In a normal year, even the most die-hard recruiting followers wouldn’t know who would make up next years’ recruiting class until that next year. Normally, you’d get a chance to see the previous years’ recruits make an impact on the field. Not this year as the 2008 recruits haven’t even been through fall practice and the 2009 class is almost full.

Right about now, I’m sure the recruiting services and Ohio State blogs are feeling like they are in the OSU Strength and Conditioning program. A flurry of 6 verbal commitments in 5 days is responsible for writers feeling like they’ve been doing two-a-days. There’s only so much you can say about a kid you’ve barely seen play football, but if I was a betting man, I’d bet Tressel and company did their homework.

Compared to last year’s class, this class is built not on big names but rather solid players. There are no Terrelle Pryors or Mike Brewsters or Etienne Sabinos (they are already on the team, in fact), even though Scout has Dorian Bell as the #5 player in the nation. The class is heavy on…everything. Secondary sticks out, but no one knows who will get a shot on offense. Any school would love to have a recruiting class as well rounded and as solid a base as this class, except maybe USC but they don’t have to leave the state of California to win recruiting rankings. Ohio State, on the other hand, adds in a mix of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida kids. Read More...

It seems like the Buckeyes go from one high profile recruiting battle to another these days. The (Pulitzerless) Dispatch reports this morning that Justin Boren attended the Buckeyes spring practice yesterday, a further indication of his intention to transfer to Ohio State.

From the beginning of his split with Michigan, the speculation has been that Boren wants, and eventually will, transfer to Ohio State. How does that sit with the current Buckeyes? Malcolm Jenkins had this to say:

"I really don't mind, as long as he comes with the mind-set he's now Ohio State and he leaves the Michigan stuff at Michigan," Jenkins said. "If he is going to help us and come into the tradition, then by all means come ahead."

How do you feel about this former Wolverine potentially wearing Scarlet and Gray? BuckeyeChris is all for it. Here is what he has to say:

WILL JUSTIN BOREN BE WELCOMED INTO THE OSU FAMILY?  HERE'S WHY HE SHOULD BE...
 
By now you have no doubt heard or read the scathing language used by former Pickerington North High School standout Justin Boren as he departed, rather abruptly, the Michigan football program recently.  Boren described, "...an erosion of family values" within the program since the arrival of new coach, Rich Rodriquez.  Boren expressed sadness that, "...the winged helmet that he once raised with pride now brings a completely different emotion."  Read More...

National Signing days are becoming somewhat boring affairs for Ohio State fans. On the one hand, we didn't have any major players fall in our lap nor did Terrelle (we're on first name basis now) make is final decision. Conversely, all previously committed player faxed in their letter of intent as expected. No defections. No cold feet. In fact, they were all in rather early. The class size stands at 19 with, obviously, the hope of one more.

The NCAA lifts the coaches gag order today as well. Jim Tressel spoke at 4pm presser and highlighted various aspects of the class. If you missed it, Press Box Productions has you covered with the archived audio. Ohio State only hosted official visits for 26 players and they signed 19 of them. That's what you call efficient. But, looking at the team rankings by Rivals and Scout, you'll quickly notice we have the fewest number of recruits of any team in the Top 12 (Scout). Only USC (18) has fewer of any team in the Top 25.

Speaking of Rivals and Scout, both services have the class ranked in the Top 10. There's little discrepancy too as Scout checks us at #7 and Rivals one spot down. From a conference standpoint, the Buckeyes take the imaginary crown with Michigan close behind. Interestingly, Michigan took surprising commitments from two Ohio players today, both of whom were not offered scholarships by Ohio State. So, back to Ohio State's class; here's our position according to Scout:

First off, I have no idea why Texas A&M's class is highlighted along with ours. Pay no attention. Do pay attention to the quality of our class. If one sorts the classes by 'star rating', Ohio State's suddenly vaults to #2 behind only Notre Dame. If you do the same rearrangement for the Rivals rankings, we hop to #5. In other words, these rankings you see listed and spit out by various media outlets, your local paper, your local Buckeye hater value not only the quality of the player but the number of commitments. Quick example, LSU is ranked one spot ahead of us in the graphic above only because they signed 7 more players.

The class is excellent in quality, though one could have hoped for another offensive lineman (or two). Even still, should Pryor commit, the class would be one of Ohio State's best.

Tomorrow represents, in some fashion, the end of the madness that is college football recruiting. Most players with scholarship offers will choose their school and sign the Letter of Intent. Some won't, opting to delay their announcement because they're unsure or simply enjoy the spotlight. Terrelle Pryor will not be one of them. He will announce tomorrow just past noon (EST) on ESPNU. I have read all the rumors and speculation, including those that say he's destined for Ohio State and others who say Michigan will land the prospect (including this obsure post). The needle seems to point most to the Ohio State side by my estimation. Then again, one cannot rule out Penn State either.

