Bill Kurelic February Posts 02/25/00 The Buckeyes are very much interested in RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185) from Columbus Brookhaven High School. Hall has blazing 4.35 40 speed and has a 4.0 GPA and an 18 on the ACT. He rushed for 1750 yards as a sophomore, and 1315 yards this past season and scored 18 touchdowns. At the Florida State camp last summer, he ran a 4.28 40, and at the OSU camp, he ran a 4.3 40. He has a 10.7 100 meters time in track, and a 21.7 200 meters. As a sophomore, he was a city league champ in both the 100 and 200. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Florida State, Penn State, Tennessee, Nebraska, Michigan, Miami, Minnesota and some others, and he says that Ohio State and Minnesota have already offered him a scholarship. Hall said that he is planning to go to Penn State's junior recruiting day on March 25th, and OSU's on April 1. He said that he will probably make it up to Michigan as well. Another running back from Central Ohio that the Buckeyes are very interested in is Gary McGee (5-11, 190, 4.4) from Reynoldsburg. He has a 2.0 GPA and as a sophomore rushed for 1500 yards and 1200 yards with 17 touchdowns as a junior, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He is also an outstanding track athlete and went to the state meet in the 110 hurdles. He is looking at number of Big Ten schools including Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State. He also plans to go Penn State's junior recruiting day on March 25th and OSU's junior recruiting day on April 1. The name Lumpkin is certainly a familiar one to Buckeye fans as John Lumpkin was a fine tight end for Ohio State. His cousin, Willie Lumpkin is a fine DB at Trottwood Madison High School. Lumpkin is a 6-0, 180 pounder with 4.5 40 speed. As a junior he played free safety, corner back and WR. He picked off two passes as a junior, but intercepted six as a sophomore. This past season, teams did not challenge him much. He has a 4.0 GPA. He tells me that he is interested in Ohio State, Northwestern, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Notre Dame. He also says that Michigan State is on his list. He is hearing from all of those schools and is planning on making an unofficial visit to Indiana this weekend where he will watch the Indiana/Michigan State basketball game. He also says he will make it to the Buckeyes' junior recruiting day on April 1st. LB Monroe Weekly from Pennsylvania (6-3, 220, 4.6) from Aliquippa who has been a varsity starter at ILB since his freshman season, and made 154 tackles including five sacks this past season. He has a 2.6 GPA and says he is interested in Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee, Pitt, Miami, Syracuse, Boston College and LSU. He says he is hearing from all of those schools, though none of them has offered him a scholarship to this points. This past recruiting season the Buckeyes went down to Miami Southridge High School and at one point had a verbal commitment from tight end Willie Roberts, though Roberts ended up with Miami. Roberts' teammate, WR Tony Alford (6-2, 215) is a good one that the Buckeyes will take a look at. He also plays linebacker and that is the position that he will likely play in college. He is being recruited by plenty of schools across the country, and some that he mentions that he is interested in include Ohio State, as well as the Florida schools. Matt Knowlman (6-5, 240) is a center/OLB at Lakota West High School who runs a 4.8 40. Despite his 240 pounds, he has a 35 inch vertical leap. He has a 3.8 GPA. Knowman is hearing from virtually every Big Ten school, and some of the ones that he mentions include Purdue and Indiana, and he also hearing from the likes of Notre Dame, Kentucky and Stanford outside the Big Ten, but the Buckeyes are also definitely interested in Matt Knowlman. Another player at Lakota West High School that the Big Ten schools are interested in is David Hutselman (6-2, 200, 4.6). He has 4.1 GPA and starts at both fullback and OLB, and could play either fullback or strong safety in college. He rushed for 545 yards this past season and picked off four passes. He is out of the Matt Keller mold. He had an outstanding junior season. In fact, he and Alphonso Townsend were the only two players in their conference that were name all-conference on both sides of the ball. A very good WR prospect from the state of Michigan that names Ohio State as one of his top choices is Robert Strickland (6-4, 205) from Detroit. He runs a 4.5 40 and has a 3.0 GPA. He has already been offered a scholarship by Michigan and Indiana, and names Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State and Ohio State as his favorites. He says, however, that his leader is Michigan, and the Wolverines have offered him a scholarship, so it wouldn't be overly surprising if Strickland ends up committing to Michigan, but as of right now he is interested in Ohio State. Steve Winter is a 6-7, 275 pound OL from Dublin, Ohio who ran a 5.05 40 at the Ohio State football camp last summer. Winter has a 3.0 GPA and made an unofficial visit to Cincinnati on Sunday to watch the Bearcat vs. Temple basketball game. He is interested in the Bearcats, as well as Penn State, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Northwestern. He will definitely be attending Ohio State's football camp this summer. Up in Akron, DB Lawrence Cherry from Akron Garfield High school is a 5-10, 170 cornerback who will be one of the best in Ohio this season. He was hurt some as a sophomore, but picked off five passes as a junior. He has a 2.0 GPA and is arguably the most talented prospect at Garfield High School since Antoine Winfield. He is hearing from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State and others. 