[QUOTE=brucecuth]It's funny. A couple years ago, a poster wrote that Ohio should never lose a D-! prospect from southeast OH to another school. I replied that if I were a D-1 prospect and received offers from Ohio and say, Florida, the next sound you'd hear would be my tires screeching as I headed south. The replies to my post were predictable. "The original poster meant we should never lose a prospect to a MAC school." and "doesn't really matter, southeast OH never produces high level prospects."
Now that it appears southeast OH might just produce a QB that power conference schools would want, well, the stories have changed. "I'll be holding my breath over this one..." "It depends. If our players and coaches are as good as we hope they'll be..."
The problem is many of us look at the issue as wishful fans, rather than hard headed realists.
Let's stipulate these two things: Our program is where we all hope it will be two years from now. And there is a QB in southeast OH talented enough to not only get an early offer from Ohio, but multiple offers from BIG 10 and other power conference schools. Is there really even a question as to where he'll go?
I can tell you if a kid is that good, he's a competitor. He wants to test himself against the best competition, within the team he's on as well as the teams he'll play against.. Would he rather play Akron, Bowling Green and Miami with crowds at most around 20 thousand? Or would he rather play for a school that has a schedule that includes a Michigan...or a Southern Cal...or a Florida, with crowds of 60,000...80,000...maybe even 100,000? Would he rather play for a school who goes to third-tier bowls, or has a realistic opportunity at being in the national championship playoff? A school that at best gets a game on national tv on a Wednesday or Thursday night, or a school whose games are televised on Saturday?
I guess if this kid has a dad who happens to coach at Ohio, well maybe there's a 1 in 25 shot that he decides to stay here. But it's not like this hypothetical kid has real roots here. There's no real allegiance to Athens or Ohio University. Like I said, his dad just happens to coach here.
Remember, 60 years ago there was an all world running back from Chauncey. Still holds some Ohio high school rushing records. But Hubert Bobo didn't go to the school 5 miles away (yes, I know Ohio was not a D-1 school then). He wanted to play for Woody Hayes and compete in the Big 10. Heck, I may be wrong, but I think he might have been more of a blocking back for Woody...still didn't matter.
It's early, as far as young Burrow is concerned. Maybe he turns out to be good, maybe better than good, but not super. Then maybe Ohio has a great opportunity. But if it turns out he has offers from good schools in power conferences, well, as I said in a previous post, I would not hold my breath.
Check me on this. Don't we have a former ND QB at Ohio? Are we not discussing a 5 star QB bouncing around attempting to find a place to play? For a player coaching should matter and playing should matter. Getting to Michigan or So. Cal does not mean you will play. Only one QB on the field at a time and if the coaching is first class the better oportunity may be at a MAC or like program. Are you suggesting TT would have been better off at Michigan watching than Ohio playing? His best oportunity was Ohio, no question.
Now that you bring up TT, remember, he was hurt his junior HS year and by his own account he had 3 scholarship offers. His "best opportunity"? Ohio was just about his only opportunity. I read carefully all the stories about him early in the season after we defeated Penn St. and were getting votes in the polls. He's happy here, but he made it quite clear that he had hoped to get offers from bigger schools and was disappointed that he didn't. Their loss is our gain, and I couldn't be happier. Fact is, though, if he had gotten those other offers, most likely he wouldn't be here. Why? Because he's a competitor, and he wanted to compete at the highest level.
Let's also carry to its full conclusion this oft-repeated argument that that kids should come to Ohio rather than a D-1 powerhouse 'cuz they'll have a better opportunity to play here. Well, I guess every player coming to Ohio hoping to start but not presently doing so should transfer to a lesser D-1 program or even D-2 or D-3. ' Cuz just as it is better to play at Ohio rather than sit on the bench at Michigan, it must be better to start at Mount Union or Augustana or even UNLV rather than sit on the bench at Ohio... There's good coaching at all those places, and pro scouts who know how to find Athens can find them, too.
[/QUOTE
Somewhere above I posted that I am glad Joe is looking early and far and wide. After all
he will need to make an
informed decision on where he best
fits. Who knows there might be factors beyond football important to the young man.