There are others Ohio State covets and the small board has changed with recent developments. We know Keith Wells is in the fold but a recent news tonight should all but remove offensive lineman Josh Jenkins as possibility. An online article reports that Jenkins has selected West Virginia, his original choice months ago before the RichRod fiasco. Earlier events today foretold of this news as it was learned the Buckeyes offered DeSales offensive lineman Patrick Omameh, something they probably wouldn't have done if Jenkins was heading to Columbus. At this time, Omameh is committed to Michigan.

On the positive side, the staff seems to have made up ground on a few recruits. Brandon Harris, one of the top rated corners in the country, faces a tougher decision tonight than most anticipated. Harris is down to Ohio State and Miami, and there's been some message board rumblings that Ohio State may win the battle. I don't necessarily share this view but it's gained enough traction to elicit a mention. Also, a new name has cropped up as a safety prospect Orhian Johnson. Though listed as a QB, he's being recruited as a safety at Ohio State (in the Nate Salley mold). Bill Kurelic thinks chances are high that Johnson signs with Ohio State.

For those scoring at home, announcments times look like this (all times Eastern):

• Terrelle Pryor - 12:05pm
  
• Brandon Harris - 1:05pm
  
• Orhian Johnson - ?

In the unlikely event that seemingly everyone wants to commit to Ohio State tomorrow, space shouldn't be a concern. We were already well below the 85 limit last year and new word suggests wide receiver Albert Dukes is leaving the team. Like all speculation, I offer this at face and let you render your own value judgement. I tend to think it's looks pretty credible. BuckeyePlanet thread, too.

Off the radar, off the table or being slow played are: Cordale Scott, Dawawn Whitner, Steve Gardiner. Essentially, the Ohio State staff is waiting to hear from Pryor, Harris and Johnson tomorrow unless something changes.

Update 11:57pm: Something changed. According to Mike Farrell of Rivals.com, Terrelle will not announce tomorrow. He's changed his mind and may visit Penn State and Oregon. Alrighty then.

Keith Wells made it official today by verbally committing Ohio State. The 6'6" defensive end will compete for playing time as a true freshman and has no intention of redshirting. This normally isn't all that out of the ordinary but some concerns have been raised about his weight.

Wells is listed at 211 lbs by some services which is vastly undersized for a defensive end. However, the listing reflects his junior year numbers; a more accurate figure is approximately 235 lbs which is perfectly fine even for a player of his height. In fact, some will remember a defensive end out of Detroit Cass Tech who enrolled at Ohio State weighing roughly 235 lbs. Vernon Gholston.

While Ohio State fans debate the weight issue, the fine marketing folks of bd mongolian barbeque were the recipient of unexpected publicity. Wells announced his selection and conducted a Rivals.com interview wearing a bd's t-shirt. I have no witty remark here other than I thought it was kind of funny. Then again, maybe it's message he's working on increasing the lbs. By the way, that Rivals.com interview can be viewed in entirety here.

Pryor Watch: The nation's top recruit made some news today by confirming he'll probably sign on Wednesday afterall. A few hours later, he took it back and said the original Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story was incorrect. Isn't this fun kids? Some recruiting guys think Pryor will still announce on signing day and intimate the latest retraction is just a smoke screen of some sort. Why all the machinations, I have no idea.

Fringe Ohio State news involves two former players. Former player and legendary coach Bobby Knight has abruptly retired at Texas Tech. Former wide receiver Chris Carter was not first ballot inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

If you've been following our recruiting coverage, you know Ohio State's recruiting class is waiting on three players to pledge. One of those players is defensive end Keith Wells of Gainesville, Georgia. It's been recently learned the 6'6" ultra athletic pass rusher will announce his choice Monday morning at 11:30am (sub. req). Want to know more about Keith, below is a video from a few weeks back:

Keith Wells talks relationships in recruiting

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Wells is rated by Rivals.com as the 15th ranked weakside defensive end and the 24th best prospect in his home state. While not exceptional numbers, his offer list - a better gauge of potential - is top notch. What was thought to be a two team race between Ohio State and Tennessee has suddenly become a three with the addition of Notre Dame. The Domers represent Wells' last official visit whereas Tennessee had the last in-home visit. Make of that what you will. I still feel positive about Ohio State's position and Wells seems to genuinely feel connected to JT (see above vid, OSU & JT mentioned toward the end).

Elsewhere, Josh Jenkins has narrowed his list to two: Ohio State and West Virginia. Florida State gets dropped. It's also looking more and more likely Terrelle Pryor will not announce his final decision on signing day. For those keeping score, I mentioned this possibility a week ago.

