The 11W Recruiting Mailbag is your one-stop-shop for all things Ohio State recruiting. Got a question? Ask it, and if we can answer it, we will.
Ohio State has an off-week so coaches, as noted last night, are on the road recruiting. That being the case, we figured you might have some questions about the state of the Elite '15 and beyond. Today, we open up the mailbag and try to give as much of an answer to whatever you're thinking about today.
What are the odds Ohio State lands Torrance Gibson or Damien Harris or both? - Silver Bullet 10
I'm not really fond of the whole concept of odds, or percentages, but I'd say the chances the Buckeyes land one of those two are pretty darn good. The chances they'd land them both? Also pretty good. Torrance Gibson and Damien Harris have been priorities for the staff for sometime and the Buckeyes have put themselves in a great position to land them both. It's likely that Ohio State ends up in the top two for each of them and as of today, I personally think Ohio State is the winner in both cases.
With the focus now being shifted to how weak our offensive line is playing, why are we hearing reports that the coaching staff isn't making hard pushes for guys like Kraemer and Eichenberg? It seems those two wouldn't just be the top priority for Ohio in 2016, but for the whole country. - RunEddieRun1983
I don't know where, or whom, you've read/heard stating that Ohio State isn't making a push for Liam Eichenberg or Tommy Kraemer, but that's simply not true. Ohio State has those two players as very high priorities for 2016. They're two of the top three lineman in the Buckeye state and each has had an Ohio State offer for over almost a year. Heck, Eichenberg has had an offer since his freshman year, clearly they're priorities.
The hard reality for Buckeye fans to swallow at this point is that each of those two players just likes other schools if not more than Ohio State, at least as much. The fact is Notre Dame is firmly entrenched at both Cincinnati Elder and Cleveland St. Ignatius, and they have been for years. Ohio State is working hard on these two, trust me.
Is it now safe to admit that the Big Ten is terrible? How do we get this fixed? - JRAlvarez
It's always been safe to admit that, because at least for the last handful of years, that's been the indisputable fact. The Big Ten has been down for years and sure we as midwesterners don't necessarily like having it rubbed in our face every weekend, but them's the breaks, kiddo.
For it to change? Simple. The Big Ten needs to spend more money on coaching, assistant coaches, recruiting, etc. to compete with the SEC. The moment we stop being so sanctimonious about the history and tradition and the joys of amateurism, the conference will be able to take steps forward athletically. Of course, that's if you think the term "student-athlete" isn't important. I still think it is. I believe you can compete with the SEC and other conferences on the football field and in the classroom and do it ethically and without selling your soul as an institution. It takes a serious commitment from the entire university and the communities therein.
How much of an affect do you think Kentucky's somewhat improved play this year is having on Damien Harris? - OSUO69
I've said for a while, and I continue to think, that in most cases one win, or one loss, doesn't impact a recruit's decision. However, in the case of Damien Harris, wins matter. Kentucky has to prove to him that they're a program headed in the right direction and right now, it seems they're doing that. They've played no one of significance, but perception is they were a better team than Florida at The Swamp on Saturday night, and that's something we'd certainly not have said two years ago. Harris wants to play for a winning program, and he wants to stay close to home, and if he thinks he can get both at Kentucky, his "home," they'll be tough to beat out.
Ohio State fans should rest on the knowledge that the Buckeyes success is historical and empirical, not based on a "why not" philosophy.
Lately we've lost a few recruits we thought we were gonna get i.e. Drew Richmond, Van Jefferson and a couple others. Who do realistically see us finishing this class with? - CPewster
Although some players that were once "likely" targets have gone the way of the dodo, Ohio State's 2015 recruiting class still has some big name guys on the board. At this point, I still expect 6-7 guys to fill things out. Who? Here's a best guess and I think were things to finish in this manner, folks would be pretty happy:
- Quarterback Torrance Gibson
- Running Back Damien Harris
- Wide Receiver Lawrence Cager
- Offensive Lineman Matthew Burrell
- Offensive Lineman Drew Richmond
- Defensive Lineman Neville Gallimore
- Linebacker Jerome Baker
Would that be ok? I think so. The issue? Ohio State doesn't have much of a backup plan at any of those positions right now. As those guys fall off the list, it will be interesting to see if the scholarships get banked for 2016 or if they move on to other players in 2015.
Skill position recruiting in the 2015 class has been a bit lackluster thus far. What has caused such a lull and does the class finish w much offensive firepower? - TurtleBuster
First of all, I disagree that there's a shortage of skill-position guys in the 2015 class. Eric Glover-Williams, Denzel Ward, Jamel Dean, Carlton Davis, Joe Burrow, A.J. Alexander and others are all capable athletes. While they may not be the highest-rated guys on the board nationally, they're all players Ohio State identified early as who they wanted, and that's good enough for me. I personally think Denzel Ward is significantly overlooked as a playmaker in the secondary or on offense were he given that shot.
That said, the remaining players on the board (as listed above) would bolster the skill positions in the class without question.
Birm, what is the best defensive tactic to counter act the "Flying V" formation the Mighty Ducks used? - What-Would-Troy-Smith-Do
Simple. Attack the point man and disrupt the entire V. Like basketball, stop the ball (puck in this case) and force the action away from the middle.
Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer, Jake Hausmann, Luke Farrell, Josh Myers. Can you rank these recruits in order of confidence, Birm? - Urban Buckeye
Right now? I'd say the 2017 lineman Myers would be first on my list, and then Luke Farrell, the 2016 tight end from Perry, with Hausmann — his positional peer — not too far behind. I think there's legitimate reasons to be worried about Notre Dame for Hausmann, Kraemer and Eichenberg.
Why is the staff slacking when it comes to 2016 in state OL Tommy Kraemer & Liam Eichenberg? - Bucknut8
See above. No slacking here. Buckeyes want these two and want them bad.
See?
It looks like Neville Gallimore recently took an official to Oklahoma. Where do we stand with him? - BGSUBucksFan
Buckeyes are still hopeful that they can get the Canadian Gallimore on campus for an official visit, and he insists they're in the running. Despite being roommates with Ohio State commitment Jashon Cornell at The Opening in July, Gallimore told 11W he's not been in much contact with Ohio State commitments lately. The challenges of traveling to and from Canada make Gallimore's recruitment more interesting than most, however.
How are we doing in offensive linemen recruiting? What are the remaining OL targets for 2015, and do you have any predictions with them? - OKIllBeThe12th
The two commitments, Grant Schmidt and Kevin Feder, don't get talked about much, but Ohio State was very happy to land them both so early in the process. From there, only Matt Burrell, Venzell Boulware (Tennessee commit) and Drew Richmond (Ole Miss commit) really remain a possibility to fill out the class. I believe Ohio State is the team to beat for Burrell and Boulware is an intriguing possibility, although he and Richmond both have plans to take official visits to Ohio State this fall or winter.
Do you have any idea what Purdue's recruiting pitch could possibly be? - JohnBlairGoBucks
Imagine this add - instead of JoePa, replace him with ONLY Danny Hope's mustache, because even Darrell Hazell, who's chock-full of awesomeness, can't compete with that.
