Today is a day of celebration.
For families that sacrificed 21 high school students who wrote their curses and faxed their letters to Mark Pantoni (in some cases, parents did a variety of blue-collar jobs to put their sons in a football camp, and the Big Ten- Get them the proper training and nutrition to become caliber athletes) and for Ohio State’s coaching staff who constantly grind through texts, phone calls, and facetimes that could see a day pay off like today.
So we’ll let the celebration night go on.
But it won’t go much longer than that.
The real work for America’s No. 2 ranked recruiting class players begins soon. For six of them, it won’t start until June; The other 14 (but probably E 15, if I’m sure he will register Ameka Egbuka as soon as possible) start at three weeks when they move into their off-campus apartment in fifth place via Northwest.
When they take their first trip from their new home and to the Woody’s Hayes Athletic Center, it’s hard to believe they’re no longer in Kansas. Or Arizona or Texas or Virginia or any of the 13 states that make up this 2021 class.
“It’s two words: Mickey Marotti,” Pantoni said Wednesday. “From day one when they come in, they recruit them real fast. They get that wakeup call. But, honestly, the effort and leadership from our veterans shows how much work they have actually put in when they get out of there.
“These guys have no idea what hard work is until they get there and they lead the giants to what a real pro is. The kind of kid we recruit doesn’t take much. They know why they come here. ”
Strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti is what Mark Pantoni says “de-recruits” newcomers when workouts begin under his guidance.
In any interview with Five Star Defensive & Jack Sawyer – who expects the Bookies to be the next Joy Bosa, Nick Bosa or Chase Young – the country’s No. 4 ranked total player refuses to back down from any mega expectations. . He likes to listen to them from the fans and give himself to meet them. That’s why, just days before the initial signing period, he wasn’t backing down from what he had been saying for two years since he became committed to the state of Ohio. He was not resetting his expectations for his first year in the program.
“I think it’s going to be a full throttle (when I get to campus)” Sawyer told the Eleven Warriors. “I thrive on those expectations because everyone sees me as the next great Rushman. So I take it as a sense of pride. I want to continue that legacy and be able to pass it on to anyone until I am gone. I’m definitely going there at full speed, and I don’t look at it the way I need to for a year. I think I’m ready to go there and compete right now and help the team win, although I can, really.
But Xavier, finally, has to move to a practice facility that has recruited players who have been ranked No. 2 (2018), No. 14 (2019) and No. 5 (2020) in the last three years. Whoever picks a future NFL draft will face it in practice. Is Sawyer nervous that one of those guys is going to put it on his ass during spring practice?
“No, I don’t think about it,” says Sawyer Hussein. “I don’t think about putting them on my back, I think about putting them on my back, you know what I mean? My mindset about that is that I’m going there and I’m carrying some heads. Definitely don’t think about it, I don’t think it will happen. There may be a couple of moments where I’m like, ‘Hey, these friends are strong.’ But I don’t think something like me is going to be something extreme. I will not go for it. ”
Full throttle on the bottle. That’s the mentality of the Buccaneers ’fourth-highest high-time recruitment as it certainly is. If he had thought any other way he would not have gotten this yet.
Sawyer’s approach is an example of the way this goes for 17- and 18-year-old prospects. Whether he said it out loud in the interview setting or not, his expectations will come into the program from day one, the hammer will have to be put down and he will compete for a starting spot as a true new player. Or in a very short time, make a big impact even if you don’t start as a new man.
But it’s not just going to happen for all of them. Maybe even for any of them. How great are Sovereign or Five Stars teammates Egbuka, Trevyan Henderson, Donovan Jackson or Kyle McCord.
And that’s exactly what Ryan Day stressed Wednesday.
“I think the one thing you talk about in the process – you have to do this in recruitment and no one really wants to talk about this, but the truth is – everyone’s journey is different,” Day said. “And the only guarantee is that whatever you think is going to happen, it’s not going to happen that way. It never does. So you have to be able to adapt and get inspired to get on the field and play right now, I mean you have to have it. But it is not good to go down to create expectations for yourself. So, what do you do? The goal is simply to maximize every day. Fight to be the best version of yourself and ultimately, if you have enough talent and you have developed enough, you will get on the field. It will only happen naturally. When? who knows?
