I talked to Kyle recently and he let me know Ohio State and Michigan were about 50/50 at this time.
Berger visits Ohio State this weekend after visiting with the Wolverines last weekend. Kyle will make the trip to Columbus with former St. Ignatius teammate and tight end Blake Thomas. This is a kid the Buckeyes really want.
He wants to make a decision by the end of Spring so the visit this weekend is crucial for OSU's chances. Michigan has definitely made an impression on him and erased or at least dwindled any lead the Buckeyes once had.
I'll catch up with Kyle after his visit to give you guys the latest.
Please keep all of us posted. An actual battle between Urban and Hoke i have to believe that Urban will win this
especially on an in state kid. Hoping for the best!
Kid is a great athlete! Obviously, his film shows it, but it also translates to the bball court, as well. I have seen him play a couple of times this year and he has shown some great athletic ability.
pat cozzens
Thought we had a little more of a lead with Berger.Hope we can close this one out.Would not be good to lose a kid like him to that team up north.
SCOTTC.
The lead was there before he had really spent much time up north, so he didn't have anything to compare it to. Understandable that it would narrow a bit after their visit. Hopefully this one will help him remember why OSU is the place for him.
This might come down who gets the last visit. He said this past weekend that he wanted to make it back to OSU and Michigan at least once more, each, before deciding. Just about all the Michigan sites have good write ups about his most recent visit (Mgoblog, Mblock, 247sports).
From what I recall, he hit it off pretty well with new LB coach Roy Manning, was impressed by the intensity of the practice he attended, and I think he went to dinner with his dad and coach Manning (maybe other coaches, too).
I feel like OSU has the edge, but every time I hear feedback about Michigan, he's very high on them. Will this be the first Berger to allude Coach Hoke?
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
"Berger" may allude to Coach Hoke when asked how his visits have gone.... but I'm quite sure no "Burger" of Hoke's favorite variety has ever successfully eluded the grasp of our fat friend up north!
Brady Hoke's reaction to the Urban Meyer hire: "Not good."
Good catch! I made a grammatical error. That's what I get for trying to make light of Hoke's weight.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Light ... Weight ... Hoke. No comprendo.
Jake Ryan also attended the dinner with Berger and Coach Manning.
I have never been so clueless on an OSU/Michigan recruiting battle (these past 3 years) as I am with Kyle Berger. Buckeyes were the favorite in his life but the Wolverines currently have all the momentum. Should be an interesting next couple of weeks.
Berger scheduling his vist back to oh st so quickly is a very good sign to me. Think he's leading scum on and commits soon possibly this weekend
O'Deez330
stark county football
deez, i believe berger had planned on visiting each a final time before deciding anyway, so i'm not sure the timing of his osu visit means anything. as hail said above, this could be one of those recruitments that comes down to who gets the last visit, or makes that one big push that leaves a lasting impression.
IMO, if osu loses out on berger to michigan, it will be because michigan is putting all their eggs in the berger basket, whereas osu has 2-3 LB higher priority than him. some may disagree, but i ask this: if osu had one final spot left on NSD and absolutely no leeway as far as attrition or anything, just ONE spot for an uncommitted LB, who would they take? final group being mcmillan, booker, garrett, berger. i don't think many would pick berger. people can say that urban would already have a few locked up so it wouldn't matter, but that's not the point. he's #1 on hoke's LB list, and anywhere from #3-4 on most buckeye fans and, it seems, urbans
I don't get that at all. I think urb wants him just as badly as the others. All we have to do is look at the Ohio offers out there. There aren't very many. If an Ohio kid has an offer, I think they are being pursued and being pursued hard.
Depth charts and current targets may very well play into the recruit's decision making process, but IMO Berger is being pushed hard by the OSU staff.
valid points maxwell up vote but ill choose to disagree, i just get the vibe from him and a few iggy people i know he's all buckeye and just leading michigan on. idk about the priority list either. we were his first offer so he's wanted for sure.
