Buckeyes snag another defensive component
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Updated: 10:30 a.m.
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The restocking of Ohio State's defensive cupboard continued this morning when Walter Dublin, a defensive end from Sarasota, Fla., committed to sign with the Buckeyes' 2006 recruiting class. That was a day after Californian Mark Johnson, ranked 10th among linebacker prospects in the country by one recruiting service, said he would sign with OSU.
Dublin, 6 feet 3, 235 pounds, is one of the higher rated defensive line prospects in Florida, and is considered to be a swing player the likes of Will Smith and Bobby Carpenter. He chose OSU over Iowa, Virginia Tech and others. More than anything he chose the Buckeyes because of their coach, he said, after making his commitment just after 9 a.m. today.
"My major deciding factor was sitting down with coach (Jim) Tressel and having a nice talk," Dublin said. "The man is probably the most respectable guy I've ever met. We didn't talk about football. It was about what I wanted out of my full experience at Ohio State.
"He has the reputation of winning national championships and winning bowls, but further than that, it seems like all the players there are completely satisfied with their experience. That really left a big impact."
As for Johnson, from Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, he picked the Buckeyes over California, Louisiana State and Michigan. But who knows what he would have done had the weather been more winter-like during his official visit to OSU last the weekend.
"I kind of had my mind made up before I got there," Johnson said by phone yesterday from L.A. "I told myself, ‘If it’s not too cold, I’m just going to commit.’ "
Thus OSU picked up a prospect ranked No. 10 among all linebackers in the nation by Scout.com, and ranked No. 5 among inside linebackers by Rivals.com. One thing that stands out immediately about Johnson is his 4.5-second speed in the 40-yard dash.
"This is a very big commitment for Ohio State because not only is Mark Johnson one of the top prospects in the country, but he fills a need, because everybody knows Ohio State has lost its three starting linebackers from this past season," said Bill Kurelic, Midwest expert for Rivals.com.
Johnson said he and others will have big shoes to fill in following A.J. Hawk, Anthony Schlegel and Bobby Carpenter.
"I liked watching all three of them, because they were great examples of that Ohio State tradition when it comes to linebacker play," Johnson said. "They just play on a different level.
"That’s why I want to go there. There’s just something about that defense. You can see you have to step your game up just to get to play for Ohio State."
The Buckeyes, with two other linebackers already committed to the 2006 class, are seeking at least two more. Colin McCarthy of Clearwater, Fla., reportedly has narrowed his choices to OSU and Miami, and Thaddeus Gibson of Euclid, Ohio, still is contemplating offers from Michigan, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee and OSU.
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