Bill Kurelic's October Posts October 29th RB Kerry Carter (CN), who has made
official visits to OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, and MICHIGAN
STATE, told me last night, "I'm still planning to
make an official visit to WISCONSIN November 7th, but I'm LB Antwan Fleming (6'3 240 4.65) from
Plant City, Florida tells me, "I definitely plan to
visit FLORIDA, OHIO STATE, and KANSAS STATE. Those three
schools have offered me a scholarship. I'm looking at
MICHIGAN, IOWA, and MIAMI too, but they haven't offered
yet. I'll WR Tyrece Butler (6'4 195 4.55) from Indianapolis Decatur Central in Indiana tells me, "I've got INDIANA scheduled for December 4th and TENNESSEE scheduled for January 15th. I'm going to visit MINNESOTA too, probably sometime in January. I'm trying to work out a date with MICHIGAN too, probably December 11th. I might be visiting OHIO STATE. I'd say Michigan is probably my favorite with Indiana second and Ohio State third." WR/DB Luke Powell (5'9 170 4.4) from Smyrna, Georgia told me last night, "TENNESSEE, AUBURN, KENTUCKY, OHIO STATE, and MICHIGAN are the five schools I'm most interested in. I'm making an official visit to Kentucky November 14th, and I'll start to schedule the other ones in the next week or so. More than likely I'll go to the Ohio State-Michigan game November 21st, but it would probably be an unofficial visit." October 26th Also visiting Tennessee this past weekend was RB Nick Maddox (NC). Nick at one time was going to make an official visit with the Volunteers this past weekend, but simply made an unofficial visit to see the Tennessee-Alabama game. Nick said yesterday, "It was a nice game. I had fun. But I didn't commit. I'm going to go to the North Carolina at Florida State game October 31st, but I'm not sure if it will be official or unofficial. Either way I'll probably make official visits to FLORIDA STATE and TENNESSEE. I'm looking at a lot of other schools still too. NOTRE DAME, FLORIDA, OHIO STATE, TEXAS, NORTH CAROLINA, SYRACUSE, GEORGIA, MICHIGAN somewhat, MIAMI a little. There's a lot of them. I'm not sure yet who I'll visit." DB Darrell Rideaux (CA) and WR Kareem Kelly (CA) are making official visits to CAL this weekend. They both started their visit on Saturday and won't be back until later today. I'll be in contact with both this evening. They have both been offered a scholarship by OHIO STATE. Prior to this weekend Kareem had said he planned to make an official visit to OHIO STATE. TE/QB Gary Godsey (FL) had been
thinking about making an unofficial visit this past
weekend to see the Florida State at Georgia Tech game,
but Could the Buckeyes land both DE Darnell
Dockett from Maryland and LB T.J.
Duckett from Michigan as a package? It could
happen! I spoke DE Clint Mitchell (6'7 240 4.75) from Clearwater Countryside in Florida tells us, "I've narrowed it down to six schools, FLORIDA, TENNESSEE, AUBURN, GEORGIA, KANSAS STATE, and OHIO STATE, but I probably won't begin to set up my official visits until around the beginning of November. I'll definitely visit Florida and Tennessee, and I plan to visit Ohio State too. I'm going to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State the weekend they play Michigan. My dad and I are going to go up there that weekend, then go to Cincinnati on that Sunday to see the Cincinnati-Baltimore game. My brother Jeff plays for the Ravens. All the schools I'm looking at have offered me a scholarship, but I don't have a favorite." Clint's brother Jeff played his college football at Florida. Alex Jackson (6'5 285 5.1) from Quincy Shanks in Florida is another standout from the Sunshine state who will be making an official visit to Ohio State. Alex will make official visits to KENTUCKY November 14th, OHIO STATE November 21st, and GEORGIA TECH either December 4th or 11th. He is also looking at TENNESSEE, GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA, SYRACUSE, ALABAMA, FLORIDA STATE, and MIAMI, and says they have all offered a scholarship. Alex at one point told us the Buckeyes were his leader, but now tells us, "I'd say Ohio State, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech are my top three, but I don't want to put them in any order." DL Ellington Wills (6'4 280 4.8) from
