Hoke vs Meyer, it’s quite comical, and it’s just getting started.
The on-field hatred between our Ohio State Buckeyes and, well, “them” up north, is obviously well documented. Though the rivalry took a dramatic swing in Ohio State’s favor with the hire of (the late) Jim Tressel, those idiots actually thought that hiring Brady Hoke would rejuvenate the rivalry right back into “their” favor, particularly when it came to recruiting.
Time to wake up “Big Blue Nation”, your fantasy world is about to be turned upside down.
In Urban Meyer’s first press conference as head coach at Ohio State, there wasn’t much talk about the rivalry between Ohio State and scUM, but make no mistake about it, Coach Meyer is fully aware as to how important the rivalry is. Though the rivalry has always spilled over into the recruiting world, it has never been as heated as what it is now.
Brady Hoke’s frustration began immediately after his team’s win over Ohio State, breaking nearly a decade-long losing streak to “Ohio”. Talk of his team’s “big” victory, however, was quickly shuffled to the back page of the sports’ section, when it became quite evident that Urban Meyer was going to become the head coach at the Ohio State University.
Instead of Ohio State fans being forced to watch replays of scUM’s victory over the worst Ohio State team in 12 years, the Big Blue faithful were forced to watch their futures crumble before their very eyes as Urban Meyer was introduced as Ohio State’s next head coach.
It’s a feeling Hoke is likely going to be forced to get use too. His team’s victory over the Buckeyes has to seem as if it happened 10 years ago, not two weeks ago. Ever since then, it’s been all Urban Meyer and sudden impact on the recruiting scene for Ohio State. Hoke has complained about the NCAA approving Ohio State’s waiver for their coaching staff, and clearly doesn’t approve of Coach Meyer’s recruiting antics.
That, too, is also a feeling Hoke might as well get use too. Though Hoke isn’t likely to see any of his current commitments flip to the Buckeyes, he certainly got his feelings hurt when current Ohio State commit, Bri’onte Dunn (GlenOak), re-affirmed his commitment to Ohio State after Coach Meyer made an in-home visit to the coveted running back. Hoke really pushed hard for Dunn in recently, and there were legitimate rumors that Dunn could flip his verbal to those uglies up north.
Hey scUM fans – ha-ha!
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Pittman and Schutt only the beginning for Coach Meyer
There’s a lot of people that are upset with the way Coach Meyer has approached certain recruits that are already committed to other schools (see below), but if they’re upset over Se’von Pittman (Canton McKinley) and Tommy Schutt (Glenbard West Illinois), then they’re going to be really upset when all is said and done.
Coach Meyer currently has 18 commitments for the 2012 recruiting class, which means there’s roughly 5-6 scholarships (pending NCAA sanctions) left before this class is complete. Two of those scholarships are likely to be filled by Cameron Williams (Catholic Memorial, Massachusetts), a Penn State verbal, and Kyle Dodson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio), a Wisconsin verbal. Williams made his visit to Columbus on December 12, while Dodson was on campus the 9th.
One of the remaining scholarships is definitely going to be filled by Noah Spence, a 6’4” 245-pound defensive end from Bishop McDevitt High School in Pennsylvania. Spence is regarded as one of the top defensive-lineman in the nation, and combined with Pittman, Schutt, and Adolphus Washington (Taft, Ohio); give the Buckeyes a lethal defensive front that will mix well with the loaded talent already on the roster.
The moral of the story is that the Buckeyes have the potential to have one of the scariest, greatest, nastiest defensive fronts college football has ever seen – if the players live-up to the hype, of course.
As National Signing Day nears, we’ll track the progress of potential recruits for Coach Meyer and the Buckeyes. Settle in Buckeye Nation, there’s going to be an incredible end to Ohio State’s 2012 recruiting class.
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Shame on Meyer? Nahhh…
Urban Meyer is catching a lot of hell for his recruiting antics. Some say that Meyer is guilty of “poaching” recruits from other schools, which in part, is true.
Normally, I’d be against this. However, I don’t really know what people expect. Se’von Pittman and Tommy Schutt’s recent flips from Michigan State and Penn State, respectively, to Ohio State have caused an uproar throughout the recruiting world. The grief isn’t likely going to subside anytime soon, with the likes of Cameron Williams (Penn State) and Kyle Dodson (Wisconsin) likely to be the next “flips”.
These kids committed to their respective schools when Ohio State was still in shambles following “Tat-Gate”. In a perfect world, Jim Tressel would’ve been the head coach at Ohio State, and Pittman, Schutt, Williams, and Dodson all likely would’ve been more interested in Ohio State than they were when the university was in the negative spotlight.
Once Urban Meyer was hired, it’s only fair that he reestablish a connection with those recruits to see if they now have any desire to come to Ohio State. Hoke was guilty of it in his first year up north, and if Penn State makes an A+ hire, they are likely to do the same.
It’s the frustrating world of recruiting in college football, where the stakes are high, and coaches are willing to do whatever it takes to secure the top recruits in the nation. Luckily for Buckeye Nation, we have Urban Meyer on our side, and it’s only going to get better.
