12th Man: Shaw Wide Receiver Tyrone Williams Verbally Commits to Ohio State

Posted by HD Handshoe
Founder—BlockONation


Imagine 6-6 quarterback Terrelle Pryor throwing lob passes to 6-7 wideout Tyrone Williams in the back of the Ohio State end zone. Buckeyes fans can begin the fantasy now.

"He's the best quarterback I've ever seen in college and he's really fast, too," Williams said. "I looking forward to catching balls from him."

Williams, a 6-7, 215-pound wide receiver at Shaw High School in East Cleveland, made an oral commitment to Ohio State on Saturday, becoming the 12th member of the 2010 Buckeye recruiting class.

Williams is big, strong, fast and still growing.

He has grown almost two inches and put on more than 15 pounds since the start of last season. He said he could reach 6-9. He is taller than any wideout playing at or committed to OSU. Shaw coach Rodney Brown said Ohio State coaches promised not to make Williams a tight end.

"When we bumped into (Pryor), the size difference was amazing," Brown said. "Tyrone is bigger than I realized when he stood next to Terrelle. It should be a great combination."

Williams also considered offers from Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas, Michigan State and West Virginia. He is rated a four-star recruit (out of five) by recruiting Web sites scout.com and rivals.com. Scout ranks Williams as the 33rd best wide receiver in the nation and the 15th best senior overall in Ohio. Rivals ranks him 44th among receivers and 14th overall in Ohio. Williams is the No. 3 ranked player in The Plain Dealer preseason Top 40.

Cincinnati was the only other school he visited. Williams called OSU coach Jim Tressel early Saturday afternoon.

"The coaching staff is very embracing,'' Brown said. "T.Y. is a home-state boy and it's the best choice for him. He could have visited other schools. He wants to a Buckeye."


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Tyrone Williams Highlights


Williams, who is reserved and polite, said he struck up a good rapport with Tressel and assistant coaches Taver Johnson and Darrell Hazel. He said once he set foot in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, it was a done deal.

"From the first time I saw the original stadium, I knew I would like to play on that field," he said.

Williams had surgery last October to repair a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament. Prior to the injury, he caught 11 passes for 402 yards (36.5-yard average) and 11 touchdowns in five games. He missed basketball and indoor track seasons while recuperating, but returned for outdoor track and did well. Brown said Williams ran the 200 meters in 22.8 seconds and a 47.6-second split in the 4x400-yard relay. He has been timed in the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.

"My knee is 110 percent," Williams said.

Williams caught five passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in a tie against Warren Harding on Friday. He said he plans to play basketball this winter and run track in the spring.

Williams, who turned 17 in May, grew up playing basketball and played football in eighth, 10th and 11th grades, but missed half of his junior year.

"I met him in the eighth grade and he had a choppy stride and great turnover, which is very rare for a tall kid," Brown said. "He's never been clumsy. He was bashful and shy when he was younger."

Brown said Williams still has to qualify academically.

"Tyrone has some work to do in the classroom, but last year he had all A's, B's and one C," Brown said.


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Original article written by Tim Warsinskey of the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Southern Exposure: How the Buckeyes Will Reap Recruiting Rewards

by Tim Bielik
BlockONation Analyst



Two weeks into fall camps, the impact of some of the Buckeyes' latest recruits is very palpable.

Multiple freshmen, including Duron Carter, Storm Klein, and Dorian Bell, have worked their way already into the second-team units.

Freshman running back Jaamal Berry has drawn a lot of praise from Jim Tressel for his athletic ability early on in camp.

More so now than in recent years do the Buckeyes have tremendous athletic potential at a lot of positions, some at positions they aren't used to being strong at.

Ohio State appears to be solid with three-deep at running back. They also have a very deep, albeit inexperienced, wide receiver corps bursting with ability.

In addition, the Buckeyes appear to have one of their deepest linebacker corps in recent memory, with almost anyone in their two-deep rotation capable of starting.

The biggest reason for such depth has been dramatically improved recruiting methods.

In the last few years, the Buckeyes have been better at recruiting in the Southern states and landing some elite talent from states like Georgia and Florida.

As of right now, three of their main defensive contributors—defensive end Cameron Heyward, linebacker Brian Rolle, and cornerback Chimdi Chekwa—hail from both of those states.

Starting center Mike Brewster also hails from Florida as one of the major prospects from the South in the past two years.

