Eleven Warriors

Apparently, it is not B.J. anymore, it is Byron.

"I wanted to be known as Byron in college because I was making the next step of my life, but everybody, friends and coaches, just knew me as B.J. so it didn’t catch on...I don’t know, maybe they just forgot, or maybe they had just gotten used to the name they’ve always called me. Now I can try again. Another new step, new transition, and I’d like to be known as Byron.”

It's too bad some of his rookie money now has to be used to change the tatoos on his forearms.

It was a slow, dragging recruiting period for the Ohio State Buckeyes following Scott McVey's commitment at the Spring Game in April, but things have started to heat up again on the recruiting front. There have been two summer camps held at the WHAC and the staff has had the chance to hit the trail, sparking interest in some prospects that may have never been on the radar before.

With some new offers, new verbal commitments, and some prospects mixing up their lists, it's time to take a look at how the recruiting class of 2010 is stacking up for The Vest and who is left out there to fill a class that steps into the very large shoes of the star-studded classes of 2008 and 2009.

The Committed

Jamel Turner, J.T. Moore, Andrew Norwell, David Durham, and Scott McVey are still Buckeyes, but three new names have joined the party since the Spring Game. Taylor Graham won the quarterback race in June over Andrew Hendrix, and as verbal number six, he hopes to be the heir apparent to LiC.

While Graham was the only commitment in the month of June, the first week of July brought Buckeye nation some good news. Heralded running back Roderick Smith, from Ft. Wayne (IN) Harding, gave the Buckeyes their seventh verbal for 2010 and their first star commitment since Turner pulled the plug. The 6-2/220 Smith is drawing comparisons to Beanie Wells already and is expected to have an immediate impact when he arrives in Columbus next summer.

The fun didn't stop just yet with Smith, as the Buckeyes pulled a surprise move after their second camp and out of the woodworks offered K/P Drew Basil of Chillicothe. Basil took an unofficial visit to campus the following Thursday and gave a verbal commitment to the coaches on the spot, becoming the eighth member of the 2010 class. Basil chose the Buckeyes over offers from Kentucky, Purdue, Cincinnati, and Air Force and could be in line to team up with Ben Buchanan as the Buckeye kicking specialists of the future. Many people criticized the staff offering a specialist in a class of smaller size, but it was a neccessity considering Aaron Pettrey and Jon Thoma will both be seniors this year, leaving The Cannon as the only specialist on scholarship after this season.

Who's Out Of The Picture

With Taylor Graham taking the quarterback slot in this class after Nick Montana verbaled to Washington, things became much more clear for Andrew Hendrix as he decided to become a Golden Domer and commit to the Irish of Notre Dame. The move made sense, as Cincinnati seems to have become a hot bed for Charlie Weis to recruit from, and with Graham committing to the Scarlet and Gray, there was a process-by-elimination decision for Hendrix to make.

Although the Bucks were never considered a favorite, Storm Johnson of Loganville, GA took OSU and many other schools out of the picture as he announced his intentions to commit to LSU this past week. Johnson was one of the first backs the Buckeyes targeted, but the gain of Rod Smith makes this insignificant news in Columbus.

Big tight end target, C.J. Fiedorowicz, had OSU in his top two with Iowa for a while, but after careful consideration of seeing how the Bucks have used the tight end in the passing game, he decided to ultimately drop Ohio State from his list. The Johnsburg, IL native now lists Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin as his leaders and I just hope this guy doesn't come back to bite us in the future.

On the offensive line front, James Hurst (Plainfield, IN), Brett Benedict (Jacksonville, FL), and Matt Rotheram are now out of the picture. Hurst (verbal to UNC) and Benedict (verbal to Georgia) both had offers from OSU, but Rotheram (verbal to Pitt) was a rising star in Ohio that caught the staff's attention, but was not able to pull in a scholarship.

