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Drew Thurman (2:55 pm)

War is not a civilized endeavor.

Dust off your history books and look back at the American Revolution. I can promise if you do you'll find a section entitled "Guerrilla Warfare." One of the great stories of the war was that the American militia men used hit-and-run tactics (aka Guerrilla Warfare) against the British forces, hiding behind trees, fences and rocks in dark clothing to gain an advantage. The British on the other hand were "gentleman" and viewed war as such. They wore red coats and marched in straight lines, and followed a civilized style of warfare. In fact, they viewed the guerrilla warfare tactics as ruthless.

One of the largest thorns in the British's side was Francis Marion, who would gain the name the "Swamp Fox." He mastered the art of the surprise hit-and-run tactic, and the British hated and feared him. In fact, they still do. When The Patriot came out in 2000 honoring his character (and exaggerating it too), the London Evening Standard made their disdain for the film well known. They described Marion as "a thoroughly unpleasant dude, who was, basically a terrorist." I'm sorry, but I'm chuckling as I type that quote out.

Flash ahead to 2012. In the battle on recruiting in the B1G, it appears the other powers in the conference also want a gentleman's war. Whether overtly stated or not, several coaches made it abundantly clear that they expect other coaches to not talk to or steal their recruits, to fight nice, and to be ethical. The latter is rather ambiguous, but more on that in a minute. Apparently Meyer, like the Swamp Fox, isn't playing by those rules and is winning the war, so much like the British they have resolved to complaining. 

Michigan State assistant Pat Narduzzi was the first to speak up, or should I say cry. Early in the week, he complained about Urban Meyer not being nice to Dantiono like Jim Tressel because Meyer flipped Se'Von Pittman.

"The only thing I said is guys like Jim Tressel and Mark Dantonio never would've done that to each other," Narduzzi said. "When I have best friends out there that someday if I were the head coach, I won't take their guys. That's just part of how it goes."
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Will Roger Lewis end up being in the 2012 class?
Drew Thurman (4:33 pm)

One of the biggest concerns over the last week, as Urban Meyer has been banking in recruits, is the scholarship count. Not only are the Buckeyes limited to 25 commitments per class, but they also only have 82 total scholarships to play with after the sanctions.

A quick look at the current numbers shows the Buckeyes are in danger of being over both of those counts. There are currently 23 commitments in the 2012 class and 62 returning players on the roster. That would mean the Buckeyes are already three over their total limit and two away from the class limit, and yet the staff are still after a handful of prospects to finish out this class. So, what gives? How are Urban and company going to pull off adding more players and still get the numbers to equate. Well, it all comes down to bookkeeping and attrition.

Tim May over at the The Dispatch already did a great job breaking down both of those in detail, especially that 25 number. The staff has very little concern about that number thanks to the six early enrollees. They actually count towards last year's numbers.

"So, 23 minus six equals 17. That means that, at the moment, the Buckeyes still are eight short of the maximum of 25 players who can be signed to any one recruiting class. And there might be a member or two already committed who could be weeded out because of academic concerns or could change his mind before signing day."
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Michael Chung (8:31 am)

“Well we moving on up, to the top.”

Excerpt from theme song of 70’s and 80’s sitcom, "The Jeffersons"

It was November 20, 2011.  Ohio State had been marred in a recruiting "crisis of confidence."  The once prominent B1G team, who had a fence around Ohio was lacking in star power from their home state as well as nationally.  Bill Kurelic believed Ohio State was not in the top 20.  

But things have changed and have changed in a hurry.  The number one player in the state of Ohio, Adolphus Washington, committed to play for Ohio State and mentioned he would like to play for Urban Meyer, whose hiring happened a week later.  

What has happened in less than two months?  Ohio State has been “moving on up, to the top.”  Scout.com currently lists Ohio State at #4 behind Alabama, Texas and Michigan.  Look for Ohio State to move up to at least #3 in Scout within the next two weeks and maybe #2.  247.sports also have Ohio State at #4 behind the same three teams.  Again, look for Ohio State to move into the top 3 within the next two weeks. 