02/21/00 9:55 AM Dan Orlovsky from from the state of Connecticut is a 6-4, 210 quarterback that has a 3.2 GPA and will be one of the top quarterback prospects in the East. He passed for almost 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior. He is looking at a number of schools including Ohio State, Michigan, Syracuse, Boston College and Miami. He will be one of the top prospects not only in the state of Connecticut but on the East Coast and he is one that the Buckeyes certainly are interested in. The Buckeyes would love to land a top QB prospect in this recruiting class, and one that they will be looking at closely is Adrian McPherson from Bradenton, Florida. He is a 6-4 1/2, 180 pounder who will be one of the best in the South, and he is certainly one that the Buckeyes will take a look at. He has a very good arm and knows how to run an offense, and is a player that Ohio State as well as schools all over the country are going to be pursiing. A QB/athlete from the state of Virginia that the Buckeyes will certainly take a look at is Nick Smith. He is a 6-1, 180 pounder that had a big junior season, as he threw for almost 1800 yards and 23 touchdowns, both school records, and for his career he has passed for over 3000 yards and 44 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 1000 yards and 18 touchdowns and is a very good defensive back prospect as well. Among the schools that he is hearing from are Penn State, Michigan, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and many others. Another quarterback from Ohio that is getting quite a bit of interest is Matt Rycraft from Beloit. He is a 6-2 1/2, 195 pounder who had an outstanding junior season. He is hearing from plenty of schools, including Ohio State, Kentucky and a number of Big Ten schools. DE Keith Lipka will be one of the best of the Midwest this season. Lipka is a 6-5 1/2, 260 pound defensive end from Oak Creek High School in Wisconsin. He is one of the top two prospects in the state of Wisconsin and the Buckeyes are going to be pursuing him as well. He is already hearing from the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and many other across the country and he is certainly one that the Buckeyes will pursue for this year's recruiting class. Definitely keep in mind the name of Kevin Hazel as a possibility for the Buckeyes' next recruiting class. He is a 6-0, 185 pound WR with 4.4 40 speed from Columbus DeSales High School. Hazel played football for the first time this season as a junior, and burst on to the scene catching 40 passes for over 850 yards and nine touchdowns. He is a gliding type wide receiver with very good hands that simply blows past people, and will be one of the top wide receiver prospects from the state of Ohio this coming season. His father is David Hazel, who played for Ohio State. He already has scholarship offers from Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue and Pitt, and he is also getting interest from Ohio State and Maryland among others, and he is a player that the Buckeyes certainly could end up offering a scholarship to. Another very good WR that the Buckeyes are definitely interested in is Daryl Dixon from New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and Dixon has Ohio State on his list. He is from the same high school as Bobby Williams who made an official visit to Ohio State this past recruiting season, but ended up signing with Florida. Dixon is a 6-3, 170 pound WR with 4.5 40 speed. He caught 35 passes this year for 600 yards and eight touchdowns, and will be one of the top wide outs in the state of Florida. He is interested in Florida, Ohio State, Miami, South Carolina, Virginia and a few others. An Ohio linebacker that the Buckeyes are going to be interested in is David Wilson from Columbus Walnut Ridge High School. He is a 6-4, 215 pound linebacker with 4.6 40 speed. He is a diamond in the rough and is a player that could really surprise people this coming season. As a sophomore he started at ILB, but he was not eligible as a junior, but will be as a senior was will be a prospect that the Buckeyes will take a look at. He has a 2.3 GPA and talent wise is definitely a D-1 talent and has a chance to be a player that Ohio State could offer a scholarship to. He is already hearing from Michigan State, Purdue and