NFL PIPELINE
Ohio State is well known for churning out pro talent
As hard as it may be to imagine now, James Laurinaitis had exactly two choices when it came to playing college football. h A lightly recruited linebacker from Minneapolis, the three-star recruit landed offers from Ohio State and
Minnesota. The assumption was that he would stay close to home, join close friend Dominique Barber at the next level and try to raise the profile of the Golden Gophers. It took an official visit to firmly change Laurinaitis’ mind, and among the key turning points was his hope of one day playing in the NFL. h A shot at the league wasn’t the only factor that led to his picking Ohio State rather than Minnesota in
December 2004, but it was an important part of the equation. h “If you had to pick a place where you could go to where you said at least if I play here, I should have an opportunity to at least get (into an
NFL) camp … I didn’t want to play four years at Minnesota and be a good player but get overlooked because you went to the Gophs at the time,” Laurinaitis told The Dispatch. “Whereas, if you played for three years, two years at Ohio State, you get a way deeper look. h ”It did factor into my mind.”
That decision hardly makes Laurinaitis an anomaly. He grew into an AllAmerican linebacker and won several individual postseason awards at Ohio State. After he was taken in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft, he enjoyed an eight-year NFL career. In doing so, he became one of the 480 Buckeyes to play at that level.
It’s a history that dates to 1936, when Gomer Jones and Dick Heekin were drafted in the second and eighth rounds, respectively.
Since that first draft, an average of 5.7 Buckeyes have been selected each year. In 2004, Ohio State had 14 players taken, setting an NFL record since the draft was shortened to seven rounds 25 years ago (the record was tied by LSU this year).
It’s clear that, across the board, Ohio State players are viewed through a certain lens when NFL teams are evaluating prospects.
“I think they clearly see a program that’s run as closely to an NFL team as you could at that level,” Mike Vrabel, current coach of the Tennessee Titans and a two-time All-american while at Ohio State from 1993-96, told The Dispatch.
“I think there’s a lot of talent. You understand they’re going to be talented and well-coached. They’re going to be part of a program that has a schedule, that has things that are detailed and has accountability. But in the end, it comes down to talent.”
While Ohio State has long enjoyed a tradition of having players taken in the NFL draft, the flow has accelerated in recent years. Since 2000, the Buckeyes have had a nation-best 141 players drafted, 14 more than second-place Alabama.
It has helped that, during the same time, college coaches have been increasingly recruiting a generation of players often raised to believe that an NFL spot is a birthright.
When dealing with players who plan on being in the NFL in as little as three years, Ohio State assistant coach Kerry Coombs said spending time in a program overseen by Mickey Marotti, the OSU coach in charge of “sport performance,” is recognized as a benefit by NFL talent evaluators.
“Mickey Marotti is a highly respected
person in the football community nationally and I think those general managers have a lot of trust and faith in his evaluation of our players and his development,” said Coombs, who spent two seasons as Vrabel’s cornerbacks coach with the Titans. “I think his reputation and what he does with the players really is dramatic.”
Coombs and his fellow Ohio State coaches have no shortage of talking points when meeting with recruits. In general, though, there is a two-pronged belief the Buckeyes try to impress on the
young men they are recruiting, Coombs said.
“What I tell kids that I recruit, and really players on our team, is that we really want to spend our time with people who want to be the best in the world at what they do,” he said. “The measuring stick for that is really twofold. It’s winning championships as a team and it’s being able to be recognized and promoted at the next level, which means being drafted.”
That means bringing as much talent in as possible, even if it doesn’t always get on the field. Laurinaitis said sometimes just being on Ohio State’s roster gives a player an opportunity he wouldn’t otherwise have at a less-heralded school, something Vrabel said is recognized among NFL circles.
“When you recruit good players and you develop them and coach them and train them hard for three or four years, they become better and they move on to the next level,” he said. “(NFL personnel) see that Ohio State has done that.”
