|
The
Buckeye Buzz
Nick Leach
| July 2,
2010 |
Smith
 
Well
we sure hope y’all enjoyed the ride, following the
twists and turns of recruiting the 2011 Ohio State
football class.
It followed a path that had about as many curves
and bends as an excited fireplace poker, but you can
rest assured that the trip is almost complete.
Plus, the thinking from this corner is that there
likely won’t be enough suspense filled moments left to
trigger so much as a gnawed on hangnail from Buckeye
nation.
Now
don’t mistake that as a sign that there’s anything less
than a feeling of excited anticipation over what these
recruits bring to the Buckeye program.
If anything,
this class looks to be a prime example of the rich
getting richer.
If you drew up a checklist of needs you hoped to
fill with this class, it would be a safe bet to say the
projected signees will meet or exceed all of them.
You
say you’re looking for an heir apparent for Heisman
candidate, Terrelle Pryor and Outland candidate Mike
Brewster?
How would you like to land the nearly consensus, top
rated quarterback and center in the class?
Braxton Miller and Brian Bobek, come on down!
Not enough, right?
How about some other nice offensive line pieces
to help protect the talented Mr. Miller?
If things work out as planned, the Buckeyes could
even be adding what one expert describes as possibly the
best lineman to ever come out of Ohio – Aundrey Walker.
Still want more?
Now that protecting your quarterback has been
taken care of, you’ll want to give him some weapons to
work with.
How does a trio of 4 star receivers and a couple of blue
chip tight ends sound?
We’re talking about a group that can affect and
attack every part of a defense.
Devin Smith has the speed to go yard on any play.
Evan Spencer has the route running and toughness
to get a first down inside the hashes or outside.
Shane Wynn (if he commits) will have defenders
tightening up their athletic supporters for fear of
being juked out of them.
The tight ends are both athletic & physical
enough to impact blocking schemes as well as play
calling in the passing game.
But
what about the defense you say?
Well the defensive line haul set to join the OSU
program in 2011 is simply the most highly regarded
collection of talent in the class to this point.
The group has speed off the edge with Steve
Miller, power for the strong side with Kenny Hayes, & a
couple of nationally ranked blue chip tackles in Michael
Bennett & Joel Hale.
Mix in the versatile Chase Farris who could play
inside or out, & you have an offensive coordinators
worst nightmare.
The
defensive backfield still has some spots to fill & the
Buckeyes are yet to get a commitment for the linebacker
corps.
However, the commitments of a pair of nationally ranked
safeties like Ron Tanner & Jeremy Cash are the envy of
nearly every D1 defensive coordinator on the job.
Derjuan Gambrell is flying under the radar (just
how he likes it), but he was offered based on his OSU
camp performance.
I’ve yet to see the coaches evaluate a defensive
back at camp as OSU worthy only to see him ride pine for
his career.
If the Bucks can close with the nearly consensus top
cornerback in the country, Doran Grant, the secondary
should be in good hands for 4 more years.
Collectively, this group is
already one of the top 10 classes for this recruiting
cycle.
Plus, the options left on the board to potentially fill
these last few spots are all outstanding, nationally
recognized players that have their pick of multiple BCS
schools. As
the Buckeyes add the finishing touches, watch the
acclaim continue to grow until this class is considered
one of (if not) the best in the country.
|
TR Rank
|
Pos.
|
Recruit
|
Projected
Top Schools
|
Trending
|
Prediction
|
|
Smith
|
Leach
|
|
28
|
CB
|
Doran Grant
Akron, OH
|
Ohio State, Michigan State, Miami-FL.
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Grant is enjoying the recruiting process and who
could blame him?
He’s earned the chance to have these
experiences & see the sites these schools have
availed him with.
That he’s still so humble, grounded, and
interested in representing himself with class
says a lot about this future Buckeye.
Leach:
The only real minimal threat, Miami, is starting
to show some more interest. It should at least
be enough for pay sites to try to drag it along
since Doran doesn't plan on deciding until NSD.