“There are a lot of things that come into play. There are injuries, there are things that come your way. So we’ll talk to them in recruitment. It’s not like we tell them, ‘Hey, you’ll come here and play on the first day you walk on campus.’ Well, it’s not going to happen. There are many good players in the program who have been recruited and developed. But they have the opportunity to make an impact immediately and compete for jobs. And for those who can, there is definitely a blueprint. There have been a lot of fresh men who have come and played right away and go get it. But if it doesn’t happen all at once, then you face that trouble. ”
They are obviously tremendous talents, some have more real shots to break the two-deep deep as first year players than others. But it’s all for a whole new animal. It starts at the base of the program in Maroti.
“The only guarantee is that whatever you think is going to happen, it’s not going to happen that way. It never does. “– Ryan Day
At a time when receiver Julian Fleming and the aggressive Johnson Paris Johnson from the 2020 class of the Pantone Bookies are both mentioned. Both were ranked in the top 10 overall and number one on their position, but when they arrived in Columbus it was essentially: Congratulations. Now get in line with the other four- and five-stars.
It’s about replying to that kind of message. Fleming and Johnson, Pantoni says, never flinked.
“Those people didn’t say a word,” Pantoni said. “They knew their role, they wanted to be great, and they just followed the leaders of that unit. Those are the types of kids we want. They’re working hard, but heck we’re going to play the best players so by trying and in someone’s place. Don’t be afraid to come, either. ”
So here is a balance in the game.
Yes, on the one hand the coach wants these people to come up with an alpha mindset. Championships are built on players like that. But be realistic about what to expect.
“I think there’s going to be a study curve that I have to get down to, but I think I can compete with the boys from Ohio State and the boys in the Big Ten,” said five-star offensive defender Donovan Jackson. . “I have no choice but to get better because of the constant competition there. So I look forward to it because in my football life this is possible. It’s the first time I’ve been forced to get almost good. I don’t come across as one of the best people. So I’m really excited about it. ”
Jackson says the coach didn’t really need to talk to him about resetting his expectations because he knows what he’s entering himself.
“They don’t have to have that conversation with me,” Jackson said. “It simply came to our notice then. Everyone in that program is the best where they come from. So I go there, I’m another guy in the locker room. So I do not feel superior to anyone. First of all, I’m innovative so I shouldn’t have any of that. There’s just a sense of respect for me for everyone in that program so I’ve never really had that conversation. ”
Part of the reason Jackson thinks so could be attributed to Ohio State’s honest approach to recruitment.
While many other schools were giving the right stories for some of these players during the process, Ohio State Pvt. Jackson from Saving Private Ryan – Be careful you don’t put your foot in the bull ****.
“I’m glad (Ohio State) didn’t tell me anything like, ‘You’re a star,’ or anything like that,” Henderson said. “I am very happy because the coaches say such things and then they come in and see the players otherwise. They change the coach. So I’m glad they didn’t tell me. ”
“They were very different, and I could feel their honesty,” says Sam Hart, a tight end. I can say that they are 100 percent real with me. They told me they had a bunch to go like Luke (Farrell), Jeremy (Ruckert) and some others. So they told me I would get a good chance to play early but I still have to work for it and earn my place.
“When we watched the film, every other school was showing all the plays they received from their tight end. Ohio State was ahead and honest: ‘You’ll get the ball once every time, but you’ll be mainly blocked here.’ Not seeing all the dust of the fairy and all these things made her feel nice which is not real like I will hold her all the time. Really nice to see a school stay completely honest with me. … (Other schools) would just give him a sugar coat and show me his tight end film of catching the ball. They tried to make it seem like it was too good to be true. ”
So these are opportunities for people. It is more likely in some positions than others (such as a defensive treadmill room that is expected to be thinner, for example) where there is a way forward for some early accelerators. But whether or not they will contribute to the next fall until the next four falls, Day says it is part of the process.
He finally wants to show his new bookies a senior facing tradition so they can hear the story from the guys, just as he shows up with just expectations to get a measure of reality until the first days of spring practice. And they have to grind to get where they are now.
“It’s really remarkable when you hear these seniors talk about all of their difficulties and their process and their expectations when they walk in the door,” Day said. “And this is a reality that people in general don’t want to hear in recruitment, but it’s true. And that’s why you want to match great character people and great culture. Because in the end, that’s what keeps them here because they chose the state of Ohio for the right reasons. ”