Looking at the defensive line, William Gholston (Detroit Southeastern) wanted to know what it was about the green ones, as he gave a big time verbal commitment to Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans. Many Buckeye fans were upset that the Ohio State coaches waited too long to offer the cousin of Big Vern and they could be rightfully angered as the younger Gholston was talented enough to draw offers from programs such as USC, Florida, and other national powers. The other defensive line prospect that the Buckeyes were looking at, Jibreel Black (Wyoming, OH) committed to Indiana after it was not looking like he was going to land an OSU offer. Black's brother plays for the Hoosiers and the up-and-coming lineman was a good get for Bill Lynch.

Finally, on the defensive back front, Courtney Avery turned to the darkside and spurned Jim Harbaugh's Stanford Cardinal for the Michigan Wolverines. Avery, from Lexington, Ohio, did not have a Buckeye offer and is not someone who was on the front of the line to receive the next scholly.

Who's On Tap

While some players have committed to Ohio State and some have gone on to other schools, there are still plenty of players left to fill the 10-12 or so spots remaining in the Buckeyes' class of 2010.

Starting on defense, the biggest target left on the board is Lamarcus Joyner of St. Thomas Aquinas in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Joyner, known as Mr. Frankenstein, is a well-known commodity amongst Buckeye fans and continues to hold Florida State and OSU as the top two on his list. Joyner will play in The Horseshoe at the end of August against Upper Arlington in the Herbstreit Challenge and will also make an official visit the weekend that USC comes to town. The coaches are hoping those two trips are enough to push OSU over the top of the still-falling Seminoles come National Signing Day in February.

If Joyner is Target #1, then Jordan Hicks is target #1A. The Lakota West linebacker is drawing interest from top programs around the nation and has named OSU, Texas, USC, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia as his leaders to this point. Many believe OSU and Texas will slug it out till the end for Hicks, but vibes are good as him and his mother have enjoyed their relationship with the Buckeyes so far.

Rounding out the defensive prospects with offers still left on the board are CB Christian Bryant (Cleveland Glenville), CB Tony Grimes (Hollywood Hills, FL), CB Terrence Mitchell (Tampa Bay, FL), CB Kacy Rodgers (Southlake, TX), CB Nickell Robey (Frostproof, FL), CB Bradley Roby (Suwanee, GA), CB Joshua Shaw (Palmdale, CA), S Chad Hagan (Canonsburg, PA), S Jarred Haggins (Lakeland, FL), LB Khairi Fortt (Stamford, CT), LB Jeff Luc (Port St. Lucie, FL), DT Jonathan Hankins (Detroit Southeastern), DT Garrison Smith (Atlanta, GA), DE Daryl Baldwin (Solon, OH), and DE Fre'Shad Hunter (Cary, NC).

Other defensive players that are still on the radar, but do not currently hold offers are S Latwan Anderson (Cleveland Glenville), CB Dior Mathis (Detroit, MI), CB Cody Riggs (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), ATH Cameron Ontko (Cuyahoga Falls, OH), DE Derrick Bryant (Columbus, OH), and DE Jayrone Elliot (Cleveland Glenville).

Turning to the offensive side of the ball, the prime targets are RB/WR Corey Brown (Springfield, PA), RB Mack Brown (Lithonia, GA), WR/ATH Christian Green (Tampa Bay, FL), OT Seantrel Henderson (St. Paul, MN), OT Matt James (Cincinnati St. Xavier), OT Chaz Green (Tampa Bay, FL), OT Arie Koundjio (Hyattsville, MD), C Brandon Linder (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), WR James Louis (Delray Beach, FL), OT/DT Laken Tomlinson (Chicago, IL), ATH Spencer Ware (Cincinnati Princeton), WR Tyrone Williams (Cleveland, OH), and TE Alani Fua (Westlake Village, CA).