Ken Gordon writes an almost-good piece on Ohio State's recruiting philosophy. Points given for actually knowing and explaining correctly that the Big Ten can oversign in football. Negative points for failing to mention how far off we are in terms of scholarship players (roughly 10 short of the 85 limit). In other words, we aren't playing with a full deck which creates infinitesimal margins for error (ie; see offensive line recruiting/numbers).

Ohio State football has 18 commitments on the year. The class ranks 6th by Rivals and 12th by Scout. As we discussed last year, don't read too much into these rankings because they are skewed by class size, not ranked strictly by class talent or value. Nevertheless, Ohio State haul is looking good no matter the criteria and national signing day is drawing year.

There's still room for others, including some of the most sought after players in the country. I decided to list the remaining few players on Ohio State's list in order of importance. I also included basic information, computer probability modeling created by a few mathematic types from Mercer College and then my own guesstimation. Here we go:


Who: Terrelle Pryor - Computer Probability: 36.6% - My Guess: 90%
Ever heard of him? Compares admirably to the great Vince Young in a number of ways. They're almost exactly the same size, both gifted runners and both mediocre passers. Pryor has only taken two official visits: Ohio State and Michigan. Michigan has entered the picture late only because of RichRod's hightail out of Morgantown. The general consensus among recruiting experts (if there is such a thing) is Ohio State leads and has led for some time. Whether than translates to a letter of intent remains to been seen on February 6th, ESPN live...or maybe even later than that.


Who: Keith Wells - Computer Probability: N/A - My Guess: 50%
Ohio State has had some good luck with Georgia of late: Anderson Russell immedately comes to mind. Keith Wells is the prototypical defensive end of the future: tall, long and rangy. He's only 225-235 lbs but will bloom into a 255 truck without too much effort. In a recent BuckNuts.com article, he said he's up to 6'6", 235lbs. And, if you haven't noticed, we are desperately thin at defensive end. Vernon Gholston is off to the NFL and Alex Barrow has given up football. For this reason, I list Wells as our second most important priority. Although he's most likely going to visit Notre Dame, just about everyone feels this is a battle between Ohio State and Tennessee. UT Coach Phil Fulmer has the last in-home visit.


Who: Josh Jenkins - Computer Probability: 31.9% - My Guess: 75%
One has to feel somewhat bad for Josh Jenkins. The Parkersburg, WV native was set to go to West Virginia before RichRod's move. Since then, the offensive lineman has narrowed his choices to mainly Florida State and Ohio State. I personally think he favors Ohio State based on his closeness with already committed players like JB Shugarts, Micheal Brewster and Mike Adams. Jenkins is not only highly rated but he's a low center of gravity guy, perfect for the interior of the offensive line (guard, center). He'll likely wait until signing date before announcing.


Who: Brandon Harris - Computer Probability: 20.0% - My Guess: 10%
With an excellent update, the Miami Herald reported today Harris has narrowed his final list to Ohio State and Miami(FL). Landing Harris would mean Ohio State pulling in two of the more gifted corners in the country. The Buckeyes already landed Travis Howard from Miami Krop HS in late October. Howard was begged by Miami (FL) but the Buckeyes won out. But, the Hurricanes are likely to exact a bit of revenge by signing Harris who is the higher rated of the two prospects. He'll announce on signing day.


Who: Dawawn Whitner - Computer Probability: N/A - My Guess: 99%*
First, yes, he's the brother of Donte. And, the asterisk next to my guesstimate is crucial. Dawawn doesn't have an offer from Ohio State at this time. If and when one is floated his way, he'll almost assuredly accept. There's really no other reason he's waited this long to commit elsewhere - he's waiting for the Buckeyes. He'll likely get one if two or more of the above decide against Ohio State. Just from measurables alone, I like what Whitner brings to the table. He's a short, heavy defensive tackle. I tend to like defensive tackles a bit shorter because it aids in the leverage war where the lower man almost always wins. Make no mistake, this really wouldn't be a reach offer. He's a Glenville product who has waiting schollies from Illinois, Michigan State, Louisville, West Virginia and others.

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Those are the main five still on the small board. Others omitted included DT Corey Liuget, LB Steve Gardiner and Cordale Scott. Liuget and Gardiner are still possibilities technically but the likelihood seems very remote. More remote than even Brandon Harris. Scott I think could be swayed but JT probably hasn't had the time to double-back and take another crack at changing his mind.

Should the staff receive commitments / letters of intent from Pryor and one other, the class ranking will jump into the top 5(if that means much to you). More importantly, it'll mean we've addressed needs with players of exceptional caliber. One negative trend that's consequential here is Tressel's track record of finishing recruiting classes on a weak note. Trends are meant to be bucked.

Tuesday represents the deadline for loads of college players to officially enter the NFL draft. James Laurinaitis is one of them as he contemplates returning to Ohio State for his senior season or making the jump to the league. By many accounts, Laurinaitis is a first round lock and even a Top 15 pick according to some mock drafts. I'm not sure I agree but that's an entirely different argument.

