Bill Kurelic September Posts September 30th One of the prospects planning to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend is OL Adrien Clarke (6'5 305 5.2) from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Clarke told me last night, "OHIO STATE and MICHIGAN STATE are still my two favorites. They're pretty much even right now. The other schools I'm looking at are PENN STATE, WEST VIRGINIA, SYRACUSE, and ILLINOIS somewhat. Ohio State, Penn State, and West Virginia have offered me a scholarship. I haven't scheduled any of my official visits yet." QB/Ath Andy Mignery (6'5 225 4.8) from Hamilton and QB/Ath Brian Camp (6'2 225 4.6) from Dublin Coffmanare two other Ohioans of note who may make unofficialvisits to Ohio State this weekend. Mignery has narrowed hings down to MICHIGAN, TENNESSEE, and OHIO STATE, with all three having offered. Camp has committed to GEORGIA TECH, but says he wants to make absolutely sure of his decision and says the two schools he is most interested in besides Tech are OHIO STATE and MICHIGAN. Michigan has offered though the Buckeyes have not. A tremendous out-of-state prospect who has told me he
is planning to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State
this weekend to see the Penn State game is TE Derek
Smith (6'6 235 4.7) from Fort Thomas Highlands
High School in Kentucky. Smith has dropped MICHIGAN
fromcontention and his three finalists are KENTUCKY, OHIO
STATE, and PENN STATE in that order. All three have
offered. Smith said this weekend's unofficial visit to
Ohio State is going to go along way toward determining
whether Ohio State moves ahead of Kentucky or not. As usual, most of the Buckeyes verbal commitments will be in attendance at the game as well. All but one of the 13 Ohio State commitments is from the state of Ohio, and the one out-of-state commitment, QB Craig Krenzel, has been to both Buckeye home games thus far. At least eight of the commitments have been in attendance at each of the Buckeyes previous two home games. The Buckeyes are going to get an official visit from one of the country's top prospects, RB Dontae Walker (5'10 205 4.4) from Clinton, Mississippi. Walker, who rushed for 2042 yards and 30 TD's last season, has gained 803yards in just 3 games thus far this year. He has a 2.8 GPA and scored a 19 on the ACT. Walker told me last night, "OHIO STATE, NEBRASKA, MISSISSIPPI STATE, and ALABAMA are my top four. All four have offered me a scholarship. Some people say I'm leaning to Mississippi State, but I really don't have a favorite at all. I've been talking to Ohio State. I plan to make an official visit there, but we don't have it set up yet. I got interested in Ohio State when I went to a Tennessee Oilers game and met Eddie George afterwards. He told me all about Ohio State and it sounded good." Another super RB from the South who has Ohio State
under consideration is Daniel Davis (6'0
220 4.45 from Stafford-Brooke Point in Virginia. Davis
rushed for 1500 yards last season and has over 1100 this
year in five games. He will be making an official visit
to NORTH CAROLINA this weekend and has an official visit
to PENN STATE scheduled for October 17th. Davis told me
last night, "North Carolina and Penn State might be
around the top of my list, but I'm looking at FLORIDA
STATE, NEBRASKA, MICHIGAN, and VIRGINIA too, and OHIO
STATE and NOTRE DAME are also kind of RB/DB Jesse Avant (5'10 180 4.45) from Indianapolis Ben Davis in Indiana at one time was planning to go to the Ohio State game this weekend, but said last night he won't be able to make it. Avant, who has rushed for 1060 yards thus far this season, said last night, "My coach said a coach or someone from Ohio State was at my school today (Tuesday). I'm interested in OHIO STATE, and I like PURDUE, INDIANA, MICHIGAN STATE, and BALL STATE too. Purdue and Indiana have offered me a scholarship." Another player from Indiana who the Buckeyes have been recruiting is WR Tyrece Butler (6'4 195 4.55) from Indianapolis Decatur Central. However Ohio State's interest in Butler has cooled some lately. Butler told me last night, "OHIO STATE and INDIANA were my two favorites, but I haven't heard from Ohio State much lately. Indiana and TENNESSEE are my two favorites now. WISCONSIN, MICHIGAN, and FLORIDA are the other schools I'm looking at." Butler has caught 26 passes in 6 games thus far this season. September 29th OL Tony Pape (6'6 290 5.15) from
Hinsdale South in Illinois has pretty much mapped out his
travel plans for this winter, having now scheduled four
of his official visits including one with the Buckeyes.
Pape told me last night he will make official visits to
MICHIGAN December 4th, UCLA probably December 11th, OHIO
STATE January 8th, and TENNESSEE January 15th. He said
his fifth official visit will be to MIAMI and that one
could be either before his Michigan trip or after his
visit to Tennessee. Pape said all five schools have now
offered And speaking of official visits, OL Augie
Hoffman (6'4 310 5.1) from New Jersey confirmed
last night what he had told me awhile back and what I
mentioned in yesterday's update, he is scheduled to make
an official visit to NOTRE DAME this weekend. In fact
Hoffman's flight leaves at 8:15 on Friday morning.
Hoffman is also planning to visit SYRACUSE either
December 4th or 11th, and will likely visit BOSTON
COLLEGE. The other schools he has under consideration are
OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, and CLEMSON. Syracuse has a slight
lead I had a chance to speak again last night with LB T.J.
