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Bill Kurelic March and April 2000 Posts 04/14/00 There will be a number of players on hand for the combine that the Buckeyes have already offered a scholarship to. Two of Ohio State's verbal commitments, DL Brandon McKinney and OL Adam Olds are scheduled to be there, and also Maurice Hall, the fine running back from Brookhaven High School is scheduled to be in attendance. DE Pierre Woods is another that is scheduled to be there. From out of state, a couple of players from the state of Kentucky that the Buckeyes have offered will be there as well as WR Montrell Jones and RB Eric Chelton are both scheduled to participate. James Booker, a very good LB prospect from Michigan will attend, as well as Kevin Vickerson, a defensive lineman. Another linebacker that the Buckeyes are interested in, Chad Anderson from Canton McKinley, will also be at the combine. Other Ohio prospects scheduled to attend include WR Kevin Hazel from Columbus DeSales, and DL Nashan Gottard from Dayton. Jameson Evans from Shaker Heights will attend, as will Dontez Sanders, Willie Lumpkin, Jeff Backes and Mark Conley. Also RB Tim Murphy from Akron who is certainly one of the top RB prospects in Ohio, and linemen Mike Thaylor and Matt Turner. Out of state, one of the top line prospect from Indiana will be at Ohio State for the combine, Brian Cook, and one of the top prospects in West Virginia, two-way lineman Tony Davis will also attend. Also from Kentucky, OL Travis Leffew will attend, and from Michigan, LB Otis Washington will be on hand, as well as DB Ashton Aikens. From Pennsylvania, DB Bernard Lay as well as OL John Gromin and LB Monroe Weekly, three of the better prospects from PA are scheduled to be at Ohio State on Saturday. One prospect from the state of Florida that the Buckeyes will not land is LB Chauncy Davis. Davis is the top linebacker prospect in Florida and the Buckeyes had been recruiting him, but he has committed to Florida State. Speaking of linebackers, Travis Bauman from Michigan is a LB/TE prospect from Michigan that the Buckeyes are pursuing. He is a 6-3, 240 pounder with 4.75 40 speed. He was second on his team in tackles this past season while playing linebacker and fullback. As a sophomore, he played linebacker and quarterback, the two positions he will play as a senior. He is being recruited more as a linebacker or tight end, though both DE and QB are not out of the question. He has 3.7 GPA and is drawing interest from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Tennessee, Northwestern and Purdue, as well as Michigan State, and right now he says he does not have any clear-cut favorite. None of those schools have yet offered him a scholarship as yet. In Illinois, Brad Hanson is a WR/DB that is interested in OSU. He is 6-0, 185 pounder who made 45 tackles this past season and intercepted two passes. He also played wing back and could play either WR or DB in college. He has a 3.0 GPA and told me he is looking at Ohio State, Minnesota, Boston College, Michigan State, Kentucky, Colorado and Colorado State. None of those schools have offered him a scholarship. An outstanding RB that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to has Ohio State on his list. Eric Shelton from Lexington, Kentucky (6-3, 230, 4.5) rushed for over 2500 yards this past season, and averaged over 10 yards per carry and scored 33 times. He is the type of big back that OSU RB coach Tim Spencer likes and is one of the country's top backs. He has Ohio State on his list, and is also looking at Tennessee and Kentucky, and all three schools have offered him a scholarship. Other schools that he likes are Michigan, Penn State and Florida State. His mother is a graduate of Kentucky, but Shelton has Tennessee as his top choice, but Ohio State in not far behind. WR Brian Pickard (6-3, 185) from Dublin, Ohio attended OSU's recruiting day on April 1st and has also visited Virginia and Virginia Tech this spring. He is looking at those three schools, as well as Notre Dame, Michigan and Michigan State. He says that he wants to visit those three sometime toward the end of this month or the beginning of May. Pickard is also looking at Kentucky and Boston College, and right now doesn't have a favorite. His dad had a career with the Detroit Lions. Another Ohioan that the Buckeyes are interested in is DL Neshan Gottard (6-5, 240, 4.8) from Dayton Dunbar. Gottard plans to attend OSU's spring game at the end of this month, and also might visit Kentucky and Cincinnati this month as well, and says his four favorite schools are Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State, and that Michigan State might be his favorite. Thus far, none of the four have offered a scholarship, though all four are in contact. RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185, 4.3) from Columbus went to Michigan this past Saturday for an unofficial visit and met with Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr and also took in a Michigan spring practice. He was accompanied on his visit by his parents, and he and his parents were impressed with the way that Michigan stressed academics. Hall was impressed with what he saw at Michigan, but was not officially offered a scholarship. Hall said that he is planning to attend Ohio State's football camp this summer, and when that ends on June 20th, he will probably go back up to Ann Arbor and take in the end of Michigan's camp, which goes until the 23rd. Hall said he is not particularly close to making a decision, and is still looking at Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota, all of whom have offered him a scholarship, as well as Florida, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Tennessee and perhaps Miami. He plans to visit Notre Dame on April 29th. Another Ohio that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to is DE/TE Pierre Woods (6-6, 220, 4.) who is a fine all-around athlete who has been offered by Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Toledo and Ohio U. He is looking at all those schools, but does not seem close to making a decision. Travis Leffew (6-5, 255) is a two-way lineman from Kentucky that made 97 tackles as a junior including 17 sacks. He is interested in Ohio State, Tennessee, Louisville, Michigan, Alabama, LSU and Kentucky. A very good running back from California, Eric Shine (6-0, 185, 4.4) from Pamona, California is a player the Buckeyes are interested in. He could also be a DB in college, and will be one of the better RB/DB prospects in the state of California. The Buckeyes continue to pursue outstanding DB prospect Brett Bell (5-11, 185) from Wheaton, Illinois. Bell has been offered scholarships by Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan State and Indiana, and he says those are the main schools he is looking at. He made an unofficial visit to Northwestern recently where he was re-offered a scholarship but did not commit. In fact, he says he is not particularly close to making a decision on his college. He says he does not have any one clear-cut favorite among the schools on his list. Also in Illinois RB Beronte Grayson (5-11, 185, 4.45) rushed for over 1,000 yards and averaged over 6.0 yards per carry and