March
30th, 1998 Speaking of verbal commitments, let's start with the very latest on a player that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to, Fred Pagac Jr (6-2, 220, 4.6) from Dublin Coffman High School. Pagac played some as a freshman for Dublin Scioto High School, and then was a starter as a sophomore. However, he broke his leg fairly early in the season and missed much of his sophomore year at Scioto. Pagac then transferred to Dublin Coffman for his junior season and made 114 tackles and had 2 interceptions. Pagac is one of the top linebacker prospects in the Midwest, and has now been offered scholarships by Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Duke, and Pitt. He is interested in all of those schools and has some interest in some others as well. Pagac's high school coach, Eric Tudor, is advising his players if they know where they want to go, to make a choice prior to their senior season, so it is not out of the question that Fred Pagac Jr. could make a commitment in the not-to-distant future. Certainly with his father being the defensive coordinator of the Buckeyes, that would bode well for Ohio State's chances. Brandon Miree (6-2, 225, 4.5) will be one of top backs of the state of Ohio. He just recently told me that he would most likely go to one of Ohio State's spring practice sessions. Miree is from Cincinnati Winton Woods and rushed for 1343 yards as a junior, scored 18 times, and averaged 10 yards per carry. Miree told me that Michigan State, Boston College and Pitt have offered him a scholarship. He said he is also interested in Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee, but those schools have not yet offered him a scholarship, according to Miree. Miree says that he will likely go to spring practice sessions at Ohio State and Michigan, and will probably go to football camp this summer at both Notre Dame and Michigan State. Another player that is going to be in Columbus in the near future is wide receiver Anthony Harris (6-4, 175, 4.52) from Dayton Patterson High School. Harris caught 26 passes and averaged 25.2 yards per catch this past season. Harris tells me that he will likely go to the Buckeyes "junior recruiting day" this Saturday, and is also planning to go to football camp at OSU this summer. Harris names Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Indiana and Cincinnati as his favorite schools. Defensive lineman Terrence Dawson (6-4, 280, 5.05) will be one of the top line prospects in the state of Ohio this season. He is from Warren Harding High School and made 55 tackles as a junior and led the Steel Valley in sacks with 7. Dawson tells me that West Virginia and Indiana have offered him a scholarship. His top three are Ohio State, Indiana, and Michigan. Moving out-of state, a very good player that likely will attend the spring game is running back/defensive back Chris Yura (6-1, 190, 4.5) from Morgantown, West Virginia. Yura was named West Virginia State Player of the Year as a junior, winning the honor over Eddie Drummond, who signed with Penn State in February. Yura rushed for 2018 yards and scored 38 touchdowns, and in limited time on defense intercepted two passes. He could play either running back or defensive back in college and has a 2.9 GPA. Yura's dad is an Ohio State graduate. At this point, Yura has been offered a scholarship by Notre Dame and West Virginia and those are his two favorites. However, he is also interested in Ohio State and Penn State which round out his top four. Yura told me on Sunday night that he is now in the process of sending a film to Ohio State and will likely go to the Buckeyes' spring game. Yura also added that he definitely will make an early decision, he is just not exactly sure when it will be, but he said he would make a commitment to someone prior to his senior season. Tight end Mike Siedman (6-5, 230, 4.7) from Westlake Village Westlake High School in California is one of the nation's premier tight ends. Siedman caught 50 passes for 749 yards, averaging 15 yards per catch this past season. He has a 3.8 GPA. Siedman has been offered a scholarship by UCLA, Ohio State, Penn State and Washington. He is looking at those four, as well as USC, Michigan, Colorado and Stanford. Siedman is now in the process of narrow things down further, and may have his decision down to three to five schools within the next month. The Buckeyes are of course hoping they are one of the finalists. Speaking of prospects from the state of California, two years ago the Buckeyes landed wide receiver Ken-yon Rambo out of Long Beach Poly High School. Poly High had