Stan Drayton announced Thursday that he was leaving Ohio State to take a job with the Chicago Bears, and he left at least one recruit disappointed in the process.
Drayton was the running backs coach for the Buckeyes and in charge of recruiting the Cleveland area. He was instrumental in getting top running back recruit Mike Weber from Cass Tech in Detroit to commit to the program. We’ve mentioned Weber in the past because he infamously de-committed from Michigan while the Wolverines were getting blown out in a game last season. Weber later committed to Ohio State, and Jim Harbaugh unsuccessfully tried to get him back on board.
Weber tweeted the following note Thursday:
I'm hurt as hell I ain't gone lie
— Mike Weber (@mikeweber25) February 5, 2015
The timing of the announcement is telling. The Buckeyes and Bears only announced the move after National Signing Day was completed, making it seem intentional. Ohio State would have risked losing a lot of commits had the news been announced prior to Signing Day. You also can’t help but wonder if there were some broken promises made to recruits too.
Drayton sent some tweets Thursday about the announcement:
I learned a valuable lesson from this Championship team =Be thankful for opportunity. Embrace it. Attack it with intentions of seizing it.
— Stan Drayton (@OSUcoachDrayton) February 5, 2015
I will forever love my young men and the effort they display everyday. And I love The Ohio State University. Go Bucks!
— Stan Drayton (@OSUcoachDrayton) February 5, 2015
