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Class of 2003 Commitment List

December 16, 2003

The Buckeyes hosted another group of recruits on official visits this past weekend, and not unexpectedly came away with a verbal commitment from linebacker Brandon Smith. The 6-3, 230 pounder from Euclid, Ohio made 125 tackles, including four sacks, his senior season. He also intercepted two passes. Smith made an official visit to West Virginia December 5 and the Mountaineers had offered a scholarship. He then visited Ohio State this past weekend. The Buckeyes offered and Smith committed to Ohio State, saying that Ohio State recruits nationally and he will have the opportunity to play with some of the greatest players in the nation. He also mentioned that Ohio State being close to home as a factor in his decision.

The Buckeyes also hosted WR/DB Devon Lyons, a 6-2, 205 pounder from Pittsburgh Woodland Hills Pennsylvania. Lyons' official visit to Ohio State went very well. He has now made official visits to Ohio State, Miami, Notre Dame and Michigan State. The Buckeyes seem to have as good a shot as anybody of landing Lyons. If Lyons takes a fifth visit it would be to Pitt, Boston College, North Carolina, Stanford or possibly Michigan. All the schools on his list have offered him a scholarship.

Another Pennsylvanian to visit Ohio State was two-way lineman Kyle Mitchum from Erie McDowell High School. The 6-6, 265 pounder has narrowed things down to Ohio State and Iowa, both of whom he has already visited, and Michigan, who he will visit the weekend of January 9.

Linebacker Javier Estopinan, a 6-3, 230 pounder from South Miami Florida, also visited the Buckeyes this past weekend. Estopinan is one of the nation's top linebacker prospects, has now been to Ohio State and North Carolina State, but will not make his decision until he visits Florida State January 9 and Florida January 16. All four schools have offered him a scholarship. Estopinan says he does not have a favorite.

Offensive lineman Izzy Bauta, a 6-4, 275 pounder from Brooklyn Poly Prep in New York also visited the Buckeyes over the weekend. Bauta has now visited Ohio State and Maryland, his top two choices, but also has Duke scheduled for January 9 and Rutgers January 15. All four schools have offered a scholarship.

The Buckeyes also hosted a number of their commitments on their official visits this past weekend. DB Shaun Lane from Hubbard, Ohio, RB Tony Pittman from Akron Buchtel High School, OL Steve Rehring from West Chester Lakota, OL Ben Person from Xenia, TE Chad Hoobler from Carrollton, and Pennsylvania Jon Skinner. All had committed to Ohio State long ago and all made their official visits with the Buckeyes this past weekend.

Speaking of Ohioans, one of the top five prospects in Ohio is set to announce his decision, most likely this week. DE/TE Mike Massey from Cleveland St. Ignatius has made official visits to Ohio State and Michigan, visiting the Wolverines this past weekend. He now says that he will decide between the two in all likelihood sometime this week.

December 12, 2003

The Buckeyes are set for another recruiting weekend. Among the players scheduled to visit Ohio State are offensive lineman Izzy Bauta from Brooklyn Poly Prep High School in New York. The 6-4, 275 pounder made an official visit to Maryland last weekend. In addition to visiting Ohio State this weekend, he is scheduled for visits to Duke and Rutgers in January, however Ohio State and Maryland are his top two choices and both have offered him a scholarship, so it will be interesting to see if he would pull the trigger with the Buckeyes this weekend.

Linebacker Javier Estopinan (6-3, 230) from South Miami Florida visited North Carolina State last weekend and will be in Columbus this weekend. He also has January visits scheduled for Florida State on the ninth and Florida on the 16th, and is expected to take all four trips before making a decision. Estopinan has offers from all four but says he does not have a favorite at this point.

Two-way lineman Kyle Mitchum (6-6, 265) from Erie McDowell High School is also visiting the Buckeyes this weekend. Mitchum, one of the Big Ten region's finest line prospects, has narrowed things down to three schools; Iowa, Michigan and Ohio State. All three have offered a scholarship. Mitchum, with Ohio State's need on the line, is certainly a high priority for the Buckeyes. He could play either on defense or offense.

Speaking of Pennsylvanians, WR/DB Devon Lyons (6-2, 205) from Pittsburgh Woodland Hills Pennsylvania visits Ohio State this weekend. He has already made official visits to Michigan State, Notre Dame and Miami and in addition to Ohio State weekend says that if he takes a fifth visit it would probably be to Pitt, Michigan, Stanford, North Carolina or Boston College. All have offered him a scholarship. At one point Michigan State held the lead, but Lyons now says that he does not have a favorite. He could play either wide receiver or defensive back in college, though he says he is now being recruited more as a wide receiver.

Linebacker Brandon Smith (6-3, 230) from Euclid, Ohio visits the Buckeyes this weekend. He has narrowed things down to Ohio State and West Virginia. Smith made an official visit with the Mountaineers last weekend and West Virginia offered him early. The Buckeyes have now also offered him a scholarship and a decision from Smith could come this weekend.

A number of the Buckeyes' verbal commitments are also visiting Ohio State this weekend, including their three offensive line commitments Steve Rhering, Ben Person, and Jon Skinner.

A number of prospect the Buckeyes are recruiting are also making official visits elsewhere this weekend including DE Vernon Gholstin. The 6-4, 240 pounder from Detroit Cass Tech High School visited Michigan last weekend and will be at Michigan State this weekend. He is scheduled to visit Ohio State January 9, and those are his top three choices. All three have offered a scholarship. OL Jeremy Zuttah (6-4, 285) visited Ohio State last weekend and will make a trip to Iowa this weekend, and both schools have offered him a scholarship. OL Leon Hart (6-4, 290) visited OSU last weekend and will visit Georgia this weekend. Hart is also set to visit Auburn, South Carolina and Virginia in January. Nick Patterson (6-2, 200), the wide receiver from Missouri, visits Missouri this weekend after visiting the Buckeyes last weekend. Rhyan Anderson (6-6, 265) is yet another prospect who visited Ohio State last weekend and will visit elsewhere this weekend. The Oak Creek, Wisconsin native visits USC this weekend.

There may be news later today on a commitment from a wide receiver from out of state. If there is, we'll have a report later today.

December 10, 2003

The Buckeyes have been in search of a punter for next season to replace B. J. Sander. They had been pursuing punter/kicker David Lonie (6-6, 215) from Iowa Falls Ellsworth Community College in Iowa. Lonie had made official visits to Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Louisville, and then Cal this past weekend. All of those schools had offered Lonie a scholarship. Lonie has, however, committed to Cal. He feels he will have an opportunity to be both Cal's kicker and punter right away, whereas Ohio State, of course, has Mike Nugent returning as a kicker.

This past weekend was a huge one for the Buckeyes. In all likelihood, the biggest recruiting weekend of the season for Ohio State. The Buckeyes hosted a number of prospects who have already committed to Ohio State, including Florida quarterback Joe Bauserman (6-2, 225), linebacker Marcus Freeman (6-2, 240), running back Eric Haw (5-11, 210) and defensive back Brandon Underwood (6-1, 170).

The Buckeyes also hosted a number of other big name prospects including Ohioans Ted Ginn Jr. (6-1, 170), Fred Davis (6-4, 210) and Michael Massey (6-5, 225). They also hosted from out-of-state, offensive lineman Leon Hart (6-4, 290) from South Carolina, offensive lineman Carlos Feliciano (6-6, 285) from New Jersey, offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah (6-4, 285) from New Jersey, WR Albert Dukes (6-1, 185) from Florida, DE Rhyan Anderson (6-6, 265) from Wisconsin, Blue-Chip quarterback Xavier Lee (6-4, 200) from Florida, DB Anthony Reddick (6-1, 190) from Florida, WR/DB Nick Patterson (6-2, 200) from Missouri and TE Rory Nicol (6-5, 245) from Pennsylvania.

The Buckeyes did not come away from the weekend with any new commitments, however that is to be expected. It was pretty well known that these prospects were not going to make a decision that quickly, and they are some of the top prospects in the entire country and in almost all cases will make additional official visits then have some type of press conference to announce their commitment. So while Ohio State did not come away with any official commitments, the weekend still went well overall. Ohio State did host four of the top five prospect in the Buckeyes state in Ginn, Davis, Freeman and Massey. Things went well with Ginn and Davis, and though the two will continue to take official visits, Ohio State certainly has as good a shot or better than anybody at landing these two stars. In the case of Michael Massey, he will visit Michigan this coming weekend, then in all likelihood make a decision between Ohio State and Michigan, though Boston College has not been ruled out as well.

As far as the out-of-state prospects that visited Ohio State, the Buckeyes seem to have a legitimate shot at all of them as all indicated that their visits to Columbus went well. Leon Hart, for example is very impressed with what he saw in Columbus and it would not be a total surprise if he eventually decided between South Carolina and Ohio State. Xavier Lee is certainly very interested in Florida State, but his visit to Ohio State went very well. Nicol, Patterson and Reddick were very impressed with their trips to OSU as well. Feliciano, like the others, will continue to take official visits, but he too could end up in this Buckeye recruiting class. In many of these cases, this was the prospect's first or one of his first official visits, so their desire to continue to take trips was not unexpected. All in all, the weekend went well, and the Buckeyes should have a good chance to land a number of these prospects on national signing day.

