There are no slow days here at Eleven Warriors Worldwide LLC. Some people are surprised it's possible for me to write about Ohio State athletics six days a week, 52 weeks a year. But there's always something popping.
Consider the hours from 6:12 p.m. to 11:48 p.m on a random Thursday night:
- Ohio State and Nike agreed to a record-breaking 15-year, $252 million deal, which probably turned Michigan's puny $169 million deal into 100 sheets of Crying Jordan memes. (Please keep in mind these colleges aren't making any money.)
- Braxton Miller, speaking with a Senior Bowl official, said he was underutilized in 2015 (true), and added his surgically-repaired shoulder is 100%.
- Former LSU/Maryland OL coach Greg Studrawa, an Ohioan with a surprisingly tough-to-type surname, is Ohio State's new Slobmaster. Co-OC Ed Warinner will coach TEs, and Tim Hinton is moving to an administrative role.
Warinner will remain in the booth during games. Numbers (like the delicacies of the English language) are not my forte, but it seems like a wise decision:
Ed Warinner to the box full-time is good news for Ohio State's offense. https://t.co/3mYi06GnlO pic.twitter.com/SVT4RW1KD8
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 15, 2016
This week's NSFW ANTI-WORK #BANGERS:
- The Wire's 100 greatest quotes.
- Omar testifies against Bird.
- Stringer Bell orders Slim Charles to hit somebody.
BOSA'S YEAR OF SOLITUDE. It seems as distant as dial-up internet, but Ohio State suspended Joey Bosa (and others) for the Virginia Tech game.
Bosa never commented on the nature of the violation, but it appears it was the wakeup call he needed to cement his spot as the likely No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
From campusinsiders.com:
The fourth was Bosa, who, after he learned of his violation, spent hours talking with his parents, Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and head coach Urban Meyer about the magnitude of his suspension. One bad decision could cost a player like him millions of dollars. Another could derail his career. Everyone involved stressed to Bosa that if he wanted to be different, if he wanted to live up to his immense potential, he would have to make changes. "There were hundreds of conversations with his family and him," Meyer recalls. "I've coached premier players, and he is a premier guy. He needed to lock it down. He did."
Bosa says it was his idea to move out of the apartment he shared with Buckeyes tailback Ezekiel Elliott, a close friend who had been his roommate since freshman year. Elliott, though disappointed, understood. There needed to be zero temptations, zero distractions. "I just thought separating myself—not from Zeke, but just from pretty much everybody in general—and being able to control who goes in and out of my life, I just thought it would be a smart idea to lay low for a while," Bosa says.
Solitude is good. (Check that link, it's worthy of your time.) It took me awhile to realize that. Going out and poisoning yourself with friends can be fun, but it's never helpful in developing a craft.
Joey Bosa came to Columbus with five-star expectations, started as a freshman, and left as a consensus All-American. He made it look easy.
So much so people might think it was his birthright. But even a man with a divine blend of speed and power must toil in the soil. Bosa made a grown-man decision this past season, and he deserves the financial rewards he's about to reap.
OHIO STATE COOLS ON SIMMONS. Kobi Simmons, a five-star 2016 guard and long-time Ohio State target, will make his college decision Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Simmons and ESPN will tell you it's a decision between Arizona, Kentucky, and Ohio State. That could be, uh, a kind interpretation of the facts.
On the Kobi Simmons front, the last 12 predictions to roll in on the 247 crystal ball have been in favor of Arizona: https://t.co/tpZEum57VG
— Tim Shoemaker (@TimShoemaker) January 14, 2016
Ohio State is no longer recruiting Kobi Simmons, sources told @CBSSports. Makes college decision on Saturday. All signs point to Arizona.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 15, 2016
Damn. I was hoping to basically trade Austin Grandstaff for Simmons. (Tim will be through at 9 a.m. with a piece on where Ohio State goes from here.)
And for the record: I am no longer recruiting my wife, who left me.
TYVIS POWELL FINDS AN IMPOSTOR IN THE RANKS. Tyvis Powell was the best interview on the team last year, so it's good to see he's taken his act to the Senior Bowl.
From seniorbowl.com:
Senior Bowl: I loved when you just picked up the phone and said you’re the “one and only Tyvis” and let me put it this way, you are the one and only guy I know named “Tyvis.”
Tyvis Powell: Well, you know, I hate to say this because I just recently found this out. There is actually another Tyvis in the world. He plays running back for Northern Iowa I wanna say and he’s a beast! And it must be because his name is Tyvis.
[...]
SB: Well tell us about the name “Tyvis.” Do you know why you have it or where it came from?
Powell: I have no idea. I asked my mom and she said she wanted something different. Now the middle name, I asked her about the middle name. She gave me an answer to the middle name. She said she named me “Tyvis Chance Powell.” She named me “Chance” because she felt at life I was gonna have a lot of chances in life. So that’s where that name came from. So far it’s been pretty good.
If we don't get a Hard Knocks-styled show centering around Tyvis and his son's transition into the NFL then I'm going to assume HBO hates making money.
THOSE WMDs. Wrestler forfeits to honor opponent who died... Optional boss fight... Why you hire a pro wedding photographer... The Big Sleep... Paul DePodesta explains route to Browns.
