Bill Kurelic January 2002 Posts

January 31, 2002

Just in case you missed it, LB Bobby Carpenter from Lancaster, OH committed to Ohio State. Carpenter, 6-3, 235, is one of the country's top LB prospects and he picked OSU over Michigan State, Northwestern and North Carolina. He cited the players at Ohio State, the coaching staff and the fact that OSU is close to home as the reasons why he chose OSU over the other three. His commitment is a huge one for the Bucks as he is a super LB prospect.

Speaking of super prospects, OSU is battling to hold onto their commitment from Richard Washington, the standout WR from Ft. Myers, FL. Washington, 6-1, 175, 4.4, committed to OSU a little over a week ago calling Jim Tressel on Sunday Jan. 20 and committing. However, North Carolina State and Florida continue in hot pursuit of Washington. In fact, he made an official visit this last weekend to N.C. State and seems likely to make an official visit to Florida this weekend unless something changes this evening when OSU assistant coach Jim Heacock will be visiting with Washington. Keep in mind that N.C. State is going to visit this evening with Washington as well. Washington's mother has not made it a big secret that she prefers her son stay close to home. However the Ft. Myers head coach says that Richard has indicated nothing to him to say that he is going anywhere but Ohio State. The Bucks are working hard to keep Washington in the commitment fold. This one will likely go down to the end. It'll likely be one of those cases where no one knows for sure where Washington is headed until he signs a national letter of intent.

While Washington is likely to visit Florida this weekend and the same goes for super OT Derek Morris. Morris continues to think very highly of OSU. Georgia is still battling for Morris as is N.C. State and now Florida is in the mix as well. The Buckeyes, thought, I feel have just as good a shot, or a better shot, than anyone at landing this super OT prospect.

January 30, 2002

The Buckeyes have received yet another verbal commitment. WR Santonio Holmes, as was pretty much expected, went ahead and committed to Ohio State. Holmes is one of the top WR prospects in Florida and one of the best in the south. Holmes, from Glades Central H.S. in Belle Glades, FL, caught 33 passes for 970 yards as his team finished with a 12-1 record. He scored 10 times. He had made official visits to OSU and N.C. State and had been favoring the Buckeyes for some time before committing to OSU yesterday. He is a nice addition to this recruiting class that already includes WRs Roy Hall and Richard Washington.

Now the Bucks await word from LB Bobby Carpenter from Lancaster, OH. Carpenter intends to announce his decision this evening at 6:15. He has made official visits to OSU, Northwestern, Michigan State and North Carolina. Carpenter, 6-3, 235, has scholarship offers from all four schools. My gut feeling is that Carpenter will end up committing to OSU later today but we will wait for the official announcement.

January 28, 2002

The Buckeyes are on a roll! Not only has Ohio State landed another commitment today, they landed two more commitments! Lets start with the Ohioan.

Defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock from Piqua, Ohio has committed to Ohio State. Pitcock, a 6-4, 285 pounder, is the top defensive tackle prospect in the state of Ohio and one of the country's best. Pitcock chose Ohio State over Notre Dame and Penn State. He led his team into the playoffs as he made 69 tackles including 17 tackles for losses. Among his 69 solos he had 15 sacks. He is a huge get for the Buckeyes as he was a big priority for Ohio State.

The commitment of Pitcock gives Ohio State a sweep of the top five prospects in the state of Ohio, as RB Maurice Clarret, LB Mike D'Andrea, OL Doug Datish, QB Justin Zwick and now DL Quinn Pitcock all have committed to Ohio State. Those are the top five prospects in Ohio, led by D'Andrea at number one, Clarret at number two, Zwick at number three, Datish at number four, and Pitcock at number five.

On the heels of landing Quinn Pitcock, the Buckeyes have gone down to Florida to land Nate Salley. Salley, a 6-3, 180 pound safety, is one of the top safety prospects in the South. Salley, from Fort Lauderdale Aquinas High School in Florida, has a 3.5 GPA and 960 on the SAT. He helped to lead Aquinas High School to a 14-1 record, the only loss being in the state championship game. Salley made official visits to Ohio State, Michigan State, North Carolina and North Carolina State before narrowing things down to Ohio State and North Carolina. Salley committed to OSU this morning, talking to OSU defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio, Jim Tressel and Jim Heacock and committing to Ohio State. Salley played both safety and corner for Aquinas but is projected as a safety at Ohio State, and he is one of the best in the South, and he is a big, big get for Ohio State as well.

The Buckeyes are still awaiting word from WR Santonio Holmes, the fine wide receiver from Florida, and then of course LB Bobby Carpenter has a press conference scheduled for 6:15 PM on Wednesday, and I tend to feel good about Ohio State's chances of landing Carpenter, and for that matter, Santonio Holmes. The 5-11, 178 pound Holmes has narrowed things down to two schools, Ohio State and North Carolina State, both of whom he made official visits with. Those were his only two visits. Holmes said tonight that he has not yet made his decision but he believed Buckeye assistant Mark Snyder would be coming to his school on Tuesday. Holmes said that he would probably decide in a couple of days, but certainly with Snyder at the school, a commitment to Ohio State could not be ruled out, and I think the Buckeyes have a great shot at landing him. The would also love to land Carpenter, and Carpenter is set to announce his decision on Wednesday evening around 6:15 PM. Carpenter has it down to Ohio State, North Carolina, Northwestern and Michigan State, but I also like the Buckeyes' chances with Bobby Carpenter.