Our next update will be Friday afternoon, December 12,

October 8, 2003

The Buckeyes landed another verbal commitment, this one coming from fullback Dionte Johnson, a 5-11, 225 pounder from Columbus Eastmoor Academy. Johnson as a junior played linebacker, however, this season he is also playing fullback, which will be his position in college. The Buckeyes wanted to see Johnson play fullback this year before offering a scholarship. Ohio State recently attended on of Johnson's games and he was offered a scholarship earlier this week by Ohio State. After talking things over with his family, Johnson then committed to the Buckeyes. He also had a scholarship offer from Bowling Green and said that Pitt was going to offer as well. He is the son of former Buckeye Thomas "Pepper" Johnson. Dionte is in great shape academically with a 3.7 GPA and a 23 on the ACT.

Speaking of Ohioans, the Buckeyes have shown some recent interest in Chauncey Incarnato. Incarnato is a 6-7, 280 pound offensive lineman from Dover, Ohio. He has committed to Notre Dame, but Incarnato said that Michigan State and North Carolina State both offered him a scholarship in the past couple of weeks and some other schools have called as well. Incarnato said Ohio State is one of those schools that called, however the Buckeyes have not offered a scholarship.

An offensive lineman the Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to is Leon Hart from Columbia Spring Valley South Carolina. Hart is a 6-4, 290 pound offensive lineman and is one of the top offensive line prospects in the South. Hart says that right now he is looking at eight colleges, Ohio State, South Carolina, Clemson, Auburn, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, and all eight have offered a scholarship. Hart, who is being recruited by Luke Fickell, said there is a good possibility he will visit Ohio State.

Another lineman from the South that is interested in Ohio State is Lorenzo Washington. He is a 6-5, 270 pounder from Grayson, Georgia. Washington prefers defense, but may end up on the offensive line in college. He says he is currently looking at Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisville and said all but Ohio State, Auburn and Maryland have offered a scholarship. Washington does not have a favorite at this point. He said that he spoke with Buckeyes assistant coach Tim Spencer last week and would like to get up to Ohio State for a visit. Washington's family still lives in the Cleveland area.

September 24, 2003

The Buckeyes landed a huge verbal commitment, one that was expected, as linebacker Marcus Freeman from Huber Heights Wayne High School in Ohio, a 6-2, 240 pounder, announced earlier today that he had selected Ohio State over Notre Dame, Michigan, Oklahoma, Miami and many others who also offered a scholarship. Freeman is the top linebacker prospect in the state of Ohio and the number three overall prospect in the Buckeye State. He has already qualified academically with a 3.8 GPA and a 990 on the SAT. Freeman narrowed things down to Ohio State and Notre Dame before announcing that he would become a Buckeye. Freeman said that he just went with his gut feelings. He said it was close between Ohio State and Notre Dame, and he weighed the pros and cons of all the schools he considered, but in the end just went with his gut feeling, that he wanted to become a Buckeye. Freeman becomes verbal commitment number 12 in this recruiting class, although quarterback Joe Bauserman could end up delaying his enrollment until January and thus would not have to be counted in this recruiting class.

Another player that the Buckeyes would love to land a commitment from is offensive lineman Jeff Byers from Colorado. The 6-4, 270 pounder is arguably the country's top center prospect. Byers has already made an official visit to Ohio State, a visit that went very well, and one to Iowa. He made his visit with the Hawkeyes this past weekend. The visit went well though Byers did not commit to Iowa and Ohio State is still very much in contention. Byers is considering both of those schools as well as USC, UCLA, Texas, Colorado, Notre Dame and Nebraska, and all have offered a scholarship. At this time Byers does not have a leader.

Another offensive lineman the Buckeyes would love to land is Brett Gallimore from Riverside Park Hill South High School in Missouri. Gallimore is a 6-5, 290 pounder who also has made an official visit to Ohio State. Gallimore was going to make an official visit to Iowa this past weekend, but postponed the visit. Gallimore is considering Ohio State, as well as, Iowa, Michigan, Florida State, Missouri, Kansas State, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Purdue. In fact Gallimore is scheduled to make an official visit with the Boilermakers this weekend. All of those schools have offered a scholarship, though Gallimore says he does not have a leader at this time.

With Maurice Clarett's future uncertain with OSU, the Buckeyes are pursuing running backs and already have commitments from two in Tony Pittman from Akron and Eric Haw from Columbus. Another running back the Buckeyes would love to land is Charlie Jones from Homestead Dade High School in Florida. Jones, a 5-11, 200 pounder, is considering Ohio State, Miami, Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee, and all have offered a scholarship. Jones has Miami at the top of his list at this point, but says that he is planning to make an official visit to Ohio State.

Another out of state prospect that says he will likely make an official visit to Ohio State is wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, a 6-5, 195 pounder from New Brunswick, New Jersey. Jarett says he is looking at Ohio State, USC, Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse. He may make an official visit to USC the weekend of November 22 and says that he will also likely make an official visit to Ohio State though he has not scheduled a date at this point.

Brouce Mompremier, a 6-0, 210 pound linebacker from Miami Edison High School in Florida might make an unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend to see the Buckeyes play Northwestern. Mompremier, who is one of the top linebacker prospects in the sunshine state, is looking at Ohio State, Florida State, LSU, Michigan State, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Florida. He scheduled to make an official visit to North Carolina State December 5, and one to South Florida January 9. He said that his coach and he might make an unofficial visit to Ohio State this weekend. Many of the schools on Mompremier's list have offered a scholarship though the Buckeyes have not to this point.

September 15, 2003

As usual the Buckeyes hosted recruits at their home game on Saturday, the thrilling win over North Carolina State. Some prospects in attendance on unofficial visits were two of the county's top linebacker prospects, Kyle Williams and Marcus Freeman.

Williams, a 6-2, 217 pounder from Bolingbrook, Illinois is an outside linebacker who has made 29 tackles through his first three games this season. Williams told me that he likes that Ohio State team's attitude, called the game very exciting, and said the Buckeyes played like champions. He said that Ohio State could have broken after loosing a 24-7 lead, but pulled out the win. Williams tells me that he is looking at Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa, Miami, USC and Kansas State, those are his top choices, and all have offered a scholarship. Williams has one official visit scheduled, that being Oregon January 9, and says he thinks will also schedule an official visit to Ohio State. At this point Williams says Iowa is his favorite.

Freeman, a 6-2, 240 pounder from Huber Heights Wayne High School in Ohio, told me that he will make an official visit to Oklahoma next weekend, then announce his decision on September 24 when the Army All-American Bowl representatives come to his school and Freeman will formally accept an invitation to play in the game. After accepting the invitation he will then announce whether he has selected Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame or Oklahoma, his final four choices. All have offered a scholarship. Freeman has previously made unofficial visits to OSU, Michigan and Notre Dame, but wants to make the official visit to Oklahoma before making his announcement.

Speaking of prospects from Huber Heights Wayne High School, Marcus Freeman's teammate, wide receiver Greg Orton, a junior, also was in attendance at Ohio State's game vs. N.C. State on Saturday.

Seniors in attendance at the N.C. State game included a number of the Buckeyes' verbal commitments. Brandon Underwood, Shawn Lane, Sirjo Welch, and Steve Rhering. Some other senior prospects in attendance included Walnut Ridge running back Gary Russell, Pickerington Central kicker/RB A.J. Trepasso and Canton Glen Oak lineman Nick Smith.

The Buckeyes have commitments from two running backs prospects, Tony Pittman and Eric Haw, but continue to look at other backs from across the country as well. One is Dwayne Jones from Toms River North in New Jersey. Jones, a 6-1, 233 pounder, ran for over 900 yards and averaged over 9 yards per carry during his junior season. Jones says that he is currently looking at Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Ohio State. He said all of those schools have called him this month and Boston College has offered a scholarship. Right now Virginia and Boston College are his top two choices.

Moving to the state of Florida, WR/CB DaJuan Morgan , form Riviera Beach Sun Coast High School is a 6-1, 190 pounder who says Ohio State has offered him a scholarship. Margin says that he is looking at Florida, Miami, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and possibly Georgia and Florida State. He said all of those schools except Miami and Florida State have offered a scholarship. Margin may make an official visit to North Carolina State December 5. He says he also plans to make an official visit to Ohio State and one to Florida. Those are the three visits he has decided on at this time. Margin says Florida currently holds the lead.

September 3, 2003

The Buckeyes hosted an outstanding group of recruits at the home opener in the Horseshoe on Saturday night. Among the many prospects in attendance to see the OSU win over Washington was offensive lineman Jeff Byers who was on an official visit to Ohio Sate. The 6-4, 270 pound Byers, from Loveland, Colorado is arguably the country's top center prospect. Byers, who has easily qualified academically, said he had a great time on his official visit to OSU. He said he got to know a lot about the Buckeye football program, and as he put it, he picked a great game to go to. Byers, however, is not ready to make a decision on his college. The Ohio State visit was his first official visit. Byers said that he has pretty much narrowed things down to between five and eight schools, but did not want to name those schools at this time as he has not notified all of the colleges involved yet. Byers did however say that Ohio State has definitely made the cut. Among the other schools thought to be in contention are Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, UCLA, Texas, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, and all have offered a scholarship.