Detroit Central in Michigan has been a varsity starter
since his freshman season. He made 58 solo tackles, DB Mike Postell (6'0 185 4.45) from Matawan Regional in New Jersey tells us, "I'll probably visit OHIO STATE either December 4th or December 11th. I want to visit KANSAS STATE and probably TENNESSEE too. That's really about it right now. Ohio State is my favorite by far. I told Coach Simms that Ohio State is my team." October 23rd. As I've mentioned previously, a number of outstanding prospects who the Buckeyes would love to land are going to be making official visits elsewhere this weekend. QB Chris Simms (NJ) and DL Albert Haynesworth (SC) are both scheduled to make an official visit to TENNESSEE this coming weekend, but RB Nick Maddox (NC) now says his visit with the Volunteers will likely be unofficial. Also DB Darrell Rideaux (CA) and WR Kareem Kelly (CA) are making official visits to CAL this weekend. All of those players have been offered a scholarship by OHIO STATE. Speaking of WR Kareem Kelly (6'1 190 4.4), Kareem told me last night, "USC is my leader with CAL second. TENNESSEE is third, OHIO STATE is fourth, and FLORIDA is fifth. It's pretty much down to those five. I'll be leaving on Saturday morning for my visit to Cal this weekend. I think I'll probably take all five visits before I make a decision." All five schools have offered Kareem a scholarship though he has not yet set his other visit dates. In past updates I've told you about a several players who will make an official visit to Ohio State the weekend of November 21st to see the Ohio State-Michigan game. Another outstanding player who tells me his official visit with the Buckeyes will be that weekend is OL Shane Lehmann (6'5 270 5.05) from Corona, California. Shane told me last night, "I've got official visits set up to NEBRASKA October 31st, OHIO STATE November 21st, NOTRE DAME December 11th, UCLA December 18th, and USC January 8th. UCLA is my leader. It's a tie for second between Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Nebraska. I might take just four visits. I might announce my decision after I make my UCLA visit." All five schools have offered Shane a scholarship. OL Nick Johnson (6'9 320 5.1) from Mingus Union in Arizona is another one of those prospects who I have told you previously would be making an official visit to Ohio State for the Buckeyes game against Michigan. When I spoke to Nick again last night he told me, "I've filled out my official visit schedule. I'll visit OHIO STATE November 21st, WASHINGTON December 4th, ARIZONA STATE December 11th, ARIZONA January 8th, and UCLA January 15th. For my fifth visit it came down to Arizona or NOTRE DAME, but I just felt like I'd rather visit Arizona. Arizona State is in the lead right now, and I'd have to say Ohio State is second. I think I'll give each school a shot before I decide. All of them have offered me a scholarship." One of the country's top athletes, WR/TE Bo Scaife (6'4 220 4.45) from Denver Mullen in Colorado, tells me he plans to make an official visit to Ohio State. Scaife says, "I'm going to make an official visit to TEXAS November 7th. I'll visit GEORGIA, OHIO STATE, and COLORADO too. I kind of like KENTUCKY and NEBRASKA too. It's really hard to say who my favorite is. They all offered a scholarship and they are all good schools. Coach Spencer called me again this week. He calls every week." The Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to DE Chris Hewitt (6'5 250 4.9) from Atlanta Marist in Georgia, and certainly have a legitimate shot at landing him. But they do have a little catching up to do. Chris tells me, "I'm going to try to visit Ohio State, I just need to get my basketball schedule so I can figure out when to take my visits without missing games. OHIO STATE, VIRGINIA TECH, GEORGIA, TENNESSEE, AUBURN, and NORTH CAROLINA are probably the main ones I'm looking at right now. I'd say Georgia would be in the lead, but I know the most about