Bill Kurelic Early December Posts 12/16/99 3:00 PM Super offensive lineman Antonio Hall from Canton McKinley High School in Ohio made an official visit to Michigan last weekend, it was a Saturday, Sunday, Monday visit, and the good news is that Antonio Hall did not commit to the Wolverines. The bad news is that he did have a good time. When Hall had gone into his visit with Michigan, he was saying that Ohio State and Florida State were his two leaders, now he says that things are very close between Ohio State, Michigan and Florida State, and that things are pretty equal between the two schools. He was hosted at Michigan by Carl Diggs, a linebacker from Warren Harding High School in Ohio. There had been a rumor this week that Hall had committed to Michigan, but he rumor was just that, a rumor, and totally false. He has not committed to anyone. Offensive lineman Shane Olivea from Long Beach, New York visited Syracuse last weekend, and Ohio State remains his top choice. He is going to visit Georgia Tech this weekend, and he might have a decision right after visiting Tech, and I feel good about the Buckeyes chances of landing Olivea. He has said that he will cancel his Iowa visit that was scheduled for next weekend. I feel very good about the Buckeyes' chances of landing Shane Olivea. The Buckeyes are also in the lead for RB Sam Maldonado (6-2, 215) , one of the best running backs in the nation, from New York. He said that the felt very comfortable at Ohio State, but he is not close to making a decision. He does say, however, that at least for right now, the Buckeyes are his favorite. He was hosted by Jamar Martin while at Ohio State and had a very good time and was very impressed with the players and coaches at Ohio State. He is still planning on making visits to Syracuse, Maryland and Florida State at least, but the Buckeyes are in the lead at least for now. WR Michael Jenkins (6-5, 200, 4.45) from Tampa, Florida said that he had a great visit to Ohio State, was close to committing to the Buckeyes after his visit last weekend and has Ohio State as his leader with just one visit to go. Jenkins has now been to Ohio State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. He was hosted by LeCharles Bentley. Jenkins now says he will not visit Clemson January 14th. He will take his January 7th visit to Georgia Tech, and then make a decision. He said he was very impressed with the Business School at Ohio State and he was also impressed with the people and that Ohio State is on top right now along with Virginia Tech who is second place slightly ahead of Notre Dame. Jenkins has already qualified academically. The Buckeyes remain very much in the running for linebacker Robert Reynolds from Kentucky. Reynolds made an official visit to Miami last weekend and did commit to the Hurricanes and did not seem overly impressed. He has now visited Tennessee, Michigan and Miami and will definitely take his last two visits to Ohio State January 14th and Florida January 21st, then make his decision. I think his decision will come down to Florida, Ohio State or Michigan. RB Chris Perry (6-2, 218) did not commit to Michigan on his visit to Ann Arbor last weekend, and I feel cautiously optimistic about the Buckeyes' chances of landing Chris Perry. Perry may also soon make a decision. Perry continues to have OSU and Michigan as his co-leaders and it looks like his decision could come very soon. Chris Perry's mother told me that after Chris and she made their official visit to Ohio State, that she was ready for Chris to commit to the Buckeyes. She also said that she thought that Chris was ready to commit to OSU at that time too, but the Perry's went on the visit to Michigan this past weekend, and Chris Perry's mother said that she was very very impressed with Michigan. She likes the academics there, and she thought the football program was great. She said that right now, it's a "crapshoot" as she put it between Michigan and Ohio State. She said that it really could go either way. She says that she doesn't know which way her son might be leaning at this point. Perry's mother was supposed to travel from her home in North Carolina to Virginia to have dinner with Chris and talk things over on Tuesday, but had to delay her trip. She said that Chris want to pick his college by Christmas at the latest, and she said that he could decide something any day now. It seems to me that in talking to Chris' mother that she would prefer Michigan, while on the other hand that Chris maybe would prefer Ohio State, but right now it is just too close to call. Perry ran wild this season as he gained 2,752 yards for Fork Union Military Academy. Perry and his mother met for dinner on Thursday night to talk things over on his final decision. A rumor circulated yesterday that Perry had committed to Michigan, but he rumor is totally false. He had not committed to Michigan, Ohio State, or anyone else. He has not made a decision. Chris says he is going to go home for the holidays and think about things. It's still not out of the question that he could have a decision by Christmas, but it definitely will not come before he leaves to go home to North Carolina on Friday unless he has a very large change of heart. Buckeye head coach John Cooper was at Fork Union yesterday helping the Buckeyes' cause, and it still is very close between Ohio State and Michigan for Chris Perry. RB Willis McGahee from Florida has not picked his college yet. but he also says he has not ruled out Ohio State. He has made official visits to Ohio State, Auburn and Georgia, and he is scheduled to go to Florida State January 7th and Miami January 21st. He said last night that as he put it, most likely Auburn is his favorite, but he has not ruled out anyone. However, I feel the Buckeyes are a very, very big longshot to land him, but Ohio State is continuing to pursue him. The Buckeyes also continue to pursue McGahee's teammate, OL Jonathan Colon (6-7, 275). He has been to Ohio State and Auburn for official visits, and he has Alabama scheduled for January 21st and Florida for January 28th. Colon said his decision is down to those four schools, and said last night that