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Ohio State Recruiting: Did Jim Tressel Let Rich Rodriguez Have Ohio Talent?

Throughout its historic rivalry with Michigan, Ohio State fans have watched Ohio players leave the state to don the maize and blue for the hated Wolverines.  Bo Schembechler made Ohio a key recruiting target throughout his tenure as Michigan’s head coach, signing 21 Ohio players for his first Michigan team beginning in 1969.

During the 1980s, the name John Kolesar became synonomous with Ohio State heartbreak, helping Michigan to defeat Ohio State in 1985 and 1988.  Kolesar played high school football in Westlake, Ohio.

Think back to the 1990s—Ricky Powers (Akron Buchtel), Elvis Grbac (Cleveland St. Joseph), Desmond Howard (Cleveland St. Joseph), and Charles Woodson (Fremont Ross) all left Ohio behind to become Wolverines.  Is there an Ohio State fan who does not believe John Cooper’s dreadful record against Michigan (2-10-1) may have been different if he had any of those Ohio-born Wolverines on some of his teams?

Jim Tressel was hired as Ohio State’s head coach in 2001 and has made it a priority throughout his tenure to secure the top Ohio talent for Ohio State.  Michigan has been able to secure some Ohio players since 2001, such as Prescott Burgess , Shawn Crable , and Justin Boren (briefly), but for the most part, Jim Tressel has been able to win head to head recruiting battles with Michigan for Ohio high school football talent.

With National Letter Of Intent Day approaching on February 3, a quick look at Michigan’s verbal commitments for this year’s recruiting class will show 11 players from Ohio.  What I find most interesting about these Ohio players is that not one of these players received a scholarship offer from Ohio State.

While I subscribe to the theory that high school recruiting rankings are overrated , I do believe it is a noteworthy exercise to see which other teams recruited a player.  For example, Terrelle Pryor selected Ohio State over teams such as Michigan, Penn State, and Oregon back in 2008.  Using Shawn Crable as an example, Crable was offered by both Ohio State and Michigan, as well as Miami (FL), Pittsburgh, and USC.

Let us look at the schools who offered Courtney Avery , a defensive back from Lexington, Ohio, who will sign with Michigan:  Stanford (where Avery was originally verbally committed before switching to Michigan), Army, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Indiana, and Louisville—in other words, only Indiana from The Big Ten offered Courtney Avery besides Michigan.   

Jake Ryan of Cleveland St. Ignatius selected Michigan over Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Toledo. 

I am not suggesting that attending any of those other schools I listed up above would have been bad choices or schools for Courtney Avery, Jake Ryan, or anyone else that Michigan has recruited from Ohio high schools.

I do believe it is something Ohio State fans may wish to make a mental note of as it relates to future Ohio State/Michigan games to see if any of these Ohio-bred Wolverines inflict any damage, or if Ohio State completely missed the boat in their evaluations of these players and let Michigan steal some more of Ohio’s top players as they have in seasons past.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Senior Bowl: Winners and Losers For Better Draft Positions

The atmosphere was truly electric and the play of the players was maybe just as important as the 2010 Senior Bowl was played in front of a sell-out crowd in Mobile, Alabama yesterday.

So to recap the winners and losers in the game with an admitted slant toward the Southern players which I know better, read on.

As soon as Tim Tebow announced his decision to play, ticket sales spiked and the sell-out was completed in mere hours. He was the first player to hit the field for warm up and the last to be introduced. His was also the loudest ovation from the crowd. It was clear, this is who the majority came to see.

His fame and popularity didn’t do much for his play however and he looked like an over-matched high school senior lost in the speed of play as he fumbled twice, stumbled around in four running plays for a net yardage of one yard per carry and threw for the lowest total on the South’s squad, only 50 yards, going 8-12 with the long being only 11 yards. His completions were plink and dink screens for the most part.

Yes, he was suffering from strep throat, but now his draft position may be suffering too. He may have gone from a late first rounder to a second with this performance.