scored nine touchdowns this past season. He has a 2.9 GPA and tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Iowa State, Illinois, Missouri, Minnesota, Kentucky and he says he is getting mail from all of those schools though none have yet offered a scholarship. A wide receiver from the east that the Buckeyes are interested in is Dennis Davis (6-0, 180, 4.4) from New Jersey. Davis starts at both WR and CB and could play either position in college. This past season he caught 20 passes for close to 1000 yards, and has a 2.6 GPA. He is looking at Miami, Kentucky, Tennessee and South Carolina, however the Buckeyes are interested in him and he is receiving mail from them. 03/28/00 Another prospect from Illinois that is scheduled to make an unofficial visit to Michigan today is WR from Kevin Knoll (6-3, 190) from Naperville Central High School. He is another prospect that the Buckeyes are interested in, and he also has an interest in Ohio State. In fact Knoll says that he will likely make and unofficial visit to OSU sometime this Spring. He already has scholarship offers on the table from Illinois, Northwestern and Michigan State, and he says he is looking at those three, as well as OSU, Michigan, and Purdue. He caught 30 passes this past season for 700 yards and 8 touchdowns. Yet one other prospect from the state of Illinois that the Buckeyes are interested in is visiting Michigan today. QB Casey Paus. He is one of the top quarterback prospects in the Midwest and he is one that the Buckeyes have an interest in. He already has scholarship offers on the table from a number of schools. Speaking of players from the state of Illinois, Carlos Harper (6-5, 350, 5.25) is a huge lineman from Chicago Leo that says Ohio State might be his favorite school. Harper has a 2.8 GPA, bench presses over 400 pounds and has been a varsity starter at offensive tackle since his sophomore season. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern and Kentucky, and he says that Ohio State might be his favorite. He says that he is getting plenty of mail from the Buckeyes, though he has not been offered a scholarship to this point by Ohio State. He says he likes the Ohio State football tradition, and he says he likes the way the Buckeyes play football, and that right now, the Buckeyes could well be his top choice. As you know, Penn State held its junior recruiting day last weekend, and there was a rather surprising turn of events that was not good for the Nittany Lions nor the Buckeyes. TE Eric Gill (6-6, 235) was scheduled to attend that recruiting day, but did not do so. Instead, he made an unofficial visit to the Pitt Panthers. Gill had been offered a scholarship by Ohio State and was high on the Buckeyes' recruiting list, but Gill surprised both the Buckeyes and Penn State and committed to Pitt on his unofficial visit to the Panthers. Gill had narrowed things down to Pitt and Ohio State, and when he visited Pitt on Saturday went ahead and made his commitment. Gill says he is just about certain he will not go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day now, as he has committed to Pitt. Gill said he just liked the players on the team, he knows several of them, and sai that it is local and he is just very impressed with the Pitt program. Gill had not been offered a scholarship by Penn State. On the other hand, LB/FB Scott McClintock (6-3, 240) from Belle Vernon Pennsylvania did visit Penn State's junior recruiting day last Saturday and did not commit to the Nittany Lions. Mcclintock is a teammate of Eric Gill and is hoping to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State sometime in the near future. He says he was hoping to attend Ohio State's junior recruiting day, but will now not be able to do that because of he has baseblall next weekend. McClintock is trying to decide between Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Pitt, and all four of those schools have offered him a scholarship, and by the way, McClintock does have family that lives in the Columbus area. DB Dustin Fox (6-0, 190, 4.4) from North Canton Glenoak High School did not make it to Penn State's junior recruiting day, though he does still have the Nittany Lions as his favorite. He is still considering Ohio State, as well as Notre Dame, Miami, and Michigan, and he is planning on making an unofficial visit to Michigan on Wednesday to talk to Lloyd Carr. All of those schools have interested that a scholarship is there for him. RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185, 4.3) from Columbus Brookhaven was one that did make it Penn State's junior day on Saturday, but did not commit, and is still planning to go to Ohio State's junior day this coming Saturday. Hall attended Penn State's recruiting day with his mom and dad and was re-offered a scholarship by the Lions. He said he told the Nittany Lions staff that he wants to take his official visits before he makes a decision. Hall says he might make an unofficial visit to Michigan this Spring. Hall continues to say he doesn't have a favorite between Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota, and all three of those schools have offered him a scholarship, and then Michigan, Florida State, Miami, Tennessee and Nebraska. Another RB from central Ohio that the Buckeyes are very interested in is Gary Magee (5-11, 190, 4.4) from Reynoldsburg. Magee attended Penn State's recruiting day on Saturday. He rushed for 1500 yards as a sophomore and another 1200 as a junior, will be one of the top prospects in central Ohio this coming season. He is looking at Penn State, as well as Ohio State, and then Michigan, Michigan State and some others. He is planning on being at Ohio State's junior recruiting day this coming Saturday. To this point, the Buckeyes have not offered Magee a scholarship, but it is not out of the question that at some time they could end up offering. DL Charles Rush (6-3, 275) from Erie, Cathedral in Pennsylvania also visited Penn State's junior recruiting day on Saturday and did not commit to the Nittany Lions. He told me that he is still looking at Penn State, Ohio State, Pitt, Michigan and Virginia Tech, and Penn State, Pitt and Michigan have all offered him a scholarship. Rush said that it was good at Penn State and he liked it there, but he is not ready to make a decision, and is still interested in Ohio State. Charles Rush's teammate, LB Joe Depries (6-4, 240) was scheduled to attend Penn State's junior recruiting day but did not, and Depries remains interested in Ohio State. He has been offered a scholarship by Michigan, and is looking at the Wolverines, as well as Penn State, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Boston College, Maryland and Cincinnati. There a couple of players that the Buckeyes seem to have a decent shot at landing commitments from in the not too distant future. WE Angelo Chattams is one of those players. Chattams has OSU as his leader, and I think the Buckeyes have an excellent chance at landing him. Another one that I think certainly could end up committing to Ohio State maybe in the not too distant future would be DE Simon Fraser from Upper Arlington. He is hoping to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day April 1st, and I think the Buckeyes have an excellent chance of landing him. He seems very, very impressed with the Ohio State program, and I think Ohio State is the school to beat for Fraser, although he is looking at some other schools including Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford and Purdue. Another player the Buckeyes would love to wrap up a commitment from is DE Pat Massey (6-8, 235, 4.7). Massey is the younger brother of OSU offensive lineman Jim Massey, and is one of the top prospects in the Midwest. Pat is very much interested in Ohio State, but right now, I don't know that he is particularly close to making a decision, and in fact I don't know that I would say that any school has a clear-cut edge for his services at this point. He has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, as well as Michigan, Notre Dame, Duke and Indiana. He is considering all of those schools. 