all four are still in the running. He said he can't say who his leader is or who even his top two would be. He also mentioned that Buckeye recruiting coordinator Bill Conley was at his school yesterday. The Buckeyes still want badly to land a top tight end in this recruiting class to go along with Jason Caldwell who has already committed to Ohio State, and one tight end that they would certainly love to land and have a shot at is Darius Williams (6-6, 225) from Georgia. He has made an official visit to Ohio State and will visit Georgia Tech this weekend. He also is going to go straight from Georgia Tech to Virginia for a Sunday, Monday visit. He also has Georgia scheduled for January 7th. Darius Williams told me last night that he has things narrowed down to those four schools. He said that coach Conley was at his basketball game watching him play on Tuesday night. WR Johnny Morant visited South Carolina last weekend, and although he says the Buckeyes are still in the running he says the Buckeyes have slipped to third. Morant says that Purdue continues to have a slight lead with South Carolina now moving into second place slightly ahead of Ohio State. Morant will at least visit Clemson January 7th before he makes a decision. He will also possibly visit Syracuse this weekend or sometime in January. TE/LB Marcus Hairiston, a player the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to, made an official visit to Toledo last weekend but did not commit to the Rockets. He is planning on visiting Ohio State January 14th, and will probably also visit Michigan State and Georgia, and is also looking at Pitt and Purdue, but I think the Buckeyes have a good chance at landing Marcus Hairriston. The Buckeyes also continue to have a good chance to land DB Bobby Britton from Florida. Britton is going to visit Notre Dame, and as of right now he is visiting the Irish the weekend of January 14th, but Ohio State is hoping to get a commitment from him before then. OSU want to land another fine cover corner in this recruiting class, and Britton fills that bill. Britton is being recruited by Buckeyes' assistant coach Jim Heacock, and Heacock has told him that the Buckeyes are not going to be able to wait in all likelihood all the way until mid-January because they will be very near filled up on scholarships. QB Ben Roethlisberger from Findlay made a Sunday/Monday visit to Miami of Ohio last weekend. With the commitment of Rick McFadden to Ohio State, could the Buckeyes possibly take both McFadden and Roethlisberger? It's not out of the question. Keep in mind that Roethlisberger played wide receiver until this season, and is a fine all around athlete. The Buckeyes could perhaps end up trying to squeeze him into this class as an athlete, getting his first shot as a quarterback at Ohio State. So it is not out of the question that Roethlisberger could be taken as well, especially since Austin Moherman is transferring. The Buckeyes have now offered a scholarship to a DB/WR from Texas who says that Ohio State is his top choice. Darren Stevens (6-4, 170) from Louisville, Texas could play either safety or wider receiver in college. Stevens made an official visit this past weekend to Oklahoma, and has now made official visits to Wisconsin as well as Oklahoma, and told me after getting back from Oklahoma that he liked it a lot there, but that Ohio State is still his favorite, and that the Buckeyes have now offered him a scholarship. He says that he has just always wanted to go to Ohio State, and that the Buckeyes have recruited him as either a safety or wide receiver. He has scheduled an official visit to Ohio State the weekend of January 7th. He now has scholarship offers from Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Kansas State, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Another DB that has scheduled an official visit to Ohio State is Harlan Jacobs (6-2, 180) from Atlanta Douglas High School in Georgia. Jacobs is a cornerback who has a 2.6 GPA and an 840 on the SAT. He is looking at Ohio State and has scheduled a visit for January 7th. He is also looking at Auburn, Wake Forrest, Maryland and Louisville. The Buckeyes want to land one more cornerback in this recruiting class, and have targeted Bobby Britton for that slot. They continue to recruit other players like Jacobs in case Britton does not commit, and if Britton does commit, Jacobs would probably be ruled out. Another running back the Buckeyes are pursuing is Jeramy Fairrow (6-1, 190) from Indiana, and Buckeyes offensive coordinator Chuck Stobart made a home visit with him on Tuesday. Fairrow rushed for 1700 yards despite missing four games this past season. He told me that everything went fine with Coach Stobart on the home visit, and Coach Stobart was also at his school earlier in the day as well. He has thus far made official visits to Michigan State and Indiana, and his next visit will be to Ohio State the weekend of January 7th. He also has Michigan scheduled for January 14th, and Purdue for January 21st. All five schools have offered him a scholarship. Ohio State, Michigan and Purdue are recruiting him as a running back, while Michigan State and Indiana are recruiting him as a strong safety. Fairrow says he really doesn't have a favorite right now. Brian Shaw (6-0, 185), a DB from Carlsbad LaCosta Canyon High School in California, is still considering Ohio State. Shaw made an official visit on the weekend of December 3rd, and visited Arizona this past weekend and will visit Washington the weekend of January 7th. Shaw also has Oregon scheduled for January 14th, and Colorado January 21st. Shaw has been offered a scholarship by Arizona and Oregon. Ohio State has not yet offered him a scholarship. WR Jerome Collins from Illinois was offered a scholarship awhile back by Ohio State, but the Buckeyes are not longer in the running for Collins. Collins told me that the is no longer really considering Ohio State, and the Buckeyes' interest seems to have dropped off in him some lately, so Collins will not end up at Ohio State. Another RB the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to is Diamond Ferri (5-10, 195, 4.45) from