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Brown Gets OSU Offer

You know, I haven't seen anything that says Brown has been offered by OSU besides the mention in the OP, but it may be the case none the less. If he was offered by rhe Buckeyes I would be surprised if the offer wasn't commitable. They currently have 2 DTs committed in a class in which they have already are stating to turn away from highly rated 4 and Maybe 5 Star prospects because of the numbers. To offer at this point in time means that the coaches really like what they see.

He's confirmed the offer to both Rivals and 247. I believe also to Scout, but I ended my subscription there when Medline ran the site into the ground and no new content was being posted. (InsideNU is a group of students that mostly just parrot information from others when it comes to recruiting.). If he doesn't actually have an OSU offer, it would be a tremendous breakdown in communication.
 
A load of BS.

On a more serious note, some programs (ahem, Michigan) have taken to offering recruits but making it clear they wouldn't accept their commitment at that time. Basically telling a kid "we think you're good enough to play for us, but there are other guys we think are better than you. We would like to keep you on a sort of wait list, in case we want you later." Hence "non-committable." And a load of BS.

You mean most of the 266 offers are smoke and mirrors? How about the commits they do accept and then back out when some Johnny come lately passes them up late in their Senior year? Hardballs is a flat out tool. As much as we like to rail on dOSU, their recruiting tactics don't appear to be anywhere near as shameful as Hardballs.
 
You mean most of the 266 offers are smoke and mirrors? How about the commits they do accept and then back out when some Johnny come lately passes them up late in their Senior year? Hardballs is a flat out tool. As much as we like to rail on dOSU, their recruiting tactics don't appear to be anywhere near as shameful as Hardballs.

Wouldn't go quite that far. Schools like Michigan and others that have lower academic requirements can cast a wider net than NU, allowing them to make offers to a much larger group of recruits. All offers are subject to some kind of conditions (i.e. meeting academic eligibility requirements, enough scholarships at the position, etc.). Harbaugh hiding behind admissions while at Stanford or straight dropping kids while making "non-committable" offers at Michigan starts getting into gray areas, but it's painting with pretty broad strokes to say most of those offers are smoke and mirrors.
 
I wonder what the statistical difference would be of going to the NFL, if any, if the same player attended NU instead of dOSU? In other words, if NU had the same 5-star recruits as dOSU, wouldn't that recruit most likely have the same chance of making it to the NFL? For example, NU recruited Ezekial Elliott. Think he would've have any less chance of making it to the NFL if he had chosen to attend NU? I personally don't think so. A QB from that football factory North Dakota State was picked in the first round for crying out loud. On the flip side, would a Dan Vitale or a Dean Lowry been buried in the depth chart at dOSU and never had a chance to get drafted?

I agree with this.

However, I also wonder what the statistical difference of graduating would be for the same player in different schools. We NU fans like to tout that we have a better environment to push players to graduate, but to me that's just as same as football factories saying they can develop players better due to their environment prioritizing football. Can't have it both ways IMO.
 
The inferiority complex that a lot of NU alumni have on these message boards is hilarious to me

It's a product of having so many recruits ripped away from us by Ohio State in the last minutes of recruiting, including among a bunch of NFL players, a 2-time Heisman Trophy winner.
 
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Expect victory this year against the hated Bugeyes.
 
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I agree with this.

However, I also wonder what the statistical difference of graduating would be for the same player in different schools. We NU fans like to tout that we have a better environment to push players to graduate, but to me that's just as same as football factories saying they can develop players better due to their environment prioritizing football. Can't have it both ways IMO.

Actually you can have it both ways. NU players graduate, but NU also does as good a job developing players as anyone. The only reason NU players aren't in the NFL at the rate of OSU players is that OSU gets better players to start with. NU players also graduate at a higher rate than OSU players because they're better students to begin with.

To imply that OSU players work harder at football than NU players is ludicrous and a bit insulting. There are plenty of hours in the day to work on school and develop your football. You just have less X Box and general grab-ass time.
 
I agree, you can have it both ways, NU degree and development for the NFL. No one worked harder than Dean Lowry or Dan Vitale.
 
Actually you can have it both ways. NU players graduate, but NU also does as good a job developing players as anyone. The only reason NU players aren't in the NFL at the rate of OSU players is that OSU gets better players to start with. NU players also graduate at a higher rate than OSU players because they're better students to begin with.