Don't worry though folks, this race has been
over for a long time.....all Buckeye.
|
|
35
|
DT
|
Kevin McReynolds
Washington, DC
|
North Carolina, Ohio State, Maryland, Southern
Cal
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Even back during McReynolds-gate (erroneous
report of him committing to OSU at the spring
game), I never saw him ending up at OSU.
That hasn’t changed as he has tweeted his
way from one school to the next.
He seems to have the best relationship
with the school with the same color scheme as
his favorite website.
Leach:
With the OSU DL haul right now stacked, it
appears Hale took the last spot on the line.
McReynolds plans on taking his time on a
decision but the staff wants quick decisions.
Unless a scholarship opens up, he's left out.
UNC is the pick here based on his relationship
with their DL coach, John Blake.
|
|
60
|
LB
|
Trey DePriest
Springfield, OH
|
Alabama, Ohio State, Florida
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Every day that passes without a commitment since
his visit to Tuscaloosa strengthens the Buckeyes
chances.
Getting
to challenge for a national title every year,
play with your best friend, and be about an hour
away from home so your loved ones can see you
play?
Yeah, I think this one ends well for the
Bucks.
Leach:
Right now, the pick is Alabama....but get back
to me in a week. Bama has the lead, but leaving
their camp without giving a verbal has to be
scary. Camping at OSU with good friend Braxton
Miller and other OSU commits around him could
very easily be enough to sway him over.
|
|
87
|
WR
|
Darius Jennings
Baltimore, MD
|
Penn St, Ohio St, Rutgers, Georgia Tech,
Maryland, Iowa
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
In the last month, Jennings has finally been
able to start visiting some of the schools
trying to woo him.
His post visit comments have done little
to indicate which of these schools may be
gaining ground and which are beginning to fade.
My pick is Penn State simply because they
have to land someone at some point, right?
Leach:
Doesn't seem like much has changed with
Jennings, it doesn't hurt that PSU will be able
to offer early playing time which is something
Darius covets.
|
|
117
|
OT
|
Aundrey Walker
Cleveland, OH
|
Ohio State, Michigan State, Southern Cal.
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
The chances of Walker choosing a school other
than Ohio State are on par with Tiger choosing
celibacy.
Talk to me on signing day after he’s
taken his visits, named 5 different leaders, and
still ends up donning a size 8 fitted, Buckeye
hat.
Leach:
The buzz and praise around Aundrey seem to be
building after LeCharles Bentley heaped the
hefty load of saying Walker could be the most
talented OL out of Ohio ever. This was always an
easy Buckeye choice, but given the USC sanctions
the confidence on a 1-10 scale went from 10 to
11......."Eleven, exactly, one louder!"
|
|
144
|
DB
|
Wayne Lyons
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
|
Florida, Florida State, Notre Dame, Ohio State
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
There are two schools that could make Lyons
think about bypassing his mom and sisters
college choice, and neither of them are Ohio
State.
Look for Notre Dame and Florida State to
stay in the game until the end.
But don’t look for Lyons anywhere but
Gainesville starting in the fall of 2011.
Leach:
Location and his family is just too much to
overcome for Notre Dame, the number two. OSU is
falling so far behind and while UF is picking up
more and more steam.
|
|
172
|
DE
|
Andre Sturdivant
Cleveland, OH
|
Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Pittsburgh
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Sturdivant has a frame where you change time
zones going from one shoulder to the other.
It’s a good thing he has those broad
shoulders too considering the gorilla sized
monkey he had on his back from falling behind in
school.
All signs indicate another good grading
period may be all that’s needed to purge the
primate.
Leach:
The only hold up is some off the field issues
that should be in order for Big Tank to be a
part of the Big Haul at DL for OSU. He could
also play MLB given his penchant to get his nose
in the middle of the action, but once those
issues are resolved this one is all over.
|
|
193
|
OG
|
Angelo Mangiro
Succasunna, NJ
|
Penn State, Ohio State, Rutgers, Pittsburgh
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
The only way I see Mangiro picking Ohio State at
this point is if Gordon Gee pulls a Modell and
moves the campus to Baltimore.
There’s no doubt that OSU is one of his
top choices & from the sound of things, his
favorite in many ways.
There’s just no over coming a kid who is
more comfortable closer to home.