Among the other prospects at the Washington game, all on unofficial visits, were a number of the Buckeyes' commitments including Ben Person from Xenia, Eric Haw from Columbus Independence, Shawn Lane from Hubbard, Chad Hoobler from Carrolton, Brandon Underwood from Hamilton, and Steve Rhering from West Chester Lakota West High School.

As far as prospects in attendance who have not yet made a decision on their college, the Buckeyes hosted on unofficial visits the three top players in the state of Ohio, defensive back Ted Ginn Jr. from Cleveland Glennville, WR Fred Davis from Toledo Rodgers and linebacker Marcus Freeman from Huber Heights Wayne High School. Those three all remain very interested in Ohio State.

The Buckeyes also hosted a number of top junior prospects including Jamario O'Neal, who has already committed to Ohio State and WR Mario Manningham from Warren Harding High School. O'Neal and Manningham will be two of the top five prospects in the state of Ohio next season.

Speaking of visits, offensive lineman Brett Gallimore from Riverside Park Hill South High School in Missouri, a 6-5, 290 pounder, made an unofficial visit to Nebraska over the weekend. Gallimore, who says Ohio State will be one of his final 10, has an official visit scheduled to Iowa for the weekend of September 20. Gallimore also will make an official visit to Florida State. Among the other schools on his list are Ohio State, Purdue, Iowa and Michigan, and all have offered a scholarship.

September first was the first day that college coaches were able to resume calls to prospects. One fine player the Buckeyes called on September first is defensive end Vernon Gholston, a 6-3, 240 pounder from Detroit Cass Tech High School in Michigan. Gholston is looking at Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, Oregon and a few others. The Buckeyes and Michigan State have offered him a scholarship. Gholston says he does not have a favorite right now, but plans to go to one of the Buckeyes' home games this season.

August 22, 2003

The last senior to have committed to Ohio State was defensive back Brandon Underwood from Hamilton, Ohio, however, since our last report the Buckeyes have landed yet another super junior in offensive lineman Alex Boone from Lakewood St. Edwards High School in Ohio. Boone, a 6-8, 290 pounder, runs a 5-1 40 and a sophomore started at offensive left tackle. This season, his junior season, he will start at offensive tackle and defensive end. Boone bench presses over 300 pounds and squats over 500. He committed to Ohio State saying that that really loves the Ohio State coaches and has always wanted to be a Buckeye. Boone's commitment is very significant in that it already gives Ohio State two of without question the top five prospects in Ohio for the class of 2005, the other being defensive back/wide receiver Jamario O'Niel, a 6-1, 190 pounder. O'Neil by the way played for Mansfield Senior High School last season but could possibly transfer to Cleveland Glenville for the upcoming season.

If in fact O'Neil would transfer to Cleveland Glenville High School, he would team with super cornerback Ted Ginn Jr. Ginn tells me he hasn't narrowed his list down yet. He says that track coaches are now calling him, and he wants to listen to what they have to say. Ginn said that he certainly is looking at Ohio State, Michigan, Pitt, Iowa, Wisconsin, USC, all of those schools have offered Ginn a scholarship as well as just about everyone else across the country. Ginn says that he is just waiting it out at this point and will try to make it to some games once the college football season starts.

One Ohioan that has selected his college is offensive lineman Chauncey Incarnato, a 6-7, 280 pound offensive lineman from Dover High School. Incarnato committed to Notre Dame over Pitt. At one point Incarnato had some interest in Ohio State but the Buckeyes did not offer him a scholarship.

On the other hand, linebacker Javier Estopinan says he has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. Estopinan is a 6-3, 230 pound middle linebacker from South Miami, Florida. Estopinan was at Ohio State's football camp this summer and tells me that he is interested in Ohio State, Florida State, N. C. State, Florida and LSU, and all, he said, have offered a scholarship. Estopinan says he does not have a favorite right now, but that his top three in no particular order are probably Florida, Ohio State and North Carolina State.

Two-way lineman Brandon Nicolas should be making a decision within the next few weeks. The 6-5, 265 Nicolas from Santa Ana Mater Dei High School in California is strongly considering the Buckeyes. Nicolas is looking at Ohio State and UCLA, as well as possibly Colorado and Notre Dame. Ohio State, UCLA and Colorado have offered a scholarship. Don't be surprised if his decision comes down to either OSU or UCLA, and he would like to make that decision by the middle of September at the latest.

July 30, 2003

Ohio State's most recent commitment came from defensive back Brandon Underwood from Hamilton, Ohio. The 6-1, 170 pound Underwood made 50 tackles, intercepted three passes and broke up 15 others during his junior season. Underwood is the younger brother of current Ohio State defensive back E. J. Underwood. Brandon had scholarship offers from Ohio State, Iowa, Arizona State, Penn State, Purdue and others as well as a contingent offer from Notre Dame before he selected the Buckeyes.

Underwood joins RB Erik Haw, TE Chad Hoobler, RB Tony Pitman, O.L. Ben Person, DB Shawn Lane, OL Steve Rehring, WR Miles Williams, and DB Sirjo Welch as Ohioans who have committed to the Buckeyes. Ohio State also has commitments from two out of state players, OL Jon Skinner from Pennsylvania and QB Joe Bauserman from Florida. However, Bauserman will likely wait until January of 2005 to enroll, thus he would go on next season's recruiting class.

The Buckeyes are hoping to get good news from two-way lineman Brandon Nicolas from Santa Ana Mater Dei High School in California. The 6-5, 260 pound Nicolas, who played for Cleveland Saint Ignatius his freshman year and lived in Ohio for seven years, is looking at Ohio State, Arizona State, UCLA, Colorado and Notre Dame. All but the Irish have offered, and Nicolas would like to make a decision before the start of his senior football season. He visited Ohio State earlier this summer and has been to OSU's football camp three times.

Speaking of linemen, Carlos Feliciano, a 6-6, 285 pounder from Elizabeth, New Jersey has also been offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes. Feliciano, who is a standout on both sides of the ball, says he is looking at Maryland, Ohio State, Pitt, Iowa, Boston College and Virginia, and all have offered a scholarship. At this point Maryland holds a slight lead, Feliciano says, because it's only three hours away from home and he was impressed when he visited there for an academic day in June. However, he says the race is very close and he thinks he will make a visit to Ohio State. Feliciano says he will likely wait until at least December to choose his college.

There as still a number of prospects in the Buckeye State that Ohio State would love to add to this recruiting class. One of them is certainly Ted Ginn Jr., the defensive back from Cleveland Glenville, and another is wide receiver Fred Davis from Toledo Rodgers. The Buckeyes appear to be in good shape with both. The Buckeyes also continue their pursuit if linebacker Marcus Freeman from Huber Heights Wayne High School. Freeman was at Ohio State's football camp earlier this summer and is impressed with the Buckeye program. Another Ohioan the Buckeyes would love to land is Brandon Braxton, an offensive lineman from Youngstown Ursuline. The 6-6, 300 pounder says he plans to wait and take official visits before he makes a decision. However, DE Michael Massey from Cleveland St. Ignatius, who Ohio State has also offered, could pull the trigger on a commitment to someone before the end of the summer, or possibly early in the football season. He has an offer from Ohio State. Michigan is another of his top choices, though the Wolverines have not offered to this point. Massey does have plenty of other offers including Michigan State, Tennessee, North Carolina, Pitt and Virginia.

July 14, 2003

The Buckeyes verbal commitment total now stands at 10 with the recent additions of quarterback Joe Bauserman from Florida, running back Eric Haw from Columbus and offensive lineman Jon Skinner from Pennsylvania.

Skinner is from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, and is a 6-5, 285 pounder. He has 5.1 40 speed, benches well over 300 pounds and is in great shape academically with a 4.0 GPA and a 1230 on the SAT. He helped lead his team to a 15-0 record during his junior season including a state championship. Skinner had offers from Purdue, Pitt, West Virginia, Duke, Connecticut and others before verbally committing to Ohio State.

Haw, a 5-11, 210 pounder from Columbus Independence High School, turned heads with his impressive performances at various football camps in June. Haw ran a 4.21 40 at Ohio State's camp, a 4.31 40 at Notre Dame's camp, and also ran very well at Michigan's camp. Haw was offered a scholarship by Ohio State and Michigan and Notre Dame was showing strong interest, however Haw committed to Ohio State saying that OSU has a great program, they're the national champs and he can learn from the great running backs already at Ohio State.

Bauserman, a 6-2, 225 pounder from Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida picked OSU over Clemson, his second choice. Bauserman threw for 3,004 yards and 26 touchdowns during his junior season. He has a 3.5 GPA and a 930 on the SAT. Bauserman also is an outstanding baseball prospect. In fact, he has a 90 MPH fastball. He will likely enroll at Ohio State during the fall of 2004 but wait to go on scholarship until January of 2005. He said that by doing that, it could give him more options regarding the baseball route. Bauserman said the doubted that he would play baseball at Ohio State, but certainly could go in the professional baseball draft. He hasn't ruled out the possibility of playing football at Ohio State and combining that with professional baseball. Bauserman mentioned that he likes the coaching staff at Ohio State, the stadium, and he also has family ties to the Columbus area and OSU. His aunt lives in Columbus and previously worked at Ohio State while his grandmother used to live in Columbus. Bauserman was one of the Elite 11 quarterback campers.