03/24/00 A number of prospect that the Buckeyes are interested in will be attending the Penn State junior recruiting day this coming weekend. Some of those prospects have been offered scholarships by both Ohio State and Penn State. One of those that has been offered by both schools is LB/FB Scott McClintock (6-3, 240) from Belle Vernon, Pa. McClintock is trying to make a decision between Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Pitt. All four schools have offered him a scholarship. He went to the Ohio State/Wisconsin football game this past season, and after visiting Penn State this weekend, might make another return trip for another unofficial visit to Ohio State. He has also previously been to Michigan and Pitt. He says he wants to make a decision as soon as possible, and says that things could become much more clear after he makes his visit to Penn State this coming weekend. WR Jonathan Orr (6-3, 180, 4.45) from Detroit Henry Ford High School is certainly a top prospect that the Buckeyes would like to land. He was offered a scholarship by Ohio State some time ago, and told me last night that Ohio State, Michigan State and Minnesota have all offered him a scholarship, and that those are his three favorite schools. He has already been to a junior recruiting day at Michigan State, and will try to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day on April 1st. In addition to those three schools, a few other schools that he is looking at are Indiana and Northwestern, as well as perhaps Tennessee. He caught 30 passes this past season for over 700 yards averaging 23 yards per catch. TE Eric Gill from Belle Vernon, Pa is a teamate of Scott McClintock, is also going to be visiting Penn State this weekend, but Gill has not yet been offered a scholarship by the Nittany Lions. He is also planning to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day on April 1st, and Gill has already been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, as well as Pitt, which right now are his top two choices. The Buckeyes are interested in LB Brent Grover (6-4, 225, 4.65) from Fort Thomas High School in Kentucky, the same school that produced Scott Kuhnhein, and Grover is an outstanding prospect that has Ohio State on his list. He will be one of the top prospects overall in the state of Kentucky this coming season, and has a 4.1 GPA and a 1430 on the SAT. He has started at ILB since his sophomore season when he made 150 tackles, and this past season he made 159 tackles. He has already been offered a scholarship by Penn State and Iowa, and he told me that his coach at his high school has told him that Ohio State and Kentucky are offering a scholarship as well. He says he is looking at those four schools, and he also has an interest in Michigan, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Michigan State. He said he has talked to Scott Kuhnhein, and Scott seems to like it quite a bit at Ohio State. Grover said he plans to "go up and visit Ohio State sometime" as he put it, but he is not sure when. Also in the state of Kentucky, WR Montrell Jones (6-2, 185, 4.45) is one of the country's top receiver prospects. He caught 77 passes as a junior for 1427 yards, scoring 29 times and averaging 18.5 yards per catch. Montrell has been a varsity starter since his freshman season and has a 2.4 GPA. He has scholarship offers from Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan. He has attended junior days at Tennsessee, and has also made an unofficial visit to Kentucky. He plans to attend the Nike Camp at Ohio State on April 15th. He has a 2.4 GPA, and is a prospect the Buckeyes would love to catch. You can never have too many offensive linemen, and in the state of Pennsylvania, the Buckeyes are pursing a good one in Dan Simelis (6-6, 285, 5.25) from McKees Rocks Montour. Dan has been a varsity starter since the middle of his sophomore season, and has a 3.4 GPA. He has already been offered scholarships by Boston College, Pitt and Cincinnati, and also likes Virginia and Ohio State. Dan will be at the Ohio State junior recruiting day on April 1st, and says that he has always been partial to the Buckeyes. Shaun Cody (6-5, 250, 4.9) is a DE prospect from Haciendo Heights Los Altos, California that the Buckeyes have already offered a scholarship. Cody is a rush defensive end that made 140 tackles as a junior and helped lead his team to a 13-1 record. He has a 3.1 GPA, and according to Cody, at this time has no preferences on a college. He has been offered scholarships by USC, UCLA, Stanford and Ohio State, and says that staying in-state is not a priority for him. DB Brett Bell (5-11, 185, 4.45) is a prospect from Wheaton, Warrensville South Illinois that is one of the Midwest's top prospects at cornerback. Brett has great speed, having run a 10.8 100 meters, a 22.4 200, and a 48.4 400. He also has a 3.4 GPA on a 5.0 to go along with this athletic talents, making him the complete package. Bell intercepted four passes as a sophomore, but teams stayed away from him as a junior so he had none last season. He did, however, record 80 tackles from his cornerback position. He is currently looking at Illinois, Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State. 03/23/00 At number 1 is linebacker Reggie Arden (6-5, 225, 4.7) from Ironton. Of course, Arden has already committed to Ohio State. Arden has not completely closed the door on perhaps an unofficial visit or two elsewhere. He has talked about possibly making an unofficial visit to Penn State or Michigan or Indiana, and has sent some films out, but I fully expect that when national signing day comes in February, that he will uphold his commitment to Ohio State and sign with the Buckeyes. My number two prospect is DE Pat Massey (6-8, 235, 4.7) from Cleveland St. Ingatious. He is the younger brother of OSU offensive lineman Jim Massey. He is looking at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan, Indiana and Duke, and told me that all of those schools have already offered him a scholarship. Right now, he does not have a favorite, but I feel the Buckeyes chances of landing Pat Massey are certainly at least as good as any other school. My number three prospect in the state of Ohio is also a defensive player. Simon Fraser (6-6, 240, 4.9) from Upper Arlington made 115 tackles as a junior including 18 sacks. He also had 32 