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Football
Signing Day Wiffs Don't Trouble Tressel
By Brandon CastelCOLUMBUS – First Matt James, then Morgan Moses and finally Seantrel Henderson.
One by one, Ohio State swung and missed on potential offensive line prospects Wednesday during National Signing Day.
Considered to be one of two finalists for all three offensive tackles – including Henderson who was widely considered to be the top prospect in the class of 2010 – the Buckeyes came away empty-handed, with James singing with Notre Dame, Moses with Virginia and Henderson with USC.
For fans, it was a crushing blow to their hopes of closing out the class with a bang, but for Jim Tressel it meant coming up just one player short of their goal for the class.
“We had 20 vacancies. We’re at 18 and you never want to go over. We felt if we end up with 19 that would be about perfect,” OSU’s Head Coach said during his signing day press conference.
After James committed to the Fighting Irish earlier in the day, Tressel was hoping for some good news during his press conference as Henderson was making his public announcement from New York City. Instead the Buckeyes found out they would have to settle for just one offensive lineman (Andrew Norwell) in their 2010 class after Tressel said the team had pigeonholed two spots for the offensive line in this class.
“Sometimes you end up with more and sometimes you end up with less,” Tressel said before he knew Henderson was on his way to Los Angeles.
With five offensive linemen leaving after next season, the Buckeyes will have to make offensive line a priority in their 2011 class.
“I don’t think next year we’re going to have any problem,” offensive line coach Jim Bollman said.
“We might have to get one more next year than you expect.”
Without Henderson, Ohio State’s 2010 class certainly won’t draw the national attention their 2008 and 2009 classes did. They signed 18 players to letters of intent Wednesday, and it sounds like that will be the final number for the class.
Glenville safety Latwan Anderson did not sign with West Virginia Wednesday as he continues to look at both Ohio State and USC, but when Tressel was asked about the possibility of adding a defensive back after signing day he simply responded “No.”
If that holds up, and Anderson ends up at WVU or USC, Tressel still likes what he sees out of his latest recruiting class.
“They’re an unselfish bunch,” he said.
“(They have) versatility, maturity and passion to be a part of this.”
One of the most passionate players in the class is Norwell, who becomes maybe the most important player in the class as well. Tight ends coach John Peterson called him a “passionate, tough guy who loves the game of football.”
The 6-foot-7, 300-pound offensive tackle missed a good chunk of his senior season after breaking his tibia in Sept., but the Buckeyes are expecting him to be cleared to go for the start of fall practice.
“All indications, and I saw him a week ago, are that he will be ready,” said Peterson, who also coaches the offensive tackles at Ohio State.
“He’s cleared to do lower leg lifting and there’s no indication the injury will hinder him (in the fall).”
While Norwell and most of his classmates won’t arrive until June, two players from the class will enroll early and join their new college teammates during spring practice. Tailback Carlos Hyde has been at OSU since January and was finally introduced to the media Wednesday.
“I’m a hard worker, competitive and I like to get better on and off the field,” Hyde said wearing his No. 34 Scarlet jersey.
Joining him in the spring will be specialist Drew Basil, who will get an opportunity to try his foot at kicking and punting before settling in to a position.
“He has a tremendously powerful leg,” Tressel said.
“He was one of the best soccer players in the state. I believe his team was ranked eighth or ninth.”
Class of 2010 Notes:
* According to Ohio State, quarterback Taylor Graham is now 6-foot-5, 225 pounds and quarterbacks coach Nick Siciliano called him a “great leader.”
* The Buckeyes are not sure yet whether Jamel Turner will end up at outside linebacker or the LEO position, but they raved about the progress he made during his time at Fork Union Military Academy. He told coach Tressel he now prefers reading books to watching movies.
* Along with being OSU’s only commit from Glenville this year, Christian Bryant is also the first signee from the Ginn Academy.
* Taver Johnson said Scott McVey will play linebacker for the Buckeyes.
* Coach Paul Haynes said the Buckeyes recruited Verlon Reed as an athlete and they will give him a chance to play a number of different positions. Ultimately he would like to play quarterback, but they’re confident he’ll find his niche at QB, wide receiver or safety.
* David Durham ended up at Ohio State because his high school coach used to wrestle at Grandview. He brought Durham up for a visit and he fell in love with the campus. Coach Luke Fickell projects him as a middle linebacker who could bulk up to 240 pounds, but said he could also end up at defensive end because his best attribute is rushing the passer.
* Jim Bollman called J.T. Moore a Thaddeus Gibson-type player who can rush the quarterback. He also compared Tyrone (or T.Y. as they called him) Williams to former Buckeye Michael Jenkins.
* Jim Heacock seemed excited about adding Jonathan Hankins (Big Hank) to the class. Heacock said Hankins is currently at 310, but he would like to see him slim down to 295 and then add muscle to bulk back up to 310-15.
* The Buckeyes also plan to use Jonathan Baldwin as a five-technique guy who can play inside and out, much like Cam Heyward and Doug Worthington.
* The two best kids on the film we saw Wednesday were James Louis and Corey Brown. Both are going to play wide receiver at OSU and both looked like burners who could make things happen in space. According to Darrell Hazell, Louis has a 38 inch vertical and has a great personality. Hazell also compared him to Santonio Holmes coming out of high school, only faster.
* Georgia product Bradley Roby will play corner at OSU. It wasn’t until they gave him a look on defense at their camp that OSU really became interested. Roby’s coach decided to play him on defense after that and all of a sudden teams came running for Roby. His mother’s relationship with Cam Heyward’s mother had a lot do with him ending up at Ohio State.
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