G'morning.
It's the day of the Final Four, which, if you're like me, there's little point in watching since it does not directly involve the fortunes of Ohio State athletics. However, Ohio State's big recruiting weekend does directly affect the fortunes of Ohio State football, which I will discuss a bit later in this post.
But first, here's an update on Johnathan Hankins.
HANKINS NO LONGER A FIRST-ROUND PICK? I was a bit surprised to read that the latest update on NFL Draft-bound Johnathan Hankins has him projected in the second round.
The update comes by way of Mel Kiper Jr, the prominent NFL Draft analyst for ESPN. Originally slated by Kiper as a first-round pick, possibly at the 15th overall spot to the New Orleans Saints, Hankins' draft stock has fallen precipitously in Kiper's eyes. Kiper now has Hankins pegged as the 56th overall. It's a difference of 41 spots in just three months and, for Hankins, possibly the difference of millions of dollars in a rookie contract.
Hankins' slide of 41 spots is greater than anyone else whose draft fortunes have taken a nosedive according to Mel Kiper. Similar free-fallers include Florida State's Bjoern Werner, who has fallen 30 spots, and Wisconsin's Montee Ball, who has fallen 25 spots. Only Florida's Sharrif Floyd has seen his draft stock significantly improve in Kiper's eyes, rising from 31st overall to the San Francisco 49ers to 3rd overall to the Oakland Raiders. That may or may not be a great thing, but the money would improve.
As for why? It's not clear. Hankins did fine at the NFL Combine, except in the 40 and the vertical jump. He did great in agility drills. Hankins opted to not run the 40 at Ohio State's pro day, which may have fueled some skepticism about his conditioning. Is the 40-yard dash that important for defensive tackles?
IT'S APRIL, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RUTGERS BASKETBALL. I'm sure you've heard about the Mike Rice scandal now. A verbally and physically abusive head basketball coach with a sub-.500 record in charge of Rutgers basketball was fired when the video of his verbal and physical abuses during practice were ultimately seen nationwide. He was fired, and justifiably so.
Rutgers' athletic director, Tim Pernetti, is now part of the fallout from that scandal. He resigned his position Friday morning.
It's quite the turn of events for Tim Pernetti. When Rutgers was invited and accepted into the B1G TEN just four short months ago, Pernetti was the toast of the campus. An alumnus of the State University of New Jersey and a former football player for the Scarlet Knights, Pernetti returned to an administrative position at his alma mater to turn around the athletic department's fortunes. His challenges were immediate. A member of the Big East Conference and beset with soaring deficits and politically untenable state/tuition subsidies, Pernetti guided the program into a new source of revenue from the B1G TEN. Further, he had taken a significant pay cut from CBS Sports in order to right the ship in Piscataway.
Ostensibly, he was forced out of his position as athletic director because he had seen the same video we saw this week, but in December. The punishment handed down to Rice was a three-game suspension and fine of $50,000. That was clearly unsatisfactory. However, according to Pernetti, he wanted to fire Rice but was thwarted by his superiors in the university's administration.
In the letter [announcing his resignation], Pernetti went on to say that his position was to fire Rice -- although earlier this week he said he was intent on rehabilitating the coach's behavior, in part, through counseling -- but that he apparently didn't have the support of his superiors. Pernetti, with the approval of Rutgers president Robert L. Barchi, initially suspended Rice three games in December and fined him $50,000 when Rice's mistreatment of players was brought to the AD's attention.
"I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on the events which led to today," Pernetti said. "As you know, my first instincts when I saw the videotape of Coach Rice's behavior was to fire him immediately. However, Rutgers decided to follow a process involving university lawyers, human resources professionals, and outside counsel. Following review of the independent investigative report, the consensus was that university policy would not justify dismissal. I have admitted my role in, and regret for, that decision, and wish that I had the opportunity to go back and override it for the sake of everyone involved."
But a Jan. 21 report by an outside counsel hired by Rutgers -- John Lacey of Connell Lacey LLP -- states that Rice could have been fired then: " ... due to the intensity with which Coach Rice engaged in some of the misconduct, we believe AD Pernetti could reasonably determine that Coach Rice's action tended to embarrass and bring shame or disgrace to Rutgers in violation of Coach Rice's employment contract with Rutgers."