O'Deez330
stark county football
that's a good point, but i wonder how often recruits actually do that. regardless of which school they commit to, leading someone on seems like a dick move. one that isn't a trait of the high character kids urban and hoke are trying to recruit these days. obviously you want kids with athleticism and talent, but having a good head on their shoulders is important too. the greatest athlete in the world is of no use to whichever college team he commits to if he's suspended every other week. just leading someone on seems like a waste of time for the recruit too. i think there's a great chance he ends up at osu, but i think his interest in michigan is genuine. they have a lot to offer, just like ohio state does. i agree with most of the posters above that it's important to protect your in-state talent. that's why michigan fans took the loss of webb so hard, and why they're going to fight until NSD for malik. ohio produces lots of quality football players every year, and it's bad business to let too many of them go, especially to rivals
50/50 and has visited Michigan a few times. Advantage Ohio State
IMHO a 4* LB from the state of Ohio, that admits to being a lifelong buckeye fan, announcing that he's 50/50 between OSU and Mich is advantage Michigan. The kid has a lifetime of fandom, Urban Meyer breathing down his neck, but still hasn't committed to the bucks. I think this is a dog fight to the very end...
"It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways." - Buddha
I agree, and although I hate losing to scUM in anything, with Paris Cambell working on Booker and us sitting in great position with McMillian...this is one that although will sting, we can afford to miss on.
Urb needs to close this one. We have missed on a few too many in-state LBs lately. The fact that TTUN could field an all Ohio LB corp in the next few years makes me want to vomit.
Thanks for the update.
"It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close."
Jesse Owens
Will Hoke add the Berger to his Taco? We shall see but me thinks he is biting off more than he can chew!
Berger, Taco, Butt...
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
oh my!
~Naples Buckeye - "May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't." - General George S. Patton, Jr.
Squirrel Master....Hoke has never bitten off more than he can chew...ever
I'm just glad the folks on this site are staying objective about the central issue....that the kid is a player. Some other sites have already begun the 'we don't need him' nonsense thinking he will go blue. It's a big win if we get him, and a legit loss if we don't.
sfgoods
Me still thinks OSU has the edge...Michael Ferns is trying to be Shane Morris, but I don't think it will work
Ferns AND Speight together = Shane Morris (on the recruiting trail)
Kids love hanging out with Ferns and Speight, and always comment on how well they fit in after visits, but Shane Morris was an animal when it came to recruiting.
Usually when kids commit, insiders share what they knew and when, but I don't think there will be any of that with Berger. Insiders seem just as uncertain as the rest of us. It all comes down to these last visits. I think if this weekend's OSU visit is his last, he's all yours. If he makes a return trip to Ann Arbor in the next two weeks, I will feel very good about our chances.
if only,.. one of our recruits could make t-shirts to draw in these elite players.....
Alex, is that something specific you're hearing, or just a gut feeling.
You mean be overrated & suck in all the combines?
he was definitely proven to be overrated by the end of the year, but a small portion of that can probably be attributed to his health and lack of talent (his best WR at le salle is going to walk on to michigan and had few, if any, division 1 offers). michigan will be a lot better off if he can redshirt this year and not have to start until bellomy leaves, because morris is the type of player with the physical tools way ahead of his game mentally. he could definitely be a good starter for michigan as a RS junior/senior though.
i'll have to disagree with you on the whole sucking at the combines to an extent. most camps he played pretty well at, and competed more than almost anyone in his class (which was partially due to all the recruiting he was trying to do). he performed really well in camp settings actually, showing by far the biggest arm in the class, and improved touch as the camp season went on. he did not make elite 11 finals, however, and his performance in the ua all american game wasn't great. if you looked at all QBs attending, however, many played like shit. he threw an interception to who was by most scouts estimation the most college ready DB in the class of 2013 in vernon hargreaves. not a great pass, but a great play by vernon. he also threw a really nicely placed ball with perfect touch to treadwell in the endzone that was broken up at the last second by hargreaves again. i believe he had another pass that was a drop. plenty of mistakes were on him, but i think he played average that game compared to the other QBs attending, and not nearly as bad as his stat line indicated.
if nothing else at all, he showed decent toughness when he got absolutely wrecked by that ESPN 150 LB (can't remember his name) when morris tried to scramble for a first down. big, big hit
I'm still not impressed. He may end up a good QB, but all the hype does not equate to greatness. In the biggest stage, he looked average at best.
