By Hans Hetrick
Workmanlike? Efficient? Lackluster?
The 2010 Ohio State recruiting haul certainly didn’t match the top five class from last year, but Coach Tressel seemed satisfied, praising their versatility and maturity in his press conference.
The Buckeyes put together the #20 (Scout.com ranking) class this year. Conspicuous is the lone five-star recruit, although that number could increase if signing day holdout and Cleveland Glenville star Latwan Anderson signs on. Still, the Bucks pulled in 9 four-stars and 8 three-stars.
The big story for the Buckeyes was the loss of three blue chip offensive lineman. Cincinnati native Matt James chose Brian Kelly and Notre Dame. The nation’s number one recruit Seantrel Henderson, despite constant comparisons to Orlando Pace and Korey Stringer, decided to head to the beaches of USC instead of the shores of the Olentangy. And Morgan Moses settled on the University of Virgina.
In the end, the Buckeyes landed just one offensive lineman: Andrew Norwell, the lone five-star recruit, out of Cincinnati Anderson. Ohio State’s inability to land the big men might have something to do with the fact that the Bucks are loaded on the O-line. All their starters are returning from a line that gelled into a formidable machine during the back half of 2009.
One of the more disturbing developments during signing day came from Ann Arbor (of course.) Ohio has provided U of M with loads of football talent over the years, including two Heisman trophies, but this year it got a little out of hand. Michigan pulled in 11 recruits from Ohio, ending up with the #12 class in the nation. Ohio State split their 18 recruits with 9 Ohio youngsters and 9 from out of state. Let’s just hope I don’t ended up cursing out some Ohio traitor in November over the course of the next four years.
Tressel picked up a kicker, Drew Basil, with a powerful leg worth getting excited about. Where would Coach Tress be without the warm security blanket of a good kicker? And the Buckeyes grabbed two players, Jamel Turner and Carlos Hyde, from Eddie George’s alma mater- Fork Union Military Academy. The most intriguing recruit could be defensive tackle Johnathon Hankins out of Detroit. The Bucks haven’t had a clogstopper like Hankins since Big Daddy Wilkinson.
Here’s a rundown of Ohio State’s 2010 recruiting class. Welcome aboard boys.
Christian Bryant CB (Glenville HS) Cleveland, OH
5-10/175/4.50
Bradley Roby CB (Peachtree Ridge HS) Suwanee, GA
6-1/171/4.34
Johnathan Hankins DT (Southeastern HS) Detroit, MI
6-3/310
Verlon Reed S (Marion-Franklin HS) Columbus, OH
6-2/185
Corey Brown WR (Cardinal O’Hara HS) Springfield, PA
5-11/170/4.45
Tyrone Williams WR (Shaw HS) East Cleveland, OH
6-5/185/4.65
Chad Hagan S (Canon-Mcmillan SHS)Canonsburg, PA
6-0/207/4.29
James Louis WR (Atlantic HS) Delray Beach, FL
5-11/180/4.45
Darryl Baldwin DE (Solon HS) Solon, OH
6-7/265/4.70
Drew Basil K (Chillicothe HS) Chillicothe, OH
6-0/180
Roderick Smith RB (Paul Harding HS) Fort Wayne, IN
6-2/216/4.60
Taylor Graham QB (Wheaton North HS) Wheaton, IL
6-4/211/4.90
Scott McVey MLB (St. Ignatius HS) Cleveland, OH
6-1/217/4.55
David Durham OLB (Charlotte Christian School) Charlotte, NC
6-3/226/4.70
Andrew Norwell OT (Anderson HS) Cincinnati, OH
6-6/255
Jamel Turner OLB (Fork Union Military Academy)Fork Union, VA
6-2/205/4.55
J.T. Moore DE (Boardman HS) Youngstown, OH
6-3/230/5.16
Carlos Hyde FB (Fork Union Military Academy) Fork Union, VA
6-0/225