2001 Verbal Commitment List

(Player's whose names are in red have signed and returned a letter of intent)

Reggie Arden ILB 6-5 225 4.7 Ironton, Ohio Considered the number one overall prospect in the state of Ohio this year by Bill Kurelic of Ohio Football Recruiting News. A dominant player that led his team to the Division IV finals last season. Injured his knee near the end of his junior season and had surgery. Has a 3.0 GPA. Was the first player to commit to the Buckeyes for this class. Also considered Penn State, Indiana and Michigan.
Adam Olds Center 6-5 270 4.9 Dublin, Coffman Rated the top offensive line prospect in Ohio this year, and the number nine prospect overall by Bill Kurelic of Ohio Football Recruiting News. Has been his high school team's starting center and long snapper since his sophomore season. Has a 3.6 GPA. Has wanted to attend Ohio State since he was in the third grade.
Andrei Tyree TE/LB 6-3 280 4.8 London, Ohio Big guy that impressed the OSU coaching staff with his agility and quickness at the OSU summer camp. Caught 24 passes for 450 yards and 6 TDs as a junior. Also made 76 tackles as a linebacker. 2.6 GPA and 19 on the SAT. Will probably play offense in college.
Ryan Cook OL 6-7 295 5.25 Martinsville,
Indiana		 Considered the top OL line prospect in the state of Indiana and one of the top five players overall in the Hoosier state. Recruited by several Big Ten schools including Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Michigan. Probably an OT candiate. Good size and athleticism. Attended the OSU camp and impressed the OSU staff enough there that they offered him a scholarship. Commited after attending Michigan's camp.
Dustin Fox S 6-0 190 4.5 Canton, Ohio Considered by McCallister Scouting Services to be the top overall talent in the state of Ohio this year. Outstanding safety prospect with great bloodlines. Uncles Ken Kuhn and Tim Fox are former Buckeye standouts, and brother Derek was a starting safety at Penn State. Chose OSU over Penn State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami, and others. A top 100 player.
Simon Fraser DE 6-5 244 4.72 Upper Arlington, Ohio One of the top overall prospects in Ohio this year, and a top 100 prospect nationally. Big frame that that will probably allow him to get bigger to go with great speed and athleticism. Registered 115 tackles as a junior, including 25 tackles for loss, 18 of which were sacks. Outstanding student whose father is on the OSU faculty. Could have gone anywhere, but Chose OSU over Michigan and Stanford.
Angelo Chattams WR 5-11 180 4.4 Dayton, Ohio Considered by most to be the top WR prospect in the state of Ohio this year, and in the top 5 or 10 receivers nationally. Caught 80 passes as a junior, averaging over 15 yards per catch. Has run a 10.7 100 meters. Not only makes the catch but has tremendous instincts after he makes the catch. Probably a top 100 player nationally. Could have gone to school anywhere, but chose the Buckeyes.
Brandon Schnittker FB 6-3 240 4.7 Sandusky, Ohio Played both linebacker and fullback his senior season after playing linebacker and wing back his junior season. Was recruited by Ohio State as a fullback. Gained over 700 yards rushing by the third week in October as a senior, averaging over 10 yards per carry. Could play either way in college, but is most likely to end up a fullback.
JaJa Riley RB 6-2 190 4.46 San Diego, California Rushed for over 1,00 yards on 130 carries (8.5 yds/carry) and scored 16 touchdowns. Had scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Kansas State, Arizona, USC, Oregon, Northwestern, Washington and others. Chose Ohio State because of football tradition and want to play in the Big Ten.
Chris Vance WR 6-2 195 4.45 Fort Myers, Florida Played high school football in Florida before playing two years at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. Big play type receiver who is very physical and has great leaping ability. 80 pass receptions in his two-year JUCO career. Will enroll at Ohio State in January and will able to participate in Winter conditioning and Spring Camp.
Ryan Hamby TE 6-5 225 4.7 Cincinnati, Ohio Caught 50 passes his senior season as a tight end. Needs to get in the weight room to be an effective blocker in theBig Ten, but has great pass catching ability. Great hands and runs great routes. Has the knack for getting open. Chose OSU over Purdue, Indiana, Illinois and Miami of Ohio. Has the frame to put on weight.
Chris Gamble WR 6-2 180 4.5 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Caught 65 passes this season for 1,012 yards, averaging 15.6 per grab. Also scored ten times. Has a 2.8 GPA and is awaiting his test scores. Made an official visit to OSU back in January on the 5th. Also made official visits to Auburn and Iowa and was been scheduled to visit Pitt but cancelled the visit because he has committed to OSU. Said he felt OSU was the best school for him, that he liked it when he was up at Ohio State in the summer for football camp, and he liked his official visit as well. Also mentioned the facilities, and said Coach Conley was a factor in his decision .
Marcus Green DL/
OL		 6-3 300 Louisville, Kentucky Played both offensive and defensive tackle in high school, but will play DL in college. Originally committed to Kentucy, but decided to decommit when NCAA allegations surfaced regarding the Wildcats. Rated the best lineman in Kentucy and the 4th best player overall in that state. 2.7 GPA and 18 on the ACT. Chose OSU over Texas, Michigan State, and Indiana.
Mike Nugent K 5-10 165 4.7 Centerville, Ohio Made five of seven Field goal attempts his senoir year with a long of 52 yards. Went 29 for 29 on point after attmpts as a senior as well. Considered the best kicker in Ohio this year. Strong leg. Varsity kicker since his freshman year.
Lydell Ross RB 6-1 215 4.5 Tampa, Florida Outstanding running back prospect who rushed for 1993 yards as a junior. As a senior, he rushed for 2,750 yards, averaging 8.5 yards per carry, and scored 28 touchdown. Was recruited by Florida, Notre Dame and others. Chose OSU over Florida. At one time was committed to Notre Dame but ended up with the Buckeyes. Strong academically with a 3.5 GPA and an 890 on the SAT. Just turned 17 and is still growing.
* Quinton Thomas DL 6-4 235 4.8 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Strong athlete with 385 poind bench press and 29 inch verticle leap. As a junior had 63 tackles and 8 sacks. Had offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Louisville, Ole Miss and others. Has the frame to get bigger. * Failed to be certified by the NCAA clearinghouse for deficiencies in core courses. Plans to attend a prep school or junior college. Still intends to enroll at Ohio State.
Maurice Hall RB 5-10 185 4.35 Columbus, Ohio Considered the top running back in Ohio this year and one of the top ten running backs in the nation. Considered Florida State, Penn State, Georgia Tech and Northwestern, but picked OSU over Florida State on national signing day. Great student with 4.0 GPA and 18 on ACT.
LeAndre Boone DB 6-2 190 4.5 Herndon, Virginia Big, tall, fast, rangy DB who could contribute as either a free safety or cover corner at Ohio State. Did not qualify academically coming out of high school, so attended Fork Union Military Academy for one year to get his academics in order. Was recruited by Wake Forrest and Michigan State among others coming out of High School. Mark Dantonio was his recruiter at MSU and continued to recruit him for OSU. Is a dangerous return man as well as DB. Committed to OSU in August of 2001 and will report with the freshman on August 13, 2001. Concentrated on basketball in high school and played only one year of football, but was an instant standout in that year.

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