another outstanding team this past season, and it was a team dominated by juniors. In fact four of those players are among the best players in the West this season, and the Buckeyes are interested in all four. Those four are quarterback Chris Lewis (6-4, 190, 4.6) who is one of the country's top quarterback prospects, DB Darrell Rideaux (5-9, 165, 4.4), WR Kareem Kelley (6-2, 180, 4.45) and running back Larry Croon (5-9, 175, 4.5). All four prospects are drawing interest from schools all over the country, including Ohio State. March 23, 1998 Two years ago Cooper Rego (5-9, 200, 4.4) from Montvale St. Joseph's High School in New Jersey, was one of the country's top prep running back prospects. Rego rushed for 2500 yards as a senior. He drew interest from schools from coast-to-coast, including Ohio State, before signing with Notre Dame. However, after one season at Notre Dame, Rego has decided to transfer. He told me on Sunday that he is mainly considering 3 or 4 schools, and Ohio State is one of the schools he is interested in. Rego visited West Virginia February 20th and he has also been to Syracuse a couple of times. Those two schools both told him he has a scholarship. In addition to West Virginia and Syracuse, Rego told me the other two schools he is interested in transferring to would be Ohio State and Clemson. He will visit Clemson this coming weekend. One other slight possibility would be Rutgers. At this point Rego says that he has no clear-cut leader. He will enroll either in April if he chooses a school on the quarter system such as Ohio State, or wait until next fall if he chooses a school that is on semesters. Rego would not be eligible to play until the 1999 season. Moving to some high school prospects in the state of Ohio, the Buckeyes have now offered Tim Anderson (6-4, 270, 4.95) a scholarship. Anderson is from Clyde High School in Clyde Ohio. He has a 2.5 GPA and started at both defensive end and offensive tackle this past season. Anderson is also one of the state of Ohio's top wrestlers. He compiled a 46-0 record this season en route to winning the Division II state heavyweight championship. Anderson told me on Sunday that his top three choices remain Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan, and the Buckeyes and Fighting Illini have offered him a scholarship. In addition to those three, Anderson is also interested in West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan State, Pitt and UCLA. Anderson told me on Sunday that he is not close to making a decision. He will likely go to football camps at Ohio State and Michigan this summer to take a closer look at both schools. Anderson indicated that while he could play on either side of the ball in college, Ohio State seems to be recruiting him a little more as a defensive lineman. Linebacker Carl Diggs (6-2, 220, 4.65) from Warren Harding High School will be one of the top prospects in the state of Ohio this coming season. Diggs, who has a 3.0 GPA, made 101 tackles as a sophomore, however because of knee surgery, he missed his junior season. Diggs is healthy once again and already has scholarship offers from Indiana, West Virginia and Pitt. Diggs told me on Sunday that the main schools he is interested in are Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana, as well as perhaps Pitt and West Virginia. I also spoke again on Sunday with running back E.J. Lilly (5-11, 200, 4.5) from Alliance High School in Alliance Ohio. Lilly rushed for 1785 yards as a sophomore, and 1805 yards as a junior, averaging 9.2 yard per carry and scoring 24 times. Lilly, who has a 2.7 GPA, told me that his two favorite schools are Michigan State and Ohio State, though he is also interested in Tennessee, Indiana and Colorado. At this point none of those schools have offered him a scholarship, though he did say that he thought that Michigan State might soon offer. In a related note, quarterback Brian Camp (6-2, 225, 4.6) from Dublin Coffman made an unofficial visit to Michigan last Tuesday and has been offered a scholarship by the Wolverines. Camp has now been offered scholarships by Michigan, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Duke. In addition to those schools, he is also interested in Florida, Purdue, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Indiana, Stanford and UCLA. Camp's two favorites are Michigan and Florida, and if the 'Gators offer a scholarship, he willmay end up choosing between Michigan and Florida. Back to the Buckeyes. Moving out-of-state, one of the top prospects in the state of Pennsylvania is WR Ray Cathie (6-2, 175, 4.5) from Pittsburgh