To imply that OSU players work harder at football than NU players is ludicrous and a bit insulting. There are plenty of hours in the day to work on school and develop your football. You just have less X Box and general grab-ass time.

I wasn't trying to say that OSU players work harder so I'm not sure where you thought I was implying that. We both agree that to a certain extent that OSU sends more players to the NFL due to having more talented football players to begin with and that we graduate more players due to having better students in first place. The question is whether NU does a better job at developing athletes to NFL standards than OSU preparing its athletes to graduate. I truly believe this is the case, but it's tough to say definitely without evidence.
 
I wasn't trying to say that OSU players work harder so I'm not sure where you thought I was implying that. We both agree that to a certain extent that OSU sends more players to the NFL due to having more talented football players to begin with and that we graduate more players due to having better students in first place. The question is whether NU does a better job at developing athletes to NFL standards than OSU preparing its athletes to graduate. I truly believe this is the case, but it's tough to say definitely without evidence.

It's not tough to say definitely, and there is a boat load of evidence.

Are you truly that blind?
 
I wasn't trying to say that OSU players work harder so I'm not sure where you thought I was implying that.

I took from your post (below) about OSU prioritizing football higher as implying that OSU players work harder or are expected to work harder on their football skills. I agree OSU can say or sell whatever they wish, but I disagree that it is true. (It sounds you like disagree with that sales pitch, so I don't know if there is a substantive disagreement.)
We NU fans like to tout that we have a better environment to push players to graduate, but to me that's just as same as football factories saying they can develop players better due to their environment prioritizing football.

Per the quote below, I was talking about who does a better job at developing players for the NFL. Obviously OSU sends more players to the NFL than NU, but is that due to the fact that OSU does a better job developing NFL talent or is it because OSU has far more guys who walk into the program on day 1 with NFL ability than NU (or pretty much any other school in the country)? I believe it is the ladder. Had NU and OSU magically swapped recruiting classes over the past decade, I have little doubt the NFL rate for players would be approximately the same with swapped results (assuming players could stay eligible at NU at comparable rates).

The logical fallacy for a high school football prospect is that OSU sends more players to the NFL, so I as a prospect have a better chance of having an NFL career if I choose to go to OSU over NU. The fact that OSU wanted you in the first place (since they generally have the pick of the litter) is the important factor in increasing your probability to get to the NFL. The decision to actually go to OSU does not increase your probability of going to the NFL especially in this day and age where NFL scouting is so advanced and comprehensive. If there is a great player a Southwestern Idaho A&M, the NFL finds him and drafts him.

We both agree that to a certain extent that OSU sends more players to the NFL due to having more talented football players to begin with and that we graduate more players due to having better students in first place. The question is whether NU does a better job at developing athletes to NFL standards than OSU preparing its athletes to graduate. I truly believe this is the case, but it's tough to say definitely without evidence.

If there is a disagreement, I believe that OSU sends more players to the NFL exclusively (rather than just "to a certain extent") because they have more talented football players to begin with. I also believe NU graduates more players (and has more academically successful student-athlete graduates) in part because NU gets better students (due to heightened admission standards), but also in no small part because of the program's culture that emphasizes and supports academics in a manner that goes well beyond just keeping players eligible.
 
When OSU's coaches (or most anyone else for that matter) are talking about the number of NFL players they are sending to the NFL, they aren't comparing themselves to NU. The relevant comparison is to the Alabama's, USCs, Oklahoma's, Longhorns, Florida State's, Notre Dames's, Michigan's, etc. same thing goes for graduation rates and overall academics. In both cases, while better than some and lesser than others, the Buckeyes overall compare very well.

I agree that as far as NU's academics it is a combination of better students coming in and more focus on the academics by the players as a whole.

There is much more diversity at OSU in terms of academic preparation coming in, academic abilities, and academic goals. There are players who see college as an avenue to the pros and no more. The reality for them is while it's still against the odds that they can be set for life with a NFL contract, the odds are better than those who come out of most college programs. And while it may seem to be a detriment to those athlete-students by letting them stay eligible as a goal versus graduation, it's still a better deal than what NU offers them. Nothing.

