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Bill Kurelic June and July Posts July 7, 2000 Greg Jennings is fine prospect from the state of Michigan who likes Ohio State. The one question mark with Jennings will be academics, since he still needs to pass his test, though does have close to a 3.0 GPA. He is a 6-1, 190 pounder from Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan who runs a 4.45 40 and plays both RB, WR and DB, but plans to play WR in college. Jennings tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and maybe Illinois. He has already visited Michigan and says the Wolverines are probably his favorite, but he is nowhere close to making a decision. He said that all the schools on his list called him in May, though none have offered him yet. Much depends on how he does academically, but he is a fine prospect and does have Ohio State on his list. Moving to the state of Ohio, DE/OLB Timothy Wilkes from Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary is a 6-2, 255 pounder with 4.7 40 speed that likes Ohio State. In fact, the Buckeyes are one of his favorites. He made 56 tackles this past season, including eight sacks. He has a 2.5 GPA but won't take his test until the fall. Wilkes has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. He tells me he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Kentucky and Minnesota. None of those schools have offered him a scholarship yet, though he does have quite a few offers from MAC schools. Wilkes said that coach Pagac called him in May, and that Ohio State or Michigan State would be his favorite. There is no secrete that a running back from the state of Ohio that the Buckeyes would love to land is Maurice Hall from Columbus, Brookhaven, and Hall still very much has Ohio State on his list. Another RB that the Buckeyes are taking a look at is Carlos Tipton from Cincinnati Winton Woods High School. He is a 6-2, 200 pound running back with 4.5 40 speed. He rushed for close to 1,000 yards this past season and scored 12 times. He has a 2.8 GPA and a 930 on the SAT and tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue, and that all of those schools called him in May. He does have scholarship offers on the table from some MAC schools, including Bowling Green and Toledo. One of the top LBs on the east coast has Ohio State on his list. Brandon Hoyte from Sayreville, New Jersey (6-1, 220, 4.55) is an ILB who made 143 tackles this past season, averaging 12 tackles per game. This outstanding athlete also was Sayreville's starting quarterback. He has a 3.75 GPA and went to camp at Notre Dame this summer, and might go to camp yet this month at Michigan State. He says he is looking at Notre Dame and is trying to "see what Michigan State is all about" as he put it. Wisconsin is another school on his list, and he mentioned Ohio State, as the Buckeyes were at his school in May. He also mentioned Michigan, and said that a number of schools have offered him a scholarship already, including Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Pitt, Purdue, Maryland and others. He said that right now, he does not have a favorite. TE Chris Miller from Upper Arlington High School, a 6-6, 235 pounder is interested in Ohio State. Miller told me recently that he is looking at the four schools that he has camped at this summer, Ohio State, Michigan State, Boston College and Northwestern. Boston College and Northwestern have both offered him a scholarship. He says that those would be his top two, followed by Ohio State and Michigan State. WR Matt Knueven from Cincinnati LaSalle High School is a 6-2, 200 pounder who also was at Ohio State's camp this summer, and he told me that he is looking at Ohio State, Vanderbilt, Duke, Indiana and Kentucky. None of those schools have offered him a scholarship as yet, though Knueven said that Duke indicated that they will soon in all likelihood offer him a scholarship, but that right now, Vandy might be his favorite. There is not secrete that the Buckeyes would like to land a quarterback in this recruiting class, and they are scouring the country to do just that. One QB that has OSU on his list is Stephen Kolodziej from Schaumburg, Illinois near Chicago. He is a 6-5, 215 QB with 4.8 40 speed. He has been Schaumburg's varsity starter at QB since his sophomore season. As a junior, he passed for just a shade under 2000 yards, throwing for 17 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions. He completed 53% of his passes. He has a 3.4 GPA and a 24 on the ACT and tells me that he is looking at Northwestern, Iowa, Duke, Stanford, Michigan State, Illinois and Ohio State. He said he has received mail from all of those schools. Thus far, he has taken three unofficial visits, Iowa, Northwestern and Illinois. None of the schools on his list has offered him a scholarship yet, though Eastern Michigan has offered. Quarterbackwise in the state of Ohio, one player that the Buckeyes are most definitely interested in is Rahshan Johnson from Middleburg Heights Midpark High School. He is a 6-1, 195 pounder who is the son of former Cleveland Browns linebacker Eddie Johnson. Rahshan continues to have Ohio State on his list, but he also is continuing to look at other schools, including Michigan State, LSU, Syracuse, Penn State and Michigan. Youngstown Ursaline lineman Marcus Johnson (6-3, 265, 4.8) is a DE who is interested in Ohio State. He has a 2.9 GPA and a 17 on the ACT. Johnson registered 15 sacks last season among his 76 tackles. He started at defensive end, but could play either DT or DE in college. Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Toledo have already offered Johnson a scholarship, and among the other schools he is interested in are Duke and Maryland. Johnson says he is now also starting to get mail from Ohio State. A player that he Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to has committed elsewhere, and unfortunately, he has committed to arch-rival Michigan. DB Marlin Jackson from Sharon, Pennsylvania is a 6-1, 185 pounder who has picked Michigan over Penn State, who was his second choice and Tennessee, which was his third choice. Those three schools had offered him a scholarship. The Buckeyes had also offered him a scholarship some time back, and at one time he did have Ohio State on his list, but has long been leaning to Michigan and has now committed. OL Tarrell Baldwin from Toledo Waite High School in Ohio, a 6-5, 325 pounder, has Ohio State as his favorite school. Baldwin runs a 5.1 40 and has a 3.5 GPA and took the ACT in June. Baldwin names Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Kentucky, Purdue, Stanford, Duke and Cincinnati among the schools that he is interested in, and says that Ohio State has been his favorite school since he was young. Baldwin at this point does not have a scholarship offer from any of the big schools on his list, but he has plenty of those schools taking a good look, as he certainly has the size, but much will depend on his senior season. RB Rashod Royster from Newark, Ohio is a 6-1, 190 pounder who would like to go to Ohio State. Royster's GPA is close to the 2.0 mark, scored a 16 on the ACT, so he does need to work on his academic situation. Royster had a knee injury that caused him to miss four games last season, but he is healthy now, and he is ready for a big senior season. Royser has been a varsity starter at tailback since his sophomore season and gained about 600 yards in less than seven full games last season. Royster is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Bowling Green and Ohio U, but says that Ohio State is the college that he would really like to attend. In Michigan, Brian Smith is a TE from Bay City Central who likes Ohio State. Smith is a 6-5, 230 pounder who runs a 4.9 40. Smith starts at defensive end and plays some tight end, but he is being recruited more as a tight end by the colleges. He has a 3.1 GPA and took the ACT in June. Smith told me that he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and perhaps some MAC schools. Ball State from the MAC has offered him a scholarship. Right now Smith says he does not have a favorite. RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185) was at Penn State for camp, and he of course is interested in the Nittany Lions. They offered him a scholarship very early and they have long been on his list. Maurice Hall of course did not commit to Penn State. I say of course, because Maurice has been saying all along that he is planning to take at least some of his official visits before he makes his decision. Hall is still very much interested in Ohio State, as well as Florida State, Tennessee, Penn State, Miami and Notre Dame, and all have offered Hall a scholarship. As far as a favorite, he now says that he doesn't want to have any preferences at this time, that he wants to keep an open mind and give all the schools a fair shot. I still thing his decision will come down to one of three schools, Ohio State, Florida State or Tennessee. Keep in mind that Hall lived in Tennessee for some time, was born in Florida, and of course now lives in Ohio, so it will be an interesting decision for Maurice Hall when that time comes. LB Lawrence Reid from Pickerington, Ohio, a 6-2, 205 pounder says that he is favoring Michigan at this point. Reed has been offered a scholarship by the Wolverines, as well as by Purdue, and also says that Notre Dame, Ohio State and Illinois are on his list, though none of those three have offered him a scholarship to this point. He is an inside linebacker who made 188 tackles last season, and was at Ohio State's football camp earlier this summer. Keep in mind, though, that the Buckeyes recruited very, very well at linebacker last season, including Robert Reynolds from Kentucky and Marco Cooper from Michigan, those are just two of a half-dozen linebacker prospects that the Buckeyes signed, so this season the Buckeyes can be very selective in linebackers. They do, however, still have an interest in Lawrence Reed. The Buckeyes most definitely have a strong interest in Simon Fraser, the outstanding DE from Upper Arlington. Fraser will in all likelihood make a decision around the middle of this month when his parents get back from Europe. I expect him to announce a decision at that time, and right now it's a battle between Ohio State and Michigan. The Buckeyes have a slight lead and they are hoping to hold on to that lead and land a commitment yet this month from Fraser. Fraser made 115 tackles last season, including 25 for losses, and of those 25 for loss, 18 were sacks. Fraser also had 32 quarterback harassments. DB Justin Fox from North Canton Glen Oak High School is certainly a prospect the Buckeyes would love to land. A few months ago, the prospect of Ohio State landing Fox looked very dim, however now the Buckeyes are right there with Penn State for Justin Fox. Fox made a visit to Ohio State a couple of weeks ago for an unofficial visit, and that moved Ohio State up. Hew was going to visit Penn State recently for another unofficial visit with the Nittany Lions, but was busy and did not make that visit. He continues to say that Ohio State and Penn State are dead even tied for the top. Both schools have offered a scholarship and he has narrowed things down to those two, and he says that he would like to make a decision most likely sometime in August. It would not surprise me if WR Angelo Chattams from Dayton Chaminade High School would make a decision before the start of his senior football season. The 