Duckett (6'3 240 4.55) from Michigan and Duckett
said he currently has a top four of MICHIGAN STATE,
MICHIGAN, OHIO STATE, and FLORIDA STATE, in no particular
order. UCLA would be a very close number five he added.
Three other schools still under consideration are NOTRE
DAME, PENN STATE, and GEORGIA. All have offered. Duckett,
who has been to a number of college games this season,
said he will likely take this weekend off. He also added,
"If we are not in the RB/WR/DB Art Thomas (6'3 185 4.45) from Pennsylvania told me last night he still has only one official visit scheduled, that being to SYRACUSE the weekend of December 11th. However he added, "I'll definitely make a visit to OHIO STATE. They have a great program. Coach Pagac has been recruiting me for Ohio State, but Coach Spencer called last week. The other schools I'm considering are still the same, PENN STATE, PITT, NORTHWESTERN, and VIRGINIA. They have all offered me a scholarship, but I don't have a favorite. Staying in-state won't be a factor in my decision. I'm originally from New York." Thomas has close to 400 yards rushing as he has led his team to a 4-0 record thus far this season. Art Thomas won't be able to make it to the big Ohio State-Penn State game this weekend for an unofficial visit with the Buckeyes, but plenty of others will. The Bucks always get a good group of recruits in for their big games and I'll be telling you much more about those that will see the big matchup in my upcoming posts. September 28, 1998 QB/Ath Andy Mignery (6'5 225 4.8)
from Hamilton, Ohio made an unofficial visit to Michigan
this past weekend to see the Michigan-Michigan State
game. Mignery did not commit to the Wolverines, but
MICHIGAN seems to have a slight lead over TENNESSEE and
OHIO STATE. Andy prefers quarterback and the Wolverines
have offered him a scholarship as strictly a QB while the
Buckeyes and Volunteers have offered as a
quarterback/athlete. Mignery OL Joseph Patrick (6'7 300 5.3) from Ithaca, Michigan was not able to make it to the Michigan- Michigan State game. He told me on Sunday night, "MICHIGAN STATE still has a slight lead over NOTRE DAME, but I'm still looking at MICHIGAN, OHIO STATE, NORTHWESTERN, and INDIANA too." LB T.J. Duckett from Kalamazoo, Michigan did make it to the Michigan-Michigan State game, but did not commit to the Wolverines. That was expected as Duckett has said all along that he is planning to take at least some of his official visits before he makes a decision. Duckett continues to have MICHIGAN STATE, MICHIGAN, OHIO STATE, and FLORIDA STATE as his top four with no leader. He is also looking at UCLA, NOTRE DAME, and PENN STATE. All have offered. Speaking of offering a scholarship, a great prospect
the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to told me on
Sunday that he is planning to make an official visit to
Ohio State in December. DE Darnell Dockett
(6'4 255 4.7) from Burtonsville Paint Branch in Maryland
told me yesterday TE/QB Gary Godsey (6'8 250 4.9) from
Tampa Jesuit in Florida told me yesterday that he is
tentatively set to make an official visit to Ohio State
in December. Godsey said, "OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME,
and GEORGIA TECH, I'll visit those three for sure. I'll
probably visit Notre LB Corey Collier (6'2 220 4.6) from Miami Palmetto in Florida told me on Sunday, "Ohio State is my leader. I like their program and the school. I like the way they play defense. My top four are OHIO STATE, FLORIDA STATE, FLORIDA, and WEST VIRGINIA. Ohio State and West Virginia have said they have a scholarship for me. I haven't set any of my visits up yet." Collier made 135 tackles including 4 sacks from his ILB spot last season. He has a 2.5 GPA and will take both the SAT and ACT in October. QB/Ath Brian Camp (6'2 225 4.6) from Dublin Coffman in Ohio had been planning to go to the Notre Dame-Purdue game this past weekend. However he had a tough game Friday night and was not able to make it to South Bend on Saturday. Camp is still committed to GEORGIA TECH, but wants to make absolutely sure of his decision, so he is still taking a bit of a look at several other schools. Camp told me Sunday, "I'm still looking at MICHIGAN and OHIO STATE, and NOTRE DAME and FLORIDA a little. I'll probably go to the Ohio State-Penn State game this weekend. I'm not sure when my official visit to Georgia Tech will be, but it might be October 24th when they play Florida State." Georgia Tech and Michigan have offered Camp a scholarship. OL Augie Hoffman (6'4 310 5.1) from
Park Ridge St. Joseph in New Jersey says, "I'll
probably make an official visit to NOTRE DAME to see the
Stanford game (October 3rd). I'm going to visit SYRACUSE
too, probably either the weekend of December 4th or 11th.
