Drew Thurman (3:13 pm)
Welcome to our weekly edition of Midweek News & Notes. You may have noticed already that it isn't the middle of the week anymore, making this piece ill-timed and wrongly titled. I apologize for the tardiness, as I was too busy driving a side by side in the mountains of northern Arizona to type this piece up.
My prolongation in getting this piece out does allow me the joy of talking more about the Sporting News though. Believe it or not, they have once again published a piece about Urban Meyer. This time, instead of defaming his character or throwing out accusations, they named him the best coach in the B1G. You can't make this stuff up.
While it is ironic the Sporting News would go to the trouble of awarding Meyer with this honor after all the mud they have slung his way, there is no way you could name anyone ahead of him. With two national titles and a 7-1 bowl record, his resume dwarfs everyone else in the B1G. Steve Greenberg of SN couldn't completely give Meyer a complement though. Somehow, he claims that Meyer's stock is trending down, while Bielema, Dantonio and Hoke, the next three guys on the list, are all trending upwards. I guess Greenberg will never quit his job to become a stock broker.
Anyway, that's enough ink wasted on that. Let's take a look at some of the other news items this week.
Welcome to our weekly edition of Midweek News & Notes. You may have noticed already that it isn't the middle of the week anymore, making this piece ill-timed and wrongly titled. I apologize for the tardiness, as I was too busy driving a side by side in the mountains of northern Arizona to type this piece up.
My prolongation in getting this piece out does allow me the joy of talking more about the Sporting News though. Believe it or not, they have once again published a piece about Urban Meyer. This time, instead of defaming his character or throwing out accusations, they named him the best coach in the B1G. You can't make this stuff up.
While it is ironic the Sporting News would go to the trouble of awarding Meyer with this honor after all the mud they have slung his way, there is no way you could name anyone ahead of him. With two national titles and a 7-1 bowl record, his resume dwarfs everyone else in the B1G. Steve Greenberg of SN couldn't completely give Meyer a complement though. Somehow, he claims that Meyer's stock is trending down, while Bielema, Dantonio and Hoke, the next three guys on the list, are all trending upwards. I guess Greenberg will never quit his job to become a stock broker.
Anyway, that's enough ink wasted on that. Let's take a look at some of the other news items this week.
ESPN Roundtable: College Football Live sat down to preview this upcoming season for the Buckeyes. While Kirk Herbstreit and company were excited at the possibilities of what Urban Meyer's offense could do with Braxton Miller, they had questions about how well this team will be motivated down the stretch with the postseason ban. You can take in the whole discussion below. Just be warned, you will actually like Herbie again if you watch this.
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Meyer and Matta Entertain: Last night in front of a crowd of over a thousand people at the 23rd-annual Pigskin Roundball Spectacular, both Meyer and Matta shared keynote speaking duties. As you would expect, both won over the crowd and further endeared themselves with Buckeye Nation. Meyer shared this sentiment from the spring game.
Meyer and Matta Entertain: Last night in front of a crowd of over a thousand people at the 23rd-annual Pigskin Roundball Spectacular, both Meyer and Matta shared keynote speaking duties. As you would expect, both won over the crowd and further endeared themselves with Buckeye Nation. Meyer shared this sentiment from the spring game.
“Chris Spielman called me early on the morning of the spring game and said, ‘Promise me one thing. Today at some point when you’re on the field at Ohio Stadium’ — it’s 46 degrees and raining and there are over 80,000 nut jobs watching the Buckeyes play a practice (game) — he said, ‘At some point take your mind off the game and take it all in.’ I promised I would, then I forgot. ... But at the beginning of the fourth quarter, when the Best Damn Band in the Land was playing ‘Hang on Sloopy,’ I finally turned around and stared and said, ‘My God, I’m really here.’ And I enjoyed every frickin’ second of ‘Hang On Sloopy.’ ”
I feel pretty much the same way about watching Urban coach. It feels surreal. Anyway, equally as enjoyable, Matta shared these thoughts on Michigan's "Ohio" reference.
