The big news over the weekend was Ohio State landing its fourth commitment of the 2015 class: three-star safety Tyler Green. (Here's the requisite highlights.)
The 6'3" #teen Marylander came to yesterday's one-day prospect camp intent on earning an offer and took almost as long as his 4.41 40-yard dash in his commitment.
[John Brandon has more on Ohio State's camp over here, and the Lord of Whispers, Jeremy Birmingham, has an overview of Ohio State's current recruiting situation.]
While Green isn't from Jacksonville, so I'm still salty I can't yell "DUUUVALLLLLL!" when he does something good, this does ease the loss of Ben Edwards' flip to Auburn.
DORAN GRANT IS INDISPENSABLE. Adam Rittenberg, the talented 50% of ESPN's Big Ten blog team, was last seen torching SEC hypocrisy to the ground.
He re-appeared last week to drop his "indispensable players" selections for Ohio State. The first player was no surprise: Braxton Miller. (Wow, does Ohio State have a lot riding on those ACLs.)
Here, though, is Bennett on his second selection, Doran Grant:
I considered putting offensive tackle Taylor Decker or one of the returning linebackers, but Ohio State's secondary is the group undoubtedly in the spotlight when the season kicks off. The departures of cornerback Bradley Roby and safety C.J. Barnett leave Grant as the only full-time starter back from the 2013 team. [Doran] Grant is Ohio State's only returning defender to start in all 14 games last season, and he recorded 58 tackles, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a blocked kick. He moves into Roby's role on the boundary and will cover the top opposing wideouts this season. New co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash identified Grant and safety Tyvis Powell as two obvious leaders coming out of the spring. Although Ohio State has several young, talented defensive backs, Grant's presence looms large as the secondary tries to rebound this year.
It's hard to quibble with the selection of Doran, but the most "indispensable" player on that defense will be whomever becomes the on-the-field leader of the back seven.
Last year, it turned out Christian Bryant was that guy. Is this year's player Doran Grant, Tyvis Powell or somebody like Vonn Bell? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.
USC IS OFF PAPERS. Remember back in those simple times when people acted like a young man getting money and benefits in exchange for his talents was actually illegal in the United States? Yeah, that was one of the darker times in American history.
The craziest part of the "USC is off probation y'all" story is the fact it involves OJ Mayo and Reggie Bush. That's how long this cycle has lasted: OJ May and Reggie Bush were relevant when this thing started. Ridiculous.
But don't expect the swagger of USC old to return this season. From The LA Times:
Scholarship reductions combined with injuries, transfers and attrition left USC's football team with 44 available scholarship players for last season's Las Vegas Bowl. That's 41 fewer than the NCAA maximum, so it will take at least two years of signing maximum-size recruiting classes of 25 before the Trojans are back to full roster strength.
Pete Carroll, your thoughts!?!?
OK THEN MICHAEL YOUNG. The five power conferences have made their demands for more autonomy known, and the NCAA is more or less in the process of acquiescing.
Some of the smaller schools, however, have been arguing this move would separate the rich from "the poor." In a full membership vote, the smaller schools recently shot down allowance of $2,000 athletic stipends.
Washington president Michael Young has a message for the Little Sisters of the Poor. From The Seattle Times:
“If you’ve got a $6 million athletic budget, you shouldn’t be worrying about what I do,” Young contends. “You’re never going to compete with us. We don’t recruit the same players. We don’t even play on the same field. It just doesn’t matter.”
Tough but fair, IMO.
There's a reason Ohio State always seems to have a lot better players than any other program in Ohio (and the country). There's a reason Ohio State (and other elites) have NASA-like facilities.
To pretend Ohio State and the likes of Eastern Michigan are in the same division and playing by the same rules on the same playing field is almost-offensively naive.
I've been saying it for years; a lot of people disagree with me, but the power five's secession from the NCAA is inevitable, and Mark Emmert ain't no fuckin' Abe Lincoln.
I think the NCAA's likely loss in this week's O'Bannon trial — especially after EA Sports (almost) literally selling them down the river — will offer the perfect precipice.
People who think this would be akin to an overnight moving of heaven and earth bemuse me. It will lead to a few changes, some people will go crazy because that's what some people will always do, and then the football will start again and the world will continue spinning. Kind of like 11W's site redesign.
THREE MINUTES TO BEGIN YOUR DAY. Here's a video, via FootballScoop, that a lot of readers will like:
THOSE WMDs. The selling of the LA Clippers was crazy... First person convicted using facial recognition technology... Computer beats the Turing Test for first time... Bill Waterson secretly returns to comics pages... RIP to an American legend: Chester Nez... The drug-fueled fall of billionaire Dr. Henry Nichols... Weird-ass Morse Code training video... I've always thought helicopters would make great get-away vehicles... After reading the insane demands of the NFL, why would any city want to host the Super Bowl?... LOLing so hard at this LeBron-Yogi Berra toughness meme...