ESPN has Ohio State the lowest of any list I have surveyed.  Currently, Ohio State is at #11 and many of their recruiting experts felt it would be difficult for OSU to crack their top 10 so there was an existing bias in their reporting.  They also only list 19 commits as of January 17, 2012 so they have not factored in Taylor Decker, Joey O’Connor and David Perkins' commitment. (Editor's note: So much for ESPiN being the Worldwide Leader in Sports!)
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_Drew Thurman (10:24 pm)

Today was a big day as Urban Meyer had his first official press conference in the WHAC as head coach. The university also officially announced Ed Warinner and Tim Hinton as the final members of Meyer's staff. They were made available to talk to the press along with the other new assistant coaches. They did have some interesting comments to make, which you get a rundown of here. Overall, here is what Meyer's new staff looks like:
_Urban Meyer - Head Coach
Everett Withers - Asst. Head Coach/Co-Def. Coord.
Luke Fickell - Defensive Coordinator/LB Coach
Tom Herman - Off. Coord/Quarterbacks
Ed Warinner - Offensive Line Coach/Co-Off Coord.
Tim Hinton - Tight Ends & Fullbacks Coach
Stan Drayton - Running Backs Coach
_Taver Johnson - Cornerbacks Coach
Zach Smith - Wide Receivers Coach
Mike Vrabel - Defensive Line Coach
Mickey Marotti - Asst. AD for FB Sports Performance
Mark Pantoni - Director of Player Personnel
Brian Voltolini - Director of Football Operations
You can catch a video of what Meyer had to say today after the break...
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Drew Thurman (9:38 am)

We now find ourselves entrenched in January with the college football season  in the past, but there is still plenty of news. This is definitely not a dead period. Let's take a look at all the action.

Dominic Clarke Gets Strike Two

Last night the news broke that on January 7th, cornerback Dominic Clarke was pulled over for running a stop sign as well as going 35 miles per hour in a 20 MPH zone. Clarke would also be cited for failing to provide proof of insurance as well charged with operating a vehicle while impaired. You can see the police report here.

This is his second offense, as he pled guilty to disorderly conduct for shooting a BB gun near and on campus restaurant back in October. He sat out the Illinois game after the incident.

While the university is aware of this situation, it appears we will not find out Clarke's status on the team until after the legal process plays itself out. He is scheduled to be arraigned this morning in Franklin County Municipal Court, so we may find out that news soon. It will definitely be interesting to see how Meyer handles his first off-the-field issue, and whether or not he makes a statement to Clarke and the team. This being Clarke's second offense, my guess is that Meyer and the staff will take this very seriously.

Six Enroll Early, Maybe More to Come

The university officially announced yesterday that there are six early enrollees that will take part in the winter quarter. They are Jacoby Boren, Bri'onte Dunn, Cardale Jones, Joshua Perry, Tyvis Powell, and Michael Thomas. They will get to be part of Mickey Marotti's new conditioning program and get a leg up on having a role on the 2012 team.

There is also word that Se'Von Pittman, Luke Roberts, and Najee Murray may be enrolling in the spring quarter. That's possibly a third of Meyer's 2012 class in early to get coached up.

We have seen in the past the early advantage these guys have under Tressel, and we will see if the same is true with the Meyer regime. One thing is for certain, having Jones, Perry, and Thomas early definitely helps this team out. They all three provide depth and talent at thin spots on the OSU roster, especially Thomas who I believe may be a key player during the 2012 run. This team is majorly lacking playmakers at wide receiver, and I think Thomas can establish himself as the big, possession receiver that is needed.
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Drew Thurman (1:44 pm)

Urban has picked the seventh member of his coaching staff by hiring Zach Smith as his wide receivers coach. Smith, the grandson of Earle Bruce, coached for the past year at Temple University as the wide receivers and special teams, which won nine games this season, including its first bowl win in 32 years. He worked alongside Meyer for five seasons at Florida. Meyer had this to say in the official release:

“Zach Smith has already coached with me for five seasons, and so I know what a quality coach he is,” Meyer said. “He knows my system inside and out and he teaches the system the way I want it to be taught. He has coached and taught some great players already, like Percy Harvin, Aaron Hernandez and Louis Murphy.”

Smith is excited to return to Columbus, where he graduated high school at Dublin Coffman.

“It is really, really a dream come true,” Smith said Wednesday evening. “I grew up watching Ohio State, my Grandfather coached here and I always dreamt of doing it, too.

