Ohio State's Pursuit of a Top 10 Class

It has been a long month, and Buckeyes fans have had to be very patient when it comes to recruiting news. There has been very little to talk about.

Not only that, but if you're like me, you're sick of talking about the same needs and hearing the same rumors. One can only open so many threads about Seantrel Henderson or Jordan Hicks before you finally get impatient and cynical.

Needless to say, many Buckeyes fans have become both in January.

With National Signing Day just a couple of weeks away, fans will finally get some answers. The commitments from Jonathan Hankins and Bradley Roby this month have been nice, but we are all waiting for head coach Jim Tressel and the staff to pull in one or two big names.

The Buckeyes currently sit at the back-end of the Top 25 class rankings on Rivals and Scout, far removed from the Top Five classes we have all become accustomed to seeing the past few years. There is little chance that this class can climb that ladder with the remaining names left, but it is very realistic for the Buckeyes to put together a Top 10 class when the dust settles.

So what will it take?  

First, the staff must close in a strong way on the offensive line. There are four names left on the list: Henderson, Matt James, Chaz Green, and Morgan Moses. The Buckeyes have a very small chance at Green, even though Tressel is making a late push for him. Moses has also been a name just recently added to the prospect list, and things are heating up in a big way. He would add to Tressel's long list of surprise commitments to close out a class.

Henderson and James, on the other hand, have been Buckeyes' targets all along. Many believe Henderson has the Buckeyes on top at the moment, but Florida and Notre Dame are putting on the full-court press.

James has named the Buckeyes as his leader, but everyone in the know has Notre Dame as the team to beat. Regardless, if the Buckeyes want a Top 10 class, they must grab two of these guys. Some combination of Henderson, James, and/or Moses, and the Buckeyes will be in business.

Second, the Buckeyes must lock up Christian Bryant. A few weeks ago, this would have seemed like a simple task, but his recent trip to North Carolina has forced him to evaluate things.

I'm a little surprised that Butch Davis could make such a big push, especially considering that the Tar Heels have gone 4-4 the last two years in an average ACC conference and have lost both years in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. He sold Bryant some bill of goods though, forcing the staff to work here at the end.

When push comes to shove, I still think Bryant puts on a scarlet and gray hat, though (I don't see him as Cordale Scott part deux). Glenville guys are notorious for trying to seem unpredictable, and outside of Scott, they have all picked the Buckeyes.

Finally, the staff must grab either Hicks or Dominique Brown. Hicks would obviously be a much bigger commitment than Brown, and the Buckeyes have a better chance than many believed a few weeks ago. In fact, the guys at Scout are projecting an Ohio State commitment in the end. Getting him would easily knock the Buckeyes' class into the Top 10 discussion.

Let's not underestimate Brown either, though. He is a rising prospect who has gained a lot of momentum in recruiting circles during the past few months (he just recently added a fourth star on Rivals). Adding an athlete like Brown would be big as the staff closes this class out.

All in all, the Buckeyes need four commitments to seriously look at having a Top 10 class. Not just any four though—they need two offensive linemen, Bryant and Hicks, or Brown. If Tressel can pull that off, all the talk of him not closing will officially stop, and everyone can look forward to 2010.