm sure we'd manage that with ease. I think we'll get Peppers, perhaps miss on Watson and McDowell. I'd say sub in Barker or Crest for the QB spot, maybe a Kicker or Punter for the 20th spot as you mentioned.
Yeah Watson will be tough.
He loves Urban though so there's a shot until he shuts down recruitment for good.
I think the staff feels confident that they can flip Barker if he commits to another school before we offer him.
I agree that it's going to be hard to get all three of those you mentioned. I think our best bet is Peppers to be honest.
Are we really Miles Autry's dream school? I missed that. For some reason I thought he was a soft verbal to another school down south.
I don't think we will get Johnson, McDowell and Holmes
You only got 1 right from 2013. You could be jinxing us. lol
Anywho, i'd add Demarre Kitt or Trevion Thompson to that list.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Looking back at that thread, its hilarious to see the comments. everything from "it will be a small class, we wont get this many guys" to "we wont need that many LBs since we killed it with the last recuiting class"
1 right?? I counted 5.
He had Marshall, Lisle, Price, Woodard, Burrows.
#Buckeyes
The ones bolded had already committed.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I have said this before I don't think we take 4 Lbs I don't think we need 4 in this smaller class. I do like the break down of positions just change to 3 Lbs and then add a DL. We will only take 1 QB and one true RB like last year. The rest though we will see but like I said I like your break down of it not sure on all those guys coming to OSU.
I think Lonnie Johnson is a Buckeye this weekend if he has a "commitable" offer.
I don't think it's commitable. At least that's what Kurelic said.
The tough thing with Watson is that I have heard he is planning on enrolling early and Chad Morris (Clemson OC) might not have left by the time he enrolls. There is a chance Morris doesn't leave until January and Watson would already be enrolled there by that time. However, I do think Urban vs. Dabo is going to be a battle.
Watson said he was Clemson bound with or without Morris.
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130213/PC20/130219671/1177/five-...
Wilson said the same thing.
Wilson said publicly he would open his recruitment if Kelly left and he flipped. Also, head coach and OC are a little different.
I think he said both. And yes OC and HC are different things. My point was kids tell the media different things.
Lot's of Georgia HS coaches think we have a good shot.
Can you source the high school coaches opinions?
They've been in multiple Boarding Houses on Bucknuts.
Not always correct but still decent info none-the-less.
Not always. The relationship between an OC, and a recruit(especially a QB) can be just as important.
Didn't Watson say he would stay committed as long as Clemson didn't add another QB?
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Even if Ohio State misses out on Watson, i'm happy with having CJ, and JT.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I posted this on another thread so i apologize about the laziness.
IMO, I could see UFM not taking a QB at all this year if we miss out on Watson. With JT more then likely have to red shirt because of his injury. If we miss out on Watson why not just wait until next year when we have a full stable of schollies? Once again IMO but I personably would rather put that scholly to better use if we don't get our 1st choice this year.
You don't like Barker?
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I don't dislike him at all. It's just with limited schollies our depth isn't that bad the we absolutly have to have a QB. IMO
All due respect to Barret but right now he hasn't played a down of college football and has an injury. He will probably be great. But, since when do we put all of our eggs in one basket? I think we should take a QB almost every year. Most important position on the field and HS kids don't always pan out.
It's not as if Watson or Barker have.
And have you forgotten about CJ?
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
No, they haven't but if we take one of them then are odds are raised that between Cj, JT, and ? that someone will be pretty good. Not to mention, backups are needed.
Unrealistic. Just like last year's list. No way in hell they get Roderick Johnson, Deshaun Watson, or Malik McDowell. There are a few other pipe dreams in there as well.
If we win a national title this year... Those pipe dreams become realities.
Why not. We're in the top group for all those guys.
Sure it's optimistic but I don't think many on my list is a complete stretch.
Yeah. Just like it was unrealistic to expect Ohio State to land Dontre Wilson, James Clark, and Vonn Bell.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Yes and no.
We didn't even know who Wilson was at this time last year, and we were drooling over Foster and then Quick.