At least Suga Shane had a WR that went to D-1, walk on or not. IMO, Mr. Morris is HIGHLY overrated. Mitch Trubisky torched Ohio football and had no hype behind him. Shane couldnt do that in MI even with a healthy year. Morris might have looked good in some camps but he looked horrible at the elite 11. Regarding the hit at the UA game, the only thing Shane showed is that he is extremely slow and is gonna get eaten alive by our D-line!
His final rankings had him at #72 (composite) overall. A 4-star, and the 3rd best QB in the class. Shouldn't we wait to say he's overrated or underrated until he sees the field at Michigan? He has a cannon and is a smart kid. Who knows, maybe that's all he'll ever be. Maybe with some real coaching and talent around him he will live up to the hype he had before his season.
I understand why he may not be likeable to the OSU fan base...he can come across as abrasive and cocky. Still, to make a final determination about a kid (any HS senior) based on rankings and All-Star game appearances is misguided. Heck, most of you guys are quick to bring up the Hawk's and Lauranitis' of the world--- 3-stars to All-Americans.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
I hope you aren't banking on him getting 'real coaching' from Al Borges and friends.
There are some incoming recruits at both OSU and UM that I think/perceive as potential great players and Morris is just not one of them. Luckily for him, I feel that at least 50% of the 25 OL's Hoke has signed in the past 2 years will be productive college players, so with a line like that, maybe he won't have to do much to be successful in college?
As educated fans, I would think we'd all be leery of recruiting 'rankings' by now. Honestly, if these people at rivals or scout or 247 were really legitimate talent evaluators, wouldn't they have been scooped up by now by some major college and/or NFL teams as scouts? Tom Lemming or Mike Farrell chasing around some 16 or 17 year old kid all year and 'evaluating' him doesn't exactly give me the impression that the recruiting gurus talents are being put to their best use (if they do indeed have any actual evaluation skills).
and he knows how to strap his helmet on...which his no small feat after seeing V. Smith.
clowney would have knocked chuck norris' helmet off on that play
LOL...Chuck may have something to say about that but...you may be right
Ferns don't typically grow well under the direct TSUN
~Naples Buckeye - "May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't." - General George S. Patton, Jr.
Nice.
Fitzbuck
Toledo - Ohio's right armpit
"A troll by any other name is still a troll".
Anyone have any video on Berger? I can't find any at all. Thanks
As an Ignatius alum, wish there was something I could do to influence him to go with the good guys.
Is this kid the next Spielman or what?!
"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
If we are lucky...
The next Spielman is named Mike Mitchell and he will be coming in June I beleive.....
"Fate has cards that it don't want to show"
Oh so true! Can't wait!
Hoke heard Burger and put every resource into getting him.
Fitzbuck
Toledo - Ohio's right armpit
"A troll by any other name is still a troll".
"Look, I've always loved ______ (burgers, tacos, butts, etc.), this was meant to be from the beginning of time."
In Alex I trust! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very worried though. We need Berger, because IMO Garrett is Ole Miss bound (ugh)...
Not worried...Urban will pull this out. If not, the majority of the time he'll end up landing a guy ranked higher.
The best thing is getting the great Ohio kids we want to sign...a close second is beating the Ohio kids who pick mich, for 4-5 years.
D. Anthony
Garrett is not Ole Miss bound. He'll be a Buckeye in the end.
Hi weimerad,
I hope you are right. I have the same feeling tdible2132 does. Imo Garrett is a great prospect that would greatly enhance the aggression and power of our D. I would hate to see him commit elsewhere, especially if Berger heads north ...