Leach:
Still haven't seen anything out of Mangiro that
would put me off my PSU position. Too many
strong factors going for the Nittany Lions that
have a deep rooted connection with him to pull
him from there now, although OSU gave him a heck
of a run and should finish 2nd.
|
|
195
|
LB
|
Michael Caputo
Imperial, PA
|
Penn State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
See my comments on Mangiro.
Caputo is one recruit who is about as
laconic as you’ll find in the class.
He has had the chance to see his top 4
and plans to see them all again on an official
visit.
With that many chances to be swayed,
anything is possible.
I just don’t see him straying far from
home given his personality.
Leach:
Pitt, PSU, and OSU seem to be neck and neck and
I'll give Pitt the edge for now based on his
relationships with current players on that
roster. Ohio State has made up ground and quick
after a great visit from Caputo and family and
they'll get an OV. Things are looking up in the
pursuit of this STAR prospect.
|
|
NR
|
LB
|
Conner Crowell
Waldorf, MD
|
Ohio State, Maryland, West Virginia, North
Carolina
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
I have no doubt that had Penn State been one of
his 1st offers, he’d be a PSU commit today.
The ironic part though is the exposure to
other programs has shown him that Maryland has
the chance to compete with any of them.
The chance to be a hometown hero and a
piece in the championship puzzle has a strong
pull.
Leach:
Maryland and WVU are right there with PSU, but
he appears to be enamored with the LB history
and great location of the school. It doesn't
hurt that PSU has a very strong presence in his
area either. This will go down to the wire, but
OSU is slipping behind the pack.
|
|
NR
|
CB
|
Jabari Gorman
Miami, FL
|
Miami-FL, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
I’m that close (looking through the sliver of a
gap between my thumb and index finger) to
picking Gorman to the Bucks.
Indications are that Ohio State has been
his leader since his spring game visit.
The question is if he can resist the Cane
enticements long enough to get back to Columbus
& affirm his feelings.
Leach:
It's a two horse race and it's neck and neck
going into the final stretch as it appears
Jabari is tiring of the recruiting process. The
closeness he has to his family makes me
seriously wonder if he'd be willing to head up
north to OSU, which is why I like his odds of
landing at Miami.
|
|
NR
|
CB
|
Dondi Kirby
Monroeville, PA
|
Penn State, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Florida,
Southern Cal
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Kirby is a recruit I just never saw as a good
fit for the Ohio State program.
Factoring in his desire to play with his
friend and teammate, Armstead Williams, as well
as his timetable to commit after the season just
makes it seem less likely.
I don’t have a good feel for his top
schools so I’m picking the home team.
Leach:
A surprise pick here with the Gators but after
their recent offer they've been coming after him
hard and Kirby seems to be attracted to the big
stage that they offer. He plays his cards well
though and doesn't give much up, but I'd say UF
and Pitt seem to be the two out front.
|
|
NR
|
LB
|
Ejuan Price
Pittsburgh, PA
|
Pitt, Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa,
Syracuse, W. Virginia
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Coming off his recent visit to OSU (his 2nd
since the spring), Price was asked if he
committed on the visit.
His response?
“Not yet.”
He went on to say how tempted he was to
commit and sing the praises of the program.
Unless he’s blown away on his upcoming
trip to Iowa, look for Price to commit to OSU
before the season.
Leach:
It didn't take much imagination for Price to see
himself as the next LB to be a part of the
Silver Bullets. Before the visit he was
teetering on the edge of Pitt, but then the OSU
visit pulled a Humpty Dumpty on him and he is
all on the Buckeye side now. See, now if Humpty
was a Buckeye instead of an egg I think he
woulda survived that fall....
|
|
NR
|
WR
|
Shane Wynn
Cleveland, OH
|
Ohio State, Miami-FL, Michigan State, Illinois,
Southern Cal
|
|
|
|
|
Smith:
Using the classic Glenville misdirection
tactics, Wynn named Miami-Fl as his leader early
on.
The only problem is the Canes received 2
commitments from recruits with similar talents
and, uh, ahem, statures.
Looks like Wynn will have to name another
leader for a while until he commits to Ohio
State.
