Justin Boren: College Football's Benedict Arnold

As an Ohio State fan, I found this situation extremely amusing and I finally wanted to voice my own opinion on it.

Justin Boren, a highly touted offensive lineman, announced he was transferring from the University of Michigan during Lloyd Carr's final year coaching the team. The news was already shocking for many U of M fans, as he was heavily recruited by many top schools.

So, there was the good, Boren going to Michigan, the bad, Boren de-committing.

Then, to the Michigan and most certainly not Ohio State fans, the ugly.

Boren decided on transferring to Ohio State of all schools! Every sane person knows, "Once a Wolverine, always a Wolverine", or "Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye".

Boren broke the cardinal rule, he committed a cardinal sin.

It takes a lot of moxie to break the hearts of one nation, and put a smile on the other's faces.

Boren will likely be a starter on a revamped and young Buckeyes' offensive line. He will have two years of eligibility remaining come next year.

Boren picked Ohio State over Notre Dame, UCLA, and Pittsburgh. His younger brother, Zach Boren, is a fullback who is going to Ohio State also.

The move came at a surprise for Justin's father, Mike, who played for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan. 

Whether Boren did this as a publicity stunt, because he feels Ohio State is a better school, or some other reason, I, and all of Buckeye nation is certainly not complaining.

But with great risks come some bad luck.

Boren, his brother, and the Buckeye team will surely get an extra thousand-hundred "boos" and "traitors" when Ohio State goes to the Big House to play next year.

Traitor? Yes. 

Risk-taker? Certainly.

Ohio State Buckeye? More now than ever.

See you on the battlefield Benedict Boren.

Brian Hartline's Heart Is Elsewhere Now: Buckeye Receiver Declares for NFL Draft

My recent article on next year's Ohio State Buckeye receivers will be greatly tweaked, or should be. That's because I mentioned junior receiver Brian Hartline as a good possibility for returning to Ohio State for his senior year.

I was wrong.

Just under an hour ago, Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg sent out an article stating Hartline has joined Chris "Beanie" Wells as the second junior on the team to declare for the draft.

With Hartline leaving, this means the already young and inexperienced receiving corps will have to step up even more. More pressure will be on the shoulders of Ray Small, Dane Sanzenbacher, Duron Carter, DeVier Posey, and Lamaar Thomas.

It may not be the case, but this may sway the highly touted receiver Marlon Brown toward Ohio State. The departure of Hartline opens up the race for a leading receiver and a player of his caliber would surely get a lot of playing time. It makes sense, right?

It may also put more shoulders of the running game. That means "Boom" Herron, Brandon Saine, Jaamal Berry, and others will be getting more carries.

The passing game will surely be a sight to see come September.

Coleman To Come Back: Ohio State Safety Staying Put For Senior Season

One day before the deadline for juniors and redshirt sophomores to declare for the NFL draft, Ohio State Buckeye Kurt Coleman announced he will return for his senior season.

The junior safety was selected to the second-team All-Big Ten. His 78 tackles ranked him third on the team and he lead the Buckeyes' defense with four interceptions.

Coleman will likely be a defensive captain next year and will lead an experienced secondary.

Junior defensive backs Anderson Russell and Donald Washington are also considering the jump to the NFL, but Coleman's decision could very well affect theirs.

If they both return, Washington will be a starting cornerback along with Chimdi Chekwa, who will be a junior, and Russell and Coleman would be the starting safeties.

Whether they leave or not, expect incoming freshman cornerback C.J. Barnett and safety Jamie Wood to see a good amount of playing time in a secondary that's losing their leader, cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, to the NFL.

Barnett and Wood are both ESPNU 150 recruits who are expected to make immediate impacts. They will get an early test, as USC comes to the Horseshoe Sept. 12.

Catch Them While You Can: The 2009 Ohio State Receiving Corps

Every since the departure of speedsters Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes, and Anthony Gonzalez the Buckeyes' Achilles heel has been their receivers.

Touchdown passes have decreased over the past few years, from Troy Smith's 30 in 2006, to Todd Boeckman's 25 last year, and only 17 combined touchdowns threw the air via Terrelle Pryor and Todd Boeckman this year.

While the Buckeye's main priorities have transferred to the ground instead of threw the air, the once acclaimed "Wide Receiver U" has recently lacked that vertical threat to draw double teams and leave others open.

Brian Robiskie has been the leading receiver the past two years, but his statistics dropped dramatically with the change of pace at quarterback. He is the only Buckeye receiver going to the draft, but pending his decision, junior wide out Brian Hartline might make the jump.

The Buckeyes would lose leadership and experience if Hartline left, and without him, quarterback Terrelle Pryor would be without a clear go-to-guy.

Pryor has a lot of work to do on his passing game this offseason. In his two losses as a starter, Pryor threw no touchdowns and one interception.