Everett, Massachusetts. He tells me that he is going to be making a visit possibly to Iowa this weekend. He visited Syracuse this past weekend, and was going to visit Nebraska this coming weekend, but that visit has been cancelled, so he said that he might visit Iowa instead. He said that he also definitely will visit Ohio State January 7th, and then maybe either Tennessee or Indiana, but he will not be rescheduling Nebraska, that is just too far from home. He has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, Syracuse, Iowa, Tennessee and Indiana, and that right now Syracuse would be his leader, but he says that is partly because he has been there and seen the campus and it is the only school he has made an official visit to thus far. Another player the Buckeyes are interested in but have not offered a scholarship to is LB Josh Chillcote (6-3, 215, 4.65) from Groveport, Ohio. He said that the Buckeyes contacted him on Tuesday and asked him for another film. He made an official visit this past weekend to Kent State and was offered a scholarship, but now wants to see what happens with Ohio State. He said that Indiana is also calling him, as is Youngstown State, and that he doesn't have any clear cut leader, though I think that if Ohio State were to ask him to visit and eventually offer him a scholarship, he said it would be very tough to turn down. Running back Marcus Sanders from Ravenna had scheduled an official visit to Ohio State for January 14th, but he said last night that he is not going to visit Michigan State January 14th. He has been to Minnesota and will go to Michigan January 7th. All three schools have offered him a scholarship. Sanders said he will almost certainly choose from one of those three schools. The Buckeyes, however, continue to be interested in Sanders and are still recruiting him hard. 12/12/99 7:45 PM To begin with, Ohio State has landed two verbal commitments, from linebacker Jack Tucker and from quarterback Rick McFadden. Jack Tucker (6-1, 235) was hosted by Donnie Nickey and spent time with not only Donnie Nickey, but also with OSU commitment Alex Stepanovich. He will enroll at Ohio State in January and will participate in spring practice. He will have three years to play two for the Buckeyes. He is a middle linebacker who committed to Ohio State over Arizona State, Oregon, Kansas State, Iowa State and Missouri. Rick McFadden (6-7, 205) is left handed quarterback who threw for 2200 yards and 20 touchdowns. He committed to Ohio State over West Virginia. The one bit of bad news is that OL Michael Munoz has committed to Tennessee and will not make his scheduled official visit to Ohio State in January. Munoz says it's a done deal, he will sign with the volunteers on national signing day. WR Michael Jenkins (6-5, 200, 4.45) visited and was hosted by LeCharles Bentley. He is not yet back to Florida from Ohio State. While I tend to think that he will continue to take official visits, it is not out of the question that he will commit to Ohio State. I got the impression that he was very impressed while here in Columbus. He has now visited Ohio State, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. He has January visits scheduled to Georgia Tech and Clemson. LB Marco Cooper made his visit this weekend as was hosted by Darnell Sanders. Cooper did not commit to Ohio State, but he does say that Ohio State is definitely one of his top choices, but I think his decision will ultimately come down to Ohio State or Tennessee. Cooper does have a teammate at Detroit Cass Tech High School, a linebacker, that is being recruited by Minnesota and not by Ohio State. Minnesota has offered both Marco Cooper and his teammate a scholarship. Cooper would like to perhaps go to the same school as his teammate, so that certainly would help Minnesota a little bit, but I don't think it's going to be a deciding factor in Marco Cooper's decision, and I continue to think that his decision will come down to either Ohio State or Tennessee. Super RB Sam Maldonado (6-2, 215) visited Ohio State this weekend, and the visit went very well. Maldenado told me that Ohio State is his favorite so far, as he put it. Maldonado, however, is going to visit Syracuse next weekend and has Maryland January 7th and Florida State January 14th. Maldenado said he was very impressed with the players and the coaches at Ohio State. Plenty of prospects that the Buckeyes are recruiting are visiting elsewhere this weekend. One of those is Chris Perry, who is visiting Michigan. Perry will almost certainly decide between Ohio State and Michigan, so this is a big weekend for Chris Perry. Shane Olivea, the outstanding offensive lineman from New York, is visited Syracuse this weekend. That would seem to be a key visit, though Olivea is now indicating that Syracuse would be down on his list and that perhaps he visited there as an in-state courtesy. He says that Ohio State is definitely his clear-cut favorite and he might soon have a decision. Olivea said that he is in the process of canceling his visit next weekend to Iowa, and instead will move Georgia Tech up to a December 17th visit, and said that that might be it. He might make his decision after his visit to Georgia Tech. TE Eric Knott has been rumored to have committed to Michigan State but he has not done that. His mother says that he is still going to visit Ohio State. DE Naughten McKay-Loescher did not visit Michigan this weekend as he was scheduled because his son had lip surgery and his dad came down with pneumonia. He continues to say that Ohio State, Miami and Arizona are his three favorites, and he has moved his Boston College visit up to this weekend and his Miami visit back to the weekend of January 28th. The Buckeyes continue to lead for DB Bobby Britton from Florida. Britton told me this afternoon that the Buckeyes are his top choice, but he has scheduled an official visit to Notre Dame for the weekend of January 14th. As to when he will make his decision, he said that right now he is not sure about that. 12/11/99 Another outstanding junior that the Buckeyes are already pursuing is DL NeShaun Gottard (6-5, 245) from Dayton Dunbar High School in