Is FX's The Americans the best show on television right now? I say yes.
TV REMINDER: Ohio State's men's basketball team takes on Maryland tonight in Columbus at 7 p.m. on ESPN. The game will feature the Big Ten's two best freshmen.
PORTER GUSTIN MIGHT BE A ROBOT. So, you might have heard, Ohio State is in the hunt for one of the nation's highest-rated uncommitted prospects: OLB/DE Porter Gustin. According to Rivals' Mark Givler, Urban Meyer sees Porter as the next Joey Bosa.
That's a comparison Meyer wouldn't be light to throw around, but after doing some research on the kid, it's easy to see why Urban might be high on him:
5-star LB and RHP Porter Gustin of Salem (Utah) at major league showcase (video courtesy of Gustin family) https://t.co/NtRxipeCpu
— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) January 29, 2015
Lucky throw?
Major league scouts trying to convince Porter Gustin that his future is in baseball - 93 mph without picking up a ball since last May #5star
— Blair Angulo (@bangulo) January 29, 2015
And lest you think Porter is a two-trick pony...
@MattSBN Our Scout guy in Utah said he could be D-1 in four sports. Almost single-handedly won a basketball game last night.
— Ryan Ginn (@RyanGinnBSB) January 29, 2015
Well, it is known how much Urban loves his multi-sport athletes. I suppose it's a good thing Porter will be on campus this weekend, because that kid might be a mutant.
That said, looks like Urban will have his work cut out for him.
CURTIS SAMUEL IS ABOUT TO GET TO WORK. There was a time early (very early) in the 2014 football campaign where I wasn't sure Ezekiel Elliott was the best running back on the team.
Granted, Teflon Wizard ran over that notion like it was Alabama's Landon Collins, but that is of course no slight to freshman running back Curtis Samuel, who is going to be a household name soon enough.
From David Biddle of OhioState.247Sports.com:
“I just wanted to contribute [this year], so that required me to work hard at practice and just go out there and compete,” he said. “It was me and Zeke out there competing against each other and we just kept boosting each other up with the energy we were bringing to practice, and also all the other running backs. We all bring energy to practice and we just all motivate each other.”
Samuel then explained his running style.
“Even though they go by weight and they think I can’t run between the tackles, but I run very hard,” he said. “I run hard with low pads. I feel like I’m as tough as anybody out there. It’s just a mindset thing that we got in our unit room. It’s just a tough mindset, rugged dudes, and just go out there and compete.”
One area it's easy to see Ohio State's camaraderie isn't just empty talk or preening for the cameras is in the relationships of guys who are competing for the same spot on the field.
Where else have you seen three competing quarterbacks get along as well as Cardale, Braxton, and J.T.? Same with Ezekiel Elliott and Curtis Samuel, and everyone else.
There's no entitlement. It's just one guy laying the foundation for success for the guy behind him. I've said it before but it's true: Cheering for this team feels like cheating. (Thanks for the trauma, Cleveland Browns.)
SPOTLIGHT ON JOHNSTON'S HOME FACTORY. In what was probably the apotheosis of my Tressel-era fandom, I specifically remember being a concerned #teen when punter Andy Groom graduated.
And although Cam Johnston isn't utilized nearly as much as Andy Groom, I have come to respect his hustle just as much as Tress' former protégé.
As such, I did enjoy this look at America's Australian punting boon.
From Scott Michaux of Chronicle.Augusta.com (via r/CFB):
Get used to this phrase, because it’s likely to keep repeating – the Ray Guy Award goes, again, to Tom from Melbourne, Australia.
It might not always be Tom – like 2013 winner Tom Hornsey, of Memphis, and 2014 winner Tom Hackett, of Utah. Next time it might be Cameron (Johnston), of Ohio State, or Jamie (Keehn), of Louisiana State. Maybe Will (Gleeson), from Ole Miss, or his brother Tim (Gleeson), at Rutgers. Perhaps Daniel (Pasquariello), of Penn State, or Nick (Porebski), from Oregon State.
The point is, it stands a good chance of the next Tom, Nick or Cameron holding the Ray Guy statue consistently being someone from the Melbourne, Victoria region – the heart of Australian Rules Football that is changing the way America punts.
“That’s the plan, to be honest with you,” said Hackett, who’ll accept the award from the Augusta Sports Council for the nation’s top collegiate punter at tonight’s All-Area Football Banquet. “There’s a lot of us over here right now. We all grow up in Melbourne and Victoria playing Australian Rules Football, so our legs are powerful enough and we’re used to kicking a football around. It’s just a matter of getting the technique down pat.”
"Dad, why are all punters Australian?"
"Because Australian punters are the best, son. There is no need for any other kind of punter."
I ALREADY MISS YOU, TOM HERMAN. Tom Herman always knew:
Just found this quote from OSU media day in August when Tom Herman was asked about the QB depth behind Braxton Miller: Im not worried."
— Jeff Svoboda (@JeffSvoboda) January 28, 2015
The only thing that concerns me about Tom Herman's head coaching is the American Conference might try to put him in jail once his death machine gets operational. (But hey, Illinois, at least you brought Tim Beckmen back!)
PLAYERS AREN'T ONLY ONES PLAYING RECRUITING GAME. As we near next week's National Signing Day, please remember there's a reason why prospects take these last-minute visits. It's because, well, you just never know.
From Kelly Parsons of TampaBay.com:
[Marques] Ford, a four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American, had committed in July to play football for the [Tennessee] Volunteers, picking them over the 40 other Division I-A offers received.
[UT DL coach Steve] Stripling called [January 20th], though, to inform Ford he would no longer be going to Tennessee. His spot had been taken, Ford said Stripling told him, so they had to let him go. Ford sat, stunned, on the other end of the phone.
"I didn't know how to take it. I was kind of silent at first," Ford said. "I was upset. I was committed to them for six months."
Remember this next time you hear Butch Jones talk about the things that make college football special. This won't make the cut, I'm sure. (Ford has since signed with Rutgers).
THOSE WMDs. Patient 0 up to No. 2 on DraftExpress NBA mock draft... This tweet made me sad... Kyrie Irving's game-winner was too silky... Oregon might get a QB from FCS Eastern Washington... Christian Eriksen's free-kick is borderline NSFW.... Why the game of Life used to have poverty, suicide, and ruin... I want to marry this video... Eight of the eeriest abandoned places on the sea... Former NFL players who started tackle football before age 12 score 20% lower on memory and cognitive tests... LOLWUT.