While James is still undecided, other Ohio State players have made up their mind. The only defection to date is Vernon Gholston who announced his intention to enter the draft a few days back. Gholston capped off a great junior year by setting the single season sack record. On the same day he announced, corner Malcolm Jenkins picked the opposite path shocking many as it was given he would leave early as well.

Jenkins' quick choice may have helped spur others to comeback. Marcus Freeman made it official today he's coming back. So did Alex Boone which may be the biggest of all considering we have absolutely no talent behind him at left tackle. All of the players coming back would have been first day picks and some may have jumped into the late first and middle second round. Only Laurinaitis has yet to make his decision final.

Recruiting: Ohio State has received a commitment from another Glenville HS player. Fullback Jermil Martin received an 11th hour offer from Jim Tressel and immediately backed out of his verbal commitment to Iowa. This commitment has Buckeye fans talking because it's bizarre on a few levels. First it signals current fullback heir Aram Olson isn't living up to billing. Secondly, we just accepted a fulllback in the 2009 class in Adam Homan (Ross' brother). Homan commited on the 29th. Lastly, the fullback is on the endangered species list so it's curious to have three on scholarship at a given time.

The number of the scholarships brings up another point. The 2003 class really put us behind the eight ball in terms of numbers. Each team can have 85 players on scholarship and Ohio State has about 74(ish). Four of them are kickers or punters. I've already talked about the high number of fullbacks in 2009. Unfortunately, Big Ten football programs cannot grossly oversign recruits as commonly done in the SEC and other places. Correcting the double digit shortage of scholarship players should be priority number one for the staff and apparently it is. They just offered another player at the 11th hour - Zach Domicone. It's likely he'll officially commit very soon.

Transfers: Recently demoted quarterback Robbie Schoenhoft is likely to transfer to the University of Delaware. Other transfers possibilities exist but the veracity is dubious at this point. Nevertheless, for your edification, here they are: Albert Dukes (read the whole thread), Eugene Clifford, Mark Johnson and Thaddeus Gibson. I hesitate to list Johnson and Gibson because all I've seen is message board speculation and nothing else. Actually, with Gibson it's a bit more. Two people were somehow routed to this site by searching in Google for "Thaddeus Gibson - Ball State". I don't know what it means. Probably nothing. Just making it known.

For those of us who cannot make the trip to the title game, we can live vicariously through the Bourbon Street webcam. We are t-minus 48 hours until the clash of pads begin.

Non-Title Game Related: The annual Army All-Star game was played today with eight Ohio State commitments selected for the game. There were at least two others - Terrelle Pryor and Josh Jenkins - who may become Buckeyes. Pryor was named the MVP and created a brouhaha by playing with Buckeye leaf on his helmet. He also acknowledged the leaf for the cameras which palpitated hearts across all Buckeye nation. This kid is either a Buckeye to be or setting us up for the biggest recruiting fall in years. A few thoughts on the commitments who played:

• JB Shugarts - Huge, lean and strong. Plays with a nice flat back and was positioned at guard during this game though he'll likely be a tackle at Ohio State. Seemed to have trouble with footwork on occasion.
• DeVier Posey - Didn't see many passes his way after having a stellar week in practice. Wore #85 after striking up a friendship with OchoCinco earlier this year.
• Mike Adams - Played at left tackle and dominated. He dominated all week during practices too and was named captain of the team. Unlimited potential.
• Jake Stoneburner - Played exclusively at tight end which I think will be his future position. For some reason, this rankles people. Yes, I know he's got wheels but he has legs like Ben Hartsock (read: thick) . Similar day to DeVier Posey.
• Etienne Sabino - Started and was in on a few tackles before the rotation of players began. Really nice size and speed combination.
• Lamaar Thomas - Played running back though he's being recruited mostly as a wide receiver at Ohio State. Thomas is much more built than I thought for a player with 10.3/100 speed. Reminds me an awful lot of Percy Harvin in terms of being a versatile player at both the RB and WR positions. Broke off at least two lengthy runs in the game.

A couple of the players did not play due to injury. OL Michael Brewster has a shoulder injury and K/P Ben Buchanan has a foot problem.

Youngstown Connection: The northwest part of Ohio is known for steel, blue collar and an uncanny amount of football icons - ahem, Paul Brown! This bowl season carries that legacy with Jim Tressel taking his team into the national title game for the third time in six years. What has slipped past some, including most in the mainstream media, are the other coaches with Y-Town roots. It's an uncommonly high number. A quick glance reveals in addition to Tressel, Mark Mangino at Kansas, Mark Dantonio with Michigan State and Bob Stoops at Oklahoma all have ties. Mangino and Dantonio were assistants under Tressel at Youngstown State (MD at OSU, too) and Stoops is just a good ol' fashioned Ohio boy from the rust belt. For those keeping score, of the 10 head coaches in the BCS Bowls, 3 have a Youngstown connection.