Defensive back Brandon Underwood, from Hamilton, Ohio, the younger brother of current Ohio State defensive back E. J. Underwood, has now been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. Brandon also has an offer from Iowa and a contingent offer from Notre Dame pending him taking care of a few things in summer school academically. Don't be surprised of Brandon Underwood's decision ultimately comes down to Ohio State, Notre Dame or possibly Iowa. Underwood has indicated that he is very interested in playing with his brother E.J.

The Buckeyes long ago offered a scholarship to defensive end Michael Massey from Cleveland St. Ignatius. The 6-5, 225 pounder has offers from Ohio State, Pitt, Tennessee, North Carolina, Miami of Ohio, Michigan State, West Virginia, Wake Forest and Indiana, and also has Michigan on his list. Look for his decision to come down to Ohio State, Pitt or Michigan if the Wolverines offer a scholarship.

Two-way lineman Brandon Nicolas is a 6-5, 260 pounder with 4.86 40 speed from Santa Ana Mater Dei High School in California. He has been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. Nicolas in fact has offers from four of his top five, Ohio State, UCLA, Arizona State and Colorado, and Notre Dame rounds out his top five but has not yet offered. Nicolas went to Cleveland St. Ingatius his ninth grade year and lived in Ohio for seven years. Nicolas in fact attended OSU's football camp three years in a row. He would like to make his decision by the start of the season. Nicolas said OSU is recruiting him as either an offensive or defensive lineman. He had 14 tackles for loss his junior year and was named the top lineman in his conference.

June 29, 2003

The Ohio State's summer football camp has concluded and has gone well.

Ohio State landed a verbal commitment from offensive lineman Steve Rehring (6-8, 320) from West Chester, Lakota West High School. Rehring was offered a scholarship while at camp at Ohio State and committed to the Buckeyes over Michigan and a host of other schools who also offered a scholarship. Rehring becomes OSU's seventh verbal commitment in a class that is expected to approach or get to the NCAA maximum of 25 on national signing.

Another Ohioan who seems on the verge of committing to Ohio State is running back Erik Haw, a 5-11, 210 pounder from Columbus Independence High School. Haw ran a blistering 4.21 40 at the OSU camp and was subsequently offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes. Haw also attended Michigan's football camp and was offered a scholarship by the Wolverines. He attended Pitt's camp as well will likely land an offer from the Panthers within the next week. Haw says he is close to committing to Ohio State. He is waiting on a confirmation letter confirming the scholarship offer and says that as soon as he receives that he will likely commit to the Buckeyes over Michigan and Pitt. Haw rushed for over 1,000 yards, averaged over six yards per carry and led his team to an 8-2 record during his junior season. He has a 3.0 GPA and a 17 on the ACT.

Two prospects from the state of Georgia that attended OSU's came were defensive lineman Frank Morton (6-4, 280) form Decatur Southwest DeKalb High School and wide receiver Lucius Johnson (6-1, 180) from Rosswell, Georgia. There has been speculation that Morton may have committed to the Buckeyes, however, that is not the case. In fact, Morton has not been offered a scholarship by Ohio State. In the case of Johnson, OSU has also not offered him a scholarship. He is looking at OSU, Auburn, Wake Forest, Princeton, Navy and a few others.

RB/FB Brock Bolen, a 6-0, 230 pounder from Germantown Valleyview High School also attended OSU's football camp last week. Bolen, who rushed for 2,283 yards and 43 touchdowns last season, says that he now has 12 scholarship offers. His top four are Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Illinois. Bolen said he would like to make a decision by the end of the summer. He is waiting for Ohio State to do further evaluations as to whether they see him as a running back/tailback or fullback.

June 4, 2003

The Buckeye commitment total currently stands at six. Early commitments to Ohio State were offensive lineman Ben Person from Xenia, defensive back Shawn Lane from Hubbard, WR Miles Williams from Youngstown and RB Tony Pittman from Akron. Additionally the Buckeye have received commitments from tight end Chad Hoobler and defensive back Sirjo Welch.

As expected, Hoobler committed to Ohio State over Penn State. The 6-5, 225 pounder from Carrolton, Ohio is the top tight end prospect in the Buckeye state. Hoobler had offers from his two finalists, Ohio State and Penn State, and visited both before verbally committing to the Buckeyes on the anniversary of the death of his father. Hoobler said that he just felt at home at Ohio State. He will likely play tight end for the Buckeyes though he also is a fine linebacker prospect. Penn State was his number two choice. He called Jim Tressel and committed to the Buckeyes, bringing OSU's verbal commitment total at that time to five.

OSU's sixth verbal commitment came from DB Sirjo Welch, the 5-11, 180 pounder from Columbus Beechcroft High School. Welch, who runs a 4.45 40, also is standout basketball prospect and some thought that he would go that direction in college, but his football tape was so impressive that offers began to flow in, including Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin. Welch totaled seven scholarship offers from Big Ten schools before committing to Ohio State.

Another Ohoian that the Buckeyes have now offered a scholarship to is running back/fullback Brock Bolen, a 6-0 tall, 230 pounder from Germantown Valleyview High School in Ohio. Bolen, who is also an excellent student, led his team to a state championship last season. He rushed for 2,283 yards, averaged 7.7 yards per carry and scored 43 times. He was an all-conference and all-state selection his junior year. Bolen tells me that the Buckeyes have now offered him a scholarship. He has nine scholarship offers overall. Ohio State, Cincinnati, Louisville, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio, Western Kentucky and Miami of Ohio have all offered him a scholarship. Bolen says he definitely likes Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State. He plans to go to Ohio State's football camp later this month at which time the Buckeyes are going to evaluate him and let him know if they see him as a tailback or fullback in college. Bolen prefers tailback. He hopes to make a decision in the next couple of months or so and that what he hears at the Ohio State camp will tell him a lot, he is anxious to see what the Buckeyes say.

The Buckeyes of course have a commitment from one offensive lineman in the state of Ohio, Ben Person from Xenia. They've also offered a scholarship to Brandon Braxton from Youngstown Ursuline, the 6-6 300 pounder who the top offensive lineman in Ohio this season. Braxton continues to consider Ohio State, Michigan, Pitt, Nebraska, LSU, Penn State and a couple of others, and all of those schools have offered him a scholarship. However Braxton says he will take all five official visits before he makes a decision.

Another offensive lineman that the Buckeyes are certainly considering is Steve Rehring, a 6-8, 320 pounder from West Chester Lakota West High School in Ohio. Rehring tells me that he now has scholarship offers from Northwestern, Illinois, Minnesota, North Carolina State and Virginia, and says that he is looking at those schools as well as Ohio State and Tennessee. Rehring plans to go to Ohio State's football camp. He says he doesn't have a favorite right now, but if the Buckeyes were to offer him a scholarship Rehring says that Ohio State might then be his favorite. He's like to make a decision by the end of the summer if possible.

Moving out of state, linebacker Chris Graham from Indianapolis Warren Central High School in Indiana is perhaps undersized as linebackers go at 5-11, 210 pounds, but nonetheless is the top overall prospect in the state of Indiana. Graham, who plays middle linebacker, made 180 tackles including 19 for losses, last season. Graham says he is very interested in Tennessee and Michigan and indicates says that both have indicated they have a scholarship available, and he is also looking at Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin, Boston College and Indiana. He also says Ohio State is another big school he would like to take a look at. Graham has a camp brochure from the Buckeyes and indicates that he is considering Ohio State's football camp this summer. Graham was in Columbus for the Rivals junior day in April.

May 9, 2003

As we approach the middle of May the Buckeyes still have four verbal commitments, those coming from four of the top ten prospects in the state of Ohio, running back Tony Pittman from Akron Buchtel, offensive lineman Ben Person from Xenia, defensive back Shawn Lane from Hubbard and WR Miles Williams from Austintown Fitch.

The Buckeyes hope to land at least one more verbal commitment by the end of this month as tight end linebacker Chad Hoobler from Carrollton plans to announce his decision at the end of May, and right now its between Ohio State and Penn State. Both schools have offered and Hoobler has the Buckeyes as his favorite at this point.

Another of the top ten prospects in the state of Ohio is linebacker Marcus Freeman, a 6-2, 240 pounder from Huber Heights Wayne High School. Freeman had previously been listed at 6-3, 225, but recently told me that he is actually closer to 6-2 but is now up to 240. Freeman is one of the top five overall prospects in the state of Ohio. Freeman says he is currently interested in Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Penn State, Florida and Miami and all of those schools except for Florida and Miami have offered a scholarship. He says his top five right now in no particular order is probably Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Oklahoma and Notre Dame. He said he would likely go to camp at least one day this summer at Ohio State, and he mentioned that recruiters from all of those schools have either called him this month or been to his high school.

The Buckeyes would also love to land offensive lineman Brandon Braxton from Youngstown Ursuline High School, another of the top five overall prospects in Ohio. He is a 6-6, 300 pounder and tells me that he now has scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan, LSU, Nebraska, Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Indiana. He said he is looking at all of them and he has visited Ohio State and Penn State recently as well as West Virginia. He was at Ohio State when the Buckeyes held their pro combine day. Even with all of the scholarship offers don't expect Braxton to soon make a decision. He says he probably, at least as of now, is going to take all five official visits before making a decision.