many others in the Big Ten as well as schools outside the Big Ten, including Kentucky. Dan Simelis (6-6, 285, 5.25) from McKees Rock, Pennsylvania. is a player that the Buckeyes are defintely interested in and Simellas has OSU listed as his top choice. Simellas made an unofficial visit to Pitt this weekend, and Pitt has offered him a scholarship. He will be one of the better offensive linemen in the state of Pennsylvania this coming season. He has been a varsity starter since part way through his sophomore season. He bench presses close to 300 pounds, and has a 3.4 GPA and will take the SAT in April. He is going to go to the Metro football camp for sure, and says that he might go to Ohio State and Penn State's camp as well. He told me that within the past couple of days, three schools have offered him scholarship, those being Pitt, Boston College and Cincinnatti. In addition to those three schools, he also is interested in Ohio State, Penn State and Virginia Tech, and all three are showing interest in him. When asked who his favorite is, he says he is "partial to Ohio State". He says he has always been an Ohio State fan, and has been through Columbus because his aunt used to live in Dayton, and he says he is planning to be back in Columbus on April 1st to attend the Ohio State junior recruiting day. Keith Mitchell is a fine propect from Columbus Walnut Ridge High School that the Buckeyes are interested in. He is a 6-3, 190 pounder who could play strong safety, running back, fullback or linebacker n college. He has a 2.1 GPA and has great hands who moved to the starting lineup at running back as a junior and rushed for over 1400 yards despite missing one game. As a freshman and sophomore, he also started on the vasity, but those two years he started at strong safety, which I think will be his position in college. Among the schools that he is interested in and hearing from are Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Kentucky. LB Otis Washington from Saginaw, Michigan is a 6-0, 220 pounder with 4.6 40 speed. He will be one of the better linebacker prospects in the state of Michigan this coming season. He made 119 tackles from his middle linebacker spot last year, and has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. He has a 3.8 GPA and a 19 on the ACT. Among the schools that he is interested in are Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Florida State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Indiana and Ohio State. Arguably the top OL in the state of Ohio this coming season will be from central Ohio, Adam Olds (6-5, 270, 4.9) from Dublin Coffman High School. He is an outstanding OL prospect with good size and is sound techincally. He is a center for Coffman, and is drawing interest from virtually all fo the Big Ten Schools and many others from across the country, including Ohio State. While the Buckeyes have not yet offered him a scholarship, they are most definitely interested. He is making an unofficial visit to Ohio State today. He is a long snapper as well as center and has a 3.6 GPA and scored a 1080 on the SAT. He has grown up a Buckeye fan and likes coach Conley and coach Pagac quite a bit and feels very comfortable with Ohio State. The Buckeyes have not yet offered him, but he and his father are going to be making an unofficial visit to Ohio State today, and certainly if Ohio State were to offer him a scholarship, it would not be totally out of the question that he could commit to the Buckeyes. He has previously made unofficial visits a couple of times to Michigan, and he has also been to Ohio State before as well as Purdue, Penn State, Notre Dame and Florida. Brian Pickard is from Dublin Scioto High School and is a 6-3, 195 pound WR who caught 58 passes for almost 900 yards and eight touchdowns. He has a 3.5 GPA and his dad played for the Detroit Lions. He is hearing from Ohio State, Penn State, Boston College, Kentucky, Purdue, Pitt and others, and has made unofficial visits to several of those schools. Piccard will be one of the better WR prospects in the state of Ohio this coming season, and it is going to be a good year for wide receivers in Ohio. Another WR that is drawing quite a bit of interest is Chris Harrell from Euclid. He will be one of the top prospects in the greater Cleveland area, and he too is drawing quite a bit of interest from a number of Big Ten schools, including Ohio State. There are going to be a couple of specialists from the state of Ohio State are going to be highly pursued this coming season. One is punter Nate Fry from Findlay. He is a 5.