Monday, July 20, 2009
Posted by Bill Kurelic
Penn State coach Joe Paterno has assembled an impressive group of 13 verbal commitments. Rich Rodriguez also has one of the top recruiting classes in the Big Ten.
But don't forget about Jim Tressel and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The past two seasons Tressel has signed the top recruiting class in the Big Ten, and the man with the sweater vest is quietly on his way towards signing another very talented class.
In recent weeks, Tressel has landed commitments from one of the Midwest's top running backs -- Roderick Smith (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Harding), the top kicker in the state of Ohio -- Drew Basil (Chillicothe, Ohio) and a talented quarterback in Taylor Graham (Wheaton, Ill./North).
On Sunday, Tressel added a commitment from ESPNU 150 Watch List defensive end Darryl Baldwin (Solon, Ohio). Penn State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Michigan and many others were also in the mix for Baldwin.
Tressel now has nine verbal commitments, including five ESPNU 150 Watch List prospects and four of the top six prospects in the state of Ohio.
However, Tressel could still land several outstanding uncommitted prospects from the state of Ohio, including Under Armour All-American linebacker Jordan Hicks (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) and ESPNU 150 Watch List offensive lineman Matt James (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Xavier).
The Buckeye boss could also land a number of top uncommitted prospects from outside the state of Ohio. Without a lot of fan fare, Tressel is assembling another outstanding class -- one that will likely be a top-20 class nationally.