Buckeye Blogger Network
2013 Recruiting Board UpdateThe search continues for a receiver in the 2013 Recruiting Class as indicated by the new offers that have been reported over the last few days.
This might be a sign that the visits over the weekend didn’t go so well.
Bill Greene did report yesterday on local Columbus radio that things are looking good for JUCO WR Corey Smith, so there was some positive news from the receivers over the weekend.
Greene is one of the best in the business so I’m going to assume that Smith will be a part of the class at this point based on his positive report.
So what about the remaining two spots and the apparent search for another receiver?
It seems clear that the staff is re-gearing for their final push before signing day.
Here is my guess on the strategy over the final weeks:
Sharp dressed man
The big recruiting weekend for Ohio State barely got started when the first verbal was made; Cleveland Glenville’s Chris Worley has become the latest member of the 2013 Ohio State recruiting class.
An athlete who’s projected as a safety/linebacker (perhaps the “Star” position?), Worley held offers from Michigan State, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Pittsburgh among others. He’s listed as a three star prospect on most of the major scouting services.
Chris is a bigger defensive back, measuring in at 6’2″ and 185 pounds or so- it will be interesting to see where he ends up fitting in to Ohio State’s defense.
There was speculation for a while that Chris would be a part of this year’s class, due in part to the focus on defensive playmakers and due to the history that Glenville’s prospects have had in Columbus. He was initially scheduled to announce his decision in November, but that was delayed until today. There were rumors regarding his eligibility, but those were put to rest last week when he informed the school he’d made the scores necessary to enroll, if accepted.
It may be interesting to see if this decision has any impacts on, or is a reflection of, Georgia Safety Vonn Bell, who will be visiting Ohio State with his family this weekend. The Buckeyes are rumored to lead for his commitment.
After the jump, check out Chris’ highlights from this past season. Read More
Tell me if you have read this phrase before- this weekend will be huge for Ohio State recruiting.
It seems like we are writing those words every other week with Urban Meyer at the helm in Columbus, but overused or not, they once again ring true.
With exactly four weeks to go until NLOID on February 6, Coach Meyer and his staff will be looking to add the finishing touches on an already outstanding 2013 recruiting class.
They will start their final month of recruiting in style over the next several days by hosting almost all of the players remaining on the 2013 recruiting radar.
Pending reports from the upcoming visits, we will likely have a much better idea of what the class will ultimately look like come February 6.
Here is a look at the players who will be taking their official visits to Ohio State in the coming days.
SPARQ Hardware
Today, Mike Mitchell made official what we’ve expected since this summer, and became the latest verbal commitment to Ohio State at the Army All American game.
In fact, here’s the article that we’ve had loaded up in the on deck circle from early July of 2012-
Well, that escalated in a hurry. (ha… if only we knew)
Earlier this week, whispers started to fly regarding Plano Texas linebacker Mike Mitchell’s interest in Ohio State, although the Buckeyes were said to be in the mix with Florida State and Texas A&M.
Friday, though, things got serious. First, Mike excelled at
Oregon’sNike’s “The Opening” competition, and set a new national record in total SPARQ score with a 154.47 score, including a 4.39 laser timed 40 yard dash. While in Eugene, he began to connect with other Buckeye commits and word began spreading that he was Ohio State’s to lose.And today, it became official as he gave his verbal as the fourteenth member (whoops!) of the 2013 recruiting class.
At 6′ 3″ and about 220 pounds, he also had interest from Oregon, TCU, Southern Cal, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Old Miss in addition to the schools mentioned earlier.
Mike has a history of hoops excellence as well; here’s video of him dunking over opponants during a game his sophomore year. For basketball junkies, you’ve got to wonder if this might also help Mickey, Mike’s younger brother and a top recruit for 2015, consider joining the scarlet and grey… the younger Mitchell is a pretty decent football player as well.
Since that time, Mike has been identified as a 5 star linebacker and the number two player at his position by Scout, and has had offers from every school in the country. His “hat choices” included Texas A&M and Oregon.
