Despite it being just a normal, run of the mill Thursday, the Buckeyes were treated to a commitment from one of the top outside linebackers in the class of 2014, longtime Buckeye fan Dante Booker.
Considered a Buckeye lean for almost the entirety of his recruitment, Booker waited until a mostly random Thursday to pull the trigger for the good guys.
Lucky for Buckeye fans, Fickell and company are getting an elite prospect that excels with lateral speed and great size.
His highlight film shows great closing speed and coverage abilities for a big guy, and reports indicate he's dedicated and quiet off the field as well. Welcome to Ohio State, Dante.
If you're in the mood for some additional recruiting notes, Ohio State QB offer Kyle Allen has been the recipient of a lot of praise recently, jumping to Rivals' top pro-style quarterback prospect.
The linked video has some short but quality footage of the Rivals Camp Series with both Allen and DeShaun Watson.
Both looked extremely solid, but I was very impressed with Allen's mechanics and deep ball, especially for a guy still in high school. Word escaped yesterday that Allen could "commit at any minute," but he clarified things with our own Jeremy Birmingham, saying it could be soon or it could happen in July.
NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND. Remember when Michigan receiver Bo Dever posted two photos on Instagram of two Michigan footballs that were definitely, 100%,"Made in USA, Not in Ohio?"
Well, maybe that's not entirely true.
The Wolverines typically do use Wilson footballs made in Ada, Ohio, and this specific football was distributed by Adidas for use by players during voluntary summer workouts. The best part about this story was Hoke's reaction:
"The only thing I can say is obviously the head coach at Michigan is from Ohio, and we've got a lot of football players on our team from Ohio, so we think there are some good things made in Ohio."
I read this as: "It's no secret we have to rely on our rival state for recruiting talented players, so we're forced to just pick and choose things from Ohio to hate and love."
Bonus: It's also fantastic that Hoke refers to himself in third person here.
Tebow's name also appeared in the 2010 version TEBOW IS BRINGING THE NCAA DOWN. Well, maybe not intentionally, but a play from the 2010 edition of the NCAA football video game featured Tebow's name, and that's a big no-no.
An SB Nation reader found Tebow’s name in the game within Florida’s playbook in a play called “Shotgun Twin QB Tebow – Motion Stay.” The formation was used by the Gators during Tebow’s career, which spanned from 2006-10
This is only news in the context of the O'Bannon suit, which was filed against the NCAA, EA Sports, and the College Licensing Company for potential anti-trust violations. The plaintiffs argue that the video games show signs of trying to prosper off of players' likeness - and in this case, their actual names.
The "Twin QB Tebow" play might be a critical piece of evidence against the defendants and might result in a redefinition of "amateur" college athletics.
That's all well and maybe good, but I'm still hung up on the name of that play - "Shotgun Twin QB Tebow - Motion Stay."
So you're saying the Gators have already used the two quarterback look that Urban teased with Kenny G and Braxton? Let's make that happen!
DON'T REPEAT IT. While Oregon should be just fine from a coaching standpoint next season, the NCAA might have other plans.
The NCAA dug up an old skeleton in Oregon's closet since they sent Oregon its Notice of Allegations following the Willie Lyles investigation. Remember J.J. Arrington forging his dad's signature on his letter of intent with an Oregon coach present? Yeah, me neither.
Given that, according to the Register-Guard, the notice of allegations points out that "all of the alleged violations ... are considered to be potential major violations of NCAA legislation," this is a nervous time for Oregon. The repeat offender classification won't make the Ducks sleep easier, either.
It's crazy that this relatively small violation, which involved completely different coaches and players, is enough to tag the entire program as a repeat offender.
PROMOTE AGAINST HIS WILL. Teddy Bridgewater recently mentioned that he would prefer not to have a school-led Heisman campaign next season because it might distract the team from their championship goals. The school has indicated that it will back Teddy's decision.
Chris Huston, the Heisman Pundit, thinks this isn't smart for either party. He argues that, "In fact, Louisville should politely ignore Bridgewater's request and promote him anyway."
That's right, slap ads of Teddy up all over Louisville, the state, and the country. Since Louisville isn't the household name that Alabama or Ohio State might be, they need all of the help they can get to challenge for the Heisman.
Does a Heisman really improve the rest of the football program in your opinion? How would you feel if Ohio State sponsored Braxton against his public wishes? There's already a chance that Braxton is Dr. Saturday's #1 challenge to Johnny Manziel for next season, so maybe Braxton's statistics alone will do the trick.
YOUR CLOSING LINKS. It's hard to predict elite running backs... Scheduling in the SEC... Former PSU QB Steven Bench has finally chosen USF to transfer to, maybe ending the QB free agency period... Oklahoma schools band together... Classy Central Michigan... How to stop Baylor.