Sophomore linebacker Etienne Sabino and redshirt freshman defensive back Travis Howard are both expected to fill major roles on the Buckeye defense.

In addition, Berry and Carter both hail from Florida and both have made early impressions on the Buckeye coaching staff.

But Florida is not the only major outside source for Buckeye talent in the past two recruiting classes. Jim Tressel has left a mark on the neighboring state of Pennsylvania, as he has taken the top player in the state to Columbus twice now.

Last year it was current starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor along with linebacker Andrew Sweat.

This year, stud linebacker Dorian Bell and defensive back/wide receiver Corey Brown came from the Keystone State to Columbus.

No one who follows recruiting can deny how much talent the Buckeyes have landed in their last two previous classes. Those classes ranked among the top five, rivaling recruiting titans USC and Florida.

As with any recruiting class, teams start reaping the benefits after the kids have a year under their belt, or even sooner.

If the 2009 season is the rule and not the exception, Ohio State fans are in for some exciting football.

No one outside of the program knows the current position rankings and depth charts of the roster until just before the first game. So it's unclear at this time what type of impact the freshmen and second-year players will have.

No doubt this is one of Tressel's youngest teams. So odds are high that these young guys will be thrust into action.

But if the youngsters hold true to their recruiting hype, Ohio State's new Buckeyes could have several teams that would be among the best in a storied history.


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Around The "Block" With Future Buckeye DE/LB David Durham (2010 Recruit)

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com



I've been fortunate enough recently to be able to contact and interview several of the Buckeye recruits from the class of 2009.

My good fortune continues as I now bring you my first interview with a member of the Ohio State class of 2010, David Durham, the 6'3 DE/LB from Texas who verbally committed to the Bucks on 2/23/2009.

I'd like to thank David for his time in allowing me to bring this to the BlockONation!

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BlockO:
You verbally committed to Ohio State almost a full year before signing day 2010. What convinced and sold you so quickly about Ohio State and which coach or coaches were directly involved in recruiting you?

DD:
Ohio State football sells itself. It’s a special place to play. The facilities, The Horseshoe, and the players are the best anywhere. It is one of the few programs where the expectations are conference championships and national titles every year.

The relationships with the coaches made a big impact on me. Coach Tressel is someone I can trust and that really cares about his players. He has established strong FCA and community service programs, has a great staff that is stable and consistently wins. I knew I couldn't find a better place than Ohio State to play college football. There's great fan support and academics as well.

Coach Fickell was the coach that recruited me and also the coach that I will be playing for. He is someone that I have a lot of respect for and I look forward to playing for him.


BlockO:
Any idea when you may take an official or unofficial visit to come hang out with the team, check out the facilities and/or take in a game in person?

DD:
I’ll be coming back up to Columbus for the spring game and hopefully I will be able to sit in on a few meetings and practices while I am there. I will also take my official visit for a game if my open week coincides with an OSU home game.


BlockO:
How pumped are you to watch the 2009 Week two Ohio State/USC prime-time game in Columbus?

DD:
I’m excited! It’s going to be a huge game with a lot of big time players. It’s very important because it’s at home and on national TV with championship implications. I think it’s important that we win every game, but especially the ones in Columbus.


BlockO:
Do you have a favorite Buckeye player of all-time?

DD:
Some of my favorite Buckeyes would have to be AJ Hawk and James Laurinaitis. Those guys are playmakers. Guys I try to model my play after would be Bobby Carpenter, Vernon Gholston, and Thaddeus Gibson. They play linebacker and defensive end just like I do. I really liked watching Gibson this year especially the way he gets after the quarterback.


BlockO:
Michigan has been down for the past couple season but Ohio State vs. Michigan is still a fierce rivalry no matter what and 2009 will mark the 106th meeting? Coming from Texas, what is your perspective on this rivalry?

DD:
This rivalry is one of the reasons I am attracted to Ohio State. I’ve watched some games on TV and have also seen the HBO special. Ohio State – Michigan is the biggest rivalry in college football. I want to play in big games and it doesn’t get any bigger than that one.


BlockO:
Who's your favorite NFL team and do you have a current NFL favorite player? How about favorite NFL player of all-time?

DD:
I am originally from Charlotte, so my favorite NFL team has been the Carolina Panthers. Some of my favorite NFL players are Ray Lewis, Sean Merriman, and Brian Urlacher. But my favorite player of all time is Lawrence Taylor. It’s hard to find someone who compares to him at the linebacker position, he’s the best. I try to play like he does.