Recapping yesterday's events, WR Brandon Mitchell of course committed to Ohio State. He is a very talented performer on both sides of the ball, though at least initially he will begin as a safety at OSU, but he could also easily play offense as he did catch 34 passes and score nine times this season while also picking off nine passes.

January 28, 2002

The Buckeyes have landed another verbal commitment. Athlete/ WR/S Brandon Mitchell 6-3, 185, 4.5 from Atlanta, Georgia has committed to the Buckeyes. Mitchell visited Louisville, Northwestern, Wake Forrest and Georgia Tech, and all those schools offered him a scholarship. He visited OSU this weekend and has committed to the Buckeyes. Mitchell picked off nine passes and made 65 solo tackles this season and he also caught 34 passes and scored nine times. He is a fine safety/WR prospect. Mitchell said, as he put it, that his visit to Ohio State "blew his mind" and that he liked the players, that the facilities are fantastic, the program is headed in the right direction, and that his a Buckeye now. He said he told Coach Tressel while in Columbus that he was committing to OSU. Hosted by Richard McNutt, his commitment brings the Buckeye commitment total to 20.

WR Santonio Holmes from Florida has the Buckeyes and North Carolina State as his favorite, with the Buckeye having the edge going into his visit to OSU this weekend. The 5-11, 178 pounder seems like a definite OSU lean and could commit anytime now.

As far as Ohioans go, another one that the Buckeyes certainly are interested in landing is QB Troy Smith from Cleveland. Smith made an official visit to Ohio State this weekend. He has not made a decision on his college yet, but the visit seemed to go well. Smith is almost certainly going to end up deciding between Ohio State and West Virginia. With Smith much depends on academics, but the QB is without question one of the top athletes in the state of Ohio, but he does need to work still on his academic situation.

DT Quin Pitcock 6-4, 285, from Piqua, Ohio, Ohio's top defensive tackle prospect, told me that he is going to announce his decision, Monday, January 28. He has made official visits to Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame, all three of which have offered him a scholarship. Pitcock says he has made up his mind, he's just not telling anyone yet. He will go to school tomorrow, talk with his high school coach, and the two will call all three schools and let the schools know of his decision. Pitcock does not have an exact time he is going to do that, just some time during the day on Monday. I tend to think the Buckeyes have a pretty good chance at landing Quin Pitcock, but we'll all find Monday.

We'll all find out on Wednesday where LB Bobby Carpenter from Lancaster is headed. Carpenter made official visits to Ohio State, Northwestern, Michigan State and North Carolina, all four of which have offered him a scholarship. Carpenter told me that he is going to announce his decision on Wednesday at approximately 6:15 PM EST. He is having a press conference in his high school cafeteria to announce his decision. I tend to think the Buckeyes have a pretty good chance at landing Carpenter.

Safety Nate Salley from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a 6-3, 180 pounder made an official visit to North Carolina this past weekend. He said the visit went well and has narrowed things down to Ohio State and North Carolina. Salley, however, said that Ohio State is probably still his favorite. He says he may make a decision some time this week, and certainly the Buckeyes are hopeful of landing him, one of the top safety prospects in the South.

LB Buster Davis from Florida, back from an official visit to Florida State, says that he will probably announce his decision on February 4 or 5. He has visited Ohio State, Florida State, Nebraska, Tennessee and Syracuse, but I continue to think his decision will come down to either OSU or Florida State. He says he does not have a leader right now.

January 25, 2002

A player making an official visit to OSU this weekend is QB/Athlete Troy Smith, 6-1, 200, from Cleveland. Smith has made official visits to Michigan State, West Virginia, Toledo and Iowa. He said that West Virginia continues to be his lead but he will be visiting OSU this weekend. Smith says OSU is currently second on his list. He is without question on the country's more talented QB prospects. The only question is academics, he does need to raise is test score.

Also making an official visit this weekend is WR Santonio Holmes. The Buckeyes currently hold the lead for Holmes. It will be interesting to see if he commits this weekend.

DB/WR/Athlete Brandon Mitchell from Atlanta, a 6-3, 185 pounder with 4.5 40 speed says that there is a strong possibility that he could commit to Ohio State on his visit to OSU this weekend. Mitchell has visited Louisville, Northwestern, Wake Forrest and Georgia Tech. All five schools have offered a scholarship. He made 65 solo tackles and made nine interceptions this season, and also caught 34 passes and scored nine times. Mitchell says he likes Ohio State best at this point. He mentioned OSU being rich in tradition and the good academic and he wants to go away from home for college. Mitchell was visited earlier this week by assistant coach Tim Spencer and Mitchell said that, as he put it, there's a strong possibility he could commit to Ohio State. Mitchell said that Northwestern is his second choice right now, but Ohio State has a pretty big lead.