Other losers on the day from the South were Dexter McCluster, who ran the ball 3 times for a negative net total. Speaking of McCluster, I have to give a loser mark to the Miami coaching staff who put McCluster in the primary kick returning role too. He did nothing with that opportunity.

When they put Javier Arenas in that role finally, after all, he was the leading SEC kick and punt returner, he took a punt back almost to the house, only to be called back for a holding call far away from the play. What may have been if they had let the star returner return all day?

Ben Tate had one good run for 12 yards, but looked sluggish in his other attempts. In fact, none of the South’s running backs had a good day and that signals that the linemen didn’t have good a day either.

They gave up three sacks as well three quarterback hurries making the Southern offense line the loser for the day. Ciron Black a tackle from LSU that needed a good showing to overcome an iffy season was victimized at will and his draft stock may have fallen through the floor.

Though USC’s Taylor Mays had a pick and may have helped his stock, as a unit the southern defensive backs had a bad day. Alabama star Javier Arenas was burned on a long TD pass.

Overall the Southern defensive line was good, but Terrence Cody showed up bigger and slower and despite a tackle for a loss that also caused a fumble, he looked sluggish and proved that he may not be a consistent player in the NFL. He dropped by a round or two with this showing.

Losers for the North seemed to be in shorter supply as the scoreboard would indicate.

Quarterback Sean Canfield’s two for four passing day with one interception and two sacks may not have helped his cause very much. He looked sluggish and he didn’t have good footwork or mechanics on this day at all. Nebraska’s Larry Asante was badly victimized by Alabama’s Colin Peek for the South’s only touchdown and except for one sack, didn’t have a day that helped his cause either.

Other than that, the North held up pretty well and kept the mostly SEC attending crowd quiet throughout the day. This big win snapped a two game winning streak by the South and showed the SEC and the South as a whole they may not be as dominant as they’d like to think.

A lot of players may have helped and hurt themselves to come out even for the day, such as Dexter McCluster, who overall didn’t help himself with his kickoff or running plays, but had a couple of nice dump pass receptions he turned into first downs. Many others were in this boat, like Javier Arenas also from the South.

Of the people who looked good, starting with the South, since their list is shorter, Colin Peek stepped up with a great game despite being sick for much of the week and missing most of practice. He demonstrated great routes, soft hands and smashing blocking ability. He may have jumped a round along with Tulane’s receiver Jeremy Williams who made some great catches all day to lead the South and also win an outstanding player award.

I had a chance to interview Peek who told me about his illness and how weak he was during the game. It sure didin’t show in his play. He said he got the breath knocked out of him on the touchdown catch but seemed to be able to get open at will on pass plays. He was pleased overall with his game, but said he wished he had felt better. For the opposing players who faced him, they should be glad he didn’t.

Andre Roberts from the little Citadel may have been a bottom end pick in the draft, but with some solid work all week and a couple of athletic catches in the game he may have gotten him up to a third or forth round pick. He certainly got noticed.

And Zac Robinson was clearly the best quarterback the South had on it’s roster. He made both short and long throws and seemed elusive under pressure and Lee Tiffin showed scouts why Alabama may have won a national championship by being perfect with his field goals.

On defense, Georgia sent a pair of tackles that had everyone wondering why Georgia didn’t fare better this year. Jeff Owens and Gino Atkins looked great and physically whipped opponents all week in practice and had great games too. For the undersized Atkins, this proved to scouts that he is indeed big enough for the NFL and his stock went way up with this showing.

But the Southern defensive star of the game was middle linebacker Jamar Chaney from little heard from Mississippi State who not only impressed scouts all week, but won the defensive player of the game with his eight tackles. This should bolster his draft stock.

The North, who had most of the offensive highlights, had several players that stood out and stood up to be noticed. Starting with offense, the standouts were:

LeGarrett Blount, who I interviewed after the game, was thankful to be invited and worked hard all week to impress the scouts that he was not a hothead and could be a good and respectful player as well as a force to be reckoned with. He did that with bulling runs and a great work ethic.