I plan to visit September 25, 1998. OL Alan Reuber (6'7 275 4.95) from Plano, Texas is another outstanding blocker who is planning to make an official visit to Ohio State. Reuber told me, "I don't have a leader, I'll wait till after my official visits for that. But my top five are OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME, MIAMI, TEXAS, and TEXAS A M. At this point and time I'm planning to make official visits to Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Miami, I'm just not sure when they will be. All three have offered me a scholarship. Coach Tenuta from Ohio State called me again on Wednesday night." Reuber was the only junior starter on the Plano High School team last year. He has a 3.0 GPA and scored a 1050 on the SAT. DL Albert Haynesworth (6'6 305 4.9) from Hartsville, South Carolina iswithout question one of the country's premier defensive tackle prospects. Haynesworth, who has a 2.3 GPA but needs to slightly improve his SAT score, made 156 tackles as a junior. Haynesworth told me last night, "I haven't set up any visits yet, but I'll probably visit PENN STATE and TENNESSEE, and maybe GEORGIA. There's a lot of other schools I'm looking at too like MICHIGAN, FLORIDA, FLORIDA STATE, and OHIO STATE, and some others. I'm not sure if I'll visit Ohio State or not, but Coach Salem wants me to. He called again a few days ago." LB Darrell Campbell (6'4 225 4.55) from South Holland Thornwood High in Illinois is a player who would like to visit Ohio State if the Buckeyes offer the invitation. On Thursday night Campbell told me, "I've only set up one official visit, it will be to INDIANA December 4th. Coach Spencer from OHIO STATE has called me, and I'd like to take an official visit there, but he hasn't asked me to yet. MICHIGAN STATE and ILLINOIS are two other schools I'm looking at. They both offered me a scholarship. I'm looking at PURDUE a little too." Darrell made 71 tackles from his ILB spot last season. He has a 3.9 GPA and scored a 21 on the ACT. Also put OL Juandale Cooper (6'3 295
5.4) in the category of those players that would like to
visit Ohio State if the invitation is made. Cooper, Even though the Buckeyes are off this week, there will be some unofficial visits to keep an eye on. Michigan State plays at Michigan and three players Ohio State has offered scholarships to will be making unofficial visits to that game. QB/Ath Andy Mignery (OH), LB T.J. Duckett (MI), and OL Joseph Patrick (MI) are all planning to go to the game. The one that would perhaps have the greatest chance of making a decision this weekend would be Mignery. He has said he would like to make a decision as soon as possible between MICHIGAN, TENNESSEE, and OHIO STATE, though he has not ruled out taking official visits to two or all three of the schools. I'll of course be monitoring the situation with Mignery as well as Duckett and Patrick. September 24, 1998 LB Clifton Smith (6'2 235 4.65) from
Freeport High School in New York has set up an official
visit to Ohio State. Smith will visit the Buckeyes the
weekend of December 11th, Syracuse December 4th, and
Notre Dame January 15th. Other schools he said he is
interested in are VIRGINIA and BOSTON COLLEGE. All five
have offered. Smith told me last night, "SYRACUSE is
my leader right now, but I'll probably take at least
those three visits I have scheduled before I make a
decision. I got a call tonight (Wednesday night) from
both Coach Simms Several outstanding prospects who the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to will be making unofficial visits to Michigan this weekend to see the Michigan State-Michigan game. OL Joseph Patrick 6'7 300 5.3) from Ithaca, Michigan told me last night he will be attending the game. Patrick said, "I'm still looking at MICHIGAN STATE, OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, NORTHWESTERN, INDIANA, NOTRE DAME, and ILLINOIS. I'd probably say Michigan State has a slight lead over Notre Dame right now, but Michigan, Ohio State, and Northwestern would be real close in there too. It's hard to say. All the schools except for Michigan have offered me a scholarship, but it seems like they might pretty soon too." Patrick has not yet begun to set up his official visits. He mentioned that Coach Stobart has been calling each week. Also planning to make unofficial visits to Michigan this weekend to see the Michigan-Michigan State game are LB T.J. Duckett (6'3 240 4.55) from Michigan and QB/Ath Andy Mignery (6'5 225 4.8) from Ohio. Both have been offered by the Buckeyes. QB/Ath Brian Camp (6'2 225 4.6) from Dublin Coffman High School in Ohio told me last night that even though he has committed to Georgia Tech, he still has an interest in the Buckeyes. Camp said, "I'm still committed to GEORGIA TECH, and I'm not really thinking much about switching, but I just want to make totally sure. I've been thinking some about maybe visiting MICHIGAN, FLORIDA, NOTRE DAME, and OHIO STATE. I'll be going to Notre Dame this weekend to see their game against Purdue (unofficial visit)." Of the five schools Camp named, Georgia Tech and Michigan have offered. Camp, who went to the Ohio State-Toledo game, is having a super season at both QB and LB as Coffman is currently undefeated. September 23rd, 1998 OL Sean Bubin (6'7 275 5.2) from
Rantoul, Illinois has now moved OHIO STATE into his top
two. Bubin told me last night, "PURDUE and OHIO
STATE are my top two now. MICHIGAN was in there with
Purdue, but not as much now. The other schools I like are
IOWA, MICHIGAN STATE, ILLINOIS, and maybe INDIANA.
Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana have offered me a
scholarship. Purdue, Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State,
and Illinois are the schools right now that I would like
to visit. Coach Spencer has called me but he hasn't asked
me Another prospect from the state of Illinois who has an interest in visiting the Buckeyes is LB Tim Olmstead (6'5 245 4.6) from Kankakee Bishop McNamara. Olmstead told me last night, "I'm looking at NOTRE DAME, PURDUE, BOSTON COLLEGE, FLORIDA, and KENTUCKY. I'm interested in OHIO STATE too, but they haven't offered me a scholarship yet and those others have. But Coach Spencer has called me. I don't really have one favorite yet. I'd be interested in visiting Ohio State, but I haven't set anything up with any of the schools yet." Olmstead did make an unofficial visit to Ohio State back in April and watched one of the Buckeyes spring practice sessions. September 22, 1998 DB Brian Mance (5'11 180 4.4) from Manning, South Carolina said, "I plan to visit Ohio State, I'm just not sure when yet. In fact Coach Salem just called me tonight (Monday night)." OHIO STATE, FLORIDA, FLORIDA STATE, NORTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, GEORGIA, and CLEMSON are the schools I'm looking at. Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson have offered me a scholarship, but I don't have a leader yet." Mance made 88 tackles, picked off 4 passes, and caused 5 fumbles last season from his SS spot, but will move to the corner in college. LB Matt Farrior (6'2 215 4.6) from Ettrick Matoaca High School in Virginia told me last night, "NOTRE DAME, OHIO STATE, TENNESSEE, PENN STATE, VIRGINIA, those are the top ones I'm looking at. All of them said as long as I pass my test (790 on the SAT and a 2.9 GPA) I have a scholarship. I'll probably visit Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Penn State. Coach Fullmer from Tennessee called me tonight (Monday Night). Ohio State called me last week." LB/FB Elmer Holmes (6'0 215 4.5) from Manassas Osborn High School in Virginia told me, "I haven't set any of my visits up yet. I'm just not sure right now. VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA TECH, OHIO STATE, MICHIGAN, NORTH CAROLINA, and PENN STATE are schools I like, but I don't have a favorite." Elmer made 159 tackles from his ILB spot last season including 8 sacks. He also rushed for 1019 yards. Elmer has a 2.5 GPA, but has not yet taken the ACT or SAT. Monday, September 21st Buckeye assistant Tim Spencer will be in California this week. A player from that state that the Buckeyes would love to land is WR Jerry Owens (6'4 180 4.5) from Newhall Hart High School. Owens has scheduled an official visit to OHIO STATE for the weekend of January th. The other schools Owens is looking at are ARIZONA STATE, USC, UCLA, WASHINGTON, COLORADO, MICHIGAN, and NOTRE DAME. All but the last two have offered. Owens declines to name a favorite, but does say he is very impressed with the way the Buckeyes use both Dee Miller and David Boston. QB/Ath Andy Mignery (6'5 225 4.8) from Hamilton, Ohio made an unofficial visit to TENNESSEE this past weekend to see the Volunteers beat Florida. Mignery called the experience "Awesome," and admitted he was tempted to commit to Tennessee, but did not. Mignery will make an unofficial visit to MICHIGAN this comming weekend to see the Michigan-Michigan State game. He still names Michigan and Tennessee as his co-leaders, with OHIO STATE the other school in the running. FB/LB Len Cusumano (6'2 215 4.5) from Little Falls Passaic Valley High School in New Jersey told me last night that his three favorites are OHIO STATE, BOSTON COLLEGE, and PENN STATE. The other schools on his list are SYRACUSE, PITT, and NORTH CAROLINA. All but the Nittany Lions have offered. Cusumano has not yet begun to set up his official visits, but says he will definitely take one of his trips to Ohio State. Among the prospects in attendance at the Ohio
State-Missouri game this past weekend were QB Craig
Krenzel, LB Fred Pagac Jr., LB Matt Wilhelm, LB Pat
O'Neill, DB Curtis Crosby, DB Michael Doss, DL Tim Friday, September 18th QB/Ath. Andy Mignery (OH) is making an unofficial visit to TENNESSEE this weekend to see the Volunteers play Florida. Mignery also has an unofficial visit planned to MICHIGAN September 26th to see the Wolverines play Michigan State. Mignery continues to say Michigan and Tennessee are his co-leaders, with OHIO STATE the other school still in the running. All three schools have offered a scholarship. WR Jerry Owens (CA) has scheduled an official visit to OHIO STATE for the weekend of January 8th. He may visit ARIZONA STATE January 15th. Jerry is also looking at UCLA, USC, MICHIGAN, NOTRE DAME COLORADO, and WASHINGTON. Jerry told us all but Notre Dame and Michigan have offered, but he does not have a favorite. DE Clint Mitchell (FL) at one time was considering an
official visit to Ohio State to see either the Ohio
State-Penn State game or the Ohio State-Michigan game. He
now says he and his father will make an unofficial visit
to Ohio State to see the Ohio State-Michigan game.