quarterback harrassments. Fraser is also a fine basketball player, and has a 3.2 GPA. He has been offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes, and is definitely interested in Ohio State. Other schools on his list include Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford and Purdue. My number 4 overall prospect is DB Dustin Fox (6-0, 190, 4.4) from North Canton Glen Oak High School. Fox picked off six passes this past season, and made 66 tackles. Fox is the younger brother of former Penn State DB Derrick Fox. He is also the nephew of Kenny Kuhn who of course was a fine linebacker for Ohio State. Fox says that Penn State is his leader over Ohio State and Notre Dame. He is planning on going to Penn State's junior recruiting day this Saturday, so it will be interesting to see if by chance he would decide to make a commitment to the Nittany Lions this weekend. My number five overall prospect is LB Chad Anderson (6-3, 235, 4.7) from Canton McKinley High School. He is the cousin of OL Antonio Hall who signed with the Kentucky Wildcats last recruiting season. He made 128 tackles from is ILB spot this past season, and tells me that he is looking at a number of schools, including Kentucky, who has offered him a scholarship, and then Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Michigan State are some of the other schools on his list, though those schools have not yet offered Anderson a scholarship, but they are all showing quite a bit of interest. My number six prospect is RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185, 4.3) from Columbus Brookhaven. He rushed for over 1700 yards as a sophomore, and over 1300 this past season. He has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota, and he is looking at those three as well as Florida State, Tennessee, Michigan and Miami. Hall is going to make an unofficial visit to Penn State this weekend for their junior recruiting day and is planning on going to the Buckeyes junior recruiting day on April 1st. Right now, he says he has no leader. My number 7 overall prospect is WR Angelo Chattams (5-11, 180, 4,45) from Dayton Chaminade High School. He caught 80 passes as a junior and averaged 15 yards per catch as he scored 16 times. He has a 3.3 GPA and is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue, and those three schools have offered him a scholarship. He is also looking at Northwestern, Indiana and some others, but right now, Ohio State is the team to beat for Angelo Chattams. Angelo Chattams' teammate, DL Brandon McKinney is my number 8 prospect in Ohio. He has, of course, already committed to the Buckeyes, choosing Ohio State over Michigan State. At number 9, I have OL Adam Olds (6-5, 270) from Dublin, Ohio. Olds is a center, and he has also committed to Ohio State, so the Buckeyes already have commitments from three of the top nine overall prospects in Ohio this year, and also good news for Ohio state fans is that none of the other top 10 prospects have committed elsewhere. At number 10, I actually have a tie. That tie is between DE Pierre Woods (6-6, 215, 4.6) and WR Kevin Hazel (6-0, 185, 4.4) from Columbus DeSales High School. Woods plays DE as well as TE, but will likely be a rush defensive end in college. Woods has a 2.8 GPA and has scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Toledo and Ohio U., but says that right now he is not close to making a decision as he does not have a favorite. The other prospect at number 10, Kevin Hazel, is the son of Dave Hazel, who was a WR for Ohio State in the 70s. Kevin has been offered a scholarship by Purdue, Minnesota, Pitt and Illinois, and he is looking at those schools as well as Ohio State and Maryland. Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some of the top out of state prospects that the Buckeyes are looking at this year. 03/21/00 In Michigan, Lance Gailliard, a RB from Detroit Cass Tech High School, says that he will probably attend one of Ohio State's Spring practice sessions. He is 5.9, 180 pounder who runs a 4.4 40. He has a 2.5 GPA and rushed for close to 1000 yards this past season, averaging almost 8 yards per carry. He told me last night that he is looking at Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan State and Illinois. He said those are the schools that he is most interested in, and that he is planning to attend Spring practice sessions at both Ohio State and Minnesota. In Ohio, LB/TE Micah Harris from Poland, Ohio is a 6-4, 230 pounder with 4.7 40 speed. He is interested in Ohio State and has started on the varsity since his sophomore season. He is looking at Ohio State, Northwestern, Stanford, Boston College, Maryland, Purdue, West Virginia, Michigan State, Michigan and Penn State. He said that he might be attending the Nike football combine at Ohio State on April 15th. Dustin Fox is another prospect that has been offered by both Ohio State and Penn State that will be attending the Penn State recruiting day this weekend, and I certainly would not be shocked if he would commit to the Nittany Lions. He says that Penn State is his favorite right now, with Ohio State and Notre Dame after that. RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185, 4.35) from Columbus Brookhaven High School will also be going to Penn State's junior recruiting day. He rushed for over 1700 yards as a sophomore and over 1300 this past season, and been offered by Penn State, Ohio State and Minnesota. I don't think that Hall will commit to the Nittany Lions this coming weekend. He says that he is most likely going to go through the recruiting process, at least more of it, and he also is planning to visit Ohio State's junior recruiting day. Hall has a 4.0 GPA and an 18 on the ACT. Sean Coffey (6-5, 215), the WR from Cleveland East Shaw High School, will also be in State College this weekend. Neither OSU nor PSU has offered him yet, but both schools are showing interest. Coffey says Penn State is his leader right now, but he is also interested in Ohio State, as well as W. Virginia, Notre Dame, Maryland, Ohio U, Miami and some others. The Buckeyes have already landed one commitment from an OL from the state of Ohio this year, that being Adam Olds from Dublin, Coffman High School. A big offensive lineman from the Cleveland area that likes the Buckeyes is Justin Hines from Lakewood High School. He is a 6-6, 335 pound OT who runs a 5.4 40, and bench presses over 300 pounds and squats 600. He tells me that Ohio State, West Virginia and Illinois are his three favorite schools, though he is also interested in Michigan State and Wisconsin. Hines said that he too is planning to go to the Buckeyes' junior recruiting day. Roger Gibson is a DE from Parma, Padua High School that likes Ohio State. He is a 6-5, 235 pounder with 4.8 40 speed. He had 14 sacks as a sophomore, and then six more as a junior. He has a 2.0 GPA and will be a four-year varsity starter in basketball where he averages 15 points and nine rebounds per game, but he is planning to go the football route in college. He is looking at Ohio State, Minnesota, West Virginia, Boston College, Notre Dame and Central Michigan, and he too plans to go to the Buckeyes' junior recruiting day on April 1. LB James Battle from Cincinnati Colrain High