Ohio State Football: Scanning the 2011 Recruiting Scene

Can OSU pluck Gorman from Florida? (Photo by Tom Hauck)

Drew Thurman (2:49 pm)

After starting off hot, the Buckeyes haven't had a commitment in the 2011 class since Ron Tanner verballed on July 2.

They have added some big names in the 2012 class since then, but I think everyone wants to see how Tressel and company close the deal on this class.

With some important big names still on the board, the staff will need to buck their recent trend of losing star players late in the recruiting process. With the possibility of taking 5-6 more players, the Buckeyes still have some crucial needs in this class that have to be filled.

Quarterback

Many assumed that once the staff got a commitment from Braxton Miller, that the talk at quarterback would be over in this class.

Miller is one of the top two or three quarterbacks in the class regardless of what recruiting service you look at, and on top of that the depth chart seems a little loaded (Pryor, Bauserman, Guiton, and Graham).

There still is a possibility that Glenville product Cardale Jones could enter the mix as well. I'm not holding my breath, though, as the staff already have their eyes on a number of prospects in the 2012 and 2013 classes.

The only way I see this changing is if OSU has an extra scholarship or two late in the process, but at that point Jones will have probably already chosen a school like Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Iowa or West Virginia.

Running Back

OSU is as deep at running back as any place on the field. With a ton of youngsters barely getting playing time (Berry, Hyde, and Hall) and another one redshirting (Roderick Smith), this was not a need at all in this class.

The staff has already added Warren Ball and Brionte Dunn in 2012, so there isn't much to talk about here for 2011.

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Wide Receiver:

The Buckeyes do lose some depth at wideout as Dane Sanzenbacher, Grant Schwartz and Taurian Washington all graduate at the end of the year. At this point it appears DeVier Posey will stay for his senior year, which seems vital, but things could change in the coming months.

I knew losing Sanzenbacher would hurt, but I never realized how important the wide receiver recruiting would be in this class. With Duron Carter gone (maybe never to return), the staff had to add playmakers.

Hopefully, guys like Tyrone Williams, Chris Fields and James Louis will step up next season, but for right now Posey and Corey Brown are the only serious playmakers with experience.

So far, Evan Spencer (6-1 185) and Devin Smith (6-2 175) have verballed, and both are very underrated if you ask me. I'm especially impressed with Devin Smith, who much like Sanzenbacher coming out of high school, is just a hard-nosed football player who makes plays.

Outside of these two guys, the only guy left on the board with an offer is Glenville's Shane Wynn (5-8 160). He has played a little hard to get and has made it clear that he's open to leaving the Buckeye state for a school like Miami (FL), but I think he's a Buckeye when the dust settles.

A name that is gaining some momentum is Akise Teague, who at 5-10 178 pounds is very similar to Wynn. Teague comes from Youngstown Ursuline High School, and has been turning heads with some serious numbers.

Many are projecting him as a wide receiver and a return man, but he plays a lot of running back and defensive back in high school, so who knows. Keep an eye on that name though; the staff has shown some recent interest and he could get a late offer.

Tight End

The staff got two guys just as they wanted in Jeff Heuerman and Nick Vannett. Amazing what happens when you throw to tight end a little bit - they actually aren't so hard to recruit!

Anyway, with those two on board, you can close the books on tight end in the 2011 class. I'm pumped to see these guys in scarlet and gray, especially Vannett, who I think may be in the two-deep next season.

Offensive Line

After only bringing in one offensive lineman last season in Andrew Norwell, this was the biggest need in this class coming in. So far the staff has verbals from Brian Bobek, Tommy Brown, Chris Carter and Antonio Underwood.

While no one is going to hail this group as the best set of offensive line recruits, they all have great size and potential. With all the bodies the Buckeyes will be losing after this season is over (notably Boren, Browning, Miller, and Smith), it was vital to have a large class here.

They could still use more guys, and the staff is already getting a jump on the OL in the 2012 class. As for 2011, the only guy left is Aundrey Walker.

Like all the Glenville prospects this season, he has made it clear that he doesn't want anyone to assume he is headed to OSU just because of the Glenville pipeline and has flirted with a few other schools including Michigan State.

