11W Offseason Mailbag: Talking All Things Ohio State Football, Basketball and Recruiting

By Tim Shoemaker on July 13, 2016 at 10:10 am
The 11W Mailbag.
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It's mid-July so you're almost there. Fall camp for the 2016 football season is less than one more away. The Eleven Warriors Offseason Mailbag is here in the meantime to bridge that gap.


What, if any, changes in the offensive and defensive schemes do you foresee with the lack of experience and coaching changes on both side of the ball this year? — RedRocker1013

Schematically, I don't think much will change for Ohio State on either side of the ball. Having J.T. Barrett back at quarterback means things won't have to be oversimplified a ton even if the majority of the other starters are new. Defensively, the press quarters scheme Chris Ash brought with him will still be in effect. There may be a few new wrinkles, as our Kyle Jones examined earlier this offseason, but the overall scheme of the defense — and the offense — will remain similar.

Who do you see as our top-four leading pass catchers this year? — Killer Nuts

Here's my list and it's 100 percent accurate:

  • Noah Brown
  • Corey Smith
  • Curtis Samuel
  • Marcus Baugh

Do we win in Norman, East Lansing, Happy Valley, Madison and College Park for the sweep of away games?  Does Urban's streak survive the season? — BuckeyeEddie27

You probably won't like this answer, but no, I don't think Ohio State goes undefeated on the road in 2016. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there were two or three losses on the schedule — though not all have to come on the road.

I think Oklahoma tops the Buckeyes in Week 3 and I think there's one more road loss — at Michigan State, Penn State or Wisconsin — along the way. It's just a brutal schedule for a really, really young team.

Thinking about making the trip to Columbus for Friday Night Lights. As a fan, is it worth the five-hour round trip? — MAVBuck

Honestly, probably not. If you're around Columbus and you follow recruiting, then sure, it may be worth checking out. But I certainly wouldn't recommend making a five-hour trip to watch a football camp though that is entirely your choice.

You'll get to see some of Ohio State's top recruiting targets work out, but not much more. But if you want to still attend that's [obviously] entirely up to you.

If we are fortunate enough to win the Big Ten East, we would have a fair chance of playing a team a second time in a season. With the exception of Iowa as a favorite, we would be playing either Wisconsin, Nebraska or Northwestern. What are your thoughts about beating a Wisconsin or Nebraska a second time? — AllInOSU

I think I'm picking Iowa to win the Big Ten West, but should Ohio State advance to the conference championship game against a team it already played during the regular season, I'd certainly like its chances in a rematch, as well.

The only crossover game I really see as a threat to the Buckeyes this year is the Wisconsin game, and truly only because it is in Madison. So, if the Badgers and Ohio State were to meet again in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title, I'd probably take the Buckeyes. The same would be said for potential rematches against Northwestern and Nebraska, as well.

What is your take on this silent commit process? Can you give us your views of why it's done? — OSUSam77

I think kids silently committing to schools is fine. It's their decision, they can do things however they want. And, trust me, the coaching staff fully knows nothing is ever completely done until the name is signed on the dotted line.

Kids silently commit to staffs all the time and, believe it or not, a lot of times change their minds and don't end up going to those schools. You have to remember that they're teenagers and sometimes they change their minds. They get caught up in the moment, the excitement of being at a big-time program, and that's to be expected. 

If a kid wants to commit to a school first before announcing it to the public, that's his decision and I don't see much wrong with it.

How does the men's basketball team finish up in recruiting in the Big Ten? — Seattle Linga

I assume you mean in the 2017 class here, so that's how I'm going to answer this. Also, it's important to keep in mind recruiting class rankings are much different in basketball than they are football simply because class size plays such an important role. There are some years when schools add only a player or two to their roster simply because that's all they have room for.

There are currently two remaining scholarships available for Ohio State in the 2017 class with Kaleb Wesson already in the fold. Neither will be used on a big man. I expect the Buckeyes to go hard after in-state wing Kyle Young (more on that in the next question) as well as another guard in this class. There are plenty of options available there, but the staff will be going hard after a guard just in case JaQuan Lyle opts to leave after this upcoming season.

Any chance of an interview with 2017 Basketball recruit Kyle Young? Would love to hear who is top school is, why OSU's chances are, and when he plans to announce — I Bleed Scarlet

Our Zach Fleer actually spoke to Kyle back in mid-May, shortly after he received his scholarship offer from Ohio State. You can read that interview here.

Not a ton has really changed since then in his recruitment; he's still taking things slow. Young just wrapped up playing at Peach Jam, where his King James team did not advance out of pool play [they were really hampered by the fact Markell Johnson reclassified to the 2016 class and signed with NC State and thus did not play].

In a recent interview with 247Sports from Peach Jam, Young said he plans to take all five official visits in the fall. Right now, he doesn't have a clear leader, but Ohio State is certainly in the mix. I'd fully expect this to be a Midwest battle when it's all said and done between the Buckeyes, Michigan State, Michigan, West Virginia, Purdue and Butler, etc. 

How does your significant other feel about your phone/social media usage? — Elks' Comb Over

It's a good thing I'm a single dude in my late 20s because if I wasn't, I'm sure this would be a big issue. I'm always on my phone when I'm not at my computer, and it's usually always because of work.

That's the crazy part about doing what I do is that you're pretty much always on call in case something happens. You obviously can't be available at all hours of the day, but I just try to be as aware of what's going on as possible.

I certainly think I might hit Jason up about an unlimited data plan, though.

Which member of the football team is most likely to play Pokemon Go? — Mzungu_Buckeye

I'm going to take this time to vent about Pokemon Go.

I don't play, and I think it's dumb. I'm not sure if I think it's dumb because I wasn't one of the first ones to start the trend or I think it's weird, but I certainly learn toward the latter. I hope that's the case, anyway.

End of rant.

Favorite spot for breakfast in Columbus? Hangover Easy? — Bucks4Nuts

Actually not a big breakfast guy, but there are a few spots around town I do enjoy and Hangover Easy is certainly one of those. I think anybody who has ever been to Katalina's would say that's at the top of the list, as well, and I agree. Brunch at Philco is also pretty damn good, too.

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