Mike’s official was the weekend of the 2012 Celebration, and confirmed what he’d believed to be true all along- that Ohio State was the place for him to spend the next four years or so.
After the jump, check out his highlight video- he plays with good speed and a lot of aggression. Oh, and his nickname seems to be “The Abusement Park”. I kid you not.
Trey Johnson will be expected to contribute immediately to the two-deep at LB next season. (11W)
Georgia 4-star linebacker Trey Johnson has officially announced his plans to attend The Ohio State University next season.
Johnson chose Ohio State over Florida and Tennessee on live television during the Under Armour All America Game.
He becomes the 20th commitment in the 2013 class and the first in what is expected to be a huge recruiting weekend for the Buckeyes with decisions from 5-star TX LB Mike Mitchell and 5-star KY WR James Quick pending tomorrow.
It is no secret that the Silver Bullets need some major help at linebacker, which gives Johnson and other young players a chance to make their mark right away next fall.
Listed at 6’1″ 215, Johnson seems to fit the mold of Silver Bullet weak side tackling machines like A.J. Hawk and Ryan Shazier.
However, he could end up in the middle or on the strong side as well given the tremendous need and lack of depth at those positions.
He plays primarily in the middle for his HS team in the highlights below where he shows outstanding instincts and a nose for the ball which will serve him well no matter where he ends up on D.
As players like Brian Rolle have shown in the past, prototypical size isn’t always the most important factor in where you will contribute.
Johnson is clearly a very exciting addition to the class who will be expected to crack the two deep and contribute immediately once he gets on campus.
Highlights after the jump.
Two big events in the football recruiting world are scheduled to take place at the end of this week on January 4th and 5th.
Those would be the Under Armour All America Game on the 4th and the US Army All American Bowl on the 5th .
For Ohio State fans, many players already committed to the Buckeyes will be participating in these games.
Several more players may officially announce their decision to play for the Buckeyes during the games.
Finally, there are several players heading to that school up north that will be participating in the games. It is never too early to scout the opposition.
Here is a rundown of the players who may be of interest to Ohio State fans, and stay tuned this weekend for coverage of the games, including an update from the UA game Friday night and a liveblog on Saturday.
Mr. Morgan
With all of the buzz around the huge recruiting weekend planned this week, somehow we missed the news that Lebanon Quarterback Luke Morgan has accepted an offer to be a “preferred walk-on” at Ohio State as a part of the 2013 class.
A “preferred walk-on” is typically an in-state student athlete who participates in the program at their own expense, but one who is “first in line” should a scholarship come available. Given Ohio State’s scholarship limits as a part of the NCAA sanctions, this means that it may be a short time before one opens up.
The 6’2″, 185# Morgan is familiar with the style of offense the Coach Meyer runs, and is also an exceptional basketball player at Lebanon as well. You can check out his junior year highlights after the break, or also at JJHudl. Read More
Mr. Munger
We were pretty certain that this weekend would be a big one in terms of Ohio State recruiting, but this was a name that wasn’t on our radar for a commitment. Particularly given the circumstances.
Expected as a part of the Friday “arrival” for the weekend, there was speculation that Munger would end up at UCLA when he didn’t appear with the rest of the visitors- he was at the Bruins’ win over Southern Cal earlier in November.
However, he matriculated over to Columbus on Saturday and must have liked what he saw: On Sunday, Shaker Heights senior Donovan Munger gave his verbal to become the 19th member of the Class of 2013.
A four star recruit by many of the folks who do such a thing for a living, Munger held offers from Georgia, Penn State, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Washington, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Michigan State, UCLA, and Notre Dame.
At 6’4″ and 285 pounds, Donovan is projected to be the fifth member of the 2013 Defensive Line class, although there’s some speculation that he might also be looked at on the offensive line- he excelled at both positions this past year at Shaker Heights. You can check out his senior video at Hudl.com, or his junior highlights after the break. Read More