While Dantonio is proving a formidable opponent on the recruiting scene this year, I still just don't see Walker heading anywhere else.

Defensive Line:

This class is an amazing one for the defensive line, with both quality and quantity. If this season has proved anything, the staff is not confident about a lot of their depth on the d-line and need more playmakers.

Enter commitments DE Chase Farris, DE Ken Hayes, DE Steve Miller, DT Michael Bennett and DT Joel Hale. Believe it or not, there still are some possibilities to add a few more guys to this stellar group.

First there is defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1 propect in the whole country. Clowney, from South Carolina, claims he is coming to Columbus for a visit, but we will see if that really happens.

At this point he is a long shot for sure, but who knows what will happen if that staff gets him on campus. Don't hold your breath though. The other possibility is Cornelius Carradine.

A lot of you will remember Carradine, who played his high school ball in Cincinnati at Taft High School. He committed to Illinois, but ended up at Butler Community College in Kansas.

Now he is arguably the No. 1 junior college defensive lineman, and the Buckeyes have offered him. He has some other major programs after him, like Alabama and Florida State, but you would think OSU has a leg up since he hails from Ohio. It looks like he may be visiting in December, and it will be interesting to see how that visit shapes his thinking.

Linebacker:

Recruiting linebackers has been a frustrating endeavor the last few years. You would think with all the success OSU has had sending guys to the NFL that they could just hand pick who they wanted each year, but they have had trouble reeling in the big names.

Last year, Jordan Hicks headed off to Texas and in this class Trey DePriest selected Alabama, and of course it kills to lose two in-state linebackers of that magnitude!

Thus far, the staff has yet to grab anyone else at linebacker as guys like Lawerence Thomas, Kent Turene and James Vaughters have all headed elsewhere. The options are dwindling rapidly, and with Rolle and Homan graduating they need to reel a few guys in.

Conner Crowell (Waldorf, Md.) appears to be one of the best options left. He will choose between Penn State and Ohio State tomorrow night, but most recruiting experts feel he is a Nittany Lion lean.

Nothing has really leaked from the Crowell camp though, so who knows. The other name tossed around in Buckeye circles is Ejuan Price, who at one time seemed ready to commit, but appears to have cooled on OSU of late. He claims to be down to Iowa and Ohio State, and my gut says that the Hawkeyes win this one in the end.

That leaves Anthony Wallace and Curtis Grant, and we are in a dream world if we think either one of them is coming to Columbus. Andre Sturdivant, another Glenville guy, is a possibility if his grades pan out, but I see him more as a defensive lineman.

Not a lot to be optimistic about here, and I remain baffled as how the staff can't close the deal with anyone at LB. Some will claim it's because of OSU's depth, but go check out the depth chart for next year, there aren't a lot of names there.

Defensive Back:

The staff has commitments from three quality defensive backs in CB Derjuan Gambrell, S Jeremy Cash and S Ron Tanner. With Torrence, Chekwa, Hines and Gant all leaving the staff would like to add some more depth, especially at corner. That is why they are trying to nab cornerbacks Jabari Gorman and Doran Grant.

Gorman actually comes from Miami and stealing him away from Miami (FL) is going to be no easy task. Jeremy Cash made big news last week when he claimed he had reason to believe that Gorman will be playing ball with him at OSU, but I don't think Gorman is anywhere close to having his mind made up.

I would like to believe Cash is right, but the past shows the Hurricanes just don't lose guys like this from their own backyard. If they continue to tank this season though, that may be enough to sway his mind.

Then there is Grant, probably the most important recruit left on the board because he is in-state and at a position of big need. His father, Ted Jones, played wide receiver for Michigan State and has made no bones about how he wants Grant heading that way.

His mom is a lot more sold on the Buckeyes than his father, and the idea of being close to home with the incentive to play early may be too much to pass up. I think this is going to be a battle to the very end, but I think Grant's heart is with the Buckeyes.

My Picks

Obviously Tressel is notorious for surprise late offers, but at this point I think the class finishes out with...

WR Shane Wynn
OL Aundrey Walker
DE Cornelius Carradine
LB-DL Andre Sturdivant
CB Doran Grant