School is 6-0 tall, 220 pounder with 4.6 40 speed. He plays inside linebacker and has 2.9 GPA. Battle made almost 75 tackles including 3 sacks this past season. He will also attend OSU's junior recruiting day, and says he is looking at Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, Cincinnati, Purdue and Kent. He said that right now, he probably is favoring Ohio State, though the Buckeyes have not offered him a scholarship. One of the top prospects in the state of Indiana plans to go to Ohio State's football camp this summer, and has Ohio State as one of his top choices. Ryan Cook is a 6-7, 295 pound OL from Martinsville, Indiana. He runs a 5.25 40 and has been a varsity starter at left tackle since his sophomore season. Cook has a 2.9 GPA and is very athletic for a 300 pounder, moves well, has good feet and squats 500 pounds. He has been offered a scholarship already by Indiana, and he said that Purdue is also talking with him about offering very soon. He is looking at Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Michigan, and said that Ohio State, Indiana and Purdue are his three favorites, and he will probably go to football camps at all three schools this summer. He may also attend OSU's junior recruiting day April 1. In Ohio, OL Jon Better (6-4, 250, 5.05) from Piqua, Ohio is another one that is interested in the Buckeyes. He has a 2.9 GPA and helped lead Piqua to a 10-0 regular season before they lost in the first round of the playoffs. He says he is looking at Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Ohio U., and Miami of Ohio. He has made an unofficial visit to Indiana, and says the Hoosiers are probably his leader right now. The Buckeyes definitely want to land at least one tight end in this recruiting class, and one from the state of Ohio that they are interested in is Ryan Hamby (6-5, 225, 4.7) from Cincinnati Moeller High School. He caught 26 passes this past season for over 400 yards, averaging 15 yards per catch and scoring three touchdown. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan and Miami of Ohio. He has made an unofficial visit to Purdue. Thus far, the Buckeyes have not offered a scholarship, though he is getting mail from Ohio State. The Buckeyes always seem to do well recruiting Columbus Brookhaven High School. This year, there are three players at Brookhaven that the Buckeyes are interested in, one of which they've already offered a scholarship to, Maurice Hall. Another one that the Buckeyes are interested in at Brookhaven is WR Rodney Carter. He is a 6-1, 170 pounder who runs a 4.5 40. He played the WR spot opposite Andrew Lee who of course signed with the Ohio State in February. Carter caught close to 35 passes and scored seven touchdown this past season. He has a 2.7 GPA. Carter plans to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day, and says he is looking at Ohio State, Purdue, Florida State, Michigan and Florida, and says the Purdue would probably be his favorite because, as he put it, they pass the ball a lot. The Buckeyes have now offered a scholarship to DE Pierre Woods (6-6, 220, 4.6) from Cleveland. He has now been offered by Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio U., and Toledo, though he says he is not particularly close to making a decision. Woods is not the only DE from the state of Ohio that the Buckeyes hope to land a commitment from. Pat Massey (6-8, 235, 4.7) from Cleveland Saint Ignatious High School tells me that the Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship, as have a number of others. He had 13 sacks this past season among his 51 tackles. Massey has not been offered a scholarship by Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Indiana and Duke. He is not particularly close to making a decision, and says that as of right now, he is not planning a commitment in the near future, however the Buckeyes would like to change that thinking. Massey is planning to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day on April 1, and certainly the Buckeyes would love to get a commitment from him at that point. Massey's older brother of course is Jim Massey, a lineman on the OSU football team. An outstanding kicker from the state of Ohio that is interested in Ohio State, in fact he is going to go to the Buckeyes' football camp this summer, is Travis Mayle, from Crestwood High School in Mantua, Ohio. Mayle is a 6-1, 175 pound kicker who made 5 field goals as a junior from over 50 yards out. He made 10 of 23 attempts overall, but of the 13 misses, ten were from over 50 yards out. He converted 45 of 48 PAT attempts last year, and his career long field goal is from 53 yards out. He is a fine athlete that also starts at DB and returns punts, and as a senior will be his team's starting quarterback. He says that Ohio State, West Virginia and Kent State are three schools up at the top of his list. This past recruiting season, the Buckeyes pursued RB Marcus Sanders from Ravena, Ohio. Sanders ultimately signed with Minnesota. Sanders' teammate, DB/QB Damien Fortson, is also a player the Buckeyes have an interest in. He is a 6-0, 175 pound safety/quarterback. As a sophomore, on defense he picked off six passes, and as a junior, he picked off two more. On offense, he passed for 1400 yards and 19 touchdowns as a junior and also ran for seven touchdowns. He is interested in playing quarterback in college, that is what he prefers, so it is not too surprising that some of the schools on the top of his list are Minnesota and Ohio U, both of whom are recruiting him as a quarterback. Syracuse and Pitt are high on his list as well. The Buckeyes as well as Michigan and others are in contact with him. There are no "sure thing" tight ends in Ohio this season, that is tight ends the Buckeyes definitely will offer a scholarship to, but there a few tight ends that are certainly possibilities. One of those is Rory Hennessey from Cleveland St. Ignatious High School. He is a 6-4, 245 pound tight end with 4.8 40 speed. He is an outstanding blocking tight end, but he also did catch 14 passes as a junior despite missing a couple of games with an injury. He has a 3.7 GPA and tells me that Ohio State is one of the schools he is most interested in. He is looking at Ohio State, Stanford, Notre Dame and Indiana, and that Stanford might be his favorite. He says he would like to take a visit there this spring if possible. DE Ballard Winbush (6-4, 245, 4.7) from Westerville North High School has a 3.0 GPA and says he is interested in Ohio State. He was a varsity starter as a freshman at Columbus Eastmore High School, then transferred to Westerville North, though he did not play his sophomore season. This past season as a junior, Winbush started at both fullback and inside linebacker, but he will likely move to DE in college. From his linebacker spot he had six sacks this past season, and tells me that Michigan State and Syracuse are two schools he is very interested in, but he also says he is interested in Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Boston College and Indiana. In Cleveland, WR Marshaun Minter from Cleveland St. Joseph's High School is a 6-0, 185 pounder with 4.5 40 speed. Minter has a 4.1 GPA and had 12 touchdowns as a junior and averaged over 20 