After a momentous day for Buckeye football, and after a few frosty beverages, here’s the staff’s reflections on the epic 2013 recruiting class!

Charles Brought Us A New Table!

Who’s the player on offense/defense who will make the biggest impact during his career at OSU?

Ken: Mike Mitchell. I think he has potential to have a Spielman/Katzenmoyer type career at OSU

WVa: Offense: I am going to go with one that has been in the fold for a good bit. Jalin Marshall is the guy I see coming in right away and contributing and will have a great career in Scarlet and Gray.

Defense: Tracy Sprinkle is my guy here. He looks to me to be the perfect fit to take over where Nathan Williams left off and really reminds me of my favorite Buckeye to come out of WV Darrion Scott. Good size and plays low and will show early what he has in that motor that never quits.

Tim: For me, the player who will make the biggest impact will be Cam Burrows. There is a question of whether he will play safety or corner at OSU, but wherever he finds himself playing, he will be an impact player on defense. His combination of size and speed could enable him to be a great one.

Jason: Jalin Marshall. All these kids have tremendous talent and endless possibilities, so I’ll put my eggs in the basket of the one who’s the best player in Ohio

Eric: The biggest impact defensively is likely going to be on the Defensive Line, where the Buckeyes are going to be making up the most ground.  A good freshman, like Joey Bosa, could step in and really make life easier for the defense.

Offensively, that’s a little trickier.  The answer is going to be whoever manages to fill the playmaker role for Urban Meyer the best.  It could be Ezekiel Elliott, James Clark, or Jalin Marshall.  It could also be any one of a dozen others who may prove to be extremely effective as a fast, shifty, playmaker.

Mali: I think that we’re going to see some amazing things from Dontre Wilson… I watch what DeAnthony Thomas does in Eugene, and what Harvin did with Meyer at Florida, and I can’t help but envision some fireworks from the moment he steps on campus.

I’m also excited to see what Chris Worley will bring to the table- a safety that hits like a linebacker, or a linebacker that can run with receivers… as the game gets faster, it’ll be great to have a counterpunch.

What new recruit will most likely see early playing time? Who redshirts? Read More

Tags: 2013 Recruiting, Cam Burrows, Chris Worley, Class of 2013, Corey Smith, Darrion Scott, Derrick Green, Dontre Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott, J.T. Barrett, Jalin Marshall, James Clark, Jaylon Smith, Joey Bosa, Michael Hill, Mike Heuerman, Mike Mitchell, Tim Gardner, Vonn Bell
Categories: Ohio State Football, Recruiting

We’re one week away from National Letter Of Intent Day, and the excitement (and chaos) is building.  We’ll talk a bit this week about the idea of “verbals” and visits, but let’s dig through the news bucket a bit first, shall we? Oh, and Mark Titus’ favorite band brings us our musical inspiration for the morning. Happy Wednesday.

Buckeye 411

• Taking My Talents To… Tuesday night, we got another great shot of Buckeye alum Greg Oden, just as rumors were swirling about his work to rejoin an NBA franchise. In what might seem to be the most ironic choice of programs, speculation is that his return could either be with the Cavaliers or the Miami Heat… although, I’m sure he’ll be a lot more professional about how he makes that announcement. Either way, Ohio State fans will be excited to see him back in action, and we wish him nothing but the best.
• As The Recruiting World Turns- Ohio State picked up a great wide receiver on Tuesday, but the recruiting cycle is far from over. We’re hearing positive things from Trey Johnson’s coach, but haven’t heard anything specific from him.  Ezekiel Elliott seems to be back on board as well, but has stated that he’s not willing to do interviews until a week from today, and announced on Tuesday that he would make his announcement at 3:00 PM at his school. Could this mean that he wants time to see what else happens with the OSU recruiting process before making his decision? Again, those who know feel confident that he will still be in the scarlet and gray, but that’s what makes this whole time of year so interesting, isn’t it?
• RE: Cruiting, Part Deux- The two “big names” that are still out there are Vonn Bell and Dontre Wilson; the former seems to be torn between the hometown Vols, Alabama, and the relationships that he has made with Ohio State’s coaches and possible teammates.  Bell has a visit from Coach Withers on Thursday; he’ll then shut down his recruiting and make a decision some time this weekend.  Wilson, the current Oregon commitment, had a great visit in Columbus last week by all accounts, but it was announced today that he would be visiting his home school with a trip to Austin this weekend. Given that the Longhorns recruited the last two Heisman Trophy winners and tried to make them play defensive back, it’s hard to see an offensive threat like Wilson in Austin, particularly given that the offense Texas runs has little similarity to the Ducks or what Urban Meyer is building.

