The Ohio State football team ended this past season as one of the nation’s best, and that momentum has carried over into the recruiting season. The Buckeyes received 20 commitments Wednesday, as the class of 2010 signed their letters of intent to join one of the most prestigious football programs in the nation.
The press conference was held in Ohio Stadium because of the construction efforts at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Coach Jim Tressel expressed genuine thanks to all of those involved and great pride for the class of 20 student athletes he is bringing in, both in their athletic ability and their impressive academic credentials.
“I like the fact that they seem anxious to compete,” Tressel said of the 20 new Buckeyes. “They seem like they are a mature group from the standpoint that they know what it’s going to take to compete on this level and in the classroom. I don’t see any of them looking to me like they think this is going to be easy, because if they are, they are going to have a tough time.”
Tressel and his staff have had a number of highly rated recruiting classes during their tenure, something that stayed much the same this year. Bill Kurelic – considered by some the most respected and trustworthy recruiting analyst in the Midwest – was very impressed with the recruiting efforts of the staff this year.
“This season’s class really shaped up well,” Kurelic said. “It looks to be ranked near the top 10 nationally and second or third in the Big Ten, with only Penn State having a significantly better class.”
Kurelic, who serves as the Midwest analyst for the recruiting Web site, rivals.com, and as the resident OSU recruiting expert at buckeyesports.com, also provided some insight on the Buckeyes’ highest profile pickup, Chris Wells.
Wells, a running back from Akron Garfield, represented the most newsworthy pickup for OSU this season. The 2005 National Player of the Year and the No. 1 rated prospect in the country by scout.com, Wells has been heralded as a future superstar since his early commitment to OSU. After a superb performance in the U.S. Army All-American game, Wells raised his already impressive profile even higher.
“Chris Wells is the real deal,” Kurelic said. “He is arguably the No. 1 running back in the country and, physically, he has all the tools.”
The 6’1″, 245-pound Wells scored two touchdowns and was named MVP of the All-American game, which is considered by some the most prestigious high school all-star game in the nation. The prep star is expected to enroll this spring quarter to get a jump on the season.
The major concern going into this recruiting season was the need for OSU to find linebackers to replace the acclaimed starting three of A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel. Tressel and his staff did not just find a few linebackers; they went out and signed some of the most impressive athletes in the nation.
“Ohio State has signed arguably the best linebacking class in the country,” Kurelic said. “It was definitely a need that had to be addressed going into the season and they certainly got what they were looking for.”
One of those linebackers, Ross Homan of Coldwater High School, was in attendance at Wednesday’s press conference. Homan, who was named the 2005 Ohio Defensive Player of the Year this past season, graduated early from Coldwater in order to enroll early with OSU. After graduating with a 3.8 grade point average, he is currently taking classes and is participating in winter lifting and conditioning with the team.
“The main thing was that I wanted to get an early start on everything, get a jump,” Homan said. “Not only academically, where I won’t have to come here in the summer and start dealing with college, but with football at the same time. I wanted to get comfortable with everything, all of my surroundings, so then, when it came to summer and August and camp, it wouldn’t be such a frustration for me.”
Another growing concern for OSU during the past few weeks has been the defensive backfield. Kurelic said this situation would have to be addressed more thoroughly next season because the recent departures of Donte Whitner and Ashton Youboty to the NFL draft, but OSU still grabbed an impressive group of five prep defensive backs.
OSU’s “Glenville Pipeline,” which has been responsible for producing current Buckeye stars senior quarterback Troy Smith, junior wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and the recently departed Whitner, continued to flow with prospects. The Buckeyes collected three more of coach Ted Ginn Sr.’s athletes, adding wide receiver Ray Small, defensive end Robert Rose and offensive lineman Bryant Browning in a press conference held in the Glenville High School gymnasium.
“Just to get on the field at a place like Glenville, you’ve got to be pretty good to start with,” Tressel said. “You are coached extremely well at those places and you know how coach Ginn feels. His whole world is based around giving people opportunities. That’s why, when you see his guys, they get recruited and they go out and do good things.”
Overall, OSU collected the signatures of 10 seniors from Ohio, two from California, two from Florida, one from Michigan, one from Indiana, one from Georgia, one from South Carolina and one from Pennsylvania. The Buckeyes also signed Larry Grant, a junior-college transfer from the Community College of San Francisco. Grant is originally from Norcross, Ga.
“Ohio is always going to be where we begin,” Tressel said. “This was a very good year in-state and we believe we got the 10 best players. At the same time, if we can get some of the best from California, Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, we’re going to do that. To be able to get guys from out-of-state says a lot about the national reputation of Ohio State, both athletically and academically.”
The team now moves on to the winter conditioning and lifting program, followed by spring practice. The next major event for the scarlet and gray is the spring game, which is scheduled for April 22 at 1 p.m.
