| 15 June 2010
Camps always seem to produce offers. I don't know if this one comes as much of a surprise. Massillon split end Devin Smith became the most recent offer. That he will become the next committment is likely. He has been wishing for a Buckeye offer all along. I think there was some surprise that he did not have one already. He had a great year after transferring in to Massillon. With his performance I was a bit surprised that he was not already offered. I thought there was a possibility that he would not be offered. I think it showed how much he wanted to be a Buckeye that with his offer list he decided to come down here and let the staff get a look at him. Sometimes players who have lists that include such schools as Notre Dame and Michigan can get a little peeved at the lack of an offer and not show up at camp. I think that this class is so locked up, that the staff decided to take Smith despite being in the top three for similar but higher rated Ja'Juan Story, tells me this kid really stepped up and impressed the staff. He is on one impressive run in what I call the "athlete season." That includes track as well as camps and combines. At the district championships he won the high jump, 6-8, long jump, 23-3, and has run a 10.5 100 meters. He was also part of the 4x200 relay meet champions.
We always think about the drills at camps and combines. The meet and greet element gets overloooked. Coaches get to spend a little bit of time with players. Get to know them a bit. Decide if this is a young man that the staff wants to spend the next 4-5 years of their life with. I know that Smith was impressive in drills but I think this is where he pushed himself over the top. He is an outstanding young man. No matter who I have talked to I have always been told that this was a kid that you want in your locker room. I think it is just a matter of time before he is a Buckeye.
Speaking of a matter of time, super Georgia linebacker James Vaughters announced that he will make his pledge on the 17th. I don't know why he decided. It seemed like just yesterday that the kid was talking about cutting his list to nine. Now it is down to three, Georgia, Ohio State and Stanford. I have heard nothing about where he is leaning. Final destination projections are all over the board.
Tight end Nick Vannett is about ready to decide and he says Ohio State leads. His would be a huge verbal. We are not getting tight ends of his quality recently. He is the perfect fit for the offense. He blocks very well but he can catch the ball and do damage once he gets it.
That brings me to my final point. Obviously this class is about to be closed out. I think it will be 20-22. Anything more and the staff is telling is that we are going to see transfers. We will get Smith and Vannett. That takes the total to 16. Vaughters would take it to 17. We are going to get Tanner. That should happen before the season starts. We wait until signing day on Grant and DePriest. I believe we get Grant. Nobody really knows where DePriest is going. All we know is Ohio State or Alabama. That means 20 spots are accounted for.
You may not know the name off the top of your head but Michael Caputo from West Allegheny, Pa came in for a visit and left talking like the Buckeyes were at the top of his list. He rushed for nearly 2600 yards and scored 32 touchdowns but racked up nearly 100 tackles too and defense is where his future lies. He is a hardnosed 6-1 190 lb kid that could be a strong safety or a hybrid.Angelo Mangiro maintains that he will make a decision before the season.
You know where I am headed. The Glenville timeline is just not going to work this year. I am no fan of Shane Wynn and have doubts about Aundray Walker but I am most bothered by the fact that Cardale Jones just doesn't fit. Here is the problem. He is not qualified. Holding a spot for any player is tough when you have talents like the ones listed here looking to come in. How can you hold a spot for a kid that is not even qualified? Wayne Lyons, Dondi Kirby and Jabari Gorman are all in the Rivals top 10 as safeties. I don't know about Kirby but Lyons and Gorman are excellent students. The defensive backfield is a real need. We are going to wait on a kid who is not even qualified and turn down elite talents at a need position? You can't do that. Breaks my heart especially considering Jones is likely to go to another Big Ten school.
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