It would be considered a win for the Buckeyes if they could bring in at least one of the offensive linemen in that group, along with Brown, Williams and any one of the other players at any positions. If things don't go according to plan look for the staff to start pulling players out of the pool of prospects that currently do not have offers. That list includes Mr. Ohio RB Erick Howard (North Canton, OH), TE/QB Tyler Brause (Bucyrus, OH), WR Anthony Schrock (Wadsworth, OH), WR Ivan McCartney (Miramar, FL), TE Dan Schneider (Avon Lake, OH), TE Alex Smith (Westchester, OH), OL Michael Dennis (Carey, OH), and OL Andrew Donnal (Whitehouse, OH). This list is obviously not the full list of prospects on the coaches' boards, but these players could be the next in line for an offer if room opens up.

Finally, the Buckeyes are still looking at one specialist that could join Drew Basil in this class. Punter Will Hagerup from Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin was offered a scholarship by Jim Tressel after attending the OSU Senior Advanced Camp last week. Hagerup has offers from OSU, Michigan, Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Northwestern, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, but his decision could end up coming down to Michigan and Ohio State based on his visits to those schools. It will be interesting to see if Hagerup chooses the Buckeyes after Basil has now committed, but there is room for him in the class if he does choose to don the Scarlet and Gray.

The Class of 2010 is far from being filled and with about seven months until National Signing Day anything can happen on the recruiting front. Look for more action to continue as July rolls on and spaces in the class begin to close as the pressure for prospects to commit becomes greater as the high school season comes around in August.

We're counting down the weeks until kickoff by profiling a different Big Ten team each week. We decided to switch up the order to reflect 11W's predicted finish for the upcoming season, which can be found here and we'll also reach out to fellow bloggers for their inside opinion on important matters.

This week we take a look at Tight End Tim's crew, as they enter a critical 3rd season with him at the helm.

For starters, they move into an open air park in TCF Bank Stadium and second, they have 17 starters and 54 lettermen back from a team that won 6 of their first 7, but lost their last 5.

COACHING: The pressure is on Brewster to keep up the momentum he built from last season, making him our pre-season choice for most likely to John L. Smith it. Even though he has a veteran team, he lost his DC to Auburn and fired his OC in an effort to move away from the spread. New defensive co-coordinators Ronnie Lee and Kevin Cosgrave have Wisconsin roots from the Alavarez era, while OC Jedd Fisch comes from the Broncos.

OFFENSE: With the opening of a non-dome in Minnesota, it was a good move to switch away from the spread attack. With the weather patterns in Minnesota, such an offense could have been disastrous in October and November.

Luckily for the Gophers, they have 9 starters coming back, including Adam Weber and Eric Decker, who form one of the best QB/WR tandems in the league. Weber lead the B10 in pass attempts last year with 410, completing 62 percent, while also scampering for 518 yards. Decker lead the conference in catches (84), yards (1074) and receiving TD's (7) in 2008, even though he had just 3 for 30 in their last 3 regular season games, but he might not have as many balls come his way with the change in philosophy.

The Gophers will have some depth in the backfield and at the receiver position. Redshirt sophomore Duane Bennett, who tore his ACL in game 2 last year, will battle true sophomore's DeLeon Eskridge and Shady Salamon for the starting position. Eskridge lead the team with 714 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns, while Salamon contributed another 193. If 100% healthy, Bennett should have the slight edge, but a three-headed monster could help the Gophers control the clock in those late season games, which would be a welcomed change in Minneapolis.

As mentioned, Weber will have a few more consistent weapons to choose from on the outside and freshman QB MarQueis Gray could see some action to spice things up. Hayo Carpenter is a JUCO recruit that will come in right away and challenge for a starting gig, while sophomore Brandon Greene showed some flashes in Decker's absence. Senior Ben Kuzina, who was third on the team in catches last season, also returns.

The Gophers had to use 10 different starting linemen in 2008 and 9 of those guys return this year. The starting spots may not be solidified until closer to week 1, as coaches figure out what the best combination is for the new power running scheme. But Brewster should be able to run a couple of different lines in there throughout the campaign.

DEFENSE:

For as long as I can remember, defense has always been a question mark for Minnesota, but that could change this season. The 2009 version returns 8 starters, 17 of their top 21 tacklers and should feature 9 seniors in the starting lineup.

