'10 PA DB Cullen Christian (TTUN signee; transfer to Pitt; transfer to WVU)

[mendensa]

Okay, so give me a list ... and if there are any names on that list, how many of them were not "locks" to Ohio State to begin with?

Fans like to think that they help their team to win games ... and they also like to think that they help convince recruits to come to their school. In reality, neither proposition is true very often.

I never said anything I say is going to convince a recruit to come to OSU. Don't lump me in that generalization.

I'm not saying that the atmosphere is the only reason they committed. And who is really a "lock" these days until a recruit signs a letter of intent anyway? So that argument is irrevelant. When a recruit goes on an official, he has other schools still to consider, even if they are already leaning towards OSU before they arrive.

And you help bring up another point:

why do you think there are so many kids that commit and then sometimes de-commit to a school this day an age in recruiting? Recruits get caught up in the moment of a visit, the game, the atmosphere. They picture themselves playing there. Why would a recruit call the coaching staff right after a ball game on their drive back home, make a decision to come to OSU w/o checking out any other schools on their list or over other schools they have already seen if the game they just attended didn't have any bearing on their decision? Sure, sometimes they reconsider once they sleep on it, visit other places, but to think atmosphere @ a game they just came from on their official had no bearing on their decision after just committing is naive.

As ochre pointed out, if a kid commits right after a SCRIMMAGE w/ 90,000 plus fans in the stands, you don't think he jumped ahead in his mind a year and envisioned playing in front of 105,000 for a regular season game before he committed?

 

[mendensa]

Okay, so give me a list ... and if there are any names on that list, how many of them were not "locks" to Ohio State to begin with?

I looked for about 15-20 minutes for examples in just the 2010 recruiting class.

Baldwin: on 11/29/09 stated that being on the sidelines @ the shoe for the OSU/ PSU game was a dream come true.

Turner: (scout article post visit on Nov 7) talks about night game atmosphere

Corey Brown: on 9/13/09 @ 2:28 ( in a post by jwinslow) talks about committing to OSU after being blown away by the campus and the game day atmosphere.

* I definately wouldn't have considered Brown a lock before he visited

Durham: on 4/26/09 talks about being amazed by columbus and their fans @ the games.

Williams: on 8/29/09 (Cleveland Plain Dealer article) talks about once he stepped foot in the shoe for a game he new he was going to be a Buckeye.

Again, I think it only helps. You're right, A lot of these recruits may have become Buckeyes anyway.

 

[jwinslow]

Baldwin & Turner are very poor choices in rebuttal. Both were heavy OSU leans. Same with Williams. I'd say a spring game atmosphere has a bigger edge, since that's more peerless, but realize that OSU was competing against Virginia & Wake for Durham. That leaves us with Brown.

Again, I think it only helps. You're right, A lot of these recruits may have become Buckeyes anyway.

Sure it helps, but it's not a very consistent factor. The list is painfully long of guys who were blown away by the 06 UM game atmosphere. OSU struck out over and over again with those kids.

 

[mendensa]

Those were just some quick names I listed after going thru a few threads really quickly, not a list of guys that I thought came to OSU just b/c of the atmosphere @ games. I'm sure there were better examples maybe from the Texas game, PSU game last year, or even USC this year even though we lost those games. The atmospheres and crowds were amazing @ those games.

Again, all I'm saying is a game-day/game-crowd atmosphere during an official visit @ OSU would be one of several factors that I would assume get compiled into the decision of a recruit to attend OSU.

Thanks for your opinions, Go Bucks. AND BEAT SCum.

 

[Taosman]

Is immediate playing time the single biggest factor for kids deciding?

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Is immediate playing time the single biggest factor for kids deciding?

No, the biggest single factor is where the kid wanted to go before he even began to be recruited. Most kids know where they want to go from day one ... the rest, who knows? Playing time is a big issue with some of the undecideds, as is location, chance to get to the NFL, head coach, and probably a dozen other things.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Baldwin: on 11/29/09 stated that being on the sidelines @ the shoe for the OSU/ PSU game was a dream come true.

The NCAA had better not find out about our providing worm-hole transportation for visits...

 

[mendensa]

My mistake. 2008 PSU/OSU game.

 

[Buckeye737]

I agree with Mendensa 100%. Gameday atmosphere is huge. That being said, most of the schools that OSU is competing with for the top of the line recruits are going to have a good atmosphere (PSU, Florida, LSU, and so on).

 

[osu_edu]

I agree with Mendensa 100%. Gameday atmosphere is huge. That being said, most of the schools that OSU is competing with for the top of the line recruits are going to have a good atmosphere (PSU, Florida, LSU, and so on).