North Catholic. Cathie starts at both wide receiver and cornerback, but would prefer to play on offense in college. As a junior he caught 21 passes and averaged 30.3 yards per catch. He scored 11 touchdowns receiving as well as 2 on punt returns. On defense, Cathie made 65 tackles and had one interception. Cathie tells me that his favorite schools are Florida State, Ohio State, Pitt, UCLA, LSU and USC. WR Denard Jackson (6-0, 175, 4.5) from Detroit Henry Ford High School in Michigan has the Buckeyes as one of his two favorites. Jackson, who starts at both wide receiver and defensive back as well as returns punts, would prefer to play wide receiver in college. He caught 28 passes this past season while also making 87 tackles and intercepting 7 passes on defense. Jackson tells me his two favorite schools are Ohio State and Florida, though he also likes Florida State, Penn State and Tennessee. Linebacker Mike Makris (6-1, 240, 4.75) also has Ohio State as one of his top choices. Makris, from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, has been a varsity starter since his freshman season and has a 3.7 GPA. Last season he had 37 solo tackles and 134 assists for a total of 171 participations. He also is a fine wrestler and a shot and disc man in track. Makris tells me that his three favorites are Ohio State, Michigan and Iowa, though he is also interested in Minnesota. Lineman Alfio Randall (6-5, 275, 4.9) from Houston Yates High School will be one of the top line prospects in the state of Texas next season. Randall has started at offensive tackle since his sophomore season and also will play defensive end as a senior. He has a 3.4 GPA and also starts in basketball and throws the shot and disc in track. Randall tells me the schools he is most interested in are Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan and Notre Dame. He says that he first got interested in the Buckeyes by watching Orlando Pace play for Ohio State. Another fine talent from the Lonestar State that is very interested in Ohio State is tight end Fred Spiller (6-5, 230, 4.65) from Houston Nimitz High School. Spiller has a 3.0 GPA. Playing in a very run-oriented offense, Spiller caught 10 passes this past season. He said that he is getting plenty of mail from the Buckeyes and as he put it, "It seems like they really want me." Spiller says that Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M, Miami and Missouri are his favorite schools. March 16, 1998 Adrian Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School is an offensive lineman with quite a bit of potential. Clarke has a 2.1 GPA and scored an 1100 on the PSAT. Clarke has been offered a scholarship by Michigan State and is interested in the Spartans, but tells me that his two favorites are Michigan and Ohio State. Clarke made an unofficial visit to Michigan to see the Michigan/Indiana basketball game. He was a teammate this season of Buckeye defensive back signee Nate Clements. Tim Anderson (6-4, 270, 4.95) is a very good two-way lineman at Clyde High School in Clyde Ohio. Anderson started at offensive tackle as both a sophomore and junior, and also started at defensive end this past season. Anderson helped lead Clyde to a 7-3 record. He is also the Division II state heavyweight wrestling champion, and compiled a 46-0 record this season. Anderson tells me his three favorite schools are Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois, though he is also interested in West Virginia, Michigan State, Notre Dame, UCLA, Pitt and Indiana. Tim Anderson told me on Sunday night that he will likely go to the Ohio State football camp this summer. Singleton Hicks (6-7, 320, 5.4) is one of the top prospects in central-Ohio. He is in good shape academically and is hearing from schools all over the country. Hicks is very interested in Ohio State but is also looking at Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia and some others. Matt Zahn (6-7, 330, 5.4) is an offensive tackle at St. Henry High School. He has a 2.5 GPA and will be a three-year varsity starter at St. Henry and has been offered a scholarship by Indiana. Zahn is interested in the Hoosiers, as well as Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Purdue. Zahn tells me he will likely go to spring practices as Purdue, Michigan and Indiana. He made an unofficial visit to Michigan to see the Michigan/Indiana basketball game. Zahn also attended football games this past season at Ohio State, Michigan, Indiana and Penn State. Ben Timmons (6-5, 250, 5.2) is a two-way lineman at Chagrin Falls Kenston High School. Timmons has a 3.0 