The Best Damn Recruiting Board

Per Elliott, Urban said they are only taking one RB in this class. Don't believe it but that is what he was told.

I think he's too good of a back to turn down, so I think in the end Green is a Buckeye unless he's absolutely blown away by some other visit. Everything I'm reading indicates he's just dragging things out to bring more attention to his high school teammates.

I said "maybe USC or SEC" because he doesn't seem like a kid who's afraid to leave home and go away to school. I didn't mean USC specifically. He's got 27 offers and they're from all over the country. But in the end, I think he'll stay close to home because Va Tech's got a good program that's turned out 3 NFL backs in the past two seasons and UVA seems to be moving in the right direction and appears to be in dire need of RBs.

The competition I was referring to isn't Elliott but our current stable of bigger backs. When Green's a FR, Hyde will be a senior, Smith a junior and Dunn and Ball either sophs and/or RS FR. That's a lot of big bodies running between the tackles when it seems our priority is smaller backs who can get outside the tackles. How many of those guys do we need? How many can we afford? When Urban's decried our lack of playmakers, I don't believe he's been talking about Hyde, Smith, Dunn and Ball but rather the scarcity of Elliotts and Marshalls, the smaller "scatbacks" he can put out in space.

This is IMO why Green hasn't committed to OSU yet, I think he is all Buckeye.

What is your timeline for making a college decision?

I don't know right now. I haven't narrowed down my list yet and ------ am still trying to get my teammates some looks from schools, ---------so I'll have to sit down and figure everything out.

That's what kids say but that's not necessarily what I believe. It's like Nuke LaLoosh being coached on how to talk to the media by Crash Davis in Bull Durham--these kids learn how to talk the talk, learn the cliches, get into recruit-speak mode. There can be a big difference between what kids SAY and what they really FEEL.

A kid saying he's a competitor is what every coach wants to hear; Urban's even said it's the quality he looks for most in a prospect. We want that self-confidence and swagger. I am not questioning Green's heart or passion or desire. I'm not saying he's not a competitor. What I am saying is that I won't be surprised it he eventually looks at our roster, realizes we have a lot of guys just like him, and while he may have grown up a Buckeye fan and earnestly believes he's the best, is he willing to stake his CFB and prospective NFL careers on it when he could go somewhere else and be unchallenged top gun from Day 1?

This is the "inverse Mike McCray" scenario, which is as a Buckeye legacy, he grew up wanting to play for OSU but whatever reasons, Urban didn't want him. The inverse of that is that we have to acknowledge that no matter how much Green may have grown up a Buckeye fan or how much Urban wants him, he may ultimately decide he doesn't want us. That no matter how much he's not afraid of competition, signing with OSU isn't in HIS best interests. Elliott, on the other hand, has no doubt heard Urban lament our lack of Percy Harvin-like "playmakers," aka the WR/RB/Scatback "slasher," and sees a great opportunity to fill that void.

I have heard chatter about some top offensive recruits holding off committing because they want to see what Urban's offense is going to look like. Green, I am sure, is one of them. The spring game should help in that regard, although it sounds like the offense needs a lot of work so hopefully they'll be able to appreciate Urban's vision even if the desired execution and results aren't there (and a poor offensive performance might actually help us because it could convince kids like Green we really need them).

I think Derrick Green is an incredible talent. I hope we get him. I just have this feeling in my gut that tells me we won't. And I will do backflips if I am wrong.

Well alrighty then. Not a huge assurance here and sorry Derrick to bother you with the question.

Not sure at all where this young man stands on his decision. I guess that it is STILL early, so we shouldn't read too much into the response?

Guess i will just have to be patient and see if he ultimately commits to tOSU? Not gonna count him as a commitment yet as I just can't be too happy about this "ya sumwhat" response.

this is a great take

I am not very confident on this one.

I would have thought he was heading to Columbus a few weeks ago, but the current rumor is that he is trying to come back up for Michigan's spring game now. He looks like a great talent, but I think it is the same situation Michigan is in right now with the top receivers. You can talk about the vision for the future of your offense/defense, but until players actually see it in games, it is just talk. He looks like a great talent, but seems like he would have already pulled the OSU trigger if he was sold on how he would be used.