Tressel always attempts to motivate his players by pitting them against each other, and their trip to his home in Upper Arlington, Ohio, was no different.
View full sizeBuilding team unity has always been a priority to Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, and this year players were able to visit the coach's home as part of his efforts.COLUMBUS, Ohio — In five days, the Ohio State players will move into their team hotel for the start of preseason camp. This summer, most of them had their first glances at how the big guy lives.
One of OSU coach Jim Tressel's latest team-building exercises was to invite his players to his Upper Arlington home, each class having a cookout and game night called "Competition at the Crib," according to senior receiver Ricky Crawford.
"I had never been to his house before," said fifth-year senior offensive lineman Bryant Browning. "I was just saying to somebody earlier this year, 'I don't know where coach Tressel lives.' Then we had this thing, and it was real fun."
Tressel always attempts to motivate his players by pitting them against each other, and this was no different. The way the players explained it, it should come as no surprise that there was a Tressel plan for the fun.
The players rotated through a card game, playing video games, having a free-throw shooting contest, building a toolbox at a woodworking station and cooking meat on the grill.
"This was new," said Crawford, who said he burned his steak in his haste to cook his meal. "We never hung out with coach Tressel before."
"A lot of people had questions about what his place was like," senior offensive lineman Chris Malone said. "It was a really cool experience. It was great to hang out with the guys in your class that you don't usually get to hang out with."
DePriest picks Alabama: Linebacker recruit Trey DePriest, ranked as the No. 5 player in Ohio, No. 6 outside linebacker in the nation and No. 93 overall prospect by Rivals.com, chose Alabama over Ohio State on Friday. DePriest announced his oral commitment at a news conference in his hometown of Springfield.
View full sizeSpringfield High School football star Trey DePriest.It's the second consecutive year that Ohio's top-rated linebacker recruit turned down Ohio State. Last season, Jordan Hicks chose Texas. The Buckeyes have 17 players in their 2011 recruiting class so far, but none of them are linebackers.
With sophomore Storm Klein, redshirt freshmen Dorian Bell and Jordan Whiting and true freshman Scott McVey behind upperclassmen Ross Homan, Brian Rolle, Etienne Sabino and Andrew Sweat, the Buckeyes are fine for the next three years at linebacker, but they do need to replenish behind them.
Ohio State is expected to target two other linebackers for this class. Western Pennsylvania linebacker Ejuan Price told Scout.com this week Ohio State and Iowa are his top two schools at the moment, and Maryland linebacker Connor Crowell told Rivals.com recently that Penn State and Ohio State are his top two choices.
Big Ten meetings: Tressel will be joined by seniors Cameron Heyward, Browning and Dane Sanzenbacher at the Big Ten meetings in Chicago on Monday and Tuesday.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dlesmerises@plaind.com, 216-999-4479