GPA. He names Ohio State and Michigan State as his top two, but also names West Virginia, Kentucky and Pitt. While these are not all of the top line prospects in the state of Ohio, they are some of the best and the Buckeyes are interested in all of them. In the state of Florida, Vernon Carey (6-5, 310, 5.1) is an outstanding offensive line prospect the Buckeyes are very interested in. He is from Miami Northwestern High School and has a 2.9 GPA and has been a varsity starter at offensive tackle since part-way through his freshman season. Vernon Carey will be one of the top line prospects in the South this coming season, and names Ohio State and Florida State as his two favorites. Carey told me he is also looking at West Virginia, Nebraska, Maryland and Pitt among others. Bryce Bishop (6-4, 300, 5.1) is an offensive tackle at Miami Killian High School. Bishop will be a three-year varsity starter at offensive tackle and has a 2.8 GPA. He helped lead Killian to a 7-3 record this past season. Bryce Bishop told me on Sunday night that his favorite schools are Florida State, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, North Carolina and Miami. Cole Pittman (6-5, 260, 4.8) is and outstanding defensive end prospect from Shreveport Evangel in Louisiana. Pittman, who has a 3.5 GPA, will be a three-year varsity starter at defensive end. He helped lead Evangel High to a 15-0 record this past season including the 3A (second largest) Louisiana State championship. Pittman is also a pre-season All-American first baseman in baseball. He told me on Sunday night his favorite schools are Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, USC, Penn State, Nebraska and Notre Dame. March 12, 1998 In Ohio, running back Richard Hall (5-11, 190, 4.5) from Cincinnati Wyoming has not yet made a decision. Hall has Ohio State and Michigan as his two favorites, and the Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship, but he is also looking at Penn State, Nebraska, Indiana and Michigan State. The Spartans have also offered him a scholarship. Hall has made unofficial visits to both Ohio State and Michigan and still could make an early decision, but at this point has not done so. Hall continues to say that he would like to make his decision at the latest prior to his first game of his Senior season. Hall rushed for over 2300 yards last season. Running back Jesse Kline (6-2, 210, 4.5) from Upper Arlington High School has also been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, but he too has not yet made a decision. Kline, who rushed for 2310 yards this past season, continues to look very closely at Ohio State, but also continues to look at a number of other Big Ten schools, including Penn State and Michigan. Richard Hall and Jesse Kline are two of the top three running backs in the Buckeye state this season. The other is of course Kelton Lindsay, who I consider to be the top prospect in the state of Ohio and who of course has already committed to Ohio State. On the defensive side of the ball, the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to linebacker Fred Pagac Jr. (6-2, 220, 4.6), from Dublin Coffman High School. Pagac is a middle linebacker at Coffman and made 114 tackles and had 2 interceptions this past season. Pagac has not yet announced his decision, but I still believe it is only a matter of time until he announces that he has selected the Buckeyes. Of course the Buckeyes already have two commitments on the defensive side of the ball from Ohioans in defensive back Curtis Crosby of Columbus Eastmoor and defensive back Michael Doss from Canton McKinley High School. Moving out of the state, we will start in this part of the country and move West. Tight end Jason Rader (6-5, 225, 4.6) from St. Albans, West Virginia, is the top prospect in the state of West Virginia this season. Rader has a 4.0 GPA and is outstanding as both a tight end and defensive end. He caught 50 passes last season and averaged 15 yards per catch and scored 8 touchdowns. On defense Rader had 56 solo tackles and 35 assists including 10 tackles for loss. Some of the schools he is interested in are West Virginia, Georgia, Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Marshall, Penn State, and Tennessee. In the state of Illinois a fine quarterback prospect that likes the Buckeyes is Jon Beutjer (6-4, 175, 4.85) from Wheaton Warrensville South. Beutjer played in only six and a half games this past season as he sustained two concussions. However, in those six and a half games he passed for 1553 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just 7 interceptions