Please, take off your hats and rise the playing of our nation's national anthem:
*read in the voice of 'Macho Man' Randy Savage* OoOoh yeah, Ghana!!! STARS AND STRIPES ARE COMING FOR YOU!!!! CAN U DIG IT!!?!?
Here is some 11W stuff you may have missed over the weekend as the rest of the #Dream14 arrived on campus:
- Citro's interview with former OSU dart-thrower Joe Germaine.
- Kenny Guiton getting #bizzy for the LA KISS.
- The Greatest YouTube User has uploaded a treasure trove of old games.
- Birm's latest recruiting dispatch on Torrance Gibson (he ain't coming), Travis Waller (he ain't getting offered) and more.
- The venerable John U. Bacon on the real reason Michigan students — and others — are bailing on Michigan tickets.
GEORGE HILL FROM HUBBARD IS 2016's NO. 1. There were rumblings last week about a possible commitment from Hubbard's 2015 stud running back, Larry Scott. But those rumblings never turned into reality.
Well, over the weekend, Hubbard's stud 2016 running back, George Hill, who some believe is the better of the two prospects, became Ohio State's first commitment to the 2016 class. (Click here for highlights.)
Here's the future Buckeye in John Brandon's complete breakdown:
An Ohio State fan since he was old enough to remember, Hill is getting a chance to play for the school he grew up cheering for. “They've been a favorite of mine since I was little, like four-years-old.”
Always good to get a player who dreamed of playing for the Buckeyes.
Per the usual way my arguments work, I have no statistical or intrinsical evidence to back it up, but I always feel a player who dreamed of playing for OSU is inherently worth more than a player who grew up dreaming to play for any team not named The Ohio State University Buckeyes. Is that bigoted? I'm not sure I care.
But since we're talking 'crooting: Each recruiting class of the last two years has had their own Twitter hashtag/class nickname. In 2014, it was the #Dream14. For 2015, it's #Elite15. It's obvious nickname for 2016 is the #Sweet16, right?
(The best part about writing is nobody can object.)
OSU WANTS DWAYNE HASKINS TO JOIN THE #SWEET16. Dwayne Haskins is a four-star pro-style QB according to 24/7 and is a name you should know for Ohio State's 2016 recruiting class, the #SWEET16.
But don't take my word for it (no, seriously, don't take my word for anything).
From Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com:
Haskins was in Columbus over the weekend for an Ohio State visit, and he said Meyer, offensive coordinator Tom Herman and defensive line coach Larry Johnson weren't cryptic about how they view him.
"It's very clear that they want me to be their guy - it was definitely apparent," Haskins told cleveland.com during a phone interview Sunday evening. "They stressed that, and I enjoyed talking to those coaches about it."
The Buckeyes are in the driver's seat, but Haskins isn't short on options. OSU will have to beat the likes of Florida State, Notre Dame (who just locked up Shaun Crawford), Clemson, Michigan and Florida.
JAE'SEAN TATE UPDATE. Pickerington's Jae'Sean Tate is a large cog in Thad Matta's 2014 class. Unfortunately, Tate suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder last year in an AAU tournament.
Initial reports had put him out until at least the middle of August, but according to the Columbus Dispatch's Bob Baptist, the small forward could be cleared sooner:
Jae’Sean Tate said his surgically repaired right shoulder is ahead of schedule in the healing process. [...]
That could put the freshman from Pickerington Central on track to contribute to the Ohio State men’s basketball team when the Buckeyes play two games in the Bahamas during a near-weeklong stay there in August.
For his part, Tate is already talking like a guy who is looking forward to his first collegiate campaign:
“The Bahamas is going to be nice,” he said last week, “but I’m looking more forward to (preseason practice in) October. I’m looking for a Big Ten championship and maybe the Final Four. I’m not going to rush anything.”
This could be a #controversial take, but I would not be bitter about another trip to the Final Four.
THE FUTURE IS SOON. Two things...
- There's a ton of talent in this picture
- Stephen Collier has spent an abundance of time in Mickey 'Qyburn' Marotti's observatory.
From left to right: Stephen Collier, Raekwon McMillan, Johnnie Dixon and Curtis Samuel.
THOSE WMDs. The best Spurs-beat-Heat photoshop... Congrats to the Spurs, BTW... Harsh but fair, IMO... Marion, Ohio: Stand Up!!!!... Dave Chappelle talks first encounter with Kanye West... Inside Dark Facebook: Where people lie, steal and make millions... Yes, this is the greatest "Well, actually..." ever... Floridians can't stop stealing shellfish... When keeping it real goes wrong... Campus has a graffiti problem(!?)... Grenn the Giantslayer was a beast, RIP... My USMNT-Ghana prediction...