RB Nate Schiccitano was a possible visit to OSU this weekend, but he has decided to visit Oregon instead. He has been to Michigan State and Notre Dame and there is a possibility he could visit OSU next weekend. Also still in the picture are Michigan State and Iowa.

Safety Darin Williams from Clarksdale Mississippi is without question one of the top DB prospects in the country, and there is a possibility he could make an official visit to OSU. The 6-3, 205 pound Williams has visited Mississippi State and Mississippi and has committed to Mississippi, but nonetheless he is going to visit Florida this weekend. Williams said that he will probably visit either Ohio State or Notre Dame the weekend of February 1. Williams played mostly quarterback this season but intercepted eight passes as a sophomore and 11 more as a junior.

LB Buster Davis from Daytona Beach, Florida, 5-11, 228, told me that he is certainly still looking at OSU. Davis has visited Nebraska, Ohio State, Tennessee, Syracuse and will visit Florida State this weekend. He said that right now he is kind of open, not sure about a leader. He said all five schools are still in the running.

WR Richard Washington has committed to OSU, but other schools have not backed off on recruiting the Florida star, and there is a chance that Washington could make an official visit to Florida, though it is not necessarily a definite that he will make any other official visits at this point.

The Buckeyes remain very interested in OL Derek Morris, 6-6, 350. Morris visited North Carolina State last weekend and had a very good visit but his top two schools still seem to be Ohio State and Georgia. Georgia is making a strong push and the Buckeyes are going to have to beat out the Bulldogs for Morris' services. Morris continues to say that he is going to wait all the wait until national signing day to announce his decision. Morris was visited by Jim Tressel and Coaches Conley and Bollman at his house on Wednesday. Morris said the visit went great, that his parents really liked Coach Tressel, but he did not commit at that time.

OL/DL Davin Joseph from Florida indicated after his official visit to Ohio State last weekend that he had a great visit and that Ohio State and Oklahoma were his top two schools. However, now there are indications that Michigan State and Oklahoma are the two schools that Joseph will choose from. OSU has not given up on him. He's a tremendous talent that the Buckeyes would absolutely love to sign but it looks like the Buckeyes were out of the running for Joseph. Yesterday, however, he got a home visit from Buckeye Head Coach Jim Tressel as well as assistant coaches Bill Conley, Mark Snyder and Mel Tucker. Buckeye assistant coach Jim Heacock was at Joseph's school on Wednesday. Joseph said that Coach Tressel's visit with him went great, that right now the best situation for him still seems to be Oklahoma and Michigan State, but Joseph added that he is going to sit down this weekend and put everything down on paper, and he said that Ohio State is not out of the running.

Another player the Buckeyes would love to sign is LB Bobby Carpenter and Carpenter could make his decision at any time now. He has been to Ohio State, North Carolina, Michigan State and Northwestern. I still feel the Buckeyes have a pretty decent shot at landing Carpenter who says he would like to make a decision sometime within the week if at all possible.

It didn't take the Buckeyes long to follow up with star receiver Larry Fitzgerald, 6-4, 210, from Valley Forge Prep in Wayne Pennsylvania. He made an official visit to Ohio State last weekend, and Ohio State recruiting coordinator Bill Conley traveled on Monday afternoon to the Philadelphia area to follow up with Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is a tremendous talent and is originally from Holy Angels Academy in Richfield Minnesota. He selected Pitt last year out of high school but did not qualify academically and ended up going to Valley Forge Prep. According to family members, he did have a very good visit to Ohio State but is not ready to make a decision. He is certainly considering the Buckeyes, but is also considering Pitt as well as Wisconsin and perhaps Michigan State and LSU.

OL Max Jean-Giles from North Miami Beach Florida, a 6-5, 340 pounder, has OSU as one of his top two. He said that it is pretty much Ohio State and Georgia as his top two, but he is going to go ahead and visit Miami before making a decision. He has already been to Georgia and Nebraska, as well as Ohio State and Arkansas.

DL Quin Pitcock says that he is all done with his official visits and that he will decide between Ohio State, Penn State and Notre Dame. He says he really likes Notre Dame, the people, the coaches, everything about his visit there last weekend. He said right now he really doesn't have a leader. Buckeye Head Coach Jim Tressel has already made his home visit. Pitcock said that he heard about the commitments of Mike D'Andrea and Richard Washington to the Buckeyes, and said that that is important, that he wants to be part of a good recruiting class, but he said that has to think about everything in making his decision. He did not set a timetable as to when he will announce a decision.

George Cooper Jr., the tight end from Westerville North has committed to Georgia Tech. Cooper narrowed things down to Georgia Tech and Ohio State before calling both Georgia Tech and the Buckeyes and letting both coaching staffs that he was headed to Georgia Tech. Cooper said that he just felt it was the best place for him to be, that he likes the people and the new coach.

January 20, 2002

The Buckeyes have received another verbal commitment, and it's a huge one, as wide receiver Richard Washington 6-1, 170, 4.4, from Fort Myers Florida called Buckeye Head Coach Jim Tressel and committed to Ohio State. He chose Ohio State over Georgia, Florida and North Carolina State. Washington is a huge addition to this Buckeye recruiting class. He said that Coach Tressel told him that he could play both wide receiver and corner back as well as be a punt return man at OSU if he likes, though his primary position is wide receiver, and he is one of the country's best at that spot.