As far as the student-athletes who whether they are a 5 Star prospect or not, if they prioritize academics to the same or nearly the same level as football, they do absolutely fine. It's the same as when you guys say if a 5 Star future All-American and All-Pro went to NU, would have as much personal success on the field as he would have in Evanston as he would in Columbus. If they have the ability they would do fine regardless of where they commit.
 
I think Matt R and Klemm are basically saying the same thing, it is just the cultures at each school are different. Don't try and tell me that Urban Meyer and his coaches really care about what classes the players are taking. How they are developing as people for the next 50 years etc.

They care about how well they perform on Saturday's and have a 4-5 year time horizon.

Does Fitz want to win a NC HELL YES. There isn't a person who likes competing that doesn't want to be challenged in the toughest arenas and come out on top. But like Barnett before him, who started out as a high school counselor and coach, they are teachers and educators and coaches all wrapped into one.

What fascinates me is the fact that high school is more like college was 30 years ago. Far more pressure on kids. More expectations of having a view to the future as to what a kid wants to do with their life etc.

If NU does it right, I have to believe the next 25 years will be an amazing 25 years of NU football. When I say done right I mean recruiting and developing great football playing student-athletes.
 
And while it may seem to be a detriment to those athlete-students by letting them stay eligible as a goal versus graduation, it's still a better deal than what NU offers them. Nothing.

Just to clarify, you mean that certain student-athletes at OSU would not be able to graduate or stay eligible (and therefor play) if they were at NU, and that's what "nothing" means? If so, I agree.

As an aside, a lot more borderline academic student athletes could have academic success at NU, but that's a moot point because NU's admissions standards are too high to ever test that thesis, and the last thing many borderline academic students (understandably) want to do is to deal with the sudden academic rigors at a place like NU even if those rigors (in some liberal arts majors) are a bit exaggerated by our faithful NU fan base. I have a hunch that about 25 - 50% of Ohio State's football student-athletes could succeed academically at NU.

Ohio State is not a significant outlier either way in terms of graduation rates (link). For the 5 Big Teams that finished 2015 ranked, they ranked right in the middle at 3rd ahead of both Michigan State and Iowa. Surprisingly, Alabama, Clemson and LSU are pretty far up the graduation ranks as well, but it's hard to know how much these kids are succeeding versus the school nudging them through with a pat on the back.

As another aside way off point, I find it illogical that the importance of a rigorous college education and degree (whether at NU, OSU or Alabama) is devalued for those select few who can make enough money in the NFL to theoretically be "set for life" financially. If anything, if you're going to have a chance to get rich at a relatively young age, having a good education and a good head on your shoulders is going to keep you wealthy, productive, well-rounded, off the sofa and ultimately happier when you get done playing football. How many of these NFL players make tens of millions in their 20s only to be poor when they're in their 30s? Based on various studies I've read over the years and a ton of anecdotal evidence, it's an astoundingly high percentage. Forget the financial impact; just learning some useful stuff and knowing how to apply that knowledge to everyday life can be its own reward regardless whether you're financially successful or not. Your quality of life cannot be that good if you go through life as an ignoramus no matter how wealthy you may be.
 
T, I agree that Matt and I are in the same ballpark of our argument (or at least I think so, he may disagree), but I do disagree with one of your contentions. While winning may be a priority for Meyer, maybe even the top priority, it's not the all or nothing choice which many here state.

I will tell you that Meyer cares about the future of his kids, and not just the ones destined for the NFL. There's a reason graduation rates, GPA', and APR scores are the highest they've been since those things have been tracked.

There's a reason that during the season Meyer conducts "Real Life Wednesday's", where community and business leaders come in to talk about the players lives after football, as well as those who have failed including previous players whose careers didn't pan out, and even those who have been incarcerated. Many of these players grew up without role models or were given the idea that football was the answer.

If that was all he did I could make the argument that Meyer is going above and beyond what would be expected of him as a football coach in preparing his players to have a future whether via football or something else. But he also ran a Career Fair for his players in which 57 companies showed up to discuss and interview the players.

Then there was last Summer coming off the National Championship. He made every single player either set up an internship or shadow for a certain period, a professional outside of sports.

Those things don't usually make message boards.
 
Mr. Cat, yes, I did mean that the players that some NU posters like to use as a standard for how OSU doesn't care about them because they are not able to graduate or barely stay eligible, would not have a chance to go to NU. So they in essence would get nothing out of the University.