them. It's a toss-up between Virginia Tech and Ohio State for second. All the schools I mentioned have offered me a scholarship." Speaking of defensive ends, the Buckeyes would love to land David Paine (6'7 265 4.65) from Memphis Melrose in Tennessee, and David told me last night he is interested in Ohio State. David is one of the country's finest DE's and the top overall prospect in the state of Tennessee. He is big, fast, and makes plays. Last season David made 108 tackles including 29 sacks. He has a 2.7 GPA, but needs to pass his test. David told me, "Right now I'm looking at all of them. NEBRASKA, GEORGIA, TENNESSEE, NOTRE DAME, OHIO STATE, FLORIDA, FLORIDA STATE, ALABAMA, UCLA, MICHIGAN, I'm looking at a lot of schools. Ohio State has been calling. I might take a visit there. I'm thinking about them. I haven't set any visits up yet. I don't have a favorite at all." The Buckeyes would love to land OL Alfio Randall (6'5 275 4.85) from Houston Yates in Texas, and they are one of the six finalists. Alfio is one of the country's finest OL prospects. He told me last night, "TEXAS, SMU, NEBRASKA, MICHIGAN, OHIO STATE, and GEORGIA, I've narrowed it down to those six. All of them want me to visit and offered a scholarship. I'll take all five of my official visits. I'm going to visit both Ohio State and Michigan up there for sure, but I don't have any dates yet." TE/QB Gary Godsey (6'8 250 4.9) from
Tampa Jesuit in Florida is scheduled to visit NOTRE DAME
December 4th and OHIO STATE December 11th. He told me
last night, "Those are still the only two visits I
have scheduled. GEORGIA TECH and TENNESSEE are the other
two I'll probably visit. Those are basically my top four,
but that could change. I'm still looking at MICHIGAN and
FLORIDA, but not as hard as the others right now. I might
go up to Atlanta this weekend (unofficial visit) to see
the Georgia Tech-Florida State game." All the
schools Gary has under LB Corey Collier (6'2 220 4.6) from Miami Palmetto in Florida has scheduled three official visits and also wants to schedule one to Ohio State. He tells me, "I'll visit WEST VIRGINIA December 4th, IOWA December 11th, and VIRGINIA TECH January 15th. I like OHIO STATE and FLORIDA STATE too. Those are my five favorites. I haven't scheduled anything with Ohio State or Florida State yet, but those are the two schools I like best." October 16th The Buckeyes are hosting two outstanding prospects from the state of Florida for official visits this weekend. DB/WR Lito Sheppard (5'11 185 4.3) from Jacksonville Raines High School and his teammate WR/DB Maurice Harris (6'2 200 4.45) are both scheduled to make official visits to Ohio State to see the Buckeyes play Minnesota. Several outstanding prospects who the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to are making official visits elsewhere this weekend. DE Cole Pittman (6'5 260 4.8) from Shreveport Evangel in Louisiana is making an official visit to LSU this weekend. Pittman has not scheduled a visit with the Buckeyes as of yet, but is considering one. The same goes for DL Albert Haynesworth from South Carolina who is scheduled to visit PENN STATE this weekend. I checked with both of those players last night and they both confirmed that their visits for this weekend are still on. And finally, RB William Green from New Jersey is planning to make an official visit this weekend to either BOSTON COLLEGE or PENN STATE. There was no answer at Green's home all night last night so I could not confirm which school Green will visit this weekend. I'll of course be in contact with Green on Sunday evening. Green has not yet set up a date to visit OHIO STATE, but he has previously told me he definitely plans to visit the Buckeyes. Of course the Buckeyes will be hosting a number of prospects for unofficial visits to Ohio State this weekend to see their game against Minnesota on Saturday. I'll tell you all about those players as well as Pittman, Haynesworth, and Green on Monday. I checked again last night with RB Kerry
Carter from Canada, who Ohio State has offered a
scholarship to, and here is what he had to say.