DL Quin Pitcock from Piqua, Ohio visited Notre Dame this weekend, and despite rumors that had him committing to the Fighting Irish, he has not made a decision. Pitcock will probably not make any other official visits. He has been to Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State. Pitcock is going to sit back and think about things and try to come up with a decision between the three. Pitcock is still a priority for the Buckeyes.

TE George Cooper Jr. from Westerville, Ohio visited Georgia Tech this weekend, and he said it was nice, but he hasn't made a decision. Cooper said he likes the coaches and Academics at Georgia Tech. He has visited Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Pitt, and says that he now has to make a decision between those three as he does not have any other visits planned. Cooper said that he can't say who he likes best at this point, but he did say that his top two in no particular order are OSU and Georgia Tech.

LB Bobby Carpenter from Lancaster, Ohio said he had a good visit with Northwestern. He was hosted by Jeff Bachus and did not commit to the Wildcats. Carpenter has been to Northwestern, Ohio State, Michigan State, and North Carolina. He said that Notre Dame really wants him to visit, but he doesn't see that happening. Carpenter said that he would like to decide within a week or so, but he said he would take as long as he need to, but he would like to get it over as soon as possible. Carpenter said that if he has a leader, it would be OSU.

Two-way lineman Davin Joseph from Florida was very impressed with Ohio State on his official visit this weekend, and says that Ohio State and Oklahoma are his his favorites ahead of Michigan State. Joseph says he is not planning any other official visits as he has decided against visiting Miami.

DB Jojo Walker from Texas is now contemplating Ohio State, Purdue, Maryland and Wisconsin after his visit to OSU this weekend. He has made official visits to all four schools, but almost certainly it's going to come down to OSU, Purdue or Maryland.

The other player to visit OSU this weekend was WR Larry Fitzgerald from Valley Forge Prep in Pennsylvania. The 6-4, 210 pounder is considering Ohio State, Pitt, who he originally committed to when he was coming out of high school last year, Wisconsin, LSU and Michigan State. Fitzgerald is one of the country's top WR prospects and he certainly would be a nice addition yet to this Buckeye recruiting class.

The Buckeyes hosted DB Nate Salley from Florida on an official visit. Salley made a Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning visit with OSU because he had to be back to Florida for a basketball game Saturday night. Salley did not commit to the Buckeyes, but that was to be expected. The 6-3, 180 pounder has been planning to take two more visits. He plans to leave on Sunday morning for an official visit to Miami, then he has North Carolina scheduled for next weekend. Salley has visited Michigan State and North Carolina State in addition to this visit with the Buckeyes. He is a standout safety prospect who has been offered a scholarship by all the schools on his list.

Also visiting Ohio State last weekend were four of the Buckeyes' verbal commitments. DE Tim Schafer from Upper Arlington, DE Mike Kudla from Medina, DB Michael Roberts from Canada, and WR Roy Hall from Lyndhurst.

January 18, 2002

The official visit weekend for the Buckeyes has already begun, as DB Nate Salley, 6-3, 180, from Fort Lauderdale Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida has already arrived in Columbus and has already begun his official visit with the Buckeyes. He left for OSU after school on Thursday and is on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday morning visit with the Buckeyes. He has a basketball game Saturday night to get back for. On Sunday, he will leave for an official visit to Miami. He also has an official visit to North Carolina scheduled next weekend. He had previously visited Michigan State and North Carolina State and all of the schools have offered him a scholarship. Going into this weeks visit with the Buckeyes Salley said the North Carolina, Miami and Michigan State were his three favorites, but the Buckeyes would like to change that this weekend.

DB Jojo Walker from Texas will be visiting OSU this weekend. The Buckeyes would like to add another corner back to this recruiting class and they have offered Walker a scholarship. Also scheduled to visit this weekend is two-way lineman Davin Joseph of Florida, another prospect the Buckeyes would like to add to this recruiting class. Also making their visits this weekend are Buckeye commitments DB Michael Roberts from Canada as well as DL Mike Kudla from Ohio.

WR Richard Washington from Fort Myers, Florida has told me that he will visit Florida this weekend. That is certainly a key visit, as I think Washington will decide between Ohio State or Florida. He has thus far been to OSU and Georgia. He visits Florida this weekend and North Carolina State next weekend. He has been offered a scholarship by all of the schools. He says the OSU is still his favorite with Florida second. As to Steve Spurrior's departure from Florida for the Washington Redskins, Washington said that made a difference for a little while, but that those things happen and he does not seem to be too concerned with it at this point. Washington said that he could make a decision after Florida, but he wants really to give North Carolina State a chance the following weekend. Washington said that on Monday, Coach Heacock and Coach Daniels visited with him, and that right after they left, Coach Tressel called just to make sure everything went fine. Washington said the Coach Bollman will be visiting him next week. Coach Tressel has already made his in home visit with him.

