Better Know a Buckeye: Grant Schmidt

Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class will be unique in Ohio State football history for at least one reason. The Buckeyes signed three players in this recruiting classes (Branden Bowen, K.J. Hill, Grant Schmidt) from states from which it had yet to sign a prospect until this year. Grant Schmidt is not only the first Ohio State football player to be signed from South Dakota, but, according to our records, he's also the first football player from the state to receive an athletic scholarship.

Schmidt will be the fourth subject of this year's Better Know a Buckeye series. I retell his somewhat brief recruitment below and follow it with reasons he provided for his commitment to Ohio State. Thereafter, I offer an assessment of Schmidt's strengths and areas for improvement while the early enrollee improves as a football player on campus. I conclude with a projection whether Schmidt redshirts in 2015 and close with his highlight film.

HIS RECRUITMENT

Grant Schmidt is the first South Dakota prospect to sign with Ohio State and, according to our records, the first player from the Mount Rushmore State to receive a scholarship offer from the Buckeyes. Intuitively, this is because the state is a relative football backwater. South Dakota has an estimated population (850,000) that is around 35 percent the size of the combined statistical area of Columbus. The population of Sioux Falls's metro area is less than 250,000.

This does not mean that the state can't produce excellent talent. In the past ten years, the state produced two first-round NFL Draft picks (Chad Greenway of Mount Vernon and Riley Reiff of Parkston). Both were Iowa alumni.

This may illustrate why Ohio State has not sought out talent in the state. Programs like Iowa and Nebraska (and, to a lesser extent, Minnesota) need to find the best gem from South Dakota more than Ohio State stands to benefit from finding him. Whereas Ohio State has higher recruiting priorities elsewhere, South Dakota was a state in which the Buckeyes did not seek talent until this past recruiting cycle.

Entering May 2014, Schmidt already had offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, North Carolina, Rutgers, Utah, and Washington State. The early leader at this time may have been Minnesota. The Gophers hosted Schmidt on five separate visits in addition to a camp in the summer of 2013.

Schmidt received an Ohio State scholarship offer on the first of May last year, which was the culmination of a few months on the recruiting trail by Ed Warinner. The five weeks that followed were a huge swing in Ohio State's favor. Before Schmidt arrived at a decision, he wanted to see Ohio State's campus for itself. This happened on June 8, on which Schmidt arrived at Ohio State for a visit and a one-day camp and left as the latest pledge in Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class.

HIS COMMITMENT

On June 9, 2014, Grant Schmidt became the fourth member of Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class. He told Eleven Warriors that the visit was everything he thought it would be, leading to a commitment the next day.

"(My entire visit) has been great!," Schmidt told Eleven Warriors. "I love it (at Ohio State.) Coach Warinner is an amazing coach and I loved every minute of being coached by him yesterday. The trip was definitely worth it. I loved meeting with the different coaches."

...

"It's everything about Ohio State," he said. "The stadium, the overall feeling of being here is what sets it apart from other places."

WHERE HE EXCELS

The three-star composite ranking Schmidt has from 247sports would put him below the median in Ohio State's recruiting class. The more I read evaluations of Schmidt and see footage of him, the more I think this is a penalty given to Schmidt's evaluation for playing in a relative football backwater. Call it a "South Dakota bias" if you wish.

Schmidt is a true tackle prospect with an ideal frame for a tackle. He's tall, long, and with the lean frame that befits an offensive tackle prospect. He currently has little body fat and can only improve in a college football conditioning program like that run by Mickey Marotti. Absent excess weight or fat, Schmidt takes advantage of his natural athleticism. I particularly like how well Schmidt keeps his feet underneath him.

I think his flexibility is a big reason why Schmidt was a worthy candidate for an Ohio State scholarship offer, given his South Dakota home. Schmidt's flexibility and natural control of his body might be the best of any of the offensive linemen in this class.

A source close to Schmidt's recruitment told Eleven Warriors that there is no reason to dismiss Schmidt because of the state he calls home.

"He's very athletic, he's explosive," the source told 11W. "He's smart, he's a hard worker and is very coachable. (He has) huge upside."

MUST WORK ON

Most offensive linemen moving to the collegiate ranks are somewhat raw in the minutiae of pass protection. Most high school football is run-intensive. While Schmidt does well to keep a solid base in pass protection, there are important things he could improve about the use of his hands.

While every high school football prospect transitioning to the next level of football needs to adjust to the increased difficulty of the game, a special comment could be made about Schmidt. South Dakota may occasionally produce a first-round draft pick or NFL All-Pro, but that doesn't reflect on the entire state for football.

I'm not convinced Schmidt is necessarily strong for an offensive line prospect. The extent to which he's blowing kids off the line of scrimmage who have the frames of high school safeties (or small high school linebackers) may underscore that Schmidt's transition will be more difficult than others in his class. It's clearly tractable, but perhaps a bit more challenging.

REDSHIRT?

My instinct says yes, though I have a difficult time forecasting redshirts for offensive linemen. I thought Demetrius Knox would play last year, but he redshirted. I thought Marcelys Jones would redshirt last year, but he played. Since Schmidt is the only offensive lineman currently enrolled, that will give him a leg-up on his classmates toward playing time. Even so, Brady Taylor, Kyle Trout, Jamarco Jones and Demetrius Knox all redshirted last year. Unless Schmidt can immediately outperform all those players with eligibility to burn, I don't think there's value in playing him this year. I don't think Schmidt is an immediate-effect player either, though he's one who could thrive as a second-year or third-year player. My guess is he redshirts.

HIGHLIGHTS

This is film from Schmidt's junior year.

This is a local news interview of Schmidt if you want additional highlights.