The Buckeyes as I mentioned early have a commitment from the top running back prospect in Ohio, Tony Pittman. Another fine running back that has Ohio State at the top of his list is Gary Russell from Columbus Walnut Ridge. Russell says that he is currently looking at Ohio State, West Virginia, Colorado and Penn State, and he says some new colleges are talking to him now as well mentioning Indiana, Akron, Wake Forest and Toledo. However Russell says that Ohio State is still his favorite school and he will likely camp with the Buckeyes this summer.

May 1, 2003

April is not a big recruiting month, but May is, and we will have weekly updates here in May. For now, lets get you caught up on what's been happening in OSU recruiting since our last report.

Ohio State now has verbal commitments from four prospects and they are four of the top ten overall prospects in the state of Ohio. Ben Person, an offensive lineman from Xenia (6-4, 295) got the ball rolling for Ohio State with his early commitment and has been followed by defensive back Shaun Lane (5-11, 175) from Hubbard, Tony Pittman (5-11, 195), an outstanding running back from Akron Buchtel. He ran for 2,325 yards an averaged over 10 yards per carry his junior season. He scored 35 times. The most recent commitment, Miles Williams (6-3, 205) from Austintown Fitch runs a 4.45 40 will play wide receiver for the Buckeyes but is simply an outstanding overall athlete who gives Ohio State plenty of versatility. Williams caught 60 passes during his sophomore year before moving to running back and fullback in a wishbone offense as a junior.

Ohio State also seems to be in good shape with the top two prospects in the state of Ohio, defensive back Ted Ginn Jr. from Cleveland Glenville and WR/Athlete Fred Davis from Toledo Rogers. The 6-1, 170 pound Ginn has Ohio State, Pitt, Michigan, Miami, Wisconsin, Iowa and Tennessee among the schools he is interested in and all have offered a scholarship. Ginn has run a 4.4 40, 10.5 100 meters and has a 3.7 GPA. The 6-4, 210 pound Davis, who runs a 4.45 40, is looking at Ohio State, Miami, Oklahoma and USC, as well as some others, and all of those schools have offered Davis a scholarship. Davis had 35 catches for 610 yards (17.4 yards per catch) as a junior. He also rushed for 1090 yards and scored 26 times.

The Buckeyes have as good a shot or better than anybody at landing both Ginn and Davis. If OSU can land them they would then of course have six of the top 10 prospects in the state of Ohio, the others being linebacker Marcus Freeman (6-3, 225, 4.6) from Huber Heights Wayne who is highly considering Ohio State as well as Michigan, offensive lineman Brandon Braxton (6-6, 300, 5.1) from Youngstown Ursaline who is considering Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee and a few others, defensive end Michael Massey (6-5, 225, 4.7) from Cleveland Saint Ignatius who Ohio State has offered a scholarship to. If Michigan offers Massey a scholarship don't be surprised if his decision comes down to either OSU or Michigan.

The other top 10 prospect in Ohio is tight end Chad Hoobler (6-5, 220, 4.7) who Ohio State is also in good shape with. Hoobler likely will decide between Ohio State and Penn State. Both have offered a scholarship and Hoobler intends to announce his decision at the end of May and the Buckeyes are currently his leader.

March 17, 2003

Ohio State has landed a verbal commitment from one of the top offensive line prospects in the Midwest, Ben Person. Person is a 6-4, 295 pounder from Xenia, Ohio. He has started at offensive left tackle since his sophomore season. He has a 3.5 GPA and scored a 22 on the ACT, and is one of the top two offensive linemen in the state of Ohio. Person went to OSU's junior day back in February and at that time told the Buckeyes that he would be going to Ohio State, however he stopped short of making a full solid commitment. Person then attended the Ohio State NFL timing day this past weekend and at that time made a solid commitment to the Buckeyes. Person said that he just needed to go home and talk things over with his parents, which he has now done. Person joins defensive back/athlete Shaun Lane from Hubbard, Ohio as OSU's two early commitments for the class of 2004. Person and Lane are two of the top-ten overall prospects in the state of Ohio.

Person was not the only standout junior to be at Ohio State on Friday for the NFL workouts. Also at OSU were offensive lineman Brandon Braxton from Youngstown Ursaline, LB Marcus Freeman from Huber Heights Wayne, and WR Fred Davis from Toledo Rogers. Ohio State has offered a scholarship to all of those players as well.

The Buckeyes have offered a scholarship to DB Ted Ginn Jr. from Cleveland Glenville long ago. Ginn, a 6-1, 170 pounder with 4.4 40 speed is one of the country's top cornerback prospects. Ginn tells me that he is interested in Ohio State, Pitt, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Miami, Tennessee and USC, and all those schools have offered a scholarship. While he says he has no favorite at this point, Ginn indicates that Ohio State, Michigan, Pitt and Wisconsin would be his top four.

A couple of Ohio running backs that certainly are interested in Ohio State are Raymond Williams and Gary Russell.

Williams is a 5-11, 180 pounder from Cleveland Benedictine. He was the runner up for the Mr. Football Award in Ohio last season as he rushed for 3,250 yards. Williams says he is interested in Ohio State, that that's the main school he's looking at, but he also has an interest in Purdue, Iowa, Michigan, West Virginia Kentucky and Duke. Williams said that Iowa and Pitt have offered a scholarship.

Russell is a 6-0, 215 pounder from Columbus Walnut Ridge High School, and says that Ohio State is his favorite school. Russell rushed for 1,800 yards and eight touchdowns his junior season. He has already visited Ohio State and Indiana and will visit Penn State. He will probably go to the Nittany Lions' camp in June, and he wants to visit Colorado. Russell says he is looking at those schools as well as Syracuse, UCLA, Maryland and Boston College, but says that Ohio State is his favorite.

02/26/03

The Buckeyes may be on the verge of their first verbal commitment of the season for the 2004 class.

DB/RB Shaun Lane from Hubbard High School is expected to announce his verbal commitment to Ohio State at a 1:30 press conference tomorrow at his high school.

The 5-11, 175 pound Lane rushed for over 2,000 yards his junior season as well as playing cornerback on defense. Lane is the son of former OSU All-American defensive back Garcia Lane who lettered at OSU in 1981, 1982 and 1983. Lane runs a 4.45 to 4.5 forty and was offered a scholarship at the OSU junior day last weekend. Lane is strong academically and is expected to have no trouble qualifying. Lane is one of the top-ten players overall in the next senior class in the state of Ohio.

02/24/03

The Buckeyes held a recruting day on Saturday in conjunction with the Ohio State vs. Purdue basketball game, and the recruiting day has resulted in a verbal commitment for Ohio State, but it's not from a current junior, but from a super sophomore that will be in the Buckeyes' recruiting class after this coming season. Jamario O'Niel, and outstanding sophomore from Mansfield Senior High School has committed to Ohio State. O'Niel is in the class of 2005 and is a 6-1, 190 pounder with 4.4 40 speed. O'Niel plays in the secondary and at wide receiver. As a freshman he was a varsity starter at cornerback for Mansfield senior. This season as a sophomore he started at safety and played wide receiver and some tailback. O'Niel would like to be a Chris Gamble type player at Ohio State, playing both in the secondary and at wide receiver. O'Niel has blazing speed and certainly that has not been lost on the Buckeyes. When O'Niel and his family were at the Ohio State vs. Purdue basketball game on Saturday O'Niel was offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes and he accepted. O'Niel's was offered if he would like to be a part of what is going on at Ohio State and O'Niel said he would, becoming OSU's first verbal commitment for the class of 2005. O'Niel ran a 10.7 10 meters in track as a freshman. He is the top-rated sophomore in the state of Ohio.

As far as others that were in attendance at the recruiting day, they included junior defensive back Brandon Underwood (5-11, 160) from Hamilton, Ohio, junior offensive lineman Ben Person from Xenia, Steve Rehring (6-8, 315) from West Chester Lakota West and Chase Clowser (6-7, 300) from LaGrange Keystone. Also in attendance was standout athlete Michael Bell from Shaker Heights High School as well as TE Chad Hoobler (6-4, 220) from Carrollton High School and Warrensville Heights WR Trumaine Smith (6-2, 190). An outstanding running back from the state of Michigan, Jalen Parmele from Midland Dow High School, a 6-0, 200 pounder who runs a 4.5 40 was also in attendance. Parmele will be one of the top prospects in the state of Michigan this coming season. He rushed for over 1,200 yards as a junior.

In case you were wondering Brandon Underwood is the brother of current Buckeye E. J. Underwood. Brandon, who runs a 4.5 40 and has a 2.9 GPA, made 50 tackles, had three interceptions and broke up 15 other passes during his junior season. He tells me that he is interested in Arizona State, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and Pitt. He said basically any school that likes him. He said that he went on an unofficial visit to Arizona State the week of the Fiesta Bowl and that's when Arizona State offered him a scholarship. He said he is going to be going to a Pitt junior day March 1.

