the next guy
Superstar
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index....t_river_default#incart_m-rpt-2#incart_m-rpt-2
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kyle Berger was committed to Ohio State for a month when his phone rang with an unknown number on the caller ID. He picked up to find Alabama football coach Nick Saban on the line, calling to inform the St. Ignatius linebacker that he now had a scholarship offer from the Crimson Tide.
The conversation was short. Berger told him that he was completely devoted to his oral commitment to Ohio State, thanked him for his interest, and both parties moved on.
Why did Saban call? Why was it worth Saban’s time to contact a prospect who's never been anything but a loyal member of Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class? And why has Alabama contacted 11 of the 18 Ohio State pledges?
If this was 2011 and Urban Meyer wasn’t the coach at Ohio State, would Alabama be knocking on the door of a Northeast Ohio recruit – in the hotbed location of Buckeyes recruiting – hoping to make a committed prospect think twice?
“It’s a battle,” Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. said, referring to Ohio State’s quest to catch Alabama at the pinnacle of college football. “It’s a battle to be No. 1 in the country in football, and it is a battle to be No. 1 in getting kids out of Ohio, too.”
Alabama has won three of the past four national titles, and Meyer has publicly set his aim on the Crimson Tide while trying to lead Ohio State to a national championship. Alabama is already at the top, but it is aware of Meyer’s approaching presence.
That’s because for Ohio State catch up, it must consistently win the recruiting war, where the Buckeyes and Tide are now very familiar foes.
Itâs a battle to be No. 1 in the country in football, and it is a battle to be No. 1 in getting kids out of Ohio
Those battles have become more frequent since Meyer – who won two national titles out of the SEC while coaching Florida from 2005-10 – took over at Ohio State.
And it’s happening in the Midwest, where Alabama hasn’t typically focused its recruiting efforts.
Ginn is most familiar with those battles because it's happening at his school. Three of the best recruits in the 2014 recruiting class are enrolled at Glenville: offensive lineman Marcelys Jones, wide receiver and defensive back Marshon Lattimore and defensive back Erick Smith. All of them are considering offers from both Ohio State and Alabama.
But it’s more rampant than that. There are the Kyle Bergers of the world, players who are good enough to play at Alabama but were not worth the Crimson Tide’s time five years ago given that they already ended their recruitments. There are a lot of linebackers between Tuscaloosa and Cleveland.
View full sizeAlabama coach Nick Saban has led the Crimson Tide to three of the last four national championships. And now he has Alabama attacking the Midwest during the recruiting process.Al Diaz, Miami Herald
“I talked to Marcelys Jones about Alabama, and he even gets that sense that they want to beat Ohio State,” Berger said. “I feel like it is going to be an ongoing battle between Ohio State and Alabama off the field with recruiting. Coach Meyer and Coach Saban are going to butt heads.”
Smith, too, has picked up on the budding rivalry.
“They always (seem to) be taking shots at each other,” Smith said of Ohio State and Alabama, both of which are heavily involved in his recruitment. “They try to hide it.”
Alabama dabbled in recruiting Ohio in the past.
In the 2011 recruiting class, the Tide came up into Ohio and took two prospects, including four-star linebacker Trey DePriest from Springfield. When Alabama secured DePriest’s commitment, it made waves within the circles of Ohio State supporters who outwardly wondered how the Buckeyes could possibly miss on the highly touted linebacker.
Three classes later, Alabama is hoping to land three of Ohio State’s most coveted targets in the Glenville prospects, and you can believe Saban wants them. Alabama offers are littered all over the Midwest after it signed only one prospect from the area in its entire 2013 class. Alabama also has a commitment from four-star wide receiver Derek Kief from Cincinnati La Salle, who had an Ohio State offer.
Now Alabama has expressed interest in 11 of the 18 players in Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class. This hasn’t always been the case.
Take a look back at the 2011 recruiting class – former coach Jim Tressel’s last complete class at Ohio State – and Alabama had contacted only six of the Buckeyes' 23 players. Only two of those players were in the Midwest – two Ohio targets in four-star defensive tackle Michael Bennett and quarterback Braxton Miller, one of the best overall prospects in the class.