-11, 190 pounder who this past season, in his first year as a punter, averaged 40 yards per punt. He will be one of the top specialists in the state of Ohio and the Buckeyes are interested in him. Yet another specialist in Ohio that the Buckeyes are interested in is Mike Nugent from Centerville, Ohio. He will arguably be the top kicker in the state of Ohio this coming season, and is drawing quite a bit of interest from schools in the Big Ten, including Ohio State. DB Brett Bell (5-11, 185, 4.45) from Wheaton, Illinois is a player that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to made an unofficial visit this past weekend to Michigan. He is a corner back, and is one of the Midwest's best. He saw the Michigan/Penn State basketball game, and talked with several Michigan assistant coaches, but was not offered a scholarship by Michigan. Bell says he is still looking at Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Illinois, Northwestern and Indiana, and all of those schools except for Michigan have offered him a scholarship. QB Casey Paus from Illinois also made an unofficial visit to Michigan this Saturday. He said he had a good time and was very impressed with the people at Michigan, but wasn't offered a scholarship. He said that he is still very much interested in Michigan as well as Illinois and Northwestern who have offered him a scholarship, and then Purdue, Washington, Michigan State, UCLA and Penn State are some of the other schools on his list, and the Buckeyes are interested as well. 02/15/00 3:45 PM QB Casey Paus (6-5, 205, 4.75) from Illinois is another top quarterback prospect from the Midwest that will be a national recruit. His older brother, Corey, is a quarterback at UCLA and of course played against Ohio State this past season. As a junior he threw for 2400 yards, 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He completed 137 of 244 passes. He has a 4.1 GPA on a 4.0 scale. He has already been offered a scholarship by Illinois and Northwestern, and he is looking at those two schools as well as a host of schools in the Midwest, as well as Colorado, UCLA and Washington. The Buckeyes are also going to be pursuing Casey Pause. Another great prospect from Illinois that Ohio State has already offered a scholarship to is DB Brett Bell (5-11, 185, 4.45) from Wheaton, Illinois. Last season he started at cornerback and was a kickoff return man. He has played both of those positions since his sophomore season. He has run a 10.8 100 meters, a 22.4 200, and a 48.4 400. He has a 3.4 GPA on a 5.0 scale. During spring break he is planning on making an unofficial visit to Ohio State. He says he will visit Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Illinois, and perhaps a few other schools during spring break, such as Michigan, Northwestern and Notre Dame. Just about all of those schools have offered him a scholarship. He may also go to Penn State's spring game and the Nittany Lions have also offered him a scholarship. Right now, he says he is looking at all of those schools, that they are all pretty even, but he says he hopes to make an early decision, and perhaps will be able to narrow things down after spring break. The name of Eddie Johnson is familiar to many football fans in the state of Ohio. Eddie Johnson of course was a very good linebacker for the Cleveland Browns. Johnson's son, Rashaan Johnson (6-1, 195, 4.55), will be one of the top prospects in the Cleveland area next season. He is a QB/DB at Midpark High School in Middleburg Heights, Ohio near Cleveland. As both a sophomore and junior he started as both a quarterback and cornerback on the varsity. He could play either position in college. He says he has no preference as to whether he plays on offense or defense at the next level. As a junior, he played in only five games because he tore a knee ligament. He had arthroscopic surgery, and it went very well and he is doing fine and is 100% healthy once again. In five games this past season, he had over 800 yards passing with eight touchdowns and over 300 yards rushing with six touchdowns, and he also played well on defense. He has a 3.2 GPA and he will take the SAT in March. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Michigan, and, as he put it, a lot of Big Ten schools. He says that during spring break in April he will probably make unofficial visits to both Ohio State and Michigan. Johnson's teammate, WR/DB James Hawkins (6-1, 195, 4.5), is another player that likes the Buckeyes, and he to will be one of the better prospects in the Cleveland area this coming season. He has a 2.7 GPA, caught over 60 passes and scored ten touchdowns this season. He says that he is looking at Michigan State, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Kentucky, Michigan and LSU. Several players from the state of Pennsylvania that the Buckeyes are interested in visited Michigan recently. DL Charles Rush (6-3, 275) from Erie, Pennsylvania will be one of the top prospects in Pennsylvania this season. He went to the Michigan/Indiana basketball game in Ann Arbor on Sunday. Rush said that he liked it a lot, but perhaps a bit surprisingly, he was not offered a scholarship by Michigan. Rush did meet with Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr, and the visit went well. He has been offered a scholarship by Penn State and Pitt. He says that Penn State, Pitt, Michigan and Virginia Tech are his top four choices, but he said that there are others that he likes too, and one of the ones that he mentioned is Ohio