Cincinatti’s Mady Gilyard also shined as the North’s top receiver with over a hundred yards. He made good grabs and always seemed to have separation even when not thrown to. He improved his stock and also won the Offensive MVP award.

Quarterback Dan LeFevor from little Central Michigan certainly bolstered his name recognition this week with a solid week of practice and a great game that earned him an outstanding player award. He led the North quarterbacks going 5-10 for 97 yards and one great over the shoulder bomb for a touchdown. His stock went up greatly.

Bret Swinson was perfect on his only field goal attempt and did nothing to hurt his reputation.

On defense, first among them was Brandon Graham, Michigan’s defensive end, who not only was named MVP, but showed the scouts all week that the South may have the fastest linemen as a whole, but the best of the best is from up North. He may have moved himself up if that was even possible.

Sean Weatherspoon a linebacker from Missouri turned in a great game and his five tackles including one for a loss, his great interception and a nice pass breakup put him in the running for defensive MVP and certainly got a lot of notice from the scouts. His stock went up more than it was.

Koa Missi is certainly not a household name, as a linebacker from Utah he hasn’t gotten the notice that other players have gotten, but he was certainly noticed by scouts this week and during the game with his play. Tied for most tackles with six including one for loss and forcing a fumble showed scouts that he can take it to the next level with the best of them. He may have improved his draft by a round with this play.

Following the game the scene was utter chaos for reporters hoping to get a lot good interviews and sound bites. There was no formal media room for interviews and reporters had to muscle against the fans that also swarmed the field to get autographs and pictures.

It was very hard to get any order out of chaos but it was fun to see the fans and players enjoying one another, players from different teams posing for pictures together and exchanging hugs and smiles with one another and with fans.

This game was unlike anything else I’ve covered, it was casual, fun for fans and nice to see fans with all different team jackets on tailgating and having fun with one another. The fans thoroughly enjoyed getting access to the players and for the players, it was a nice chance to say goodbye to many of their fans.

The majority of the fans may not have liked the results, but the event is something to behold.

 

 

 

 

 

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Blazers’ Andre Miller Scores 52 Points in Overtime Win

With All-Star Brandon Roy out with a hamstring injury, it has been uncertain where all the offense will come from on a nightly basis for the Portland Trail Blazers. Well, last night guard Andre Miller more than answered the call.

Miller scored a career-high 52 points, with 25 of them coming in the fourth quarter and overtime, to help lift the Blazers past the Dallas Mavericks 114-112. It was an extremely efficient performance too as Miller went 22 of 31 from the field and 7 of 8 from the free throw line.

If you saw Miller’s first shot of the game, a 15-footer that bricked hard off the backboard, you would have thought chances were better that he would go scoreless, rather than post a new career high.

Miller entered the game averaging just 12.6 points per game and his previous season high had been only 28.

Miller came up just three points shy of breaking the Blazers’ team record set by Damon Stoudamire and six points shy of the mark set by the Bucks’ Brandon Jennings for the most points scored this season.  The NBA hasn’t had a 50-point scorer since the Nuggets’ Carmelo Anthony last went off back on November 27.

It will be interesting to see if this performance will give Miller enough confidence to continue to be an increased offensive threat for the Blazers.

Related posts:

1. NBA Playoff Odds: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Game 3
2. Blazers’ Brandon Roy Injured
3. NBA Playoff Odds: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Houston Rockets Game 6

Auburn Football Recruiting: Tigers Get Defensive with Class

While so much attention has been paid to the Auburn recruiting class being absolutely loaded with offensive talent, they might have overlooked something important. It is something every great team must have.

What does the Auburn 2010 recruiting class have in store for the defensive side of the ball? It is something that has been largely overlooked by the recruiting gurus. I will list them out and you can make your own judgement.

Before we start, understand every player listed is from the recruiting class of 2010. This article is not suggesting this will be the Auburn starting unit for 2010. I do think it would be quite adequate if it were.