Honorary Captain Is...: Sack master Will Smith. Smith plays for the New Orleans Saints which makes the choice all the more sensible. It's also plausible Smith selection harkens back to the 2002 title game, a victory where the defensive end created all kinds of issues for the Hurricanes. There's been an avalanche of sideline pass requests from a dozen or two of past players who hope to be on the sideline for the game. How many actually get passes is another story.

Third Party Breakdowns: The ever thorough Sunday Morning Quarterback has his breakdown of the BCS Championship Game. It's a two part series (Part 1, Part 2) which relies heavily on statistical analysis. Keep in mind these aren't your boxscore-like stats but rather information that you actually have to research to compile. That alone makes it a worthy read but be warned: you need a good 20 minutes to get through both parts. At least I did. For another flavor, LSU's Dandy Don has daily updates and breakdowns.

Even though the world of college football recruiting is officially in the "dead period" (cannot host a recruit), there still has been significant news as it pertains to Ohio State. One day after Christmas, the staff received a verbal commitment from Johnny Simon of Youngstown Cardinal Mooney. Simon is one of the few early 5 Star recruits in the 2009 Scout.com database.

The question of which position Simon will play is open for debate. He played chiefly at DE early at Mooney but alternated between DE and DT this past year. At 265lbs, it's not difficult to envision this kid growing into a 295lbs defensive tackle especially considering his weight room prowess. His strength numbers are staggering: Bench: 425lbs Squat: 700lbs and he can throw up 225lbs nearly forty times already. More stats and figures in this exhaustive Buckeye Planet thread.

The other important recruiting change comes via Josh Jenkins. The wavering West Virginia commit is wavering no more. He has officially withdrawn his commitment to the Mountaineers. This isn't entirely shocking as many thought Jenkins was iffy even before Rich Rod left for that school up north. Jenkins is on record as saying Ohio State is his leader and Florida State is second. He visits the Seminoles on Jan. 11th. Many of the Buckeye recruiting gurus feel very confident about Jenkins ending up in Columbus.

The search for a Michigan football coach is over. Rich Rodriguez has accepted the offer and will be formally introduced tomorrow morning. He will not coach West Virginia in their bowl game. This makes the second coach Michigan has pilfered from the Morgantown university, the first being basketball coach John Beilein who left WVU in April of this year.

Undoubtedly Rodriguez will bring an entirely different brand of football to Ann Arbor. He is one of the leading minds on the spread option (or read option) offense which gives teams (ie: Ohio State) so many problems. And, while this is a good hire for blue, don't fret just yet if you're an Ohio State fan. This offense usually takes time to implement not only in terms of design but also personnel. Seeing Ryan Mallett run the spread option would be a humorously welcome sight. To that end, West Virginia was just 3-8 in Rodriguez's first year in Morgantown.

The impact of this coaching change has already reverberated to the recruiting world. An Illini messageboard post reports that QB John Wienke has decommitted from Michigan and will now attend Iowa. Unfortunately for Buckeye fans, all-world QB Terrelle Pryor has added the Wolverines to his short list. No word on how the coaching change may effect Josh Jenkins who is formally committed to West Virginia but has been wavering for months. Many feel he was already on cusp of switching his commitment to Ohio State before Rodriguez bailed.

Etienne Sabino, the top rated inside linebacker in the country, verbally committed tonight to Ohio State on ESPNU. He makes the 14th commitment of the 2008 class which is rocketing up the recruiting charts and building as one of, if not, the best recruiting classes under Jim Tressel.

Sabino's brings prototypical linebacker measurables being 6'3", 228lbs. He has been clocked in the 4.6 range and received scholarship offers from USC, Florida, LSU, Miami, Georgia Tech and a host of others. Recently, he had narrowed his list to Ohio State and USC. For on the field highlights, InsideTheU.com has a single video though of shoddy quality.

Sabino's ESPNU segment (higher quality version here):


It's not hard to see why Sabino chose the Scarlet and Gray. On top of a great program, the linebacker position at Ohio State will soon see an exodus of talent. Larry Grant is finishing his short but productive career and both James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman are juniors set to leave next year, if not sooner. There are some young, talented players behind but infusion of new talent (especially of the 'southern speed' variety) is always welcome.

Although often times accurate, I don't rely a lot of player rankings from the various services. Rather I feel it's best to first look at a player's offer list and Sabino's really is second to none as outlined above. The major powers all thought he's a player worthy of an early offer and not simply someone they'd offer late in the recruiting cycle if room permits. And Sabino joins his high school teammate, CB Travis Howard, who committed to the Buckeyes about two weeks ago.