David Webber from King of Prussia Upper Marion High School in Pennsylvania is a 6-4, 310 pound two-way tackle who is interested in the Buckeyes. Webber has been a varsity starter on both sides of the ball since his sophomore season and says he is interested in Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Colorado, Virginia, Maryland and Michigan. Webber said that he has been invited to a basketball game at OSU though he did not attend the junior day last weekend.

02/04/03

Tomorrow is national signing day, and it should be a very interesting national signing day for the Buckeyes as OSU is certainly in the running to land a few additional great prospects that would really add to this already good Ohio State recruiting class. DE Claude "Turk" McBride from New Jersey is planning to publicly announce his decision on national signing day. He has narrowed things down to Tennessee or Ohio State. DE Shawn Crable is also set to announce his decision tomorrow as well. In his case, he is down to Ohio State and Michigan.

Blue Chip QB/Athlete Michael Bush from Louisville, Kentucky, also is still planning to wait until tomorrow to announce his decision. Bush has narrowed things down to Ohio State, Louisville, Kentucky and Tennessee, but I tend to think his decision will come down to Ohio State or Louisville.

WR Devon Stearns from California will in all likelihood decide between Washington and Ohio State. OSU is also battling to hold on to DE Stanley McClover from Florida. McClover committed to OSU, but Auburn has made a big last ditch effort to change his mind. McClover's father says he would like his son to go to OSU, but it remains to be seen whether that will happen. I tend to think that he will stay with his commitment to OSU, but we'll have to wait and see.

Also the Buckeyes have talked to kicker David Dyches from Texas about gray shirting at Ohio State. He would wait to enroll at OSU in January and he is considering doing that, or going to Nebraska. QB Todd Boeckman, who has committed to the Buckeyes, will also go that same route.

Maurice Smith, who made an official visit to Ohio State, has committed to Michigan State. Smith was not offered a scholarship by the Buckeyes and went ahead and committed to the Spartans.

02/02/03

RB/FB/LB Maurice Smith is a 6-2, 225 pounder with 4.6 40 speed from the state of Ohio. Smith made an official visit to Ohio State this weekend. Smith told me that the visit went well, that he liked the campus and the academics, and everything about his visit with the Buckeyes. He said OSU is recruiting him as an offensive player. Smith rushed for 1,400 yards and 17 touchdowns his senior season and made over 50 tackles on defense. He has scholarship offers on the table from Michigan State and West Virginia, and said that the Buckeyes are supposed to get back with him tonight and let him know if they have a scholarship offer available as well. Smith said if Ohio State offers, it would be a very difficult decision between Ohio State and Michigan State. He said he does want to announce a decision sometime on Monday.

Also planning to announce a decision on Monday is DE Claude "Turk" McBride from New Jersey, and Ohio State has a shot at him as well.

WR Devon Stearns from Gardenia, California made an official visit to Ohio State this weekend. The visit went well and now Devon will likely choose between Ohio State, Washington and Cal, though there is a slight chance he could end up at UCLA. Stearns did say that Ohio State offered him a scholarship on his visit, and now Stearns needs to make a decision.

The Buckeyes also continue their pursuit of OL James Lee from Florida. Lee visited Georgia this weekend, but said that Georgia has filled up on scholarships and Lee now will likely decide between Ohio State and Florida, though he did also mention Rutgers.

As far as Michael Bush, the talented quarterback from Kentucky, and Shawn Crable the defensive end from Ohio, they are still planning to wait until national signing day to announce their decisions.

02/01/03

DE/TE Marcel Frost has committed to the Buckeyes. The 6-5, 235 pound Frost said after his official visit that he he liked it at Ohio State, Roy Hall was his host, and Frost said that he was really impressed with the Ohio State coaching staff, and in particular Coach Tressel calling him a "regular guy." Frost said that Coach Tressel told him that he would most likely play on defense, most likely at defensive end. Frost had previously committed to Iowa as a tight end, buy Frost says that the position is not that important to him. What matters to him is playing wherever he can get on the field. Frost announced his decision at a press conference at Lynderhurst Brush High School. Frost said that Ohio State was always his dream school, and that he wants to be a Buckeyes. He could play defensive end, linebacker or tight end. He has been recruited by OSU as a defensive player, but he certainly could end up as a tight end. He's very good on offense as well. Frost made official visits to Ohio State, Maryland, Boston College, Iowa and Pitt, and all offered a scholarship.

1/30/03

Defensive back/running back Ira Guiford from Hoboken, New Jersey has announced his choice, and it's good news for Ohio State. Guilford has committed to the Buckeyes, choosing Ohio State over Notre Dame. Guilford, a 5-11, 185 pounder with 4.45 40 speed, had narrowed things down to the Buckeyes and Irish before announcing a commitment tonight to Ohio State. Guilford said that he plans to play safety for the Buckeyes, even though Ohio State has mentioned the possibility of running back. That's the type of versatility the Buckeyes like because they do not have any running backs in this recruiting class. Guilford had an outstanding senior season and he is an excellent addition to this Buckeye class which now numbers 15 verbal commitments. Guilford rushed for almost 1,900 yards this season and also made over 70 tackles.

The Buckeyes certainly could get more good news, perhaps as soon as tomorrow, as DL/TE Marcell Frost from Lyndhurst Brush High School is currently making an official visit to Ohio State. It is a Wednesday/Thursday official visit with the Buckeyes. Frost is committed to Iowa as a tight end. The Buckeyes are now though recruiting him as a defensive lineman and have offered him a scholarship, and Frost is going to listen to what the Buckeyes have to say, then make a final decision between Iowa and Ohio State. He plans to announce his decision on Friday.

1/27/03

Defensive end Tim Washington did not visit OSU last weekend, and now has committed to LSU. Another Texan the Buckeyes were interested in OL Kyle Thorton, has committed to Texas. Now look for the Buckeyes to really focus in on about a half-dozen prospects as the Buckeyes could add as many as three or four more prospects to this recruiting class by national signing day.

One of those prospects is QB Mike Bush from Kentucky. He visited Kentucky this past weekend. The visit went well, and he is now seriously considering Ohio State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Louisville. This one is too close to call right now. Louisville is also still in the picture, and this one could go close to national signing day or until signing day until a decision is made, and the Buckeye could certainly land Michael Bush.

DB Ira Guilford from New Jersey is one certainly the Buckeyes would like to get good news from any day now. Guiford visited Rutgers over the weekend. He is considering OSU, Notre Dame, Rutgers, but it tends to look like it's going to come down to either OSU or Notre Dame for Guilford who I think will made a decision in the very near future. OSU seems to have a very slight edge at the moment.

Of course the Buckeyes would like to land Shawn Crable who continues to deliberated between Ohio State, Michigan and Pitt, though I think it will be either Ohio State or Michigan. That one however may wait all the way until national signing day before a decision is made.

James Lee, the big 6-5, 270 pound offensive lineman from Florida, had a good visit to Florida this past weekend, and now says that Ohio State and Florida are at the top of his list about even, but he still wants to visit Georgia this coming weekend before making a decision. He is one of the top offensive line prospects in the state of Florida.

Aaron Sears is certainly another prospect the Buckeyes would like to add to this class. Ohio State has a shot a Sears, though I think right now that may be a difficult one for the Buckeyes to land. My gut feeling is that he might end up staying in the South.

Moe Dampier, the standout defensive lineman from Illinois, told me last night that he hasn't heard from Ohio State in a number of days, however he still is interested in the Buckeyes. Keep in mind though that academics are question mark with Dampier.

01/24/03

It's another official visit weekend for Ohio State, and we'll be updating this Sunday on how visits went this weekend, but before we get to the official visits this weekend, lets start with TE Louis Irizarry. He of course originally committed to OSU, then decommted and committed to Miami. Subsequently, when he found out that Miami had received a commitment from a JUCO tight end and potentially had six tight ends on the roster, he had reason to think and perhaps reconsider Ohio State. As of now, there has been no official announcement from Irizarry as to where he is headed, Miami or Ohio State, and an official announcement may not come until national signing day and he and his family continue to think things over.

As far as this weekend for the Buckeyes, one of the prospects that is visiting OSU is a tight end, Marcel Frost from Lyndhurst, Ohio, and the Buckeyes have now offered him a scholarship. Frost committed to Iowa but he is planning on being in Columbus this weekend for an official visit.

The Buckeyes certainly would like to land Tim Washington, and outstanding defensive end from Sugarlands, Texas. He is a 6-4, 235 pounder and has made official visits to Oklahoma as well as Texas and LSU. He is scheduled to visit Ohio State this weekend and Oklahoma State next weekend. All have offered a scholarship.

Another player scheduled to visit OSU this weekend is WR Devin Stearns from California. Stearns is one of the top wide out prospects in California and has already visited Cal, Washington, Arizona State and Oregon.

On the other hand, a player that is not scheduled now is linebacker Ryan Brown from South Carolina. Brown says that the Buckeyes informed him that they would not be able to take him in his class if he did want to commit, so his official visit to Ohio State this weekend has been canceled. Brown has previously made visits to Clemson and South Carolina. He will also visit Florida January 31.

The Buckeyes would certainly like to take in this class DE Shawn Crable from Massillon, Ohio. Crable is still mulling over offers from Ohio State, Michigan and Pitt, but I ultimately see it coming down to either OSU or Michigan, and it may end coming down to signing day for his announcement.

