Jim Tressel was always willing to nurture his foot ball recruiting classes and allow potential future Buckeyes to come out of their shells in due time.
Then a poacher arrived at the border.
With Illinois coach Ron Zook stalking nearly every one of Ohio State's in-state targets, the Buckeyes have countered with a recruiting flock this April that is more than double its usual size.
In the previous six years combined, Ohio State had a total of 15 oral commitments by April 23. This year, the Buckeyes have 11, including seven from Ohio. Coincidence? Or could the Illini's tactics be inspiring earlier OSU recruiting strategies?
"Well it should," said Glenville High coach Ted Ginn Sr. "Illinois is coming in hard."
"When [Zook] first offered me," said Garfield Heights defensive end Melvin Fellows, "he told me that he wanted to be one of the top programs in Ohio, and that he wanted to offer [scholarships to] the best kids in Ohio."
So far, Zook, an Ohio native and former OSU assistant, has won two head-to-head battles with Tressel. He beat the Buckeyes for Glenville's Cordale Scott in the Class of 2008; and scored a less-than-firm commitment for 2009 from Fellows, who is one of three oral pledges to Illinois but still attended Ohio State's spring game Saturday.
Not a huge windfall.
So perhaps the Illini's most significant in-state recruiting influence can be seen in the Buckeyes -- although they won't admit it.
"We can't worry about other things," said OSU recruiting coordinator John Peterson. "I just think that kids are more prepared."
Something has changed in Columbus. While some schools have joined this year's early push -- Texas has 17 oral commitments, LSU 11 and Southern Cal and Oklahoma 10 each -- not all schools are there. Notre Dame has just three oral commitments, and Florida and Alabama two each.
In the Big Ten, only Michigan State (six) and Michigan (five) are within shouting distance of Ohio State, with February's National Signing Day more than nine months off.
Gathering classes earlier could leave schools vulnerable to decommitments from players who pledged before they were sure. But the plan also allows a program to focus.
By locking up so many of the best Ohio players, the Buckeyes are poised to make bigger inroads in states like Florida and Pennsylvania. For schools fighting an uphill battle, like the Illini in Ohio, an early offer can be the best offer.
"It makes a statement to the kid and the people at the school that we're serious about you," said Eric Wolford, the Illini's lead recruiter in Northeast Ohio. "We just go after the best players we think can help us win. We don't care who else is recruiting them."
First and attention
The players admit that first foot in the door can make a difference.
Linebacker Storm Klein committed to Ohio State in October after receiving his OSU offer Sept. 1, the first day the Buckeyes were allowed to extend it. After his OSU pledge, he described Illinois' attention as "constant," with the Illini still wanting him to visit Champaign. Had the Illini reached him first, his decision might have been affected. "I probably would have held off," Klein said. "I'd obviously have some respect for Illinois for giving me a chance and for wanting me."
That Illini love is what Glenville's Marcus Hall and Jonathan Newsome are feeling now, though both consider Ohio State the leader for their services. Hall is one of the nation's top five offensive tackles. Newsome is one of the top-20-ranked defensive ends. When the recruiting calendar allowed college football coaches to once again phone recruits starting April 15, their first calls of the morning from the same person: Wolford.
"It definitely has an effect on me," said Hall, whose first offer came from Illinois. "When they're coming after me hard, I feel like they want me to make an effect on their program."
Yet several players in the OSU class said they were surprised at how quickly their offers came.
In February 2005, current OSU linebacker Ross Homan committed to Ohio State and was the second member of his 2006 class. When his younger brother, Adam, committed last December to the OSU class of 2009, two months earlier in the recruiting window, he was the seventh in that class. Adam had little contact from OSU before the offer, while he had been besieged by the Illini.
"They were in the mailbox every day," said Homan's father, David. "It was like, My God, this guy is just coming into Ohio like crazy. This is nuts.' "
Offering play
Receiver Chris Fields of Harvey High was a target the Illini were especially hoping to sneak over state lines, giving Fields his first major scholarship offer.
"Illinois, they came to my school at least a few times a week," Fields said. "They hit me in the head with a whole bunch of stuff, this and that, but I can't see myself there."
When the Buckeyes finally delivered an offer in February, it didn't take Fields long to decide. That's where Illinois might need to be careful. They're fighting a reputation for handing out scholarship offers like dinner mints. Storm Klein said he joked about the Illini's scholarship extravagance with fellow OSU commit John Simon. A lot of offers can mean a lot of rejections.
"People think we're just running around offering kids right now," Wolford said. "We have a pretty thorough process to evaluating kids. Our whole staff sits down, and we grade every kid."
In fact, Lance Schneider, the coach of OSU commit C.J. Barnett of Northmont High School, said the more common approach is for a school to ask if Ohio State has offered a player, and if the answer is yes, then extend its own offer immediately.
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