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Football
Meet the Newest Buckeyes: Class of 2010 Added to Roster
By Brandon Castel

Until last week it was all speculation.

Although Ohio State landed 19 signatures in February, all but two of them remained “future Buckeyes” before last Monday.

Only running back Carlos Hyde (class of 2009) and kicker Drew Basil enrolled early enough for spring practice and already the Buckeyes knew they would be without linebacker Jamel Turner, who suffered gunshot wounds earlier this month.

That left 16 players from the class of 2010 who needed to be accounted for when Ohio State began its summer quarter on June 21st. All but one of them raised their hand as present on the first day of classes, as tailback Roderick Smith failed to make it in time.

“We were hoping he’d be here for the summer, but he’s got to finish up at school so he couldn’t meet the deadline to get in here June 21st when we began,” OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel said at the Morning Sports Report last week.

“So it will be August 5th.”

That’s when the Buckeyes will open fall camp, but they didn’t wait to add the other incoming freshmen to the official roster, as they officially gave them numbers along with listing their height and weight. There were a few surprises in the bunch, and we take a look at the newest Buckeyes who will be on the field this fall.

Quarterback:

19 Taylor Graham (6-4, 225, Wheaton, Ill.)—Many Ohio State fans were quick to forget about Graham because of the commitment of 2011 dual-threat quarterback Braxton Miller, but the OSU coaches like what they’re getting in the pocket-passer out of Illinois. The son of former Buckeye and NFL quarterback Kent Graham, Taylor is not an elite-level athlete but his arm-strength is better than both Miller and Terrelle Pryor. Although he is injury prone, Graham throws a tremendous deep ball but also throws a very catchable ball. His size and arm strength could make him an interesting option for the Buckeyes when Pryor leaves.

Running Back:

34 Carlos Hyde (6-0, 238, Naples, Fla.)—Hyde enrolled in the spring after a year at Fork Union Military Academy. A big back with tremendous power, Hyde ran for 1,653 yards as 16 touchdowns as a senior at Naples where he led the Golden Eagles to the 2007 state championship. He was injured (hamstring) for much of the spring, but showed good burst in the spring game and could give running backs coach Dick Tressel the kind of bulldozing tailback he’s been missing since Beanie Wells left after the 2008 season.

24 Roderick Smith (6-3, 220, Fort Wayne, Ind.)—Another big back with even more upside than Hyde, Smith appeared on the official roster despite the fact he did not enroll on June 21. While coach Tressel said he fully expects Smith to enroll in time for fall camp, there’s still talk that he may still have more work to do in the classroom. During his high school career, Smith tallied an impressive 1,000 carries for 6,625 yards and 66 touchdowns (eighth most in Indiana prep history).

Wide Receiver:

10 Corey Brown (5-11, 170, Upper Darby, Pa.)—One of the fastest players in the state of Pennsylvania, Brown was also an all-state track star as a sprinter for Cardinal O’Hara High School. The Under Armour All-American was also a monster offensively as he racked up more than 3,000 career rushing yards and 1,500 receiving yards to go with 50 career touchdowns. He could have played either side of the ball at Ohio State, but unlike the other Corey Brown, this one will most certainly line up on offense in the fall.

6 James Louis (5-10, 176, Delray Beach, Fla.)—Like Brown, Louis was a track star at Atlantic High School as well as an Under Armour All-American. More of a traditional receiver than Brown—who played a lot of running back—Louis racked up 22 touchdowns and nearly 1,800 yards receiving in his final two seasons of prep ball. He has tremendous play-making ability in the open field and could get a look at receiver this fall now that the Buckeyes will be without both Lamaar Thomas and Duron Carter.

14 Verlon Reed (6-0, 190, Marion Franklin)—Offensive MVP of the North-South Game and the Big 33 Classic, Reed still has his sights set on playing quarterback at the college level. He has the size and speed to be a corner or safety, but the Columbus native is listed as a wide receiver on the most recent official team roster. While his pass-catching skills are yet to be tested, Reed is electric with the football in his hands—both as a runner and a returner. He scored the game-winning touchdown on a 37-yard scamper in the North-South Game at Ohio Stadium and followed it up with a 74-yard draw play in the Big 33 Classic.

18 T.Y. Williams (6-5, 218, East Cleveland)—While he was listed as 6-foot-7 by a number of scouting services, the latest Ohio State roster has him at only 6-foot-5. That’s still ridiculous size for the former basketball star who took 14 of his 39 catches for touchdowns as a senior at Shaw High School. He brings a completely different element to the receiving corps than guys like Brown, Louis and Reed, which could make him quite appealing to the coaching staff as they look to replace Duron Carter’s size at the receiver spot.

Offensive Line:

78 Andrew Norwell (6-5, 308, Cincinnati)—With Seantrel Henderson picking USC, Norwell was Ohio State’s only offensive lineman in the class of 2010. While they are making up for the lack of numbers at offensive line this year in the class of 2011, Norwell could be the home run the Buckeyes need at the offensive tackle spot. He had his senior season cut short by a leg injury, but helped Cincinnati Anderson to two state title games in high school. He’s the prototypical left tackle and could potentially push Mike Adams and Andrew Miller in the fall if he’s fully recovered.

