Hey-hey, it's a Saturday Skull Session. Because it's the weekend, you may or may not be hungover, and you just have to have the latest on Ohio State athletics.
OHIO STATE GETS ITS MAN... FOR 2017. Shortly after enjoying a pizza outside his team's locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday night, Urban Meyer returned to doing what he loves doing: recruiting.
Meyer and his staff fanned out across the country earlier this week, reconnecting with prospects following the grind of the Big Ten season. Luke Fickell passed through Atlanta, Mike Vrabel and Kerry Coombs received free lunch in Detroit, and then Vrabel and Zach Smith caught a flight to an aircraft carrier, apparently.
But it wasn't until the team and staff returned to Columbus for practice that the first haul arrived. In the form of a high school freshman.
Danny Clark, the first freshman to ever start at quarterback for state power Massillon Washington, was on hand for Ohio State's practice Friday and received a scholarship offer from Meyer, committing on the spot.
It was Clark's first major scholarship offer and one he was coveting. In a text message, Clark told us he and his family were “still freaking out” and that Meyer loved what he saw of Clark on film, saying he was “the right guy for the job.”
Clark's father, Jeff, told ESPN his son's love of Ohio State held other schools off, “There are several other Big Ten programs that told us they would have offered had they not known we were basically Buckeyes.”
Clark and Braxton Miller following the Wisconsin game [via]
Sure, he's four years away from suiting up to play in Ohio Stadium, but you have to love the Ohio kids that want to be Buckeyes.
As for what Ohio State is getting, that's a little hard to call right now. Clark led the Tigers to the Division II state playoffs, and posted decent numbers in his first campaign. He completed 58 percent of his passes for 1,644 yards and 17 touchdowns – throwing a touchdown in every start – against seven interceptions. Those numbers will certainly improve as he gains experience with Massillon's offense and develops as a quarterback.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder won't be mistaken for Braxton Miller as a runner anytime soon, but those that have seen him play say he's much further along as a passer than Miller was at this stage of his prep career, too. He'll most certainly add bulk to his frame and may not be done topping out, either.
Although schools will undoubtedly use Clark against Ohio State when battling for class of 2015 and 2016 quarterbacks, he'll also be a tremendous asset to Ohio State's recruiting efforts. As his father mentioned, Danny and his family are Buckeye fans and having him in the fold is like having an extra recruiter for four years.
Clark is the first freshman to receive and commit to an offer from the Buckeyes in... forever? We're having a hard time coming up with another freshman commitment, so if you know of one, please let us know.
MACK BROWN IS DEAD. LONG LIVE MACK BROWN. Texas' long and awkward seduction of Nick Saban is over.
Breaking News....Nick Saban has agreed to a multi year contract extension to STAY at Alabama! Details to come out soon!!
— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 14, 2013
That's Kirk Herbstreit, who once promised us we'll never see him “gathering news and reporting information ever again,” well, gathering news and reporting information. Except, unlike the time he erroneously reported that Les Miles would take the Michigan job, he was right!
Saban finally got around to signing that contract extension from Alabama – the one that had caused Bammers to squirm like their parents did when confronting desegregation – and he's going to get paid. How paid? Reportedly $7 million or so paid, which...
Great news if you're Nick Saban, his wife Terry, his brawling daughter, his agent, or the millions of Alabama fans out there. But what about Longhorn fans?
BREAKING: Source tells me that Mack Brown, following mtg w school prez and AD, will remain coach of the Longhorns.
— Bobby Burton (@BobbyBurton247) December 14, 2013
Step back from the ledge, Longhorn bro.
SHAZIER STAYING? Earlier in the week, we were told linebacker Ryan Shazier had decided to leave early for the NFL. It made sense. Shazier is freakishly athletic and had just dropped one of the finest defensive seasons in Ohio State football history.
Following practice yesterday, however, Shazier told us he's “leaning towards staying.”
Shazier will still receive a draft assessment and that assessment is likely to be excellent, so if you're a fan of Ohio State football, you may not want to get your hopes up too high, but it's still comforting to hear Shazier say he's torn, but leaning towards returning.
YOUNGSTOWN BOYS—GO! Following the Heisman Trophy presentation to Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston tonight, Youngstown Boys, the ESPN 30 for 30 about Maurice Clarett, Jim Tressel and their Youngstown roots, will air.
Although the documentary takes artistic license at times with footage and quotes, it's a good film, mostly fair in its treatment of Clarett, Tressel, Ohio State and the events around his recruitment and brief, but spectacular career as a Buckeye. It will also crush tonight's men's basketball game against North Dakota State in the ratings game.
We've covered the doc extensively, including a two-part behind the scenes look. Here's part one, and here's part two. Read up ahead of tonight.
AND SO FORTH. Ohio's favorite uncle, Jim Tressel, is doing the rounds promoting Youngstown Boys and he appeared on Bull & Fox yesterday with former Buckeye Dustin Fox. Tressel once again (smartly) left the window open for a return to coaching and spoke about his state of mind during the Big Ten Championship Game:
You know that’s one of the hardest things. I kind of compared it to when we played Dino (Dantonio) when he was at Cincinnati or when he then became Michigan State (coach). You’re playing against family and now I was removed from the game, and so I’ve got about 60-70 players who I was in their living room and knew their moms and dads and knew them as little freshman and sophomores and that type of thing. On the other side, I’ve got Mark Dantonio, who I spent the first five years at Youngstown State building that program with him, the first three years at Ohio State, building that program with him, vacation with him, like a brother. Then I’ve got a nephew over on the sideline, my oldest brother’s son was their special teams and linebacker coach. Their offensive coordinator, Jim Bollman, I was with for 16 or 17 years. Dave Warner, I was his position coach at Syracuse when he was a quarterback there. So, there’s a lot of emotions back and forth, I tried not to watch the game much. I kept walking away from the game saying ‘I can’t do, I’m way too old to have these emotions.’”
Tressel also discussed his choke move on Michigan:
Then the other thing is we kind of closed the door on them taking the good players out of Ohio, and if you think back to the Bo, Woody days or even John’s years, Earle’s years, Michigan always had some of the top Ohio guys on their team. You know, we kind of closed the door on that and I’m not sure it will ever get back to where we would all like it to be until Michigan does a better job of getting some of the top guys out of Ohio, and that’s going to be tough to do.”
Rap game state fenceline.
ETC. What getting blocked on Twitter by Bret Bielema looks like... Everett Golson back... A heat map of the most photographed places in the world... The ultimate Ron Burgundy Scotchy Scotch Milkshake... Oh, Fordham... Girl f*ck your cupcakes... Brimfield, Ohio police chief burns Kanye... Friends... What if lawyers wrote ads?