yards per catch. He is drawing interest from a number of schools, including Ohio State, as well as others in the Big Ten, and is drawing plenty of interest from Ivy League Schools as well. In Michigan, a player that is originally from Detroit Cass Tech High School, the same school that produced Marco Cooper, Kahari Stewart, is a player that the Buckeyes will take a look at for this coming season. He is a 6-6, 230 pound DE with 4.7 40 speed. He is at Detroit Finney High School, but was a Detroit Cass Tech as a freshman. He will be one of the top prospects in the state of Michigan this coming season, and starts at both DE and TE. At 6-6 and 230, he is a prototype size for either position in college. He has a 3.3 GPA and also starts in basketball. Among the schools that he has an interest in are Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue and BYU. 03/14/00 8:25 AM Moving to the state of Ohio, LB Brian Hulea (6-2, 235, 4.75) from Canfield is a player who made 143 tackles including three sacks and 20 tackles for loss this past season. He has a 3.3 GPA and caught 20 passes at tight end, but will be a linebacker in college. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Pitt, Kentucky, Northwestern, Miami of Ohio and Akron. Yet another linebacker from the Buckeye state that likes Ohio State is Chris Wooten (6-1 1/2, 240, 4.65) from Bedford. Wooten was his team's leading tackler this past season, with 131 stops. He also had 113 tackles as a sophomore and played for Bedford Chanel and was a varsity starter there as a freshman before transfering to Bedford High School. He has a 2.5 GPA and tells me that some of the schools he is getting mail from are Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Nebraska, and Notre Dame, and he is interested in all of those schools. RB Nick DePiero (5-10, 215, 4.45) from Holy Name High School in Parma, Ohio rushed for over 1100 yards and scored 15 touchdowns this past season. He has a 3.8 GPA. He tells me he plans to go to an Ohio State spring practice. He also is interested in Northwestern, Michigan, Akron and Ohio U. In Ohio, DE Jamie Wimmer (6-4, 255) from Avon, Ohio likes the Buckeyes. He started at offensive tackle and ILB as a junior, but will be a DE in college. He has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. He has a 2.9 GPA. As a sophomore, he made 77 tackles, and this past season he made 86. He is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana and Ohio U. RB/WR prospect Marcus Patton (5-9, 160, 4.5) from Youngstown is also interested in the Buckeyes. As a sophomore, he was a varsity starter at WR, and this past season was a varsity starter at RB. He has a 2.8 GPA and tells me the schools he is most intersted in are Ohio State, West Virginia, Purdue, Indiana and Georgia Tech, and that right now he does not have a favorite. Rick Clausen (6-3, 190) is the younger brother of QB Casey Clausen who the Buckeyes offered a scholarship to last year but signed with Tennessee. Rick is also a QB prospect and he is drawing interest from Ohio State, and he says that the Buckeyes are one of the schools that he likes. Last season he was the backup QB to his older brother Casey, and this year has transferred to Woodland Hills Taft High School for his senior season at that school. He is gettting mail from Ohio State, Michigan State, Miami, Colorado, Pitt and others. Clausen says he is interested in all those schools including Ohio State. He has a 3.7 GPA. An interesting prospect from Springfield, Ohio is Isaac Smolko (6-5, 230, 4.6). He started at both TE and OLB this past season, and has been a varsity starter at both of those positions since his freshman season. He could play either TE or OLB in college. He caught close to 50 passes this past season, and had over 50 tackles over on the other side of the ball. He is a fine athlete that also averages over 10 points per game in basketball, and pitches and plays first base in baseball. Mocho has a 3.0 GPA. He went to a University of Cincinnati Basketball game on an unofficial visit for football earlier this season, and says that he is going to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State sometime in April. He also says that Ohio State is his favorite school. He is also looking at Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Cincinnati and Youngstown State. WR Sean Coffey (6-5, 215, 4.6) from E.Cleveland Shaw High School says he too likes the Buckeyes. He has a 2.5 GPA and also averages 13 points per game in basketball, and is a 400 meter track athlete and a high jumper as well. He has been a two season starter on the varsity at WR, and as a junior caught 18 passes and averaged 15 yards per catch. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Penn State, West Virginia, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio U, Miami of Ohio and Maryland. He says that Ohio State and Penn State are probably his top two choices. He is going to visit Penn State March 25th for the Lions junior recruiting day, and he is going to visit OSU April 1 for the Buckeyes recruiting day. Timothy Wilkes (6-2, 255, 2.7) is a DE/OLB from Akron St. Vincents High School. He has been a varsity starter since his freshman seaosn. He made 56 tackles including 8 sacks th is past season. He could play either DE or OLB in college. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Minnesota, and those are the main schools that he is interested in, and he is receiving mail from all of them. The Buckeyes are looking at a kicker for this recruiting class, Mike Nugent (5-10, 165) from Centerville, Ohio. He has been Centerville's varsity kicker since his freshman season. As a freshman he went 1-1 on field goals, as a sophomore 3-3, and this past season 4 -6 with a long of 47 yards. He also connected on 63 of 65 PATs. He tells me that he is going to go to one of Ohio State's spring parctice sessions, and says that his two favorite schools are Ohio State and Stanford. TE Andree Tyree (6-3, 250, 4.8) from London will be one of the better TE prospects in Ohio this season. He has a 2.6 GPA and this past season caught 24 passes and also made 76 tackles as a linebacker. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois and Notre Dame. He says that every school in the Big Ten excpet Wisonsin and Penn State has been in contact, but his two favorites are Ohio State and Indiana. LB Tyler Vogel (6-5, 220, 4.65) from Coldwater, Ohio has a 3.0 GPA and also is a starter in basketball and baseball, but will go the football route in college. He says he is interested in Miami of Ohio, Ohio State and Northwestern, and those are the main schools he is focusing on. Miami of Ohio has already offered him a scholarship, and he is going to make an unofficial visit there the weekend of March 25, and it is not out of the question he could commit at that point. RB Maurice Hall (5-10, 185, 4.35) from Columbus Brookhaven High School has been offered a scholarship by Penn State. The Buckeyes have already offered Hall a scholarship. Hall rushed for over 1700 yards as a sophomore and over 1300 this past season. He was also the City League 100 meter and 200 meter dash champion as a sophomore and has run a 10.7 100 and a 21.7 200. He now has offers from Ohio State, Penn State