FWIW: I was excited about Wilson about a year ago. He was one of my top wants before he committed to Oregon, especially after we made his final two in May of last year (if not earlier): Buckeyes make final two for Texas RB, but I do get what you're throwing down.
Hear you and hear BvtWorld --- "I" didn't know anything about Wilson until we missed on Quick
I was more upset with missing out on Gibson than Quick.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
We?
The only recruits I cared about getting were Jalin, and Jaylon Smith.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Yeah, I don't see how you discount UM and Staff at all at this point. The track record is speaking for itself. Now, if we don;t get those guys, including Watson, the class is not a disappointment at all. Watson is not a must get, he's the potential icing.
I agree unrealistic list just like last years.
think you may be a lot closer on this one than last years predictions
I think so too. As I stated before, last year was kind of a crap-shoot because we weren't as familiar with where the staff sees each player.
I mean nobody could have predicted that Trey Johnson, Mike Mitchell, James Clark, Dontre Wilson, JT Barrett or maybe Ezekial Elliott would be in our class at this point last year.
Also, most people though Love, Hueremen, Green and Gibson (even up until December) would be in our class. Even Foster to a point. I didn't reach in 2013 on too many players.
The recruiting timeframe has defintely sped up so I think we have a fairly good idea of who we're really going after.
To be fair, it 2013 class was harder to predict this early due to the fact that Urban was just starting recruiting at that time.
For 2014, he's already been at it for at least half a year so I think we have a better idea of who the staff wants.
FWIW - D. Harris won't be visiting next weekend. But, this is only because Coach Meyer will be out of town that weekend. He will reschedule a visit at a later date however.
"You win with people." - Woody Hayes
What do you think happens to this class when Tom Herman and/or Everett Withers bolt for a head coaching job a month before signing day? I think that is a very realistic scenario and it will be interesting to watch.
I think it might have some affect but lets not forget who the closer is of the staff. Unless Urban leaves we will still be in the running for all of those kids. I also think Urban is smart enough and experienced enough to tell his staff to pursue opportunities but to be open about them with the school. This will let Urban keep an eye on those recruits whose relationship with Herman/Withers is strong.
I think it could have an impact but not as big as you might think.
It'd be one thing if, like Clemson, our OC was regarded as high as our HC. But that isn't the case.
By the way this is a great thread! I wish I could up vote you.
Would switch Snodgrass with Harris
Not at this moment. If the coaches wanted Snodgrass he'd already be a Buckeye IMO.
I think he's fallen down the list because we stand so well with better players (Harris, Kitt, Thompson, Scott, ect).
Lot of dreaming here thinking we're going to land ALL of Watson, Hurd, Autry, Peppers, and Blanding. I hope we do, but the odds of landing them ALL are slim.
People keep saying this and I know they're really high level prospects but we're in the thick of it for all of them.
Watson - next in line besides Clemson. Should he de-commit we'd be the first option.
Hurd - named us favorites before and at the very least tied with Florida right now. Kid loves Urban.
Peppers - co-leaders with Stanford.
Blanding - I wouldn't have had him on my list three days ago. But with all the talk about us leading now and him wanting to decide soon I think we have a good shot.
Like someone else said, not that many thought we were going to get all three of Bell, Clark AND Wilson before signing day.
The only reaches I might have are on the D-Line. There isn't any clear cut players who top our staff's list and we lead for. McDowell and Holmes will be really tough pulls. But with the loaded D-Line classes we've had the past two years I see Meyer and Co. focusing on just a couple of very highly rated players.
All I'm trying to say is... don't lose it when 1, 2, maybe even 3, of the guys you listed head elsewhere. See Jaylon Smith, Alex Anzalone, Stefon Diggs, etc.
+1 "I'M LOSING IT!" (Rageaholics)
Difference is Diggs, and Jaylon never committed.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
And Watson, Hurd, Autry, Peppers, and Blanding all have????
I would also include Kitt and Trevion Thompson. Also, expect 5 OL to be taken. Not sure about Roderick Johnson, but I think Urban can get 2 from the choices of Braden Smith, Damian Prince, Orlando Brown Jr., Alex Bars & Demetrius Knox.