Even though the D-Line may have 4 seniors in the starting group, those 4 accounted for just 8 sacks last year and could be the weak link. DT's Eric Small and Garrett Brown each weigh close to 300 lbs. and could demand a few double teams. DE's Cedric McKinley and Derrick Onwuachi still have to prove they are worthy of beating out the younger talent.

The Gophers will have a solid back 7, including top tacklers from last year; MLB Lee Campbell, S Kyle Theret and S Tramaine Brock. Campbell will be flanked by senior Simoni Lawrence, who lead the team in TFL's (6.5) and tied for the lead in sacks with 4. The other backer spot is up for grabs and could be manned by redshirt freshman Keanon Cooper or true frosh Spencer Reeves.

Senior corner, Traye Simmons lead the B10 in passes defended last year with 18, while his fellow senior Marcus Sherels chipped in with 13 of his own. Both are back, looking to improve upon the 240 yards per game passing the Gophers gave up in 2008.

KEY GAME: It's a tricky schedule for the Gophers, starting the season at Syracuse and home against Air Force, both winnable games, but then California comes in Sept. 19th and if the Gophers happen to slip in the first 2, this becomes even more crucial. The Bears are getting some early top 10 consideration and an upset win in the new stadium could catapult the Gophers into another fast start.

BEST-CASE: If the Gophers can pull off the first 3, they then play at Northwestern and host Whisky and Purdue, so a 6-0 or 5-1 start could happen. But then there are consecutive road games in Happy Valley and Columbus, followed by home tilts at home with MSU and Illinois. We think Minnesota has the best chance of breaking into the top tier of the conference, which is going to take at least an 8-4 record.

WORST-CASE: Luckily there is finally some depth for Brewster, if they are hit by injuries again. However, I don't think this schedule sets up very well, especially breaking in new coordinators on both sides of the ball. The Gophers don't have a pushover until the 11th game of the season when South Dakota St. comes to town and Brewster has yet to prove he can close out a season. A 4-3 start heading into the PSU game could lead to another missed bowl game and a 5-7 finish.

Minnesota is going to be one of the more interesting story lines of the upcoming season, simply because you really don't know which way they will go. Their coach is still unproven, loves him some Twitter and is most likely to blow up, but there is some talent and if they can pull off a couple of November wins, they can continue the momentum started last year.

Coming into the IFAF Junior Championships, there was a feeling around the US team that their two seed was not a reflection of reality. On Sunday afternoon against the top-seeded Canadians, they overwhelmingly proved that case.

Soon to be Buckeye legend (we're sure of this) Storm Klein intercepted a pass on the second play of the game, returning it 16 yards to the Canada 17 and one play later the good guys we're up six. From there, it only got worse. Future Baylor Bear Bryce Petty went 14 for 14 for 190 yards and three touchdowns and tourney MVP David Wilson added another rushing touchdown on the way to a 41-3 victory.

The win capped a dominating run out of Team USA. The defense was stingy, allowing just the three points to Canada and Chuck Kyle's team actually racked up more penalty yards than his defense allowed over the course of the three games.

So football-crazy Canton got a rare summer fix, a couple of Buckeyes got additional reps and game experience and we all got some trash-talking ammo to use on our fine Canadian friends (Michiganders count here as well). Though it's noteworthy today, I'm excited for what the future might hold in international American football.

There's just something about international competition and cheering on the United States. It's a big reason why I like international footy, but have no real interest in the MLS. Beat Spain and take delight in the fact that there are Spaniards too distraught to actually go to work the next day. Does it make you want to see the US soccer team hammer Mexico any harder next month at Azteca when you consider that just three years after 9/11, some Mexican fans chanted "Osama, Osama" during a match with the United States? Exactly.

The players certainly get something out of it as well. They were given a chance to represent their country and responded with a gold medal in an international competition. Laugh at Team France all you want, but do you have a gold medal? In anything?

