-
Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
- Thread starter LordJeffBuck
- Start date
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
rivals.com$
10/21/05
Tilley will make a official visit to South Carolina this weekend and then sit down and make a decision. He will not take a fifth visit.
10/21/05
Tilley will make a official visit to South Carolina this weekend and then sit down and make a decision. He will not take a fifth visit.
Upvote
0
Not such a puzzle with Braxton - he had to take a post-grad year, and Ohio State generally doesn't recruit kids with academic issues. Tilley's academics are/were questionable as well. In addition, not everyone is in agreement as to Tilley's talent. Finally, there is some concern about Tilley's weight. All things considered, I'm not really surprised that Ohio State (not to mention Notre Dame, Michigan, and most every other major midwest program) took a pass on him.
BTW, I don't think that I've ever seen a more unusual "top 4" list from a recruit than Tilley's, especially considering that he's from Ohio. His list: Arizona State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, LSU.
Upvote
0
Buckeye1
Hall of Fame
Did not have time to check all the threads, so may be this article from ESPN is already in...
Often in the world of sports and entertainment, people refer to newly successful individuals as "bursting on the scene" or "quickly rising to the top." Usually that is an exaggeration, but you definitely could say this about Lee Tilley, one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country out of Franklin Heights High School in Columbus, Ohio.
Tilley is a player who has elevated himself among the top players in the 2006 class in four short years. Although it was not truly an overnight thing, Tilley, who is 6-foot-7 and close to 300 pounds, has quickly learned and excelled at the game of football. Growing up a basketball fan, he went out for the high school football team in ninth grade to try to improve his basketball game.
"I thought playing football would make me better for basketball -- give me a stronger mentality and make me more aggressive," Tilley remembers.
What Tilley eventually found was a sport that was a better fit. The first thing he struggled with was getting in football shape, especially for two-a-days.
"Nothing could prepare me for that," Tilley says.
Then came learning the finer points of football.
"I couldn't do anything, but by the end of the season, I was decent. Coach [position coach Jeremy Beckham] worked with me and helped get me ready mentally and physically."
That work paid off as Lee was moved up and started for the varsity team as a sophomore for Springfield South, his old school. While he was experiencing success between the white lines as a sophomore, he played only sparingly for the JV basketball team. By his junior year, he was receiving recognition for his prowess in football and still playing only part time on the hardwood.
It was then that he turned his full attention to the gridiron, and high school football had an emerging star. Although Tilley is a talented player with great size and skills, he recognizes that the help he got has played a big part in his success.
"The coaching I received has helped put me ahead."
Tilley moved to his current high school after his junior year, as did Beckham. The player talked about how good coaching can really elevate a talented player and said he feels that was what happened with him. As he takes visits to his final schools, he is still looking to coach Beckham for help and guidance. Beckham, who has been with Tilley on visits, helps him with what to look for from a football aspect. Lee's mom, Larnell Tilley, and his uncle John Tilley also are playing a pivotal role in his search for a new home.
He has narrowed down his choices to four schools, three of which he already has taken official visits to. He visited Oklahoma on Oct. 1, then Arizona State, then LSU last weekend. One thing that stuck out with him about the visits he has taken so far was the fans at ASU. While he was walking around the stadium during pregame, he was surprised by the Sun Devils' fans who knew who he was and already were voicing their support for him.
"Some of the fans chanted my name and had signs; they were die-hard fans."
He will visit South Carolina this weekend, most likely wrapping up his official visits. Several factors will go into Tilley's decision. The first thing he mentioned was academics.
"Football will take care of itself. A degree will help me through life."
He also mentioned the attitude and physical shape of the offensive linemen -- how they carry themselves and work in the weight room is important to him. He also mentioned the offensive line coach himself -- he knows how important good coaching is and wants to make sure he can still get top coaching at the college he chooses so he can continue to improve. Finally, he mentioned atmosphere -- how the fans are and do they stick with the team through rough times.
One area that is not a concern for the big man is location. The Ohio native's final choices are scattered across the country, and he feels he is ready for a change of scenery and weather. With two weeks remaining to his season, Tilley wants to finish on a strong note, then take a week or so to announce his decision.
He said about his choice to announce, "It is about time to wind this up. I have great schools waiting on my decision, I need to pull the trigger and go with my gut." Four schools will find out soon whether they have landed one of the most promising linemen in this year's class. Although Tilley has exhibited great ability, his best football is ahead. Beckham, his coach and mentor, might have put it best.