Forgot about Sam Mustipher too, either at DT or OT
A future defensive backfield of Bell Peppers and an Apple
Players who have their eligibility expiring at the end of next season are: J.Hall, C.Hyde, M.Hall, C.Lindsley, M.Mewhart, A.Norwell, K. Guiton, C.Brown, C.Fields, C.Bryant, C.Brown, C.Barnett & D.Basil. That is only 13 players. We are at 82, so we can count on 13, 2014 recruits.
It is likely that 1 or 2 will leave for the NFL (Shazier, Bennett, Braxton, Heuerman?). There will also, likely, be 2 or 3 younger players leave for other reasons. So, I don't see the class being larger than 17. A blocking TE replacement for Heuerman should be considered.
I don't see 2013 being bigger than 17-19.<----This was said in 2012.
You forgot Roby will more than likely be gone.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
Roby will be gone, Shazier will too. If Steve Miller, Curtis Grant, and Mike Bennett have big years, they could leave as well. I wouldn't count out Doran Grant either, he could have a Roby-type year.
On offense, I don't think Heuerman will go pro, but you never know. If Braxton lights it up, he could, and if Devin Smith improves from his early-season form last year, he could go as well.
I wouldn't cheer for Michigan if they were playing the Taliban.
I can't see Grant leaving unless he gets kicked out or transferred. One big year isn't enough unless he wins every award a LB can win.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
The days of pure blocking tight ends might be over under Urban. And besides, Blake Thomas fits that bill very well should Urban want one
Sorry Urban, Woody is still my favorite
Nice list. I'd be very happy if our class finished up like that. As always recruits not on the radar yet will probably end up in the class and one or two guys that we're sure are going to be in this class won't be. But for now, it really doesn't seem like anyone on the list is that much of a stretch. One name I'd like to add is Da'Shawn Hand. I realize that Hand doesn't have us in his top 5 --yet-- but Urban is working on him. That right there is reason to hope.
Haven't read one blog above and I'm going to tell you this is what I have down as a mock class too. I'd may be throw in Lonnie Johnson from Illinois as well as Dylan Thompson. As well as a TE...with Blazevich. It's all going to come down to January when OSU/we know who's staying or going and what not. That will give us all a better grasp on who could be in...or out.
"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
QB I would say Watson or Barker but anything can in the world of recruiting nowadays you just never know what kids might do which makes it difficult to call.
Hurd
Trevion Thompson,
Drake Harris,
Orlando Brown
Jamarco Jones
Roderick Johnson
Mailk McDowell
M.Nicholason
Q.Blanding
M.Lattimore
J.Peppers
Damien Prince
R.Mcmillan
C.Garrett
D.Booker
Edit:
Add Erick Smith and Lawrence Marshall can be interchangeable with few guys
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.
You missed this guy. He is a MUST. Thanks Gray Box.
"There is a force that makes us all brothers, no one goes his way alone, all that we send into the life of others comes back into our own." -WWH
+1 AESCULUS! I really like Kelly! If we could get Kelly, Peppers and Blanding to add to Webb(who I think is greatly under rated by many sites), we'd have the best DB class two years in a row!
Well last year I proved myself a total idiot by going 7 of 21. But this could be my year. Here are my 19. I could always hope that I am wrong about somebody and we get Andrew Brown or Todd Kelly Jr.
QB Will Ulmer
RB Paris Campbell Jr.
WR Marshon Lattimore
WR Drake Harris
WR Lonnie Johnson
TE Marquis Ware
OL Marcelys Jones
OL Kyle Trout
OL Jarmarco Jones
OL Orlando Brown Jr.
DT Elisha Shaw
DE Malik McDowell
DE Jalyn Holmes
LB Dante Booker Jr.