"The minute we stop expecting greatness, we become Wisconsin."
Speaking of UM: Just saw on twitter some comments that Jake Ryan has a torn ACL. That's not good for TTUN.
did you really just ruin my day, week, month, football season? C'mon man. This week has gotten progressively worse. That means that Michigan is going to lose to SDSU tomorrow night.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
I doubt it, SDSU is no Ohio.
it's funny, the headlines about michigan's basketball team are eerily similar to the comments 3 years ago about football. shitty, shitty defense
I have M!chigan beating SDSU and losing to VCU.
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
Living in richmond and having seen vcu play many times, Michigan is a poor matchup for vcu. The way to beat vcu is good ball handling and hit your outside shots and Michigan can do both of those. Only way vcu wins that game is if they pull an Aaron Craft on trey Burke and completely shut him down and make him turn the ball over.
I called that upset when I first saw the matchup. It is terrible for UM. I watched SDSU beat KU a couple years ago, and they remind me of Wisconsin (not a poor man's Wisconsin, either). They are thick and disciplined, move better than most think. I would be very worried about that one. I would wish you good luck, but... c'mon man! This is a Buckeye's blog!!!
Respectfully,
Larryp713
I don't think Michigan will lose, but, again, the way this week has gone, it wouldn't surprise me. Most think SDSU are a poor man's Michigan---great PG who leads the team in scoring, poor inside game, and live and die by the 3. Also, they have a very poor defense (much like Michigan, only worse).
SDSU will have to be hitting 3 after 3 with Michigan coming away empty more times than not to pull off this upset.
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Does the number 65-60 ring a bell?
64-62 ring a bell?
Those who stay will be CHAMPIONS!
~Bo Schembechler
Stay classy Hail!
Ohio State's band SLAUGHTERED Michigan's band. If this were a football game, it would have been Florida State vs. Savannah State. - SB Nation following OSU vs. UM 2012
he's not the one that started it! a little back and forth is good for the thread
Hail: Does B1G Tourney Champs ring a bell?
"Attack the Strong, Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead!"
-Former OSU S&C Coach Lichter
If scUM gets Berger I will be one pissed off individual.
No way the staff let's Hoke Hamburglar this one away from us.
And if Hoke gets another burger he'll be 500 lbs
Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates. Football is no different, the guys down in the trenches win the games, not the coach.
Yeah when any self proclaimed "lifelong Buckeye fan" considers TSUN its pretty mind boggling. Well see how this one plays out but this may or may not be in our favor depending on how many other LB recruits we get this year.
"if irony were made of strawberries, we' d all be drinking a lot of smoothies right now."
That is the ultimate in recruiting: to flip a kid who rooted for your rival growing up.
Here is how it is done - you convince the recruit that regardless of fanship, this is the most important decision he will make for HIS future. Where does HE fit in best? I am sure the coaches are talking about how loaded the Buckeyes are with young LBs, that coach Mattison knows how to prepare LBs for the NFL, etc...
I can tell you that my love for the Buckeyes was always strong, but I didn't really start hating AACC until the 90s, after I was out of high school. It is possible that at 17, a lifelong Buckeye fan might not yet hate the rival like we do. Also, the Buckeyes have dominated the series for most of his life. He probably doesn't remember the gut punch from some of those games in the 90s.
I hope he does what is best for him... and by that, I mean sign with the Buckeyes!!! But I wish him well either way.
Respectfully,
Larryp713
According to ESPN he had an incredible time this weekend AND will make the trek all the way to cincy for the spring game.
Is it possible that Berger is looking harder at the Wolverines because our staff is not going after him with the full court press? With others on the board, I wonder if they're getting more attention (McMillan, Garrett) than Berger.
I'll tell you what, someone posted above that the next Spielman is Mike Mitchell. If Mitchell has the on field instincts that Spielman had to go with his speed and athletic ability, then move over Lawrence Taylor.
If we weren't pursuing him hard the staff wouldn't be wanting him to take all these visits. Plus, we were his first offer, highly doubt Meyer is going to offer a guy with no other offers unless he wants him.