and Minnesota. He is looking at those three, as well as Florida State, Tennessee, Michigan, Nebraska and Miami. Hall will attend Penn State's junior recruiting day on March 25th, and is scheduled to attend OSU's the weekend of April 1st. Right now, Hall does not name a leader. Another RB from Ohio the Buckeyes are intersted in is Christian Channels (6-0, 185, 4.4) from Dayton Dunbar. He rushed for almost 1200 yards this past season, and accounted for almost 1900 yards of total offense. He has a 2.7 GPA and says he will be at Ohio State's junior recruiting day April 1. He is looking at Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Indiana and says that right now, Indiana would be his favorite. Yet another RB the Buckeyes are intersted in is Tim Murphy (5-10, 210, 4.5) from Akron. In fact, Ohio State has requested film on Tim Murhpy. He rushed for almost 1400 yards as a sophomore and over 2100 yards this past season. He scored 27 times and averaged 10.5 yards per carry as a junior. He has a 2.8 GPA and a 17 on the ACT has already been offered a scholarship by Minnesota, Pitt and Cincinnati, however if Michigan offers him a scholarship, he will likely commit there when he visits March 18th when he makes an unofficial visit there. In Indiana, a TE/OL that likes the Buckeyes is Josh Jackson (6-5, 240, 4.9). He has played offensive tackle and could play either position in college. He has a 4.0+ GPA and tells me that he is looking at Indiana, Ohio State, Kentucky, Arkansas, Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, and Vanderbilt. The Buckeyes are sending Josh Jackson mail, though they have not offered him a scholarship. In Ohio, DL Mark Conley says Ohio State (6-3, 275, 5.0) is his favorite school. He is from Lakewood, Ohio and had 13 sacks midway through this past season when ye tore a tendon in his finger and had surgery. Right after that, he broke his ankle, so he missed basically the second half of the season, but still had those 13 sacks. He has a 2.0 GPA and says he will attend the Buckeyes junior recruiting day. He says he favors Ohio State over Indiana, Michigan State and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes have not yet offered him a scholarship. RB Earl Haynes (5-9, 165) from Fairfield High School in southwest Ohio rushed for 1,550 yards as a sophomore and almost 200o this past season and scored 27 touchdowns. He has a 2.2 GPA. He was born in Florida, and tells me that Florida State is his favorite school, but he also says that he is looking at Ohio State and Penn State. Danny Upchurch (5-9, 170, 4.5) from Columbus Brookhaven is a cornerback prospect that the Buckeyes are looking at. He has a 2.5 GPA and was a varsity starter as a freshman and sophomore at Columbus South before transfering to Brookhaven for his junior season. He starts at both cornerback and quarterback, but will play on defense in college. In three varsity seasons, he has 10 interceptions. He tells me that he is looking at Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska and Pitt. He says he is going to go to football camp this summer at Ohio State and Michigan. LB Steve Graef (6-2, 225) from Uniontown Lake High School in Ohio will be going to Ohio State as a walk-on. Graef, a senior, drew interest from a number of schools, but was not offered a scholarship by any of the big-time programs. He subsequently narrowed things down to going to either Ohio State or Ohio U as a preferred walk on, and decided on the Buckeyes. He is an ILB. Trent Cole (6-3, 220, 4.75) is a fine prospect that is interested in the Buckeyes. He is from Xenia, Ohio and started at both DE and FB this past season. On offense, he rushed for over 800 yards and was one of the team's top tacklers. he could play DE, TE, LB or FB in college. He has a 2.2 GPA and he is very explosive off the ball. Among the schools that he is intersested in are Ohio State, Nebraska, Florida State, Florida, and Cincinnati, and all of those schools have requested Film. DL Jamal Bryant (6-2, 285, 5.15) from Ohlmstead Falls High School has a GPA that is close to the 2.0 mark and has been a varsity starter since his freshman season. That year, he made 111 tackles. As a junior this past season, he made 81 tackles, bu that was despite being constantly double teamed. He bench presses well over 300 pounds and squats over 500 and is hearing from Ohio State and many other Big Ten schools. He also is hearing from just about everyone in the MAC. Two schools he is definitely intersted in are Ohio State and Michigan. The one question mark with Bryant is grades. 03/03/00 3:45 PM The list of players that say they will be at Ohio State's junior recruiting day March 1st just continues to grow and grow. WR Matt Knueven (6-2, 200, 4.4) from Cincinnati LaSalle High School told me he will attend. Knueven had a huge junior season, catching 48 passes for almost 700 yards and seven touchdowns. He has a 3.0 GPA. He has previously been to junior days at Notre Dame and Indiana, and will also attend a junior day in April at Michigan State. Kineven said that Notre Dame would probably be his number one choice right now, with Indiana second, but he is definitely interested in the Buckeyes. He is in the state of Tennessee this weekend participating in a track meet. He is a player that the Buckeyes definitely are intersted in, though they have not offered him a scholarship. Yet another wide receiver who plans to be at Ohio State's junior recruiting day is Chris Harrell (6-2, 190, 4.5) from Euclid. He has a 2.8 GPA and coach 32 passes this past season and averaged 16 yards per catch and scored six touchdowns. He intercepted five passes on defense as well. Harrell says that the four schools he is most interested in are Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan. He says he is going to go to Penn State's junior day March 25th, and OSU's on April 1. He says OSU and Penn State are his two favorites, and he struggles with who he likes best. He said he's really like to go to both schools, though to this point, neither has offered a scholarship. LB Eric Byrum (6-4, 225, 4.6) from Grove City also plans to go to Ohio State's junior day April first. He helped lead Grove City to a 12-0 record before they lost in the state playoffs. He has a 4.0 GPA and says that his favorite schools are Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan and Boston College. He has already been to Boston College, and also would like to make a spring visit to Michigan. Shawn Carlson from Boardman, Ohio near Youngstown is a 6-6, 205 tight end prospect who runs a 4.65 40. He caught 35 passes and scored six touchdowns as a junior, and has a 2.3 GPA. Carlson says he wants to attend one of OSU's spring practice sessions, and says that Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and a couple of local schools, Youngstown Sate and Kent State, are schools that he is definitely interested in, but says right now he has no favorite. The Buckeyes are interested in fullback Kyle Koester (6-1, 235) from Cincinnati Elder High School. He is from the same high school as current OSU linebacker Jason Ott, and rushed for 1500 yards and 20 touchdowns this past season. He made an unofficial visit to Indiana this past weekend and took in the Indiana basketball