LB Raekwon McMillan
LB Clifton Garrett
CB Damon Webb
CB Laurence Jones
S Quin Blanding
1/3 this early is actually pretty good; definitely not an idiot. Typically, the earliest offers out incorporate the most competition and your local/regional leans. A lot of the players that will be considered down the road have yet to receive an offer, has to prove himself at camps or during his season, or is just simply under the radar.
Last year for Michigan, EJ Levenberry, Ty Isaac, LaQuon Treadwell, Dorian O'Daniel, Kendall Fuller (top 3), Joe Mathis, and others all seemed like real possibilities. The first three, locks, perhaps. Finished with none of them.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
I thought I was the only one that liked Ulmer.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
I love stuff like this. Props Hayze. I'll shoot for 17 players total, not having any clue how graduations, early NFL draftees (i.e. Shazier, Roby), transfers, injuries, etc. will shake out... Given my ability to go Oh-fers on parlays in Vegas, I imagine this will be no different...
Happy Friday everyone.
Keep Calm and Ignore the Trolls.
I like a lot of these guys to be Buckeyes from the OP, but now that Kief has an offer, I expect him to be in this class. I also think if we can somehow get Blanding and McMillan to commit early, everything else will take care of itself.
Buddhabuck: You don't believe Raekwon McMillan will be a part of the class? And there will be at least 1 more OL taken.
Hopefully the class size is 19 and not 17? :)
Honestly, I have as much idea about who's going to end up in this class as our local meteorologists know about tomorrow's weather/temperature. Just here to throw in my two cents... and I think I picked prospects that have offers (sans Henderson who will be visiting next month)...
Keep Calm and Ignore the Trolls.
Any QB but Wil Ulmer. Not impressed with him at all.
Also would like the way that multuple sources in the Boarding House today say that OSU leads for Jalen Hurd and have for some time. One says that he's close to a lock. Just something to think about.
Hard to predict these things because nothing is really ever a sure thing. Hail said it right a few posts above. Players will start out as locks/heavy leans, etc. and never make it in the class. If you had asked me this time last year, I would've told you I was positive that Malik Zaire, Derrick Green, and Jaylon Smith would be suiting up for the Buckeyes.
Point is, there are guys in the 2014 class we haven't even heard about yet or never really considered but months down the road may become a real possibility. By that same token, a lot of these guys we're predicting now won't happen for us.
But I hope that some of these guys that everyone is predicting do indeed become part of the 2014 class.
QB - Caleb Henderson
RB - Hurd
WR - Lattimore, Thompson
TE - none
OL - Jones, Trout, Prince, Jones
DL - Holmes, Sawyer
LB - Booker, McMillan, Berger
DB - Webb, Blanding, Smith, Nicholson
ATH - Autry, Campbell Jr.
Champions Bleed Scarlet & Gray
Berger will be one to watch. The OP mentioned why he thinks he'll end up at OSU. I also remember Berger himself tweeting pro OSU stuff. However, if he actually visits, it could get interesting with Ferns in his ear and fellow CSI alum Jake Ryan (former teammate?) on campus.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
I'd be very surprised if he doesn't end up at OSU.
He has said before that he's going to take a few visits before everything coming out of Cleveland is saying he's a lock.
We can't let you take both Ferns and Berger!
"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
So I was browsing the Michigan 247 forum and in their 2014 recruiting thread they are diagnosing by mock class.
Some gems:
-called having Jalen Hurd on the list as "pure arrogance" "if Saban wants him he gets him"; pretty sure Hurd dropped Alabama a couple months ago.
-they don't think we get Berger because we have guys higher on our list. Pretty sure the staff want him bad as we were his first big offer
-said our lead for McMillan will diminish
Anyways, just thought it was kind of funny that a post from a fan (me) would cause them to spend 2 pages talking about how stupid we (or I) am for thinking we get half the guys on this list.
Don't sweat it Hayze, that is what they do. Bastards.
there scUM fans................. thats what they do!
You really think they are good for anything?? lol
#Buckeyes
they are walmart wolverines, what do you expect?
Im one of those people that imagine Meyer will push this class into the lows 20's.
