I don't post often, but I felt inclined after doing a little bit of research as if I was a recruit torn between OSU & ND. All things being equal, he probably chooses with his heart and where he feels most comfortable, but there are a lot of factors he might be considering.
I think one must always begin with the coaching staff, which always has a huge impact on the recruit. A lot of people assumed the hiring on BK would swing the pendulum in ND's direction. James' father played for UC and someone in this long thread stated he was a big fan of Kelly. But how comfortable has James become with the new additions to the ND coaching staff, especially Ed Warinner, the new offensive line coach. Position coaches can potentially have as much impact on a recruit as the HC and I haven't heard much on James' feeling on Warinner as of yet. On the other hand James has already stated he has a great relationship with both Tressel and Bollman. The stability at OSU, both with on the field results and job security of the coaches has to bode well for the good guys.
I didn't find a plethora of info on Warinner, but he was the OC at Kansas prior to accepting the job at ND. That might be an indication of the system they're planning on implementing at ND. Kansas was a pass happy offense similar to UC. Is that going to prepare James for the next level if that's a dream of his? Who knows....
A player nowadays doesn't commit w/out having a complete understanding of the school's depth chart and when he might be seeing the field. I'm not going to pretend to have an intricate knowledge of the ND offensive line, but this appears on paper (the place where games are won and lost) to be one of their weakest positions. They're losing 4 of 5 starters off the line from last year and are now bible paper thin at the Tackle spot. They'll lose 2 more tackles next year so James would literally be in the 2 deep as a true soph at Tackle simply from lack of bodies. Probably starting.
Although OSU is also not in an ideal situation regarding our OL depth, we're in a much more favorable position. We have talent across the line with potentially more coming in. It doesn't appear that James would see any PT as a freshman, but would have a crack at the 2 deep (perhaps at guard) in year 2. A lot of variables are at play for early PT. Noone knows if Adams will develop and see his potential. Where are Moses and Henderson going? But I would guess if James lived up to his potential he would be in the 2 deep at Guard his 2nd year and maybe moves outside to the tackle spot his junior and senior year.
Although I don't think you're going to find very many recruits saying they would like to wait a year or two to bulk up and develop their skills before seeing the field, that may be what they're seeking privately. If James were one of the recruits where playing time was one of his top priorities then ND would be the choice. I don't think that's the case here. Not that I know, but he doesn't seem like one of those recruits.
Both schools have pretty cool schedules in the future. OSU is playing Miami, California, UC, and if James decides to redshirt, his senior year they're be playing Virginia Tech. In addition to playing every other week in one of the best stadiums in the world, the shoe. Notre Dame plays USC every year and has some pretty cool venues on their slate. They'll play in Yankee stadium, the citrus bowl, cowboy stadium, gillette stadium, in addition to playing pitt who plays at Heinz field. They'll have Oklahoma on their schedule for a home and home as well.
Unfortunately, and this is just my opinion, Notre Dame is going to be losing a lot of those games. They haven't defeated any good team in a disgustingly long time and based on the players they have lost this year, it could get worse before it gets better. I would bet that if they have another poor year you'll see both Floyd and Rudolph bolt for the NFL.
Or does James want to join a team that has proven success and an obviously bright future? We may not win a NC during the time he's wish us, but we'll definitely have a shot or two. Or does he want to be a part of a rebuilding team. Maybe by the time he's a junior, Kelly will have turned that ship around, but it's nowhere close to a guarantee.
So ND now has Massa and they're good friends. Who knows how good of friends he is with Kramer, who has verballed to the bucks. You're going to make a hell of a lot of friends in college being a football player and one friend will not be a big factor when both of these schools aren't far from his hometown. I'm sure kids from his school are going to both ND and OSU.
I like how we offered him first and hope the "cooling" which was rumored months ago was just that, a rumor. This kid has not wavered from his top 3 schools and I have respected the manner in which he's handled his recruitment. He's kept things close to the vest... and I hope when his decision comes....it's for the VEST.