Good morning, you all look like you've had quite a night. Things got a little crazy around here, and for that I apologize.
Unless you liked it.
Yesterday was the day that 25 young men officially joined the "sacred brotherhood" of the Ohio State football community. As good a day as it was for Ohio State, it was equally as bad for the majority of the B1G, who are destined once more to sit in the shadows of the two schools that matter in the conference.
As yesterday began, we knew that the Buckeyes would sign at least 23 players, but as I woke up at am California time to make sure y'all didn't lack for any info, it wasn't clear if Ohio State would add any new prospects on signing day. As the clock struck one in Ohio, the class had grown by two with the additions of Jamal Marcus and Kyle Dodson and the Buckeyes' afternoon of suspense was finished.
Or was it?
Mike Farrell of Rivals.com had reported early in the day that Scottsdale, AZ star Davonte' Neal had decided he would join the party in Columbus, but as the afternoon went on his tune changed. The Buckeyes were now, as he was reporting, refusing to accept the LOI from Neal. That news sent every Ohio State recruiting guy scrambling for information, and nearly every one turned up the same thing in response to Farrell's report.
Nothing. Even Neal's father was surprised by the idea that the Buckeyes had turned Davonte' away. So, we are left to speculate. If Neal had decided to be a Buckeye, and he had an LOI in front of him, this was all he had to do and the Buckeye coaching staff would have no ability to deny him. Since that didn't happen, I assume that his decision wasn't finalized, and the Buckeyes are still waiting to hear definitively from Neal or Baltimore speed-burner Stefon Diggs, who is scheduled to announce on February 10th. Either way, I don't think this class is finished yet.
I know that Alex and myself and everyone here at 11W really enjoyed spending the day yesterday feeding the insatiable appetite of you freaky recruitniks. We spent hours on twitter, on a live chat, on the radio (Alex rocked on 92.3 out of Cleveland and 97.1 in Columbus) and on the 11W message boards to try and bring you the most comprehensive, interactive and informative Buckeye signing day we possibly could.
If you enjoyed our work, and want to see ElevenWarriors.com continue to grow and improve, then please consider donating a little of your hard-earned money while you "Respect The Basement". We know we wouldn't be here without you, our readers, but we also know that you deserve even more than we've been able to do so far, so help us out, won't ya?
ONLY 365 DAYS UNTIL SIGNING DAY. You ready to talk more recruiting? I know that I am. I never get tired of this stuff. I love it. It's like breathing, eating, and drinking. I need it. I thrive on it. Let's do it!
According to most people who care about this stuff, Ohio State's 2012 recruiting class ended up as one of the nation's top five classes (and it could improve with the addition of Diggs or Neal). Alabama was the big winner if you had to name just one, finishing as the recruiting "national champion", but once again ruffled feathers with their roster-management finagling. The Tide finished first on ESPN.com, second on Scout.com, first on Rivals.com and first on 24/7.
<RANT> There were a lot of surprises throughout the country yesterday as signing day continues to generate high drama and big money for an ever-increasing group of college football fans who are trying to bridge the gap between December and August, yearning for some nugget of information on their favorite school or alma mater.
It's a bit sick, it's a bit twisted, but it's a lot of fun as well, at least when you're just impartial observers like most of us are. Certainly it's not as fun for the coaches who felt they had a player wrapped up and were expecting to celebrate their arrival only to find out they were deciding to go somewhere else.
Unfortunately, as more people become more and more entrenched in the every move of a high school athlete, it becomes harder and harder for the kids who are involved in these processes to know who to trust, making them far more likely to guard themselves and give canned information that gets regurgitated as fact. It also means that there are many more people trying to take advantage of them, who are trying to use the prospects as their own meal ticket; hoping to gain fame, money or influence with future recruits or coaching staffs.
I love recruiting, but I love it because I think it's something special to see a young man (or woman, in other sports) see their hard work pay-off in the opportunity of their lifetime coming to fruition. I love recruiting because I love competition and I love to see, hear, read about kids who live for it; and love it, too.
If recruiting isn't your thing, I get it, but don't judge me for loving it. I know there's definitely a dark, seedy underbelly that makes it difficult to bear sometimes, but for the most part, it's still about the pursuit of a dream for the recruit. It's important to keep that in mind as we salivate over the thought of the next five-star stud wearing our team's colors. </RANT>
BRET BIELEMA IS A WHINY BABY. As I stated, I love competition. Thrive on it nearly element of my life. As a competitor, there's one moment that I love more than any others: the minute that you're competition is so beaten, so out-worked and overwhelmed by what you brought to the table that they turn to one of the most basic of human instincts: Crying like a girl.