Commentary- Commitment Read More

Tags: Alabama, Dontre Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott, Greg Oden, Manti Te'o, Michigan, Oversigning, Penn State, SBP, Trey Johnson, Virginia, Vonn Bell, Western Michigan
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Humor, Michigan Football, NCAA Investigations, Ohio State Football

As all is quiet on the (mid)western front, here’s Wednesday’s bucket o’ links and commentary.

One Of Those Weeks...

Buckeye 411

• Let’s Go Camping!!  Well, it’s summer and the final quarter at Ohio State is wrapping up as we speak. So, how better to celebrate than cramming all the kiddos in the family truckster and heading out to the great outdoors. Ah, the wilderness… where legends are made and- what? That’s not the kind of camping that we’ll be seeing at the WHAC? Shoot- I had my Deet all squared away and everything.

Nope, this weekend starts the summer football camp season in Columbus, which is a B1G deal for the 2013/14 classes as well as for Coach Meyer’s continued scorched earth policy building relationships with coaches and programs across the state. This weekend’s a one day camp, and the process builds to July’s Friday Night Lights event.  For many HS students, this might be the make or break opportunity that they’ve been looking- a number of OSU targets have been encouraged to camp in order to either earn an offer or to be evaluated and have their offer “bumped up” to “Commit-able”. Many thought that QBs Malik Zaire and Mitch Trubisky were in this category, as Urban wanted to see them camp prior to having them join the 2013 class… obviously they wanted to be somewhere else or wanted someone who didn’t require them to “audition”.

Names to keep an ear out for this weekend include national #3 safety Vonn Bell, who will be making his second unofficial in less than a month- that’s got to be a good sign, methinks. Also, Lakota’s Kyle Meadows will be participating, as will Wayne’s Lovell Peterson, both will be looking to earn offers. Finally, North Carolina DE/LB Tyquan Lewis will also be present- another interesting recruit from the Tar Heel State.

• ZEKE! Speaking of recruiting, Ezekiel Elliott earned RB MVP honors at the Illinois Nike event and an invite to the big doin’s in Oregon later this summer.  Here’s a great interview with Scout.com about how he felt his performance went and what he’s most looking forward to. Read More

Tags: Arkansas, B1G, Dave Brandon, E. Gordon Gee, Ezekiel Elliott, Jerry Sandusky, Jim Delany, Kyle Meadows, Lovell Peterson, SBP, Tyquan Lewis, Uniforms, Urban Meyer, Vonn Bell
Categories: College Football, Conference Expansion, Ohio State Football, Recruiting

All Smiles

We mentioned earlier that this weekend would be huge for Ohio State recruiting, and we’re starting to hear whispers that a lot of prospects really liked what they saw.

It’s not whispers, though, coming from St. Louis area running back Ezekiel Elliott, who has given his verbal to be the sixth member of the 2013 Ohio State recruiting class.

Elliott, who’s offers included Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, and Georgia recently had a solid visit to Notre Dame and is reported to have almost committed while there. Today, however, he becomes the latest member of the scarlet and gray.

One of the top hurdlers in the nation, he’s also projected as the top player in the state of Missouri. His measurables- 6’0″, 195 pounds, 4.4 forty yard dash; he’s the 9th ranked running back in the class of 2013 and a current four star athlete. Film and more after the jump. Read More

Tags: 2013 Recruiting, Class of 2013, Ezekiel Elliott
Categories: Ohio State Football, Recruiting