And your point? Game day atmosphere to recruits is like a one night stand. you wake up, sober up the next morning and find the lady next to you may or may not be as attractive as you remembered.
Correct me if I?m wrong, majority of our commits are first and foremost a buckeye fan already. They either grew up loving the bucks or someone in their young lives (a coach, a family member or even a friend) had positive influence on them toward us. Gameday is prob., imo, only about 10 % factoring into a recruit?s decision to commit. Interactions with the staff, with current players, coaches? interactions with parents (especially moms!!) far outweigh a brief feeling after a big game. After all, they are all parts of coach?s recruiting strategy. But to say that the big game atmosphere is THE most important element would vastly be an overstatement.
:osu2:

osu.edu ROCKS!!!

 

[mendensa]

I never said it was the MOST IMPORTANT factor nor did Buckeye737. My point is: To overlook the game-day atmosphere, game-day crowd, game-day traditions, the pageantry that goes on before the game (like the enormous amount of people, skull session, the stadium walk, Script Ohio, Carmen Ohio w/ the entire team @ the end of the game) @ a school like OSU ( any school for that matter) that is so rich in football tradition during a recruits decision process to attend a school is crazy.

I don't know that you can put a % on it, I don't know if it's even 10%, but I'll go w/ you on your 10% for argument sake.

 

[Buckeye737]

Exactly. I've never claimed it was anywhere near the most important factor. I also wouldn't claim that it's a swaying factor with guys who grow up in Ohio as Buckeye fans. As for guys who aren't from Ohio or didn't grow up as Buckeye fans, I'm sure it helped because the majority of big time recruits want to play in that type of atmosphere, which surely helps out the good guys. There are definitely bigger factors, but I totally disagree with anyone who says it's a non-factor.

 

[jwinslow]

I never said it was the MOST IMPORTANT factor nor did Buckeye737. My point is: To overlook the game-day atmosphere, game-day crowd, game-day traditions, the pageantry that goes on before the game (like the enormous amount of people, skull session, the stadium walk, Script Ohio, Carmen Ohio w/ the entire team @ the end of the game) @ a school like OSU ( any school for that matter) that is so rich in football tradition during a recruits decision process to attend a school is crazy.

I don't know that you can put a % on it, I don't know if it's even 10%, but I'll go w/ you on your 10% for argument sake.

Our best atmosphere ever was probably 06 OSU-UM. Who was there?

Recruits leaning to OSU or in their top-3:
Ben Martin.
Deonte Thompson.
Joseph Barksdale.
Anthony Davis.
Brian Rolle.
Major Wright.
James Wilson.
Cameron Heyward.
Josh Brent.
Rob Gronkowski.


The visit left a buzz with guys like Thompson, Barksdale and others, but that sizzle soon died out. OSU lost a lot of kids they were expected to get despite the atmosphere.

The only two OSU got were Rolle & Heyward.

 

[Oh8ch]

The only two OSU got were Rolle & Heyward.

We missed on Barksdale?

 

[mendensa]

Our best atmosphere ever was probably 06 OSU-UM.

The only two OSU got were Rolle & Heyward.

I was @ the Texas game and the 06 UM game. They were equally awesome atmospheres.

and only getting 2 of the many recruits that were on hand for that game doesn't disprove the point I am trying make. Those recruits ended up going to some other schools that have great atmosphere's of their own (some better than others). And I'm sure that went into their decisions to attend those schools as well. There were future recruits/targets from the 08 class that were @ that game (06 UM) as well. Who knows if the experience they had @ the shoe that night had any bearing on their future decision to attend OSU, but it sounds like it had an influence on the decision of the 2 current Buckeyes you mentioned:


Direct quote from Rolle in a scout article on 12/03/06.

"I have never seen anything like that stadium on that night," Rolle previously reported to Scout.com. "The coaches, the players, the atmosphere, it was all the best I have seen anywhere"

Sounds like the atmosphere was a least a factor in his desision to me.



Direct Quote from Heyward in a scout article 1/31/07.

?Ohio State was just great,? Heyward informed Scout.com of his unofficial visit in late November. ?The atmosphere, campus and academics are awesome. But I think I was impressed with the coaches the most, especially coach (Jim) Tressel.?

Though maybe not the most important reason he committed, sounds like it was important enough to mention 1st in explaining why he came.


We're going in circles......


Again, all we're saying is that after reading a lot of quotes from these athletes on these boards for the past 3-4 years (for me anyway), it may be hard to place a % on how much of the decision is actually based on game atmosphere/ game-day traditions, ect... but I do think it matters to some kids.

That being said, I still think head coach, how close to family they are, academics, system they will be playing in, relationship w/ position coach, which position a coach sees them playing once they get here, and depth chart may all be more important factors in a decision, but OSU game-day atmosphere and their experience @ the shoe when they go on visits DOES MATTER. I read it in the qoutes almost every day from players across the country, not just OSU commits or non-commits. It's one of the top 4 or 5 reasons listed/mentioned after a recruit commits when they are quoted as to why they committed.