Speaking of talent gaps, it wasn't too long ago that the Dream Team was light years ahead of the competition on the hardcourt. A little over fifteen years later and we were in such a spot that we needed the Redeem Team to restore some pride in that sport. The rest of the world will close the gap, which will only make it better.

The NFL is doing its part. The league is going back to Wembley in late October¹ and the Bills play a game in Toronto each season. There's even talk that if the league does expand to 17 games, the extra game will be played outside the United States.

Though there are certain financial concerns that may keep elite American players out of the IFAF's senior circuit², the United States should embrace the junior national team and more top coaches need to follow Jim Tressel and Frank Beamer's lead by sending their incoming freshman off to play in these events.

2012 will be here before we know it.

---

This is definitely the year we're going to use them. Maybe. Ken Gordon wrote one of those pieces that manages to both anger and excite you with an update of Jake Stoneburner's progress at tight end.

On one hand, we get the news that Stoneburner's 6-5 frame has filled out to 243, instantly conjuring Winslow and Keller comparisons. There's even the quote or two about how many balls the tight ends were thrown during spring practice. But, facts are facts and they say that Nicol and Ballard combined for just 11 receptions last year and not since 2003 has a Buckeye tight end caught more than 16 passes.

¹ Bill Belichick will not be honoring the dress code. The Brits, incidentally, are bonkers for Yank football. The Beckhamization of Tom Brady is coming soon.
² Or the pros -- responsible for FIFA's World Cup in soccer -- and any type of football equivalent.

If you get a chance to see live football in July, you take it. Better yet if it features future Buckeyes. Throw in the fact that today's game against Canada is for a gold medal and it's icing (and not of the "here's a free faceoff in our zone" variety).

The 1pm final of the IFAF World Junior Championship will be a battle between the tournament's top seed in Canada, and the United States, the country that invented and perfected the sport. The name "International Federation of American Football" should provide a clue as to who might be favored, but the Canadians bring a surprising 7-5 all-time record against USA into the game (including three-straight wins, though those came in a defunct annual series taking place Super Bowl weekend and the talent level of those American teams was very meh).

With the game taking place in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it's only fitting that the inaugural Junior team roster is well-stocked. Future Buckeyes Storm Klein, a captain, and Jack Mewhort are part of the most talented national team roster to date and it's shown in complete ass-kickings handed out to France (78-0) and Mexico (55-0) earlier in the week. Thanks in no small part to future Hokie David Wilson and his 327 yards and 7 TDs in those two games, of course.

Canada advanced to the championship after squeaking by Japan 35-31 earlier in the week. Before you spit out your coffee, consider that the Japanese have been playing American football since the 1930s (or about six decades before the Florida Gators). It was a pesky Japanese team that Team USA had to rally past to win the last World Cup of American Football, if you will. If only Reggie White had known this!

So count me in. I've got popcorn, plenty of sodas and some free time after taking care of what I needed to over the long holiday weekend. There's only one problem: I don't get Fox Sports College. Unless you have DIRECTTV or subscribe to a sports tier, chances are you don't either. Thankfully, the games will be streamed over the tubes, and the announcers are supposed to be fantastic:

If by chance you are available on Sunday to watch the championship game, I highly recommend you tune in. The play-by-play commentators are bad. I mean Best In Show bad. So bad they actually started openly apologizing at one point. It's really something to witness.

Eddie George on the sad news of McNair's death:

"I will remember Steve's smile, his laugh, his ability to cook -- the man could cook -- and just the human being that he was. We had some great time together, wonderful personality. The football thing was one thing and I remember his playing days, but just the human being. He brought so much joy to so many people. He was a consummate pro and he was a gentleman. He was a great father. He raised his boys very well, they are well behaved. His legacy will live on. We say goodbye to Steve in the human form, but his spirit and his memory will always last forever. I'm here to celebrate my teammate, celebrate my friend, his life and support his family. We will see this through."

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families involved.