State. Rush led his team to a 13-1 record. They lost in the state championship game. LB Joe Depries ( 6-4, 240, 4.8) is a teammate of Charles Rush at Erie Cathedral High School and will be one of the top players in the state of Pennsylvania this season. As a sophomore and junior he led his team in tackles. This season he had 99 stops. He has a 3.2 GPA and he too went to the Indiana/Michigan game on Sunday. He met with Michigan coach Lloyd Carr before the game, and Carr offered him a scholarship. He did not, however, commit to Michigan. He said he told coach Carr that Michigan is one of his top choices, but he said he is not ready to make a decision. He said that Michigan is the first school that has offered him a scholarship, and that he is looking at Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State, Boston College and Maryland, and that right now he does not have favorite. Yet another prospect from Pennsylvania that Ohio State is recruiting that went to that Indiana/Michigan game on Sunday is tight end Eric Gill (6-6, 230, 4.6) , who will be one of the top tight end prospects in the Big Ten region. He is from near the Pittsburgh area, and has 31 inch vertical, and bench presses over 330 pounds. He caught 25 passes as a junior for over 500 yards and five touchdowns, and is looking at Michigan as well as Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt, Illinois, Maryland, West Virginia and some others. He is in great shape academically, with a 3.5 GPA and a 1070 on the SAT. Moving to the state of Maryland, a very good tight end that has Ohio State on his list is David Jones (6-3, 230) from Silver Springs, Maryland. He caught 16 passes for over 300 yards and scored 10 touchdowns this season. He will be one of the top prospects in the state of Maryland, and one of his early favorites is Ohio State. He likes the Buckeyes as well as Penn State. He also has Michigan on his list, and is looking at Nebraska, Maryland and Virginia as well. Another players from Maryland that the Buckeyes are interested in is DL James Burkhart (6-5, 320) who will be one of the top DL prospects in the South this coming season. He bench presses well over 300 pounds, and had 60 tackles this season, including five sacks and he also is a very good student. He is hearing from schools all over the country, including Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Maryland, Pitt and many others. At this point, he doesn't have any one favorite. Speaking of DL, Clarence Davis (6-3, 300) will be one of the top prospects in the state of Virginia this coming season. Davis benches close to 400 pounds, and is an outstanding prospect from Hampton, Virginia. He is already drawing interest from schools all over the country, including Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois and others. It is not looking like there are any definite blue-chip quarterbacks in Ohio this coming season, but there are a few good ones that the Buckeyes are definitely interested in. One of those would be Joey Conrad (6-4, 195), from Logan, Ohio. He certainly has the size that recruiters look for in a quarterback, and could end up in the 6-5, 200+ range as a senior. He also has put up some great stats, and has a pretty good arm. He certainly is one that the Buckeyes will take a long look at thought right now he would be in the "blue-chip" category. On the defensive side of the ball, DT Patt Ross (6-5, 240, 4.75) from Cincinnati St. Xavier High School is one that recruiters are taking a good look at. He is a good student with a 3.0 GPA. Ross will need to get stronger, but he has the frame and the mobility and speed to be a very good one at the next level. Among the schools that he is hearing from are Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State. In the state of Michigan, DB Grant Mason (5-11, 180, 4.4) from Orchard Lake St. Mary's High School in Michigan will be one of the top defensive prospects in the state of Michigan this coming season. Mason plays defensive back as well as some wide receiver and running back, and he is a return man as well. Mason will be a fine prospect that will be highly recruited next season. He picked off seven passes and caught 40 this year as a junior, and he is in good shape academically with a 4.0 GPA. Among the schools showing interest in him are Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. The Buckeyes are well aware of DT Neshaun Gotterd (6-5, 245) from Dayton Unbar High School. He will be one of the top DL in the state of Ohio this coming season. He did take in one of the Buckeyes' home football games this past season as a guest of Ohio State on an unofficial visit, and Goatherd says that Ohio State is definitely one of the schools that he is interested in. Also on his list would be Michigan and Michigan State. While the Buckeyes are very interested in him, to this point they have not yet officially offered him a scholarship. Another player from the Dayton area that the Buckeyes are interested in is RB Truman Hall from Huber Heights Wayne Heights Wayne High School. Hall was teammates this past season with future Buckeyes John Holiness as well as Willie Allen. Hall will be one of the top RB prospects in the state of Ohio this coming season, and it is a very good year for running back prospects coming up in the state of Ohio. Hall is going to the Ohio State football camp, and he is looking at Ohio State, Florida State, West Virginia and some other schools. 