with Dave Biddle
Assistant Editor
Bucknuts Media Network
Bucknuts Media Network
During this offseason, the BPRT is going to give everyone a glimpse of the recruiting and evaluation process through the eyes of the people who run the business. Over the course of the next month, we will be taking the "Straight Six" to Insiders at Bucknuts, Scout, and Rivals to allow every reader to see what goes on behind the scenes in a business that is absolutely booming right now.
Our first participant is arguably the best interview/article man in recruiting/Ohio State Sports coverage today. Dave Biddle made his way into the Ohio State coverage scene in 2001 and quickly impressed readers with a thorough style that did not rely on typical cookie cutter, quick question-answer pieces. Instead, Dave's articles leave a reader with a sense of fullness derived from an overload of information and detail. This is evidenced in the following interview as the BPRT tracked down Dave for a round with the "Straight Six."
BPRT: How did you get started in this business?
DB: I was a Journalism major at Ohio State for two years. I finished my degree at Wright State where I was the sports editor of the campus newspaper for two years. I knew I wanted to get into this business since I was a kid reading newspaper sports pages every day. But college is when I kind of made it official. My first job out of college was at the Kettering-Oakwood Times as sports editor. Then I moved on to the Madison Press in London and then to Bucknuts.
BPRT When evaluating recruits, what are some of the key attributes for which you look? Do you prefer combines or game film?
DB: I prefer seeing kids in person playing football. That is the best way to evaluate in my opinion. If that is not an option, I think game film is much better than combines for identifying talent. Combines should only be used to confirm what you already know about a player from watching him on film. A lot of guys can look good at combines, but they are not good football players. You can tell a lot by watching game film, and I don't mean just highlight tapes. Complete game films are preferred so you can see the good and the bad.
In regards to the key attributes I look for, honestly it's everything. Take a kid like Brandon Saine. Everyone knew he was one of the fastest players in the state entering last season, but from watching him as a junior I thought he was a bit underrated as a power runner between the tackles. He doesn't shy away from contact and he proved that last year. But his junior tape clearly showed those abilities as well, but he was pigeon-holed as just a speed guy who would be a WR not RB at OSU. I never bought into that. ... A kid's character is also important to me. Is he full of it when you interview him? Is he humble? Is the humility sincere? Is he a good teammate? How does he interact on the sidelines? Is he a leader? How does he react when things aren't going well? These are reasons it's good to see a player on the football field in person if you can -- things you can't pick up on film or at combines.
BPRT: Who has been your most memorable prospect?
DB: Clearly Troy Smith. When I first started at Bucknuts in late 2001, I hadn't even heard of Troy Smith. When Mr. Bucknuts asked me to contact him for an interview in January of 2002, my first reaction was "Why is OSU recruiting another QB with Zwick in the fold?" I called Troy at Glenville High School and actually identified Coach Ginn as "Theodore Ginn" in my story. Troy blew me away with his confidence and said he wanted to come to OSU even with Zwick there because the "cream always rises to the top in the end." ... So, a few weeks later Troy becomes the final member of the recruiting class and the rest is history. And I'm telling you, his actual coming-out-party at OSU was in the fall jersey scrimmage in 2002 when he was the best QB on the field and really opened some eyes... I was also there at interviews in the fall of 2004 when Troy came out decked in a Willie Stargell throwback and D&G shades and blasted the coaches' decision for not playing him more. I thought he was done at OSU as I wrote the story up that night. Then there was the injury to Zwick at Iowa, Troy lights it up against Michigan, gets suspended, has a great finish to his junior year, beats Michigan for the third time and wins the Heisman as a senior, then falls all the way to the fifth round of the NFL draft. I will never cover a guy like Troy Smith again.
BPRT: As technology and the internet grow, what changes do you see coming in recruiting?
DB: I'm not sure it could get much crazier than it is now. I actually believe there will be more crackdowns from the NCAA in regards to reporters contacting recruits too much. There is Freedom of the Press and there's really not much the NCAA can do. But they can do one thing which is withhold credentials. That got our attention loud and clear at Bucknuts when we were still affiliated with Scout. Ohio State flat out told us that they were not going to credentialize anyone associated with a "national recruiting website." (Although if I was a Rivals or Scout employee I could argue that my site provides more than just recruiting. Even the Dispatch covers recruiting to an extent so where does the NCAA draw the line?) The NCAA really wants to cut down on the number of calls to recruits and I can't blame them. I sure don't like people calling me at home (of course they are not calling to do a national story about how great of a football player I am) and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. ... We've already seen the NCAA do something about text messaging from coaches. Although you could argue they went too far by completely eliminating texting.
BPRT: Who are a few guys who "fooled" you - "sleepers" who had very successful college careers, or "blue chippers" who were busts?
DB: Wow, the list is so long on both ends that I'm sure I'm going to leave a ton of guys out. I will keep this to the last few years of OSU recruiting. One player who definitely fooled me was Craig Krenzel. You want to talk about a quarterback that consistently looks bad in practice, it's Krenzel. And in the early Tressel days they used to open practices almost every day and I was there for a lot of them. Krenzel showed a weak arm and poor accuracy. But I had no idea he was such a gamer and so tough. Watching him in practice in 2001 I thought for sure McMullen would be the starting QB in 2002. McMullen was a good practice QB now. He could make all the throws and looked good doing it. But he didn't study enough film, wasn't really a leader, and wasn't as tough as Krenzel. When they both got their shot against Illinois after the Bellisari DUI, McMullen got first crack, but it was Krenzel who stepped up and earned the job with his play. Some guys are just better when the lights come on. ... A.J. Hawk also surprised me to an extent. I am originally from Dayton and I was very familiar with Hawk from his Centerville days and thought he would be a good player at OSU. But I never expected him to blossom into one of the best LBs in school history and the No. 5 overall pick of the NFL draft.
On the flip side, and I hate to call him a bust because of all the injuries, but you have to throw Mike D'Andrea in there. He was supposed to be one of the best LB recruits in school history and even before the injuries he just didn't show it. Hard to believe now that he was the marquee LB of that class with Hawk and Bobby Carpenter. ... And obviously Zwick is on the list. You could say it was just bad luck that he was behind the best QB in school history in Smith, but honestly Zwick was overrated ever since he won that state title as a freshman at Orrville. He didn't look good as a high school senior, including the all-star circuit. He didn't look good in practice at OSU and he didn't look good in games with fluttering passes and a lack of toughness.
BPRT: If your son was a major recruit, what advice would you give him about the process?
DB: It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I would tell him to soak it up and enjoy it. And you better believe I would be monitoring the number of calls coming in to him. That is the only way it gets to be too much for the kids in my opinion, and I'm talking about calls from reporters AND coaches. There would be a limit on both ends... I would want my son to take all five visits, with one possible exception. If he was a kid like Nate Oliver who wanted to get it over with early, I would absolutely support him in doing that. I love the way kids like Oliver handle the recruiting process with no frills. It just depends on what type of kid it is. Some kids would look back and regret not taking all five visits. Others think it's all a bunch of BS and they are focused on football and only football.
The BPRT would like to thank Dave Biddle for taking the time to complete the "Straight Six." You can find more of Dave's articles and perspective at Bucknuts.com.