If anyone thought the success of Ohio State basketball was a fleeting, blimp on the radar - think again. Trae Golden, one of the top point guards in the 2010 class, has committed to Ohio State and Thad Matta. The 6'1" four-star product from Atlanta is Scouts.com's 9th rated prospect and joins two five-star commits in the same class: Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas. And Yes, Thomas is still committed.

Golden received overtures from many of the top programs including Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Kentucky. He officially visited over the weekend and committed upon returning home.

Four-star WR/RB Lamaar Thomas verbally committed to Ohio State tonight on ESPNU. During his interview he said he'll most likely play a role similar to Ted Ginn, which is to say wide receiver with a few designed carries for spice. So, pay no attention to the ESPN talking heads calling Thomas a 'running back'. His offer list was impressive with the likes of Florida, Tennessee, Boston College and others but in the end he picked the Buckeyes over Illinois and Maryland. I've uploaded the segment in its entirety:

Upon Thomas' arrival next year, Brandon Saine will immediately become the second fastest person on the team. Thomas has run a 10.3 / 100 and Rivals.com has ranked him as the fastest player in the class. Lamaar's high school coach speaks glowingly of him and also sees him as a wide receiver. The '08 recruiting class continues to morph into perhaps the best of Tressel's career. Only issue we have is correcting Lamaar's usage of "the University of Ohio State."

Misc: May have some MSU stuff late Friday, early Saturday. Until then, head over to SpartanTailgate to get the MSU perspective. By the way, the Ohio State - Michigan is back where it belongs - noon start.

Next week Ohio State will transition from fall practice to game preparation. The staff will gear down heavy hitting and start crystallizing the starting groups. It is also a time where true freshman will make a last ditch impression for playing time or find themselves on the sideline permanently for the year.

Redshirting is a boring but necessary byproduct of college football. It helps maintain balanced numbers across seasons and it provides developmental time for those who aren’t quite ready. This year’s group of blue-chippers numbers fifteen. The small class was hammered in recruiting rankings but it will, interestingly, most likely yield fewer redshirts - so says me and Coach Tressel. Also notable is the fact we only have 74 or 75 scholarship players (ideal is the max 85).

I've taken on the task of guessing who will see the field as young pups. This hypothesis is based on articles I've read and juicy gossip that passes the smell test. Much like last year, I have broken down the possibilities into three groups: Guaranteed to Redshirt, On the Cusp, Guaranteed to Play.

Already, this is hard. Much harder than last year where I only missed two or three of my guesses and when it was pretty clear who was ready or what positions presented a logjam for playing time. Not so now. In fact, I’m not confident that anyone is guaranteed to be holding clipboards. I'm leaving this big board blank which virtually assures I'll be wrong and that’s okay.

So, we’re already top heavy signifying the strength of the class. Some of these players would be redshirting during ‘typical’ years but because we are frighteningly thin at corner (especially in terms of available experience), you cannot omit players like James Scott. Though we are better off at safety, I can see Nate Oliver or Rocco Pentello getting scrub time if it warrants. Devon Torrence is flip-flopping positions and Solomon Thomas just happens to be behind three of the best defense ends we've seen at Ohio State in considerable time.

Talk of practice so far has been defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. He'll get PT in the first game of the year. Close behind is Taurian Washington who drew comparison's to Michigan's Mario Manningham from at least one Ohio State QB. Eugene Clifford was perhaps the most highly acclaimed recruit and he's lived up to billing from all indications. Daniel Herron will see action based on depth at RB and my less than optimistic outlook on Maurice Wells. Brandon Saine will return kicks at some point, if nothing else. The only stretch here is Brian Rolle who I peg as the small, undersized underdog of the class.

As several outlets have reported including the good folks over at Eleven Warriors, junior college freshman point guard PJ Hill has committed to Thad Matta. Hill will be eligible for the upcoming season, undoubtedly as stopgap measure to help replace Mike Conley, Jr. It is important, however, to note Hill bears no relation to the PJ Hill who totes the football (rather well, I might add) at Wisconsin.

The informational goods on our Hill are cloaked in a bit of a mystery. Simply put, we don't know much about this guy. What we do know is the 6'2", 165lbs guard played for the national champion Midland College (TX) where averaged 6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He prepped at Minneapolis North HS and he was discovered and offered in a week span by OSU assistant John Groce. It may have been defense that Groce liked most:

Hill was a key player off the bench last season for the national champion Chaparrals, averaging 6.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. Hill, however, was best known for his defense and his ability to harass some of the best guards the Chaps came up against last year.

And remember this is a player who has three years ahead of him at Ohio State. While he may not put up consistent double digits scoring nights, it appears he likes to make opponents uncomfortable with his palms up aggressive defense. A seemingly perfect type of player to give short burst of minutes helping Jamar Butler and incoming blue chipper Noopy Crater run the show.