"It's still real close between OHIO STATE and
MICHIGAN for the lead. I guess I would say Ohio State is
slightly ahead, but it's real close. QB/ATH Andy Mignery from Hamilton, Ohio has now set up two official visits. He told me last night, "I'll visit MICHIGAN November 7th for their game against Penn State. Coach Mike Berry, the offensive line coach at Tennessee called me tonight (Thursday night) and we just set up a visit to TENNESSEE for December 11th. I'm also still looking at OHIO STATE, but they're not up with Michigan and Tennessee right now. It's totally equal between Michigan and Tennessee for the lead. People have been telling me I should take some official visits before I make a decision, and I think that's probably the smart thing to do. I'm not sure if I'll visit Ohio State or not." All three schools have offered. OL Keith Leavitt (6'8 285 5.1) from Fitchburg, Massachusetts tells me, "I'm pretty much looking at the same schools as before. PENN STATE, SYRACUSE, BOSTON COLLEGE, OHIO STATE, and VIRGINIA have offered me. I'm looking at all those schools. I'm looking at NOTRE DAME too, and MICHIGAN some. I think Notre Dame has said I have a scholarship. I've got a visit set up to Boston College December 11th. I'll probably also visit Penn State and Syracuse, and maybe Notre Dame and Ohio State. Michigan's maybe a possibility. I don't have any favorite at all." K/P Nick Setta (6'0 170 4.6) from Romeoville Lockport Township in Illinois should in the near future set a date to make an official visit to Ohio State. He tells me, "I'll probably start to set my visits up in a week or two. I'll probably visit NOTRE DAME, MICHIGAN, FLORIDA, and OHIO STATE. GEORGIA TECH and ILLINOIS are the other two schools I'm still looking at. That's pretty much the main ones. That's about it right now. Notre Dame, Michigan, and Illinois have offered me a scholarship, but I still don't have a favorite." Nick added that Buckeye assistant Tim Spencer is calling on a regular basis. RB Tony Milton (5'10 180 4.45) from Tallahassee North Florida Christian in Florida had a huge junior season. He gained 1898 yards and scored 19 touchdowns. Milton has a 2.7 GPA and will take the ACT October 24th. He tells me, "It's hard to say who all I like right now, there's a lot of schools. I like NEBRASKA, OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, CLEMSON, SYRACUSE, FLORIDA, FLORIDA STATE, I guess those are most of the main ones. Ohio State has been calling me a lot, but Michigan calls a lot from up there too. I haven't set any visits yet. I'm not sure who I want to see yet. I don't have any. favorites at all." October 12, 1998 RB Kerry Carter (6'2 225 4.45) from Canada made his official visit to Michigan this past weekend, and what I've been saying I felt would happen looks like it will. I've been saying to look for Carter's decision to come down to OHIO STATE or MICHIGAN and it now looks even more like that is going to happen . After returning home from Ann Arbor on Sunday Carter told me, "It's really close now between Michigan and Ohio State. They're really basically even. I guess if I had to say who was in the lead maybe I'd say Ohio State, but basically it's about even. I'm not sure who I'd say is third. I think I'll still take my visit to WISCONSIN (November 7th), but I'm not sure if I'll still take my visit to STANFORD (December 4th). I'm not real close to making a decision right now, so I'll probably go ahead and visit Wisconsin." DL Albert Haynesworth (6'6 305 4.9) from South Carolina made an official visit to Georgia this past weekend, but did not commit to the Bulldogs. Haynesworth told me late last night, "It was great at GEORGIA, but I didn't commit. I'm going to visit PENN STATE this weekend and TENNESSEE October 24th. I'm looking at a lot of schools for my other two official visits. I'm definitely considering OHIO STATE, but I'm also considering FLORIDA STATE, FLORIDA, CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA, and NORTH CAROLINA STATE too." QB Chris Simms (6'5 210 4.7) from New Jersey told me on Sunday that is a very realistic possibility that he and super RB Nick Maddox could go to the same school. What a package that would be! And the Buckeyes are very much in the mix. Simms told me, "Coach Salem at OHIO STATE told me awhile back that maybe Nick Maddox and I could go to the same school so I thought maybe I should call him. Since then Nick and I have talked just about every week. We'd like to go to the same school if we could. Most