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June 2008
Groce gets his anticipated head coaching job
For the past few seasons, Ohio State’s John Groce has been considered one of the top assistants in college basketball.
Now it looks like he’s finally got his head coaching job.
Reports have come out today that Groce, who has worked with Thad Matta for eight seasons will be hired by Ohio University. OU had an opening because former coach Tim O’Shea went closer to home to take the job at Bryant University.
Still just 36, Groce has been a head coaching candidate several times in the past few seasons but has stuck with Matta at Ohio State. The move brings the question that many often ask: Is it better to be an assistant at a powerful program or the head coach at a lower-level program?
Groce, like most coaches, just wanted that head job.
In the past few seasons, though, OU has stayed one of the top few programs in the Mid-American Conference, finishing third in the East Division last season while going 20-13 overall.
O’Shea was thought to be on the outs with OU athletic department management anyway, which might’ve been another reason he took the job at Bryant. Whatever the cause, it opened up the spot for Groce.
Now, another question for Groce: Will he be able to make Beavercreek native Jerome Tillman more than an honorable mention all-conference pick?
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Buckeyes enjoying ‘golden era’ in football
Ohio State picked up six recruits in a dizzying five-day span recently, giving the team 23 verbal commitments in the 2009 class (seniors-to-be).
That’s a mind-boggling total when you consider it’s only June and players can’t sign letters-of-intent until the first Wednesday in February.
Texas is the only other national power keeping up with Ohio State, having gotten 19 commitments. Southern Cal has 13, Michigan 12, Notre Dame nine and Florida six.
The Buckeyes always have had a lot of clout in the recruiting realm, but they’ve never made it look this easy.
“Ohio State, in this part of the country, is really on top of the mountain right now,” said Bill Kurelic, recruiting analyst for Bucknuts.com. “Michigan is a little down. Notre Dame is down. If you’re a great player, it’s hard not to take a long look at Ohio State.”
Top recruits are jumping at offers from OSU because they know the class is filling up fast and they don’t want to get shut out. It’s gotten to the point where the Buckeyes might have to turn away premier prospects simply because they’ve run out of scholarships.
These are heady times for the football program. And with three national-title game appearances in the last six years and mega-talent Terrelle Pryor set to launch his career, OSU should be able to maintain its stature for the foreseeable future.
“This could go down as the golden era of Ohio State football,” Kurelic said.
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Are Archie Griffin’s two Heismans safe?
We have a full summer and football season to wonder whether Florida quarterback Tim Tebow can win a second Heisman Trophy and match only former OSU running back Archie Griffin in accomplishing that feat.
At least one Heisman observer thinks Tebow has no chance at all.
Besides the remote likelihood of the aformentioned circumstances repeating, keep in mind that Tebow’s biggest opponent in the race for the 2008 Heisman will be himself. He will be running not only against his peers, but the legacy of his incredible 2007 performance. If his stats do not compare to his sophomore season, then it will be hard to avoid the perception that he underachieved.
Additionally, there could be structural changes to Florida’s offense that will prevent Tebow from piling up such huge numbers, especially on the ground. By this I mean that there is a chance that the Gators will actually have a legitimate tailback, be it Emmanuel Moody, Chris Rainey or Mon Williams. Throw in the increased Heisman attention that is sure to descend upon Percy Harvin and, once again, the obstacles will be there for Tebow. On top of all that, he will be challenged to stay healthy once again given his reckless style.
It does, indeed, seem like a long shot sitting here on June 24. But, who’s a better player in college football heading into the season? (Don’t say Terrelle Pryor.)
Yes, Chris Wells is in that category, and he’s second to the oddsmakers at 6-1. Tebow, though, is the favorite at 3-1. Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy is 20-1.
The site HeismanPundit.com has a list of Heismandments, which includes No. 9:
Sorry to all of you who think otherwise, but the odds are very good that there will never be another two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy. Why is that? Why has there not been a repeat winner since Archie Griffin of Ohio State in 1974-75? An even more pertinent question should be why there was even one.
Fair enough, but it happened, and it’s been a source of pride for Ohio State fans since. The award wouldn’t hold the same mystique and anticipation if there were a pair of two-time winners instead of just one.
So, while I’m not rooting against Tebow, I’m fine with Griffin standing alone on this one.
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Henton officially transfers to Georgia Southern
Antonio Henton is enrolled in classes at Georgia Southern today, a school spokesman just confirmed, and it’s probably best for both Ohio State and the quarterback for the two to part company.