If you know more or if any readers have actually watched him play, chime in.

Let's be honest; the offseason can be boring. Recruiting can fill some voids but even an active day like today - one with more news on Devon Torrence and a reversal of a public verbal by basketball recruit Luke Babbitt - is still rather mundane. Because of this, I've used the quiet time to look into ways to enhance the site and hopefully bring added value. To that end, a list of some small changes for your edification...

• Multiple Categories and Tags - My old system only allowed a single category and didn't have tags at all. I'm using categories strictly at this point until I decide what, if anything, to do with the tag feature. Not sure if it's necessary to use both.
  
  
• New Permalink style - This will seem minor but it's a new feature I quite like. Now a user can simply click on the title of a blog entry to get the unique URL. You'll notice each blog heading is has a minor rollover effect signifying it's a clickable link. Should also provide a minor help on SEO. The separate, freestanding "Permalink" label is gone.
  
  
• Inline Commenting - Comments will now be displayed on the same page with each permalink URL. To test it out, click on the title of yesterday's entry and you'll see the comments "inline". Gone are the days where the commenting window has to open everytime to read or add thoughts. There is no change to the pop-up commenting screen on the main page.
  
  
  
• Video Wiki - Perhaps the best feature of all. Most of us like to watch videos of our Buckeyes. We see links on various messageboards, YouTube, Google, my site, someone else's site, etc. It just gets confusing keeping track of it all. To help out, I created the BC Video Wiki which acts as a centralized database (by year) to track and list online Ohio State football videos. Because it's a Wiki that means user contribution is vital in making the list grow. I've started it off with about 50 videos but I know there are many more out there. Complete tip of the cap to BlueGray Sky for the idea.

These are the new features that have been implemented so far. I hope to add Slimbox technology to at least some of the photos (I think its effect is really cool) along with one more change I can't yet let out of the bag.

Imagine this scenario - You have just been drafted by the Houston Astros in the 16th round to play the sport that is probably your first love. The 16th round (there are 50 total rounds for perspective sake) doesn't guarantee huge money but it's early enough to listen to the offers. The problem is you have also signed a national letter of intent to play football at Ohio State. What do you do?

Devon Torrence of Canton South has that exact scenario before him. In addition to Ohio State and a host of others, the ultra talented cornerback received football scholarships from the likes of Michigan, Penn State and Georgia Tech. But, Torrence has suggested there is a signing bonus amount that would cause him to skip football and sign with the Astros. If it sounds familiar, it should. Former recruit QB/Pitcher Joe Bauserman faced the same situation a few years ago, finally opting for baseball. That did not work out as well as planned and now Bauserman is joining the Buckeyes this fall, albeit three years after he originally committed.

The final decision of Devon should not affect his brother, Devoe, who has also committed to the Buckeyes. Devoe is a year younger and consequently part of the 2008 class. Devon, on the other hand and much like Bauserman, could always return to Ohio State to play football after pursuing a baseball career. What would you do and how much would it take for you to bypass the football scholarship?

DeShaun Thomas was locked for Ohio State for about 8 days. Earlier today, MaxPreps.com reported that Thomas has backed away from his commitment to the Buckeyes. Thomas, for the unfamiliar, is the 6'8" basketball wunderkind from Indiana whose style of play compares favorably with LeBron and Kevin Durant. So far, all Thomas has done is average 29 points and 13 boards...as a freshman. It should go without saying the kid is saturated with talent.

Thomas' verbal commitment at the end of May created a firestorm of shortsighted commentary and disbelief, especially from the Indiana faithful. Having just recently lost in-state stars Greg Oden and Mike Conley to Ohio State, the thought of a similar scenario repeating ranks somewhere between disgusting and detestable for Hoosier fans. As such, today's news comes with little surprise. I would even argue it may be the correct move. There's no need to rush and it's wise to visit more schools, even if it's just delaying the inevitable. We'll see you again soon, DeShaun.

Sorry, Andrew Sweat. We are thrilled you are joining the Buckeye nation on the gridiron but there's a trump card tonight that moves your commitment to the side. There are rumors and, more importantly, reports (subscription) that DeShaun Thomas has committed to Thad Matta. Thomas is a 6'8" sophomore forward who is so gifted for his age that he is already drawing comparisons to LeBron and Michael. In fact, some are saying he is ahead of LeBron when comparing similar stages of their careers.

To put this in perspective, a commitment from Thomas would be every bit on the scale of Greg Oden's pledge. That is to say, their positions and heights aren't the same but the level of talent and immediate impact on a team is comparable. Thomas was major target for Ohio State but it was thought Indiana would be very difficult to beat with IU Coach Kelvin Sampson now getting comfortable in Bloomington and much heralded recruit Eric Gordon on the way. However, once again it appears Thad Matta has shown his recruiting chops.