Have a great holiday weekend and please remember all of our service men and women who help keep this country free, so we can enjoy things like college football. A special shout out to all of our loyal 11W military readers, like Buckeye Chief and Officer Polgar, who check in from around the world to keep up with Ohio State athletics.

We're counting down the weeks until kickoff by profiling a different Big Ten team each week. We decided to switch up the order to reflect 11W's predicted finish for the upcoming season, which can be found here and we also reached out to fellow bloggers for their inside opinion on important matters.

This week the new regime of Purdue is up and the fellas at Boiled Sports were kind enough to answer a few questions.

With only 12 returning starters from last year's 4-8 squad, it should come as no surprise that Purdue is picked to finish near the bottom of the conference standings. However, they have 49 returning lettermen, mostly on defense and with a new coach, there is reason for optimism within the Purdue circles.

COACHING: Hope was named coach in waiting before 2008, after spending 5 years as head coach of Eastern Kentucky, where he went 35-22. Tiller obviously brought a certain style of football to the gridiron and Boiled Sports think Hope will approach things a bit differently.

Yes, we expect some changes, mainly being able to move the ball. Everyone still refers to Purdue as "basketball on grass" even though that term was last used on campus probably close to a decade ago. Danny Hope is a defensive minded guy and that's good, because the defense is the key this season. It's experienced and actually pretty good -- it had to be last year, as the Boilermakers could not move the football for good portions of the season. What will change, most likely, is that we won't just be a spread offense with a traditional drop-back passer under center (such as Curtis Painter, Kyle Orton, etc.). Joey Elliot will likely be the starter and he is kind of an unknown, but supposedly a "coach on the field" type. We think you'll see more multi-back formations and the usual assortment of sneaky tricks that Purdue's offenses have seemed to have in the bag over the years.

OFFENSE: With the spring dismissal of Justin Siller, the aforementioned Joey Elliot should win the starting job as a senior. He has barely played in his previous 3 seasons, throwing just 49 passes, but he created some buzz with his play coming out of spring practice and will have the benefit of a veteran offensive line.

Purdue also has the services of Jaycen Taylor, who is returning from a knee injury that cost him last season. In the previous 2 seasons before that, Taylor ran 1237 yards on 220 carries and scored 8 touchdowns. There isn't any proven talent behind him, but Boiled Sports tells us to look out for Ralph Bolden, a sophomore who stepped up this spring and is ready to become a horse this year and beyond.

The receivers will be lead by junior Keith Smith, a converted safety, who caught 49 balls last year for 486 yards and could have an All Big Ten season. Behind him is a wide open race, as the Boilermakers lost 5 of their top 7 receivers from last year, but JUCO transfer Aaron Valentin could be a name to remember once the conference season rolls around.

The offensive line should be the strength of this unit, as they return 4 players with starting experience, including sophomore LT Dennis Kelly and senior RT Zach Jones, who each have a chance at All Conference honors. Danny Hope was the OL coach for Purdue from '97-'01, but they have only averaged better than 4.4 YPC once since the '02 season.

DEFENSE: This unit returns 7 starters from last year and is expected to be the strength of this team. Although they lost their top tackler in Anthony Heygood, Purdue brings back 8 of their top 10 tacklers from the '08 season and will get senior linebacker Jason Werner back, who was injured last season.

The line will be lead by Mike Neal and Ryan Kerrigan, who combined for 12.5 sacks last season. They will be joined by DT Kawaan Short, a 6'4" 310 lbs redshirt freshman, whom Boiled Sports thinks will be the newcomer of the year for Purdue on defense.

The linebackers will be lead by a couple of sophomores, Chris Carlino (true) and Joe Holland (redshirt), who both saw significant time as freshmen, combining for 112 tackles. The secondary has the potential to be one of the B10's best, with senior returning starters Brandon King and David Pender at corner. Pender had 12 PBU's in '08, while King had 9 of his own, to go along with 48 stops, leading the Boilers in giving up just 183 yards passing per game. At safety, Torri Williams was granted a 6th year by the NCAA and will be joined by senior Dwight McLean, who played in all 12 games last year, registering 2 picks and 36 stops.