Barchi, like Pernetti, has come under heavy criticism for Rice remaining on the job as coach for as long as he did. He announced at a campus news conference that John B. Wolf, Rutgers' interim senior vice president and general counsel, also has resigned his position. Barchi is "highly likely" to remain with the university, a source told ESPN's Brett McMurphy.
I can understand why Pernetti's record as Rutgers' athletic director should suffer for his association with the scandal, but I'm not sure the offense committed by Pernetti merited him being on the chopping block at the university. In fact, it doesn't seem much like an offense at all if Pernetti was handcuffed in his decision-making by university lawyers and the machinations of the university's bureaucracy. Why Pernetti's job should be lost, but the university president is "highly likely" to not suffer the same fate seems dubious. Rutgers' faculty is also calling for Barchi's resignation, and Pernetti seems intent on dragging the university's president down with him.
As it is, Rutgers is looking for a new athletic director as it prepares its transition to the B1G TEN, having to replace a previous athletic director who, in most other aspects, looked competent at his position.
I guess what I'm saying is: what level of incompetence does Dan Guerrero have to demonstrate before he is fired? And not given contract extensions? Until 2019.
Jabril Peppers is supposed to be in town this weekend. OHIO STATE'S BIG RECRUITING WEEKEND. Ohio State's spring game is next weekend in Cincinnati, Ohio. The change of venue does not constitute a franchise relocation for the Buckeyes, just that Ohio State football needs a bigger venue while Ohio Stadium undergoes some minor structural repairs this spring. However, the change of venue means that the traditional spring game weekend is going to be a little more subdued in its atmosphere. Recruits who attend this year's spring game will not get a great view of Ohio State's campus, though may get an inadvertent recruiting pitch to play for the Bearcats. Therefore, Ohio State's big springtime recruiting weekend is this weekend.
As a reminder, this is the weekend of Ohio State's "Student Appreciation Day". Today, at 11:00 a.m. at the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex, you can get on the field and watch Ohio State's football team practice. Further, you can all line up real close to Drew Basil and shout at him while he kicks field goals. It's really as close a glimpse into the mind of Kerry Coombs as is advisable. Any deeper you get into Kerry Coombs' mind and you may find yourself ingesting a dangerous amount of Red Bull and gasoline, while also keying "UR NOT AN ATHLETE" into the driver side door of Drew Basil's 2002 Honda Civic.
You may also see a couple future Buckeyes there too. There is a long list of visitors to Ohio State that weekend. All our current commits, sans Illinois' Dylan Thompson, will be there.
Damon Webb is bringing a few friends from the Mitten State as well. In particular, two teammates from the 2015 recruiting class will be there: DE Joshua Alabi and RB Mike Weber. Neither have Ohio State offers yet, though both are getting looks. Both also have offers from the yellow highlighter team.
There will be a few players whose reaction to the weekend I'll be interested in reading. One is certainly Sam Mustipher, a talented guard prospect from the Good Counsel program in Olney, MD. Mustipher has offers from everyone in the country. WR Trevion Thompson and RB Donte Williams will also be visiting from Durham, NC. They're from the same high school as Jamal Marcus and both have floated the idea of attending the same school together. Both have Ohio State offers.
Further, Jabril Peppers will be around the Woody Hayes Athletic Complex. He's a 5-star cornerback from the Garden State who holds an offer from Ohio State, as well as everyone else.
MISCELLANY. That's what it takes to impress a lady friend?... Bernie Fine (remember him?) will be in Atlanta to watch Syracuse play That Team Up North... Not even E. Gordon Gee is safe from Shamrock Towing... Dude, where are half of China's rivers?... Early estimates of Deshaun Thomas' NBA Draft stock has him in the mid-2nd round... Eric Murdock is suing Rutgers for wrongful termination... On Opening Day, the Blue Jays lost the battle to the Cleveland Indians but won the GIF war... Richard Pitino's full contract at Minnesota... If you're interested, Wrestlemania is Sunday.