02/10/00 12:10 PM Speaking of linebackers, lets move to juniors. The Buckeyes already have a commitment from the top linebacker prospect in Ohio for next season, and one of the Midwest's top overall prospects, linebacker Reggie Arden (6-5, 225) from Ironton, Ohio. Arden is a tremendous prospect and certainly gives the Buckeyes a great start on next season's recruiting class. Another linebacker in the state of Ohio that is going to be very highly recruited next season is Chad Anderson (6-3, 235). a middle linebacker from Canton McKinley High School. Anderson, who made 128 tackles this season, will be one of the top overall prospects in the Buckeye State next season. He is, by the way, the cousin of Antonio Hall, and not too surprisingly, two of the schools that he names as schools he is interested in are Kentucky, where Antonio signed, and Ohio State, where Antonio also considered highly. Anderson has a 3.1 GPA, and has previously been to Ohio State at home games, and tells me that he likes Penn State, Pitt, and Purdue along with Ohio State and Kentucky, but he says that it's really hard to determine at this point who is his favorite. He does say that he likes Ohio State because it is close to home, and he knows a lot about the program. The Buckeyes would have loved to have landed one more tight end this past season's recruiting class. They of course signed Jason Caldwell from Mentor, but they at one time had a commitment from Willie Roberts from Miami, and they had official visits from a number of other outstanding tight end prospects, but were able to land just one tight end. The Buckeyes now will look forward and will go for some top tight ends in this coming season's recruiting class. One from the state of Ohio that the Buckeyes are already interested in is Justin Bolemgrem from Carolton, Ohio. He is a 6-4, 225 pound TE/DE who runs a 4.75 40. He is a very physical athlete that is going to grow into the 6-5, 240 range or so. He also has a 34 inch vertical leap. He has started both ways on the Carolton varsity since his sophomore season. He has a 3.2 GPA and is also a very good pitcher in baseball. Among the schools that are showing interest in Bolemgrem already are Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana, West Virginia and Pitt. QB Matt Rycraft (6-2, 180) from Beloit West Branch High School in Ohio is a signal caller that the Buckeyes will take a look at. He completed 50% of his passes last season as a junior, and threw for almost 1300 yards and 14 touchdowns, and also rushed for over 250 yards. He is hearing from plenty of schools, including Kentucky, Syracuse, Northwestern, Indiana, Minnesota, Stanford and Ohio State. Moving out of state, in fact, moving way out of state up to Canada, a couple of very good offensive linemen that he Buckeyes are interested are Ali Mongiat and his twin brother Olivier Mongiat. The two are from Ontario, Canada, from Cornwall St. Andrews in Canada, and they will be two of the top prospects in Canada next season. Of course, the Buckeyes offered a scholarship this year to Naughten McKay-Loeusher, and at one time it looked pretty good for the Buckeyes to land the outstanding Canadian, but he ended up signing with Alabama. While the Buckeyes recruited up in Canada this past season, they took notice of the twins, Ali and Olivier Mongiat. Olivier (6-4, 285, 5.15) and Ali (6-3, 2805, 5.15) will be two of the top offensive linemen in Canada next season, in fact they will be two of the top prospects overall in Canada next season, and they are both drawing interest already from the likes of Ohio State, Michigan State, Boston College, and Michigan. Now moving to the state of Ohio, of course the Shaker Heights program in the Cleveland area is one of the top prep football programs in the state of Ohio, and among others, Nate Clements is from Shaker, as well as Adrian Clarke. Another player that the Buckeyes are going to be taking a good look at for next season is Jamison Evans (6-4, 210, 4.57) , who is currently a junior at Shaker. He is has played WR, QB, FS and has done his team's punting. He has a 2.5 GPA and is the first athlete in Shaker Heights history that has ever been a member of both the varsity football and basketball team since his freshman season. Evans has a 34 inch vertical leap, and as a junior he caught 35 passes and picked off seven passes. He also has played quarterback, and has an outstanding arm. I, however, think that he will be either a WR or FS in college, and he is one to definitely keep in mind. Another player as Shaker Heights to keep in mind is LB/FB Shawn Dean (6-1, 215, 4.6). He has a 2.4 GPA and he set a school record this