KEY GAME: At Oregon, September 12th. Even though it is early in the season, a victory in Eugene would kick start Hope's career at Purdue. The Boilers open up against Toledo, go to Oregon and then play 5 of their next 6 at home. A win out west could set them up for a potential 4-1 start.

BEST-CASE: For this one, we go back to Boiled Sports.

Everyone -- and we do mean everyone -- has the Boilermakers pegged to be near the bottom of the Big Ten. We even saw an OSU site [Ed: That would be us] doing team-by-team previews and when they got to IU, they conceded them only three wins, with one coming over Purdue. And that's really all fine. We absolutely LOVE the direction of our program, new coach Danny Hope and the recruits he's bringing in. It honestly feels a lot like the beginning of the Tiller era in that nothing at all is expected of the team and so even banging out five wins will make everyone happy. It's really early to be making predictions but you did just ask for a "best case" scenario. Now, mind you, we don't necessarily think this is gonna happen, BUT, in an absolute best-case season, we'd see the offense score a reasonable number of points and the defense live up to what it's clearly capable of, ultimately resulting in a 7-5 regular season. Again, best case.

WORST-CASE: Even though they play 6 of their first 8 at home, those games include Notre Dame, Northwestern, Illinois and Ohio State. They also play 3 of their last 4 on the road, including games in Madison and Ann Arbor. The defense maybe the strength, but I think it is going to take some time for the new offense to kick in and by that time, the D may be wearing down. If Purdue loses at Oregon, then at home against ND, Zooker, and OSU, they are probably looking at another 4-8 or 5-7 season.

The Boilermakers haven't averaged less than 358 YPG on defense over the last 4 years, leading to just 25 victories over that span and it will probably take another season before the new coaching staff has their plan in place. They miss Iowa and Penn State this year, but their OOC schedule is considered one of the best in the B10, so it will be difficult to gain bowl eligibility, but Hope is here and it will be interesting to see if he can return Purdue to the top tier of the conference.

Indiana RB Roderick Smith surprised the staff Wednesday when he committed during an unofficial visit, becoming the 7th member of the 2010 class.

A Rivals and Scout four-star, he's the former's 5th-rated running back prospect, while the latter has him 6th at his position.

ESPN has this to say about Smith:

Smith may be one of the more impressive backs in this class in terms of a size to speed ratio. He's tall with great bulk but still lean enough through his waist and lower-body to remain fluid with some wiggle.

After piling up 3,580 rushing yards in his freshman and sophomore seasons, Smith was on pace to challenge the state record for career rushing yards (7,560), but was held to just 1,475 yards his junior year. Outside shot of still getting the mark, but he'll have his work cutout for him.

His negatives: supposedly goes down low a lot and does not posses child-bearing hips suitable for running back greatness.

Still, he's a pretty big win for the staff and at 6-2/220, the comparisons to Beanie are out there and valid, especially when you check out his film. He hits the hole quickly and shows nice acceleration on longer runs, while showing the shake needed to make a man miss up close. He might not have Beanie's love for mangling opponents' facemasks just yet, but that can be acquired.

Said film:

(The stutter-step around 0:48 is sick.)

As exciting as the above clips are, advanced party commenters have correctly pointed out that he might not be facing elite competition in Fort Wayne. And while it's true that the state of Indiana isn't exactly regarded a a running back factory, I like what I see. A lot.

The Buckeyes won his services over other offers from the likes of Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa. In fact, the Spartans were his 2nd choice, further highlighting the excellent job Dantonio and his staff have done on that front lately.

There are rumors of potential academic hurdles to overcome, but Smith seems to think he'll be fine. Assuming he will be, Smith might have the good fortune of being the only running back in the 2010 class, though Erick Howard lurks. Boom is just a soph and probably not a candidate to leave early, while freshmen Berry and Hyde are new arrivals providing quality depth going forward.