Former Ohio State head coach John Cooper, who would go on to work as a scouting consultant for the Cincinnati Bengals after being fired in January 2001, said that while Ohio has always
produced talented football players, expanding the recruiting base to what is now a nationwide network has helped ensure that the Buckeyes will put players into the NFL who not only make a roster but also excel.
“Look at Ohio State’s roster,” Cooper said in pointing to some of the players he and his staff brought in. “We got David Boston out of Texas. We got Joe Germaine out of Arizona. We got Eddie George out of Philadelphia, Michael Wiley out of San Diego.”
Laurinaitis pointed to Joey and Nick Bosa (Fort Lauderdale, Florida), Ezekiel Elliott (St. Louis), Michael Thomas (California) and current quarterback Justin Fields (Georgia) as recent examples of that approach paying off in a big way.
He called it the “Nfl-ification” of the program.
“A kid in southern California can look up and be like, ‘Damn, I want to be like Joey Bosa someday. I wonder where he went to college. Ohio State? Oh, and he’s one of the highest-paid D-linemen? They must develop them there,’ ” Laurinaitis said. ajardy@dispatch.com @Adamjardy
LIBERTY 38, VIRGINIA TECH 35
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Alex Barbir hit a career-long 51-yard field goal with 1 second remaining to lift No. 25 Liberty to a victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday.
Barbir’s kick punctuated a wild ending for the Flames, who rallied from a 20-14 halftime deficit and moved to 7-0 for the first time in program history.
Barbir had a 59-yard attempt blocked with 8 seconds left, and Virginia Tech’s Jermaine Waller returned it to the end zone for what appeared to be the game-winning score for the Hokies (4-3). But officials ruled that Virginia Tech had called a timeout before the attempt.
Liberty then elected to go for it on fourth-and-6 from the Virginia Tech 41. Malik Willis found CJ Yarbrough for an 8-yard gain at the Virginia Tech 33 with 5 seconds left, allowing Barbir to come out for a shorter 51-yard attempt, which he drilled.
Willis led the Flames, who knocked off their second ACC opponent this season and won their eighth straight game going back to last season. He threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and a score.
Hendon Hooker paced Virginia Tech, throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown.
NORTH CAROLINA 56, DUKE 24
DURHAM, N.C. – Javonte Williams scored four first-half touchdowns as North Carolina rolled past Duke on Saturday.
Sam Howell threw three touchdown passes and rushed for another score for the Tar Heels (5-2, 5-2), who were playing without a national ranking for the first time this season. Just like last month, they responded from a threepoint loss to whip a neighboring rival, with North Carolina State the previous victim.
Williams gained 151 rushing yards on 12 carries as part of North Carolina’s output of 573 yards of total offense. Backfield mate Michael Carter scored two touchdowns, posting 85 yards on the ground on 17 attempts. Howell fin
ished 18-for-27 for 235 yards and an interception.
Duke (2-6, 1-6) quarterback Chase Brice was 11-for-23 for 155 yards. Teammate Mataeo Durant gained 132 yards on 11 carries, highlighted by a 46-yard touchdown run.
The Blue Devils are guaranteed a losing regular-season record for the third time in five seasons.
North Carolina posted two touchdowns less than five minutes into the game. Howell’s 2-yard fourth-down pass to Williams accounted for the first score and Howell ran 3 yards untouched for the next TD.
LATE FRIDAY MIAMI 44, NC STATE 41
RALEIGH, N.C. – D’eriq King threw five touchdown passes, the last a goahead 54-yard catch-and-run play with Michael Harley with 2:43 left, and No. 11 Miami (6-1, 5-1) rallied to beat North Carolina State (4-3, 4-3).
Miami scored the final 13 points to win its third game in a row and match last season’s victory total under second-year coach Manny Diaz.
The winning touchdown was Harley’s second scoring play of the game. He finished with 153 yards on eight receptions.