I appreciate your statement that there are a decent number of OSU student athletes who could manage at NU. It may require some additional effort and time, and the athlete would have to make some choices as to where they put their time. It might be football or it might be doing nothing. But as long as it's legal and they do what they should in the classroom, that should be their choice.

I wasn't insinuating that OSU was a positive outlier in terms of graduation rates, but they also aren't an outlier on the downside. And if we want to get specific, while behind NU, the Bucks were 3rd in the conference following only you guys and PSU, and in the top 25% in FBS. So if anything, they do tend to trend on the higher end.

And regarding your final paragraph, I agree completely. But it not the reality.
 
The question is whether NU does a better job at developing athletes to NFL standards than OSU preparing its athletes to graduate. I truly believe this is the case, but it's tough to say definitely without evidence.

Ohio State's graduation rate for blacks is absolutely horrid. I think that NU has developed a bunch of NFL-caliber guys with less ready-made talent than OSU.

Although I have taken an unreasonable beating in this thread, I side with NU on this narrow contest. Ohio State is primarily interested in keeping its guys eligible, not in graduating them. If they graduate, it's great but getting them drafted is the goal. As for what's more noble, you have to consider college football as an enterprise and realize there is absolutely no nobility in the sport.
 
I wasn't insinuating that OSU was a positive outlier in terms of graduation rates, but they also aren't an outlier on the downside. And if we want to get specific, while behind NU, the Bucks were 3rd in the conference following only you guys and PSU, and in the top 25% in FBS. So if anything, they do tend to trend on the higher end.

Most of the Buckeyes major in OSU's version of general studies, so how hard is it to graduate? Nevertheless, the OSU black athlete grad rate is still an atrocity. At last check, OSU had the Big Ten's biggest disparity between black athlete grad rates and the grad rates of the rest of OSU's students.
 
Mr. Cat, yes, I did mean that the players that some NU posters like to use as a standard for how OSU doesn't care about them because they are not able to graduate or barely stay eligible, would not have a chance to go to NU. So they in essence would get nothing out of the University.

I appreciate your statement that there are a decent number of OSU student athletes who could manage at NU. It may require some additional effort and time, and the athlete would have to make some choices as to where they put their time. It might be football or it might be doing nothing. But as long as it's legal and they do what they should in the classroom, that should be their choice.

I wasn't insinuating that OSU was a positive outlier in terms of graduation rates, but they also aren't an outlier on the downside. And if we want to get specific, while behind NU, the Bucks were 3rd in the conference following only you guys and PSU, and in the top 25% in FBS. So if anything, they do tend to trend on the higher end.

And regarding your final paragraph, I agree completely. But it not the reality.

Thanks for stopping by, Klemman. Your thoughts and perspectives are always welcome and appreciated as far as I'm concerned.
 
Thanks for stopping by, Klemman. Your thoughts and perspectives are always welcome and appreciated as far as I'm concerned.
Agree. We may not always see eye to eye with him, but Klem does a good job of presenting the other side of the coin; he's a good contributor to this board.
 
Thanks for stopping by, Klemman. Your thoughts and perspectives are always welcome and appreciated as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks. I do believe it's a worthwhile conversation. I'm necessarily trying to present an OSU side, as much as a reality check in comparison to what would be great in theory. NU because of the entrance standards will always have an advantage in the academic achievements towards most public institutions, whether we are talking about athletes or the general student population. That's a given. But even if only half the kids who come out of a lower socioeconomic urban or rural background with little academic base and maturity are able to take an advantage of a free education and graduate, it's still a win. In contrast, those same kids will get no opportunity from Northwestern. That's not a bad thing, it just is...
 
Ohio State's graduation rate for blacks is absolutely horrid. I think that NU has developed a bunch of NFL-caliber guys with less ready-made talent than OSU.

Although I have taken an unreasonable beating in this thread, I side with NU on this narrow contest. Ohio State is primarily interested in keeping its guys eligible, not in graduating them. If they graduate, it's great but getting them drafted is the goal. As for what's more noble, you have to consider college football as an enterprise and realize there is absolutely no nobility in the sport.

Good points Yesterday. I agree that the discrepancy between black athletes and white athletes regarding graduation rates is too high. As I often say, it's not a problem unique to OSU. I read that among the bowl teams this year, the graduation rate for black players was 66% versus their white counterparts who graduated at an 85% clip. So either black players are just more stupid, or there exists a cultural and educational discrepancy that is reflected in the black athletes.

