Nike's The Opening kicks off today in Oregon. Follow 11W's Director of Recruiting Andrew Lind on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates from Nike's headquarters.
ICYMI:
- Big Ten stadium ejections and arrest reports (I want to party in Iowa City).
- Kyle Snyder named Jesse Owens Big Ten Male Athlete of the Year.
- Former 2018 Basketbucks commit Dane Goodwin of Upper Arlington will officially visit Ohio State this weekend.
- Trevor Thompson will play for the Celtics' Summer League team.
- A former Badger said Wisconsin relied on high school highlights to prepare for Cardale Jones in the 2014 B1G championship.
- The Buckeyes are 39-2 in the Big Ten under Urban Meyer but have just one conference title to show for it.
- Help put a life-size statue of Woody Hayes in his hometown of Newcomerstown, Ohio.
Word of the Day: Sidle.
THE WORD YOUTHS LOVE TO KNOW. Swagger is one of those words that used to have a distinct meeting before everyone stampeded it. (I look forward to its resurrection in 3038 when I'm living on an iron lung and telling my mediocre great-great-grandchildren they don't know a damn thing about swagger.
But, for now, it remains a buzzword. And according to wide receivers, the swagger is back in the unit room.
From 247sports.com:
"Swagger," wide receiver K.J. Hill said of what's different with the program this offseason. "I’ll say that because Coach Wilson got some to him and Coach Day got some to him. So we’re coming behind them, leading us on the offense. We like that."
[...]
"Swagger is coming back to our offense I feel like," [Terry] McLaurin said. "When we make a big play, it’s not just, ‘Oh, it’s another play.’ The offense, we stop practice and it gets hype in here because we make big plays, because those are game-changing plays."
Sounds good to me, but I'm going to hold off excitement until I see at least a first down against Indiana. If J.T. Barrett starts throwing darts in Bloomington it might be curtains for Ohio's enemies.
PERSEVERANCE. Justin Hilliard and Jashon Cornell melted 11W's servers back in July 2014. (Thanks to 12th Warriors, server bandwidth is no longer a concern.)
As is the custom by fanbases for local five-star prospects across the globe, Hilliard was seen as a future fixture in the defense.
Two bicep injuries can change those plans, though. After showing some flashes in the spring game, new linebackers coach Bill Davis advised Hilliard to draw inspiration from former Browns and Colts Pro Bowl linebacker D'Qwell Jackson.
From theozone.net:
He told Hilliard about his experience in the NFL with D’Qwell Jackson, who also went through a pair of biceps injuries. Jackson recovered just fine and went on to become a Pro Bowl linebacker. Sometimes just a little reassurance is all that is needed.
“You have to ask Justin, but I think it probably relieves him because one of the things in my career is if you know of somebody who has overcome what you’re going through and has been successful, I think it really helps,” Davis explained. “For Justin Hilliard to know there’s a guy out there, D’Qwell Jackson, who has torn both biceps two years in a row and then went on to be in the Pro Bowl, that relieves him of a little bit of anxiety and he can go play football.”
Hilliard doesn't figure into a starting role this year, though he could earn a field promotion similar to Jerome Baker replacing Dante Booker last year. Regardless, he'll provide critical depth. And if he stays healthy, hopefully he'll be in a position to replace Chris Worley next year in the middle.
I WANT TO GO TO IOWA CITY. I know I mentioned our B1G stadium ejections and arrests report above, but I know not everybody clicked on it. Can we talk about how may offer the prototype of a 22nd-century American city? Of course, we can because it's my article.
From Eric Seger of ElevenWarriors.com:
- After showing signs of intoxication inside Kinnick Stadium, police asked a 22-year-old male to leave the stadium. He obliged, only to attempt to re-enter which resulted in his arrest. He blew a .272 into a breathalyzer;
- Police responded to a drunk 29-year-old male lying under a Suburban doing what he described as "checking the hydraulic lines." He refused a breathalyzer test and was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct.
I will now spend the next 127 days trying to convince my bosses to send me to Iowa City the Friday night before the Ohio State game to document how the Hawkeyes pregame.
STOP. Ah yes, the bi-annual of the offseason where experts try to delude us into thinking Northwestern could piss on the Big Ten West this year.
From Bill Connelly of sbnation.com:
That should change this fall. The Wildcats are projected 37th in S&P+ thanks to returning production, and in my mind they are two pieces from a top-30 team: a No. 1 receiver and a middle linebacker. If NU finds replacements for Carr and Walker Jr., this will be Fitzgerald’s best team.
Now, that’s a mighty “if.” Carr was good, and Walker was great.
As it stands, No. 37 would give the Wildcats a role in the Big Ten West race. They are projected to play in six one-possession games, with four likely wins and two likely losses. Go 4-2 in those six, and you’ve had a lovely season. But if NU is more top-30 than top-40, a West title is within reach.
I used to listen to stuff like this during my high school lunch at River Valley, a table our vice principal labeled "the dumbest in the history of C-3" lunch after a botched milk chugging contest.
I get it. Important people tell us Northwestern is a credible school. We believe it, despite it producing some of the most abominable people in media. We pretend the only think holding Pat Fitzgerald back from mediocrity is strong academics.
That's fine. Just don't tell me Northwestern is within reach of a Big Ten West title. It wasn't happening before my mortal enemy P.J. Fleck evacuated Western Michigan for a bag of money in Minneapolis.
MAKES YOU THINK. No clue how college football oracle Phil Steel charted this, or how many 50-50 balls Sober Johnny Manziel threw last year (it felt like 400), but this stat passes the only test that matters—THE EYE TEST.
Good stat from Phil Steele that matches the eye test:
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) June 28, 2017
Penn State came down with ~75% of 50-50 balls last year. McSorley bailed out a lot.
Penn State probably doesn't win the Big Ten title if that number is even 60%. That definitely doesn't matter to James Franklin, the Big Ten champ, though,
We'll see if they can repeat the feat in 2017.
THOSE WMDs. Symptoms of dying... The Brennender Berg... Dayton brewery Warped Wing invests in house-made soda... Gizmondo's car crack-up... A modern-day indentured servant.