BlockO:
What's your favorite kind of music and who's your favorite artist/band?

DD:
I like to listen to a lot of rap music. I like a lot of southern artists. My favorites are Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, and T.I.


BlockO:
Do you ever visit any of the online Buckeye message boards or Blogs and if so, have you ever posted comments or do you just read what fans are saying?

DD:
I don’t usually pay attention to the message boards, but a few of my friends have showed me some of the posts by Ohio State fans after I committed and I really appreciate their welcome messages and support.

Sometimes I get on Rivals or Scout just to see how Ohio State is doing in recruiting, or whether we have picked up any new commitments in my class, things like that.


BlockO:
Are you in any YouTube videos that you know of?

DD:
Not that I know of.


BlockO:
Since you're from Texas, I just have to assume you do have family and friends who are Longhorn fans so, how did they react to you choosing OSU?

DD:
Everyone has been very supportive of my decision to attend tOSU. Most of my friends, even though they might be Longhorn or Aggie fans, think it is a pretty big deal for me to be going to Ohio State to play football.


BlockO:
As a H.S. player that was being recruited by Ohio State, were you affected or hesitant at all before you made your decision to commit to OSU after the past three BCS bowl game losses by the Buckeyes although they did play very well vs. Texas as I'm sure you are well aware!

DD:
No, I wasn't hesitant at all. Ohio State plays in a BCS game almost every year. Ohio State is consistently one of the best programs year in and year out in college football and I don’t think one game here or there can affect their reputation in my eyes or anyone else’s for that matter.


BlockO:
Many of the OSU players have persuaded buddies of theirs to follow them to OSU. Are you going to be actively trying to recruit anyone you know either from your H.S. or players you've played against from other schools nearby to come to OSU with you?

DD:
If the coaches want me to, then I’ll be glad to help out!

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In closing, I'd just add that David definitely seems very intelligent and knowledgeable about the Buckeye program and made a very well-informed decision when he chose Ohio State.

He's going to be a very welcome addition to the Buckeyes in 2010 and going forward. I think I speak for the all of the OSU fans when I say welcome aboard and we're all excited to see you in the Scarlet and Gray!

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Around The "Block" With Buckeye Safety Jamie Wood (2009 Recruit)

by HD Handshoe
Founder
BlockONation.com


Hey Jamie, thanks for taking time for this interview!

No Problem!


1. Why did you choose Ohio State over other schools recruiting you and were there any of your teammates that influenced you?

There was no influence on my decision other than my love for OSU. It always been my dream to one day play a sport for the buckeyes but I didn't know it would be football.


2. What are your personal and team goals for the 2009 season?

My personal goals are to learn as much as i can from Kurt and Anderson. I have the opportunity to learn from two talented guys who know the in's and outs of the defense. As a team the goal is to first win the Big Ten title, then whatever comes after that is even better.


3. What # will you be wearing and how much do you think you will be on the field in 2009?

I am going to be wearing number 23. I expect to get the opportunity to showcase my talents, but I know I have a lot to learn so only time will tell.


4. How pumped are you for the Week 2 USC prime-time game in the Horseshoe at night?

That game is going to be crazy. It will be good to have them on our home turf for once and see how they deal with all you guys cheering for the Bucks. The only thing I want out of that night is the win though!


5. Who is your favorite Buckeye player of all-time? NFL favorite player?

My favorite Buckeye player would have to be Ted Ginn, just because of his play-making ability. He made the games fun to watch. In the NFL I loved the late Sean Taylor. His physical style of play was amazing.


6. What's your favorite music and who's your favorite artist/band?

I listen to pretty much everything from Gospel to Rock. But if I had to pick a favorite it would be Brian McKnight or Boyz II Men—I love R&B.


7. Do you ever visit any of the online Buckeye message boards or Blogs and if so, have you ever posted comments?

Yeah, I used to visit them often when I was going through the recruiting process but know I don't as frequently. No, I have never posted on anything because that could just bring about a whole bunch of mess that I really don't want to deal with.


8. Are you in any YouTube videos that you know of?

As far as YouTube, I think there is one where Coach Tress is breaking down our class. There are also some game highlights from my high school games.


9. Any favorite place you hangout at in Columbus?

I usually just chill out with friends around Pickerington, but I would say Easton.

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If there was ever a Buckeye player that defines "level-headed", Jamie would be that guy.

Thanks again to him for taking time from his schedule to allow me to bring this to fans of the Block "O" Nation!