It's another day, another penny for gentle laborers the world over.
ICYMI:
- Urban Meyer presser notes.
- Offensive and defensive practice observations.
- Five-star freshman LB Baron Browning tears shoulder labrum, out until June.
- J.K. Dobbins passes Antonio Williams on the RB depth chart.
- JUCO CB Kendall Sheffield becomes first 2017 newcomer to lose his black stripe. His footwork remains ridiculous.
- 2018 five-star Fairfield tackle Jackson Carman says Clemson leads his recruitment. I'm not buying it until he proves he can operate a fax machine.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Mountebank.
McMILLAN BATTLES PERCEPTION. Raekwon McMillan came to Columbus as a five-star recruit out of Georgia in 2014. Three years later, he's projected as a second-round pick.
This would elate normal folks. But high-octane athletes are a different breed. McMillan isn't satisfied with a venerable second-round grade, and he sees himself as an underdog in the process.
From Jacob Myers of The Lantern:
“I kind of went into the draft process as an underdog,” McMillan said. “And it is what it is. I came here to show everybody what I had to do. Me personally, I don’t feel that there’s a guy that’s better than me in this (class).”
McMillan was one of the most consistent and productive linebackers since OSU coach Urban Meyer arrived in Columbus in 2012. The former five-star recruit from Hinesville, Georgia, had 275 total tackles with the Buckeyes, including two seasons when he led the team with 119 and 102. He filled a gap at middle linebacker in 2014 with then-senior linebacker Curtis Grant, and then immediately assumed the role of defensive field general as soon as Grant exited the program.
[...]
“Everybody saying I can’t move, saying I’m not an athlete,” he said. “I went out to the combine and ran a 4.61. I was trying to crack 4.5, but didn’t do it. Came out here, moved, vertical jump 33 (inches), 10 (foot) 1 (inch) broad jump — what else do you want from me?”
I love the slights athletes gin to keep their edge. "Everybody" is saying McMillan "can't move"? That's news. And I'm not a scout, but I think teams want to see him cover NFL running backs out of the backfield, an ability to shed blocks, etc.
That said, I'll take McMillan on the Browns via either of their second-round picks, please and thanks.
YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT. My readers have long heard the Demario McCall siren call, the greatest footballer in Ohio State history. Well, it looks like other media outlets are finally getting the memo.
Start the dirt bike, baby.
From espn.com's roundtable:
There was no reason to rush the true freshman into action last season with the Buckeyes, both because McCall could use the time to put more weight on his 5-foot-9 frame and Curtis Samuel didn't need much help in the H-back role. But Urban Meyer still couldn't resist putting him on the field at times, and those glimpses at McCall's dynamic athleticism suggest that filling the void left by Samuel's early departure to the NFL might be easier than expected. McCall touched the football 53 times on offense during his debut season, racking up 354 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a cameo on special teams by returning three punts, and odds are McCall's involvement is about to skyrocket with Meyer looking to unleash that versatility any way he can this fall.
Meyer said yesterday J.K. Dobbins will battle Demario McCall for the right to backup Mike Weber. I had McCall penciled in at H-Back, yet it seems Parris Campbell is locking that position down in spring drills.
Could McCall be the odd man out? I refuse to believe it. Either way, one day the backfield of Dwayne Haskins and McCall will come together.
From Lantern TV:
Future Ohio State backfield? QB Dwayne Haskins and RB Demario McCall run the option pic.twitter.com/F1d5PdEvUX
— Lantern TV (@LanternTV) March 28, 2017
Not going to lie, if NCAA Football were still a thing, that would be my Heisman-contending backfield.
THAT'S A LOT OF BUCKEYE STUFF. Some people like to surround themselves with local team memorabilia while patiently awaiting the sweet kiss of death.
Meet Brian Fogle.
From 10TV.com:
This is the Buckeye pride and joy of Brian Fogle. Fogle started collecting as a kid and this is what it has turned into.
Fogle has so much memorabilia he is now forced to hang pictures on the ceiling.
“I just ran out of room so my girlfriend won't let it go past the door so I have to kind of improvise a little bit and use the space that I have," he said.
Whitney would put me in the hospital if I tried something like that. Every man needs a kingdom, though:
Circleville hoarder evicted, 8-foot-high wall of trash stretching down the street remains behind - https://t.co/K8wnHKM9rm pic.twitter.com/BI6wYgH9s4
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) March 29, 2017
OREGON RUN SPURRED BY OLD MEN. If you're like me, you awoke from a weekend coma, saw Oregon made the Final Four and thought "Wow, that's wild. I didn't even know Wandering Webfoots still played basketball."
After reading this, it makes sense. Oregon is harnessing old man strength.
From latimes.com:
Scout teams are the rare area in which the NCAA allows creativity. Alabama’s football team uses retired NFL players to simulate opponents. Women’s basketball teams bring in male students to better mimic bigger opponents. Some men’s teams use a young assistant or two, almost always recently retired former players in their 20s or 30s.
But the Ducks stumbled upon a secret weapon this season using the opposite strategy. The Ducks use their entire coaching staff, including [Oregon head coach Dana] Altman, who is 58.
“But he moves like he’s 20 when he’s excited,” guard Dylan Ennis said.
This reminded me of the only funny thread in Twitter history, via @fakemikemulloy (cuss words, ahoy):
Might as well hand the Ducks the trophy.
THOSE WMDs. The future range of wooly mammoths.. "Carlos the Jackal" sentenced to life for 1974 attack... Silicon Valley's quest to live forever... The hunt for Russia's most notorious hacker... Cane toads, which can weigh up to six pounds, are overrunning South Florida.