5-11, 180 pound Chattams attended Ohio State's football camp, and I feel the Buckeyes have just as good a shot, if not a better shot, than anyone at landing Chattams. However, he has scholarship offers from not only the Buckeyes, but Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, Purdue, Miami of Ohio and many others. DE Pierre Woods from Cleveland, a 6-6, 220 pounder, has also been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. However, it is going to be a bit more difficult with Pierre Woods. He has a rather long list of schools that he is looking at, all of which have offered him a scholarship. He has been offered by Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Iowa, Tennessee, Pitt, Indiana, and schools all over the Midwest and East Coast. He continues to say that he has a very open mind and has no favorite at all right now and says that in all likelihood he will take at least some official visits before he picks a college. Another player that seems ready to commit to Ohio State that the Buckeyes have not offered a scholarship to but could end up offering down the road is kicker Mike Nugent from Centerville. Nugent is generally regarded as the top kicking prospect in the state of Ohio, and it is a good year for kickers in the state of Ohio, and Nugent was very, very impressive at Ohio State's football camp for specialists. Nugent continues to have Ohio State as the top school on his list, and if the Buckeyes would offer him a scholarship, I think he would commit. He thought the Buckeyes were going to offer him when he as in camp, that the Buckeyes seemed close to offering him, but Ohio State did not offer. Nugent, however, was not deterred by that. He has Ohio State as his leader, and he is certainly a possibility as well to end up a commitment for Ohio State. June 26, 2000 As I said, OL Dan Simelis (6-6, 285) committed to Michigan on Friday at the Michigan camp. Simelis had at one time had OSU as his leader, and had been offered a scholarship by OSU. Simelis had considered OSU, Michigan, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech, and all five had offered him a scholarship. Simelis had OSU as his second choice. Trent Cole (6-3, 220, 4.550 , from Xenia, Ohio was impressive at Ohio State's football camp. Cole played DE and FB as a junior, and could play OLB, DE or perhaps in the offensive backfield in college, but I see Cole as likely an OLB or DE. Cole attended the OSU camp, and will also attend Kent's football camp this week. He says that Cincinnati and Toledo have offered him a scholarship and he has an interest in those two, but also says that the schools he really likes are Ohio State and Michigan State. He says the Buckeyes are talking to him, but have not offered a scholarship to this point. Of course the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to DE Simon Fraser (6-6, 240, 4.75) from Upper Arlington High School. He now has narrowed things down basically to two schools, Ohio State and Michigan. Fraser attended Michigan's camp, and the Wolverines did offer him a scholarship. However, it is not likely that he is going to make a decision in the immediate future. His parents are going to Europe, and he wants to wait until they get back before announcing a decision. Right now, he says that Ohio State is his slight favorite over Michigan, and that he will likely make a decision and make an announcement sometime around the middle of July. DB Jeff Backes (5-11, 180), a teammate of Simon Fraser at Upper Arlington, also attended the Michigan camp, and ran the fastest time at the Michigan camp. He also had been to OSU's camp previously. He could be a cornerback, a return man, or perhaps a wide receiver in college, but I see him playing on defense as a corner. He is looking at Ohio State, as well as Michigan, Stanford, Virginia, Purdue, Duke and Maryland as well as a few other Big Ten schools. Backes says that Duke has offered him a scholarship. The Buckeyes would absolutely love to land DB Dustin Fox (6-0, 190) from North Canton Glenn Oaks High School, and the chances of that happening have improved. Fox had previously said that Penn State held a big lead over Ohio State, but now says that the Buckeyes are now basically even with Penn State. Fox made an unofficial visit to Penn State last week on the last day of the OSU football camp, and Fox said that the Buckeye staff treated him extremely well, and as he put it, OSU has move up on his list. He said the Penn State is no longer a big leader, and in fact, he says it is basically even between Ohio State and Penn State. On the other hand, a player that the Buckeyes had been recruiting has committed elsewhere. WR Kevin Hazel (6-0, 185, 4.4) from Columbus has committed to Pitt. His father, Dave Hazel, played for Ohio State. He had been looking at Pitt, Ohio State, Boston College and Michigan, but he has now committed to Pitt. RB Kelly Baraka (6-1, 185) from Michigan is another player that the Buckeyes ahve offered a scholarship to and was at Michigan's camp. He now says that he no longer has any favorites. Previously, he said that Notre Dame and Michigan were his top two choices, and that coach Lloyd Carr tried to get him to commit to Michigan before he left the camp, but he did not do so. He now says that Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State, Iowa and Wisconsin are basically lumped together, and all of them have offered Baraka a scholarship. Baraka also attended Notre Dame's camp this summer. At the OSU kicking punting and long snapping camp last week, Mike Nugent (5-10, 165) from Centerville Ohio was a participant and the Buckeyes are definitely interested in Nugent. Nugent told me he felt really good about his perfomance at the OSU camp. He felt like he hit the ball very