Featured Video
Ohtani Little League HR 😨
Recruiting Rundown 11/03
David ThurmanNov 3, 2011
Drew Thurman (4:07 pm)
Not only did the victory over Wisconsin give the Buckeyes some much needed momentum in their pursuit for another B1G Championship, but it is already paying huge dividends on the recruiting front. A huge group of prospect from both the 2012 and 2013 classes (nearly 50) were in the Shoe on Saturday night to take in the action, and they were understandably blown away with everything they took in. If the staff can leverage the progress they made, one has to wonder if it could help Fickell save his job. If he salvages an 8-9 win season while pulling in a top 20 recruiting class, will those in charge take notice?
Anyway, let's get to some of the latest recruiting action...
* At this point OSU has yet to land a defensive lineman in the 2012 class (though Josh Perry may end up there), but Saturday night the Buckeyes took a huge step forward in changing that. Two of the top defensive lineman in the state were on hand to watch the big game, one being current Michigan State commitment Se'Von Pittman. While some have speculated he was in attendance to watch former teammate Steve Miller, he definitely didn't do much to end the rumors that he still has major interest in Ohio State.
"'As of right now, yes,' Pittman said when asked if he is 100 percent committed to the Spartans and addressing rumors that he could eventually end up at Ohio State."
As I interpret it, Pittman is sticking with MSU until the NCAA ruling. If the Buckeyes don't get hit hard, his commitment could very well be switching.
Not only did the victory over Wisconsin give the Buckeyes some much needed momentum in their pursuit for another B1G Championship, but it is already paying huge dividends on the recruiting front. A huge group of prospect from both the 2012 and 2013 classes (nearly 50) were in the Shoe on Saturday night to take in the action, and they were understandably blown away with everything they took in. If the staff can leverage the progress they made, one has to wonder if it could help Fickell save his job. If he salvages an 8-9 win season while pulling in a top 20 recruiting class, will those in charge take notice?
Anyway, let's get to some of the latest recruiting action...
* At this point OSU has yet to land a defensive lineman in the 2012 class (though Josh Perry may end up there), but Saturday night the Buckeyes took a huge step forward in changing that. Two of the top defensive lineman in the state were on hand to watch the big game, one being current Michigan State commitment Se'Von Pittman. While some have speculated he was in attendance to watch former teammate Steve Miller, he definitely didn't do much to end the rumors that he still has major interest in Ohio State.
"'As of right now, yes,' Pittman said when asked if he is 100 percent committed to the Spartans and addressing rumors that he could eventually end up at Ohio State."
As I interpret it, Pittman is sticking with MSU until the NCAA ruling. If the Buckeyes don't get hit hard, his commitment could very well be switching.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
The other top tier defensive lineman in attendance was Adolphus Washington, who I spent a lot of time talking about in the last Recruiting Rundown. Washington has been considered an OSU lean for sometime now, and his visit this weekend did nothing but confirm that assumption. He walked away from his visit impressed with the team and the academics, and even said the lead grew for the Buckeyes. The staff also put the full court press on his teammate Dwayne Stanford, who also walked away from his visit very high on OSU. Reportedly, both will decide by the end of this month and you have to believe that both are future Buckeyes at this point.
* There were some players who didn't even need to be in attendance for the Wisconsin game to be wowed, one being offensive lineman Alex Kozan. He admitted to Bill Kurelic that he may have rushed his commitment and picked the Buckeyes had he been in attendance. While it is unfortunate that he couldn't be present, even though he tried, he will be in Columbus this weekend as the Buckeyes take on Indiana. Fickell and Bollman have also been in contact with him this week, and it is very clear that while they took awhile to offer Kozan they really want him now.
* As you can see the win over the Badgers has definitely helped the 2012 class along, though, it may have actually done more to help the 2013 class. Some very big names walked away with nothing but positive things to say about Ohio State. One was Derrick Green, the staff's number one running back target for 2013. Green, who is the teammate of current Buckeye Curtis Grant, has been high on the Buckeyes for a very long time. After the game he admitted that he was blown away, and made it very clear that the OSU is far and away his leader at this point.