He is said to have already gotten a jump on improving his arm strength and accuracy. With his ability to elude defenders on the ground already under control, he can spend more time getting in tune with the following receivers who will greatly contribute to the 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes:

Brian Hartline

Assuming he returns, Hartline will be a good possibility for the number-one receiver. He hasn't been the best "big-game" receiver, managing only three combined catches in the games against USC and Texas. He would bring a great amount of leadership back to the team. Hartline is fast, and would keep Pryor comfortable with a sense of familiarity. Hartline can also return punts and kicks.

Ray Small 

While his main job this year was returning punts this year, Small's elusiveness and top-end speed make him a good possibility for a leading receiver next year. Small's lone touchdown of the year was a 62-yard punt return in Week 2 against Ohio. Once highly recruited by other schools such as USC, Small has gotten into some trouble during his tenure at Ohio State. He is considered a "poor-man's" Ted Ginn Jr., and has not proven himself as a stand out receiver. But with his all-around skills and athletic ability, Small will be able to get open and have Pryor hit him in stride many times.

Dane Sanzenbacher

Tied for the second-most receptions on the team, Sanzenbacher is another wide out, when in open space, can create a lot of havoc with the ball. While he is slightly shorter than the ideal wide receiver, Sanzenbacher has great hands and vision, as he played both defensive back and receiver in high schools.

DeVier Posey and Lamaar Thomas

Despite few receptions each, the two "freshman phenoms" have been highly touted and are expected to have breakout seasons. Thomas showed great balance and toughness as a kick returner, while Posey asserted himself as a possible deep threat.

Other Possibilities

One thing really good about the Buckeyes' young receiving corps is that they are very deep. Incoming freshman Duron Carter, the son of former Buckeye receiver Chris Carter, is the 18-rated receiver in the nation and an ESPNU 150 prospect. Other receiving possibilities include: Devon Torrence, Taurian Washington, Jake Stoneburner, James Jackson, Chris Fields, and others.

What to Watch

Marlon Brown, the highly touted wide receiver prospect out of Tennessee, is a great vertical prospect, at six-foot-five. He is the third-rated wide out in the nation. If he were to commit to Ohio State, it would give Pryor a tall target to throw to down the field and in fades.

Speed seems to be the universal quality with the Buckeye receivers, and whether it is known or not, it should help out the passing game and take some of the load off the running game. This class of Buckeyes seem to be very underrated and unproven, but come September 5, all of Pryor's offseason work will be on display as he looks to pick apart the Naval Academy's secondary.

The receiving attack Jim Tressel brings to the table should be very auxilerating, unique, and dangerous. So get ready and catch those receivers if you can.

Oh, and don't forget the running game.

The Weekend Warrior's Word: Five Ways to Survive the College Football Drought

It's that time of year again. A very sad time.

You start having dreams of Lee Corso picking your school's mascot on College GameDay, Lou Holtz and Mark May going back and forth on the College Football People's Court, and Todd Blackledge's "Taste of the Town" special on Saturday night broadcasts.

And then you wake up.

The morning of Jan. 9, 2009 was a bittersweet moment at best. You get up and cringe at the fact that your wife or mom awakes you from your glorious, fantasy-filled slumber and yells at you because she finally realized the bowl-shaped indent you left in the couch over the span of about four-and-a-half months.

Bummer.

College Football won't start back up for about eight months, January to August. You're thinking to yourself that you will go crazy without those Sunday night recaps of the day before's glory. College Football courses through your veins. It is your anti-drug.

But never fear, the doctor is here.

Here are some tips on how to deal without those days where Kirk Herbstreit and Brent Musberger tell it like it is on prime time television.

 

1. Follow your team's recruits

If you're constantly as eager to see how the future of your team is "graded" as I am, then you go on your computer and bookmark the list of the future faithful towards your team.

There are always a handful of top recruits that wait to make their decision and take it down to the wire, leaving you mad. You hope they go to your school, and you most certainly don't hope they go to one of those schools that will under-utilize them and have them ninth on the depth chart.

Unless that is your team, then you know you are in good position for next year. Make sure to book a trip to your team's spring game, and see what prodigies are waiting to play on your team's sacred gridiron.

 

2. Enjoy the NFL playoffs

Most college football fans favor the sport over the NFL because it's more unpredictable and full of breathtaking 80-yard scores, while the NFL loves to bust it up the gut.

For those of you NCAA fans who don't like the NFL, you still tune in sometimes to see how your favorite player from college is doing. You tune in to players so you can brag to your friends on how you were the one who said they would be a bust. And right before you change the channel back to something else, you realize only the top tier of teams are left and this part of the NFL season is in a world of its own.

You get somewhat depressed again because you realize you missed out on the action of some famous player's swan song performance, or a coach going out with style. So you live up the rest of the playoffs to the fullest, and the season ends with a bang because you enjoy the Super Bowl no matter who is in it and no matter the score.

You say, "Hey, nice beer commercial."

3. Soak in all the draft prep you can

It's the most wonderful time of the year—well, besides that opening kickoff in August.