well, and the Buckeye coaches told him that everything looks very good and that he was impressive, however, the Buckeyes have not at least yet offered him a scholarship. Nugent says that the three schools that he is most interested in are Ohio State, Michigan State and Stanford, and that it would probably be between Ohio State for the lead for his services. Another player from Michigan, WR Robert Strickland (6-4, 205) from Detroit is a player that the Buckeyes are interested in, and Strickland has Ohio State on his list. He is looking at Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Penn State. So far Michigan, Michigan State, Georgia Tech and Indiana have offered him a scholarship. He says he is not certain who his top choice would be, but it would probably be Michigan or Michigan State because they are both close to home. Another prospect in Michigan that is interested in the Buckeyes is RB/WR/S Ashton Aikens (6-3, 195) from Detroit Country Day High School in Detroit. Aikens tells me that his top choices are Michigan, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame. He says he does not have a favorite at all, and despite Michigan offering a scholarship, he does not have a favorite and probably not decide in the near future. OL Brett Trott (6-6, 295) from Tennessee listed Ohio State as his second choice, but has committed to Michigan. Trott attended Michigan's camp, and committed to the Wolverines at that camp.The Buckeyes had not offered him a scholarship. TE Issaac Smolko (6-5, 230, 4.6) from New Middletown Springfield High School in Ohio was at Notre Dame's camp earlier this week, and says that the four schools he is most interested in are, in not particular order, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, and that all those schools have indicated that they want him, thought he is not sure exactly what that means. He says he does not have a favorite right now, and that he does not see himself making a decision on a college for at least a month or even a couple of months. DL John Felter (6-4, 250) from Sandusky Perkins High School in Ohio is interested in Ohio State. He attended Michigan's camp for one day, and tells me that he is looking at Ohio State and Michigan, as well as Northwestern, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan State and the Ivy League schools. Another player the Buckeyes had offered a scholarship to has committed elsewhere. TE Patrick Estes from Richmond, Virginia, one of the country's top TE prospects has committed to Virginia. He picked the Cavaliers over Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Florida State and others. Just about all of those schools, including Ohio State, had offered him a scholarship. OL Matt Knowlman (6-5, 240) from Lakota West High School attended OSU's specialist camp because he is a center. Knowlman is definitely looking at Ohio State, and has been to camp at Purdue as well. He attended Michigan's camp for a day. He says that Ohio State, Michigan and Purdue are his three favorite schools, but he does not have a favorite among those schools. Duke has offered him a scholarship, but none of his top three have offered just yet. June 20, 2000 The Buckeyes would certainly also like to add a commitment from a player that is currently camping at Ohio State at the second session of the OSU football camp, DE Simon Fraser from Upper Arlington High School. The 6-6, 240 pound Fraser told me on Monday that he was having a good time at OSU's football camp. The Buckeyes are of course hoping to land a commitment from him before he leaves camp today, but it is more likely that he is going to wait out his decision. Fraser told me that he would be leaving on Tuesday night for Michigan's camp, and that Ohio State, Michigan and Stanford are still his three favorite schools. Of the three, Ohio State is the only one to officially offer a scholarship thus far, but it will be interesting to see if the Wolverines offer him while he is in Ann Arbor. I did ask Fraser if he was going to make a decision soon on his college, and he said that he is hoping to, but that his parents are going to Europe and that he will probably wait until they get back before he picks a college. Fraser's teammate, DB Jeff Backes from Upper Arlington has been at the second session of OSU's football camp and has been impressive. The 5-11, 180 pound Backes, who will likely be a cornerback in college, is also going to be going to Michigan's camp, leaving with Simon Fraser tonight. Backes had previously told me that his three favorite schools are Stanford, Michigan and Virginia, though he also is interested in Ohio State, Maryland, Duke and most of the Big Ten schools. Duke has offered him a scholarship. While Backes was impressive at OSU's camp, he has not at this point been offered a scholarship by OSU. On the other hand, WR Kevin Hazel from Columbus DeSales High School, a 6-1, 185 pounder who is the son of former OSU WR Dave Hazel, now says that OSU has offered him a scholarship. He caught 40 passes as a junior and has already been to Texas' camp, and that will be the only one he goes to this summer. He says he is currently looking at Pitt, Boston College, Ohio State and Michigan, and he said that all but Michigan have offered him a scholarship, and that Boston College and Pitt have offered in writing, and the Buckeyes have told him that they have a scholarship for him, but that OSU has not offered in writing. Hazel says his favorite right now is Pitt, and he is looking to make a decision before the start of his senior football season, but wants to wait and see how things unravel. June 12, 2000 Keep in mind that the Buckeye football camp sessions start this week on Tuesday, June 13th. The Buckeyes will hold three sessions, one June 