season with 136 tackles, including 17 for loss including five quarterback sacks. He also played some fullback, but I see him as most likely a linebacker in college. He already bench presses close to 300 pounds. Dean is going to be getting a good look from Ohio State like his teammate, Jamison Evans. Angelo Chattams (5-11, 180, 4.45), from Dayton Chaminade High School is an outstanding wide receiver prospect, and the Buckeyes have already offered him a scholarship. He has a 3.3 GPA and he has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. That season, he played on defense as a cornerback, then as a sophomore and junior, he played at both cornerback and wide receiver. Chattams, who will likely play on offense in College, caught 80 passes as a junior, scored 16 times and averaged 15 yards per catch. Chattams has already been offered a scholarship, according to Chaminade head coach Jim Place, by Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue. However, Chattams is not the only prospect at Chaminade that is being very highly pursued. DE Brandon McKinney (6-3, 290, 5.1) has a 2.3 GPA, and as a freshman and sophomore he started on the Trottwood Madison varsity before transferring to Chaminade as a junior. This season, he started at both DE and OT, however, he will play on defense in college. According to his coach, he has already been offered a scholarship by both Ohio State and Michigan State. Some other schools that he is interested in are Florida State, Tennessee and Indiana. He could play a number of positions in college, including DE, DT, NG and any of the offensive line positions. Moving to the state of Michigan, WR Jonathan Orr (6-3, 180, 4.45) says the Buckeyes have already offered him a scholarship. He is from Detroit Henry Ford High School and has a 3.1 overall GPA and a 2.6 core GPA. He scored a 16 the first time on the ACT and will be taking it again this coming Saturday. He caught 30 passes this year as a junior for 701 yards and 10 touchdowns. This past Saturday, he made an unofficial visit to Michigan State to see the MSU/UConn basketball game. He was offered a scholarship by Michigan State, but he did not commit to the Spartans. He told me that he is looking at OSU and MSU, as well as Minnesota, Indiana, and Northwestern, and he is not really looking at Michigan very much at all. Orr said that the three schools he really likes, in no particular order, are Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota. His teammate at Henry Ford High School also is being pursued by schools throughout the Big Ten. Kendrew "Texas" Wright (6-1, 220) is a standout linebacker. His name is Kendrew, but he goes by Texas which is what everyone calls him because he came to Detroit Henry Ford High School this season from the state of Texas. He starts at linebacker and also plays some running back and fullback, and is going to be a defensive player in college. He is hearing from a number of Big Ten schools and is another player that the Buckeyes will likely take a look at. A top prospect for next season is DE Pat Massey (6-8, 235, 4.7), brother of OSU OL Jim Massey. Pat Massey plays at Cleveland St. Ignatious High School and will be one of the top prospects in the Buckeye state next season. He has a 3.0 GPA and made 51 tackles, including 13 sacks, this past season. Massey made an unofficial visit to Michigan this past weekend to see the Michigan/Ohio State basketball game. He was a guest of the Wolverine football program and said he had a good time at Michigan, and Michigan did offer him a scholarship. Massey, however, did not accept. He has now been offered a scholarship by both Michigan and Indiana. He says right now he is just worried about helping St. Ignatious win another state championship next season. He also added that he doesn't know when he will make a decision on a college, that it is still early in the recruiting process. Massey mentioned Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Indiana as some schools he has an early interest in. His teammate is also going to be very good prospect next season, and his teammate plays a position that the Buckeyes are going to want to fortify next year. Roy Henesy (6-4, 245) is a TE at Cleveland St. Ingnatious High School and will definitely be pursued by Big Ten schools and certainly the Buckeyes are well aware of Roy Henesy as well. The Buckeyes are also aware of an outstanding talent in the state of Michigan, WR Robert Strickland (6-4, 210) from Detroit. He will be one of the better prospects in the state of Michigan next season, and he got to see OSU up close, at least in basketball, this past weekend. Like Pat Massey, Strickland made an unofficial visit for football to Michigan last weekend. He will be recruited by most of the Big Ten Schools, and certainly Ohio State and Michigan are aware of him. Mark LeVoir (6-7, 305, 5.0) will be one of the country's top offensive line prospects, and he says he is interested in Ohio State. From Eden Prairie, Minnesota he is a huge prospect that will be without question one of