The Buckeyes visited on Wednesday with defensive back Vince Gliatta from Canton. As scheduled, OSU defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio attended Gliatta's basketball practice and watched as Gliatta worked out. Gliatta said the Coach Dantonio did not offer him a scholarship, saying that Dantonio said that he has not had a chance to Coach Tressel yet but that either Coach Tressel or Coach Dantonio would be calling him sometime of Friday. Gliatta is scheduled to visit Penn State this weekend and the Nittany Lions have offered him a scholarship. Penn State currently is his leader.

LB Bryan Andrews 6-6, 225, from Lima, Ohio says that really he is still only looking at Ohio State. Andrews has made an official visit with the Buckeyes and has no other official visits planned at this point. Andrews says he is still waiting on his ACT score from the December 8 testing. He is also waiting for the next set of grades to come out. Andrews says that OSU is still his favorite and he is really not looking at anyone else at this point.

WR Devon Aramashota 6-2, 185 from from Florida tells me he is still interested in the Buckeyes. He has visited Michigan State, Auburn and North Carolina State. He said that he will visit Florida this weekend. Right now Auburn and N.C. State are probably his top two, but he is still looking at Ohio State but is no longer looking at Michigan State. He was visited last Monday by Jim Tressel as well as Mark Snyder.

January 16, 2002

LB Buster Davis was visited at his home in Dayton Beach by Jim Tressel. The 5-11, 228 pounder said that Tressel, Coach Snyder, Coach Daniels, and Coach Heacock all visited with him. Davis said that it went good, that he is very impressed with Ohio State, and that Coach Tressel is a good guy, but he did not yet commit to the Buckeyes. However, Davis did say that his scheduled visit to USC is now canceled. It had been scheduled for this coming weekend. He said he is going to take the weekend off. The weekend of January 26 is now up in the air. Notre Dame or Florida State are still under consideration for that weekend. He has already visited Ohio State as well as Nebraska and Tennessee, and Davis says the Buckeyes continue to be his leader.

Two-way lineman Davin Joseph from Florida said last night that he is all set to visit Ohio State this weekend. Joseph has already visited Michigan State, Oklahoma and North Carolina State, and has Miami scheduled for January 25. He said that Coach Bollman and Coach Conley visited with him on Monday. He also said that his N.C. State visit went well, that there are a lot of opportunities at N.C. State. He likes the head coach there and the N.C. State is a possibility, but, he said, he like Oklahoma best still. He also said that Michigan State is next on his list, but the Buckeyes are still in the running. Joseph says he doesn't know exactly when he is going to make a decision and announce.

Safety Nate Salley from Fort Lauderdale Aquinas was visited by Coach Bill Conely this week. Conley made an in home visit on Monday. It was the third time, Salley said, that Conley has visited with him. Salley will visit Ohio State starting this Thursday, January 17. He has already been to Michigan State and North Carolina State, and also plans to visit North Carolina and Miami. Right now, the Buckeyes have some catching up to do, as Salley says that Miami, North Carolina and Michigan State are his favorites.

Coach Jim Tressel met with WR Santonio Holmes earlier this week. The 5-11, 178 Holmes, a fine wide receiver from Belle Glades, Florida told me that the visit went well. He said that Coach Tressel as well as Buckeye assists Mark Snyder and Joe Daniels met with him. Holmes said that he was very impressed with everything that he heard and said that right now, Ohio State is definitely one of his top choices. Holmes had previously visited North Carolina State, but it doesn't look like he will visit Virginia Tech now. His next visit will be to Ohio State January 25. He said that if that visit goes well, he won't visit anyone else. He said that Ohio State, North Carolina State are his two favorites. Holmes said that if his OSU visit goes well, he would probably end up committing to the Buckeyes.

DL Quin Pitcock visited Penn State last weekend and said it went very, very well. Pitcock has been to Ohio State as well as Penn State, but it does not look like he will visit Duke and possibly not Florida. Duke is out of the running, and Florida remains a slight possibility, but Pitcock has decided that he will visit Notre Dame the weekend of January 25. Right now he says he doesn't have a strong leader and that all the schools are pretty close at this time, but I still like the Buckeyes chances of landing Pitcock.

January 14, 2002

Hold on. We may have one, or maybe even two more verbal commitments for the Buckeyes as soon as tonight. It certainly is not out of the question. To begin with, linebacker Buster Davis from Daytona Beach, Florida has talked about the possibility of committing to Ohio State today or tomorrow. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but he has at least brought up the idea. Davis has visited Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ohio State and Tennessee and continues to have Ohio State as his leader. Davis visited Tennessee last weekend and was very impressed, but still says OSU is his leader. He is as of right now scheduled to visit USC this coming weekend and Notre Dame January 26, and he also has not ruled out Florida State. However, he is contemplating a commitment to Ohio State. Davis is one of the top linebacker prospects in the South. Also, WR Santonio Holmes, 5-11, 178 from Belle Glades Glades Central High School in Florida, who has made one visit so far, North Carolina State, is going to be visited today by Buckeye Head Coach Jim Tressel as well as linebacker coach Mark Snyder and WR coach Joe Daniels. Holmes said late last night that the trio of Buckeye coaches were going to be visiting today and Holmes said that he is highly considering Ohio State. He is not sure who he will visit this coming weekend. Originally he was going to visit Virginia Tech, then Ohio State January 25, but he indicated that he might change that and visit OSU this weekend instead.