Another top prospect, linebacker Tim Kimbrough (Indianapolis, Warren Central), told Steve Wiltfong that the Buckeyes were his leader as well and that he loves Mike Vrabel. Kimbrough only holds a few offers currently, and it sounds like the Buckeyes have gotten out ahead of some of the other Big Ten and SEC schools recruiting him. Finally, linebacker Jaylon Smith, cornerback Cameron Burrows, defensive end Taco Charlton and offensive lineman Alex Gall all enjoyed their visits, Gall even called the visit "insane."
The one recruit who played things a little more cool was quarterback Malik Zaire. Even though Zaire said he enjoyed the game and was happy Ohio State won, he definitely had his focus on how both teams were utilizing their quarterbacks. Two of his three offers are from Wisconsin and Ohio State, so he was watching Russell Wilson every bit as much as Braxton Miller. After the game, he made it clear that he sees himself as a similar player as Wilson and seemed to be a bit more excited about Wisconsin. While the Buckeyes aren't in desperate need of a quarterback with Cardale Jones jumping on board this year, the staff obviously has its sights set on Zaire in 2013.
* So, how will things finish for 2012? Well, with Michael Thomas confirming his commitment this week, the Buckeyes have 14 currently on board. Last time I predicted Kozan, Davidson, Washington, Odenigbo, and Pittman as becoming Buckeyes as well. Nothing over the last couple of weeks has changed that. Unlike last time though, I feel much better about Stanford and see him joining those five. Outside of that, it depends on who the staff offers. Between Joe Burger, Mason Monheim, Alex Pace, Dion Dawson and James Henry, someone will grab the final spot or two. With all the turbulence this year, that's a pretty sweet way to close this class out.
* There were some players who didn't even need to be in attendance for the Wisconsin game to be wowed, one being offensive lineman Alex Kozan. He admitted to Bill Kurelic that he may have rushed his commitment and picked the Buckeyes had he been in attendance. While it is unfortunate that he couldn't be present, even though he tried, he will be in Columbus this weekend as the Buckeyes take on Indiana. Fickell and Bollman have also been in contact with him this week, and it is very clear that while they took awhile to offer Kozan they really want him now.
* As you can see the win over the Badgers has definitely helped the 2012 class along, though, it may have actually done more to help the 2013 class. Some very big names walked away with nothing but positive things to say about Ohio State. One was Derrick Green, the staff's number one running back target for 2013. Green, who is the teammate of current Buckeye Curtis Grant, has been high on the Buckeyes for a very long time. After the game he admitted that he was blown away, and made it very clear that the OSU is far and away his leader at this point.
Another top prospect, linebacker Tim Kimbrough (Indianapolis, Warren Central), told Steve Wiltfong that the Buckeyes were his leader as well and that he loves Mike Vrabel. Kimbrough only holds a few offers currently, and it sounds like the Buckeyes have gotten out ahead of some of the other Big Ten and SEC schools recruiting him. Finally, linebacker Jaylon Smith, cornerback Cameron Burrows, defensive end Taco Charlton and offensive lineman Alex Gall all enjoyed their visits, Gall even called the visit "insane."
The one recruit who played things a little more cool was quarterback Malik Zaire. Even though Zaire said he enjoyed the game and was happy Ohio State won, he definitely had his focus on how both teams were utilizing their quarterbacks. Two of his three offers are from Wisconsin and Ohio State, so he was watching Russell Wilson every bit as much as Braxton Miller. After the game, he made it clear that he sees himself as a similar player as Wilson and seemed to be a bit more excited about Wisconsin. While the Buckeyes aren't in desperate need of a quarterback with Cardale Jones jumping on board this year, the staff obviously has its sights set on Zaire in 2013.
* So, how will things finish for 2012? Well, with Michael Thomas confirming his commitment this week, the Buckeyes have 14 currently on board. Last time I predicted Kozan, Davidson, Washington, Odenigbo, and Pittman as becoming Buckeyes as well. Nothing over the last couple of weeks has changed that. Unlike last time though, I feel much better about Stanford and see him joining those five. Outside of that, it depends on who the staff offers. Between Joe Burger, Mason Monheim, Alex Pace, Dion Dawson and James Henry, someone will grab the final spot or two. With all the turbulence this year, that's a pretty sweet way to close this class out.
Ohtani Little League HR 😨
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