the country's top prospects. He has a 3.5 GPA and has started on the Eden Prairie varsity since his sophomore season at tight end. While it is not totally out of the question that he could be a tight end in college, it seems much more likely that he will move to offensive tackle. LeVoir though does have good hands. He caught 19 passes for almost 300 yards this season, and also averages 13.0 points per game in Basketball. He tells me that he is looking at, among other, Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Tennessee, Penn State, Michigan, Colorado, Texas and Minnesota. Michigan, Colorado and Minnesota have already offered him a scholarship. He said that all the schools that he has talked to have offered him a scholarship. OL Aaron Wells (6-7,380, 5.35) is another huge out of state lineman that is interested in the Buckeyes. Wells is from Chicago Morgan Park High School and is a two-way tackle. He bench presses 400 pounds and has started on the varsity since his sophomore season. He has a 3.2 GPA and he told me last night that he schools that he is interested in are Illinois, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Texas, Florida and Arizona State. To this point, though, none of those schools have offered him a scholarship. 02/03/00 5:00 PM There is already a top junior that is very interested in Ohio State, that being FB Mathew Hant from Tennessee. Hant is a 5-11, 215 pound fullback that runs a 4.55 40. He bench presses 330 pounds, rushed for 1240 yards this season, and averaged almost 10 yards per carry. He will be one of the country's best fullback prospects for next season, and he already names three schools that he has near the top of his list. Those three are Ohio State, Nebraska, and Notre Dame. Of course, the Buckeyes already have a commitment from one top junior, linebacker Reggie Arden from Ironton, Ohio, who will be without question one of the top prospects in the Mid-west for next season. Let now take a look at where the Buckeye recruiting class is compared to other schools. In my Big Ten rankings, I have three Big Ten teams in the top ten nationally. The three are Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State. My Big Ten rankings have Penn State number one, followed closely by Ohio State, Michigan State is number three in the Big Ten, then Michigan is number four, followed by a tie for my five and six spots, the tie being between Purdue and Wisconsin. That is the upper half of the Big Ten rankings. As far as nationally, I have Ohio State as the number five school in the country. I have Florida at number one, followed by Tennessee at two, Penn State at number three, Florida State who ended with a flourish, not only landing Greg Jones from Ohio State but DL Travis Johnson from California away from Michigan is number four. I have Ohio State at number five, followed by Texas at six, Alabama at seven, Miami at eight, Michigan State at nine, then Notre Dame as the number 10 recruiting class in the country. 02/01/00 10:35 AM The story is a little different with Greg Jones. The outstanding RB from South Carolina has not yet announced a final decision. In short, Jones has basically at one time or another committed to two schools. He originally committed to Florida State, and then he committed to Ohio State as well. At to which of the two schools he signs with on national signing day, that simply remains to be seen. Right now it is just too close to call who Greg Jones signs with, Ohio State or Florida State, on national signing day. DB Harlan Jacobs from Georgia has not yet made a decision. Jacobs said that he will probably wait until Wednesday morning to announce a choice. He said that right now, he is leaning a little bit toward LSU, but he is going to wait until Wednesday to announce his decision. Jacobs is still being recruited by the Buckeyes, but it remains to be seen if Ohio State can fit him into this recruiting class if he would want to chose Ohio State over LSU. He is a 6-2, 180 pound DB that plays on the corner. Whether the Buckeyes could fit him into this recruiting class or not would likely depend on Greg Jones. DE Nautyn McKay-Loesher was a player that OSU recruited and at one time looked like he would be headed to Ohio State but committed to Michigan State now has changed his mind and is committed to Alabama. It turns out that Loesher visited the Crimson Tide over the past weekend and he has changed his commitment from Michigan State to Alabama. That certainly is not bad news for the Buckeyes, as of course with him at Alabama, the Buckeyes will not have to go against him during the season, unless of course the Buckeyes would play Alabama is some Bowl game. WR Joseph Bruce from Fort Lauderdale has not yet announced a decision. He is a player that the Buckeyes had been very interested in early on, but as things have gone, it looks like the Buckeyes would not have room for him in this recruiting class anyway. Bruce, though, has been saying that Ohio State and Missouri were the two schools that he would ultimately decide between. |