“Their new football coach calls us Ohio (as opposed to Ohio State),” Matta said. “The basketball coach calls us Ohio. ... A reporter asked me one time, ‘Thad, how do you feel about them calling you Ohio?.’ I said, ‘My man, I’m 16-3 against Michigan in eight years. They can call us whatever they want to.’ ”
PWNAGE!
Fragel Talks Position Change: It's hard not to like Reid Fragel. Not only has he quietly bought his time at Ohio State, he's done things the right way all along. Despite massive changes, including three different head coaches in his career, Fragel has remained steadfast and done whatever the team needed him to do. The biggest example of that was his decision to move from tight end to offensive tackle, a decision he approached Urban Meyer about. Not only did Fragel realize that he didn't fit the tight end position in Urban's offense, but he also knew the Buckeyes needed tackles badly. It was an unselfish switch, and one that will have me in his corner all season long.
That change also landed him in the Detroit News this week, who did a profile on the Grosse Pointe South product. He had this to say about his love for Ohio State and his unwavering commitment to the program.
Fragel Talks Position Change: It's hard not to like Reid Fragel. Not only has he quietly bought his time at Ohio State, he's done things the right way all along. Despite massive changes, including three different head coaches in his career, Fragel has remained steadfast and done whatever the team needed him to do. The biggest example of that was his decision to move from tight end to offensive tackle, a decision he approached Urban Meyer about. Not only did Fragel realize that he didn't fit the tight end position in Urban's offense, but he also knew the Buckeyes needed tackles badly. It was an unselfish switch, and one that will have me in his corner all season long.
That change also landed him in the Detroit News this week, who did a profile on the Grosse Pointe South product. He had this to say about his love for Ohio State and his unwavering commitment to the program.
"I love this university," Fragel said. "I told myself in my junior year when I committed, I was going to commit to a school, not a coach. Coach Tressel was a phenomenal coach, icing on the cake, and that sealed the deal for me. I never thought about transferring (last year). I knew there would be changes made."
My favorite quote though, is about his thoughts on missing out on a bowl game in his senior season.
"In my mind, there's no better way to finish my career at Ohio State than play Michigan at home," Fragel said. "Would I like to go to a bowl game? Yes, that would be great. Obviously playing for a national championship would be the best, but playing Michigan in Ohio Stadium in my last game is a great way to finish my career."
Hankins Getting Some Draft Love: While the Buckeyes weren't exactly a big factor in this year's NFL Draft (which is a rarity), especially in the first round, next year's outlook appears different. While several current players have some work to do this season to improve their stock, it appears you can already pencil Jonathan Hankins in the first round. Thus far all the experts are high on what Hankins brings to the table and have him going in the first round in their mock drafts. ESPN's Todd McShay has Hankins as the third defensive tackle coming off the board at pick No. 28. Peter Schrager of Fox Sports also has Hankins as the third best DT on his draft board, going at pick No. 15.
15. New York Jets: John Hankins, NT, Ohio State: The Mark Sanchez/Tim Tebow experiment goes better than expected, as both quarterbacks get along and make contributions. Alas, New York falls a win shy of the playoffs. Hankins is a big 335-pound, 3-4 nose tackle. Perfect for Rex Ryan’s defensive line.
Oh, 2014 Will Be Fun: While Urban has made a serious splash on the national recruiting scene, I truly believe he is just getting started. In fact, keep an eye on what is starting to form in the 2014 class. With the sanctions behind him, a good amount of scholarships to offer and relationships built, the 2014 class could be lights out. He and the staff have already been working hard to get in early with many of the top players in the class, something that will pay off in the end.
In fact, 247Sports released their Top 25 for 2014, a list that should make Buckeye fans smile. The Buckeyes are in on nearly half of the prospects on the list including DE Da'Shawn Hand, OT Braden Smith, S Quin Blanding, LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Dante Booker. Look out world...
In fact, 247Sports released their Top 25 for 2014, a list that should make Buckeye fans smile. The Buckeyes are in on nearly half of the prospects on the list including DE Da'Shawn Hand, OT Braden Smith, S Quin Blanding, LB Raekwon McMillan and LB Dante Booker. Look out world...
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