Leach:
There has been some buzz about Wynn and Miami,
but don't buy into it. They have other WR's
ahead of him, and those Hurricanes are use to
the recruiting game Tarblooder kids give them, a
la Marcus Hall. He'll be a Buckeye but he'll
drag the Miami name along to keep it spicy until
NSD, when he'll instantly become the favorite to
become the PR/KR the next year.
|
Players
removed since the last edition:
CB Jonathan Aiken:
no longer considering Ohio State
DT Michael Bennett: committed
to Ohio State
WR Phil Dorsett:
committed to Miami, FL
DT Joel Hale:
committed to Ohio State
DB Eilar Hardy:
committed to Notre Dame
DL: Chase Hounshell:
no longer considering Ohio State
QB Braxton Miller:
committed to Ohio State
DB Brandon Phelps:
committed to Virginia
QB Jerrard Randall:
committed to Oregon
LB Ben Russell:
committed to Ohio University
LB Ryan Shazier:
committed to Florida
WR Devin Smith:
committed to Ohio State
WR Evan Spencer:
committed to Ohio State
WR Ja'Juan Story:
committed to Florida
LB James Vaughters:
committed to Stanford
WR Shaquille Washington:
announcing July 7th, no longer considering
Ohio State
TB Allan Wasonga:
no longer considering Ohio State
Already
committed to Ohio State:
|
TR
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
High School
|
City, State
|
|
14
|
QB
|
Braxton Miller
|
Wayne HS
|
Huber Heights, OH
|
|
38
|
DE
|
Steve Miller
|
McKinley HS
|
Canton, OH
|
|
90
|
DE
|
Kenny Hayes
|
Whitmer HS
|
Toledo, OH
|
|
131
|
DT
|
Michael Bennett
|
Centerville HS
|
Centerville, OH
|
|
176
|
WR
|
Evan Spencer
|
Vernon Hills HS
|
Vernon Hills, IL
|
|
183
|
DB
|
Ron Tanner
|
Eastmoor HS
|
Columbus, OH
|
|
192
|
OC
|
Brian Bobek
|
William Fremd HS
|
Palantine, IL
|
|
NR
|
OT
|
Tommy Brown
|
Firestone HS
|
Akron, OH
|
|
NR
|
OG
|
Christopher Carter
Jr.
|
John F. Kennedy HS
|
Cleveland, OH
|
|
NR
|
DB
|
Jeremy Cash
|
Plantation
HS
|
Plantation, FL
|
|
NR
|
DT
|
Chase Farris
|
Elyria HS
|
Elyria, OH
|
|
NR
|
CB
|
DerJuan Gambrell
|
Rogers HS
|
Toledo, OH
|
|
NR
|
DT
|
Joel Hale
|
Center Grove HS
|
Greenwood, IN
|
|
NR
|
TE
|
Jeff Heuerman
|
Baron Collier HS
|
Naples, FL
|
|
NR
|
WR
|
Devin Smith
|
Washington HS
|
Massillon, OH
|
|
NR
|
OG
|
Antonio Underwood
|
Shaker Heights HS
|
Shaker Heights, OH
|
|
NR
|
TE
|
Nick Vannett
|
Central HS
|
Westerville, OH
|
Here are
a few prospects to keep an eye on.
An offer from Ohio State likely vaults the
Buckeyes up near the top of the list for each of these
recruits:
|
TR
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
High School
|
City, State
|
|
NR
|
OT
|
Donavon Clark
|
Finneytown HS
|
Cincinnati, OH
|
|
NR
|
P
|
A.J. Fox
|
Mooney HS
|
Youngstown, OH
|
|
NR
|
LB
|
Nicholas Grigsby
|
Trotwood-Madison HS
|
Trotwood, OH
|
|
NR
|
QB
|
Cardale Jones
|
Glenville Academy HS
|
Cleveland, OH
|
|
NR
|
OT
|
Jamare Mills
|
Scioto HS
|
Dublin, OH
|
|
NR
|
WR
|
A.J. Sebastiano
|
North Broward Prep
|
Coconut Creek, FL
|
|
NR
|
ATH
|
Roger Williamson
|
Dunbar HS
|
Dayton, OH
|
|
