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After a long hiatus, it’s time to jump back in with some recruiting talk.
Adverse circumstances surrounding the program have obviously impacted recruiting for months, but the 2012 class still has an opportunity to be pretty darn good.
The key will be finishing strong, and the Buckeyes look to be in a great position to do just that.
The biggest concern, as it has been for months, continues to be along the offensive line. Regardless of how the ’12 class finishes, the depth issues there may not be resolved until the ink is dry on the ’13 class.
Before I get too far ahead of myself, here is a look at how the 2012 class will wind down. Read More
Say hello to your newest Buckeye, St. Ignatius TE Blake Thomas.
Say hello to your newest Buckeye, tight end Blake Thomas, the 7th commitment for the Buckeyes in the 2012 class.
Thomas didn’t receive an offer from Ohio State until last week, but it was clearly the one he was waiting for and it didn’t take him long to decide that Columbus was the place for him.
Blake has good size (6’4″ 240 lbs) to go along with the speed and quickness to get separation from defenders in the secondary. He is great at creating match up problems for linebackers in the open field like any good tight end should.
He also does not shy away from contact while carrying the ball and at the line of scrimmage. He isn’t the greatest blocker at the moment, but he has the mentality necessary to turn into a good one with the right coaching and strength program (Ohio State has those more than covered).
While not as highly regarded as some of the other tight end prospects that the Buckeyes have offered in the class, Thomas provides a lot of versatility in how he can be utilized on offense. He reminds me of former Buckeye TE/FB Stan White Jr. (who was a highly rated LB in HS) and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the coaching staff utilize Thomas in a similar fashion.
Finally, as I mentioned in our most recent recruiting update (that we rushed out yesterday morning because it was pretty clear that this commitment was going to happen sooner rather than later), Thomas is from St. Ignatius, a traditional Ohio football power and a program worth keeping a pipeline open to.
Following Blake’s commitment, it will be interesting to see what Ohio State does concerning the other three TE prospects they have targeted in the 2012 class. Regardless, Ohio State has brought another in-state player into the fold and for that we can be thankful.
Highlights can be found here.
Welcome to Buckeye Nation Blake!
Kent Taylor is one of two new offers to tight ends in 2012.
Who would have guessed that the most recent action in the 2012 class would come at tight end.
After signing two TE prospects in the 2011 class and with limited space in 2012, it would have been a surprise to see one tight end taken in 2012.
After several recent offers, however, there are now four tight ends with verbal offers (check the big board), with one being very likely to become a Buckeye within the next week or two (more on that later).
The Buckeyes also offered another DB from the south (although the chances of signing him, like always, are slim), which seems to further emphasize that the Buckeyes are looking primarily out-of-state despite having several prospects in state (I have a post in the hopper on that, so look for it in the near future).
Finally, there were several surprising commits to other schools from players on Ohio State’s radar.
First, CA QB Shane Dillon committed to Colorado, which significantly reduces the probability of Ohio State signing a QB in 2012.
Secondly, FL LB Noor Davis committed to Stanford without evening making it to their campus ahead of time. This recruiting game is a funny thing sometimes.
Read on for a more detailed look at Ohio State’s newest offers and the complete list of players dropped from the big board.
Oh, one additional note, the very first verbal offers from the 2013 class have been handed out, and our 2013 big board has been launched accordingly. It is still much too early to have much of an idea what the class will look like, but it doesn’t hurt to get an early start. Read More