Because I just dont see how we can go after
1-2 QB's 1-2 RB's 1 TE 3-4 WRs 4-5 OL
4-5 DL 3-4 LB 2-4 DB's 1 K
-----------
20 atleast right there. And thats doing the minimum of each.
Meyer know's what he is doing with this class, but he most likely knows something we dont or has one hell of a plan. Considering that we have well over 120 offers out this early in a loaded class when we have limited schollies for this class and a small class leaving after this year.
Things just dont add up when you know for fact that this will be small class, and you would think that there wouldnt be many offers at this point and Meyer would have a very solid group of prospects that he would be heavily recruiting more than others. But when you look and see well over 100 offers out there, you have to know something up. Meyer is giving offers out right now like its halloween candy. Now you really think he would be handing out offers like its candy if he planned on having a very small class or if he didnt know something we didnt or he dosnt have a trick up his sleeve? Most likely he would be saving them offers like there precious diamonds.
Meyer knows something we dont. Ill leave the rest at that.
- He said you have to take 4-5 DL a year
- He said the OL is our #1 focus this year & will have a big haul (4-5)
- Plan on taking 3-4 LBs (Garrett, Booker, McMillan, Berger)
- Plan on taking about 4 DBs
- Atleast 1 QB, 4-6 playmakers (RB, WR, TE)
_____
like I stated above about 20. 21 if he decides to take a scholarship K/P
I wouldnt be suprised if they this class is 22-24 again. Do I think it will be? NO, but things arnt adding up to only taking 16-18. Meyer will work something out and get alot bigger class than what we all think. I guarantee it.
#Buckeyes
I see us getting:
QB Drew Barker
RB Jalen Hurd
RB Parris Cambell
WR Drake Harris (FLIP)
WR Demarre Kitt
WR Lonnie Johnson
OG Demetrious Knox (FLIP)
OG Marcelys Jones
OT Jamarco Jones
OT Kyle Trout
DE Malik McDowell
DE Lawrence Marshall
LB Raekwon McMillan
LB Clifton Garrett
LB Dante Booker
LB Kyle Berger
CB Jabrill Peppers
CB Damon Webb
S Quin Blanding
S Montae Nicholson
ATH Marshon Lattimore
ATH Jonathan Haden
We take 22 players in the class and will have the No. 1 Recruiting Class in the nation. I think DeShaun Watson will stay with Clemson. Jeb Blazevich goes to Notre Dame. And Myles Autry goes to Georgia with Lorenzo Carter.
wow...the 2014 class...can you say STACKED?!!!!!!
STACKED like Dolly Parton
It is very had to predict this stuff but I'll give it a shot.
Qb- Watson- I am leaning toward it being Watson or no Qb
Rb- Hurd- looks like a really good possabilty
TE- none
Wr- Mark Andrews, Kitt, Kief
OL- Trout,Jones, Brown Jr, Smith,
DL- Da'Shawn Hand, Mustipher, Holmes
LBs- Booker,Garret,McMillan
DBs- Webb, Blanding, Peppers,
ATH- Campbell, Autry, Lattimore
thats 21 I think this class should get to 20-22 but there are a lot of guys who are athletes that could play WR or DB depending on who commits. Also the reason I have no TE is I don't think we need one and I think Mark Andrews can play a hybrid role like Aaron Hernandez. If am right about not taking a Qb if we don't get Watson that would open up another spot
You Gotta at least add Kyle Berger!!
If they take those three, Berger goes to UM.
I think we take all 4 with the possibility of moving Booker to LEO.
Viper maybe, probably not the full flip to LEO. He would have to see some serious weight gain.
Agreed. I meant to say Viper not LEO. I always mix those two up when typing.
Regardless, I still like we take all four if we can get them.
Qb- Crest- we miss on Watson and are too late on Barker
Rb- Hurd- listening to the rumor mill would love this kid
TE- Dixon- I'm saying we barely miss on Blazevich
Wr- Kitt, Kief, Harris
OL- Trout, M. Jones, Richardson
DL- Marshall, Henderson,
LBs- Booker, Garrett, McMillan, Berger
DBs- Webb, Peppers, Erick Smith
ATH- Campbell, Autry, Lattimore
I have 21 right now I'm thinking we have 1-3 more mystery guys that get a camp offer or come out of no where and finish 22-24.
