The Tight End Recruiting Debacle

Drew Thurman (10:28 pm)

I would be lying if I said the 2010 recruiting class has not frustrated me daily. I have tried to put every imaginable spin on why this class has started slowly or why things might heat up later on, but my attempts are coming up short.

What adds insult to injury is the way the tight end recruiting in this class has transpired, which seems to have taken up many of the headlines.

It seems like the staff offers a new tight end everyday, and with each offer there seems to be more desperation. Tressel and company want a top-tier tight end, but as most of us already know, why would one come to block for the Buckeyes?

The process started off badly when Alex Smith (West Chester, Ohio) committed to play for Brian Kelly and the Bearcats before Tressel even could throw an offer his way. So the staff decided to go after Alex Welch (Elder HS) and C.J. Fiedorowicz (Johnsburg, IL).

Welch quickly jumped at the opportunity to follow his Catholic roots to Notre Dame, and one can't blame him—Charlie Weis and the Irish have made a player out his former teammate Kyle Rudolph.

So, that leaves the Buckeyes with C.J. Fiedorowicz. That is not saying he is a "plan B" option. Actually, I think he has all the skills Kyle Rudolph did a few classes ago, and he was ranked the No. 1 tight end in his class.

The problem is that Fiedorowicz has slowly dropped the Buckeyes on his list. A little over a month ago he was torn between Ohio State and Iowa, but his latest comments have no mention of coming to Columbus. His top three are Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

So where do the Buckeyes stand now?

Well, there is always the chance Tressel will go after a lesser-ranked player, but they have done that the last two years with Fragel and DiLillo. Obviously Fragel could follow Tressel's mold of playing offensive line, but regardless it's clear that he wants a play making tight end.

So, with the options limited now in 2010, the staff has already moved into the 2011 class by making an offer for Ben Koyack (Oil City, Pa). Sorry if I am cynical, but I have a hard time believing fate with Koyack will be any different than the others aforementioned.  

I know I probably sound completely negative, which is not normally my style, but I think the staff needs to take a hard look at how they recruit tight ends. They either need to change the offensive style to better utilize tight ends or quit wasting time chasing top tight ends (who can watch ABC and see that they will be nothing more than a glorified tackle for the Buckeyes).