Ohio. Gottard might well be the best DL in the state of Ohio next season. Gottard has good size and excellent quickness, and he also has pretty good strength. Gottard is already hearing from schools all over the Midwest, including of course Ohio State. He tells me that the Buckeyes are definitely one of his top choices, and that he is mainly at this point looking at Midwest schools, and Ohio State and Michigan State are two in particular that he is looking at. Charles Davis (6-6, 255, 4.8) is an outstanding prospect from the state of Michigan that the Buckeyes are already interested in. He is a TE/DE prospect who will be one of the best in the Midwest next season. He has a 3.9 GPA and starts on both sides of the ball. As a junior this year, he caught 23 passes for over 300 yards, and also made 79 solo tackles and had 50 assists and led his team in tackles. He is also a fine basketball player, and is being recruited in that sport as well, but I see him going the football route in college. He is already hearing from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. In Illinois, DB/RB Brandon Strong (5-11, 170, 4.5) who starts both ways, but I see him playing on defense at cornerback in college. He has a 3.2 GPA and he picked off three passes this season. Strong also is a track standout, having run a 22.8 200 meters as a sophomore. Strong says he is pretty open minded on colleges, but some that he will take a look at include Illinois, Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan State and North Carolina, as well as South Carolina. Now on to the Seniors. Players making visits to Ohio State this weekend will include OSU commitment Alex Stepanovich, as well as linebacker Jack Tucker (6-1, 235, 4.75) from Cerritos Junior College in California. Tucker is a middle linebacker who made 120 tackles, including 61 solos this season. Tucker is originally from LaPalma Henry High School in California. I have the feel that the Buckeyes are going to offer him a scholarship, and if they do, it is almost a certainty that he would commit to Ohio State. Tucker is a big Andy Katzenmoyer fan. He also has been looking at Missouri, Oregon, Iowa State, and Kansas State, but the Buckeyes are his big leader. By the way, if Jack Tucker does commit to Ohio State, he would enroll at Ohio State in January and be able to go through Spring practice and he could also count on last year season's Buckeye recruiting class, so that would not take a spot up in this recruiting class. Another player visiting the Buckeyes this weekend that the Buckeyes have a terrific shot at landing it quarterback Rick McFadden (6-7, 205) from Youngstown Struthers. He visited West Virginia last weekend and he is going to visit the Buckeyes this weekend then will likely make his decision soon thereafter, or perhaps commit to the Buckeyes on his official visit. In fact, I think there is a great chance that McFadden will commit to Ohio State while here in Columbus. McFadden threw for 2200 yards last season, completing 61% of his passes, and is the top quarterback prospect in the state of Ohio. Other players making their official visits to Ohio State this weekend include Sam Maldonado, who rushed for 3000 yards this season and is one of the country's top big backs, linebacker Marco Cooper, and wide receiver Michael Jenkins. We spoke about all three of these players in our 12/09/99 post. Safety T.J. White from California was at one time planning on visiting Ohio State his weekend, but that visit will probably not take place. White has to get all his academics taken care of in junior college, and he will likely have his visit postponed until perhaps sometime later this month. White is a fine prospect, but it may be that he would not be able to transfer to Ohio State, so his visit almost certainly will be postponed from this weekend. Another player that definitely is not visiting this weekend is DE Derrick Wake from Maryland. Wake is not really highly considering Ohio State any more, and I doubt that the visit will be rescheduled. As expected, Brandon "Bam" Childress (5-9, 175, 4.45) , Mr. Football in the state of Ohio, has committed to Ohio State, choosing the Buckeyes over Minnesota, USC, Purdue and others. All of those schools had offered him a scholarship. Childress will be a cornerback at Ohio State as well as kick returner. He told me that he chose Ohio State because it's close to home, and he was very impressed with how the OSU players are together and a close knit group. He also feels the education he can get at Ohio State will be good, and says that Ohio State just seemed like a perfect fit to him. He said that he called Coach Cooper and Coach Salem and gave them the good news that he is committing to Ohio State. By the way, he plans to play both football and basketball at Ohio State. Childress is a point guard on his high school team, averaging 20 points per game as a junior, and he said that he has talked to both Coach Cooper and Coach O'Brien who both said that he can play both sports at Ohio State, so certainly this is a big commitment for the Buckeyes, though it is not unexpected. 12/09/99 12:10 PM Olivea also told me some very interesting item which pertain to RB Chris Perry from Virginia. Perry of course is a standout running back from Fork Union Military Academy who also visited Ohio State last weekend, and while Perry and Olivea were on their official visits together at Ohio State, the two became friends. Also, the two's parents made their official visits with their sons, and Shane Olivea's mother and Chris Perry's mother got to be friends as well. In fact, the two mother spoke with each other for about two hours on the phone on Monday, and both mother are very interested in seeing their sons attend Ohio State. In fact, Olivea told me that he spoke with Chris Perry's mother, and Chris Perry spoke with Shane Olivea's mother, so certainly it all looks pretty good for Ohio State to land both Shane Olivea and Chris Perry, but the Buckeyes have to sweat out this weekend with Chris Perry as well as he makes an official visit to Michigan, and that is the Buckeyes' chief competition for Chris Perry. The Buckeyes are going to be hosting another group of recruits this weekend, and I expect the Buckeyes to land at least one if not more verbal commitments this weekend. Last night linebacker Jack Tucker (6-1, 235) from Cerritos Junior College in California confirmed that he is all set to visit the Buckeyes this weekend. He is a middle linebacker, and if Ohio State offers him a scholarship, it's almost a certainty that he will commit. Tucker is a big Andy Katzenmoyer fan, and makes no bones about it, he has Ohio State as his top choice, and says that if offered a scholarship, there is a very good chance he will commit to the Buckeyes. I also feel the Buckeyes have a very good shot at landing quarterback Rick McFadden (6-7. 