View full sizeTrey DePriest chose to attend Alabama over Ohio State in the 2011 recruiting class. At the time, his decision to leave Ohio left Buckeye fans dumbfounded on how Ohio State could have lost out on the highly touted prospect. Eric Gay, Associated Press
All the others were from the South. Highly regarded Florida targets Jeff Heuerman and Ryan Shazier heard from Alabama, and so did former five-star linebacker Curtis Grant from Virginia. The last one was long-snapper Bryce Haynes from Georgia, but the Crimson Tide would only take him as a walk-on.
Now all of a sudden Alabama has contacted Ohio State commitments like Berger; Indianapolis Cathedral wide receiver Terry McLaurin; athlete Malik Hooker of New Castle, Pa.; cornerback Damon Webb of Detroit Cass Tech; defensive end Jalyn Holmes of Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor; wide receiver Curtis Samuel of Brooklyn (N.Y.); wide receiver Noah Brown of Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII and others.
“I haven’t heard from Alabama in nearly 10 years,” Hank Sawyer, Holmes’ coach at Lake Taylor, told Cleveland.com. “The fact that they won so many national championships, I was surprised that they came up and showed interest in Jalyn. But like Ohio State, they’re looking for the best players in the country.”
None of the aforementioned Ohio State commitments Alabama reached out to are located in the Crimson Tide’s prime recruiting area – the deep South.
It’s true Alabama has taken a more national approach – you’re allowed to do that once you’ve won three of the last four national titles – and that will lead to more run-ins with Ohio State, who also recruits nationally.
But these run-ins are happening in Ohio State’s backyard, in the Midwest with prospects who have already pledged to the Buckeyes. And it’s unprecedented.
Let’s explore why this could be happening.
where should have this kid gone, Alabama or Ohio State
@SilkkTheStalker @RammerJammer @Illeye buckmatic @His_Excellence_Reincar
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kyle Berger was committed to Ohio State for a month when his phone rang with an unknown number on the caller ID. He picked up to find Alabama football coach Nick Saban on the line, calling to inform the St. Ignatius linebacker that he now had a scholarship offer from the Crimson Tide.
The conversation was short. Berger told him that he was completely devoted to his oral commitment to Ohio State, thanked him for his interest, and both parties moved on.
Why did Saban call? Why was it worth Saban’s time to contact a prospect who's never been anything but a loyal member of Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class? And why has Alabama contacted 11 of the 18 Ohio State pledges?
If this was 2011 and Urban Meyer wasn’t the coach at Ohio State, would Alabama be knocking on the door of a Northeast Ohio recruit – in the hotbed location of Buckeyes recruiting – hoping to make a committed prospect think twice?
“It’s a battle,” Glenville coach Ted Ginn Sr. said, referring to Ohio State’s quest to catch Alabama at the pinnacle of college football. “It’s a battle to be No. 1 in the country in football, and it is a battle to be No. 1 in getting kids out of Ohio, too.”
Alabama has won three of the past four national titles, and Meyer has publicly set his aim on the Crimson Tide while trying to lead Ohio State to a national championship. Alabama is already at the top, but it is aware of Meyer’s approaching presence.
That’s because for Ohio State catch up, it must consistently win the recruiting war, where the Buckeyes and Tide are now very familiar foes.
Itâs a battle to be No. 1 in the country in football, and it is a battle to be No. 1 in getting kids out of Ohio
Those battles have become more frequent since Meyer – who won two national titles out of the SEC while coaching Florida from 2005-10 – took over at Ohio State.
And it’s happening in the Midwest, where Alabama hasn’t typically focused its recruiting efforts.
Ginn is most familiar with those battles because it's happening at his school. Three of the best recruits in the 2014 recruiting class are enrolled at Glenville: offensive lineman Marcelys Jones, wide receiver and defensive back Marshon Lattimore and defensive back Erick Smith. All of them are considering offers from both Ohio State and Alabama.