13th through June 16th, another June 17th through 20th, and a kicking and long snapping camp from June 21st through June 22nd. The also have a one-day passing tournament June 23rd. Of course the Buckeyes use these camps as a huge recruiting tool and just about every year, the Buckeyes land some verbal commitments at these camp sessions. Some of the names that will be attending these Buckeye camps include DE Simon Fraser as well as WR Angello Chattams and probably DE Pierre Woods as well. The Buckeyes hav offered all three of those players a scholarship. Also, LB Reggie Arden who has already committed to Ohio State will be there, and likely OL Adam Olds and DL Brandon McKinney, two other players that have committed will also be at the camp. Also, super RB Maurice Hall from Columbus Brookhaven will be in attendance on June 17th, and his two teammates, DB Danny Upchurch as well as WR Rodney Carter will be there also. DB Jeff Backes from Upper Arlington will be in attendance, as will WR Chris Hill from Euclid. From out of state, OL Ryan Cook, the big OL from Indiana will be at camp starting June 13th, and the Buckeyes certainly could end up offering him a scholarship. The Buckeyes are also hoping that LB Matt Sinclair from Missouri makes it, and Josh Lay from Pennsylvania is scheduled to be at the camp as well.
June 7, 2000 The Buckeyes would love to land RB Maurice Hall from Columbus Brookhaven, and the scholarship offers continue to come in for Hall. Hall has now been offered a scholarship by four more schools, those four being Arkansas, Maryland, Louisville and Rutgers. Hall had previously been offered by the Buckeyes as well as a number of other schools, including Penn State, Florida State and Notre Dame. Hall is planning to attend Ohio State's football camp this month. Another player at Columbus Brookhaven that he Buckeyes are interested in is DB Danny Upchurch (5-9, 170, 4.5). Upchurch told me that he is really focusing on three schools, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Michigan. Upchurch intercepted five passes as a freshman, two more as sophomore and three more as a junior said that OSU and Michigan have not offered a scholarship, but Pitt has told him that if he goes to camp at Pitt and, as he put it, lights it up, that they would offer at camp. Upchurch is planning on going to one day at camp at Pitt on June 16th, and then go to Ohio State's camp with Maurice Hall on June 17th, and Michigan's camp with Maurice Hall on June 21st. Upchurch says that at this time, Pitt is probably his leader. DE Kevin Vickerson (6-6, 265, 4.9) from Detroit M.L. King High School in Michigan has been offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes, and Vickerson remains interested in Ohio State. He has a 2.6 GPA and will take the ACT this coming Saturday. He says that he will go to Michigan's camp this summer and maybe Central Michigan's camp as well. He says the schools he is most interested in remain Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Georgia Tech, and that Indiana has come on strong and they are in the mix now as well. Vickerson says that his current top three, in no particular order, are Michigan, Georgia Tech and Minnesota. OL Collin Barker (6-9, 325) from Wortham, Texas, a player the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to and would love to land, made unofficial visits this past weekend to Notre Dame and Michigan. He made those visits with his brother and his father. The good news for Ohio State is that Barker did not make a commitment this past weekend. Barker was impressed at Notre Dame, but Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie was not there, and the Irish did not officially offer Barker a scholarship. He did meet all the other coaches at Notre Dame and liked the campus. He then went to an unofficial visit to Michigan on Saturday. Barker liked it quite a bit at Michigan. He was very impressed with the coaches. In fact, he spent a night in Michigan. Despite a scholarship offer from Michigan, he did not commit to the Wolverines. He is still looking at Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, Florida State, Georgia and Baylor. Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia and Baylor have offered him a scholarship. DB Marlon Jackson (6-1, 185, 4.5) from Sharon, Pennsylvania at one time told me he might make an unofficial visit to Ohio State the weekend of June second (last weekend), but Jackson did not make that unofficial visit. Ohio State has offered him a scholarship and told me that he didn't make it to OSU but he is however planning on visiting Tennessee this coming Thursday. He says he is still basically looking at four schools; Tennessee, Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan. He will camp at Michigan June 18 through 21st and at Penn State June 22nd to 28th. He said that of the four schools, his leader is now Michigan, with Penn State second. All four schools have offered him a scholarship. Notre Dame has also offered him a scholarship, and he is now looking at the Irish as well. Jackson says he is not sure when he will make a decision, but he is going to try and make an early decision if at all possible. Also in Pennsylvania, Scott Paxson (6-4, 225, 4.7) from Philadelphia Catholic High School is a TE/DE who is interested in Ohio State. He has a 3.8 GPA and caught close to 40 passes this past season and scored six times. He also had over 15 sacks. He has been rumored to have committed to Penn State, but he told me that the rumor is not accurate and he has not committed to the Lions, though his dad is a big Penn State fan and he says he dad would certainly like to see him go to Penn State. He says that Penn State is his favorite, but he also is looking at West