Random trivia bit: Smith also plays basketball in the same conference as Buckeye 2010 hoops recruit Deshaun Thomas.

Ahhh, Summer. Boating, bored people talking on cellphones wishing they were anywhere but the baseball game they paid $120 to attend, and the frightening aftermath of catfish reared on nothing but Skyline.

Worry not Buckeye backers: the run on weddings is behind you, a short work week is likely nearly 3/4 complete, and Ohio State's pre-SC tussle with the Naval Acacdemy is but 66 short days away. Speaking of our enlisted men & women, let's take this moment to suspend all snark and borderline inappropriete levels of hero-worship for young twenty somethings, and instead pay homage, with our nation's Independence Day rapidly approaching, to those actual heroes who make both our independence and ability to kill the doldroms of the workday by studying unofficial 40-yard-dash times possible.

Lee Tressel, the father of our beloved sweatervested one, diligently served in the Navy instead of serving on the football field for the Bucks during World War 2, joining 18 other returning tOSU letterman from the 1941 team who also put aside their scholastic, athletic, and personal interests to fight for their country. The great Chic Harley also dutifully responded when his country came calling. The realities of foregoing our favorite distraction in favor of one of the highest forms of responsibility imaginable is but a concept alone in many of our minds, which all the more adds the importance to both thank those that have risked their lives and think of the countless many who make these moments of introspection possible.

Let us resume our regularly scheduled sarcasm and thinly veiled attempts at sporting dialogue.

We start with The State Up North, where Tim Hardaway Jr. announced this week his committment to John Beilein's Wolverines. The 6-5 swingman from Miami (Fla.) Palmetto Senior High is rated as a 3-star by Rivals, a 93 (ostensibly out of 150) by ESPN, and a 3-star by Scout. Little is known about the strong bloodline possessing senior to be other than Googling him will yield you many, many photos of his notorious former NBA All-Star father. Infamous genetics aside, Hardaway Jr.'s game appears to be predicated on smooth handles, court vision, and a jumper to match. The future Wolverine averaged 25.2 points, 10.5 rebounds and six assists his junior season, drawing offers from Tubby Smith's Golden Gophers and Kansas State as well. Attempts to bring you, the fine 11W viewing public, some legitimate game tape were unsuccessful, largely due to countless YouTube videos being yanked because of terms & rights violations. Instead we bring you this grainy basketball video with "HUSTLIN" in the title. Pretend the fast one is Tim Hardaway Jr.

For those of you who missed it, France, suffering perhaps their poorest showing since the Wars of Religion, fell to a team of U.S. select 19-or-under football players 78-0 at Canton's famed Fawcett Stadium. The Red, White & Blue outgained the, uh, Blue, White & Red 617 yards to 7. It's worth pointing out, however, those 7 yards represented a far greater net gaine than their performance in the Franco-Prussian War. The Bucks' Jack Mewhort and Storm Klein, both incoming freshman this coming Fall, participated in the slaughter. There is arguably nothing more American than being named Storm Klein and inflicting massive, hit-stick style pain on the French. U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A, etc. Northwestern recruit Brian Smith, Miami University signee Pat Hinkel, and future Kent State Golden Flash Brian Winters made up the other Big Ten/Ohio area representatives on the squad. Virginia Tech recruits David Wilson and Tariq Edwards, South Carolina recruit Chris Payne, and Virginia signee Corey Lillard also participated in the American football equivalent of waterboarding. For those in the northeastern Ohio area this 4th of July weekend, be sure to catch the encore as the American select team Cortés-es a team of like aged players from Mexico later today and the assumed championship this Sunday, July 5th, at 1 pm again at Fawcett.

Lastly, we again tip our hat to former Buckeye B.J. Mullens on going 25th overall in the first round to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Love him or hate him, you can't help but appreciate he going to the only part of the country who will cherish and appreciate his choice of facial hair stylings. We wish you the best B.J., and for those who manage to miss his introductory press conference with the Thunder, be sure to check out what Mullens had to say.