Defensive Line

Defensive Tackle: Kenneth Carter is a 6’5″ 280 lbs Defensive Tackle

                         Byran Jones is a 6’3″ 300 lbs Defensive Tackle

                         Jeffrey Whitaker  is a 6’3″ 300 lbs Defensive Tackle

All are ranked as four star recruits by every major service. Kenneth Carter has been committed to Auburn for some time. Both Byran Jones and Jeffrey Whitaker are listed as heavy Auburn leans at this point. I think they will all be Tigers next season.

Defensive End: Joel Bonomolo is a 6’3″ 250 lbs Defensive End 

                     Craig Sanders is a 6’4″ 240 lbs Defensive End

                     Corey Lemonier is a 6’5″ 230 lbs Defensive End

                     Justin Delaine is a 6’5″ 230 lbs Defensive End

Bonomolo, Sanders and Delaine are all committed to Auburn. Lemonier is considered a heavy lean to be a Tiger. All but Delaine are ranked as four-star recruits with Delaine being ranked a three star.

Linebacker: Jake Holland is a 6’1″ 230 lbs Linebacker

                Ladarius Owens is a 6’2″ 230 lbs Linebacker

                Jawara White is a 6’2″ 225 lbs Linebacker

                Jessel Curry is a 6’2″ 225 lbs Linebacker

This is largely considered one of the best linebacker classes in the nation. They are extremely fast in the Auburn tradition for linebackers. 

Defensive Back: Demetruce McNeal is a 6’0″ 180 lbs Defensive Back

                      Jonathan Mincy is a 5’10″ 175 lbs Defensive Back

                      Shaun Kitchens is a 6’3″ 215 lbs Athlete that can play either way.

                      Trovon Reed is a 6’0″ 173 lbs Athlete that can play either way.

                      Chris Davis is a 5’11″ 175 lbs Athlete that can play either way.

This is a class of defensive backs that has incredible speed. Trovon Reed and Shaun Kitchens are also incredible receivers. Chris Davis is likely the most under rated athlete of the 2010 class. 

 

In my opinion Auburn could start this group next season and would be a top 25 defense. Of course you can take a look and form your own opinion. The point is, this recruiting class did not ignore the future. There is an entire defensive team contained in this class that is of the highest quality talent.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Rick Pitino Wants NBA Age Rule Changed

Current Louisville head man and former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino wants the NBA minimum age rule amended to resemble the rule in use by Major League Baseball.

Currently, the NBA’s minimum age requirement before one can enter the draft is 19 years of age. This rule makes it almost a certainty that players will have to spend at least one year in college following their senior year of high school before becoming old enough to enter the draft.

Major League Baseball allows allows high school graduates to jump right into the professional ranks. But if a player decides to attend college, that player is locked into three years unless he meets the minimum age requirement after two years in school.

One oversight that Pitino has is that baseball has a successful minor league system in place where players can develop and mature.

Basically, Pitino is saying that he doesn’t like all the one-and-done business that is going on with players leaving after just one year of college. When these top notch players leave after just one year, it is difficult for programs to sustain success unless they can continually pull top recruits.

Perhaps, the NBA’s development league will take on the form of minor league baseball at some point, but that might damage the college game to a further extent.

Related posts:

1. NBA Age Rule to be Revisited
2. South Carolina Fined for Celebrating after Upsetting Kentucky
3. 2009 Tampa Bay Rays Odds & Predictions

Lakers at Celtics NBA Odds

In a rematch of the NBA Finals from two years ago the Boston Celtics will host the Los Angeles Lakers this afternoon on ABC. It is definitely the hottest rivalry in the NBA today, and it was years ago as well. The Lakers won it all last year, but they are still seething from their Finals loss to the Celtics a couple of years ago. On the other side the Celtics are trying to prove they can get back to the form they were in when they beat the Lakers in the Finals. Sign up at SportsInteraction and deposit at least to receive a 100% deposit bonus.