You say goodbye to the famous alum who left their marks at the college level and are ready to take that next step. You start spending your down time fixing your hair with grease and put on a suit and stand in front of your mirror, pretending you're Mel Kiper Jr., and you give your own presentation of your Mock Draft.

You write down your picks, send it to any sports fan who cares, and hope to have good feedback.

Then in the final days of April, you re-enter that abyss on the couch and stay there until Mr. Irrelevant is announced.

 

4. March Madness

You can hate the sport all you want, but you know you can't resist Dick Vitale getting laryngitis over some half-court shot. Brackets are passed around the water cooler or at lunch, and pools are made to see who has the best combination of smarts and luck.

It's a wonderful time to be a sports fan, even if you shy away from basketball every other time of the year.

 

5. Enjoy summer

Get off the couch and go out and play the sport you love watching. There's 11 weeks of mess-around-late-partying to attend to. Anything to occupy your time: a part-time job, going on a trip, sleeping in 'til dusk. It's a great time to either prove you can play sports and not just study them, or to be a nocturnal party animal.

You have a great time, and you're sad when you have to reset alarm clocks, buy school supplies, or start up earlier hours for work.

Late August came so quickly. And if you've been paying attention, that's a good thing. So follow these steps and in no time you will hear the College GameDay country song wake you up with a great big smile.

So until the next article, survive the work week and stay the vicious weekend warrior you are.

Bye Beanie Bring On The Backups: How The '09 Buckeye Running Game Will Fare

Just this past Thursday,  Chris "Beanie" Wells announced he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft. This decision probably left many fans, coaches, and teammates upset and down. But to Coach Jim Tressel, it was a no-brainer.

"If it were me, it wouldn't be tough," Tressel said weeks before the Fiesta Bowl. He later stated in interviews, that he feels Wells should be a Top Five pick.

Now I know I do not speak for all of Buckeye nation when I say Wells should return, because I know many fans think he has done all he can and cannot increase his draft stock anymore. I just feel he has a great chance at making a final push for a Heisman Trophy and National Title win.

It is still a little strange to me that Tressel is so enthusiastic about Wells' departure. Replacing a player like Wells is not always easy, but Tressel is known as an excellent recruiter and the Buckeyes' running game should be fine without their "star child."

It will surely not be the same, but these are the players who will step in for Beanie and help the running game.

Terrelle Pryor 

The versatile quarterback will probably spend most of his off-season polishing his passing game, but come next season Pryor's speed will still be dangerous and will greatly contribute to the Buckeye's success.

Dan "Boom" Herron

 

Herron will most likely be the starting running back next year. He is smaller than Beanie and is a good east-west runner, but he also likes to plunge up the middle.

In Wells' absence this year, Herron proved he could carry the load. He was the team's third leading rusher, behind Pryor and Wells.

 

Brandon "Zoom" Saine

Limited this year due to injury and other's playing time, Saine was a highly-recruited back his senior year in high school and was Ohio's "Mr. Football."

Look for Saine to get more time at running back, with most of it coming on third down. He will also return kicks and sometimes line up in the slot, as he has very good hands for a back.

 

Jaamal Berry

The "crown jewel" of this year's recruiting class for the Buckeyes, Berry is about the size of Herron.

He is ESPN's third-rated running back in the country and while his senior season was interrupted at times by injuries, Berry still drew attention from many top schools.

He will compete for the starting job, but will most likely end up sharing time with Saine as Herron's backup.

 

Carlos Hyde

Hyde,the second best running back recruited by Ohio State, has the same dimensions as Wells, and like Wells he is a down-hill runner who loves to go up the gut of the offensive line.

Many analysts project Hyde to turn into more of a fullback, but his size will be needed for goal-to-go situations. Hyde will likely get less reps than Berry and Herron, but will line up in the fullback position in the "I"-formation.

Other possibilities to fill in and help the cause are Jordan Hall, Justin Green, and Storm Klein. The other remaining backs currently on the roster have all combined for little-to-no playing time and small statistics.

Hall was Pryor's teammate in high school and can also return kicks and line up in the slot.

Green is an athlete, and could possibly play defensive back, but is better and more dangerous on the offensive side.

Klein is another athlete who can carry the ball but is better at linebacker.

Wells certainly left his mark at Ohio State. Before he broke out as a star at Ohio State, many fans were worried that former Buckeye Antonio Pittman's early departure to NFL would put more pressure on the passing game's shoulders.

Wells certainly silenced the critics, and if this trend continues, any one of the aforementioned backs may be in the same position Wells was a few years down the line.

Don't let the work week get to you, stay sports hungry, and continue being the vicious weekend warrior you are.

-Danny Bayliss

Hey Everyone!

This is Danny Bayliss, writer of the Weekend Warrior's Word. I'm currently having trouble posting, and even though this is posted my actuals articles haven't. Please leave any info on what you think I'm doing wrong, thanks!

Don't let the work week get to you, stay sports hungry, and stay vicious.