Brian Hartline summed it up, "this is a really good group of freshman".
While most recruiting sites rated the class between 3rd and 6th in the country, you would be hard pressed to find a group that is more intelligent, more athletic, and more ready to contribute.
Normally, a team with 19 returning starters, a team that contended for the National Championship only nine months ago, would not be the platform to showcase the talents of an incomming freshman class; that does not mean the Buckeyes didn't need some fine tuning.
Last season the offense(outside of Beanie Wells)lacked explosiveness, the return game was less than spectacular, and in 2006 the offensive line was exposed against Florida.
When ex-Buckeye assistant Bill Conley was asked what needed to be improved he said "a lack of experienced depth on the offensive line".
What seperates this superb class of Freshman from some of the other top five classes in the country is their intelligence. This is an extremely smart group. For those who've missed it—Tressel has transformed the Ohio State program in terms of academic success coupled with a noticable lack of off-the-field issues.
These freshman picked up the system in just over a month and are now able to translate their God given talents onto the football field. The talent comes at the right time, and more importantly, in the right places.
Sixth year Senior Todd Boeckman led the conference in pass efficiency last season. Todd did well in his first season as a starter, but we all know that you need more than one capable quarterback. Todd isn't the most elusive QB in College Football.
Coming into fall camp, the Buckeye Nation was anxious to see these newcomers, but remained skeptical when they talked about how the freshman class would contribute. Many outsiders predicted a Tebow-like use of Terrelle Pryor.
Die-hard Buckeye fans figured it might be a year before Pryor made a significant contribution to the offense. While some programs get immediate help at WR, QB, or on the Offensive Line, OSU usually has the depth and experience to bring them along slowly.
After two years of dissapointment on the big stage it appears as if Jim Tressel has learned his lesson. Talent is talent, and no matter the situation, you have to get the most talented players on the football field.
If you ask this Buckeye fan what the single most important factor is when it comes to why the Buckeyes have not been able to get over that big-game hump...that's it! Coaching, gameplans, and mistakes all contributed, but OSU has left too many fast, explosive players on the sidelines in those two National Championships.
Two years ago Terrelle Pryor would have sat the bench as a freshman. I believe the same goes for 2007. Now, Tressel cannot afford to substitute experience for talent. He can no longer play it safe—get to the big-game with a conservative, experience oriented, three-yards and a cloud of dust approach. He has to get better, faster, and less predictable.
2 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Justin Potts 10 months ago
Nice article. As a Michigan fan, I wish we could have gotten Pryor, but such is life. Hopefully by the time he's the main guy at OSU, we'll know how to stop a mobile quarterback.
Even though I'm a Michigan fan, most of my family (both sides) are either Ohio State grads or fans, so I've grown up with Ohio State all around me. As much as I want to beat OSU every year, I still have respect for the Buckeyes and root for them to win in bowls and against non-Big Ten teams, as I will be next week against USC.
I know Ohio State's recruiting class was rated higher than Michigan's, but Michigan's was still a top-10 class. The difference is, Ohio State's freshmen are getting experience in back-up roles where they can learn alongside experienced players. Michigan's are being thrown into the fire this year in starting roles. It will be interesting to see how the classes compare in a couple of years.
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Bob Baumbarger 10 months ago
GREAT ARTICLE I AGREE WITH EVERY THING YOU SAID AND I BELEAVE THAT THE BUCKEYES WILL BE IN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AGAIN AND WILL WIN JUST AS LONG AS THEY KEEP PLAYING SOME OF THERE FRESHMAN CLASS AND I REALY LIKE PRYOR AND HE WILL HELP THE BUCKEYES AS THE SEASON GOES ON.HOPE CHRIS WELLS WILL BE BACK SOON
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