Virginia, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and he says he wants to take a look at Ohio State as well. Penn State and West Virginia have offered him a scholarship. He will attend PSU's football camp June 12th to 15th. It's not long until the Ohio State football camps will be held, and many prospects that the Buckeyes are interested are scheduled to attend. A few of the names that are scheduled to attend would be the following. QB Rahshan Johnson from NE Ohio, who the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to, as is DB Jeff Backes from Upper Arlington High School. Ryan Cook from Indiana will attend, and like Backes, has not yet been offered by OSU could very well get an offer at camp. Another player the Buckeyes are very interested in landing is Matt Sinclair from Missouri. OSU has already offered him, and he is not a certainty to be at OSU's camp, but might end up making it. From Pennsylvania, Josh Lay is scheduled to attend, as is Chris Herrald from Euclid. OSU has not offered either of those players, but are interested in both. Simon Fraser from Upper Arlington may also attend, though he is not a sure thing. He also could attend Michigan's camp this month as well. June 3, 2000 DE Simon Fraser (6-6, 240) from Upper Arlington was offered a scholarship by OSU some time ago, and says that OSU, Michigan and Stanford are his top three choices. As to when he might make a decision on his college, he says it is simply going to be when he feel comfortable enough to do so. He may end up taking in at least a day or two of summer camps at possibly both Ohio State and Michigan. Certainly the Buckeyes would love to land a commitment from him sometime this month. RB/FB prospect Brandon Brokaw from New Jersey is a very good one that the Buckeyes are interested in signing. He is already drawing comparisons to former New Jersey prep star Ron Dayne. He is a 6-1, 225 pounder with 4.55 40 speed, and could play either RB or FB in college. He is one of the top big-backs in the east. He has OSU on his list, and is looking at OSU, Penn State, Boston College, West Virginia and Notre Dame, and all but the Irish have offered a scholarship and the Irish are expected to so in the not to distant future. There has been plenty of talk about the possibility that Rodney Carter from Brookhaven High School in Columbus having committed to the Buckeyes. Carter definitely want to go to Ohio State, and Ohio State would like to sign him. However, everything is contingent on whether he qualifies academically or not, and he still has a ways to go before he does qualify. If he does not qualify, then he will likely head the prep school route. If he does qualify, he would sign with Ohio State, but the situation probably will be totally resolved until perhaps as late as next summer. Carter is a 6-1, 170 WR with 4.5 40 speed. I would say that at the present time, Rodney Carter should not be counted as a verbal commitment to Ohio State until his grade situation gets itself sorted out. The Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to OL Collin Barker from Wortham, Texas. Barker was at OSU's football camp last summer and he was offered a scholarship in writing by John Cooper. Barker is made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame on Friday, June 2, and will visit Michigan on Saturday, June 3. Barker will be making those two visits together with his dad. He is 6-9 and weighs 325 pounds, and is looking at Ohio State, as well as Notre Dame, Michigan, Florida State, Texas, Georgia and Baylor. All of those schools except Notre Dame, Texas and Florida State have offered him a scholarship. LB LaDrelle Bryant from Muncie South High School in Indiana has drawn interest from Ohio State. He is a 6-2, 215 pounder with 4.55 40 speed. He was his schools leader tackler from his inside linebacker spot last season. He has a 2.1 GPA and scored a 25 on the ACT. Every school in the Big Ten has stopped at his high school in May, but the only scholarship offer he has thus far is from MAC school Ball State. Another player in Indiana that has drawn interest in the Buckeyes is LB Tony Dawson from Mishawka. He is a 6-4, 220 pound linebacker with 4.7 40 speed. He plays ILB, but could play either inside or outside in college. He has a 2.9 GPA and made 65 solo tackles and 42 assists this past season. He has received mail from schools all over the country, and virtually all of the schools in the Big Ten stopped at his high school in May. Some of the schools that he is considering include Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Indiana, as well as Ohio State. LB Matt Sinclair from St. Louis University High School in Missouri is a player that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to. He is a 6-3, 235 pound linebacker that runs a 4.6 40, and is one of the top prospects in the state of Missouri. Despite playing in only five games due to a knee injury as a junior, he made 58 solo tackles and has been offered a scholarship by OSU, Missouri, Illinois, Boston College, Wisconsin and Iowa, and don't be surprised if Notre Dame and Stanford offer also. He is looking at all of those schools and might end up going to Ohio State's football camp this summer. Right now, though, he says that Missouri is probably his leader. A quarterback that the Buckeyes have shown some interest in is Rick Clausen from San Fernando, California. As a junior, he backed up his brother Casey Clausen who signed with Tennessee in February, and Casey has now transferred to Woodland Hills Taft High School as a senior. Despite being a backup last season, Rick already has close to 15 scholarship offers. Among the schools that have offered are Michigan State, LSU, Kentucky, Clemson and Pitt. Those are his top five right now, but Clausen