You make a heck of an assumption that OSU is only interested in keeping players eligible and not graduating them, yet depending on what recent 4 years you evaluate, OSU is graduating anywhere between 78% and 85% of their football players. So there does seem to be an interest in graduating the majority of the players. (I know, "general studies"- I'll get to that when I respond to your other post.)

But it is true, that for some kids staying eligible is a battle in itself. I would hope that the academic counsellors are emphasizing staying eligible to those kids, because if they don't stay eligible, they lose their scholarship, and they end up with zero chance of graduating.

Oh, and regarding your first paragraph about developing players for the NFL. I looked it up and as of September of last year the Wildcats had 5 NFL players. You should be proud of every single one of them, but it's hardly "a bunch" and is much less than Some of the other programs in the Conference. You seemed to make it sound as if there was some equivalency there. That's not a knock on NU, just as you noted a difference in abilities of the recruits coming into the respective programs.
 
Most of the Buckeyes major in OSU's version of general studies, so how hard is it to graduate? Nevertheless, the OSU black athlete grad rate is still an atrocity. At last check, OSU had the Big Ten's biggest disparity between black athlete grad rates and the grad rates of the rest of OSU's students.

So now hard is it to graduate in a major such as General Studies? I would think that it may be a challenge for a student athlete who came from a lower social economic background where the schools are poorly rated, education is de-emphasized versus survival; where the majority of his highschool peers and even family didn't graduate from highschool, much less attend and earn a degree from college.

I would think that many of these kids do need more hand holding and a simplified degree. It would be an atrocity if these kids had the background and experience to earn a degree in physics, or engineering, or business, and was forced to take General Studies, but I don't believe that is the case.

And while the argument could be made that a General Studies Degree won't guarantee them a high paying non-football job upon graduating, that piece of paper regardless of degree will still give them a competitive advantage over those who don't get a degree. Or an advantage over where they would have been if they never went to OSU to play football and as a consequence, earned a degree.
 
I took from your post (below) about OSU prioritizing football higher as implying that OSU players work harder or are expected to work harder on their football skills. I agree OSU can say or sell whatever they wish, but I disagree that it is true. (It sounds you like disagree with that sales pitch, so I don't know if there is a substantive disagreement.)

Per the quote below, I was talking about who does a better job at developing players for the NFL. Obviously OSU sends more players to the NFL than NU, but is that due to the fact that OSU does a better job developing NFL talent or is it because OSU has far more guys who walk into the program on day 1 with NFL ability than NU (or pretty much any other school in the country)? I believe it is the ladder. Had NU and OSU magically swapped recruiting classes over the past decade, I have little doubt the NFL rate for players would be approximately the same with swapped results (assuming players could stay eligible at NU at comparable rates).

The logical fallacy for a high school football prospect is that OSU sends more players to the NFL, so I as a prospect have a better chance of having an NFL career if I choose to go to OSU over NU. The fact that OSU wanted you in the first place (since they generally have the pick of the litter) is the important factor in increasing your probability to get to the NFL. The decision to actually go to OSU does not increase your probability of going to the NFL especially in this day and age where NFL scouting is so advanced and comprehensive. If there is a great player a Southwestern Idaho A&M, the NFL finds him and drafts him.



If there is a disagreement, I believe that OSU sends more players to the NFL exclusively (rather than just "to a certain extent") because they have more talented football players to begin with. I also believe NU graduates more players (and has more academically successful student-athlete graduates) in part because NU gets better students (due to heightened admission standards), but also in no small part because of the program's culture that emphasizes and supports academics in a manner that goes well beyond just keeping players eligible.
Actually for many players, they have a better chance of getting to the NFL from schools like NU because they actually get on the field where at a school like OSU, they might be behind someone and never see the field. So not only are they not seen, they don't have the game development. OSU might be good at getting guys to the NFL if they start but if they are a backup, their chances are probably better going somewhere else where they actually get playing time.
 
Oh, and regarding your first paragraph about developing players for the NFL. I looked it up and as of September of last year the Wildcats had 5 NFL players. You should be proud of every single one of them, but it's hardly "a bunch" and is much less than Some of the other programs in the Conference. You seemed to make it sound as if there was some equivalency there. That's not a knock on NU, just as you noted a difference in abilities of the recruits coming into the respective programs.