200) from Youngstown Struthers. He visited West Virginia last weekend and he is going to visit the Buckeyes this weekend and that will most likely be it. I think he will most likely made a decision very quickly, and there is a pretty decent chance he will commit to Ohio State, perhaps even on the official visit. Two players that the Buckeyes had been recruiting have committed elsewhere. Running back Keith Kelly, who Ohio State had offered a scholarship to, has committed to Clemson. Kelley is from South Carolina. WR Audie Audiamo from Illinois has decided to stay in-state as well. Audiamo has committed to the Illini. Speaking of wide receivers, Michael Jenkins (6-5. 200) , the fine wide receiver from Tampa, Florida that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to, got back last night from his official visit to Virginia Tech. He started this past weekend with an official visit to Notre Dame, then on Sunday he went straight from Notre Dame to Virginia tech for an official visit with the Hoakies, and he finished that visit up on Tuesday and got back on Tuesday evening. Jenkins told me that he had a good time on both visits, that both went great, but said that he didn't really prefer one over the other, and he also said that he is definitely still planning to make his official visit as scheduled to Ohio State this coming weekend. Jenkins also said that he still has Georgia Tech scheduled for January 8th, and Clemson for January 14th. All five schools have offered him a scholarship, and that right now he doesn't have a favorite, that he just wants to take his visits to see which schools he likes the best. WR Jerome Collins (6-3, 205) from Illinois also is back from an official visit to Northwestern. It was Sunday - Monday visit with the Wildcats. Collins said that the visit went very well, but he did not commit to Northwestern. In fact, he said that Notre Dame, who has already visited, is probably his leader. In fact, he said the Irish have a "fairly decent" sized lead over Northwestern. Collins is going to visit Purdue this coming weekend, and he has scheduled Michigan State for the weekend of January 14th. He said he also might schedule an official visit to Ohio State, but he is not certain of that right now. The Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship. I checked with super linebacker Marco Cooper from Michigan, and Cooper is all set to make his official visit to Ohio State this weekend. Marco Cooper, who is one of the country's top linebacker prospects, has been rumored to have visited Wisconsin last weekend, but he said that he did not. He said that his first official visit will be this weekend to Ohio State, then he has Minnesota the weekend of December 17th, and Tennessee the weekend of January 14th. He mentions that he is no longer really looking at Florida State, but he did say that he probably will visit Wisconsin. In talking with him two nights ago, he said that an assistant coach from Purdue was in his home, and he said that he is probably going to take a look at the Boilermakers as well. Cooper said that right now he doesn't have any one clear cut favorite, but that Ohio State and Tennessee are probably his top two choices. RB Sam Maldonado from New York, one of the country''s finest runners, told me that he is all set to leave for his visit to Ohio State this weekend. He has not yet begun his official visits, so his visit with the Buckeyes will be his first. He also has Syracuse scheduled for December 17th, and Florida State for January 14th. The other schools he is considering are Penn State, Maryland and Pitt. All have offered a scholarship. Maldenado mentioned that with Coach Simms having been fired, he said that Coach Salem is now the one recruiting him, and that coach Salem will be out to his home sometime this week. He said that the Simms firing really didn't affect him too much, but he also added that he really doesn't have any one, clear-cut leader right now, whereas a couple of weeks ago, he had mentioned that Ohio State might be his top choice. Also visiting the Buckeyes this weekend will be T.J. White from the junior college ranks in California. There has been some conjecture that DE Derrick Wake from Maryland might also visit the Buckeyes this weekend, however I think he is going to visit elsewhere instead. Wake was not available last night, however, a fairly reliable source told me that Wake has rearranged his official visit schedule, and probably would not be visiting the Buckeyes this weekend. The Buckeyes would of course love to land FB Dustin Picciotti from Pennsylvania, and Picciotti was visited at his home last night by an assistant coach from Iowa. Picciotti will play in the state championship game on Saturday, and then he will begin to schedule his official visits. He is talking quite a bit with Ohio State, and then as I mentioned he is looking at Iowa as well as Syracuse, Boston College, Pitt, Miami and Georgia Tech. All have offered him a scholarship. Picciotti has over 1700 yards and 37 touchdowns going into the state championship game this Saturday. RB Tyrell Dorch (6-0, 190) from Hoboken, New Jersey, helped lead his team to the state championship as they won that state championship last weekend. Dorch rushed for 2,627 yards this season. Dorch has scheduled all his official visits. He will go to Florida this weekend, Michigan State December 17th, Michigan January 7th, Ohio State January 14th, and Florida State January 21st. All of