The Celtics have definitely fared well against the Lakers in their last 10 match ups, going 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 against the Lakers. Ironically though the Lakers have won the last two match ups against the spread, so maybe they are starting to turn things around against the Celtics. A look at today’s NBA lines shows that the Celtics are underdogs by a point at home in this classic rivalry game.

Both teams have finally gotten healthy after dealing with injuries for much of the season. The Celtics have lost two in a row to the Hawks and Magic, so they need to get back on track. The Lakers have won four of their last five, all on the road. Look for this one to go down to the last possession and expect a back and forth game.

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Jets 2010-11 Season Opponents

It was a successful first season for new head coach Rex Ryan, as the New York Jets snuck their way into the postseason going 9-7 in the regular season, including two road wins at the end of the season against teams resting their starters. The Jets took the gift and made it into one of the more impressive postseason runs, as the Jets had the Colts on their heels before losing the AFC Championship game. All the attention now turns to the 2010 season, and here is a look at who the Jets will be playing at home and on the road.

The Jets will have home games against Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, and the three regular home games against the rest of the AFC East. A very hard home schedule for the Jets, as everyone of these teams besides the Buffalo Bills figure to be in the playoff picture in 2010.

The Jets road schedule will feature the three games against division opponents, plus games against the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and the Denver Broncos. A little easier road schedule, but no game is a sure thing on the road in the NFL.

With the emergence of rookies Mark Sanchez and Shonn Greene to go along with arguably the best defense in the league, the Jets figure to have great NFL odds for the 2010 season. It will be interesting to see who the Jets add this offseason to try and get this team primed for a Super Bowl run.

Looking to make some money on the NFL? Check out our expert NFL picks from the top handicappers in the NFL. Also, if you need a place to bet on the NFL, head over to BetUS and take advantage of their amazing 0 match bonus.

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Pittsburgh Panthers: What Effect Would a Move to the Big Ten Have?

It was a mere 45 days ago that Big Ten Commish Jim Delaney announced the conference’s Council of Presidents/Chancellors would begin a “thorough evaluation of options for conference structure and expansion.”

Delaney, who repeatedly referred to conference expansion talks as a “back-burner” issue, was asked by the COP/C to provide recommendations for consideration over the next 12 to 18 months.

Now, if the plethora of rumors swirling around the Internet are true, Delaney’s “back-burner” issue is about to be brought to the forefront in a big, big way.

According to several reports, including personal statements by student athletes on Twitter, Pittsburgh athletic department officials held closed door meetings with all of the University’s student athletes last week about the potential move.

Pitt message boards lit up with the news and the validity of the rumor, and though not verified by the University or the Big East or Big Ten, the rumor was somewhat reinforced when those Pitt athletes who posted about the meeting on their Twitter accounts were forced to remove the posts.

This weekend, many outlets are reporting that Pittsburgh has indeed decided to accept the Big Ten’s invitation and will formally announce the move to the Big Ten on Thursday, Feb. 4, a coincidental (or not) day after National Signing Day.

Pitt’s current conference, the Big East, is no stranger to having its members leave for greener pastures. In 2004, the ACC snatched away Virginia Tech and Miami, two of the conference’s cornerstone programs, and the following year Boston College followed suit.

Pitt’s move to the Big Ten doesn’t necessarily expand the conference’s footprint and the Panthers won’t bring in any new television markets, but the University does meet the conference’s academic and institutional “requirements.”

Pittsburgh is a member of the American Association of Universities, a prestigious group of leading research institutions. All 11 of the current Big Ten universities are members.

The Panthers’ quick acceptance also would allow the Big Ten to realistically stage a conference championship game in football as soon as 2012.

The move would also re-establish the heated Penn State-Pitt rivalry, giving the Nittany Lions a true rival for the first time since joining the conference 20 years ago.

Football seems to be the driving force behind expansion talks. The addition of a football championship game would offer a huge payday and allow the conference to remain relevant past the Thanksgiving holiday.

But the addition would also be a huge get for men’s basketball, the other big revenue generator. Big Ten hoops, already quite good from top to bottom, would become even tougher.

Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon is on record as being against the move, however.