"Lee is one of those players that, despite his lack of experience, he has a high football IQ and gets better and better. His next five years will be his best."
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Tilley Q&A[/FONT]
Scouts Inc.: What is your favorite NFL team?
Lee Tilley: Dallas Cowboys.
Scouts Inc.: What is it about your position that you love?
Tilley: Looking at rushers coming off the edge and thinking, "You can't beat me." Hitting. When we score a touchdown. Stopping defenders from getting to the quarterback.
Scouts Inc.: Do you have a pregame ritual?
Tilley: Listening to music and getting focused.
Scouts Inc.: What are your goals for your senior season?
Tilley: For the team, to have a winning season. Personally, to be the best player I can be this season, pick a school and get ready to do it all over again.
Scouts Inc.: Favorite subject in school?
Tilley: History -- the answers can't change.
Scouts Inc.: Career goals after football?
Tilley: I'll cross that bridge when it comes. Right now, I'm just trying to get to college.
Scouts Inc.: Do you prefer going against a speed rusher or a bull rushing-type end?
Tilley: A guy that mixes it up, it pushes me. I also enjoy pulling -- I run and hit somebody, then their body shakes and they fall. Just like making a big play and hitting someone real hard.
Scouts Inc.: Favorite high school football movie?
Tilley: "Remember the Titans." The movie reminded me that high school football will continue to go on no matter what happens..
Often in the world of sports and entertainment, people refer to newly successful individuals as "bursting on the scene" or "quickly rising to the top." Usually that is an exaggeration, but you definitely could say this about Lee Tilley, one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the country out of Franklin Heights High School in Columbus, Ohio.
Tilley is a player who has elevated himself among the top players in the 2006 class in four short years. Although it was not truly an overnight thing, Tilley, who is 6-foot-7 and close to 300 pounds, has quickly learned and excelled at the game of football. Growing up a basketball fan, he went out for the high school football team in ninth grade to try to improve his basketball game.
"I thought playing football would make me better for basketball -- give me a stronger mentality and make me more aggressive," Tilley remembers.
What Tilley eventually found was a sport that was a better fit. The first thing he struggled with was getting in football shape, especially for two-a-days.
"Nothing could prepare me for that," Tilley says.
Then came learning the finer points of football.
"I couldn't do anything, but by the end of the season, I was decent. Coach [position coach Jeremy Beckham] worked with me and helped get me ready mentally and physically."
That work paid off as Lee was moved up and started for the varsity team as a sophomore for Springfield South, his old school. While he was experiencing success between the white lines as a sophomore, he played only sparingly for the JV basketball team. By his junior year, he was receiving recognition for his prowess in football and still playing only part time on the hardwood.
It was then that he turned his full attention to the gridiron, and high school football had an emerging star. Although Tilley is a talented player with great size and skills, he recognizes that the help he got has played a big part in his success.
"The coaching I received has helped put me ahead."
Tilley moved to his current high school after his junior year, as did Beckham. The player talked about how good coaching can really elevate a talented player and said he feels that was what happened with him. As he takes visits to his final schools, he is still looking to coach Beckham for help and guidance. Beckham, who has been with Tilley on visits, helps him with what to look for from a football aspect. Lee's mom, Larnell Tilley, and his uncle John Tilley also are playing a pivotal role in his search for a new home.
He has narrowed down his choices to four schools, three of which he already has taken official visits to. He visited Oklahoma on Oct. 1, then Arizona State, then LSU last weekend. One thing that stuck out with him about the visits he has taken so far was the fans at ASU. While he was walking around the stadium during pregame, he was surprised by the Sun Devils' fans who knew who he was and already were voicing their support for him.
"Some of the fans chanted my name and had signs; they were die-hard fans."
He will visit South Carolina this weekend, most likely wrapping up his official visits. Several factors will go into Tilley's decision. The first thing he mentioned was academics.
"Football will take care of itself. A degree will help me through life."
He also mentioned the attitude and physical shape of the offensive linemen -- how they carry themselves and work in the weight room is important to him. He also mentioned the offensive line coach himself -- he knows how important good coaching is and wants to make sure he can still get top coaching at the college he chooses so he can continue to improve. Finally, he mentioned atmosphere -- how the fans are and do they stick with the team through rough times.