the schools have offered a scholarship. Michigan State Head Coach Bobby Williams made a home visit with him on Tuesday, and Michigan Head Coach Lloyd Carr was at his school on Tuesday. Dorch, however, says that he does not have a favorite. DE Naughten McKay-Loescher from Canada visited Ohio State back in October, and then this past weekend he made an official visit to Arizona. This weekend he is going to go to Michigan for an official visit. He told me two nights ago that his still planning to visit Miami January 14th, then will make an official visit in all likelihood to either Boston College or Nebraska, then make an unofficial visit to the other school. He also said that an assistant coach from Michigan State was at his home the night before and that he is thinking a little bit about the Spartans as well. All of the schools have offered him a scholarship. As far as the schools that he has visited so far, Ohio State and Arizona, he says that he likes them both, and he would consider Ohio State, Arizona and Miami all pretty much even right now. 12/07/99 3:20 PM QB Ben Roethlisberger from Findlay, Ohio is making an official visit to Duke. He did not start that visit until Sunday morning. The Buckeyes are hosting QB Rick McFadden this coming weekend, and I think the Buckeyes have a great shot at landing a commitment from McFadden at that time, and I tend to doubt that the Buckeyes can take two quarterbacks in this recruiting class. Meanwhile, Roethlisberger said that he really liked it at Duke, and that the weather was beautiful, "a quarterbacks kind of weather," as he put it, and said that he was very impressed with the campus and really enjoyed the entire trip. He did not, however, commit to Duke. He will leave this Sunday for an official visit to Miami of Ohio, and will visit Ohio State January 8th. He has been offered a scholarship by all three schools. TE Alex Holmes from California made his official visit to USC this weekend, and liked it quite a bit. He says that USC is now somewhat challenging Michigan and UCLA for his top spot. Stanford is also up on the list, and Holmes hasn't completely ruled out either Ohio State or Cal, but the Buckeyes are definitely a long shot to land him. Marco Cooper, the super linebacker from Michigan who is definitely considering Ohio State, was speculated to have visited Wisconsin this past weekend, however, I was not able to confirm that last night as all night long there was no answer at his home. Marco has told me that Ohio State is one of his two leaders, along with Tennessee, and he is scheduled to visit the Buckeyes this coming weekend. On the other hand, the Buckeyes are no longer in the running for WR Ronny Roedemer from West Virginia. He has taken official visits thus far to Notre Dame, Tennessee, UCLA and will visit Clemson December 17th, and said he would visit either Michigan State or West Virginia for his last visit. Keep in mind that the Buckeyes did not officially offer him a scholarship, while the other schools did. I spoke to Ryan Shaw after his official visit to Ohio State this past weekend, and he says that he had a great time at Ohio State and the Buckeyes are definitely one of his top choices, but as of right now he is planning on taking all of his visits before making a decision. Shaw was hosted by Richard McNutt and is scheduled to visit Arizona this coming weekend, Oregon December 17th, Washington January 7th and Colorado January 14th. He intercepted five passes last season and also rushed for 1300 yards. I wouldn't call it completely out of the question that defensive back Brandon "Bam" Childress, Mr. Football in the state of Ohio, could possibly commit to Ohio State very soon, perhaps as soon as this week. Childress has Ohio State as his top choice and he said that after visiting the Buckeyes that he was close to committing, but he didn't want to make a decision too quickly. He lists Ohio State as his leader over Purdue, USC, Florida State, Minnesota and North Carolina. Childress had a great visit to Ohio State, but said right after his visit that he just didn't want to jump into anything even though Ohio State was definitely his top choice and even though he has not scheduled any other official visits. The Buckeyes are recruiting Childress as a defensive back. He is somewhat out of the Antoine Winfield mold. He is about the same size as Winfield and definitely is an outstanding athlete like Winfield and potentially a very very good cover corner. While I don't expect it to happen particularly soon, I do think the Buckeyes have a great shot at landing Antonio Hall. Hall had a great visit to Ohio State this past weekend and says that Ohio State and Florida State are his favorites, but certainly the Buckeyes are going to worry a little bit about him visiting Michigan this coming weekend. Hall will take the ACT on Saturday and then leave on his official visit with the Wolverines. There had been a rumor going around that Hall had committed or was on the verge of committing to Ohio State, but his mother, Venus Hall Ahmed, told me late last night that the rumors are not true. She said that Antonio is still planning to take his official visit to Michigan this coming weekend, as well as his other visits to Florida State, Tennessee and Kentucky. OL Shane Olivea from Long Beach, New York had a good visit with the Buckeyes this past weekend, and I think his decision will ultimately come down to either Ohio State or Syracuse. He also has Iowa December 17th, but I think the key visit will be his visit this coming weekend to Syracuse. RB Chris Perry from Virginia also is on a key visit this weekend as he travels to Michigan, and then I expect him to make a decision between Ohio State and Michigan. The Buckeyes do however have to be worried about his visit to Michigan this weekend. His visit to Ohio State went well, but did not commit, so certainly the Buckeyes are hoping that he does not commit to Michigan this coming weekend. I do think that Perry's decision will come soon, perhaps as soon as the end of this coming weekend, although he hasn't completely ruled out Auburn, or, for that matter, North Carolina or Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes did well with running back Greg Jones from South Carolina, who said he liked his visit to Ohio State better than his one to Michigan, but I still feel it is going to be tough to pull him out of the South. He still has January visits with Florida State, Tennessee and Clemson. It might also be hard for the Buckeyes to pry tight end Darius Williams from Georgia out of the South. Williams had a good visit with Ohio State this past weekend, but still plans to visit Georgia Tech, Georgia and Virginia, but doesn't have exact dates. Others making official visits to Ohio State this past weekend were commitments kicker Josh Huston, Fullback Brandon Joe, OL Larry Kinnard, LB Darien Scott and LB Jamaal Muhammad. WR Jerome Collins from Illinois is going to visit Ohio State in January unless he comes to a decision before that. Collins has already visited Notre Dame and the Irish remain his leader unless things change while he is at Northwestern this weekend. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes lost OL Andy Chritoepfel to Michigan this past weekend. Christopfel committed to the Wolverines but the Buckeyes were hoping to convince him to at least reconsider and perhaps make an official visit to Ohio State. OSU assistant coach Jim Heacock has been in Cincinnati this week and has visited Chritoepfel in the hopes of convincing him to do just that, but it looks like that is not going to happen. I spoke with Chritoepfel late last night, and he said that he is definitely planning to stick with his commitment to Michigan. LB Robert Reynolds from Kentucky did not commit to Michigan this weekend, but he did have a good visit. Reynolds is still scheduled to visit Ohio State the weekend of January 14th. He has also visited Tennessee as well as Michigan, and has Miami this weekend , and then he has Ohio State January 14th and Florida January 21st. Reynolds continues to say that he does not have a favorite. Reynolds was recently named the Gatorade player of the year in the state of Kentucky, symbolizing the top player in the state of Kentucky. Johnny Morant the WR from New Jersey, now says that Purdue has the lead for his services, slightly over Ohio State. However, I think that could change once the Buckeyes talk with him. He is impressed with the smaller campus at Purdue as well as Drew Breese, and certainly the Buckeyes are going to try and talk him out of that. DL John Lumpkin from Warren Harding High School in Ohio visited Indiana this past weekend, and says that Ohio State and Michigan are still his two favorites. Lumpkin will visit Syracuse December 17th, Michigan January 7th and Ohio State January 14th. 12/05/99 10:15 AM There have been a couple of additions to the list of prospects that will visit Ohio State this weekend, led by one of the country's top tight end prospects. Darrius Williams (6-6, 225, 4.6) from Clarkston Avondale High School in Georgia is visiting Ohio State this weekend. Williams is one of the better prospects in the country, and the best tight end prospect in the state of Georgia. He is not only an outstanding tight end prospect, but he is a good student as well. He has a 3.6 GPA and a 1060 on the SAT. DB Ryan Shaw (6-0, 185, 4.45) from Carlsbad La Costa Canyon High School in California is also visiting Ohio State this weekend. Shaw this season picked off five passes and also played running back and rushed for over 1300 yards, but will be a defensive back in college as a corner. In addition to Ohio State, he has Arizona scheduled for December 10th, Oregon for December 17th, Washington for January 7th and Colorado for January 14th. Shaw is being hosted by Richard McNutt. Super offensive lineman Antonio Hall (6-5, 300) is at the top of the list of the prospects visiting the Buckeyes this weekend, and he is at the top of the list of the prospects the Buckeyes would love to land. Hall is going to major in music in college, and wants to check out thoroughly the OSU music program. OSU head coach John Cooper made a home visit with Antonio Hall just prior to his coming to OSU on his official visit, and the visit went well. Hall will visit Michigan December 11th which is a Saturday. He will start that visit on Saturday evening since he will take the ACT on Saturday, then take off for his Saturday, Sunday, Monday visit to Michigan. Hall says that the firing of Buckeyes line coach Mike Jacobs has not affected him at all, and that certainly doesn't hurt Ohio State's chances. He also says that Coach Conley has told him that he, coach Conley, might become Ohio State's offensive line coach, and Hall said that he has a great relationship with Conley. RB Chris Perry (6-2, 218) from Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia is on his official visit right now to Ohio State. Perry still says that Ohio State and Michigan will likely be the two schools he choses from. Perry is scheduled to visit Michigan next weekend, but the Buckeyes would love to get a commitment from him this weekend before he leaves Columubus. Perry rushed for 2,752 yards and scored 43 touchdowns this season. Also at Ohio State right now on his official visit is RB Greg Jones (6-1, 235) from South Carolina. Jones is being hosted this weekend by Adrien Clarke. Jones also has Florida State scheduled for the weekend of January 7th, Tennessee for January 14th and Clemson for January 21st. Jones made an official visit to Michigan the weekend that Ohio State played Michigan. OL Shane Olivea from Long Island, New York is on his official visit right now. Olivea is one of the top offensive line prospects in the east and also has Syracuse scheduled for December 10th, Iowa scheduled for December 17th, Georgia Tech for January 7th, and Tennessee for January 14th. Olivea is another player that the Buckeyes would love to grab a commitment from before he leaves Columbus this weekend. I tend to think though that he will wait until after he visits Syracuse next weekend before he makes a decision, but I also don't think it's completely out of the question that he could be convinced to commit to Ohio State this weekend. The Buckeyes are certainly hoping that they can do that as they would