of the schools we are looking at are the same. We're both going to make an official visit to TENNESSEE October 24th. I'm going to visit OHIO STATE, PENN STATE, and TEXAS too, and he's looking at all those schools. I think the two biggest ones we don't have in common are FLORIDA STATE and NORTH CAROLINA. He's looking at those two, but I'm not. I'm looking at PITT and MIAMI too, and kinda MICHIGAN still." So what does Nick Maddox say about all this? He told me on Sunday evening, "It would be nice to go to the same school as Chris Simms. We talk about it. I'm looking at TENNESSEE, FLORIDA STATE, OHIO STATE, NORTH CAROLINA, TEXAS, maybe PITT somewhat, but there's maybe 15 others too. MIAMI, GEORGIA, and FLORIDA are some of them. I'll visit Tennessee and probably Florida State. After that I'm not sure yet. But it would be nice for Chris and I to go to the same school." And speaking of running backs, William Green (6'1 220 4.45) from New Jersey told me yesterday that he is still planning to make an official visit to Ohio State. Green, who has already made an official visit to NORTH CAROLINA said, "I'm making an official visit to BOSTON COLLEGE October 17th and WISCONSIN November 21. I'm still working on my other two visits. OHIO STATE, PENN STATE, TENNESSEE, and FLORIDA STATE are the main ones I'm thinking about. But Ohio State is a definite. I'll visit there I just don't have an exact date yet. I would say North Carolina is my leader right now, but that's the only school I've made an official visit too." OL Nick Johnson (6'9 320 5.1) from
Arizona told me on Sunday, "ARIZONA STATE is my
favorite with OHIO STATE second. Those are the top two,
with WASHINGTON, UCLA, and NOTRE DAME the other schools
I'm looking at. Coach Sanford (an assistant) from Notre
Dame has been calling quite a bit lately so I've put them
on my list. I'd really love to go out there and check the
place out. Michigan hasn't been contacting me that much
lately so I'm not really looking at them anymore. I've
got visits set up to Ohio State November 21st, Washington Another outstanding offensive lineman who is going to make an official visit to Ohio State is Kevin Breedlove (6'5 290 5.1) from South Carolina. Kevin told me on Sunday, "I've pretty much narrowed things down to five schools, OHIO STATE, TENNESSEE, GEORGIA, FLORIDA, and UCLA. I'll probably visit all five and drag things out as long as I can. I want to make sure I make the right decision. I want to know as much about each school as I can. They've all offered me a scholarship. I haven't set any visits up yet because I'm not sure when our season will be over with playoffs and all, and there's the Shrine Bowl too (South Carolina vs North Carolina high school all-star game)." Super LB T.J. Duckett (6'3 240 4.55) from Michigan told me on Sunday, "If we aren't in the playoffs I'll probably make a visit to FLORIDA STATE November 21st. It would be an official visit. They are one of my top four along with MICHIGAN STATE, OHIO STATE, and UCLA . UCLA is more in there now than MICHIGAN. I'm just not as sure about Michigan as much now. NOTRE DAME, PENN STATE, and GEORGIA are also still in there. But I plan to visit Florida State, Michigan, State, Ohio State, and UCLA before I make a decision." October 5, 1998 It was a very good weekend on the field for the Buckeyes with the big win over Penn State, and it looks like a good weekend on the recruiting front as well. In fact two big-time talents that the Buckeyes would love to land, after seeing the Buckeyes win on Saturday, told me on Sunday that Ohio State is their leader. RB Kerry Carter (6'2 225 4.45) from Canada made his official visit to Ohio State this past weekend and told me on Sunday evening, "I liked it a lot at OHIO STATE. They have a lot of pluses. They have a great team and a great medical school, plus there are two Canadians doing real well there (Brent Johnson and Clinton Wayne). Plus a lot of their former players come back and workout like Eddie George and Joey Galloway, and it would be great to work out with the best. Ohio State is probably my leader now, but I think I'll take my other visits." Carter has official visits scheduled to MICHIGAN October 10th, WISCONSIN November 7th, and STANFORD December 4th. He has already made an official visit to MICHIGAN STATE. OL Adrien Clarke (6'5 305 5.2) from
Ohio made an unofficial visit to Ohio State this past
weekend to see the Buckeyes beat Penn State and told me
on Sunday that Ohio State is now clearly his top choice.