But it’s more rampant than that. There are the Kyle Bergers of the world, players who are good enough to play at Alabama but were not worth the Crimson Tide’s time five years ago given that they already ended their recruitments. There are a lot of linebackers between Tuscaloosa and Cleveland.
“I talked to Marcelys Jones about Alabama, and he even gets that sense that they want to beat Ohio State,” Berger said. “I feel like it is going to be an ongoing battle between Ohio State and Alabama off the field with recruiting. Coach Meyer and Coach Saban are going to butt heads.”
Smith, too, has picked up on the budding rivalry.
“They always (seem to) be taking shots at each other,” Smith said of Ohio State and Alabama, both of which are heavily involved in his recruitment. “They try to hide it.”
Alabama dabbled in recruiting Ohio in the past.
In the 2011 recruiting class, the Tide came up into Ohio and took two prospects, including four-star linebacker Trey DePriest from Springfield. When Alabama secured DePriest’s commitment, it made waves within the circles of Ohio State supporters who outwardly wondered how the Buckeyes could possibly miss on the highly touted linebacker.
Three classes later, Alabama is hoping to land three of Ohio State’s most coveted targets in the Glenville prospects, and you can believe Saban wants them. Alabama offers are littered all over the Midwest after it signed only one prospect from the area in its entire 2013 class. Alabama also has a commitment from four-star wide receiver Derek Kief from Cincinnati La Salle, who had an Ohio State offer.
Now Alabama has expressed interest in 11 of the 18 players in Ohio State’s 2014 recruiting class. This hasn’t always been the case.
Take a look back at the 2011 recruiting class – former coach Jim Tressel’s last complete class at Ohio State – and Alabama had contacted only six of the Buckeyes' 23 players. Only two of those players were in the Midwest – two Ohio targets in four-star defensive tackle Michael Bennett and quarterback Braxton Miller, one of the best overall prospects in the class.
All the others were from the South. Highly regarded Florida targets Jeff Heuerman and Ryan Shazier heard from Alabama, and so did former five-star linebacker Curtis Grant from Virginia. The last one was long-snapper Bryce Haynes from Georgia, but the Crimson Tide would only take him as a walk-on.
Now all of a sudden Alabama has contacted Ohio State commitments like Berger; Indianapolis Cathedral wide receiver Terry McLaurin; athlete Malik Hooker of New Castle, Pa.; cornerback Damon Webb of Detroit Cass Tech; defensive end Jalyn Holmes of Norfolk (Va.) Lake Taylor; wide receiver Curtis Samuel of Brooklyn (N.Y.); wide receiver Noah Brown of Sparta (N.J.) Pope John XXIII and others.
“I haven’t heard from Alabama in nearly 10 years,” Hank Sawyer, Holmes’ coach at Lake Taylor, told Cleveland.com. “The fact that they won so many national championships, I was surprised that they came up and showed interest in Jalyn. But like Ohio State, they’re looking for the best players in the country.”
None of the aforementioned Ohio State commitments Alabama reached out to are located in the Crimson Tide’s prime recruiting area – the deep South.
It’s true Alabama has taken a more national approach – you’re allowed to do that once you’ve won three of the last four national titles – and that will lead to more run-ins with Ohio State, who also recruits nationally.
But these run-ins are happening in Ohio State’s backyard, in the Midwest with prospects who have already pledged to the Buckeyes. And it’s unprecedented.
Let’s explore why this could be happening.
where should have this kid gone, Alabama or Ohio State
@SilkkTheStalker @RammerJammer @Illeye buckmatic @His_Excellence_Reincar
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at Herban Liar
) recent NFL players on the staff,rich lb tradition( I'll concede bama has that also
) coach with two rings,childhood team riding nations longest winning streak,be followed by great coli posters @
seems like the article is fabricating a "budding rivalry" that's really not there. Sure, there are a few examples of Bama giving offers to some kids in Ohio, but it's really not exclusive to that area at all. They're recruiting nationally, so everything is fair game. There are and will continue to be kids that will go to Bama and shun their local school.