I really like this one but in my opinion I say Watson or bust. If we don't get him bank the scholly for another position
Yeah Watsons obviously my number one choice. But if you think about it after this year once Kenny graduates we're gonna have 3 QBs on scholarship (Miller, Jones, Barrett) and Meyer seems to always take at least 1 QB/yr. I'd play it safe and grab a QB unless the guy were taking is a complete overstretch.
I think you're spot on regarding total numbers.
Trout said that the coaches told him they're taking 4 OL (2 in state, 2 OOS).
I don't see us taking a TE this year. I think with the possibility of moving Hurd to H-back should he commit we won't need one.
I put Richardson in there cuz I feel like he's a guy that can earn a scholarship down the road. We haven't exactly been hitting homeruns with out of state top ranked OL and he's an athletic one that could fit our offense. I left a few spots open like OL cuz I couldn't confidently plug someone in there at this point. I agree with you that this year we don't need to take a TE with 4 good ones already on scholarship, but if the right guy is ready to commit I think Urban will take him. Like you said though I don't think its a big priority spot this year.
Fair enough.
I wouldn't take last years OOS offensive line recruiting as an indication of what will happen this year though.
Meyer has had a full year of developing relationships with these guys, we have early playing time oppurtunities and Warriner just won OL coach of the year.
We're in a great spot for Jamarco Jones and in good spots for a ton of other players like Damian Prince, Orlando Brown, Roderick Johnson, Braden Smith, Sam Mustipher, Steven Moss, Quenten Nelson and still possibly Demetrious Knox.
Already locking up the top two in the state helps tremendously because a) OL like playing with other good OL because of their unity so good ones want to play with other good ones and b) it allows the staff to focus their recruiting attention out of state.
Just my .02
Yeah I'm hoping the relationships he's built with some of those big out of state guys will pay off this year. I guess you could say I was over confident we were gonna land Pocic and Johnson last year I wasn't confident enough to plug any big time out of state OL in this year. I'm excited for this class I have a feeling its gonna be a good one
I think we'll take one of Blazevich/Dixon/Roberts to fit that role. Although I think that Hurd plays there his freshman year.
I wouldn't cheer for Michigan if they were playing the Taliban.
I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say we'll sign 21 players. My guess is that there will be a couple of extra surprise departures from players who see their shot at PT disappear after this year. So I'll predict a class of 21.
QB- Drew Barker (Relationship with him and the staff can be mended with an offer IMO and I see that coming at some point)
RB- Jalen Hurd
ATH- Parris Campbell, Myles Autry
WR- Lonnie Johnson, Demarre Kitt
OL- Marcelys Jones, Kyle Trout, Jamarco Jones, Chad Mavety
TE- Garrett Dickerson
DL- Dylan Thompson, Dante Sawyer, Lawrence Marshall (Think he rejoins the fold)
LB- Dante Booker, Kyle Berger, Raekwon McMillan
DB- Erik Smith, Damon Webb, Montae Nicholson, Marshon Lattimore (will put him at DB because that is what he says he prefers and I could see him and Webb being the 2 corners we take)
This isn't my dream class but instead a prediction at a class I believe to be more realistic. This would still be an incredible class though. My wish list would include guys like Clifton Garrett, Drake Harris, Malik McDowell, Deshaun Watson, Jabrill Peppers, Quin Blanding, Jeb Blazevich, etc but I just think it will be to tough to grab these guys. Garrett is SEC Bound if you ask me. He just stated the other day that Ole Miss and OSU are battling for his top spot and that's without him ever visiting Ole Miss and having visited OSU multiple times (I swear there is something fishy going on in Oxford). I could be wrong but that's just the way I see it currently.I also expect that we will get a player or two that isn't even on the radar yet.
Couple of thoughts.
1) I wouldn't worry too much about Garrett. I think the saying "watch what they do not what they say" thing fits here. Visited OSU multiple times. He'll look around in the SEC for a little bit but I don't see him landing there.