Clarke said, "I really liked the atmosphere at Ohio
State Saturday. I just felt it's On the flip side of things, two players that went to the Ohio State-Penn State game for an unofficial visit with the Buckeyes say Ohio State is still playing catch-up. TE Derek Smith (6'6 235 4.7) from Kentucky told me on Saturday evening, "I liked it at OHIO STATE, but KENTUCKY still has a pretty good lead. Ohio State is still second and PENN STATE is still third. It's a different atmosphere at Ohio State than it is at Kentucky. It's nice, but I just like Kentucky better still. I'm not sure if I'll make an official visit to Ohio State or not. I might, but I might make a decision before that." QB/Ath Andy Mignery (6'5 220 4.8) from Hamilton, Ohio also made an unofficial visit to Ohio State on Saturday, but like Smith, says Ohio State is still behind. Andy told me on Sunday, "I had a good time at Ohio State, but I'd say MICHIGAN is still my favorite with TENNESSEE second and OHIO STATE third. I feel like I know enough about each school right now to make a decision, but the smart thing would probably be to take some official visits. I'm not sure if I will or not. I still don't have an exact time frame to make a decision, but I think I'm closer now than I was two months ago." Other players from the state of Ohio to make unofficial visits to see the big win over Penn State included RB Kelton Lindsay, DB Curtis Crosby, LB Fred Pagac Jr., WR Maurice Lee, DL Tim Anderson, P/K B.J. Sander, TE Ben Hartsock, LB Pat O'Neill, and OL Matt Zahn, who have all committed to Ohio State. RB Richard Hall, QB/Ath Bryan Camp, DB/WR Keiwan Ratliff, TE Aaron Lumpkin, WR Deon Provitt, LB James Smith, LB Shaun Piper, and RB Derrick Tatum were some of the other Ohioans who took in the big Buckeye win. From Out-of-state came three players from Michigan. They were DL Ellington Wills (6'4 280 4.8) from Detroit Central, TE Kenneth Gibson (6'7 250 4.85) from Detroit Pershing, and OL Tabari Jones (6'4 280 5.2) from Detroit Cass Tech. While the Buckeyes are interested, they have not offered any of the three a scholarship. Wills however says he definitely wants to make an official visit to Ohio State. Some of the top juniors in the state of Ohio were at the Ohio State-Penn State game as well including RB Brandon Joe from Westerville South, DL Tony Hall from Canton McKinley, DL/OL Alphonso Townsend from Lima Senior, OL Ricky Wymer from Westerville North, and OL Alex Stepanovich from Berea. Several players the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to were making official visits elsewhere this past weekend. However one that was scheduled to visit elsewhere but did not is QB Chris Simms (6'5 210 4.7) from New Jersey. Simms was scheduled to make an official visit to Texas to see the Longhorns play Iowa State, but bad weather in the Lonestar state backed-up flights and Simms wound up staying at home. He does plan to reschedule the visit, and also remains interested in OHIO STATE, PENN STATE, TENNESSEE, PITT, and MICHIGAN a little. OL Augie Hoffman (6'4 310 5.1) from New Jersey made his official visit to NOTRE DAME this past weekend, along with his parents, and the Hoffman's came away very impressed. In fact his mom told me on Sunday night when I asked her if she felt Augie was leaning to Notre Dame, "I wish he would be, what's not to like about Notre Dame?" Augie himself told me last night, "It was a blast at Notre Dame, we had a great time. NOTRE DAME is definitely in my top three along with SYRACUSE and BOSTON COLLEGE. I can't say which one is in the lead right now because I haven't taken my official visits to those other two yet. I'll visit Syracuse either December 4th or 11th and I'm not sure when I'll visit Boston College. MICHIGAN and CLEMSON are kinda in the running. I'm not sure about OHIO STATE right now." Two running backs who Ohio State has offered a
scholarship to made official visits to NORTH CAROLINA
this past weekend. Neither William Green
(6'1 220 4.45) from Absecon Holy Spirit in New Jersey |