Let’s face it, Henton didn’t seem to have a future with the Buckeyes with incumbent Todd Boeckman coming off an All-Big Ten season and mega-talent Terrelle Pryor on the way.
And even if the Georgia native did somehow claim a significant role with the Buckeyes, his arrest last year for solicitation for prostitution (later reduced to loitering) would always dog him.
Georgia Southern offers him a fresh start about 150 miles from his hometown with a chance to work with his former high school coach, Rance Gillespie, who’s the offensive coordinator there. And since the school plays in Division I-AA (I can’t get into the habit yet of calling it the Football Championship Subdivision. which is a mouthful), he can play right away without sitting out a year for transferring.
The Eagles are coming off a 7-4 season and need to replace quarterback Jayson Foster, who won the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in that division last season. And Henton will likely step right into a starting spot and flourish there.
He’s got big-time athletic ability and a strong arm, and I can see him developing into a possible NFL draft pick down the road. It’s a shame he never had a chance to display those talents at OSU, but it’s good to see a likeable kid get a second chance.
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OSU one of national title favorites
Looks like that OSU-USC game is just as big as we thought it would be.
The lines are out, and Ohio State is one of four teams with 6-1 odds to win next season’s college football national championship. USC is the top favorite, at 3-1.
Joining the Buckeyes at 6-1 are Florida, Georgia and Oklahoma. LSU is listed at 12-1, and Missouri has 14-1 odds.
This shouldn’t really surprise anyone, with a strong defense returning most of its starters and the offensive excitement generated by Terrelle Pryor’s arrival on campus. Say what you want about Todd Boeckman, but he was an All-Big Ten quarterback last season.
If you have a few bucks lying around, you could put them on 150-1 Arkansas, just in case. Atta boy, Bobby Petrino.
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OSU could also be called Linebacker U.
With Penn State billing itself as Linebacker U., I’ve tried to think of a position where Ohio State has sustained long-term excellence and set itself apart from other schools.
The Buckeyes could call themselves Defensive Back U. (Jack Tatum, Shawn Springs, Antoine Winfield).
Or it might be Running Back U. (Archie Griffin, Hopalong Cassady, Eddie George).
Really, they’ve had a rich tradition at every position except maybe quarterback, but the name that best applies could be the one that’s already been taken … yep, Linebacker U.
Let’s examine the evidence …
Ohio State has had 12 first-team All-Americans at linebacker, the first in 1964: Ike Kelley, Randy Gradishar, Tom Cousineau, Marcus Marek, Pepper Johnson, Chris Spielman, Steve Tovar, Andy Katzenmoyer, Na’il Diggs, Matt Wilhelm, A.J. Hawk and James Laurinaitis.
Penn State has had 13, the first in 1968: Dennis Onkotz, Jack Ham, Charlie Zapiec, Jack Skorupan, Ed O’Neil, Greg Buttle, Kurt Allerman, Shane Conlan, Andre Collins, LaVar Arrington, Brandon Short, Paul Posluszny and Dan Connor.
The Buckeyes have had two Butkus Award-winners (Katzenmoyer, Laurinaitis), same as the Nittany Lions (Arrington, Posluszny).
OSU has had two linebackers win the Lombardi Award (Spielman, Hawk), while PSU has had none. But the Lions have had a pair win the Bednarik Award (Arrington, Posluszny), while the Buckeyes have been blanked.
Star power? Yes, Ham, Conlan, Arrington and Posluszny are legends, but do they surpass Gradishar, Spielman, Katzenmoyer and Hawk in name recognition?
All of those categories seem to be a wash, which brings us to what the future may hold.
The Buckeyes will have a pair of freshmen this season in Andrew Sweat of Pennsylvania and Etienne Sabino of Florida who were named the top two inside linebackers nationally in the 2008 recruiting class by ESPN.com.
They also have a verbal commitment from the No. 1 outside linebacker in the 2009 class in Dorian Bell of Pennsylvania.
If those three pan out, the Buckeyes would be able to claim superiority at that position. Penn State may still be called Linebacker U. because perceptions are hard to change, but OSU fans will certainly know better.
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Antonio Pittman’s really trying
This is a few days old, but I just noticed that Antonio Pittman isn’t totally worthless in the NFL:
The most improved players this spring on offense, in coach Scott Linehan’s estimation, might come as a surprise to some: tight end Joe Klopfenstein and running back Antonio Pittman.