Mitchell will then go to the Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore
Ravens game the next day to see his brother Jeff Mitchell
play for the Ravens. Clint is looking at OHIO STATE,
MIAMI, KANSAS STATE, FLORIDA, TENNESSEE, AUBURN, and
ALABAMA, and all have offered. He has DL Cedric Hilliard (TX) continues to name NOTRE DAME as his leader followed by TEXAS, with OHIO STATE third. Hilliard is also looking at TENNESSEE and MISSISSIPPI. All have offered. Hilliard told us, "I haven't started to set my official visits up, but I think I'll take some of them before I pick a college. I'll probably visit Ohio State." OL Sean Milligan (GA) now says MICHIGAN has a slight lead over NOTRE DAME. Milligan is also looking at OHIO STATE, GEORGIA, and UCLA. All but the Bruins have offered. He hasn't begun to set up his official visits. OL Augie Hoffman (NJ) says he will probably make an official visit to NOTRE DAME October 3rd. He will visit SYRACUSE either December 4th or December 11th. Hoffman also told me, "I'm definitely going to visit MICHIGAN too, I'm just not sure when it will be yet." Also on Hoffman's list are OHIO STATE, BOSTON COLLEGE, and CLEMSON. Notre Dame is the only one of the six schools that has not yet offered a scholarship. Syracuse seems to have a slight lead. RB Kerry Carter (CN) made an official visit to MICHIGAN STATE last weekend to see the Spartans beat Notre Dame. He also will make official visits to OHIO STATE October 3rd, WISCONSIN November 7th, and STANFORD December 4th. His other visit will be to MICHIGAN, probably the weekend of October 10th. All five schools have offered. Carter at one time named Michigan and Stanford as his top two, but now says all five schools are about equal. DB Gerome Sapp (TX) has added COLORADO to his list of potential college destinations. The other schools on his list are OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME, FLORIDA STATE, TEXAS, and MICHIGAN. All have offered a scholarship. Sapp tells us, "I'm definitely planning to make official visits to Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan, and I'll probably visit Colorado and Florida State. I think I'll drive up to Texas for an unofficial visit." September 18, 1998 WR Jerry Owens (CA) has scheduled an official visit to OHIO STATE for the weekend of January 8th. He may visit ARIZONA STATE January 15th. Jerry is also looking at UCLA, USC, MICHIGAN, NOTRE DAME COLORADO, and WASHINGTON. Jerry told us all but Notre Dame and Michigan have offered, but he does not have a favorite. DE Clint Mitchell (FL) at one time was considering an official visit to OhioState to see either the Ohio State-Penn State game or the Ohio State-Michigan game. He now says he and his father will make an unofficial visit to Ohio State to see the Ohio State-Michigan game. Mitchell will then go to the Cincinnati Bengals-Baltimore Ravens game the next day to see his brother Jeff Mitchell play for the Ravens. Clint is looking at OHIO STATE, MIAMI, KANSAS STATE, FLORIDA, TENNESSEE, AUBURN, and ALABAMA, and all have offered. He has not yet begun to set up his official visits and says he has no leader. DL Cedric Hilliard (TX) continues to name NOTRE DAME as his leader followed by TEXAS, with OHIO STATE third. Hilliard is also looking at TENNESSEE and MISSISSIPPI. All have offered. Hilliard told us, "I haven't started to set my official visits up, but I think I'll take some of them before I pick a college. I'll probably visit Ohio State." OL Sean Milligan (GA) now says
MICHIGAN has a slight lead over NOTRE DAME. Milligan is
also looking at OHIO STATE, GEORGIA, and UCLA. All but
the Bruins have offered. He hasn't begun to set up his OL Augie Hoffman (NJ) says he will probably make an official visit to NOTRE DAME October 3rd. He will visit SYRACUSE either December 4th or December 11th. Hoffman also told me, "I'm definitely going to visit MICHIGAN too, I'm just not sure when it will be yet." Also on Hoffman's list are OHIO STATE, BOSTON COLLEGE, and CLEMSON. Notre Dame is the only one of the six schools that has not yet offered a scholarship. Syracuse seems to have a slight lead. RB Kerry Carter (CN) made an official visit to MICHIGAN STATE lastweekend to see the Spartans beat Notre Dame. He also will make official visits to OHIO STATE October 3rd, WISCONSIN November 7th, and STANFORD December 4th. His other visit will be to MICHIGAN, probably the weekend of October 10th. All five schools have offered. Carter at one time named Michigan and Stanford as his top two, but now says all five schools are about equal. DB Gerome Sapp (TX) has added COLORADO to his list of potential college destinations. The other schools on his list are OHIO STATE, NOTRE DAME, FLORIDA STATE, TEXAS, and MICHIGAN. All have offered a scholarship. Sapp tells us, "I'm definitely planning to make official visits to Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan, and I'll probably visit Colorado and Florida State. I think I'll drive up to Texas for an unofficial visit." Next Post: Monday, September 21st September 15, 1998 As I mentioned, OL Adrien Clarke was one of the prospects to take in theOhio State win over Toledo on Saturday. Clarke continues to have Ohio State and Michigan State as his top two choices, both of which have offered him a scholarship. He also is still looking at Penn State, Syracuse and maybe a couple of others, but the Buckeyes seem to have the inside track over the Spartans for Clarke's services. QB Andy Mignery had a very busy weekend. Mignery started off Saturday with an unofficial visit to Ohio State to see the win over Toledo. He then drove to East Lansing and took in the Michigan State win over Notre Dame on Saturday night. Mignery then spent the night in Michigan with friends and made an unofficial visit to the University of Michigan on Sunday. Mignery visited with Lloyd Carr Sunday but did not commit to the Wolverines. He continues to have Michigan and Tennessee as his two favorites, though the Buckeyes are now back in the running. Mignery is going to make an unofficial visit to Tennessee this weekend, September 19th, to see the Volunteers play Florida. He is planning to make another unofficial visit to Michigan on September 26th to see the Wolverines play Michigan State. Mignery tells me that he still would like to make a decision before the end of this football season, though he says it is possible he might wait and take some official visits. Another outstanding prospect to have a very busy weekend was LB T.J. Duckett from Michigan. Duckett started