and he completed 58% of his passes. Beutjer broke a state record with 419 yards passing in one game. He is a drop-back type passer who has close to a 4.0 GPA. Beutjer indicates that some of the schools he is interested in include, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Stanford, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Florida, and Florida State. The top prospect in the state of Wisconsin is also interested in Ohio State. Derek Abney (5-10, 160, 4.4) from Schofield D. C. Everest, Wisconsin. Abney is a two-time all-conference selection at wide receiver and was named All-State as a junior. Abney could play wide receiver or defensive back in college. He has a 3.97 GPA. This past season he caught 27 passes and averaged 29 yards per catch. He also rushed for 541 yards and averaged 10.4 yards per attempt, and returned punts and kickoffs. Abney scored 18 touchdowns. As a sophomore he ran a 10. 78 100 meters. Derek Abney tells me that some of the schools that he is interested in are Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Washington, and Purdue. Moving to the West Coast, Paul Arnold (6-1, 210, 4.5) is one of the top prospects in the state of Washington. Arnold is running back from Seattle Kennedy High School. Arnold played in only four and a half games this past season due to a badly sprained ankle, but still rushed for over 700 yards and intercepted 5 passes on the other side of the ball. Arnold tells me that some of the schools that he is most interested in are Penn State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Washington, Stanford, Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M, and Michigan. Linebacker Kevin Mitchell (6-0, 215, 4.6) from Santa Ana Mater Dei High School in California will be one of the top linebacker prospects in the state of California this season. Mitchell made 91 tackles this past season, including 17 for losses. He has a 3.0 GPA. Mitchell tells me that he likes Washington, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Colorado. March 6, 1998 Another fine prospect from the state of Michigan that the Buckeyes are very interested in is lineman Joseph Patrick (6-7, 300, 5.3) from Ithaca, Michigan. Patrick will be a three-year varsity starter at offensive tackle and has a 3.3 GPA. He will be one of the top prospects in the state of Michigan this coming season, and has already been offered a scholarship by Michigan State and Northwestern. Patrick tells me he is interested in those two, as well as Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and Purdue. At this point, Joseph Patrick is not sure if he will make an early decision or not. From the state of Florida, a great prospect that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to is Jason Geathers (6-3, 210, 4.4). Geathers will be one of the country's most highly recruited players this season. He has a 2.5 GPA and will be a 4 year varsity starter in high school. As a freshman Geathers played running back and rushed for 828 yards. As a sophomore he rushed for 1386 yards. This past season he played running back and outside linebacker, and once again rushed for over 1000 yards. Geathers will probably move to quarterback as a senior, but would prefer to play wide receiver in college, and if not wide receiver, then running back. Geathers also averages 15 points per game in basketball. He tells me he is keeping an open mind right now, but some of the schools he mentioned include Florida State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Miami, and Michigan. Geathers has scholarship offers from schools from coast-to-coast. Offensive lineman Aaron Hodges (6-5, 275, 5.0) from Olympia Fields Rich Central High School in Illinois is going to be one of the top line prospects in the Midwest this coming season. Hodges has a 3.2 GPA and scored a 22 on the ACT. He will be a three year varsity starter and has already been offered a scholarship by Northwestern, Illinois, Purdue, and Indiana. Hodges tells me his is interested in those four as well as Ohio State and Michigan. Another offensive lineman in the Midwest that likes the Buckeyes is Kris Berry (6-5, 255, 5.1) from Hartford City Blackford High in Indiana. He has a 2.95 GPA and will be a 4 year varsity starter. Kris Berry tells me his top two choices are Ohio State and Purdue, though he also likes Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and UCLA. Berry plans to go Ohio State's and Purdue's football camps this summer. The Buckeyes are interested in Berry but have not yet offered a scholarship. March 3, 1998 Quarterback Chris Simms (6-5, 210, 4.7) from