Back at it again for the Jan. 18th Skull Session.
ICYMI:
- Help us put a statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
- The spring game is set for April 15th, a.k.a. the day before Easter.
- Ohio State landed four five-star commits in the final 2017 updates from 247.
- Lost in the new arrivals and NFL departures are the vital Buckeyes who chose to stay.
HOOKER STOCK UP. The NFL's measuring season is almost upon us, which means players must be ranked and sorted in every possible way.
These rankings aren't definitive, but they do offer insight into players' stock as well as the top-tier talent produced by other schools.
For a young team short of championship caliber, the Urban Meyer pipeline is still strong.
From nfl.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah's Top 50:
| RANK | PLAYER | POSITION | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | MALIK HOOKER | SAFETY | "He has the best ball skills of any safety I've ever evaluated in college. He is also a threat to score every time he touches the ball." |
| 3 | MARSHON LATTIMORE | CORNERBACK | "He is outstanding in run support. He fights through blocks and attacks the line of scrimmage. He is a very sure tackler in space." |
| 29 | GAREON CONLEY | CORNERBACK | "Conley has a nice blend of size, speed and instincts. In press coverage, he sits and grabs before releasing and mirroring. He is very fluid when he opens up from press and when he transitions from off coverage." |
| 41 | CURTIS SAMUEL | RUNNING BACK | "Overall, I think Samuel could emerge as an elite playmaker at the next level. He should primarily play in the slot but he's capable of handling 8-10 carries per game as well." |
Other Big Ten notables: Ryan Ramczyk (Wisconsin OT, No. 14); Taco Charlton (Michigan DE, No. 23); Jabrill Peppers (Michigan S, No. 33); T.J. Watt (Wisconsin LB, No. 34); Malik McDowell (Michigan State DT, No. 39), and Jourdan Lewis (Michigan CB, No. 49)
Ohio State trails Alabama (six) but is ahead of Michigan (three) and Clemson (two). If this makes Clemson mad to the point it wants to replay the Fiesta Bowl, I'm here for it.
SMITH DEFENDS HIRE. Urban Meyer tapped Kevin Wilson to lead the convalescence of the local offense. It was fortunate timing arranged by Indiana as it fired Wilson after allegations about his treatment of injured players.
Monday, OSU athletic director Gene Smith spoke on the vetting process for the first time.
From dispatch.com (brackets mine):
“[Indiana] knew what was going on and they got him out of there,” [the father of former Indiana DE Nick Carovillan], Dean Carovillano, said. “It’s unfortunate it took a year to get him out of there, but it took them a year and two investigations.”
After Meyer expressed interest in hiring Wilson as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator, Smith spoke with [Indiana athletic director Fred] Glass. Smith wouldn’t share details of their conversation, but the talk and OSU’s own research evidently provided enough reassurance.
“After talking with colleagues in the business who know him, and Urban doing the same thing, we felt comfortable in our environment with our culture and how we run things,” Smith wrote. “Our standards for behavior of anyone in our department are high. When you are in our culture, it becomes clear and evident what behaviors are accepted or not. There are no compromises there.”
Given the direness of the situation, what do you think it would have taken for Meyer to pass on Wilson? IMHO, nothing short of a video of Wilson choking out a lineman.
I don't expect any issues to arise, either. Wilson is no longer the alpha male, and he'll be under a microscope. The first well-executed touchdown of the spring game will make me forget this ever happened.
NEVER HURTS TO LOOK AHEAD. Ohio State led the country in early exits the last two years. (You'll hear that stat thrown around a lot between now and the draft.)
That trend will likely continue as long as the NFL is in business next year.
Here are some early names to watch, via espn.com:
Sam Hubbard
Hubbard could have left for the NFL after this season but instead opted to return for his junior year in 2017. During a stellar redshirt sophomore campaign, he tallied 46 tackles with eight tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four quarterback hurries. If he remains healthy, he seems to be a lock to leave following next season.Dre'Mont Jones
Jones finished sixth on the Buckeyes with 47 tackles as a redshirt freshman in 2016 and will be a major part of the line next year. Jones played both defensive end and tackle and gained valuable starting experience when he replaced Tracy Sprinkle early in the seasonMike Weber
Weber, the Big Ten's freshman of the year in 2016, led the Buckeyes with 1,096 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry, which was among the best for Big Ten running backs. Given the relatively short shelf life of a running back, he could opt to leave school and capitalize if he produces a solid sophomore season.
I expected Hubbard to leave this year, so 2017 is house money. Weber would be the least surprising exit since Ezekiel Elliott, given his talent and position. Scouts will want to see him fix ball security and improve his catching, though.
Jones leaving wouldn't be surprising, either. His speed is a problem for opponents on the interior. With him, Sprinkle, Michael Hill, and Bobby Landers, the interior should be fine with or without Marvin Wilson.
MENA FOUNDER LEARNS LESSON. Tom Herman will soon learn: People aren't monolith.
On Monday, Tom Herman told Texas parents to be positive about the team on social media and not to speak with reporters, a parent said.
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) January 17, 2017
One thing I've learned covering college sports, parents don't like being told what they can/can't do when it comes to their child/athlete.
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) January 17, 2017
Texas' 2017 schedule includes: at Southern California, at Iowa State (Ames is a voodoo lair), Red River Shootout, at Baylor, at Texas Christian, and at West Virginia. But hey, at least it gets Maryland, Oklahoma State, Kansas, and Texas Tech at Darrell K. Royal!
Speaking about coaches taking a loss, what in the Hell did Saban do to his hair?
Home visit Last night pic.twitter.com/rNWeShDN07
— H.J.R III (@__RUGGS) January 17, 2017
College coaches: Way more entertaining than NFL coaches.
RIP VINE. Vine, the janky-ass six-second video loop service, goes under today. This might mean they're disabling everything and thus ruining this segment.
But if not... here are my favorite Vines, in no particular order.
BACK AT IT AGAIN AT KRISPY KREME
COME GET Y'ALL JUICE
SEAL DON DADA
FBI AGENT TAKES THE SCENIC ROUTE
PST... WHAT?
... RUN
WAY TO GO, PAUL
LOOKS LIKE WEST VIRGINIA TO ME
THOSE WMDs. My life as a fantasy wrestler... The ugly side of college recruiting... Ranking America's fast food chicken nuggets... My best friends in prison are frogs, turtles, and raccoons... The untold story of "Back at it again at Krispy Kreme," the best Vine ever.
