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Football Recruiting
Ozone’s Signing Day Predictions (With Announcement Times)
By Ozone Staff

It’s a new day – not to mention the fact it’s the day – which means a lot has happened since our last update.

Things have been changing by the hour – if not the minute – over the last month but National Signing Day is finally here. With a few exceptions, it all ends today.

Receiver James Clark (9 a.m.), safety Vonn Bell (10 a.m.) and running back Ezekiel Elliott (5 p.m.) are all dialed up for high-profile Signing Day announcements. Here is a rundown of what to expect as Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes try to close out the 2013 recruiting class with a legendary finish.

THE BIG THREE

WR James Clark (5-11, 170, New Smyrna Beach, FL)
One of the biggest names left on Ohio State’s radar today is James Clark. The Florida speedster is more of a true wideout than Dontre Wilson, but they are being recruited to play the same position at Ohio State. There was a feeling throughout the process that Meyer would be fortunate to land either Wilson or Clark, but certainly not both of them. With Wilson coming on board Monday night, it seemed to indicate Clark was going to pick Florida over OSU and Clemson, but that may not actually be the case.

Clark took an official visit to Columbus during the last weekend in January, but he went back to Gainesville on an unofficial visit over this past weekend. Florida also hosted OSU target Ryan Timmons over the weekend, and it seemed inevitable one of them was going to end up with the Gators. Timmons picked Kentucky over OSU and Florida on Tuesday, but there seems to be a feeling Ohio State is still very much in play for Clark. It’s not exactly clear how he fits in to their scholarship situation, although the Buckeyes can go over the 25 limit because five of the players in the 2013 class have already enrolled at OSU. They can be counted against last year’s class, if necessary.

The fact Clark took an extra unofficial visit to Gainesville after his trip to Columbus is still hard to shake, but a number of recruiting analysts are now publicly projecting Clark will sign with the Buckeyes and not the Gators.

Announcement: Wednesday, 9 a.m. ET (Ohio State, Florida, Clemson)

Wednesday Morning Prediction: Ohio State

DB Vonn Bell (6-1, 190, Rossville, GA)
Signing Day is finally here and it won’t be long before Ohio State coaches know for certain where 5-star safety Vonn Bell will play his college ball. It’s a three-way race between OSU, Alabama and Tennessee. If we’ve learned anything about Bell over the last few weeks it’s that nobody really knows what Bell is going to do here. The smart choice all along has been Alabama, but both Ohio State and Tennessee have carried strong momentum in to Signing Day.

Bell took his final visit to Knoxville, and hosted OSU defensive backs coach Everett Withers for his final in-home visit. He has a strong relationship with both Urban Meyer and Nick Saban, but the Volunteers always have that emotional connection as Bell’s childhood favorite. That can go a long way with a kid, but Bell is the kind of player who has to think about his path to the NFL. Alabama has been the top program in college football when it comes to winning championships and producing NFL talent, but the path to seeing the field early would be a lot clearer at Ohio State where the Buckeyes lose seniors Christian Bryant and C.J. Barnett after the 2013 season.

So which school is Bell going to choose? It might be best to stick three names in a hat and pull one out. Only he and his family truly know what he is thinking at the moment, and even he may not have been 100 percent certain about his decision when he went to bed Tuesday night. Michael Chung predicted Tennessee in his Sunday Recruiting Rundown and we stuck with that prediction on Monday, but there seems to be some positive momentum with Ohio State heading into today’s announcement.

This one is still a coin flip at the moment, but with the way Meyer has closed these last two classes, it simply doesn’t seem prudent to bet against the Buckeyes.

Announcement: Wednesday, 10 a.m. ET (Ohio State, Alabama, Tennessee)

Wednesday Morning Prediction: Ohio State

RB Ezekiel Elliott (6-0, 198, St. Louis, MO)
The fact Wilson picked Ohio State on Monday night could make things a little more interesting for Ezekiel Elliott’s Signing Day announcement. Elliot is still committed to the Buckeyes, but the fact he is going forward with his 5 p.m. announcement leaves room for a lot of speculation as to whether the 4-star tailback could decide to flip his commitment to in-state Missouri.