“Both had to adjust to really tough roles last year,” Linehan said. “Antonio coming off being released by the team that drafted him and then coming in here and not knowing the offense. And then Joe, he started as a rookie, and then got moved out of a starting spot. It really wasn’t anything he did. We just picked up a guy (Randy McMichael) that we felt that we were going to play in front of him. It was a tough situation. But Joe has had a great offseason.”
Pittman was sitting on a starting spot as Ohio State’s running back when he left for the NFL draft after his junior season. Then he sank. And sank. New Orleans eventually drafted him in the fourth round but released him before the season. The Rams, seemingly out of pity, added him to the roster.
Last year, he played 11 games for the Rams, totaling 139 yards on 38 carries and 15 yards on three receptions.
Meanwhile, Chris Wells made Ohio State fans all but forget about Pittman.
He nearly became a joke, but it sounds like he’s fighting his way into more playing time for the Rams.
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Buckeyes rated high in polls, but some aren’t buying it
Ohio State has had to endure some ridicule after two straight annhilations in the national title game, and even a coach of an SEC power has taken a swipe at the team.
Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville expressed frustration recently over the respect the Buckeyes are receiving in the offseason, saying, “Ohio State would have finished fifth in our league and they’re ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll.”
I think we all can agree the SEC is by far the deepest and best conference in the land, and maybe there were four teams from that league better than the Buckeyes last year.
But the preseason football magazines are hitting the newstands now, and in the unbiased view of those publications, there aren’t even four teams in the NATION better than OSU this year.
The Buckeyes, who return all but three starters from an 11-2 team, were picked No. 2 in Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, and he has them playing for the national championship against Florida.
Athlon puts OSU No. 2 behind Florida. And Lindy’s has the Buckeyes third behind Georgia and Southern Cal.
The Associated Press and USA Today-coaches polls will come out in August.
Tuberville, whose team is ranked as high as No. 10, has a right to vent, but he shouldn’t put much stock in what the preaseason polls say. We’ll find out in just a few months whether the Buckeyes are worthy of their ranking — or whether there’s actually some merit to Tuberville’s perception.
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More Terrelle Pyror (he’s huge!)
Terrelle Pryor was already considered a good-sized quarterback. Then, apparently, he kept hitting the weights:
Pryor certainly looks ready. Stripped down to a pair of shorts for the testing, he was a physical specimen — measuring 6 feet 3 1/2 , 225 pounds, with a “six-pack” that might make magazine models envious.
That’s right, the great hope for Ohio State football was on campus Saturday for physical testing as he begins summer classes and prepares for August workouts. The summer conditioning is also beginning for the Buckeyes, but it sounds like those who coached him in high school think he’s ready for the activity.
“This is probably the strongest he’s ever been,” said Ray Reitz, Pryor’s football coach at Jeannette (Pa.) High School. “He’s been busting his butt in the weight room, running with a parachute (for resistance). This kid has always worked hard, but he’s pushed it a little further now. He’s trying to get his body ready.”
His high school quarterbacks coach, Roy Hall, estimated Pryor had gained 15 pounds of muscle since basketball season ended in March.
“I was talking to (Ohio State coach) Jim Tressel the other day,” Hall said. “I joked with him, I said, ‘Coach, you haven’t seen him for a couple of months. I’m worried he might be getting too big. He might have to play defensive end.’”
Nice to see a guy rated that high who already has celebrity status in Columbus works that hard as well. He’s been reading the playbook, studying the offense and shaping his mind as well.
I’ll continue to say that Pryor probably should not start this season, but he’s a great asset for two or three series per game. With Pryor and Brandon Saine in the same backfield, it might be best to just run option left and option right.
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Buckeyes will be looking for more than just Pryor to make an impact
Terrelle Pryor may be the most anticipated recruit at Ohio State since Chic Harley in 1916 (OK, that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point), and while I’m fairly certain we’ll see him on the field at critical times this season, I’d be willing to bet that he won’t be the freshman who makes the biggest impact in 2008.
Let’s face it, quarterback is a complicated position (not akin to splitting atoms, like coaches would like us to believe, but complicated nonetheless). And the Buckeyes already had a highly rated recruiting class even before Pryor’s belated signing.
My prediction for top newcomer? Defensive tackle Garrett Goebel.
I just finished reading a story online about him being named the Chicago Tribune high school athlete of the year, and the guy sounds like an absolute animal.