DB Jojo Walker 5-10, 165, from Texas made an official visit to Purdue over the weekend. He said that he liked his visit and that it was real nice, that he got along very well with the recruits and liked the coaches, but he did not commit to the Boilermakers. He has now visited Purdue, Maryland and Wisconsin, and will visit Ohio State this coming weekend, January 18, before making a decision. All the schools have offered him a scholarship. He has 4.4 40 speed. He says he can't say who his favorite is right now, that Maryland, Purdue and Ohio State are all about the same, but the Buckeyes do have the last shot this weekend.

Of course the Big news came last Saturday night with the commitment of Blue-Chip LB Mike D'Andrea 6-3, 230, 4.55 from Avon Lake to Ohio State. D'Andrea committed to the Buckeyes over Nebraska, getting the recruiting weekend off to a great start for OSU. D'Andrea is the top prospect in the state of Ohio and is without question of the country's top couple of linebackers. D'Andrea had a difficult time making a final decision, saying it was very close between Ohio State and Nebraska, but he notified the Buckeyes as well as Nebraska on Saturday that he has committed to OSU. D'Andrea said he actually knew Friday but did not notify coaches at either school until Saturday. He said he kept switching back and forth, but that the coaching staff was very important in his decision. He likes the Ohio State staff tremendously along with he recruits coming into OSU. He said that he wanted to be part of a great recruiting class and he's well aware that the Buckeyes have a great class going. He also mentioned that he just figured overall that OSU was the best place for him. D'Andrea said in regards to his friend Buster Davis from Florida, that he would really like to play along side Davis.

The one bit of down news last weekend is that DB/RB Tremaine Hall from Los Angeles Valley College has recommitted to North Carolina State. Hall visited N.C. State instead of OSU this past weekend and committed to the Wolfpack. That wasn't unexpected. The Buckeyes were hoping to get him on Campus but once that didn't happen and he went to N.C. State, that didn't look good for OSU and Hall has recommitted to the Wolfpack.

On the other hand, the Buckeyes hosted RB Dwayne Coleman from Naples, Florida on a official visit this weekend. The 5-10, 185 pounder who rushed for 2,500 yards this season was very impressed. Coleman, who was hosted by Marcus Green, said he liked the atmosphere at OSU, he saw the stadium for the first time and he has never seen anything like that. He said the players are a group of guys that really want to win. Coleman is still planning to visit Purdue next weekend, Clemson January 25 and Miami February 2. All those schools have offered him a scholarship, but Coleman says OSU and Miami are his top two.

Also from Florida, OL Max Jean-Giles visited OSU this past weekend. The visit seemed to go pretty well, though Jean-Giles did not commit to Ohio State. He has now been to OSU, Georgia and Nebraska, and still has Arkansas and Miami on his schedule. Miami may be tough to beat.

DB Vince Gliatta from Canton Central High School visited the Buckeyes this weekend. Gliatta was not offered a scholarship but said that coach Mark Dantonio is going to watch him a basketball practice on Wednesday and decide if Ohio State will offer a scholarship or not, and that is a possibility. Galatta said his visit went very well, and still has Penn State scheduled for next weekend, and OSU and PSU remain his two top choices.

Also making their official visits to OSU this past weekend were Buckeye commitments Tyler Everett and TE R.J. Coleman. On the other hand, LB Mike Kudla, who will be a DE at OSU, did not visit. He will wait until next weekend because he has finals coming up and wanted to stay home and study. Also, QB Troy Smith from Cleveland had his visit to OSU postponed until the weekend of January 25.

OL Derek Morris from North Carolina visit Tennessee last weekend but did not commit to he Vols. He says OSU, Tennessee and Georgia remain his favorites. He still plans to visit North Carolina State, but I continue to think it is going to come down to either OSU or Tennessee for him.

LB Bobby Carpenter from Lancaster visited Michigan State last weekend and did not commit to the Spartans. Carpenter has now been to OSU, MSU and North Carolina. He will visit Northwestern this coming weekend. As of right now he's not sure he if he will take a fifth visit or not. Carpenter has been offered a scholarship by all of the schools on his list. I continue to think the Buckeyes have a decent shot at landing Carpenter. Carpenter has also been contacted by Notre Dame since the coaching change in South Bend, but Carpenter says he is not sure if he will visit Notre Dame or not.

Also, defensive lineman Quin Pitcock from Piqua visited Penn State this weekend but did not commit. He's another Ohioan that I feel the Buckeyes have a pretty decent shot at landing.

QB Troy Smith did not visit OSU last weekend. Smith will wait until January 25 to visit Ohio State. He has already been to Michigan State, West Virginia and Toledo, and will visit Iowa next weekend. Smith continues to have West Virginia as his leader, but I think it will be a close decision in the end between OSU and West Virginia for Smith.

