Ohio State Football 2009 Recruiting Roundup

It’s that time of year again when the snow starts falling, bowl games begin, and recruiting classes start filling up. Let’s take a look at the top contenders to fill up Ohio State’s remaining scholarships.

The three major recruiting services are Rivals.com, Scout.com, and ESPN. Everyone has their preference, and the following links will take you to each player’s Scout.com bio.

It could have easily have been one of the other two, but Scout.com has generally been more liberal with their five star ratings. Four of the five recruits still on OSU’s board are considered five star prospects (Scout <3 OSU), with Rivals and ESPN being less optimistic.

On the Board

Marcus Hall – OSU Probability? 75%
The staff’s No. 1 priority is locking down the 6-5, 290lb offensive tackle out of Cleveland Glenville, because 1) he’s from Glenville, 2) he’s big, and 3) he’s really good.

Obviously the OSU engineering department has delayed their delivery of the superhuman cybernetic offensive line they promised, forcing the football team to settle for the next best thing.

To be brutally honest, line play has probably been the main difference between Ohio State and the elite teams they have faced. The staff’s solution: Adams – Boren – Brewster – Hall – Shuggarts. Good call.

Hall would make the fourth offensive line commit of 2009 in addition to Corey Linsley, Sam Longo, and Jack Mewhort. Obviously solution No. 2 is depth. Hall gets a 75 percent chance of landing at Ohio State since he’s from Ted Ginn, Sr.’s Genville, he knows there is playing time, and he rated last weekend’s official visit a ‘10’.

Marlon Brown – OSU Probability? 35%
You want a big receiver? Well Jim Tressel is trying to get you one from Tennessee. Never has a player’s height been more debated; some say Marlon is 6’2” while others say he’s 6’4”.

ESPN has built him up as 6’4”-6’6” and deem him “No. 1 Most Physical Receiver” and No. 17 recruit overall. His true height? Who cares? Some question the level of competition he’s played against, but then again, people said the same about Pryor.

Speaking of Pryor, he was Marlon’s guide for last weekend’s official visit to Ohio State. QB – WR. Seems logical, but Pryor as his guide and you know they are throwing all they have at him.

He’s very high on OSU, but will take all his visits to schools such as Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee. Yes, it is Ohio State versus the SEC again. Look out for Tennessee with Lane Kiffin.

Tajh Boyd – OSU Probability? 70%
And out of nowhere came Tajh Boyd. Once a Tennessee commit, Lane Kiffin had a sit down with the 6’0”ish QB and let Tajh know that know he wasn’t in their plans for QB. It’s actually an honorable thing for Kiffin to do; not many coaches would turn down the No. 3 ranked dual threat QB in the nation.

In addition to being a Tennessee commit, Tajh was also a West Virginia commit. An open depth chart at OSU (Pryor and Bauserman on scholly) is perfect for Boyd, while a redshirt and separation from Pryor would be perfect for Ohio State.

It’s hard to get a read on Tajh, but it should be noted that his football idol is…Troy Smith. Yes, that OSU alum, Heisman winning Troy Smith. That’s a huge reason why OSU jumped at Tajh after the Tenn. decommit.

You’d have to assume Ohio State is in the driver’s seat over Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Oregon, especially since his parents have a say in his decision. Admit it, parents love Jimmy T.

Corey Adams – OSU Probability? 35%
2007 stats: 117 tackles and 24 sacks as a JUNIOR. He’s not the 330lb defensive tackle that Ohio State fans have been looking for, but Adams checks in as Rivals.com’s No. 2 Best Pass Rusher.

The Buckeyes defensive line, namely tackles, is a group that has improved over the course of the season, but still lacks the true star you can consistently count on. He’s out of Arizona, but has ties to Ohio.

As evidenced by the last several big games OSU has played, pressuring the quarterback is the key to the cover 2 zone Heacock likes to play. When you can’t pressure the QB? 39 points, 41 points, 28 points, 38 points, and 35 points = one win and four losses.

Adams is also being heavily recruited by Pete “You’re my No. 1 guy” Carroll and USC, Nebraska, and Arizona State.

Dion Sims – OSU Probability? 50% (If there is room)
You want the anti-prototypical-Ohio State tight end? Look no further than Dion Sims. He keeps getting bigger and is a true 6’5” threat at WR or TE. He’s Rivals.com No. 2 best athlete at TE and No. 2 fastest TE. He’s out of Michigan and has his OSU offer. Stoneburner (should he play TE) and Sims at a typically overlooked OSU position?

That could be a scary proposition for opponents. Done deal, right?

Well this is where it gets weird. Basically a blue chip football prospect at tight end or receiver ala Fred Davis, he’d rather play basketball. Oh, so he has basketball offers like Terrelle Pryor? Not exactly… Iowa, Penn State and Kent State.

He had to sit out his senior year because of a torn MCL and as of right now, he’s not talking to the media. The good news? Sims seems to have Ohio State on top, if he has to fall back to football. FYI, Ohio State football > Kent State basketball.

Off the Board

John Martinez - OSU Probability? 0%
How many Salt Lake City, Utah prospects does Ohio State pick up? Not many. This is probably the strangest recruitment out of all the ones listed (Dion Sims is a close second). ESPN thinks Martinez is the No. 1 offensive guard in the country.

Lock for an Ohio State offer? Not exactly. He got offers from the big names like USC, LSU, UCLA, and Arkansas and continually mentioned Ohio State every chance he got.

Ohio State was not impressed or met their quota for offensive lineman, thus no offer. As of Dec. 2, he’s no longer considering OSU. I can only hope the figure “270lb” didn’t deter OSU.