Five players in the NFL is quite low for us over the past 20 years or so. I count around 7-8 this past season in the NFL, depending upon who were FA's or on PS or IR (Cofield, Wootton, Roach, Kafka, Hall?...too lazy to look up). Usually, we have around 10 players in the NFL. This is one reason why I have been concerned about our recruiting for a while. Recruiting has been improving and our NFL numbers should improve with time.
 
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Actually for many players, they have a better chance of getting to the NFL from schools like NU because they actually get on the field where at a school like OSU, they might be behind someone and never see the field. So not only are they not seen, they don't have the game development. OSU might be good at getting guys to the NFL if they start but if they are a backup, their chances are probably better going somewhere else where they actually get playing time.

I generally think that's true, but the NFL can still find them by scouting and signing them to FA contracts. The competition with a program like OSU is strong enough that they may be very good even if they don't start. A Spring game at OSU may be a better game experience in some sense than playing against some mid-major or bottom feeder B1G team, though the experience of playing against unfamilier players is lacking. OSU rotates and plays a lot of players if they can play, much like us a DL last year. They may get enough exposure and promotion from within the program.
 
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Mr. Cat, yes, I did mean that the players that some NU posters like to use as a standard for how OSU doesn't care about them because they are not able to graduate or barely stay eligible, would not have a chance to go to NU. So they in essence would get nothing out of the University.

I appreciate your statement that there are a decent number of OSU student athletes who could manage at NU. It may require some additional effort and time, and the athlete would have to make some choices as to where they put their time. It might be football or it might be doing nothing. But as long as it's legal and they do what they should in the classroom, that should be their choice.

I wasn't insinuating that OSU was a positive outlier in terms of graduation rates, but they also aren't an outlier on the downside. And if we want to get specific, while behind NU, the Bucks were 3rd in the conference following only you guys and PSU, and in the top 25% in FBS. So if anything, they do tend to trend on the higher end.

And regarding your final paragraph, I agree completely. But it not the reality.
I think that a lot of the negatives about OSU and academics is from past history. There were plenty of examples from the past that were pretty bad and the closest thing to an SEC program as we had in conference. I think that for many of us, the jury is still out for the Meyer program. Partly because we really do not see first had what is going on and some early examples sort of looked like same old same old. If the situation is improving, that is good to hear for the kids sake. But realistically we just do see first hand, do not know and reputations are slow to change in a positive direction. Hopefully you are right and things continue in a positive direction.
 
There have been some other B1G programs that have been horrible, too. Minnesota, Michigan, MSU, and Purdue were the pits academically for a while.
 
Hdhntr and dare I say Gladeskat, I agree with your posts. It is a dilemma as to whether you have a better shot of going to the pros because you're not as likely to have someone better in front of you, or to go somewhere that even as a backup or non-star you will be considered. As in most cases I suppose it comes down to the individual.
I think that a lot of the negatives about OSU and academics is from past history. There were plenty of examples from the past that were pretty bad and the closest thing to an SEC program as we had in conference. I think that for many of us, the jury is still out for the Meyer program. Partly because we really do not see first had what is going on and some early examples sort of looked like same old same old. If the situation is improving, that is good to hear for the kids sake. But realistically we just do see first hand, do not know and reputations are slow to change in a positive direction. Hopefully you are right and things continue in a positive direction.

This is very true. Now while it is always possible at anytime for someone to come in and ignore the academic side of things, the worst of the Buckeye's reputation occurred in Cooper's latter years where the pressure to win forced him to take so called talent despite high academic risks. The coach, the players, and the Athletic Director are all gone but for some the reputation remains. Despite some of Tressel's faults, he did raise the academic stature of the football team and this has continued under Meyer.
 
Five players in the NFL is quite low for us over the past 20 years or so. I count around 7-8 this past season in the NFL, depending upon who were FA's or on PS or IR (Cofield, Wootton, Roach, Kafka, Hall?...too lazy to look up). Usually, we have around 10 players in the NFL. This is one reason why I have been concerned about our recruiting for a while. Recruiting has been improving and our NFL numbers should improve with time.

You're right in that the numbers ebb and flow. For the time I mentioned OSU had 27 players listed, but between this past draft and what looks on paper to be more talented personnel that should increase. But if it takes 2-3 recruiting classes to make an eventual impact on the league, then it will be anout 5-7 years after the upgrade in recruiting before you see the numbers bulge in the NFL.
 
