OSU 2012 Class: Jacoby Boren
By Adam
My wife and I live in Pickerington, and less than a half mile from Pickerington Central High School, so it goes without saying that I may have a slight preferential bias towards a couple of incoming freshmen (see Lewis, Roger and Elflein, Patrick). However, when you pair up the hometown bias with the fact that Jacoby Boren will be the 3rd brother in the family to put on the scarlet and gray uniform, then you may have to slap me every once in a while to bring me back down to earth. His oldest brother, Justin, transferred from M*chigan and brought with him a much needed attitude and passion that had been lacking from the offensive line. Next in line was Zach, a fullback who will be entering his senior season in 2012 and has turned out to be a throwback type of player who takes pride in opening holes for his tailback and busting heads at the line of scrimmage. Watch any of the Borens play a game, and it’s easy to see why we’re excited to have another one coming in the fall.
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 275 lbs
Hometown/School: Pickerington, OH/Pickerington Central High School
Position: OL (Guard)
ESPN Scouting Report 06/07/2011:
Boren displays good run blocking skills at his present level of play; takes some snaps at the center spot demonstrating good technique which could offer future depth along the offensive line. All that being considered we feel his size and athleticism are better suited for the offensive guard position at the major level of competition. It appears his frame could handle additional bulk over time. We detect some hip and ankle stiffness playing out of a three point stance; flashes the ability to come off the ball with good initial fit and pad level; when drive blocking we have yet to see him consistently explode out of his stance and knock defenders off the ball; this should come with added body mass and improved playing strength; demonstrates potential as a trap blocker; flashes quickness getting out of his stance but tends to play too high getting to the edge and up the field.
We like his ability to release on linebackers; displays the athleticism necessary to get a hat on active 1st and 2nd level defenders while playing on his feet in space. We like his aggressive finishing effort, resulting in quite a few pancake blocks. His arm length should be an asset in pass protection; flashes out of the box potential however we see the need to improve bend along with the ability to slide and play flat footed. All areas of hand use will need refinement. Boren does not appear to be an immediate starter at the BCS level of play, rather a developmental size prospect in need of time and perhaps a red shirt year to develop physically while polishing his technical skills.
Notes: Committed December 2010… Younger brother of current Buckeyes Justin and Zach Boren… Father, Mike, played linebacker at Michigan and mother, Hope, ran track for the Wolverines…
Jacoby Boren’s high school football career ended 22 points shy of greatness. The Tigers of Pickerington Central lost by 21 points to St. Ignatius in the OHSAA Division I Championship Game on Saturday night. Boren played well, and the team had an amazing season, as Jay Sharett (head coach) has made common there, but
maybe
hopefully this left him with a bad taste in his mouth. The kind that can only go away by lining up across the ball from someone and moving them around as you see fit, because you have outworked them and outmuscled them. As a former punter, I would have no idea what that’s like…my anger was focused on the football, and for someone weighing in at 160 lbs, that was just fine with me. However, there are few things more scary in a Buckeye uniform than a pissed off Boren, let alone one that will enter Ohio State at 275 pounds.
Jacoby will be joining a Buckeye team in desperate need of offensive line help. Highly recruited linemen, Mike Adams, Mike Brewster, and JB Shugarts, are all finishing their senior seasons and leaving OSU. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Buckeye that would argue that the O-line won’t be the position of the most concern entering the 2012 season. Since the team will be losing both starting tackles and its center, I would expect some shuffling to occur on the line, most likely with Jack Mewhort and Andrew Norwell moving from their guard positions out to the now vacant tackle spots. This could very well open up a battle for the starting guard positions between Corey Linsley, Marcus Hall, and any number of challengers, including Boren. Whether or not this young man can come in an immediately earn himself a spot is yet to be seen, especially since we do not know what kind of lineman Urban Meyer will be looking for. However, if I were a betting man, and I am, I would have a hard time putting anything against Jacoby Boren working his butt off this spring and summer and earning himself some significant playing time as a true freshman.
Welcome to Ohio State, Mr. Boren.