[LordJeffBuck]

Who Is the Next Ryan Brewer?
originally written by LordJeffBuck (5/28/2004)

This is a slightly updated version of an article that I originally posted on BuckeyePlanet over three years ago. It is only slightly updated because the topic never goes out of vogue, and Ryan Brewer never goes out of the minds of Buckeye fanatics (he was even mentioned over on BP just the other day - Link #1; Link #2). So, for those of you who missed it the first time around (most of you, since BP was still in its formative stages back then), and also those of you who still can't let go (), here it is:

I personally believe that Jim Tressel and his staff do an excellent job of identifying high school talent, and then recruiting those talented players to Ohio State; I feel that the same should be said for John Cooper and his staff. However, despite the extraordinary prowess and tireless efforts of Ohio State's talent evaluators, every year, without fail, the fans manage to locate a player who simply must become a Buckeye, and then bombard message boards and other public fora with repeated demands that said player immediately be offered a scholarship to attend The Ohio State University. The fans' arguments are rarely based on the player's talent or potential, but rather more often on his stated "love for the Buckeyes" or the fact that he "bleeds scarlet and gray".

During the 2004 recruiting season, the supporters of Chauncey Incarnato, an offensive lineman from Dover, waged a very vociferous campaign on his behalf, alternately imploring and impugning Tressel & Company, and ultimately predicting the utter devastation of Ohio State football if their man did not receive an offer forthwith. Alas, the prophets of doom were crying in the wilderness, for Mr. Incarnato never received an OSU offer, and he ended up signing with Notre Dame. (Update: Chauncey quickly transferred to Indiana, where he sat out the 2005 season, didn't play last year, and doesn't appear on the Hoosiers' depth chart for 2007). A smaller, more civilized, but equally dedicated contingent promoted Scottsdale, Arizona QB Darren Mougey, whose father had actually attended Ohio State; their pleas were also ignored, and Darren signed with San Diego State instead. (Update: Darren has been moved to TE/WR by Aztecs head coach Chuck Long, a winner of the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien Awards, who knows a thing or two about the QB position - Link).

However, the poster child of fan favorites has to be Ryan Brewer, a running back for the Troy Trojans who was Mr. Football in the state of Ohio in 1998. Even though Ryan rushed for over 2800 yards as a senior, and over 7600 yards for his career, Ohio State, under the direction and control of head football coach John Cooper, refused to tender him an offer (neither did his co-favorite Notre Dame, by the way). All Buckeye fans were offended and outraged; many went into fits of apoplexy or paroxysms of fear; some even whispered that this would be the end of Ohio State football as we once knew it.

Well, it turned out that the fans were right, sort of. On January 1, 2001, the Ohio State Buckeyes played in the Outback Bowl against the South Carolina Gamecocks, coached by former OSU assistant Lou Holtz, who had possessed the wisdom and foresight to sign none other than ... Ryan Brewer. Then a sophomore, Ryan was the star of the show that day, gaining 219 all-purposes yards and scoring three touchdowns while spearheading the Gamecocks' rout of the listless Buckeyes, 24-7. Ryan had vengeance. Cooper was fired the very next day. The fans were vindicated!

So, my question to you is this: Who is this year's Ryan Brewer? The player has to be someone with Division I talent; who is academically eligible; who is from or has connections with the state of Ohio; who wants to be a Buckeye; but who will never, under any set of circumstances, no matter how loudly we scream, how humbly we beg, or how menacingly we threaten, ever receive that cherished and coveted offer from The Ohio State University. Please give me your thoughts by replying below.

Let's face it - every program his its own Ryan Brewer, the one who got away thanks to some clueless head coach. If you're not a Buckeye fan, let us know which players are the Ryan Brewers from your past, and who will fill that role in 2008. Fire away!