Franklin Lakes Ramapo High School in New Jersey will be one of country's top signal callers this season. In fact Simms will be one of the country's top overall prospects. Simms is the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms. Chris Simms has started on the varsity since his freshman season, and this past season as a junior threw for 1900 yards and 23 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions. Simms completed 67% of his passes. He is a left handed, drop back type quarterback who has a 3.8 GPA. He has already been offered a scholarship by Notre Dame, Penn State, Miami and Florida State, and tells me those are four of his top choices, but he also adds that he likes Ohio State a lot as well. Simms is going to go to the Notre Dame spring game and might make unofficial visits to Miami and Florida State in the spring as well. Simms says that even though he has many scholarship offers on the table, he wants to go through the recruiting process and is not close to making a decision. Tight end Derek Smith (6-6, 235, 4.7) from Fort Thomas Highlands High School in Kentucky is one of the countrey's top tight end prospects and one of the country's top forward prospects in basketball. Derek Smith caught 38 passes this season for 890 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 23.4 yards per catch. In basketball he averages 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Derek is not sure right now if he will play football, basketball, or both in college. For football, Derek Smith tells me he likes Ohio State, Michigan, Kentucky, UCLA and Penn State, and Kentucky has already offered a scholarship. For basketball he likes Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Northwestern. Derek Smith was a teammate this season of offensive lineman Scott Kuhnhiem who signed with the Buckeyes in February. Linebacker Solomon Bates (6-3, 225, 4.7) form Moreno Valley Canyon Springs High School in California is one of the top linebacker prospects on the West Coast. Bates is an inside linebacker that made over 100 tackles this past season. He has a 2.4 GPA and tells me he wants to go out-of-state for college. Solomon Bates names Nebraska, Ohio State, Michigan, Colorado, and Washington as some of his top choices at this point. Washington has already offered him a scholarship. Several prospects that Ohio State is recruiting made unofficial visits to Michigan State this past weekend to see the Michigan State/Purdue Basketball game. One of those was Blue-Chip linebacker T.J. Duckett from Kalamazoo Loy North High School in Michigan. Duckett continues to say that his top three choices, in no particular order, are Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan. All three schools are still even at the top of his list and all three have offered a scholarship. Another prospect who made an unofficial visit to Michigan State this past weekend was defensive tackle Ellington Wills (6-4, 280, 4.8) from Detroit Central High School in Michigan. Ellington Wills has been a varsity starter at defensive tackle since his freshman season, and this past season made 58 solo tackles, had 70 assists and registered 12 sacks. Wills went to the Michigan/Indiana basketball game for an unofficial visit with the Wolverines on February 22nd, and then this past weekend went to the Michigan State/Purdue basketball game for an unofficial visit with the Spartans. Michigan State has offered him a scholarship and the Spartans are his leader, but Wills told me on Sunday night that he also likes Michigan, Ohio State, North Carolina, and Toledo. An Ohioan that made an unofficial visit to Michigan State this past weekend for the Spartans basketball game is tight end/defensive end Willie Metcalf (6-7, 250) from Dayton Belmont High School. Metcalf is looking at Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State among others. Another Ohioan that is developing into a fine prospect is Obadiah Harris (6-4, 235, 4.55), a linebacker from Chillicothe High School. He had a good junior season, but his best football is probably still ahead of him. Harris is starting to mature and develop both physically and emotionally.He bench presses 330 pounds, squats 475 and runs very well. Harris has a 2.5 GPA and made 70 tackles this past season. Obadiah Harris names Ohio State as his favorite, but is also looking at Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State and West Virginia. At this point, none of those schools have offered a scholarship. Obadiah Harris will go to Ohio State's football camp this summer and has already made an unofficial visit to Indiana . |