Favorite Buckeye: Obviously BJ Mullens
i was thinking along the same terms. but he did get an early offer (i believe osu was his first) and urban is prioritizing him. it's just difficult because osu is in on a lot of quality LB prospects. i still think he's #3 or 4 on the list, behind mcmillan, garrett, and booker. not sure how many LBs osu is projecting to take in the 2014 class. the general sentiment from what i've read is that you guys really want berger (especially to keep him out of brady hoke's hands - he would eat him, after all), and are in a great position to get him, since he plans on deciding within the next few months
Hi NMaxwell,
I think you are right to think that we want Berger to keep an in-state top LB out of our chief rival's hands, but it is more than that. LB (along with O-Line) is a genuine area of need for us in this class and Berger brings some excellent qualities that the other LB prospects do not quite have (they have their own qualities). If I had my way, we really would take all 4 (not probable I know), because I think we would have different benefits from each one.
"The minute we stop expecting greatness, we become Wisconsin."
i definitely don't think the staff would turn down all 4 or 3 of the 4 if they wanted to commit. as it is, osu needs a michigan-sized OL class to get some depth this year.
how many is osu projected to take right now? i know with attrition it will change, but people probably have a rough estimate. if the numbers around 20, i could see half of osu's class being OL and LB, which sounds nuts, but needs are needs. they can be picky about who they want at their other positions, and should have a great shot at anybody on their board. i may not be a fan of urban, but he is an excellent coach and recruiter, as his record and reputation indicate. as far as i'm concerned, urban's star power guarantees top 10 classes every year, if not top 5. with hoke, michigan should be at least in the top 10, with an especially good class every now and again pushing them into the top 5.
and then there's the rest of the conference...
According to Bill Greene, Berger is planning on attending OSU's spring game. If true, this is huge because it is the same day as SCUM's.
How firm they friendship...
that's a big win for osu and could very easily be the last visit he takes before he commits. when it's as close as this, it often comes down to who leaves the last impression
Bill Greene on Scout noted that Berger spent a lot of time with Dylan Thompson and Kyle Trout and that they all hit it off very well and they all agreed to meet up for the spring game. He said he wouldn't be surprised to see all three of them committed after that weekend.
"Because the rules won't let you go for three." - Woody Hayes
THE Ohio State University
That is great to hear.
How firm they friendship...
"if irony were made of strawberries, we' d all be drinking a lot of smoothies right now."
Arctic Circle
Do you guys really want 'an Ohio kid who even says 50/50 with scum'?
We have plenty of linebackers, and personally I kinda cooled on this guy.
Would you rather the best LB in Ohio go to ttun? Of course I want to win recruiting battles against them for the best players. If anything I want him more now.
Glad you are not a coach.
Being split 50/50 between OSU & UM is not unprecedented. If anyone is familiar with Chris Spielman's story, he was down to OSU and Michigan before picking OSU. In fact he has said he could've seen himself playing in AA.
Now as a sidenote, supposedly his father, who was a big Woody Hayes guy, said he would disown him if he picked Michigan, but still Chris was torn on picking between OSU and UM.
So by that logic Carton we should have passed on Gareon Conley last year, oh and what about a certain Boren that went to Michigan then transferred back to the good guys? We should have just turned him down? That would have been a horrible mistake. Berger is a really good looking linebacker prospect with great instincts and great pass rushing abilities. He has some quality ties to Michigan like Jake Ryan, a former St Ignatius linebacker himself, and I don't fault him one bit for weighing his options.
While I see the kind of "TF" response to an OSU fan being close with going to ttun, because that just doesn't make sense to me personally, using the logic of not taking him on that alone is insane. Its not like Berger doesn't want to play at OSU, he just is in a tough spot deciding between two really good programs that he'd be happy with. Curse him for weighing options. (That being said, good chance I'd tell my son I'd disown him for picking ttun>OSU as well, but I'd still love him if that was his decision.)