has been called by OSU QB coach Tim Salem. He will finish up his high school studies in December and will enroll at whatever college he chooses in January. DB Jacob Stewart from Ypsilanti, Michigan has drawn interest from Ohio State. He is a 6-2, 190 pound safety who runs a 4.5 40. He picked off four passes, and led his team in tackles as a junior. Stewart has a 3.0 GPA and has drawn interest from every one of the schools in the Big Ten except for Minnesota. Stewart has been offered a scholarship by a couple of schools thus far, including Iowa and Kentucky. The Buckeyes have shown an interest, though they have not offered him a scholarship. Another prospect from Michigan that has an interest in OSU is DB Rontrell Woodruff from Southfield, Michigan. He is a 6-0, 185 corner back who runs a 4.5 40. He is a very aggressive, hard hitter who has the potential to play in the Big Ten. Among the schools that he has been thinking about are Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana. The Buckeyes have not offered Woodruff a scholarship. I spoke with Eddie Johnson, the former Cleveland Brown linebacker who's son Rahshan Johnson will be one of the top prospects in NE Ohio this coming season, and Eddie Johnson said that Rahshan has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. Rahshan is a 6-1, 195 pound QB/DB from Middleburg Heights Midpark High School. He runs a 4.5 40 and has a 3.2 GPA. He played in only five games as a junior because of a torn knee ligament. He had arthroscopic surgery and is going to be 100% healthy before the start of his senior season. He had over 800 yards passing and over 300 yards rushing in just five games and is an outstanding prospect. According to his dad, he has now been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Indiana, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Georgia, LSU and Louisville, and that those are the top schools on his list. He said his son now has approximately 20 scholarship offers. He also said that Rahshan wants to play quarterback in college rather than defensive back, and that he is probably going to go to Ohio State's football camp this summer, and that right now he also will likely go to at least one or two other camps as well, including Eddie Johnson's personal camp that he has. Rahshan, according to Eddie, doesn't have leader right now. Moving to the state of Florida, OL Matt Meinrod from Tarpon Springs East Lake High School has Ohio State as one of the top schools on his list. He is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive guard who could play either guard or center in college. He runs a 4.8 40 and has a 3.1 GPA and a 940 on the SAT. He told me that he is looking at Florida State, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. He said that the five southern schools, Florida State, Florida, Miami, Tennessee and Georgia, might be his five favorites, but he said that of the schools in the Midwest, the one that he is most interested in would be Ohio State, and that Ohio State would be pretty much be right up there with the five schools from the south that he is interested in. He said that none of his top choice have offered him a scholarship yet, though he does have some offers from other schools. Moving back to the state of Ohio, DB Dustin Williams from Miamisburg is a 5-11, 165 pound cornerback who runs a 4.45 40. He has a 3.3 GPA and intercepted 8 passes as a junior. He told me last night that he is looking at Indiana, Vanderbilt, Duke, Ohio U, Toledo and West Virginia, and that he is getting mail from Ohio State as well. The Buckeyes missed out on landing LB Scott McClintock from Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. McClintock of course committed to Michigan over Penn State, Ohio State and a few others. Also, TE Eric Gill from Belle Vernon, another player that the Buckeyes offered a scholarship to, ended up committing to Pitt over Ohio State. It also doesn't look particularly good that the Buckeyes will land lineman Tyler Reed, another outstanding prospect from the Keystone State. Reed has made an unofficial visit to Ohio State but right now it seems like the Buckeyes are a long-shot to land this fine two-way lineman from Pittsburgh Jefferson High School. On the other hand, another top player from the state of Pennsylvania that the Buckeyes are very much in the running for is Tim Massaquoi from Orfield Parkland High School. He is a 6-4, 215 pounder who runs a 4.6 40 and is being recruited at least right now by the Buckeyes as a WR, but he certainly could grow into a tight end. At either spot, he has a chance to be a great one in college. He is one of the top prospects in the state of Pennsylvania as well as the entire Big Ten region. He continues to say that Ohio State is one of his top choices. Ohio State and Penn State, in no particular order, are the two leaders right now, but he is considering a host of others as well, including Michigan, Michigan State, Virginia, Boston College, Pitt, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. All of those schools except Notre Dame have already him a scholarship, including Ohio State. In fact, Massaquoi has over 28 scholarship offers already. I don't expect him to make a decision before the end of the school year. I do think, though, that he might end up making a decision before the end of the summer. At one point, he seemed like he might go ahead and take official visits before making a decision, but now he says he will probably make a decision before the start of his senior football season. Yet another player from the state of Pennsylvania that the Buckeyes would like to land is LB Joe Dipre from Erie, Cathedral High School. He is a 6-4, 240 pounder with 4.75 40 speed. He has been to Ohio State for an unofficial