win over Michigan State. He might make an unofficial visit to Illinois this weekend, and says that he is looking at Indiana, Illiniois, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Notre Dame and Stanford. To this point, all of those schools are showing an interest, though none have offered him a sholarship. The Buckeyes are definitely interesed in DB Jeff Backes from Upper Arlington, High School. He is a 5-11, 180 pounder with 4.4 40 speed, and is one of the better prospects in central Ohio for this coming season. The one question mark is his size. He was a varsity starter in basketball as a sophomore, and a varsity starter in football that season at free safety. He picked off two passes, however he was injured the first football game of his junior season and had surgery. He is looking at OSU as well as Stanford, Notre Dame, Purdue and Michigan, and has made unofficial visits to Ohio State a couple of times and has been to Purdue as well. Defensive lineman Pierre Woods from Cleveland Glenville High School is a player OSU is interested in, and Woods already has several scholarship offers. He is a 6-6, 215 DE who runs a 4.6 40. He has started on the varsity since his sophomore season. He made 45 tackles, including six sacks this past season, and he also plays tight end but will be a rush defensive end in College. He has a 2.8 GPA and among the schools that have offered him a scholarship are Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana and Toledo. He also is hearing from Ohio State, Michigan and many others. Another DL that OSU interested in is Mike Thaler from Cincinnati LaSalle High School. He pland to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day on April first. He is a 6-2, 290 nose guard who runs a 5.0 40. He made 65 tackles this past season, including 14 for losses and five sacks. He has a 3.7 GPA and has started on the varsity at nose guard since his sophomore season. He has already been to junior recruiting days at Notre Dame and Indiana, and says that right now, he likes Ohio State, Notre Dame, Indiana, Michigan and probably Tennessee. Moving to the state of Florida, a super prospect that is interested in the Buckeyes is linebacker Chauncey Davis from Auburndale, Florida. He is a 6.-2, 230 pound OLB who will be one of the top prospects in Florida this coming season. Davis bench presses over 300 pounds and is a tremendous athlete who has both strength and speed. He made 75 tackles this past season, and among the schools that he is intersted in are the Florida Schools, as well as Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and a few others. One of the top running back prospects in the Midwest for this coming season is intersted in Ohio State. Jamaal Butler, a 5-11, 190pounder with 4.3 40 speed from Oak Creek Wisconsin rushed for 2,014 yards and 30 touchdowns and averaged over 11 yards per carry this past season. He has a 2.5 GPA. He told me that the four schools that he is concetrating on are Nebraska, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State. He said that Nebraska would be his top choice right now. Thus far, though, Wisonsin and Michigan State are the two schools that have offered him a scholarship. In Michigan, one of the top linebackers there is interested in Ohio State, that being James Booker (6-3, 225) form Detroit MLK High School. He is an ILB who made 87 tackles including three sacks, and picked off three passes this past season. He has a 2.6 GPA and tells me that he is mainly looking at the Big Ten schools and mentions Ohio State, Michigan as well as Michigan State, Indiana and Minnsota as schools he is most intersted in. Booker said that Michigan has offered him a scholarship and he said that Michigan and Ohio State are his two favorites, and he pland to go to Ohio State's junior recruiting day on April 1st. Booker's teammate is also intersted in Ohio State. DE Kevin Vickerson (6-6, 250, 4.9) has a 2.6 GPA and has started on the varsity since his freshman season. He played at Detroit Northwestern as a freshman before playing for ML King the past two season. He made 78 tackles, including 23 for losses this past season. He tells me that he is looking at Michigan, Ohio State, Minnesota, Tennessee and Florida. He says that Michigan and Minnesota are his top two choices. Shane Olivea, the outstanding offensive lineman that signed with the Buckeyes earlier this month, made a visit to OSU recently during his school break. He is hoping to learn the system, so he met with coach Belu to try and get a headstart and learn as much as possible so he can be a factor as quickly as possible for the Buckeyes. It is his goal to play as a true freshman, and certainly it is not totally out of the question as the Buckeyes do need help on the offensive line. A super running back from Pennsylvania name Kevin Shaheed Jones (6-1, 205, 4.3) is from Springfield Cardinal O'Hara High School. He rushed for 2,082 yards as a sophomore, and another 1,800 yards this past season, scoring 26 times. He has a 2.9 GPA and he has run a 10.2 100 meters in track and a 21.2 200 meters. He is without question one of the top RB prospects in the US. He has already made an unofficial visit with Penn State, and he is looking at Penn State, Michigan, as well as Iowa, Virginia Tech and Pitt. All fo those schools have already offered him a scholarship. Some other schools that he is considering are Notre Dame and UCLA, and the Buckeyes also hope to be a factor as well, as they are also pursuing him and have offered him a scholarship. Yet another Ohioan that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to is DE Simon Fraser from Upper Arlington, High School. Fraser is a 6-6, 240 pound DE who runs a 4.9 40. He has a 3.7 GPA and has started on the Upper Arlington varsity since his sophomore season. He also plays basketball and made 115 tackles from his DE spot as a junior, including 25 for losses, with 18 of those being for sacks. Fraser had 32 quarterback harrasments. He tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, Stanford and Michigan State. He went to a Purdue basketball game, and went to an Ohio State football game this past season. Fraser is hopefull of making a decision sometime before the end of the summer. RB Maurice Hall, who we reported on in our prevous update, was on hand to see the Ohio State/Illinois basketball game. Also in attendance at the game was DB Dustin Fox (6-0, 190, 4.4) . Like Hall, Fox has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. He is a two-year starter as a safety and last season made 66 tackles and had six interceptions. He has a 2.8 GPA. His older brother Derron is a safety at Penn State while his uncle, Ken Kuhn, was a standout linebacker for Ohio State. Fox said he had a good time at the OSU/Ill basketball game, and after the game, he traveled to the Pataskala area where he visited with his uncle, Kenny Kuhn. Fox said that Ohio State, Penn State and Indiana have offered him a scholarship and he is looking at those three, as well as Notre Dame. He says that right now, Penn State is probably his favorite, and after that, Ohio State and Notre Dame are about even. He said he definietly wants to pick his college and make a commitment before the start of his senior season. |