Bri'onte Dunn: Michigan and Two Other Schools He'd Jump Ship at Ohio State For

Class of 2012 running back prospect Bri’onte Dunn, cannot stop the flurry of questions that continue to come his way about how firm his commitment is to the Ohio State Buckeyes.

“I’m getting sick of the questions, but I know why people are curious,” Dunn told ESPN’s Jeremy Crabtree. “It’s something I think about all the time, too.”

Dunn, who is the No. 124 overall prospect and No. 1 running back in the state of Ohio, according to Rivals.com, continues to give the same response to everyone who asks him.

“I’m 100 percent committed...right now,” Dunn said. “I went to Ohio State’s camp and spent some time with the coaches. They were excited to see what’s going to happen in September. They said everything should be back on track by the time I get there. I think coach [Luke] Fickell is a good coach.”

Judging by these comments, the Buckeyes’ coaching staff is obviously telling Dunn not to worry about the school’s meeting with the NCAA’s committee on infractions on August 12. 

Much of the chatter outside of the program though, has not been as optimistic. The opinions of many analysts believe Ohio State will be hit with a multiple year bowl ban, loss of scholarships over the next few years and possibly having to vacate victories from the 2010 season.

Dunn told his cousin Dymonte Thomas, who has become one of the most heavily recruited athletes in the class of 2013, he might change his commitment once the NCAA punishes the Buckeyes.

“He said he might de-commit if they get stripped of any bowl games,” Thomas said. “But I can’t tell anybody where he is going to go (should that happen). He told me to keep that a secret.”

Michigan is thought by many experts to be the new destination for Dunn if the Buckeyes are hit hard by the NCAA, but he insists there are other schools still in play.

“It’s Michigan, Miami (FL) and Penn State,” Dunn said. “Those are the ones that are trying to get me to change my mind the most. I’m just looking around, so you can’t just assume it’s going to be Michigan or Ohio State. We don’t know what’s going to happen in August or even later on. I’m just taking things day by day.”

Dunn visited Michigan back in May and enjoyed his visit to Ann Arbor. "Their coaching staff is cool," Dunn told Adam Gorney of Rivals.com. "I liked everything, my parents liked everything."

Dunn is making plans to visit Miami and Penn State.

Unfortunately for Ohio State, Dunn has not been the only one troubled by the dark cloud of potential sanctions looming over the Buckeye program lately.

Five-star offensive lineman Kyle Kalis, de-committed from Ohio State for a second time on June 22 and visited Michigan the same weekend. The Wolverines are now believed to be the top suitor for Kalis’ services.

There were even reports from Dave Biddle, a writer for ohiostate.247sports.com, that the Buckeyes have “no chance” at landing either Dunn or Kalis. 

While the futures of both Kalis and Dunn remain up in the air, there is one thing Dunn is sure about at the moment. Football season cannot get here soon enough.

“It’ll be good to just have fun, compete and play football again,” Dunn said. “This will be a good escape.”

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