Defensive Line:

85 Darryl Baldwin (6-4, 267, Solon)—He looks like the next Cam Heyward, but it remains to be see if he can play anything like him. He was the Cleveland Plain Dealer Defensive Player of the Year last season after recording 25 tackles for loss and nine sacks, but he didn’t look nearly as dominant during the two all-star games. He has the size to move inside and play defensive tackle, but the staff has told him he will start off at end. Ultimately, he could turn out to be a tweener like Heyward, Rob Rose and Kenny Peterson.

52 Jonathan Hankins (6-3, 335, Dearborn Heights, Mich.)—The Buckeyes were looking for a big nose tackle in the class of 2010 and they landed one in Hankins. He’s listed at 335 on the official OSU roster, although the coaches said he weighs closer to 305 pounds now. Along with his size, Hankins was extremely productive for Southeastern High School, recording 85 tackles and 12 sacks as a senior. He will provide the Buckeyes with depth at one of their thinner positions this fall as he slides into the third-team defense behind Dexter Larimore and Garrett Goebel.

50 J.T. Moore (6-1, 246, Youngstown Boardman)—It’s hard to figure out where Moore factors in. He doesn’t look as dominant as a guy like Baldwin, but certainly seems to get more done on the field. A three-year starter and first-team all-state defender at Boardman, Moore totaled an impressive 110 tackles, seven sacks and nine tackles for loss as a senior. He made some big plays in the all-star games, including a red-zone sack in the North-South game and an interception in the Big 33 Classic.  He’s listed as a defensive lineman, and likely will play the strongside defensive end position, although he could see some time at LEO.

Linebacker:

33 David Durham (6-1, 231, Charlotte, N.C.)—A native of Texas, Durham was listed as a defensive end coming out of Charlotte Christian High School after his family moved. He helped them to the state finals his senior year by recording 86 tackles and 9.5 sacks. A year earlier he made 64 tackles and five sacks for Westlake High School in Texas. On Signing Day, the OSU coaching staff said that Durham is athletic enough to end up at the LEO spot or middle linebacker, but he is listed as a linebacker on the official roster. To make things more emphatic, Durham will wear No. 33, the same number worn by All-American linebacker James Laurinaitis.

38 Scott McVey (6-0, 218, Cleveland St. Ignatius)—Another tweener, McVey could have ended up at outside linebacker or safety. He looked much like Tyler Moeller coming out of high school, but put up some impressive numbers at St. Ignatius. As a junior in 2008, he racked up 144 tackles, 18 sacks, 44 tackles for loss and two interceptions on his way to being named the Cleveland Plainer Dealer’s Defensive Player of the Year. He was all-state that year and the next year. Known for his hard-hitting, McVey is listed as a linebacker on the roster and will likely play the Sam position this fall behind Etienne Sabino, Andrew Sweat and Jonathan Newsome.

Defensive Back:

2 Christian Bryant (5-9, 170, Cleveland Glenville)—A lock to play the corner position at the next level, there weren’t many surprises about Bryant on the roster…except maybe his size. He was told he would wear No. 2—the same number worn by Pryor on the other side of the ball—but most recruiting services had him listed taller than 5-foot-9. That’s where Ohio State has him and many say Bryant reminds them of former Buckeye corner Antoine Winfield with his physical style of play. He won’t play much in the fall except maybe on special teams, but could compete for playing time next season after the Bucks lose seniors Chimdi Chekwa and Devon Torrence.

Adam Griffin (5-7, 178, Columbus DeSales)—The last member of the 2010 recruiting class, Griffin is also the smallest. Officially listed at 5-foot-7, he isn’t exactly Ohio State’s caliber of athlete, but he is the son of former Buckeye great Archie Griffin. Like his older brother Andre, Adam comes to OSU largely because of his last name, but he has drawn rave revues as a tough competitor out of DeSales. He played running back in high school, but OSU is listing him as a defensive back and will likely give him a shot to play cornerback. Whether he ever plays anything more than special teams remains to be seen, but it was more than worth the risk to Tressel.

23 Chad Hagan (6-0, 230, Canonsburg, Pa.)—At 230 pounds, Hagan is about as big as safeties come, although he lost some of the weight due to his injury. He was also a track and basketball star at Canon-McMillan High School, and Hagan will likely get a look at both strong safety and the “Star” position. He will wear No. 23 now that Jamie Wood—another young safety—switched his number to 21 in the spring.

25 Bradley Roby (5-11, 176, Suwanee, Ga.)—He was all-state as a wide receiver, but it was when teams got a look at Roby as a corner that things started to break wide open for the Georgia native as a senior. He picked up an offer from the Buckeyes after committing to Vanderbilt early in the process and opted to switch his commitment. He made 42 tackles and six picks as a senior to go with his 29 catches for 526 yards on the other side of the ball. The Bucks like him as a corner and reminds them of another former high school wideout named Devon Torrence.

Kicker:

24 Drew Basil (6-1, 205, Chillicothe)—One of the two early enrollees, Basil had a good spring by all accounts. He has a cannon leg and showed coaches he could handle long field goals and kickoffs. His accuracy still needs work, but Basil did enough in the spring to make him the front-runner to be OSU’s kickoff specialist in the fall. He could also compete with punter Ben Buchanan for the long field goal job if place kicker Devin Barclay can’t improve his range.

Updated 2010 Roster

 

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