Last weekend was a big recruiting weekend for OSU in terms of players the Buckeyes are recruiting that visited elsewhere. Visiting North Carolina last weekend were OL Derek Morris as well as WR Richard Washington. Visiting Tennessee were Buster Davis as well as DB Deron Williams. Visiting N.C. State were OL Davin Joseph, WR Devon Aramashota, DE Nate Sally, and WR Shawn Tucker. Visiting Penn State last weekend were DL Quin Pitcock and RB Nate Schiccatano and visiting MSU was linebacker Bobby Carpenter. Also OL Jeff Edwards from Georgia visited Stanford last weekend.

WR Larry Fitzgerald from Valley Forge Prep in Pennsylvania, a 6-4, 210 pounder, is planning to visit the Buckeyes yet this recruiting season. He ended up chosing Pitt last season when he was a senior in the state of Minnesota, but did not qualify academically. Fitzgerald is still very much interested in Pitt, but also wants to check out Ohio State and the Big Ten, so he is planning to make an official visit to OSU though it is not yet scheduled. He was one of the top high school WR prospects in the country coming out of high school last year.

DB Nate Salley 6-3, 180, 4.5, from Fort Lauderdale Aquinas High School in Florida visited North Carolina State last weekend and also plans to visit Ohio State January 16-18 and will visit North Carolina January 26-28. He has already made an official visit to Michigan State. He says he is also going to visit Miami, but is not sure right now if that will be an official or unofficial visit because a coach that had been recruiting him for Stanford who is now at Notre Dame called him yesterday and wants him to visit the Irish. If Bally makes an official visit to Notre Dame, he will simply make an unofficial visit to Miami, but in any event he is going to visit the Hurricanes either officially or unofficially. All the schools have offered him a scholarship. Right now his top three, in no particular order, are Michigan State, North Carolina and Miami.,

January 5, 2002

Linebacker Mike D'Andrea has not yet announced a decision, but certainly one question that would arise from the Nebraska vs. Miami game is does the Nebraska loss affect his decision. Players almost never make their decisions based soley on one game, and I think that is the case with D'Andrea. I don't believe that he will make his decision based on either the Nebraska vs. Miami game nor the Ohio State vs. South Carolina game.

OL Kyle Ralph from Cincinnati St. Xavier High School told me that he will visit Pitt this weekend. He has already visited Illinois. Ralph also has North Carolina Schedule for the weekend of January 11 and Florida for January 25. He says he is thinking about making a 5th visit, but he is not sure. He says if he does take a 5th visit it would probably be to South Carolina, but that Ohio State has an outside chance to be his last visit. It's just that Ohio State has not been calling him lately. He says that as of now, he does not have a favorite.

DE Baraka Adkins 6-5, 215, from Sarasota Booker High School in Florida has already made an official visit to Michigan State and one to LSU. He definitely is going to visit Florida and Miami. He will visit those schools the weekends of the 18th and 25th, though he is not sure which one he will visit first. He is considering Ohio State and South Florida for his fifth visit. All the schools on his list have offered him a scholarship and he says he does not have a favorite right now.

The Buckeyes continue to pursue QB Troy Smith, 6-1, 200, from Cleveland Glenville High School. He told me that he is still planning to visit Ohio State the weekend of January 11. He has already visited Michigan State, West Virginia and Toledo. After Ohio State he has Iowa scheduled for January 18. All five schools have offered him a scholarship. Smith says West Virginia is his leader with Ohio State probably second. He has already visited West Virginia and has not yet visited Ohio State.

OL Max Jean-Giles 6-4, 240, from Florida is also scheduled to visit OSU on January 11. He has already made official visits to Nebraska and Georgia. He says he will visit OSU January 11, Arkansas January 18, and Miami January 25. All five schools have offered him a scholarship. He says that Miami and Georgia are probably his two favorites. He says that did watch the Buckeyes on TV in the Outback Bowl, that it was a tough game. He did say that OSU produces offensive linemen, that their offensive linemen win the Lombardi Trophy, which he called th Heisman for offensive lineman. That is one of his goals, to win the Lombardi Trophy in college.

RB DeShaun Wynn continues to have OSU off his list. It does not look like he will visit with the Buckeyes. He is also no longer looking at West Virginia, and that OSU and Michigan were also not under consideration. He has narrowed things down to Indiana, Alabama, Florida and Boston College.

OL Derek Morris was in attendance at the Outback Bowl. Morris also plans yet another visit to Ohio State, He visited OSU during the summer, he made an official visit to Ohio State, then made a return trip for an unofficial visit and the family will make yet one more return visit to OSU sometime in January. Morris is high in OSU, Tennessee and Georgia, but seems to be leaning toward OSU and Tennessee. He has visited OSU and Georgia and plans to visit Tennessee January 12 and Florida January 18.

DL Quin Pitcock says that he plans to reshedule his Notre Dame visit if at all possible. He has already visited Ohio State and plans to visit Penn State January 11, Duke January 18 and Florida January 25. He says that OSU is probably still his leader, calling it a small lead at this point.