love to land Shane Olivea. Brandon "Bam" Childress (5-9, 185), a defensive back from Bedford, Ohio, is visiting the Buckeyes this weekend. Childress is one that I think the Buckeyes have a very realistic shot at landing. Going into this weekend he had Ohio State and Minnesota as his top two, and both schools had offered him a scholarship, and particularly with Glen Mason interviewing for the Michigan State job, I think the Buckeyes could land a commitment this weekend from Bam Childress. Ohio State is the only visit that Childress has set up so far, but he also looking at Florida State, USC, North Carolina, Michigan State, Purdue, Penn State and Minnesota, and he says that USC has dropped off on his list somewhat. Childress had three interceptions this season, but also caught 40 passes as a receiver in his senior season. Two commitments that the Buckeyes already have secured are on official visits this weekend. Linebacker Darrion Scott from West Virginia and kicker Josh Huston from Findlay, Ohio are both currently making their official visits to Ohio State this weekend. Both of course will sign with the Buckeyes on national signing day. Earlier this week, the Buckeyes received a big Junior commitment. That's right, one of the top juniors in the state of Ohio has already committed to Ohio State. LB Reggie Arden (6-5, 225, 4.7) from Ironton, Ohio has committed to the Buckeyes. He playes inside linebacker in a 5-2 defense, but will likely be a middle linebacker at Ohio State. Arden is without question one of the top prospects in the state of Ohio for next season. His team is playing for the Division IV state championship this weekend, but unfortunately, Arden won't get to play in that game because he injured his knee during the 9th game of the season. He has a slight tear of the MCL and he had surgery, so he is out. A full recovery is expected, and Reggie Arden is a tremendous talent. While he has committed to Ohio State, he says there is a slight chance he might take a look at a couple of other schools. He mentions that he has sent film to Penn State and he is thinking a little bit about Michigan and Indiana, but he has verbally commited to the Buckeyes for one of the earliest commitments for Ohio State ever. Another prospect that is very high on the Ohio State recruiting wish list this season is tight end Eric Knott from Detroit, Michigan. Knott is going to go ahead and take his scheduled official visit to Michigan State this weekend, despite Nick Saban leaving for LSU. Knott still has Miami scheduled for December 17th, Florida State for January 7th, and Ohio State for January 14th. Tennessee is the other school on his list. All the schools have offered Eric Knott a scholarship and he continues to say that he doesn't have a favorite. DB Stewart Schweigert also says that he will make his official visit to Michigan State this weekend. At one point earlier this week he was not sure if he would visit the Spartans because of the coaching change, but has decided to do so. He has Purdue next weekend, then Wisconsin December 17th. The other schools he is considering are Ohio State, Iowa and Colorado. Other players the Buckeyes are recruiting who are visiting elsewhere include lineback Robert Reynolds from Kentucky who is visiting Michigan. Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr was in Cincinnati this week, making an in-home visit with offensive linemen Michael Munoz and Andy Christopfel. Munoz has already made his official visit to Michigan and will leave this weekend for an official visit to Florida State. Christopfel will be making his official visit to Michigan this weekend. Originally he was going to visit Michigan State this weekend, but that has been postponed with the coaching change at MSU. He will visit Ohio State the weekend of December 10th, and he says his decision could well come down to either Ohio State or Michigan, unless Michigan State's offensive line coach, coach Rule, would stay with the Spartans. If coach Rule would leave and go with Nick Saban to LSU, then Christopfel says that he would probably no longer consider Michigan State. Tight end Will Svitek (6-6, 235) from Newberry Park, California told me that Buckeye assistant coach Tim Spencer was at his high school this week. Svitek says that he is not going to make his official visit to Stanford this weekend because his team is in the playoffs, and he thinks he needs to visits because of that. He has aready mae official visits to Ohio State and Arizona State, and plans to visit Stanford, it just won't be this weekend. Svitek has Arizona scheduled for December 10th, and also says that he is looking at Washington as well as Michigan. Tim Spencer was not only at Will Svitek's school on Wedensday, but he also visited with DB Marely Tucker at Long Beach Poly High School, and also at the high school of Alex Holmes, the super tight end from Harvard West Lake Village High School in California. There has been plenty of specultation as to what is now going to happen with QB Jeff Smoker from Pennsylvania who committed to Michigan State. Smoker was at Ohio State this summer and highly considered the Buckeyes before chosing Michigan State. With Nick Saban leaving to take the job at LSU there has been plenty of speculation regarding Smoker. I did speak with Smoker himself, and he said that as far as things go right now, he is still committed to Michigan State, but he also said he doesn't know too much about which assistant coaches are going to be staying at Michigan State and which ones will be leaving, and he said that the whole thing has really taken him by surprise. He said that Michigan State's chances would be helped if Morris Watts, the quarterbacks coach, was elevated to the head coaching position, of if at least Watts stayed at Michigan State. He says that the names that he has heard for the MSU head coaching position include 49's coach Steve Mariuchi as well as Stanford head coach Tyrhone Willingham. Smoker said that he is going to keep his options open until he finds out exacly what happens, but that is coach Watts leaves MSU, that it would be possible to perhaps start the recruiting process all over again. |