Ohio State Football: Can the Buckeyes' Big Recruiting Weekend Key Strong Finish?

While there is a big focus on the preparations for the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas, OSU coach Jim Tressel has his eyes on the future.

After pulling off a stunning coup, stealing Plantation H.S. (Fla.) LB Ryan Shazier from Will Muschamp and the Gators, the Buckeyes now have yet another talented front seven defender to go with their current crop of studs for the 2011 class.

And this weekend could only get better, as Tressel and company hosts a couple of highly-touted prospects, which have Buckeye fans holding high hopes.

With that said, here is a look at what is at stake for Ohio State heading into national signing day.

Ryan Shazier Joins Braxton Miller in Columbus

After seeing multiple occasions where top recruits have spurned Ohio State at the 11th hour for other schools, the Buckeyes finally got one back by landing lightning-fast LB Ryan Shazier.

Shazier, a teammate of OSU commit S Jeremy Cash, will enroll early along with Cash and the top prize in this recruiting class, QB Braxton MIller.

Those three will be among the first from a strong recruiting class ranked No. 3 on Scout.com behind Texas and Alabama, and can benefit most from extra reps at the next level.

By adding an athletic LB like Shazier who can run and tackle using both his athleticism and good technique, the Buckeyes continue to pluck speedy defenders from the Southern states as they have done in recent years.

Shazier will follow Braxton and DE Steve Miller (no relation) to Florida for the Under Armour All-American Game, where the group may help to reel in other fringe players.

Curtis Grant and Darius Jennings Are in the House This Weekend

With possibly the last weekend available for visits before the recruiting dead period, Tressel and his staff welcomed a star-studded group of prospects to Columbus.

And with the time left in the recruiting season, the visitors might not get much better than 5-star LB Curtis Grant from Virginia and Maryland's electric ATH Darius Jennings.

Grant appears to be a Ray Lewis-esque player, bringing the same type of athleticism and intelligence to the LB position; something OSU is very familiar with having in past seasons.

Jennings has a great amount of pure athleticism, much like freshman WR Corey Brown, though it's unsure whether or not Jennings will go on offense or defense due to his adept skills in the secondary as well.

These two prospects have had growing interest in Ohio State, and playing in big All-American bowls with numerous future Buckeyes might only help OSU's chances to land these kids.

Getting one would be huge, while both would be a major haul.

Doran Grant Still Will Not Tip His Hand

While Ohio State has been good at getting big names out of the state of Ohio this year, the biggest concern is that Akron DB Doran Grant, the top DB left on the board, is still playing things close to the chest.

Grant, a prospect with incredible burst and athletic ability despite being less than 6'0" tall, is still undecided between Ohio State and Michigan State, where his father played college ball.

Akron has been an area that has produced many Buckeyes including Chris "Beanie" Wells, but the longer this saga goes on, the tighter the battle appears to be.

Grant might announce his choice at the Under Armour All-American Game on January 5, and being around the Millers on the white team and Ryan Shazier, they might try to give him the extra edge to get him to put on the OSU hat should he make his decision on TV.

After seeing top players like Jordan Hicks, Spencer Ware and Trey DePriest leave Ohio in past years, a Grant commitment would help reinforce the fence Tressel has put around Ohio.

Players Will Need To Make Up Their Minds Quickly

OSU recruiting this season has been a very interesting tale, as the class is looking Texas-esque, with spots filling up quickly and only a handful of spots left.

With 19 current commits including Shazier, there may only be three or four spots left, and OSU will be looking again to 2012 with five commits already locked up.

Considering the caliber of players available on the market, OSU will not get everyone they want.

But they are very good at letting their program sell itself and having prospects buy into it.

With only up to four spots, expect the vacancies to shrink once 2011 rolls around.

Predicting How the Buckeyes Will Finish in Recruiting

Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 18: Corey Brown #10 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball as Travis Carrie #18 of the Ohio Bobcats defends at Ohio Stadium on September 18, 2010 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

The recruiting dead period means that from December 20 until New Year's Day, coaches will not be able to contact recruits more than once a week over the phone.

But that doesn't mean players can't keep calling other players.

Expect guys like Cash and Braxton to work the phones, calling up these prospective Buckeyes and trying to persuade them to join what looks like another class that can stack up with 2008's stellar group.

Here's a breakdown of the available targets and their possibility to come to OSU at this time (based on observations and information I have come across):

DB Doran Grant (Akron, OH): good chance (50-65 percent)

LB Curtis Grant (Richmond, VA): fair/decent chance (35-50 percent)

ATH Darius Jennings (Baltimore, MD): solid chance (40-45 percent)

G Aundrey Walker (Cleveland, OH): great chance (75-80 percent)

DE Jadeveon Clowney (Rock Hill, SC): very small chance (1-10 percent, could go up if he visits)

DB Jabari Gorman (Miami, FL): good chance (50-65 percent)

Those are the targets Ohio State has focused most-heavily on in recent weeks. Expect that Ohio State can at least land a pair of these players.

If OSU can land three or four of these six, this class can be a very special one for coach Jim Tressel.

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