Do not be surprised if Indiana doesn't go away quietly. Or better put, don't be surprised if Sampson doesn't go away. Remember Eric Gordon originally committed to Illinois and it was only after Sampson drove Gordon batty with constant contact did he switch his commitment to IU. More reading on Thomas can be found here. Enjoy the YouTube clip above of a 14 or 15 year old Thomas (16y at most). Apologies for the music, in advance.

Fans of the annual Army High School All-American football game will now have a choice. Starting next year, ESPN is launching their own all-star game that will be held on the same day. It will be televised by ABC creating a competition for viewers and recruits which will most likely result in teams stocked with players of a slightly lesser quality. This will be of little consequence for recruitniks who'll gladly inhale the additional game and opportunity to watch recruits on their TV rather than some grainy YouTube clip.

You know what, we’ve got a good product and this is the most opportune time of the year to put on a game. If there’s another game out there on the same day, we’re not looking to knock heads with anybody, but this is the best time for us to do what we’ve got to do. Let’s just go ahead and do it. - ESPN recruiting coordinator Craig Haubert

Sure. More importantly, who's surprised? ESPN is slowly but methodically dipping their hand in anything remotely sports related. Spelling bee's, poker, darts and now high school all-star games. Few things are off limits other than finding on-air talent that can get through a telecast without saying "Booyah" or some other such nonsense. Naturally, Mr. BuckNuts loves the idea of making Tom Lemming sweat.
PS: New poll in the sidebar relating to our QBs.

The "he" is DeVier Posey. When Posey committed back in March, his verbal created discussion but not the unmitigated jubilation other recruits have caused. The 6'3" player has since turned in high level performances at recent camps including NIKE where he won MVP honors for the wide receiver group. In doing so, his stock has soared to new levels and folks are taking notice (photo by Josh Winslow, click to enlarge).

USAToday recently picked up an article from Rivals.com about the Buckeye WR recruit. In it, there are several delicious bits of info to process, such as...

There was nobody on the field at Rutgers University that was as polished as Posey. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver was great during the position drills, and nobody could hang with him during the one-on-one battles.

Keep in mind, Posey was grouped with other high level recruits including some of the better corners in the country. The above passage was finished off with this...

In fact, the Ohio State commitment burned one defensive back so badly on a post-corner route during the one-on-ones, one of the NIKE coaches working the camp repeatedly yelled, 'That's why he's going to O-State.'

And, now you understand my headline.
Posey not only has the luxury of being one of those kids with a cool first name, he's also supremely talented in the classroom. HIs 4.0 GPA is commendable but that doesn't mean he's terribly humble...

I didn't know I was going to dominate like this...If it comes down to hard work, then you're going to have look all over the country to find somebody that'd beat me in that department.

and basically...

I kind of like to make DBs look goofy. I like running post-corners where I can dupe the guy and make him think I'm going inside. Then when he jumps it, I can cut it back out to the corner.

Sounds good on paper. Posey is now actually gaining some support to be named Ohio's top recruit. It will be difficult, however, to overtake OT Mike Adams for that honor.

Contrary to what some may believe, the title does not describe new sorority sisters at Ohio State. It does, nevertheless, describe the verbal commitments of two out of state offensive lineman, Michael Brewster and JB Shugarts. The players attended the spring game last Saturday where they had 75,301 reasons to join the Buckeyenation. Brewster officially committed yesterday whereas Shugarts made it known this afternoon.

While we can talk about their 4 star ratings until we're blue in the face, a tangible value scale can be found in their offer lists. Each player carried scholarship offers from nearly all the major powerhouses in college football. In the case of Brewster - a native of Orlando, FL - all three major in-state schools offered plus USC, Alabama and LSU. Shugarts carried offers from Florida, Michigan, Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma to name a view. The Klein HS (TX) offensive tackle already is moving up my favorites list with comments like these:

I am 110 percent Buckeye and can’t wait to get started. … After (my high school season) I plan on graduating early and enrolling in January.

You can tell all the people in Columbus to go ahead and buy their national championship tickets because we're bringing home a couple of them.

The last piece of the “Block O” is Josh Jenkins and we want Terrelle Pryor to come and be our QB. I am recruiting one of my best buddies, Sam McGuffie, from Texas to come. He is an unbelievable athlete and is dangerous with the ball.

Brewster, Adams, Stoney and I will help finish recruit the class.

Eh, yeah, that would be doing your part. This Adams kid he speaks of is 5-Star OT Mike Adams from Coffman HS who committed in early March. Both he and Shugarts project as prototypical tackles, each having excellent size and long arms. Brewster may move inside to guard or center at the college level.

Ohio State bound