He’s a two-time state champion wrestler and was the second-ranked heavyweight in the nation last year. In football, he had 22 tackles-for-loss as a senior. And he’s a high-motor, workout fiend, which certainly increases his chances for success.
You can access the story at www.chicagotribune.com/sports/highschool.
The Buckeyes have a few other players capable of making an instant impact — linebacker Etienne Sabino comes to mind — but defensive tackle is probably the Buckeyes’ weakest position on either side of the ball.
Doug Worthington, Todd Denlinger, Nader Abdallah and Dexter Larimore rotated at the two spots last season and all four are back, but the coaching staff has been unhappy with their production and is riding them hard in the offseason.
Recruiting is such an inexact science that we never know how good a player really is until we see him against college competition. The most-hyped prospects, of course, are the ones everybody wants to see, but it’s often those under-the-radar prospects who ended up being remembered.
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Ohio Stadium: Shakin’ in their cleats
I’m no math guy, so luckily the Penn State blog Nittany White Out has done the number-crunching for us.
Their conclusion? Ohio Stadium is the most difficult road venue in the Big Ten.
It was really a surprise that Ohio State won the inaugural 2008 Toughest Venues trophy. There was little doubt Penn State would have won this by a landslide when we began this series. But after actual objective (and subjective) evaluation of what actually matters in a home field environment, we were faced with a harsh reality. We were beaten once again by the Buckeyes.
They ranked the Big Ten stadiums in attendance, tradition/history, fans and win/loss record. By that subjective measure, they decided teams have the toughest time in Columbus than anywhere in the conference.
Unlike some places in the Big Ten, Ohio Stadium is also very pleasant to look at, both with the traditional feel and the updated amenities. That’s one thing about Michigan Stadium: It doesn’t put you in awe. It sits into the ground and has that large oval bowl, but there’s not as much about it to cause you to and look.
Overall, I’d say the Nittany White Out analysis got it right. And they even used, like, numbers and stuff.
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Buckeyes keep racking up verbal commitments
Ohio State picked up its 17th verbal commitment in the 2009 class on Tuesday — an astonishing number given that it’s only June — by landing senior-to-be Adam Bellamy, a defensive lineman from Aurora, Ohio.
The Buckeyes probably will sign no more than 23 or 24 players, meaning they’re just a few more commitments away from having their recruiting class totally wrapped up. And with a handful of prospects being on the verge of making decisions and saying OSU is No. 1 on their list, that very easily could happen before the season starts, which is a positive development on a number of fronts.
Not having to entertain any seniors during the season means OSU can concentrate on the junior class and get a jump on other schools — a huge advantage. And it also would allow the coaches to put much more energy into strategy, developing their current players and, basically, just coaching. There’s not a staff in America that wouldn’t love to have that luxury.
Bellamy is rated only the 18th-best prospect in Ohio, but that may be deceiving. He also had scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Boston College, West Virginia and Kansas.
The 6-foot-4, 275-pounder reportedly had a visit to Michigan scheduled for this Friday. But he was offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes on Monday after competing in their advanced football camp and needed just 24 hours to accept it.
And there’s an added sting for any team getting beat on a recruit by its arch-rival. Aside from having to settle for a less-accomplished player, you also have to spend the next four years figuring out how stop the one you lost.
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Yet another OSU commitment
It’s Dominic Clarke of Tuscarora High School in Maryland:
“Never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever think I would be playing football at Ohio State,” Clarke, who was recruited as a cornerback, said on Monday. “I didn’t used to have a favorite college football team, but I do now.”
Rivals.com lists Clarke at 5-10 and 183 pounds. But, he benches 300 pounds, which means he makes up for height with very good strength. He also has that 4.41 40 time.
Clarke really showed up on the radar last month after impressing at the Penn State Nike Camp. Even then, he seemed to be waiting for the Buckeyes to make a move.
“I think Ohio State might be offering me soon, they really like me a lot,” he said. “If they offered that would be big. They are a name that speaks for itself. The Stanford coaches have come by the school as well. I’m also hearing from Connecticut, Rutgers and Duke.”
Clarke’s commitment gives the Buckeyes 16 members of next year’s recruiting class, which includes C.J. Barnett of Northmont High School (strange, though, that Barnett is wearing a Michigan sweatshirt in his Rivals.com photo).