visit and he has not 100% ruled out the Buckeyes, but Ohio State is a long shot right now to land Dipre. He felt the Ohio State might be a little bit big for him, and right now he says that OSU would not be in his top four or five choices. Some of his top choices include Michigan, Pitt, Kentucky and perhaps Boston College. All of those schools have offered him a scholarship. The Buckeyes have also offered a scholarship. He said his top three would be Kentucky, Michigan and Iowa. The name of Amit Rattan may not be familiar to you now, but it certainly could by the time this recruiting season is over. He is a punter and kicker from Beaver Creek High School in Ohio, and the 6-1, 220 pounder is drawing more and more interest every day from recruiters, and one of the schools that is showing interest in Rattan is Ohio State. This past season, he averaged 42 yards per punt and has excellent average hang time of 4.2 seconds. He is a four-year punter for his school and also was his team's kicker as a junior with his long field goal coming from 48 yards out. He has a 4.6 GPA and recently went to Purdue's one-day kicking camp and was very impressive. He won an award for the best hang-time, and an award for the longest field goal and was second in field goal accuracy. He is being recruited a little bit more right now as a punter, but would like to both punt and kick in college. He tells me that he is getting two or three letters every day from colleges, and most of the Big Ten schools are writing him, as well as schools on the west coast including Cal and Stanford, and the Ivy League schools as well. He says the schools that he is interested in include Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan, as well as the Ivy League schools. He will attend OSU's camp this summer, as well as Michigan's. Another specialist, Mike Nugent (5-10, 165) was at Ohio State's spring game and has been his team's varsity kicker since his freshman season. He made four of six field goals with a long of 47 yards last season, and also connected on 63 of 65 PATs. He has a 3.3 GPA and says OSU is definitely one of the schools that he is interested in, though he is also looking at some other Big Ten schools and Stanford as well. Travis Mayle from Mantua Crestwood High School is another fine kicker in the state of Ohio that's interested in the Buckeyes. He is a 6-1, 175 pounder who is a good all-around athlete. He not only kicks for Crestwood, but plays DB and returns punts, and will play QB as well as a senior. He has a 3.3 GPA and had five field goals of over 50 yards this past season. He made 10 of 23 field goals total, but 10 or his misses were from over 50 yards out. Mayle also hit 45 of 48 PATs. Two of the top schools on his list are Ohio State and West Virginia. Yet another specialist that the Buckeyes are taking a look at is Nate Fry from Findlay, Ohio. He is a 5-11, 190 pounder with 4.7 forty speed. He averaged 41 yards per punt this past season. He has a 2.9 GPA and is interested in Ohio State and has made an unofficial visit to Ohio State previously. He also is looking at West Virginia, Ball State, Florida State, Michigan State, and a few others including Clemson. Two of the top line prospect in the state of Indiana are interested in Ohio State. In fact, they have already visited Ohio State. Adrian Stiffarm from Fort Wayne Northrup High School is a 6-5, 280 pound left tackle who runs a 5.0 flat forty. He has a 2.5 GPA and bench presses 330 pounds. He was Ohio State for the Nike training camp and that Ohio State is one of the schools that he is interested in. He says that Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan and Notre Dame are the schools that he is most interested in, but the Buckeyes to this point have not offered him a scholarship. OL Ryan Cook from Martinsville, Indiana is a 6-7, 295 pounder with 5.25 40 speed that also was at OSU back in April for the Nike training camp. Cook has been a varsity starter at OT the past two season and has good feet, excellent size and pretty good strength. He has a 2.9 GPA and is definitely interested in the Buckeyes and has Ohio State as one of his favorites. Indiana is also one of his favorites and has offered him a scholarship. Beside Indiana and Ohio State, he is looking at Purdue as well as Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin. He plans to be back at OSU this summer for the OSU football camp in June. He is a fine talent, and if the Buckeyes were to offer him a scholarship they would stand a very good chance of landing him as a commitment as Cook says that Ohio State and Michigan are his two leaders, and that Ohio State may have a slight edge over Michigan, though it is very, very close. He will also attend Michigan's camp, and it will be interesting to see which or if both school ends up offering him a scholarship and if he makes a decision. In Ohio, OL Matt Knollman, a center from Lakota West High School was also at the Nike camp in April. He is a 6-5, 240 pounder with 4.8 40 speed. He is a good athlete who is still growing, and should wind up in the 6-5 to 6-6, 270 pound range in a few years. He is also a fine student with a 3.8 GPA and tells me that Ohio State is one of the schools that he is definitely interested in. Some others that he is looking at include Purdue and Indiana. Yet another OL that is interested in the Buckeyes and was at the Nike camp is Steve Winter from Dublin Coffman High School. He is a 6-7, 275 pounder with 5.05 40 speed and a 3.0 GPA. He also plans to be at Ohio State's football camp in June, as is looking at Ohio State as well as Cincinnati, Penn State, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and perhaps a few others. He is a teammate of Adam Olds, who has already committed to the Buckeyes. |