If Ohio State can fill out this class with four or five outstanding prospects, and that very well could happen as the Buckeyes have a shot at at least a half-dozen star prospects, and if they could land four or five of them, this could be a great class for OSU despite the limited number of scholarships available.

01/22/03

The Buckeyes have landed yet another verbal commitment. Defensive lineman Sian Cotton who is one of the top linemen in the state of Ohio has said he will be a Buckeye. Cotton is a 6-4, 295 pounder from Akron St. Vincent High School and has verbally committed to OSU. Cotton, who runs very well, made official visits to Ohio State and Florida. He visited the Gators this past weekend, then went from Florida to the state of North Carolina to play in a high school basketball game on Monday. He of course plays on the same team as Lebron James. After playing in that game on Monday he verbally committed to Ohio State. Cotton told me that OSU "is just where I want to be. OSU is close to home, a good program, and really, that's it." Cotton said he told Coach Tressel and Coach Bollman, gave them the good news and said that he is all done now, he is committed to Ohio State.

Cotton may not be the only Ohioan to commit to Ohio State within the next few days to a week. Tight end Louis Irizarry is now perhaps reconsidering the Buckeyes. Irizarry, who of course originally committed to Ohio State then decommitted and subsequently committed to Miami, told me last night that he has found out that Miami has secured a commitment from a junior college tight end and now Miami would have six tight ends on scholarship. Irizarry told me that that has given him reason to think about things. His mother called Ohio State and spoke with Jim Tressel to see how things are, and Irizarry said that he now needs to talk to Miami Head Coach Larry Coker to see if this changes plans for what Miami has in mind for him. Irizarry said, "We'll see, it could change some things." Irizarry said that he's pretty sure that if he changes his mind again, he would change it back to Ohio State. As he put it, Miami's offense might be a better offense for him, but if there's not a good chance to play early, he definitely has to look into it, and with Miami having six tight ends, he is looking into the situation.

The Buckeyes spoke last night with DB/RB Ira Guilford from New Jersey. Guilford told me that he spoke with Buckeye defensive backs coach Mel Tucker. Guilford said the Coach Dantonio, Coach Spencer, and perhaps Coach Conley would be visiting with him today. Guilford has made official visits to Ohio State, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Penn State. He said he will visit his dad's alma mater, Rutgers, this weekend, then probably make a decision next week. He said that OSU and Notre Dame are his two favorites, that it's pretty close between those two, but Ohio State has a slight edge, because socially there is more to do at Ohio State.

One player that the Buckeyes will not land is WR/Athlete Jesse Holley from New Jersey. Holley, who made an official visit to Ohio State, now says that he is trying to decide between North Carolina and Virginia.

DL Moe Dampier from Decatur, Illinois, one of the country's top defensive tackle prospects, returned home Monday night from his official visit to Ohio State. Dampier said it was cool at Ohio State. He was hosted by Troy Smith and he said everything was very nice, he was very impressed with his official visit. Dampier said that Coach Tressel indicated that there are going to be couple of spots open on the defensive line next season and if he came in and worked hard, he would have a chance to possibly play soon. Dampier has now made official visits to OSU, Illinois and Oklahoma. He had been scheduled to visit Miami this coming weekend and Purdue January 31, but said that he is not sure about taking that Purdue visit, that he will be taking the ACT and wants to be able to study and get ready for it, so he indicated that he will visit Miami and that may be his last official visit. Dampier said that he does not have a favorite right now, but that OSU, Oklahoma and Miami would definitely be high on his list.

DB Mike Phillips from Warren, Harding High School, a 5-11, 175 pounder told me recently after an official visit to Michigan State that he might also be visiting Ohio State. Phillips started this past weekend with a trip to Georgia Tech on Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning, then went from Georgia Tech to an official visit to Michigan State. Phillips has previously Iowa and Pitt. He originally had committed to Pitt. All four schools have offered him a scholarship. Phillips said that he is highly considering Michigan State and Pitt as well as Georgia Tech, and he also said that after he got back from MSU on Monday that Buckeyes defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio called and they talked about a possible official visit. Phillips said that he could possibly visit Ohio State this weekend or sometime during the week after. While the Buckeyes are definitely interested in Phillips, they have not to this point offered a scholarship.

The Buckeyes are hoping to host RB Tyrone Moss (5-10, 210, 4.45) from Pompano Beach Ely High School in Florida on an official visit this coming weekend. Moss has committed to Miami, but he has made official visits to Michigan State, Ole Miss, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. He feels he doesn't need to make an official visit to Miami because he has been there so many times before. Moss told me that he is planning on making an official visit to OSU this weekend. He said the Buckeye running backs coach Tim Spencer met with him last week, that it went well, and Moss is planning to visit the Buckeyes.

The Buckeyes also continue their pursuit of DE Shawn Crable from Massillon Washington High School. Crable visited Pitt this past weekend and said that he enjoyed it, and says his decision will come down to either Pitt, Ohio State or Michigan. Crable is not tipping his hand as to which one might be the leader and says he may wait all the way until national signing day to announce a decision.

QB Michael Bush from Kentucky made an official visit to Tennessee this past weekend and it went very, very well. Bush now has OSU, Tennessee and Louisville very high on his list, but he is going to continue to take visits.

The Buckeyes also continue their interest in TE Jamesly Jean from Florida. Jean made an official visit to North Carolina State his past weekend and did not commit. He has now been to N.C. State, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and LSU. His last visit will be to Auburn this coming weekend. He is at this point in time not naming a favorite.

Another tight end that the Buckeyes are pursuing is Marcel Frost. Frost committed to Iowa, but he has now scheduled an official visit to Ohio State for this coming weekend, January 24. He is still committed to the Hawkeyes, but is planning on visiting the Buckeyes this coming weekend.

01/19/03

The Buckeyes hosted four prospects on official visits this weekend, and one of them says he is headed to Ohio State. However, he will not be at least initially be on scholarship.

Linebacker Cedric Scott from Charleston, West Virginia, the younger brother of Ohio State defensive lineman Darrion Scott, is a 6-1, 230 pounder who led his team in tackles this season. Scott made his official visit to OSU this weekend, was hosted by Marcus Green, and says that he is going to Ohio State. Scott says he will enroll at OSU in September and then he hopes to go on scholarship in January. Scott does need to qualify academically.

Offensive lineman James Lee from Florida, a 6-5, 270 pounder, told me he was very impressed with his Ohio State visit. He said he likes the coaches, the players, the academic setup, the enviroment, he said he really liked it all at Ohio State. Lee has now visited Ohio State, Centeral Florida and Rutgers, and of the schools he has visited, he likes Ohio State best. However, he says he doesn't have an overall favorite as he still has Florida January 24 and Georgia January 31. Lee said all the schools have offered him a scholarship.

Another offensive lineman who visited Ohio State this weekend wasAaron Sears from Russelville Alabama. Sears is one of the top offensive line prospects in the country, and the 6-4, 300 pounder is a player that certainly the Buckeyes would love to land. Sears was on his official visit anywhere this weekend. His other scheduled visits are Tennessee next weekend and Miami January 31. Auburn is also on his list. Sears does not have a favorite at this time.

One prospect that's still on his official visit to OSU is Moe Dampier, the standout defensive lineman from Illinois, who started his visit on Saturday and will not finish it up until Monday. Dampier has been to Illinois, Oklahoma, and now OSU. He also has Miami scheduled for next weekend and Purdue the weekend after.

Anothe prospect was scheduled to visit OSU this weekend, DB Miguel Scott, but did not visit the Buckeyes. His visit was cancelled by OSU.

01/17/03

The Buckeyes are scheduled to host some outstanding linemen this weekend. Moe Dampier (6-5, 275) from Decatur, Illinois, one of the Midwest's finest defensive tackles, is scheduled to visit Ohio State this weekend. He has already visited Oklahoma and Illinois. He has Ohio State this weekend, Miami January 24, and Purdue January 31. All have offered him a scholarship. Dampier says he doesn't have one clear-cut leader right now, but his top three in no particular order are Ohio State, Oklahoma and Miami. He would be great one for the Buckeyes to land. Dampier was going to visit Tennesseethis weekend but said the coach recruiting him resigned and he did not get a phone call from Tennessee so he's not looking at the Vols anymore.

Another great one for the Buckeyes to land is offensive lineman Aaron Sears from Russelville, Alabama. Sears, a 6-4, 300 pounder, is making his first official visit anywhere this weekend, that being to Ohio State. He also has Tennessee scheduled for January 24, and LSU for the 31st. Auburn and Alabama are on his list as well, as is Miami. All have offered a scholarship but Sears says he has no favorite. The Buckeyes seem to have as good a shot as anybody at landing Sears and he would be a great addition to this recruiting class. He is one of the top offensive line prospects in the South and is being recruited for the Buckeyes by Bill Conley.

Another prospect scheduled to visit Ohio State this weekend is offensive lineman James Lee from Florida. The 6-5, 275 pound Lee has already made official visits to Rutgers and Central Florida, and in addition to Ohio State this weekend has Georgia scheduled for next weekend and is also looking at Florida. All have offered him a scholarship. He says that right now he doesn't have a favorite. Lee is a two-way lineman that wil probably play offense in college. Lee had been scheduled to visit Florida this weekend but now will probably visit Florida January 31.

