2010 football recruiting class, so far

Right: Ft. Wayne’s Roderick Smith (25) is one of the 15 commitments from the class of 2010 head coach Jim Tressel has secured. (BB Photo)

Thus far, the 2010 football recruiting class does not have the swagger to match the 2008 class (Pryor, Posey, Brewster) or last year’s class for that matter (Duron Carter, Jamaal Berry). However, Ohio State has picked up a number of four star players as well as we’ve continued to be rather dominant in the state of Ohio. More importantly, the process is not nearly complete and there are several blue chips out there waiting to be signed.

According to rivals.com, head coach Jim Tressel has received oral commitments from 15 players including seven 4-star recruits. Among the commits are offensive tackle Andrew Norwell, athlete Corey Brown and running back Roderick Smith.

The site lists Andrew Norwell as our highest rated recruit so far, at number 46 overall nationwide, the fifth best tackle on the recruiting boards and the number three prospect in Ohio. He can keep defenders away with his long arms and apparently is also a very physical player, delighting in pancaking defenders and hitting them while they are down. Norwell could redshirt and make an impact his second or third year.

Corey Brown is the number two prospect in Pennsylvania and ranked 84th nationwide. He has a thin build and will likely add depth to the wide receiver or defensive back positions, while returning kicks full-time. His 40-time is around 4.4, making his speed his best selling point. At some point in his career he will be a starter at one speed position or another.

Roderick Smith is the fourth ranked running back in the nation and the number two overall prospect in the state of Indiana. Standing six feet and three inches, he is tall, yet still muscular and tough. Smith is a quick back who can fool linebackers and secondary players and is also known for his impressive hands.

While Brandon Saine and Dan Herron are the standard bearers at running back, it should only take Smith a year or two to find himself starting at halfback.

While he is not the flashiest player in our incomplete recruiting class, I find the story of wide receiver James Louis to be the most interesting. Louis is a 4-star wideout from Atlantic High School in Delray Beach, Florida who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and is ranked among the best receivers in Florida.

Despite being listed as a solid verbal for the Buckeyes, Louis originally verbally committed to Florida. According to The Palm Beach Post blog, Louis contacted the university but was told to wait, possibly to see if Florida even had room for him on their roster. He chose not to wait and instead committed to Ohio State. Afterwards, Florida recruiters attempted to contact him, but James says that his decision is final.

I think James Louis is a brave kid for sticking up for himself against Florida and the SEC like that. We may not have been his first choice, but the Buckeyes are definitely a better fit for him than Florida. It’s especially relieving to know that he’ll actually get a quality experience representing a school and a conference with some pride and dignity, as opposed to a school that allows their players to get away with attempting to gouge the eyes out of a fellow competitor, or a conference which allows a player to stay on a roster after an armed robbery episode.