Clarke agreed it was not an easy choice, picking Ohio State over the others. “You would like to make all of the schools interested in you happy by saying yes,” he said. “But in the end, you have to make the decision that’s right for you.”
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Justin Zwick will play QB again
Justin Zwick has been a member of the Columbus Destroyers since February. But the team apparently hasn’t needed a big publicity boost until today, when it was reported that Zwick will make his quarterbacking debut for the Destroyers on Saturday night.
Zwick, who is playing in his first AFL season, has not seen action at the position for the Destroyers through the first 14 games of the campaign. Veteran Matt Nagy, who has been outstanding for the club in 2008, completing 310 of 484 passes for 65 touchdowns with seven interceptions, will start Saturday’s game before Zwick makes his debut.
Zwick will become another in a line of former Ohio State quarterbacks to play in the AFL, including Joe Germaine and Steve Bellisari. Does that mean (as many say it does) that the Buckeyes can’t prepare NFL-ready QBs, or does it mean the Buckeyes recruit players talented enough to play professionally?
Zwick is listed at 6-4, 225, which is still good size. He spent some time working for a Columbus television station analyzing Ohio State games, but everyone knew he still wanted to play.
He has served the Destroyers as a holder in every game this season, which must’ve been frustrating. This is a player who will always be known by fans as one of the biggest busts in Buckeyes history, whether he was actually a bust or not. Remember, he had the 2005 Texas game all but won when coach Jim Tressel started fooling with the quarterback rotation.
Some have even stunted their enthusiasm about Terrelle Pryor because they remember how excited everyone was about Zwick before Troy Smith became the Heisman Trophy winner instead.
Still, Zwick remains an interesting character around Columbus and within the Ohio State fan community. I wonder if this will work and draw more people to the Destroyers game on Saturday.
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Why would Gene Smith want the Notre Dame AD job?
Almost as soon as the Notre Dame athletic directorship opened up with Kevin White’s departure, Ohio State’s Gene Smith (ND alum) said he had no interest:
One potential candidate for the job to replace Kevin White, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith, pulled himself from consideration Tuesday afternoon by releasing a statement. Smith is a former football player and assistant coach at Notre Dame.
“I have the utmost respect for Notre Dame and great admiration for the university and its athletics department,” said Smith, who also included that the school did not contact him. “But I will not be a candidate for the job there.”
Why would he? What we’ve learned from White’s departure seems to be that Notre Dame is a difficult place to run an athletic department. Not just the pressure to make football as profitable as possible, but also dealing with the higher levels of university management that easily trump decisions.
ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski underlined that point in a column this week.
Notre Dame is looking for a new athletic director today because it neutered the previous one.
The surgical procedure, done without the benefit of privacy or anesthesia, was performed on Kevin White on Nov. 30, 2004 — the day the school’s president and board of trustees ignored White’s objections and fired football coach Tyrone Willingham. Ever since then, White has been circling overhead, parachute strapped to his back, waiting for the jump light to switch from red to green.
Now, it’s not like Smith is dealing with a low-profile coach at his current job, but he does have a boss in president Gordon Gee who doesn’t seem to get involved in hiring and firing decisions. Some are still concerned about Gee’s seemingly anti-athletics moves in the past, but Ohio State’s broad-based program with so many sports and opportunities might just please him enough.
Not to make the ND job sound like the worst in the country, but Ohio State’s might just be the best.
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Ohio loses Buckeye battle with Illinois
We won’t dwell on tree talk, but there’s a development on the Buckeye tree landscape, and it’s not good for Ohio:
American Forests magazine recently released its biennial registry of the nation’s biggest trees. Prominent in the list of new champions is an Ohio buckeye in Oak Brook, Ill. The tree dethroned the reigning champ in Huron County.
And you thought last year’s Illinois loss stung.
FYI, here’s some brief info on Buckeye trees.
Ohio Buckeye, the state tree of Ohio, is found primarily as an understory tree in the western half of Ohio, where the soils are more alkaline in pH. However, it is scattered throughout the eastern half of the state, except in extreme northeastern and extreme southeastern Ohio. Its lightweight wood is used in the production of artificial limbs, and the holding of a “buckeye nut” in one’s pocket is considered good luck. A native of the Midwestern and Great Plains states, trees found in the open may reach 60 feet tall by 30 feet wide, but as a native understory it is often half that size. As a member of the Horsechestnut Family, it is related to other Horsechestnuts and Buckeyes, including man-made hybrids between the species.