“Plus I have an opportunity to work with Coach Meyer again. I was able to spend five years on his staff at Florida, and now working with him again is another dream come true for me. It’s like two dreams coming true. I’m really excited, and it is wonderful to be back home.”
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Meet Everett Withers, Buckeye Nation!
Drew Thurman (10:37 pm)

There are no slow days in terms of news right now for Ohio State. Today continued that trend with lots of information that impacts the Buckeye football program next season. Here's what you need to know:

Everett Withers was officially named co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. This move had been rumored for awhile now, but there were also rumors he could be a leading candidate for the Houston head coaching position. So, it was a huge announcement that the 24 year coaching veteran would be joining Meyer's staff. Meyer had this to say about to move:

“Everett is extremely well respected across the country,” Meyer said. “I’ve known about him for a number of years and followed his progress as a college and NFL assistant coach. He will be a great fit for this staff and I think he and Luke [Fickell] are going to work well together as the co-coordinators of our defense.”

Withers expressed his excitement in the official release as well, stating that joining Meyer's staff is "something that you just can’t pass up.” He also told Dave Biddle he is excited to coach Ryan Shazier. Seriously, who wouldn't be.

The other coaching move that was announced today was that Mike Vrabel will remain on the staff, bringing Meyer's coaching staff to six current members. Vrabel has been auditioning for the job for several weeks now, and after seeing his performance on the recruiting trail and talking with Coach Belichick, Meyer felt confident keeping him on board.

“I had heard such great things about Mike Vrabel as a player, but the key thing for me was I wanted to talk football with him,” Meyer said. “I wanted to see him recruit, and I wanted to meet his family. I have since spent a lot of time with him, and he has a wonderful family.

“I also spoke to a number of people I know well, who also know Mike very well, including Bill Belichick. Coach Belichick and I had a really good discussion about Mike. While Mike is young, we both agreed that the unique experiences he has had as a player, coupled with the things he has already accomplished as a coach and recruiter for Ohio State, has prepared Mike for this opportunity. I am very pleased he will be on the staff.”
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Throwing darts at this picture...RIGHT NOW!
Drew Thurman (5:16 pm)

When the bowl ban and the additional scholarship reduction were handed down today, Buckeye fans didn't take it well. After weeks of being promised by "experts" and Gene Smith himself that a bowl ban was not in the cards for Ohio State, today's news wasn't exactly easy to stomach. Twitter instantly blew up with Gene Smith's name actually trending in Columbus, and message boards had many questioning the NCAA.

While it is a disappointment that the Urban Meyer era will start with the cloud of these sanctions hanging over Columbus, fans need to realize that the NCAA did not hand down something that will cripple the program. In fact, let's get some perspective and take a look at what it all means.

- First, Urban Meyer isn't leaving. If you missed the statement he released right after the sanctions were announced, you can read that here. While I'm sure he isn't exactly happy at how this has gone down, he had to have had an understanding that this was a possibility when he signed on.

- The 2012 recruiting class is in fine shape. So far all of the committed players have confirmed that they are still planning on signing with the Buckeyes, including Noah Spence, Se'Von Pittman and Bri'onte Dunn. While  I'm sure that some other schools will try to use this as a recruiting tactic to open the door again, I highly doubt it is going to work. This isn't college basketball where the one-and-done rule could impact the decision, these young men are looking at three to four years of being at a program. Many of these young men will even be redshirting next year anyways, so the one year bowl ban has absolutely no impact.
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Drew Thurman (3:05 pm)

After weeks of great news, the NCAA brought Buckeye Nation back down to reality again. Today they handed down a bowl ban for 2012, an additional year of probation, and the loss of four more scholarships of the next three years (9 total).

Here is a complete rundown of all of the sanctions the Buckeyes will be facing, including those self-imposed.

* Public reprimand and censure.
* Three years of probation from Dec. 20, 2011, through Dec. 19, 2014. The public report contains further details on the conditions of this probation.
* Postseason ban for the 2012 football season, which includes the conference championship game.
* Reduction of football scholarships from 85 to 82 for each of the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 academic years. This is an increase from the university’s proposal of five initial scholarships spread over three academic years.
* Vacation of all wins for the 2010 football regular season, including the 2010 Big Ten Conference co-championship and participation in the 2011 Sugar Bowl. The public report contains further details (self-imposed by the university).
* Forfeiture of $338,811, which is the amount the university received through the Big Ten Conference revenue sharing for its appearance in the bowl game (self-imposed by the university).
* Five-year show-cause order for the former head coach. The public report contains further details.
* Disassociation of the booster for 10 years, including among other conditions, the prohibition of any financial or other support (self-imposed by the university).
* Disassociation of a former student-athlete for five years, including among other conditions, the prohibition of any financial or other support (self-imposed by the university).

Gene Smith said that this will not be appealed by the university, even though it did "surprise and disappoint" them. More reaction on the news later...
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