last Saturday with and unofficial visit to Michigan to see Michigan play Syracuse, then traveled to East Lansing to see the Spartans play Notre Dame. Duckett committed to neither team, and continues to have in no particular order, Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State as his top three choices. In a similar fashion, OL Joseph Patrick (6-7, 300, 300) from Ithaca, Michigan, went to the Michigan - Syracuse game on Saturday, then took in the Michigan State - Notre Dame game on Saturday night. Patrick told me that his top three, in no particular order, continue to be Michigan State, Ohio State, and Notre Dame, all three of which have offered him a scholarship. The other schools on his list are Michigan, Northwestern, Illinois, Stanford, and Indiana. Patrick has not yet begun to set up his official visits. This past weekend RB Kerry Carter (6-2, 225, 4.45) from Canada made his official visit to Michigan State to see the Michigan State - Notre Dame game. Carter came away very impressed with what he saw in East Lansing, but did not commit to the Spartans. Going into that visit, Carter told me that Michigan and Stanford were his two leaders, but after taking his first official visit, now says that he needs to take a good look at all the schools he is considering before he can name a clear-cut favorite. Carter will make an official visit to Ohio State October 3rd, one to Wisconsin November 7th, and one to Stanford December 4th. He also is going to make an official visit to Michigan, most likely on October 10th, and all five schools have offered him a scholarship. WR Kareem Kelly (6-1, 190, 4.4) from California told me last night that he definitely will make an official visit to Ohio State. Kelly mentioned that Buckeyes' assistant coach Tim Spencer called him on Saturday night after the Ohio State - Toledo game. He said that his current top five, in no particular order, are Ohio State, Tennessee, USC, Florida, and he has now added Cal to his list. UCLA has dropped out of the mix. All five schools have offered Kelly a scholarship. He has not yet begun to set up dates for his official visits. DB/RB Atari Callen (5-10, 185, 4.4) from Concord De LaSalle High School in California tells me that he is pretty sure he will make an official visit to Ohio State. Callen has a trip scheduled to Washington for December 4th, and said that the only other school he is just about certain he will visit is Ohio State, though he does not have an exact date yet. Callen is also looking at Michigan, Florida State, UCLA, Cal, Wisconsin and Oregon. He says coach Spencer continues to call him each week. FS Gerome Sapp (6-0, 190, 4.5) from Houston Lamar High School in Texas told me last night that he is definitely planning on making an official visit to Ohio State. Sapp said Ohio State, Notre Dame, Florida State, Texas, Michigan, and Colorado are currently his top choices in no particular order. He did say that he definitely will visit Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan, and most likely Colorado and Florida State. He added he will probably make an unofficial visit to Texas. Sapp also mentioned that coach Cooper has called him, and all six schools he has under consideration have offered him a scholarship. September 10, 1998 11:00 Another prospect from the state of Ohio that tells me he will be in attendance at the game this weekend is WR Deon Provitt (6-2, 200, 4.5). Deon is the cousin of current Buckeye Vaness Provitt. Provitt, from Warren Kennedy High School, starts at quarterback and defensive back, but will move to wide receiver in college. He passed for over 500 yards and rushed for another 500+ last season, while also intercepting three passes on defense. Provitt has a 2.6 GPA and an 18 on the ACT. He told me last night that he is planning to go to the Ohio State game this weekend, and in addition to the Buckeyes likes West Virginia, Notre Dame, Pitt, Michigan, and Michigan State. The Buckeyes will also be watching what happens with a top prospect that will be in East Lansing this weekend. "Blue-Chip" running back Kerry Carter (6-2, 225, 4.45) from Ontario, Canada is going to be making an official visit to Michigan State this weekend to see the Michigan State - Notre Dame game. Carter also has official visits scheduled to Ohio State for the weekend of October 3rd to see the Ohio State - Penn State game, to Wisconsin the weekend of November 7th, and to Stanford for the weekend of December 4th. He also may be visiting Michigan the weekend of October 10th when the Wolverines have an open date. All five schools have offered Carter a scholarship. He will make an early decision as he finishes up his academic requirements in December and will enroll in college in January. TE Derek Smith (6-6, 235, 4.7) from Fort Thomas Highlands High School in Kentucky told me last night that Ohio State remains one of his top two choices along with Kentucky. The other two schools he is most interested in are Michigan and Penn State. However, he also said there was a slight possibility that Tennessee would remain in the running. All five schools have offered Smith a scholarship. He won't be able to go to the Buckeyes' game this weekend, but hopes to get to one later this season. He also has now made the decision to go the football only route in college. Smith has been drawing interest from schools in basketball, but he has now decided to give that sport up at the next level. WR Reggie Brown (6-1, 180, 4.4) from Carrollton, Georgia is another outstanding prospect who has the Buckeyes among his top choices. Brown caught 66 passes last season and averaged 17.5 yards per catch. He has a 3.0 GPA and an 890 on the SAT. Brown tells me that Ohio State and Georgia would definitely be very high on his list, though he is also considering Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, and Michigan. He said pretty much all of those schools have offered him a scholarship, though he has not yet begun to set up any of his official visits. He did, however, say that one of his trips would likely be to Ohio State. DB Mike Postell (6-0, 185, 4.45) from Matawan Regional High School in New Jersey also continues to have Ohio State as one of his favorites. Postell told me last night that his two leaders are the Buckeyes and Kansas State, though he also is interested in North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Postell told me that early in the recruiting process the Buckeyes indicated a scholarship should be available. He intercepted seven passes as a sophomore and