One area that is not a concern for the big man is location. The Ohio native's final choices are scattered across the country, and he feels he is ready for a change of scenery and weather. With two weeks remaining to his season, Tilley wants to finish on a strong note, then take a week or so to announce his decision.
He said about his choice to announce, "It is about time to wind this up. I have great schools waiting on my decision, I need to pull the trigger and go with my gut." Four schools will find out soon whether they have landed one of the most promising linemen in this year's class. Although Tilley has exhibited great ability, his best football is ahead. Beckham, his coach and mentor, might have put it best.
"Lee is one of those players that, despite his lack of experience, he has a high football IQ and gets better and better. His next five years will be his best."
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Tilley Q&A[/FONT]
Scouts Inc.: What is your favorite NFL team?
Lee Tilley: Dallas Cowboys.
Scouts Inc.: What is it about your position that you love?
Tilley: Looking at rushers coming off the edge and thinking, "You can't beat me." Hitting. When we score a touchdown. Stopping defenders from getting to the quarterback.
Scouts Inc.: Do you have a pregame ritual?
Tilley: Listening to music and getting focused.
Scouts Inc.: What are your goals for your senior season?
Tilley: For the team, to have a winning season. Personally, to be the best player I can be this season, pick a school and get ready to do it all over again.
Scouts Inc.: Favorite subject in school?
Tilley: History -- the answers can't change.
Scouts Inc.: Career goals after football?
Tilley: I'll cross that bridge when it comes. Right now, I'm just trying to get to college.
Scouts Inc.: Do you prefer going against a speed rusher or a bull rushing-type end?
Tilley: A guy that mixes it up, it pushes me. I also enjoy pulling -- I run and hit somebody, then their body shakes and they fall. Just like making a big play and hitting someone real hard.
Scouts Inc.: Favorite high school football movie?
Tilley: "Remember the Titans." The movie reminded me that high school football will continue to go on no matter what happens..
Upvote
0
OSUBucks22
No touching!
Rivals (free link)
10/25
Tilley was recently offered by Pitt and the proximity to home has peaked his interest as well as early playing time.
10/25
Tilley was recently offered by Pitt and the proximity to home has peaked his interest as well as early playing time.
Upvote
0
I still don't get how anyone can seriously consider Pitt. Am I the only one that thinks Walt Harris is looking pretty damn good right now? Wannstedt won't make it another 3-4 years there and they are in the Big Least where the stiffest competition is either Louisville or West Virginia. Someone explain this to me...how a kid with an offer sheet like Tilley's could actually consider spending the next 3-4 years at Pitt hoping to finish somewhere between 5th and 3rd in the worst major conference in D1 football...
Upvote
0
OSUBucks22
No touching!
Especially if tOSU has shown some renewed interest. Then the proximity to home thing is bogus.
Upvote
0
I'd like to see that offer sheet....
I find it very strange that a school like Pitt would wait until the end of October to offer a regional "four star" recruit like Tilley. Either the Pitt staff doesn't know what they are doing (quite possible, with Wannstedt at the helm), or Tilley's list is a bit spottier than he has been protraying it.
Again, I don't think that I've ever seen a more unusual "top 4" list from a recruit than Tilley's, especially considering that he's from Ohio. His list: Arizona State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, LSU. Either Lee has interest in a wide variety of programs (both in terms of geography and in success on the field), or he is grasping at whatever offers come his way.
Moreover, Lee was planning to announce his college choice "shortly" after his fourth official visit, which took place last weekend. Now, after he had supposedly solidified his top four and closed his recruiting, he is considering a new school (and not a "major" program like Ohio State, Michigan, or Notre Dame) which has just offered him. Strange....
Upvote
0
OSUBucks22
No touching!
I wonder if Pitt was waiting on a qualifying test score of marked academic improvement. I still say something is fishy when the three major teams in a kids region don't put offers on the table though...
Upvote
0
tsteele316
Mr. Such and Such
considering tilley was directly quoted as saying that he wanted to go and play somewhere warm, the proximity statement is a bit odd.
Upvote
0
OSUBucks22
No touching!
Pittsburgh Rivals $
10/27
Tilley talks more about Pittsburgh. He is considering taking his final visit there, but isn't sure yet.
10/27
Tilley talks more about Pittsburgh. He is considering taking his final visit there, but isn't sure yet.
Upvote
0
OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Tilley is not going to get an offer from tOSU in my opinion. Water under the bridge. 
Upvote
0