The decision to actually go to OSU does not increase your probability of going to the NFL especially in this day and age where NFL scouting is so advanced and comprehensive. If there is a great player a Southwestern Idaho A&M, the NFL finds him and drafts him.

It's quite a lot harder to get the same exposure at a FCS or DII school that you would receive at Ohio State or Alabama. It's not solely about getting drafted. The brevity of the typical NFL career makes it important to reap endorsement contracts. If you're a star at Texas and play for Dallas in the NFL, you have a built-in fanbase before you play an NFL snap. It's not just about Nike or McDonald's, either; it's the local car dealerships and other area businesses. Your theoretical player at Northeastern T&A University may get drafted in the first round, but he doesn't have the same name recognition or Q-Rating.

You can look at the NFL Draft and we would agree that big-name programs have many more draftees historically. Is that because the big-name programs have better players in the first place? You could say that, except we also know that undrafted free agents make up about 30% of the NFL players who appeared in at least one game. These players must be plenty good to make the 53-man roster. They went undrafted because they flew under the radar, perhaps due to a lack of exposure.
 
I would think that it may be a challenge for a student athlete who came from a lower social economic background where the schools are poorly rated, education is de-emphasized versus survival; where the majority of his highschool peers and even family didn't graduate from highschool, much less attend and earn a degree from college.

Then these kids matriculate to a school that does not graduate players with this background and emphasizes the excitement of leaving school early for the NFL. The opportunity that OSU sells is not the diploma.

I think that any blue chipper is crazy for disregarding an OSU offer because of the opportunity to train and play among the best talented players and the most highly regarded coaches, with the ultimate goal of being drafted into the NFL. My NU brethren slammed this thought and accused me of being sympathetic to OSU. As you can see, I'm not sympathetic to OSU; I'm sympathetic to the kid who wants to "major in football" and be an NFL player, the kid who came from a challenging background and was a minimal qualifier with any interest in going to college were it not for the NFL's draft eligibility rules.

If the NFL allowed 18 year olds to enter its draft, many would declare for the draft and these kids are the ones who often wind up at OSU and Alabama, with no interest in college diplomas. Newly minted "adults" can join the Army and die overseas at war but they can't enter the NFL draft. That's another argument for another day, I suppose, but why must we as NU fans be so paternalistic and believe we know where these kids should go to school and which schools are undeserving? Let the kids decide and if they want to be NFL players they ought to go where most NFL players go and I see nothing wrong with that philosophy considering what a broken system it is.
 
Hdhntr and dare I say Gladeskat, I agree with your posts. It is a dilemma as to whether you have a better shot of going to the pros because you're not as likely to have someone better in front of you, or to go somewhere that even as a backup or non-star you will be considered. As in most cases I suppose it comes down to the individual.


This is very true. Now while it is always possible at anytime for someone to come in and ignore the academic side of things, the worst of the Buckeye's reputation occurred in Cooper's latter years where the pressure to win forced him to take so called talent despite high academic risks. The coach, the players, and the Athletic Director are all gone but for some the reputation remains. Despite some of Tressel's faults, he did raise the academic stature of the football team and this has continued under Meyer.
For the guys who are able to start at OSU, for certain, they will be seen. But for the guys that are 3rd string backups, not much visibility. Assuming that they are similar level athletes. Going to a different school likely gives them a shot at starting which helps them develop and makes them much more visible. Take Lowrey for example. At NU he started for 4 years and developed pretty well and got taken in the 4th round. Would he have gotten enough development and visibility at OSU? That said, might be hard sometimes to determine which guys are going to get those starts and playing time and which ones are going to be stuck on the bench.

There was plenty of garbage under Tressel as well. Clarrett, guys transferring and finding out what they took would not count toward anything at the new school. Kids not going to play school (or was that under Meyer) That that was an improvement makes it hard to imagine how bad it was under Cooper
 
And while the argument could be made that a General Studies Degree won't guarantee them a high paying non-football job upon graduating, that piece of paper regardless of degree will still give them a competitive advantage over those who don't get a degree. Or an advantage over where they would have been if they never went to OSU to play football and as a consequence, earned a degree.

Except how many of those specific players are earning their degrees?
 
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