ICYMI:
- Ezekiel Elliott became the first rookie in NFL history to top year-end merchandise sales, toppling Tom Brady.
- Sam Hubbard's versatility gives Ohio State multiple options on defense.
- Jerome Baker is already pegged as a 2018 draft star. It's for good reason.
- Ramzy's latest on the Browns drafting Jabrill Peppers.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Avant-garde.
SAMUEL ONLY BUCKEYES LISTED. The NFL selected seven Buckeyes in its annual draft held last week in Philadelphia. Curtis Samuel was the fourth to go when the Panthers selected him in the second round.
Samuel, however, is the only former local man to appear in the latest odds release/#content generation from Bovada on the 2017 NFL season.
Samuel is tied with former Toledo Rocket running back Kareem Hunt and former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes, both selections of the Kansas City Chiefs, at 20/1 odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The full list:
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEONARD FOURNETTE | RB | JAGUARS | 7/2 |
| CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY | RB | PANTHERS | 5/1 |
| DESHAUN WATSON | QB | TEXANS | 6/1 |
| DALVIN COOK | RB | VIKINGS | 8/1 |
| COREY DAVIS | WR | TITANS | 8/1 |
| DeSHONE KIZER | QB | BROWNS | 12/1 |
| JOE MIXON | RB | BENGALS | 12/1 |
| JAMAAL WILLIAMS | RB | PACKERS | 12/1 |
| MIKE WILLIAMS | WR | CHARGERS | 12/1 |
| MITCH TRUBISKY | QB | BEARS | 14/1 |
| O.J. HOWARD | TE | BUCCANNEERS | 14/1 |
| KAREEM HUNT | RB | CHIEFS | 20/1 |
| PATRICK MAHOMES | QB | CHIEFS | 20/1 |
| CURTIS SAMUEL | RB | PANTHERS | 20/1 |
| EVAN ENGRAM | TE | GIANTS | 25/1 |
| ZAY JONES | WR | BILLS | 25/1 |
People looking to wager on DeShone Kizer winning Rookie of the Year should throw their money into a bathtub and set it on fire. Or, just as productively, give it to me. I accept PayPal, Venmo, Square Cash, Bitcoin, and suitcases of unmarked bills left on my front porch.
I'll take those proceeds and put it on Samuel having more total yards than McCaffrey. It will either be a financial masterstroke or a future frozen #take. At least it will only be my money if Samuel balls like I think he will.
"Rookie of the Year" may be steep, but most of us would've said that about Michael Thomas' prospects at this time last year, too. And he got stiffed.
THE CLARETT GOSPEL. Most people reading an early May local football-centric newsletter know the story of Maurice Clarett, national championship running back turned felon turned motivational speaker/life coach.
Clarett recently typed an article for the local paper about how he used the lowest point in his life—his freedom reduced to a Toledo prison cell—to rebound into the productive and taxpaying citizen he is in 2017.
From dispatch.com:
I entered the Toledo Correctional Institution in December 2006. My daughter was just a few months old, and I’m not sure I was ready to tackle the emotional issues that haunted me. The warden, Khellah Konteh, invited me to his office and told me my life wasn’t over. He said he had a son my age and that he would treat me just like he treated his son.
Change didn’t come immediately. I spent the first year angry. I was stuck in a prison cell in Toledo when I thought I should be out on the football field doing what I did best. It took me a long time to accept that that part of my life was over.
But I finally did. At some point during that first year, I realized I needed to turn the page. I started to educate myself. I read a lot and took classes. I started jogging and sleeping better. Finally, I was getting my mind right. I started to think about what I could do for my daughter when I got out.
Malcolm X said a prison is the second best place for a man to learn, behind only a college campus. I've never been to prison but I do feel he got those power rankings right.
Clarett's not a finished project. Yet it's still interesting to think, when all is said and done, he may impact more people in a more meaningful way on his current trajectory than he ever would have by simply being a good touchdown maker the fans loved to know.
AN OLD FACE RESURFACES. Former Ohio State offensive lineman Marcelys Jones just watched Marshon Lattimore, a former recruiting class member and Cleveland Glenville teammate, go No. 11 overall to the New Orleans Saints.
Next year, Chris Worley and Erick Smith could join him.
Jones, in an interview with the Dayton Daily News, said then-running backs coach Stan Drayton, who recruited him, leaving for the Chicago Bears caused his exit from Columbus.
Now, he's just looking to get back on the football field—somewhere.
From mydaytondailynews.com:
He immediately signed with Kentucky, but two months later was dismissed from the team.
[...]
“I got in a situation with a scam with the school. … The NCAA was coming in and I wasn’t able to stay. So I sat out my suspension. I pretty much just went to junior college — Cuyahoga Community College — and now I’m coming back.”
[...]
Away from football, Jones said he worked on his academics. A year ago he and his girlfriend also had a son, Marcelys Jones Jr.
("I got in a situation with a scam with the school," is how I should've explained my freshman grades to my parents.)
Fresno State, Youngstown State, Central State, are all interested too. Jones also visited Tuskegee, Clark-Atlanta and North Alabama, too.
It'd make a helluva story if he joined his Glenville teammates one day in the NFL.
NON-REVENUE NEWS. The men's volleyball team starts its national title defense when it opens NCAA Tournament play against Hawai'i in St. John Arena at 8 p.m. ET on OC Sports.
Shortly before that, the men's lacrosse team plays Johns Hopkins in the Big Ten semifinals at 7:30 p.m. ET on BTN2GO. That game is a home game for the local team, though they'll be in new digs.
From fellow Marionaire Jimmy Longo of scout.com:
OSU is set to host the Big Ten tournament in Columbus at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium starting May 4. However, the Buckeyes did not play a regular season game at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium this season, playing five games at Ohio Stadium and another three at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center to along with their road matchups.
Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium has held many Buckeye lacrosse games over the past several years. For OSU head lacrosse coach Nick Myers, that fact is something he’s looking forward to headed into Thursday’s matchup.
“I think it’s a real awesome opportunity to be in a venue that we have played in before. It’s a little more intimate.” Myers said.
Always a great day when you can dump Hawai'i and Johns Hopkins (distance apart: 4,779 mi) within a half-hour of each other in venues .9 miles apart.
BUCKEYES LOOKING TO CASH OUT. Former Buckeyes ranging from Aaron Craft to maybe Greg Oden and definitely Japanese basketball sensation Evan Ravenel will compete in a semi-professional tournament for 2 million dollars.
From cleveland.com:
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Some of the best players of the Thad Matta Era of Ohio State basketball are teaming up for a shot at $2 million.
Scarlet and Gray, a team comprised of mostly Buckeye basketball alumni, will compete this summer in The Basketball Tournament.
Aaron Craft, Dallas Lauderdale and Evan Ravenel have already confirmed they'll be on the roster. Jon Diebler, David Lighty, William Buford, Deshaun Thomas and Lenzelle Smith Jr. are expected to join. The team will be coached by former Ohio State guard Scoonie Penn.
I have a better idea: They should all come back and play for Ohio State this year. They could probably win the Big Ten. And no disrespect to Thad Matta, but he has to go to make room for Scoonie on the pine.
THOSE WMDs. The phishing swindle that conned $100 million out of Google and Facebook... Hazard Pay: Young NFL running backs get burned... One blogger’s hunt for IMG_4346.jpeg... Frank Dedford says thanks for a good game, drops mic... Why is the airport called Port Columbus?
