Unless you're from a depraved heroin den of shattered economic dreams like I am, you probably won't understand my pride when I read of LJ Scott's (3-Star running back from Marion Harding) commitment to Louisville. It's good to see Marionaires in news stories not centering on breaking and entering, theft or opiate trafficking. And it's good to see Marion Harding back to producing Division-I talent, something which was commonplace under the leadership of Ohio State and Marion's own Tim Hinton.
It also continues the disconcerting talent-drain occurring in the Big Ten's footprint. Why are schools like Louisville and Kentucky poaching certified talent from the B1G? Demetrius Knox mentioned in his 11W Interactive Interview a common perception among recruits about Ohio State is it's an elite school/program but lacks in the scheduling department. Given Ohio State's attempts to schedule an out-of-conference banger every year, this speaks more to the B1G's ineptitude outside of OSU and the clown rodeo north of Toledo.
Speaking of recruiting...
THE ELITE 11/(BUCKEYE) OPENING. Stephen Collier, a Georgian QB in OSU's 2014 recruiting class, partook in the Elite 11 camp. Trent Dilfer listed him as one of his most improved quarterbacks after the first day. His performance yesterday, however, didn't impress others.
Today, Nike's the Opening kicks off. Ohio State is sending nine recruits, the most out of any school. (Mark Pantoni is calling it a takeover.) The full rosters can be viewed here. If you're fiending for college football, The Opening might be able to supply your fix. (All events televised on ESPNU.)
Monday: SPARQ Rating National Championship, 7 PM EST. (Mike Mitchell crushed last year's event.)
Tuesday: 7 on 7 Pool Play, 9 PM EST.
Wednesday: Lineman Challenge Finals and 7 on 7 Finals, 9 PM EST.
THE RAINBOW WARRIORS WANT TO DANCE. Hawaii is apparently looking to schedule future out-of-conference games, and has targeted Ohio State (and UCLA) as potential teams they'd like to play. The Rainbow Warriors apparently would be willing to make the haul to Columbus (they played Urban Meyer's Florida Gators in 2008). While Hawaii has never been considered a world-beater, it would certainly be cooler than playing the Florida A&M Rattlers. (Seriously, why in the Hell is Florida A&M on Ohio State's 2013 schedule? Was the OSU-Marion Scarlet Wave unavailable?)
LARBON JAM TO THE ALMIGHTY CLEVELAND BROWNSThe Top 50 Northeastern Ohio High School Footballers. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is putting together a list of the top 50 footballers from their 7-county coverage area of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit. It's a list being compiled over high school accomplishments between 1963-2013 and will be trimmed down and published in August.
Some notable names being considered are LeBron James, Troy Smith, Ted Ginn Jr, Elvis Grbac, OJ McDuffie, and Mike Vrabel.
If northeastern Ohio high school football is your thing, The Plain Dealer is looking for feedback on trimming down its list. You're advised to contact reporter Branson Wright.
LeBron James, while only playing his junior year, has my vote because I'm pretty sure he was uncoverable in high school as he would be in the NFL today. (Although, if I had to pick a sport for LeBron to play besides basketball, it would probably be goalkeeper for the US Men's National Team. I'm #TeamGuzan, but LeBron would be the equivalent of a brick wall between the posts.)
WANTED: COLLEGE PRESIDENTS. E. Gordon Gee is officially out as Ohio State's President. Did you know, however, Michigan and Penn State are also have vacant presidencies? This AP article sheds some interesting light on that. I'm in the process of polishing up my résumé to apply for Ohio State's open post, and it appears I will indeed have my work cut out for me:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Wanted: chief executive to oversee a multibillion-dollar enterprise that employs thousands, educates tens of thousands, pushes cutting-edge research and medical care, and fields national-caliber sports teams that are often a headline or two away from controversy.
Must be skilled at fundraising and political tightrope walking and have an appreciation for funny-looking mascots. Working 24/7 is expected; ability to walk on water is a plus.
Reading that makes me realize how lucky Ohio State was to have a steward like Gordon Gee. I can't promise I will fill Gordon Gee's shoes, or that I will wear a bowtie, but I'll tweet a lot and my shower curtains won't cost $500.
TURNOVERS ARE IMPORTANT TO MEYER'S TEAMS. Everybody knows turnovers are usually a decisive factor in football games, but here are two stats that really drive home how important they are to Urban Meyer's teams:
Since 2005, Nick Saban and and Urban Meyer are 43-2 and 45-2 respectively in games when teams had a +1 or greater TO margin.
— CoachesBTN (@CoachesBTN) June 30, 2013
Since 2005, Urban Meyer is 20-1 when his teams score 1 or more defensive TDs.
— CoachesBTN (@CoachesBTN) June 30, 2013
THOSE WMDs. Mickey Mariotti has told Urban Meyer the incoming freshman are "fast, especially on offense"... Russian teens decapitate homeless man, play soccer with his head... The Blue Jackets have resigned goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to a two-year deal... Crazy Yankee fan/GIF for future use... So, uh, Neymar is dat dude... An impossible 1960's literacy test Louisiana gave to black voters... The Rockets have the first crack at Dwight Howard as NBA free agency begins... Clippers gave Chris Paul a five-year, $107 million contract...