2) If we don't get Watson I don't see us getting Kitt. At this point it looks like both will land at Clemson.
3) Peppers will be a tough pull, but I like where we stand right now being in the top 2 with Stanford.
4) I think we have an excellent shot to land Harris, probably better than McDowell or Marshall. He pretty much single-handedly reopened his recruitment because Meyer convinced him to.
Good list though.
I definitely see where you're coming from with those points Hayze. Here's a slightly different line of thinking in regards to the points you made (although your points probably hold more weight based on what we know about these recruits)
1. With Garrett, I'd say he's visited OSU multiple times and not the SEC because it's much more convenient at this point in time. It could be viewed more along the lines of: We are the top Midwest school of interest for him, which I don't think anyone could truly disagree with, therefore he's gonna visit us early and often while it's more convenient and then he can hit the SEC schools later on. What worries me is a guy like Laquon Treadwell for instance. He was all but signed with Michigan and then he started getting SEC interest and next thing you know he's dragging out the process, visiting the SEC in the fall, and Michigan becomes an afterthought. While I certainly hope you are right on Garrett, I still worry that the draw of the SEC will be to much for him to turn down. Especially when previous Core 6 guys like Laquon and Ethan Pocic followed a similar pattern in their recruitments up to this point in Garrett's recruitment. Overall, with Garrett I think only time will tell.
2. This was probably your strongest point. Kitt and Watson are definitely close, I guess what my question would be is how close are they really? Close enough to guarantee they will go to the same school together? For me, the fact that Watson backed out of visiting recently while Kitt still visited and reportedly had a very good time, shows that these two aren't neccessarily a package deal. In the end Kitt has to make the best decision for himself, and I just hope he doesn't base it on where another player is going to school. As he was told by Urban Meyer, he's a top target for this class at the outside receiver spot. Who knows, Maybe Vonn Bell could get in his ear a bit too? Overall, I'm definitely not confident on this one. I put him in the class only because of his recent visit reviews and the fact that I think Urban will give this guy all he's got to get him to Cbus.
3. With Peppers, things are definitely interesting. I agree that as an OSU fan you have to like where we stand right now, but recently news was that he was all but committed to Stanford up until OSU and Michigan started coming at him hard. I definitely think we are in his final 2 when it's all said and done, but with this one I worry about the academic aspect. It's widely known that this kid is big on his academics, and he wants to go to a school that can provide him with top notch football, as well as academics. I just have to wonder, with Stanford being preseason top 5 and looking like a very solid team, will he be that much more sold on OSU's football program than Stanford's. Academically, although I go to OSU and think the academics are great, I think everyone would agree that Stanford has the leg up. To me, that being the deciding factor for him is what worries me. Especially with Stanford's recent success on the field and there success putting guys into the league.
4. I agree that we certainly have a shot with Harris. My question would be, how much of him re-opening his recruitment was really Meyer? I really don't know much about that so that's why I ask. Since he decided to focus on football though, I think it's a no-brainer for him to at least open things up. He's got a lot better football opportunities outside of playing at Michigan State, and I'd argue that is the main reason he opened things back up. I think MSU is still a very legit player though. I definitely think OSU is in the picture and probably one of the reasons for opening things back up, but I also know he really likes Michigan (he's visiting there this weekend which should be telling about where they stand) and he seems to be pretty open at this point and not leaning in any one direction. He still hasn't officially decommitted from MSU either, although that's probably quite likely at this point. When we get him on campus, I think then we will all have a better idea. It sure would be something else to snag him out of Michigan though. With Marshall, honestly I couldn't really think of another defensive lineman that I was very sure about, and I figured we might have the best shot with him after the dust settles since he clearly likes OSU enough to give us a quick, spur of the moment, commitment.
Thanks for your feedback though! This was mainly just for some fun by presenting a different view. I definitely might swap Harris for Kitt though if I could go back and change it. But I'll leave it as is because I'll probably be lucky to even get half right anyways.