Yesterday, after losing Kyle Dodson to Ohio State on signing day, Wisconsin's BMOC did just that, and it was as glorious a whine as any whine that's ever been whined.
After King Meyer pillaged him, pauper Bret was asked whether his new lord would be the impetus for major changes in the B1G and the way that recruiting in the conference is done. His response is simply ludicrous, and not the tremendously talented rapper/actor, either.
“I hope it doesn’t change. I think the potential for change is there,” Bielema said. “There are a few things that happened early on that I made people aware of that I didn’t want to see in this league, that I had seen take place in other leagues. Other recruiting tactics, other recruiting practices that are illegal.
“I was very up front and was very pointed to the fact, actually reached out to Coach Meyer and shared my thoughts and concerns with him. The situation got rectified.”
This quote actually contains a pretty serious allegation, that someone was doing something not unethical or against Big Ten "guy code", but actually doing something illegal in their recruiting tactics. If Bielema is aware that something this nefarious was happening, it's his responsibility to alert the powers that be to make sure it doesn't continue, level playing field and all that jazz being as important as it is. If he was implying that Ohio State was doing something illegal, while on NCAA probation, then that assertion should quickly be followed by a call to the NCAA and an SMU-style wiping out of the Buckeye football program.
If he wasn't going to get specific, why say something like this other than to show the world you're a sourpuss and a hypocrite? All of a sudden the guy who spends his fall Saturday's trying to score 100 points against Indiana is the moral authority of the conference? Laughable.
Combine this bellyaching with the poo-pooing from Michigan State's Pat Narduzzi and it helps clarify to me why the B1G is falling so far behind the SEC as the nation's elite conference. Big Ten coaches would rather complain they are getting beaten like a drum than to step their own efforts, due to some misguided idea that Urban Meyer should take it easy on them.
Also, Narduzzi had no concern for a "gentlemen's agreement" when he was actively recruiting Buckeye commitments in late November and early December, using Ohio State's NCAA certainty as a starting point for his assaults and then bad-mouthing Urban Meyer as a "bad man" as his grand finale.
Urban Meyer gets it. No logo. TTUN. BOOM.
DEAL WITH IT, REDUX? This Saturday the Buckeyes' 3rd ranked men's hoops team makes their annual trek to Madison, Wisconsin where they will take on the Big Ten's most agitating and irritating group of overachievers, the incomparable nuisance that is the Badgers from the University of Wisconsin.
Last February, the Buckeyes, undefeated at the time and the nation's #1 ranked squad, made their way to Kohl Center and with 13 minutes left into the contest held what looked to be an insurmountable 15 point lead against a reeling Badger team. Then the unthinkable happened.
Wisconsin point guard Jordan Taylor went ape-poop crazy and scored 21 points while dishing out four assists in the game's last 13, finding Mike Bruesewitz late for a game deciding three that ended the Buckeyes' run at an undefeated regular season.
After the game, as students from the "Grateful Red" stormed the floor to celebrate, Ohio State big man Jared Sullinger claimed he was spit on by a student in a post-game presser, prompting Wisconsin's head coach Bo Ryan to quip "All I know is we won the game, deal with it." The Buckeyes remembered that, and so did the fans at the Schott a few weeks later, and the Buckeyes dismantled the Badgers 93-65.
Ohio State will need to play its finest road game of the year Saturday to avoid their fourth road loss and to maintain their advantage in an ever-tightening B1G race. Deal with it.
FRIENDS IN SUDSY PLACES. Official brewery of the site, Oval Brewing Company, has a new site, a Kickstarter campaign and big plans to move operations from Chicago back home to Columbus to launch the greatest brewery in the 614. If you've been to any of the first two Eat Too, Brutus events, you've enjoyed their tasty creations which include Stiff Arm India Pale Ale, Puntkin Ale and the special once-a-year treat, 11th Warrior IPA. If you like beer, the Buckeyes and good people, please consider helping them out.
QUICK SLANTS. Ex-Buckeye target Alex Kozan apparently hasn't made up his mind.... Awwww, babies are so cute... "Breaking Bad" the SNES version.... Incredible and sad and disgusting.... Some of "Soul Train's" biggest moments.