“I can’t see how any [Big East] team would improve where they’re at by movement,” Dixon said last month. “Every situation, you have to look at why you’re doing it to improve yourselves. And I can’t see how moving from the best conference in college basketball history would be a good thing for anybody.”

And he may have a point.

The move would certainly benefit Pitt football more than Pitt basketball. The hoops team would have to abandon long-time rivalries with perennial heavy hitters Syracuse, Georgetown, and Connecticut, and replace them with distant schools like Iowa or Northwestern. 

The Panthers built a new, on-campus basketball arena less than a decade ago, largely because of the demand to see Big East teams in action. The move, in Dixon’s opinion, could be detrimental to the interest in Panthers basketball.

The argument could also be made that adding teams with the histories of Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois isn’t so bad.

The wait for Feb. 4 begins.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

Possible landing spots for Brandon Marshall

Pittsburgh Panthers: What Effect Would A Move to the Big Ten Have?

It was a mere 45 days ago that Big Ten Commish Jim Delaney announced the conference’s Council of Presidents/Chancellors would begin a “thorough evaluation of options for conference structure and expansion”.

Delaney, who repeatedly referred to conference expansion talks as a “back-burner” issue, was asked by the COP/C to provide recommendations for consideration over the next 12 to 18 months.

Now, if the plethora of rumors swirling around the Internet are true, Delaney’s “back-burner” issue is about to be brought to the forefront in a big, big way.

According to several reports, including personal statements by student athletes on Twitter, Pittsburgh athletic department officials held closed door meetings with all of the University’s student athletes last week about the potential move.

Pitt message boards lit up with the news and the validity of the rumor, and though not verified by the University or the Big East or Big Ten, the rumor was somewhat reinforced when those Pitt athletes who posted about the meeting on their Twitter accounts were forced to remove the posts.

This weekend, many outlets are reporting that Pittsburgh has indeed decided to accept the Big Ten’s invitation and will formally announce the move to the Big Ten on Thursday, February 4, a coincidental (or not) day after National Signing Day.

Pitt’s current conference, the Big East, is no stranger to having its members leave for greener pastures. In 2004, the ACC snatched away Virginia Tech and Miami, two of the conference’s cornerstone programs, and the following year Boston College followed suit.

Pitt’s move to the Big Ten doesn’t necessarily expand the conference’s footprint and the Panthers won’t bring in any new television markets, but the University does meet the conference’s academic and institutional “requirements”.

Pittsburgh is a member of the American Association of Universities, a prestigious group of leading research institutions. All 11 of the current Big Ten universities are members.

The Panthers’ quick acceptance also would allow the Big Ten to realistically stage a conference championship game in football as soon as 2012.

The move would also re-establish the heated Penn State-Pitt rivalry, giving the Nittany Lions a true rival for the first time since joining the conference 20 years ago.

Football seems to be the driving force behind expansion talks. The addition of of a football championship game would offer a huge payday and allow the conference to remain relevant past the Thanksgiving holiday.

But the addition would also be a huge get for men’s basketball, the other big revenue generator. Big Ten hoops, already quite good from top to bottom, would become even tougher.

Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon is on record as being against the move however.

“I can’t see how any [Big East] team would improve where they’re at by movement,” Dixon said last month. “Every situation, you have to look at why you’re doing it to improve yourselves. And I can’t see how moving from the best conference in college basketball history would be a good thing for anybody.”

And he may have a point.

The move would certainly benefit Pitt football more than Pitt basketball. The hoops team would have to abandon longtime rivalries with perennial heavy hitters Syracuse, Georgetown, and Connecticut, and replace them with distant schools like Iowa or Northwestern. 

The Panthers built a new, on-campus basketball arena less than a decade ago, largely because of the demand to see Big East teams in action. The move, in Dixon’s opinion, could be detrimental to the interest in Panthers basketball.

The argument could also be made that adding teams with the histories of Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois isn’t so bad.

The wait for Feb. 4 begins.

Read more College Football news on BleacherReport.com

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