We have been told all along “not to worry” about Elliott, that he was going to be a Buckeye when all was said and done, but don’t think for a second Meyer and his staff won’t be waiting anxiously by that fax machine for his signature today.

Elliott caused a stir when he decided to take an official visit to Missouri, his mom and dad’s alma mater. He has not spoken to the media since that visit, but his family has done a good job of building up some hype surrounding his big Signing Day announcement.

The commitment from Wilson gave Elliott a few days to think about his decision, which could ultimately hinge on where he sees himself getting the most playing time early in his career. Meyer and running backs coach Stan Drayton have stressed to Elliott that he and Wilson are not being brought in to play the same position – Elliott is going to be a tailback while Wilson would be a playmaking slotback – but you never know what will affect a 17 or 18 year old kid.

We’re going to stick with what we’re hearing and assume Elliott will pick Ohio State, but don’t count this signature until it’s firmly in Urban Meyer’s finger tips.

Announcement: Wednesday, 5 p.m. ET (Ohio State, Missouri)

Wednesday Morning Prediction: Ohio State 

HOLDING THINGS TOGETHER

WR Taivon Jacobs (5-11, 170, District Heights, MD)
Another Ohio State commit who could decide to stay home on National Signing Day is wide receiver Taivon Jacobs. The speedster out of the Washington D.C.-Baltimore area has been committed to the Buckeyes since the summer, but told The Washington Post he is torn between OSU and in-state Maryland. Jacobs is considered a slot receiver, so the commitment of Dontre Wilson may have a bigger impact on his playing time than Ezekiel Elliott. Jacobs also has a brother who plays wide receiver at Maryland and said part of the reason he is considering the Terrapins is the fact he already has a 1-year old son.

Jacobs has been an Ohio State fan most of his life, but there is a very real chance he will opt to stay closer to home when he makes his commitment Wednesday morning. There is a lot of pressure from family and friends for him to stay close to home, especially having a kid. He already knew about the kid when he committed to OSU, but the idea of leaving home is a lot more real now. So is the opportunity to get on the field at a place like Maryland vs. Ohio State.

Announcement: Wednesday, 10 a.m. ET (Ohio State, Maryland)

Wednesday Morning Prediction: Maryland 

LB Trey Johnson (6-1, 222, Lawrenceville, GA)
Johnson was one of the biggest gets for Ohio State in this class for a couple reasons. First of all, they desperately needed linebackers. Secondly, they already lost a pair of commits in Alex Anzalone and Lewis Neal. Johnson is probably an upgrade to Neal, but now the Buckeyes are in a fight to keep him the class as well.

The 4-star linebacker has been committed to OSU since the Under Armour game back in January, but he made a secretive trip to Knoxville last month that has people wondering about his final destination. Auburn, Georgia Tech and Florida have all made a run at Johnson since he committed to the Buckeyes, but his high school coach keeps telling people he will sign with Ohio State.

Of course his coach also didn’t know about that visit to Tennessee, so it’s important to keep an eye on Johnson today. He is holding a ceremony at Central Gwinnett High School around 2 p.m. ET. He would have to pull a shocker to end up anywhere but Columbus, but Signing Day always has room for one more surprise.

Announcement: Wednesday, 2:15 p.m. ET (Ohio State, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia Tech)

Wednesday Morning Prediction: Ohio State 

DL Donovan Munger (6-4, 290, Shaker Heights)
Munger is in a similar situation to Johnson. He took a surprise, and somewhat secretive, visit to Florida State last month which caused some controversy. The OSU coaches reportedly smoothed everything over with Munger and it sounds like he is going to be a part of Ohio State’s 2013 class, although stranger things have happened. He will start out on defense, but could switch over and play some offensive line down the road. That was one of the reasons for speculation surrounding his visit to Tallahassee. Word is Munger really wants to stay on the defensive line, where the Buckeyes are pretty loaded up front. The fact he’s not holding a Signing Day announcement presser is probably a good sign for Ohio State.

Announcement: Wednesday (Ohio State, Florida State)

Wednesday Morning Prediction: Ohio State

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