four as a junior. Current Buckeye offensive lineman Henry Fleming's younger brother, Patrick, is interested in Ohio State. Patrick Fleming is a 6-1, 220 pound ILB with 4.6 40 speed from Manning, South Carolina. Fleming made 152 tackles, including three sacks, last season. He has a 2.8 GPA and a 900 on the SAT. Fleming told me that he is interested in Ohio State, Clemson, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. He said he is going to try to get to one of the Buckeyes' home games this year. Another Fleming that is interested in Ohio State is Antwan Fleming (6-2, 240, 4.65), and ILB from Plant City, Florida. He made 114 tackles, including 4 sacks last season. Fleming has a 2.4 GPA and a 16 on the ACT. He said his favorite schools are Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Auburn, and Michigan. Antwan said the Buckeyes have called him twice this month and have talked some about a visit to Ohio State. The Buckeyes at this point, however, have not offered Antwan Fleming a scholarship. September 3, 1998 Of course the Buckeye staff is very hard at work making their calls. As we mentioned in our last post, John Cooper called Ben Hartsock on Tuesday morning, offered a scholarship, and the fine TE from Chillicothe Unioto High School became the Buckeyes' 13th verbal commitment. However, the Buckeyes' pursuit of tight ends certainly has not stopped with Hartsock. Gary Godsey (6-8, 250, 4.85) from Tampa Jesuit High School in Florida told me that coach Heacock called him on Tuesday. Godsey said that his top three remain the same, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Georgia Tech in no particular order. He said that all three schools called him on Tuesday. Godsey also is still looking at Michigan, Florida and Tennessee. All six schools have offered him a scholarship, but he has not yet begun to set up his official visits. Super WR/RB prospect Jason Geathers (6-3, 210, 4.4) from Boca Raton Spanish River High School in Florida was, as expected, flooded with calls on Tuesday. Geathers told me Tuesday night that he is still very open minded on his college choice, but schools he did mention include Miami, Florida State, Florida, Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama, Nebraska, Auburn, and LSU. Geathers said that virtually all of those schools called him on Tuesday. He said he has not yet begun to set up his official visits, and has not decided any that he will definitely take trips to. DE Clint Mitchell (6-7, 240, 4.75) form Clearwater Countryside High School in Florida is another outstanding prospect that was deluged with calls on Tuesday. Mitchell says he is looking at Florida, Ohio State, Auburn, Tennessee and Miami, and virtually all of those schools called him on Tuesday. However he to has not yet begun to set up any of his official visits. OL Bryce Bishop (6-4, 300, 5.1) from Miami Killian High School told me that Buckeye recruiting coordinator Bill Conley called him on Tuesday. Bishop says that Ohio State remains his leader. Florida State and Michigan round out Bishop's top three, though he also said he is still looking at Tennessee, Auburn, and North Carolina. The Buckeyes, Auburn and North Carolina have offered Bishop a scholarship, but he has not yet begun to schedule his official visits. DL Fred Sturrup (6-4, 280, 4.8) from Plantation, Florida, is another good one from the Sunshine State that the Buckeyes are very interested in. Sturrup made 123 tackles last season from his defensive tackle spot, including six sacks. He has a 2.1 GPA but does not yet have his test score. Sturrup's cousin Darrin Smith played linebacker for Miami and Sturrup is interested in the Hurricanes, but he is by no means a lock to head to Miami. Sturrup told me that in addition to Miami, he is looking at Ohio State, Central Florida, Michigan, Florida, Tennessee, and Clemson. Several of those schools have offered him a scholarship. The Buckeyes have not yet offered, but they are definitely interested. Sturrup added that going away from home would be absolutely no factor in his college decision. OL Nick Johnson (6-9, 320, 5.1) from Mingus Union High School in Arizona told me last night that he now has a top three. Johnson had previously named the Buckeyes as his leader, but said that Arizona State and Michigan have now pulled into a virtual tie with Ohio State for his top spot. Johnson is scheduled to make an official visit to Ohio State the weekend of November 21st to see the Ohio State - Michigan game. He also has set up an official visit to Arizona State for the weekend of December 11th. One other school Johnson said he is looking at is Washington, and he said he will likely visit the Huskies. He mentioned that coach Salem called him on September 1st. All four of the schools that Johnson is currently looking at have offered him a scholarship. DE Cole Pittman (6-5, 260, 4.8) from Shreveport Evangel High School in Louisiana is another tremendous prospect that is interested in Ohio State. Pittman told me that he is currently looking at Nebraska, Ohio State, Florida State, Notre Dame, LSU, Florida, and Kansas State. The only one that has not yet offered him a scholarship is Florida State. Interestingly though, Pittman says he definitely plans to take an official visit to Florida State as well as one to Notre Dame and Nebraska. He also says that he is planning to take all five official visits plus some unofficial visits. Pittman mentioned that through his an acquaintance, he has access to a private jet, and will likely use that access for some of those unofficial visits. Also interestingly, when I called Pittman he said he was looking at an Ohio State football guide. "Blue-Chip" RB Daniel Davis (6-0, 220, 4.45) from Stafford-Brooke Point High School in Virginia is another one of the nation's elite prospects who has an interest in Ohio State. Davis rushed for over 1500 yards last season and averaged over 10 yards per carry. He is a four year varsity starter who has rushed for over 5,000 career yards. Davis has a 2.9 GPA and scored an 830 on the SAT. He told me that he received over 25 calls on September 1st, some of which included Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. He is looking at all those schools, as well as Ohio State, Nebraska, and Michigan. Davis added that the Buckeyes called him as well. He has not yet begun to set up any of his official visits, but did say that he will soon start scheduling trips, and in all likely hood, two of the visits will be to Nebraska and Michigan. Davis said that he is generally