Ohio State Football Recruiting 2012: Who's In, Who's Out, Who's on the Fence

Immediately following Jim Tressel’s firing, Ohio State became one of the schools that no one wanted to go to. Since Urban Meyer was hired, the Buckeyes are one of the hottest teams in the country in terms of recruiting.

The class now has 19 commitments including close to 10 4- and 5-star recruits. Many of the nation’s top uncommitted players are considering playing ball in Columbus.

Here is a breakdown of all of the top players the team has lost out on and are still trying to get.

Players on Board

Since word got out that Meyer would be the next head coach at Ohio State, five of the nation’s top players signed up to play ball, including the consensus four top players in the class who all happen to be on the defensive line.

Adolphus Washington, Se’von Pittman, Tommy Schutt and Noah Spence—widely considered to be one of the top 10 players in the country—all came on board within the past two months.

The other big name to look for is running back Bri’onte Dunn, who committed way back in September of 2010.

Outside of those players, there doesn’t appear to be anyone special, but there are no glaring holes in this class from a positional standpoint. OSU could use a couple more offensive linemen, a linebacker and maybe another defensive tackle, but based just on the players committed right now, this is a great recruiting class.

Players Who Are out

The guy that caused the biggest stir by shunning Ohio State was offensive lineman Kyle Kalis. He was originally committed to the Buckeyes but opened his commitment after the tattoo scandal broke.

He is not committed to play for their archrival Michigan.

Other than him, there doesn’t appear to be any significant players committed to other teams who really shunned OSU. Still, considering that Kalis is from Ohio and plays on the offensive line, losing him could be a huge deal and adds another unique aspect to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry.

Players on the Fence

With Urban Meyer now the head coach, the pool of recruits considering Ohio State went up dramatically and he is working his way back in with some players who forgot about the team.

Perhaps the most valuable player still seriously considering the Buckeyes is 4-star offensive lineman Joey O’Connor. He doesn’t have an offer yet from the school, but chances are that if one was offered, he would accept it almost immediately.

Another player to keep an eye on is Joel Caleb, who only started considering OSU once Meyer became the coach. He is an explosive athlete and would be the most talented wide receiver coming into Columbus.

Some other big names to look for are offensive lineman Alex Kozan, athlete David Perkins and cornerback DeVante Harris.