The Buckeyes continue to hold the lead for LB Bobby Carpenter from Lancaster. He has narrowed things down to just three schools. He has visited North Carolina and Ohio State and he told me that he will visit Michigan State January 11. He also says there is a chance he may visit Northwestern. He says that OSU has a small lead with North Carolina second because he has already visited there. He is no longer looking at either Notre Dame or Stanford.

OSU continues to pursue several offensive linemen, such as Derek Morris from North Carolina, Max Jean-Giles, and Kyle Ralph. I think that the one the Buckeyes have the best shot at is Derek Morris as well as Jean-Giles, though Davin Joseph from Florida would be next. Morris and his parents attended the Outback Bowl to see the Bucks play in Florida. Morris and his family are planning one more trip to Columbus yet this month.

Every year around New Years I make my predictions as to how I think the OSU recruiting class will look on National Signing Day. Here's how I see it this year.

First of all, don't be surprised if the Buckeyes sign 25 prospects this year, and it's not out of the question that they could land 26 or 27. The reason being that Maurice Clarret is starting school this month and also DB Michael Roberts, he will start school spring quarter, so those two players could count on last year's recruiting class. For all that to happen, the Buckeyes will have to have some current underclassmen on the OSU team leave early, and that is not totally out of the question. For instance, I tend to think that Mike Doss will declare for the NFL and that will open up another scholarship. I do think that OSU will land 24 or 25 prospects in this class.

At quarterback, the Buckeyes have Justin Zwick as a commitment, and the only ohter QB that could end up in this Buckeye recruiting class is Troy Smith from Cleveland. Smith will likely end up deciding between Ohio State and West Virginia. It's very close between those two schools for Smith, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up at Ohio State.

At RB, the Buckeyes have a commitment from Maurice Clarret and they continue to pursue both Nate Schiccatano and Dwayne Coleman. I think Schiccatano is going to end up at Penn State. As far as Coleman, I think he could end up at any of five schools and while I think OSU has a legitmate shot at Coleman, I think he is going to be going elsewhere.

At WR OSU has a commitment from Roy Hall and they continue to pursue a host of others. Those include Richard Washington, Rhema McKnight from California, Kyle Brown from Michigan, Mario Raley from North Carolina, Devon Aromashda from Florida, Shawn Tucker from Florida and Santonio Holmes from Florida. Of that group, I think the Buckeyes have the best shot at landing Richard Washington, the standout from Fort Meyers, as well as Devon Arimashuta and Shawn Tucker. If the Buckeyes can land Washington or Arimashuta, that will not leave room for Shawn Tucker. I think it is going to come down to either OSU or FSU for Washington, but I tend to think the Buckeyes are going to land Washington.

At TE OSU has a commitment from R.J. Coleman from West Virginia, and they continue to pursue George Cooper from Westerville North High School. Also don't forget about Reggie Hairston from Columbus, but he would go to OSU as a preferred walk on if he chose to go that route, the Buckeyes have not offered him a scholarship. As far as Cooper, he is a very difficult one to predict right now. He is considering Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Pitt. He could legitimately end up at any of the three schools.

On the OL, the Buckeyes have commitments from Doug Datish as well as Nick Mangold, Rob Simms and T.J. Downing, all Ohioans. The key prospects that the Buckeyes continue to pursue on the offensive line are Derek Morris from North Carolina, Max Gene-Jiles from Florida, Devon Joseph from Florida and Jeff Edwards from Georgia. Of that group, I think the two that Buckeyes seem most likely to land would be Derek Morris and Max Gene-Jiles and they probably have the best shot at Morris. I think his decision will ultimately come down to Ohio State or Tennessee and it could go either way in my opinion.

On the defensive line the Buckeyes have commitment from Tim Shafer, Mike Kudla, Jay Richardson, Joel Penton, all from Ohio, and I think in the end they are going to lank Quin Pitcock, the top defensive line prospect in Ohio. I think Pitcock is going to end up signing with OSU.

The Buckeyes at linebacker have commitments from Stan White Jr. as well as A.J. Hawke. The continue to pursue Mike D'Andra and well as Brian Andrews, Buster Davis and Robby Carpenter. While it is very, very difficult to predict what D'Andrea is going to do, pick Ohio State or Nebraska, I'm going to go ahead and predict that in the end he selects Ohio State, but it could definitely go either way. I think that Brian Andrews will get his academic situation in good enough order that he will end up signing with Ohio State. On the other hand, even though Buster Davis continues to have Ohio State as one of his top choices, I tend to think in the end he will go to elsewhere. As far a Bobby Carpenter, I think in the end he does select Ohio State over Michigan State and North Carolina.

In the defensive backfield the Buckeyes have commitment from E.J. Underwood as well as Michael Roberts and Tyler Everrett. The Buckeyes also continue to pursue JoJo Walker from Texas as well as a couple of others, but the Walker is probably the only one that the Buckeyes have a chance of landing. I can definitely see him ending up at Ohio State. I think the Buckeyes have as good a shot or better than anyone at landing him. The Buckeyes certainly would like to have him as they would like to have another corner back in this class.

As far as kickers and punters, I don't expect OSU to sign any, though they might try to get at least someone to walk on.

Dec 2001 Posts