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UF OL Ronnie "Taz" Wilson (official thread)

I know in recruiting there is no such a thing as a lock, but IMO Carlton and Ronnie are close to becoming Buckeyes. I know every Buckeye fan wants them to commit to OSU. Jackson is an athlete that may see time at a couple different positions and Ronnie would be the icing on our O-line recruiting.
 
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Interview With Taz

RECRUITING: Interview with Ronnie "Taz" Wilson, OL
Gator Country Staff - PackPride.com
September 19, 2004 at 4:10pm ET

Ronnie Wilson is a huge (6' 41/2", 330), dominant offensive lineman from Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach. He is often talked about as he has made quite a name for himself among Florida recruits. Especially, in a year when offensive linemen appear to be lacking in quantity across the nation. We had a nice chat with the jovial giant the other night. Here's what he told us.

Our first question of the evening was directed towards learning the safety of the Wilson family after the impact of Hurricane Francis. "Yeah, we made it fine. Glad to miss Ivan." That certainly was a relief to us as many families were not as fortunate.

We asked Ronnie about his summer, and he told us it was good, but busy. "I went to a lot of camps. Florida , Wake (Forest), NC State, Ohio (State), Georgia Tech , and one other I can't remember right now." What is Ronnie looking for from his last season and what has his role become on the team now that he is a senior? "Personal goals - I want to be number one in the state. I go all out every game. Because I've won a championship, the other guys look to me a little."

Recently, Wilson took an official visit to Ohio State to see the Buckeyes do battle with the Bearcats of Cincinnati . "The game was straight. I liked it up there. We just went to the game. Didn't really do anything else. My clothes got stuck at the airport, so I had to buy new stuff when I got up there." Aside from what is becoming a typical encounter with the airlines, it sounded as if Ronnie had a nice trip to Columbus.

Wilson has had the same four or five teams at the top of his list of favorites for some time now. Florida, Ohio State, NC State, Pittsburgh , and LSU . We asked Ronnie if he could elaborate a little on each program, especially his likes and dislikes of each. "Really, it's just camps. I haven't done any real research on these teams to know what I like or don't like." Needless to say, we were left a bit wanting after that question, so we tried to delve a little deeper. We then followed by asking: It seems that while you have had the same schools in your top five list, that Florida and Ohio State seem to be the leaders of the group. Is that correct? "Well, I don't know about that." Curt, yet very interesting.

What is it about Ronnie that makes him so special? Getting him to talk about playing the game and what makes him special was the best part of the conversation. Ronnie seems to like to smash his opponents into the ground. After he pancakes people, he has a penchant to want to jump on top of them, a little bit like a wrestler. We asked him about that. "Yeah. This year, though, I'm going to go try and find one of their friends." This generated a hearty laugh with the thought of him pancaking one kid and just taking off for a downfield block against a defensive back. Needless to say, that should make some offensive line coaches very happy.

Ronnie was asked what makes him such a good offensive lineman and he said, "My speed, quickness and power. Also, I'm good at listening to the coaches." As for his weaknesses, he told us his speed was his main weakness, but primarily because he knows he can be much faster than he is. Wilson is progressing well in that direction as he told us he has lost some weight and is getting into much better shape. "Yeah, my pants are getting bigger. I'm around 330 (lbs) now I think."

Many may not know that Ronnie started on the defensive side of the ball, so while he has been on the offensive line for some time he still has a bit of a defender's mentality. We asked if he plays like anyone or tries to emulate any particular player. "People tell me I play like this guy or that guy, but I don't know. I just work to get better." Wilson also told us that playing time would be a factor for him. "Yeah, I don't like the sidelines. I'm going to do all I can to start my freshman year."

Ronnie says he keeps in regular touch with some of his former teammates. Brandon Daniel at Florida, Cyrim Wimbs at Miami , and James Martin at NC State, to name a few. He said they just talk about stuff just like every other group of friends. He also told us that he was still planning on graduating early. Ronnie is a nice kid that seems to have himself together and we wish him well in his endeavors.

Check out Ronnie Wilson 's video...

Updated on Sunday, Sep 19, 2004 5:10 pm EDT
 
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JCOSU86 said:
From BSB re Taz's NCSU visit:

"Wilson was actually hosted on his visit by sophomore offensive tackle Derek Morris."

Hope that guy didn't fill the Taz with a bunch of crap about OSU.....


He was probably too busy filling himself with krispy kremes.

Having Morris host him was not coincidence. However, Morris screwed himself. His ego is about as big as his gut, and that's why he's playing for truck salesman Amato and dreaming of a possible Gator bowl birth, rather than having a NC ring on his finger.
 
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I would guess Derek had an earful for TAZ. I recall Derek was one of the crown jewels of the OSU 2002 recruiting Class. Derek was rated the #1 lineman by one of the services.

As I recall Derek's dad (Derek Sr.), felt Derek Jr. was a already a pro and he was Derek's agent. Derek's dad moved the entire family to Columbus so he could more closely manage Derek's career. From what I remember it was Derek's dad, not Derek that created the mutual parting of the ways.

Derek could not get through the NCAA clearing house until the middle of September. By then OSU had played at least 2 games and Derek had never even been to practice. What I gather from Bucknuts at that time, was
Derek Sr. told Tressel either his client er son starts or they want out.

I'm sure when his dad came home he told Derek Tressel is an unreasonable asshole. No doubt this was expressed to Taz. He's a link for Taz to look up.
http://tm.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=a&uid=09FE5233DCD33CE04&sid=1A4CF79FADB350514&qid=253E3958FE0B7146B29EE8E315958731&io=4&sv=za5cb0def&o=0&ask=Derek+Morris&uip=cdbc7509&en=te&eo=-100&pt=DawgPost.com%3a+Derek+Morris+Looking+for+a+New+Home&ac=24&qs=0&pg=3&ep=1&te_par=192&te_id=&u=http://georgia.theinsiders.com/2/68639.html
 
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the rest of the story

and now the 2002 recruiting class has a National Championship Ring, Big Ten Championship, won 2 BCS Bowls and has won more games than any other team in college football....this in the 2 years Derek missed out on.....with more to come, so JT knows what he is talking about......
 
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