Another player from Florida scheduled to visit OSU this weekend is Miguel Scott, a defensive back from Miami Killian. The 6-1, 180 pound Scott says the has been looking forward to his Ohio State visit. He has already visited North Carolina State as well as Rutgers and Florida. He also has Georgia scheduled for next weekend. Scott says that he does not have a favorite.

A prospect that has been rumored to be visiting Ohio State is TE Marcel Frost. He won't visit Ohio State his weekend, but he does have Ohio State scheduled for next weekend, January 24. Frost remains committed to Iowa, but he says the Buckeyes have now offered and he is interested in Ohio State and plans to visit the Buckeyes next weekend.

There have been rumors going around that perhaps Stanley McClover, the fine defensive end from Florida, was reconsidering on his commit to Ohio State, however his father says that that is not accurate, that Stanley is still being recruited by everybody, as he put it, but he says that Stanley is no wavering on his OSU commitment and he plans to sign with OSU on national signing say.

David Dykes, a kicker Texas, made three of six field goals this season and 31 of 35 extra points. He also punted for a 38 yard average. Dykes says he has not yet set up an official visits. He says he is waiting on Ohio State and Texas and is also looking at Tulsa, Kansas and Baylor. He said Ball State, Tulane and Arkansas are among schools that have offered a scholarship, but says that if OSU offered he would commit, but he hasn't heard from the Buckeyes lately. He is hoping that call comes.

Another prospect that the Ohio State at the top of his list is strong safety Travis Tolbert from Syracuse, New York. Tolbert says that he is strongly considering Ohio State and is hoping to set up a visit with the Buckeyes for either January 24 or 31. Tolbert said he did recently speak with Luke Fickell and Tolbert says OSU is his favorite. He has been to Michigan State, has Alabama this weekend, and is also looking at Florida State.

Jesse Holley tells me that very much enjoyed his visit to Ohio State last weekend, he likes the city, the campus, and the football program which he says speaks for itself. He also adds that Ohio State presented the academics very well. Holley said that he was just overall impressed with Ohio State but is not ready to make a decision. Holley has visited Ohio State, Virginia and Michigan State. He is going to go to North Carolina this weekend before making a decision. All the schools have offered a scholarship. Holley says that OSU and Virginia remain his top two, about even, but he wants to check out North Carolina this weekend before making a decision somewhere around January 23 or 24.

DL Brandon Maupin from West Chester Lakota West High School of course committed to OSU a little while back. There had been rumors that perhaps Maupin was reconsidering his commitment to the Buckeyes and thinking about Pitt. Maupin told me recently that Pitt is still recruiting him some, but also says he is done with recruiting and definitely will sign with the Buckeyes.

Our next update will be on Monday morning on how the official visits went this weekend.

01/13/03

The Buckeyes have added another verbal commitment, and it comes from one of the top defensive end prospects in the state of Florida.

Stanley McClover from Fort Lauderdale Dillard High School, a 6-4, 245 pounder, has committed to Ohio State. McClover, who runs a 4.53 40, had already visited Michigan State, North Carolina State and Auburn. He was scheduled to visit Florida next weekend but says he'll cancel that as he called Jim Tressel after returning from his official visit to Ohio State and committed to the Buckeyes. McClover told me that he was very impressed with what he saw at Ohio State. He said it's the number one team in the nation and he just got a good feeling that Ohio State is the place he wants to be. He was hosted by Chris Gamble and McClover says that he's all through now with recruiting, that he is going to sign with Ohio State on national signing day.

It also appears to be just a matter of time until DB/RB Ira Guilford from Hoboken, New Jersey announces a commitment to Ohio State. The 5-11, 185 pounder told me that he had a lot of fun on his official visit to Ohio State. He said that socially, it's a great fit for him. Will Smith, he said, showed him all around, and Guilford says he likes the business school at Ohio State. Guilford said he really doesn't know if he'll take any other visits or not. He is supposed to go to Syracuse on Tuesday and Notre Dame on Friday, but says he might take the Notre Dame visit but also adds the it really looks like a matter of time until he commits to Ohio State.

A couple of other players the Buckeyes certainly could land in the very near future are actually still on official visits to Ohio State. Quarterback Michael Bush from Kentucky and WR/DB/Athlete Jesse Holley both started their visits to Ohio State on Saturday because of basketball games on Friday. Both will complete their visits on Monday. OSU certainly is very much in the running for both of them. In fact, the Buckeyes are the front-runner for Michael Bush and certainly have a very realistic shot at Jesse Holley as well.

DE Shawn Crable from Washington Massillon High School made his visit to Ohio State this weekend. He will visit Pitt next weekend and then likely decide between Ohio State, Michigan and Pitt.

The Buckeyes also did well this weekend with TE Jamesly Jean from Tampa, Florida. John did not commit to Ohio State, but the visit went very, very well. He has now visited Ohio State, LSU and Oklahoma, but has N.C. State next weekend and Auburn the weekend after that.

DL Sian Cotton from Akron St. Vincent High School made his visit to OSU this weekend. Cotton will likely visit Florida next weekend before making a decision.

LBs Ali Highsmith from Florida and Wesley Jefferson from Maryland also made their official visits to Ohio State this weekend, though neither committed to the Buckeyes.

01/10/03

There is bad news for the Buckeyes. TE Louis Irizarry from Youngstown Ursuline High School has decommitted from Ohio State and committed to Miami. Irizarry called Coach Tressel and gave him the news, then he called Coach Larry Coker and gave him the news that he was changing his commitment from the Buckeyes to the Hurricanes. Irizarry has been concerned that the Buckeyes don't throw to the tight end that much and he feels like he is never going to be a 275 pound blocking tight end, and of course he saw how Miami used Kellen Winslow Jr. in the Fiesta Bowl, and he is now changed his commitment to Miami.

On the other hand, it looks like it will come down to two schools for Moe Dampeer, one of the top two-way line prospects in the country, and one of the two schools is Ohio State. He is a 6-5, 275 pounder from Decatur, Illinois who plays on both sides of the line, but he was very, very impressive at an all-star game this past weekend in Texas on the defensive line, and that is what he is being recruited first for, as a defensive lineman. Dampeer has already made official visits to Oklahoma and Illinois. He has Tennessee scheduled for January 17, though he says he is not sure he is going to take that visit, and he has Miami for January 24. Dampeer told me last night that it is between Ohio State and Oklahoma where he goes to school, though he did say Miami is in the picture a little. Dampeer said he is going to visit Ohio State and talked to the Buckeyes yesterday and the date is being worked out, but has not yet been officially set.

Offensive lineman Kyle Thorton from Dallas, Texas, a 6-4 290 pounder have offered told me recently that Ohio State is still his top choice. Thorton has already made his official visit with the Buckeyes but is not scheduled to make an official visit anywhere this weekend. He however still does have Kansas State for January 17. Thorton is still also looking at Texas as well as Arkansas a little bit. Thorton said he watched the Fiesta Bowl and called it a great game and was very impressed. Texas is his number two choice.

On the other hand, OL Kenyon Bufford from Murfreesboro, Tennessee said last night that he still has not heard back from the Buckeyes. Bufford has not talked to Ohio State in a number of weeks he said last night. He says he does not have a visit set up with Ohio State, and said he is waiting until the Buckeyes get back, as he put it, and hopes to hear from Ohio State soon. Bufford said he is going to visit Middle Tennessee State this weekend and has Auburn scheduled for January 17, but he is waiting to hear from Ohio State. If the Buckeyes were to offer Bufford a scholarship, then would commit, but as of this time OSU has not officially offered him.

An OL that OSU certainly has offered is Sam Baker from California. The 6-5, 305 pound Baker is scheduled to visit OSU this weekend, but USC remains the team to beat. Another OL the Buckeyes are certainly interested in landing is Aaron Sears from Alabama. Ohio State has offered him a scholarship and would love to have him in this recruiting class, and Sears is definitely considering Ohio State. Baker is scheduled to visit OSU this weekend.

01/08/03

This certainly is going to be a huge recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes as many star out-of-state prospects are set to make their official visits to Ohio State this coming weekend. However, the Buckeyes have canceled two prospects that had been scheduled to visit this weekend. Offensive weekend Kevin Brown from Long Beach Poly High School in California, a 6-3, 285 pounder, told me that Ohio State has called him and told him that his visit this coming weekend has been canceled because, as Brown put it, they said that they had filled some spots. As a result, Brown will not be visiting OSU this weekend, nor will his teammate linebacker Mark Washington. In the case of Washington, the Buckeyes had not offered him a scholarship and Washington, because the Buckeyes have filled some spots, will also not be visiting Ohio State this weekend.

A prospect that definitely will visit OSU this weekend is super quarterback prospect Michael Bush from Louisville Male High School in Kentucky is all set to make his visit this weekend. Bush tells me that he will leave on Saturday because he has a basketball game on Friday night. He also has Tennessee scheduled for January 17 and Wake Forrest for the 24. He said he might also take a visit to Michigan State and then Louisville is also in his list though he does not need to take an official visit th