| 08 June 2010
What a week for recruiting. We would have been satisfied getting one of the nations top three quarterbacks in Braxton Miller. That we landed Evan Spencer and Joel Hale too, saying it was icing on the cake is an understatement.
What more can be said about Miller. Not only is he a great quarterback. Miller could not be a better fit for this offense and what Jim Tressel wants in a quarterback. He is Troy Smith deluxe. He is far more advanced than Smith was at a similar stage. He is bigger and is even a better athlete. As I stated a short time ago when I compared Miller and Cardale Jones again after seeing Millers junior film, Miller is such a good athlete that he would likely be a Buckeye target to play running back or wide receiver. There is so much chatter right now abotu Pryor possibly going early if he continues to play like he did in the Rose Bowl. With Miller in the fold, that is far less scary. Miller is one of those rare quarterbacks who could play right away. That is because he has the mindset. He does not just have the great physical tools. He is already thinking like a quarterback and playing in an offense right now in high school that will allow him to come right in and be completely comfortable with what he sees in the playbook.
I recently blogged about the impact of a quarterback committing early. We are already seeing the dividends. Just days after Miller pledges we see the much underrated Evan Spencer come back home. I knew all the chatter about Notre Dame was just that. This kid is a blue blood Buckeye. He will surely bleed scarlet and gray if he ever gets cut on the field. What I love about him is he can play both split end and flanker. He is big enough and strong enough to play the split end. He can go up and make plays over the top but he is quick enough to do damage running the underneath routes that slot receivers run. He is an elusive enough kid that he returns kicks and runs reverses. One thing I love about him is that he breaks tackles. You don't see receivers do alot of that. The lack of high ratings for him have everything to do with his low key approach to the recruiting process. He has not run all over the country gathering offers and going to camps to get the attention of the people who make the ratings. There isn't much video out there of Spencer to make evaluations. He impressed the only school that mattered.
I have to say the biggest and best surprise to me was Hale. I wanted this kid from the moment I saw his film, then learned that he was measured officially at 6-4 290. I was not ready to believe that until I learned that he was weighed and measured independently. He is playing strong side end at that size and is in no way out of place. He is that quick and athletic. He comes off the snap with a great first step and plays to the whistle. He fits perfectly at the strong side end. I know he is likely to slide down to tackle, and he is fine with that, but having a kid that can play both the strong side end and the three-technique really opens up the defensive playbook because Jim Heacock is at his best with the 4-3 oddman front. It is hugely important to have several players who can play both without the need for substitutions. We get two in this class with Farris and Joel Hale. Both are long armed guys who can fill out more and be just as athletic as they are now. Huge get. Much underrated player. That Florida came all the way to Indiana to offer a defensive lineman speaks volumes. No southern school needs to leave the south to get defensive linemen. When they do you know he is something special.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