looking at schools in the top 10 who have a good running game, and certainly Ohio State fits that bill. September 1, 1998 A couple of players that the Buckeyes have offered scholarships to made unofficial visits to Michigan State this past weekend to see the Michigan State - Colorado State game. LB T. J. Duckett (6-3, 240, 4.55) from Michigan told me that he had a good time at the MSU - CSU game, but did not commit to the Spartans. Duckett has, however, started to formulate his official visit plans. As of right now, he is tentatively scheduled to make an official visit to Florida State the weekend of November 21st to see the Florida State - Florida game providing Duckett's team is not in the playoffs. Duckett also mentioned that he is definitely planning to make official visits to Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan, though he does not have dates yet. He said UCLA would probably be his other official visit. However Duckett added that Florida State and UCLA are, as he put it, his "wild card" teams. He says that those are the two visits that are subject to change, and if he decided not to visit those two schools, he would likely visit Notre Dame and/or Penn State. OL Aaron Hodges (6-5, 275, 5.0) from Illinois also went to the Michigan State - Colorado State game, and like Duckett, did not commit to the Spartans. Hodges told me he was impressed with the crowd and the atmosphere at Michigan State, but continues to say that he will likely take some, if not all five of his official visits before he makes a decision. Hodges continues to have Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Northwestern as his top five in no particular order. The only one of the five that has not offered him a scholarship is Notre Dame. Hodges has not yet begun to set up his official visits. One player that the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to that was thinking about going to the Michigan State game last weekend but did not is OL Adrien Clarke (6-5, 305, 5.2) from Shaker Heights High School in Ohio. Clarke could not make it to the game, but continues to have Michigan State as one of his top two choices, along with Ohio State. And speaking of offensive linemen, one of the Southwest's best, Alan Reuber (6-7, 275, 4.95) from Plano, Texas, tells me that the Buckeyes have offered him a scholarship and he is more than likely going to make an official visit to Ohio State. Reuber was the only junior starter on the Plano varsity last season. He bench presses over 300 pounds, has a 3.0 GPA, and scored a 1050 on the SAT. Reuber went to football camp in June at Notre Dame, then stopped at Ohio State for an unofficial visit. He told me he got to meet the coaches at Ohio State, and loved the indoor facility. Reuber added that Ohio State, Notre Dame and Miami are three schools that he is pretty certain he will make official visits to. He added that Texas would probably be a fourth official visit. Other schools Reuber has under consideration are Texas A & M, Florida, Florida State, Northwestern, and Arkansas. He said the Buckeyes. Miami, Texas A & M, Notre Dame and Northwestern have offered him a scholarship. OL Alfio Randall (6-5, 275, 4.9) from Houston Yates High School in Texas tells me that he is planning to make an official visit to Ohio State. Randall, like Reuber, is one of the Southwest's premier offensive line prospects. He has a 3.4 GPA but has not yet taken his test. Randall tells me the schools he is most interested in are Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Georgia, Nebraska, and SMU, and all six have offered him a scholarship. Contrary to reports that Randall might be close to committing to Michigan, he said he does not even have a favorite yet, has not begun to set up any official visits, and will definitely take some visits before making a decision. Randall added that two schools that he is planning on setting up official visits with are Ohio State and Michigan. RB Daniel Davis (6-0, 220, 4.45) from Stafford - Brooke Point High School in Virginia is one of the nation's premier running back prospects. Davis rushed for over 1500 yards last season and averaged over 10 yards per carry. He is now in his fourth year as a varsity starter, and going into the season had rushed for over 5000 yards for his career. Davis has a 2.9 GPA and scored an 830 on the SAT. He tells me he is looking at, as he put it, "anyone in the top 10 who has a good running game," which of course includes the Buckeyes. Some schools Davis mentioned were North Carolina, Nebraska, Penn State, Ohio State, Florida State, Texas, Michigan, and Virginia, and he says every one of those schools have offered him a scholarship. Davis says he has no favorite right now, and has not begun to set up any of his official visits. WR Richard Smith (5-11, 175, 4.4) from Shreveport Evangel High School in Louisiana is another prospect from the South that is interested in Ohio State. Smith caught 70 passes last season and averaged over 20 yards per catch. He scored 25 touchdowns. Smith has a 2.8 GPA but needs to raise his ACT score. Smith tells me that he is definitely interested in Ohio State, and is also looking at LSU, Miami, Texas, Florida, and Kentucky. He said LSU has offered him a scholarship. The Buckeyes of course have their big game this weekend at West Virginia, and the Mountaineers will be having many outstanding prospects in for official visits, some of which will also be there to see Ohio State. One of those is TE Jason Rader (6-5, 225, 4.6) from St. Albans, West Virginia. Rader tells me he is planning to go to the game this weekend and remains interested in both schools. He has set up an official visit to Georgia to see the Bulldogs game with Tennessee. He also has an official visit set up with West Virginia the weekend of December 4th. He added that he will probably set up an official visit to Notre Dame, and is also still looking at Ohio State, Florida, Michigan State, Purdue and Virginia Tech. West Virginia, Michigan State, Purdue and Virginia Tech have offered Rader a scholarship. DE Eric Krauss (6-4, 240, 4.9), is another prospect that is going to go the West Virginia - Ohio State game this weekend to see both teams. Krauss, from Bluefield High School in West Virginia, tells me that he is looking at Pitt and Marshall, who have both offered him a scholarship, as well as West Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State. Krauss went to the Buckeyes Spring game but has not yet been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. |